^S  *l*AH.Ritchi« 


^^C 

^ 


OHIO  IN  THE  WAR: 


HER  STATESMEN, 


GENERALS,  AND  SOLDIERS. 

By    WHITELAW    REID, 

iisr  two  ■voxjtr^ycES. 
VOL  UME  I: 

HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  DURING  THE  WAR, 

AND  THE 

LIVES  OE  HER  GENERALS. 


"I  conceive  that  in  these  latter  time8  the  scale  upon  which  we  measure  warlike  prowess  has  heen  brought  down 
too  low  by  the  custom  of  awarding  wild,  violent  praise  to  the  common  performance  of  duty,  and  even  now  and  then 
to  actual  misfeasance;  so,  if  I  keep  from  this  path,  it  is  not  because  I  think  coldly  of  our  army  or  our  navy,  but 
because  I  desire— as  I  am  very  sure  our  best  officers  do— that  we  should  return  to  our  ancient  and  more  severe  standard 
of  excellence.  There  is  another  reason  which  moves  me  in  the  same  direction :  not  only  is  the  utterance  of  mere 
praise  a  lazy  and  futile  method  of  attempting  to  do  justice  to  worthy  deeds,  but  it  even  intercepts  the  honest  growth 
of  a  soldier's  renown."— Kinglake's  Crim.  Wak,  Chap.  29. 

"Whoever  has  committed  no  faults  has  not  made  war."— Marshal  Turenne. 


PUBLISHERS: 

MOORE,    WILSTACH   &   BALDWIN, 

25  WEST  FOURTH  STREET,  CINCINNATI. 

New  York:  60  Walker  Street. 

1868. 


From   the  Publishers. 

is  based  ui»on  large  sales  at  moderate  prices  to  the  soldiers  and  their  hosts  of  friends.  Only  thus 
can  «  return  be  expected  for  the  twenty-five  or  thirty  thousand  dollars  expended  in  producing 
the  book,  not  to  speak  of  profit  on  the  venture.  On  this  score,  however,  the  publishers  have  no 
reason  to  be  especially  fearful.  Several  thousand  copies  have  found  purchasers  in  advance  of 
publication ;  and,  as  heretofore  arranged  for,  the  work  will  continue  to  be  delivered  only  to  sub- 
scribers by  duly-authorized  agents. 

The  work  is  believed  to  be  incomparably  more  complete  than  any  similar  one  undertaken 
in  any  other  State,  and  on  a  plan  not  attempted  elsewhere. 

Published  to  portray  the  patriotic  efforts  of  the  people  of  Ohio,  the  deeds  of  her  soldiers, 
and  of  those  who  were  at  once  her  sons  and  the  Nation's  cherished  leaders  in  the  fierce  struggle, 
the  work  will  be  found  singularly  free  from  the  fulsome  and  vapid  praise  which  was  so  striking 
a  feature  in  works  on  the  war  published  during  the  heat  of  the  contest  or  at  its  close,  to  catch 
the  sympathies  of  the  public.  Our  author,  with  his  careful,  fearless,  and  polished  pen,  will 
doubtless  find  many  eager  readers,  and  be  the  means  of  exciting  much  discussion  among  the 
thinking  men  of  the  Nation. 


PREFACE 


A  N  effort  is  made  in  these  pages  to  present  some  leading  facts  in  the  illustrious  record 
\  of  the  State  of  Ohio  during  the  war  of  the  Great  Rebellion.  It  is  sought,  first,  to  ex- 
_j  \  hibit  the  home  history  of  the  State  through  the  long  struggle;  second,  to  present  in 
whatever  fullness  of  detail  may  be  possible,  the  careers  of  the  General  Officers  from  Ohio,  whether 
born  in  or  appointed  from  the  State ;  and  third,  to  trace  in  outline  the  history  of  each  regiment 
sent  out,  with  the  roster  of  its  officers,  and  the  leading  facts  in  its  organization  and  service. 

The  work  owes  its  origin  to  Mr.  William  H.  Moore,  the  senior  partner  of  the  house  by  which 
it  is  published.  As  early  as  in  the  summer  of  1863  he  visited  me  in  Washington  to  arrange  for 
its  preparation.  Its  main  features  were  then  agreed  upon,  and  he  straightway  set  about  procur- 
ing such  facts  for  it  as  were  then  accessible.  I  desire  now  to  add  that  but  for  his  zeal,  courage, 
and  energy  the  work  would  probably  have  failed  of  completion. 

It  was  a  part  of  the  contract  made  by  Mr.  Moore  on  behalf  of  the  publishers,  that  they 
should  procure  for  me  all  books,  documentary  matter,  personal  statements,  etc.,  necessary  for  the 
preparation  of  the  work.  In  pursuance  of  this  arrangement,  they  have  employed  persons  of 
apparent  fitness  for  such  service  to  visit  the  armies  in  the  field,  and,  since  the  close  of  the  war  to 
wait  upon  officers  of  regiments,  Generals,  private  soldiers — upon  any  one,  in  short,  who  might  be 
thought  able  to  contribute  any  fact  not  yet  known  or  cast  light  upon  any  occurrence  hitherto  ill- 
understood. 

With  the  material  thus  furnished  my  own  work  began.  Many  of  the  statements  I  was  able 
to  correct  or  modify  from  personal  knowledge — many  more  could  be  verified  from  published 
documents  or  from  official  reports  on  file  at  the  War  Department — still  others  could  be  compared 
with  the  versions  given  in  the  reports  of  battles  and  of  investigating  committees,  and  in  other 
documentary  matter  published  by  the  Rebel  Congress,  of  which  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  pro- 
cure nearly  complete  sets  at  Richmond.*  And  on  many  points  a  residence  of  over  a  year  at  the 
South  since  the  close  of  the  war  had  given  me  additional  light. 

That  these  facilities  have  been  used  to  the  best  possible  advantage  I  dare  not  hope;  but  that 
they  have  been  used  honestly  and  conscientiously,  I  trust  the  succeeding  pages  may  make  clear. 
The  book  has  been  written  without  any  theories  of  the  war  to  sustain,  and  without  any  pet  repu- 
tations to  build  up.  I  have  striven  earnestly  to  write  always  in  the  spirit  of  those  golden  words 
that  stand  as  mottoes  upon  the  title  page  of  this  volume — to  avoid  the  custom  of  awarding  wild, 
violent  praise  to  the  common  performance  of  duty — to  remember  that  whoever  has  committed 
no  faults  has  not  made  war — to  promote  the  honest  growth  of  a  soldier's  renown  by  simply  tell- 
ing what  he  did.  And  if  I  have  had  any  theory  whatever  that  has  influenced  my  expressions, 
it  has  been  that  of  the  gruff,  good  Count  Gurowski,  that  the  real  heroes  of  this  war  were  the 
great,  brave,  patient,  nameless  People. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  I  shall  have  very  few  readers  to  agree  with  the  estimates  placed  upon 
the  performance  of  many  of  our  most  distinguished  Generals.     It  is  a  National  habit  to  go  to 

*  For  a  general  guide  as  to  the  events  of  the  war,  constant  use  has  been  made  of  Mr.  Greeley's  "  American  Con- 
flict"—a  work  with  which  I  have  not  in  all  cases  been  able  to  agree,  but  which  has  always  seemed  to  mo  a  marvel  of 
comprehensiveness  and  condensation. 

'"Pi 


2  Preface. 

extremes.     At  first  we  could  endure  no  comparison  for  the  young  commander  of  the  Army  or  tne 
Bl  with  Napoleon;  after  a  time  we  could  scarcely  hear  without  impatience  any  defense 
Of  ilim  trom  th.  -rges  of  cowardice  and  treason.     At  first  we  denounced  the  man  who 

faoghl  iVlm-nt  Bad  Pittsburg  Landing  as  a  drunkard  and  an  incapable;  now  we  echo  the  words 
,  i  .nan  that  h<  M  fa  Legitimate  successor  of  Washington,  and  believe  him  the  greatest  Gen- 
eral of  the  century  or  the  continent.  It  is  not  by  any  reflection  of  such  popular  verdicts  that 
honest  History  can  be  written.  Yet  I  have  experienced  too  many  proofs  of  the  generous  con- 
sideration given  by  our  people  to  honest  convictions,  to  have  any  doubt  as  to  the  kindly  reception 
they  will  extend  to  these  frank  statements  of  opinions  that  have  not  been  formed  without  much 
study,  and  are  not  expressed  without  conscientious  care. 

It  is  doubtless  impossible,  in  a  work  of  this  magnitude,  to  avoid  errors.  No  page — not 
even  the  briefest  sketch  of  a  cavalry  company  or  independent  battery — has  gone  to  the  printers 
without  being  carefully  revised  or  rewritten.  The  rosters  of  the  regiments  have  been  first  taken 
the  rolls  of  the  Adjutant-General,  then  compared  with  the  War  Department  Volunteer 
Register,  and  finally  corrected  and  enlarged  in  almost  every  case  by  some  officer  of  the  organiza- 
■ncerned  ;  every  page  has  been  again  and  again  revised.  After  all,  in  so  many  names,  and 
dates,  and  brief  accounts  of  great  transactions,  many  errors  must  have  escaped  notice ;  but  it  may 
be  safely  affirmed  that,  in  the  main,  the  record  of  Ohio  soldiers  as  here  presented,  is  incompara- 
bly more  complete  and  correct  than  any,  official  or  unofficial,  that  is  elsewhere  accessible. 

It  has  been  earnestly  desired  to  add  to  the  work  an  unique  collection  of  incidents  in  the' 
war,  narratives  of  personal  experience,  sufferings  in  Southern  prisons,  and  the  like — the  materials 
for  which  were  mostly  furnished  by  Ohio  private  soldiers.  But  the  work  has  already  swelled  far 
beyond  the  limits  to  which  it  should  have  been  restricted;  and  it  becomes  an  unfortunate  neces- 
sity to  omit  this  further  illustration  of  the  lives  and  works  of  the  men  in  the  ranks.  For  the 
same  reason  some  mention  of  the  Western  gunboat  service  must  be  left  out. 

I  am  specially  indebted  to  Major  Frank  E.  Miller  (of  Washington  C.  H.,  Ohio)  for  intelli- 
gent and  valuable  assistance  in  reducing  to  shape  the  vast  mass  of  material  placed  in  my  hands 
by  the  publishers.  He  has  also  prepared  the  exhaustive  indexes  which  accompany  the  work. 
Hon.  William  T.  Coggeshall,  Private  Secretary  to  Governor  Dennison  (who  has  since  died  at  his 
post  as  United  States  Minister  to  Ecuador);  Hon.  William  Henry  Smith,  Private  Secretary  to 
Governor  Brough,  and  subsequently  Secretary  of  State;  F.  A.  Marble,  Esq.,  afterward  Private 
Secretary  to  Governor  Brough  and  to  Governor  Anderson,  and  Edwin  L.  Stanton,  Esq.,  of  the 
War  Department,  have  placed  me  under  obligations  for  valued  assistance  in  many  ways.  I 
have  also  to  thank  the  Adjutant-General  and  the  Governor  of  Ohio  for  access  to  any  documents 
among  the  State  archives  which  it  was  needful  to  consult.  Finally,  to  a  whole  host  of  the  sol- 
diers of  Ohio,  for  the  kindness  which  loaded  me  with  whatever  facts  were  asked,  and  for  the 
delicate  consideration  which  intrusted  these  to  me  to  be  used  according  to  my  own  sense  of  fitness, 
I  can  never  sufficiently  express  my  obligations.  No  General  or  other  officer  of  Ohio  has  failed 
to  furnish  whatever  I  sought;  and  no  one  (with  a  single  exception)  has  asked  that  any  feature 
in  his  career  should  be  concealed  or  any  other  extolled. 

And  now  as  this  labor,  which  for  nearly  two  years  has  engrossed  my  time,  is  brought  to  an 
end  I  lay  as.de  the  pen  regretfully.  Here  are  many  pages,  and  many  efforts  to  do  some  justice 
o  features  ,„  the  war  history  of  our  noble  State.  No  one  can  better  understand  how  far  they 
fall  short  of  the  noble  theme.    And  yet-who  can  write  worthily  of  what  Ohio  has  done? 

CmcnrNATi,  December  24,  18C7.  Wt  R* 


CONTENTS 


Page. 

Preface 1 

CHAPTER  I. 
Ohio's  Part  in  the  War  for  the  Union 13—  15 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  State  at  the  Outbreak  of  the  War 16 —  19 

CHAPTER  III. 
Initial  War  Legislation — The  Struggle  and  Surrender  of  Party 20 —  24 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Opening  Acts  of  Dennison's  War  Administration 25 —  44 

CHAPTER  V. 
West  Virginia  Rescued  by  Ohio  Militia  under  State  Pay 45 —  51 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Progress  and  Close  of  Dennison's  Administration 52 —  63 

CHAPTER  VII. 
General  Features  of  the  First  Year  of  Tod's  Administration 64—  82 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Siege  of  Cincinnati - 83—  98 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Arrest  and  Trial  of  Vallandigham 99 — 124 

CHAPTER  X. 
Armed  Resistance  to  the  Authorities 125 — 129 

CHAPTER  XI. 
The  Organization  of  the  National  Guard 130—133 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  Morgan  Raid  through  Ohio 134 — 152 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Vallandigham  Campaign »  153 — 171 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Closing  Features  of  Tod's  Administration 172—181 

f3) 


4  Contents. 

chapter  xv.  Page> 

TllK  0n.N1Nll  p.  to***  Administration-His  Care  for  the  So™  and  ^ 
.,.„,.  hum  to  which  it  Led 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

200 207 

Tin:  last  Recruiting-its  Progress  and  Perils 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

208—220 

1  ii i    EEuvmntD  Days'  Men.... 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Brouoh's  Troubles  with  Officers,  and  his  Failure  to  be  Renominated 221-230 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

031 237 

Close  of  Brough's  Administration 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Military  Legislation  of  the  State 

CHAPTEE  XXI. 
Ohio  Surgeons  in  the  War 245—251 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
The  Relief  Work;  Aid  Societies,  etc 251—272 


GENERAL.. 
Ulysses  S.  Grant 351-415 

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL. 
Wm.  Tecumseh  Sherman 417 — 493 

MAJOR-GENERALS. 

George  B.  McClellan 275—309 

William  S.  Rosecrans 311—350 

Philip  11.  Sui:ridan 495 — 560 

James  B.  McPherson 561—590 

O.  M.  Mitchel 591—616 

Q,  A.  Gillmore 617—655 

Irvin  McDowell 656—694 

Don  Carlos  Buell 695 — 724 

Robert  C.  Schenck 725 — 738 

James  A.  Garfield 739 — 764 

William  B.  Hazen 765 — 769 

Jacob  D.  Cox 770 — 777 

George  A.  Custer 778 — 783 


Contents.  5 

James  B.  Steedman 784—788 

Godfrey  Weitzel 789 — 795 

David  S.  Stanley 796—798 

George  Crook 799—804 

Wager  Swayne 804—805 

Alexander  M.  McCook -. i 806 — 809 

Mortimer  D.  Leggett 809—810 


BEEYET    MAJOE-dENEEALS. 

Charles  W.  Hill . 811—815 

John  C.  Tidball '. 816—820 

Eobert  S.  Granger 821—822 

John  W.  Fuller  823—827 

Manning  F.  Force 827—828 

Henry  B.  Banning 829—830 

Erastus  B.  Tyler 831—833 

Thomas  H.  Ewing 834—836 

Emerson  Opdycke 837—839 

Willard  Warner 839—840 

Charles  K.  Woods L 841—843 

August  V.  Kautz 844 — 848 

Rutherford  B.  Hayes 848 — 849 

Charles  C.  Walcutt . 850 — 851 

Kenner  Garrard '. 852 

Hugh  Ewing 853—856 

Samuel  Beatty 856 

James  S.  Robinson 857 

Warren  Keifer 858—860 

Eli  Long 861—862 

William  B.  Woods 863—864 

John  W.  Sprague 864—866 

Ben.  P.  Runkle 866—867 

August  Willich 868—870 

Charles  Griffin 871 — 873 

•Henry  J.  Hunt 874 

B.  W.  Brice 874 


BEIGADIEE-GENEEALS. 

Robert  L.  McCook 875 — 879 

William  H.  Lytle 880 — 883 

William  Sooy  Smith ♦. 884 — 887 

C.  P.  Buckingham 887—889 

Ferdinand  Van  Derveer 890 — 893 

George  P.  Este 894 — 897 

Joel  A.  Dewey 897 

Benjamin  F.  Potts 898—900 

Jacob  Ammen ,...  901 — 903 

Daniel  McCook 904 — 906 


Contexts. 


J.  W.  Foi 

Ralph  P.  Bccklaxd 

William  H.  Powell- 

John*  G.  Mitchell 
vdebs  Piatt... 
Eliaeix  P.  Scamhon 

OHAKI.EB  6.   H  ARE! 

J.  W.  Reillt.. 

Joshua  W.  Sill 

McLeah. 

William  T.  H.  Brooks 

Geobge  W.  Morgjls 

John  Beattt 

William  W.  Bubsrs 

Johx  &  Masoe 

8.  S.  Caeeoll 

Henry  B.  Caeeisgtom~.....~ 

Melaxcthox  S.  Wade 

Johm  P.  SLorcH.-- 

Thomas  Kilby  Smith 


BREVET    BRIGADIER-GEXEKALS. 


MM! 

907—908 

909—910 

911—912 

913— 

915—916 

917—918 

918—919 

919—920 

921—  ._ 

923 

924— 

_- 

930 

931—932 

_ 

933 

939 


R.  X.  Adams,  954;  Franklin  Askew.  957. 

William  H.  Baldwin,  957;  W.  IT.  Ball,  958;  Gershom  M.  Barber,  958;  James  Barnett,  958- 

Robert  H.  Bentley,  959;  J.  Biggs,  959;  John  R.  Bond,  959;  HenrY  Van  Xess  Bovnton,' 

959;  Rosliff  Brinkerhoff,  960;  Charles  E.  Brown,  961;   Jefferson  Brumback,  961-  Henry 

L.  Burnett,  961;  Joseph  W.  Burke,  962. 
John  Allen  Ckmpbell,  962;  Charles  Candy,  962;  John  S.  Casement,  962;  Men dal  Churchill   962- 

ST7^^  962;  Bea^Vnin  R  Coate^  «»;  James  M.  Comly,  963 ;  Henry  S.  Commager,' 
53;  H.  C.  Corbin,  963;  Benjamin  Rush  Cowen,  963;  John  E.  Cummins,  965  ;  J.  R.  Cock- 

en  II,  965. 

Andrew  R.  Z.  Dawwn,  965;  Henry  F.  Devol,  942;  FrancU  Darr,  965;  Azariah  K.  Doane  965 
Charle.  G.  Euoo,  965 ;  John  Eaton,  jr,'965 ;  B.  B.  Eggleaton,  955 ;  John  J.  Elwill,  966. 
Benj.  D.  Fearing,  940;  J.  M.  FmzeU,  966 ;  Joseph  S.  Fnllerton,  966 ;  Edward  P.  Fyffe  966 
braej  Garrard,  943 ;  Honulo  G.  Gibeon,  966;  William  H.  Gibaon,  967;  Samuel  A.  Gilbert,  967- 

^Z^^ZTnZl  tSfT  £  ^  "" :  ^^  tt  H^  MB ;  Kussell  Haat- 
n^i  n    '       ^J'     ^        ;  Andre,r  Hickenlooper,  937;  George  W.  Ho«e  968     E 

« ?tsTiS!r  r  p  Ho,r m9;  Horaoe  *  *-«:  Sst^h™; 

WW,  WM  H.  Hunt,  969 ;  R.  P.  Hutching,  969 ;  Walter  F.  Herrick,  969. 
John  a  Jones,  948 ;  Theodore  Jones,  970 ;  Wells  S.  Jones,  970 

'^C^S  R  ■—*«-«*-.  «;  John  C.  L>  972;  Frederick  W.  Lister,  973;  B. 

M«Cook,  974;  J.  Tli^L^f.  ^  Ti^  *  **»»**'  974=  Anaon  O. 
GmrnlleMo^dr  975  -  jTh?£  «™      £-     .     McGroartr-  974i  Edwin  S.  Meyer,  975; 


Contents.  7 

George  W.  Neff,  977 ;  A.  B.  Nettleton,  977 ;  Edward  Follensbee  Noyes,  978. 

John  O'Dowd,  979. 

Augustus  C.  Parry,  979 ;  Don  A.  Pardee,  981 ;  Oliver  H.  Payne,  945 ;  John  S.  Pearce,  981  j 
William  S.  Pierson,  981 ;  Orlando  M.  Poe,  981 ;  Eugene  Powell,  981. 

K.  W.  Ratliff,  981 ;  W.  H.  Raynor,  981 ;  W.  P.  Richardson,  945 ;  Americas  V.  Rice,  982 ;  Or- 
lando C.  Risdon,  982. 

Thomas  W.  Sanderson,  982 ;  Franklin  Sawyer,  982 ;  Lionel  A.  Sheldon,  982 ;  Isaac  R.  Sher- 
wood, 953;  Thomas  C.  H.  Smith,  962;  GK  W.  Shurtliff,  982;  Patrick  Slevin,982;  Benjamin  F. 
Smith,  982 ;  Willard  Slocum,  983 ;  Orland  Smith,  983 ;  Orlow  Smith,  983 ;  Joab  A.  Staf- 
ford, 983 ;  Anson  Stager,  983 ;  Timothy  R.  Stanley,  983 ;  William  Steadman,  983 ;  William 
Stough,  984 ;  Silas  A.  Strickland,  984 ;  Edgar  Sowers,  984 ;  Peter  J.  Sullivan,  984. 

Jacob  E.  Taylor,  984;  Thomas  T.  Taylor,  984;  David  Thompson,  984;  John  A.  Turley,  984. 

Thomas  M.  Vincent,  947 ;  Lewis  Von  Blessingh,  984 ;  Alexander  Von  Schraeder,  985. 

Durbin  Ward,  985;  Moses  B.  Walker,  955;  Darius  B.  Warner,  986;  Henry  K  West,  986; 
Horatio  X.  Whitbeck,  986;  Carr  B.  White,  987;  Aquila  Wiley,  987;  Wm.  T.  Wilson,  987; 
Oliver  Wood,  987;  Thomas  F.  Wildes,  951 ;  G,  F.  Wiles,  946. 

Thomas  L.  Young,  988 ;  Stephen  B.  Yeoman,  949. 

Lewis  Zahm,  989 ;  George  If.  Zeigler,  989. 

OUE    HEROIC    DEAD. 

Colonel  Minor  Millikin,  990;  Colonel  Lorin  Andrews,  995;  Colonel  Fred.  C.  Jones,  997;  Col- 
onel William  G.  Jones,  999;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Barton  S.  Kyle,  1000;  Colonel  John  H. 
Patrick,  1001;  Colonel  John  T.  Toland,  1002;  Colonel  George  P.  Webster,  1003;  Colonel 
Leander  Stem,  1004;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jonas  D.  Elliott,  1005;  Lieutenant-Colonel  James 
W.  Shane,  1006;  Colonel  Joseph  L.  Kirby  Smith,  1007;  Colonel  Augustus  H.  Coleman, 
1008;  Colonel  John  W.  Lowe,  1009;  Lieutenant-Colonel  Moses  F.  Webster,  1011. 

TABLES  OF  STAFF  OFFICEES.  Etc. 

Assistant  Adjutant-Generals,  1012;  Additional  Aids-de-Camp,  1013;  Aids-de-Camp  appointed 
under  Act  of  July  17,  1862,  1013;  Hospital  Chaplains,  1013;  Judge  Advocates,  1013;  Signal 
Corps,  1014;  Additional  Paymasters,  1014;  Assistant  Quartermasters,  1014;  Commissaries 
of  Subsistence,  1016. 

WAR    GOVERNORS.   Etc. 

Ex-Goyernor  Weleiam  Dennison 1017 

11  Da vtd  Tod 1020 

"  John  Brough 1022 

Secretary  Edwin  M.  Stanton 1027 

Ex-Secretary  Salmon  P.  Chase 1030 

U.S.  Senator  Benjamin  F.  Wade. 1033 

U.  S.  Senator  John  Sherman. 1035 

Jay  Cooke 1037 


3  Contents. 


MAPS  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  VOL.  L 

MAPS. 

Page. 

Some  of  th*».  Routes  to,  and  Battle-fields  around,  Richmond 295 

The  Battle-field  of  Stone  River 331 

iAMAUGA   AND  ClIATTANOOGA 341 

Battle  of  Belmont • 360 

Pittsburg  Landing  and  Vicinity 376 

VlCKSBURG  AND  SURROUNDINGS 383 

Petersburg  and  the  Flanking  Movements  to  the  Left 407 

itAir'a  Atlanta  Campaign 451 

man's  March  to  the  Sea 468 

Sin  j; man  s  Campaign  of  the  Carolinas 473 

•an>  Valley  Campaign 524 

Tin-  Bull  Run,  Rappahannock,  Antietam,  and  Gettysburg  Campaigns 669 

Defenses  of  New  Orleans 790 


WOOD   CUTS, 

Pontoon  Bridge  over  the  Ohio  River 

The  Squirrel  Hunter 

Gunboats  on  the  Ohio 

Feeding  Troop3,  Fifth  Street  Market  Space,  Cincinnati. 
Gillmore  Shelling  Charleston 


FRONTISPIECE. 

PORTRAIT  OF  LIEUTENANT-GENERAL   ULYSSES   S.   GRANT. 

MEDALLION    POETRAITS 
SECOND   PLATE. 


92 

96 

136 

192 

638 


r  *~*  Page. 

Lieut.  Gen.  Ulysses  S.  Grant 273 

Maj.  Gen.  Wm.  T.  Sherman 273 

George  B.  McClellan 273 

Don  Carlos  Buell 273 

Ormsby  M.  Mitchel 273 


Maj.^Gen.  William  S.  Rosecrans P273 

Robert  C.  Schenck 

James  A.  Garfield...., 
James  B.  McPherson.. 
David  S.  Stanley 273 


273 
273 
273 


Contents. 


9 


THIRD   PLATE. 


Page. 

lJ.  Gen.  Irvin  McDowell 495 

1  James  B.  Steedman.... 495 

'  Philip  H.  Sheridan 495 

1  Alex.  McD.  McCook 495 

1  William  Sooy  Smith 495 


Pago. 

Bvt.  Ma j.  Gen.  Samuel  Beatty 495 

R.  B.  Hayes 495 

Surgeon-Gen.  Gustav  C.  E.  Weber..  495 

Brig.  Gen.  Edward  F.  Noyes 495 

"  John  S.  Mason 495 


FOURTH   PLATE 


Page. 

Maj.  Gen.  Quincy  Adams  Gillmore.  617 

"  Jacob  Dolson  Cox 617 

14  Godfrey  Weitzel 617 

"  George  Crook 617 

"  Mortimer  D.  Leggett 617 


Page. 

Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  John  W.  Fuller 617 

"         "  Hugh  Ewing 617 

Brig.  Gen.  Nathaniel  C.  McLean....  617 

"  George  W.  Morgan 617 

Bvt.  Brig   Gen.  James  M.  Comly 617 


FIFTH   PLATE, 


Page. 

Maj.  Gen.  George  A.  Custer 778 

"  Wiliam  B.  Hazen 778 

"  Wtager  Swayne 778 

Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  August  V.  Kautz  ....  778 
"  4<      Kenner  Garrard 778 


Page. 

Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  S.  S.  Carroll 778 

"  "      Manning  F.  Force...  778 

"  "      Chas.  C.  Walcutt  ...  778 

Brig.  Gen.  A.  Sanders  Piatt 778 

Bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Benj.  D.  Fearing...  778 


SIXTH  PLATE, 


Page. 

Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  Charles  R.  Woods..  841 

"  "      William    B.  Woods.  841 

"  "      J.  Warren  Keifer.  841 

"  *      John  C.  Tidball 841 

Brig.  Gen.  John  Beatty 841 


Page. 

Brig.  Gen.  H.  B.  Carrington 841 

B.  R.  Cowen 841 

M.  S.  Wade 841 

Bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Fred'k  W.  Moore...  841 

"  "     Frank  Askew 841 


SEVENTH  PLATE. 


Page. 

Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  John  W.  Sprague....  887 

"  "      Robert  S.  Granger.  887 

Brig.  Gen.  C.  P.  Buckingham 887 

u  Jacob  Ammen 887 

"  Ralph  P.  Buckland 887 


*  Page. 

Brig.  Gen.  Eliakim  P.  Scammon 887 

"    -       John  G.  Mitchell 887 

"  Eli  Long 887 

William  W.Burns 887 

"  Benjamin  F.  Potts 887 


EIGHTH  PLATE. 


Page. 

Bvt.  Maj.  Gen.  Erastus  B.  Tyler  ...  909 

"      Emerson  Opdycke...  909 

"  "      James  S.  Robinson...  909 

Brig.  Gen.  Ferdinand  Van  Derveer  909 

"  Thomas  Kilby  Smith 909 


Page 

Brig.  Gen.  William  H.  Powell 909 

Bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Israel  Garrard 909 

"  "      B.  B.  Eggleston 909 

"  "      A.   C.  Parry 909 

"  "      James  A.  Wilcox....  909 


10 


Contents. 


NINTH  PLATE, 


Pajje. 

Iaj.  Gen.  Willakd  Warner...  951 

Go  .1.  W.  Reilly 951 

Bvt.  Brio.  Gen.  Henry  F.  Devol 951 

"              "      Thomas  F.  Wildes...  951 

•«              ■      Isaac  R.  Sherwood.  951 


Page. 

Bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Moses  B.  Walker  ...  951 

"  "      Benj  C.  Ludlow 951 

"  "      Thomas  L.  Young...  951 

"  "      Chas.  F.  Manderson  951 

"  "      W.  P.  Richardson....  951 


TENTH  PLATE 


Paee. 

Iivr.  Maj.  Gen.  Charles  W.  Hill 971 

44              "     Henry  B.  Banning...  971 

::io.  Gen.  E.  Bassett  Langdon.  971 

44              44     C.  II.  GrosvenOr 971 

"     W.  H.  Baldwin 971 


Page. 

Bvt.  Brig.  Gen.  Durbin  Ward 971 

M  "      A.  Hickenlooper 971 

"  "      George  W.  Neff 971 

"  "      S.  A.  Strickland 971 

"  '  "      S.  J.  McGroarty 971 


ELEVENTH   PLATE 

"OUR  HEROIC  DEAD." 


Page. 

Brio.  Gen.  Joshua  W.  Sill 990 

"  Robert  L.  McCook 990 

"  William  H.  Lytle. 990 

Col.  Minor  Millikin,  (1st  O.  V.C.)....  990 

"    Lorin  Andrews  (4th  O.  V.  I.)....  990 


Col.  J.  H.  Patrick  (5th  O.  V.  I.) 

"    Fred.  C  Jones  (24th  O.  V.  I.) 

"    John  T.  Tol and  (34th  O.  V.  I.).. 

u    Will.  G.  Jones  (35th  O.  V.  I.)... 
Lt.  Col.  B.  S.  Kyle  (71st  O.  V.  I.) 


Page. 

990 
990 
990 
990 
990 


TWELFTH  PLATE, 

"OUR  HEROIC  DEAD." 


Brio.  Gen.  Charles  G.  Harker 1008 

Daniel  McCook 1008 

Col.  A.  II.  Coleman  (11th  O.  V.  I.) 1008 

"  John  W.  Lowe  (12th  O.  V.  I.)...  1008 
"    J.  L.  Kirby  Smith  (43d  O.  V.  I.)  1008 


Page. 

Col.  Geo.  P.  Webster  (98th  O.  V.  I.)  1008 

"    Leander  Stem  (101st  O.  V.  I.) ...  1008 

Lt.  Col.  M.  F.  Wooster  (101st  O.  V.  I.)  1008 

Jas.  M.  Shane  (98th  O.  V.  I.)..  1008 

"  J.  D.  Elliott  (102d  O.  V.  I.)  1008 


THIRTEENTH  PLATE, 

OHIO  CIVILIANS. 


Page. 

Salmon  P.  Chase,  Sec.  of  the  Treasury..  1017 
Benj.  F.  Wade,  U.  S.  Senator  and  Chair- 
man of  Com.  on  Con.  of  the  War 1017 

Jo 'IN  Sherman,  U.  S.  Senator  and  Chair- 
man of  Finance  Committee 1017 


Page. 

Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War...  1017 

Gov.  Dennison 1017 

"    Tod ..ion 

"    Brough......... 1017 

Lt.  Gov.  Anderson 1017 


:p.A.:R/r  i. 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  STATE  DURING  THE  WAR, 

AND 

HER  WAR  ADMINISTRATIONS. 


Introductory.  18 


CHAPTER  I. 


OHIO'S  PLACE  IN  THE   WAR  FOR  THE  UNION. 


WHEN"  the  Nation,  striving  only  to  enforce  its  laws  and  maintain  its 
lawfully  elected  rulers,  suddenly  found  itself  plunged  into  a  war  that 
promised  to  envelop  half  its  territory,  it  confided  its  " Grand  Army" 
to  the  leadership  of  an  Ohio  General.*  When,  beaten  less  by  the  enemy  than 
by  its  own  rawness,  that  army  retreated  in  disorder  from  the  field  it  had  fairly 
won,  and  the  panic  of  the  first  Bull  Eun  seemed  to  freeze  the  currents  of 
National  life,  another  Ohio  General, f  fresh  from  the  first  successful  campaign 
of  the  war,  was  called  in  to  restore  public  confidence,  and  reorganize  the  army 
on  the  grander  scale  which  the  increasing  perils  demanded;  while  still  another 
Ohioan  J  was  left  to  assume  his  vacated  command  in  the  mountains. 

As  the  war  expanded,  the  State  continued  to  preserve  a  similar  pre-emi- 
nence. Through  three  campaigns,  the  greatest  of  the  National  armies  remained 
under  the  leadership  of  an  Ohio  General.  This  officer  also  succeeded  the  vet- 
eran Scott  as  General-in-Chief  in  command  of  all  our  armies.  An  Ohio  Gen- 
eral ||  commanded  the  great  department  which  lay  south  of  his  native  State,  till, 
after  pushing  back  the  war  from  the  Border  to  the  Alabama  line,  he  was  caught 
and  submerged  in  its  refluent  tide,  and  another  Ohio  General  was  summoned 
from  fields  of  victory  in  the  South-West  to  take  his  place.  An  Ohio  General,§ 
after  brilliant  services  elsewhere,  commanded  the  Department  of  the  South,  till, 
in  the  midst  of  his  labors,  death  came  to  relieve  him;  and  when  active  opera- 
tions in  the  department  were  resumed,  it  was  reserved  for  another  Ohio  Gen- 
eral **  to  revolutionize  gunnery,  in  destroying  the  fort  around  which  the  war 
had  opened,  and  in  whose  downfall  was  written  the  doom  of  the  rebellion. 

No  less  signal  were  the  services  rendered  by  the  sons  of  the  State  through 
the  whole  duration  of  the  war.     Its  close  found  another  native  of  Ohio,ff  after 

*  Irvin  McDowell,  native  of  Ohio,  and  one  of  her  cadets  at  West  Point. 
t  George  B.  McClellan,  citizen  of  Ohio,  and  lately  Major-General  of  Ohio  Militia. 
+ William  S.  Kosecrans,  native  of  Ohio,  and  one  of  her  cadets  at  West  Point. 
i!  Don  Carlos  Buell,  native  of  Ohio,  but  appointed  to  the  service  from  Indiana. 
\  O.  M.  Mitchel,  citizen  of  and  appointed  from  Cincinnati. 
**  Quincy  A.  Gillmore,  native  of  and  appointed  from  Ohio. 

1 1  IT.  S.  Grant,  born  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  and  originally  appointed  to  the  army  from 
that  district. 


i|  ;  \.        Ohio  in  the    Wak. 

a  career  as  wonderful  and  as  varied  as  that  of  any  Marshal  of  France,  in  com- 
inaI1<l  tf  all  our  armies,  and  hailed,  by  popular  acclaim,  our  greatest  Soldier. 
Another,*  rising  from  the  rank  of  a  Quartermaster,  was  foremost  in  enforcing 
the  surrender  of  Lee,  and  stood  confessed  the  first  Cavalry  General  of  the 
Continent.  Another,  f  set  aside  for  insanity  at  the  outset,  led  the  great  con- 
solidated armies  of  the  West  from  victory  to  victory,  till  one  of  their  successes 
decided  a  Presidential  contest,  and  another,  as  they  marched  down  to  the  Sea, 
and  swept  like  the  Destroying  Angel  through  the  birth-place  and  home  of 
Secession,  ended  the  war. 

Other  sons  of  the  State  had  borne  parts  no  Less  conspicuous  in  the  National 
councils.  One,  at  the  head  of  the  War  Department,]:  illustrated  by  his  fiery 
energy  and  his  wonderful  executive  capacity,  all,  and  more  than  all,  that  has 
been  said  of  the  greatest  war  minister  of  the  most  warlike  nation  of  Europe. 
Another,  ||  so  well  discharged  the  great  duties  of  the  Treasury  Department, 
carrying,  the  Nation,  and  its  armies  through  financial  expenditures  without  a 
parallel,  with  a  security  and  public  confidence  without  precedent  in  the  world's 

rv  of  war,  that  a  leader  of  the  rebellion  had  been  forced  at  its  close  to 
h:iy:  'It  was  not  your  Generals  that  defeated  us,  it  was  your  Treasury." 
Another,§  foremost  among  all  the  brave  hearts  who  surrounded  and  upheld  the 
Government,  and  in  all  the  gloomiest  hours  never  once  despaired  of  the 
Republic,  was  the  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War. 
And  another,**  maimed  with  honorable  wounds  received  in  the  public  service, 
passed  from  the  field  to  take  his  place  at  the  head  of  the  committee  which 
controlled  the  military  legislation  of  the  country. 

The  exalted  fame  reflected  on  the  State  which  could  boast  such  representa- 
tives in  the  field,  and  at  the  head  of  the  great  Departments  and  Committees 
that  controlled  the  business  and  met  the  expenditures  of  tie  war,  was  still 
further  increased.  Energetic  Administrations  at  home  successively  devoted  the 
State  and  all  it  contained  to  the  great  struggle— "rising  to  the  height  of  the 
Occasion,  dedicating  this  generation,  if  need  be,  to  the  sword,  and  vowing,  before 
high  Heaven,  that  there  should  be  no  end  to  the  conflict  but  ruin  absolute  or 
absolute  triumph."  They  gave  to  the  Nation,  in  its  prosecution  of  the  war 
throughout  its  entire  extent,  this  whole-hearted  and  unswerving  support,  and 
<<uild  still  find  means,  beside,  for  such  special  achievements  as  the  rescue  of 
West  Vi.-inia  by  Ohio  militia,  the  destruction  of  one  of  the  most  formidable 
^.valry  commands  of  the  rebellion  on  Ohio  soil,  and  the  re-enforcement  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  at  the  critical  hour  when  the  fate  of  a  Nation  hinged  on 
the  fate  of  a  campaign,  by  the  voluntary  contribution  of  over  forty  regiments 

*  Phil.  H.  Sheridan,  native  of  and  appointed  from  Ohio. 

t  W.  T.  Sherman,  native  of  and  appointed  from  Ohio. 

t  E.  M  Stanton  native  of  Ohio,  and  resident  of  the  State  for  the  greater  portion  of  his  life. 

IS.  I .  Chase,  ex-Governor  and  ex-United  States  Senator  of  Ohio 

JBenF^AVade  United  States  Senator  from  Ohio,  and  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

WaJt^lS^ttT"  °/T?hi°'  ********  of  Volunteers,  and  Chairman  of  the 
Military  Committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 


Introductory.  15 

of  Ohio  Hundred  Days'   men,   called  to   the  field   at  but  little   more  than  an 
hour's  notice,  from  every  busy  avocation  throughout  the  State. 

Yet  the  People  who  filled  these  regiments,  and  made  these  Administrations, 
and  furnished  these  Statesmen  and  these  Generals,  merited  more  praise  than 
all  the  rest.  They  counted  their  sons  and  sent  them  forth.  They  followed 
them  to  the  camps.  They  saw  them  waste  in  inaction  and  die  of  disease.  Then 
they  saw  them  led  by  incompetents  to  needless  slaughter.  Stricken  with 
anguish,  they  still  maintained  their  unshaken  purpose.  They  numbered  the 
people  again,  and  sent  out  fresh  thousands.  They  followed  them  with  generous 
gifts.  They  cared  for  the  stricken  families,  and  made  desolate  lives  beautiful 
with  the  sweet  charities  of  a  gracious  Christianity.  They  infused  a  religious 
zeal  into  the  contest.  They  held  their  soldiers  to  be  soldiers  in  a  holy  war; 
they  truly  believed  that  through  battle,  and  siege,  and  reverse,  God  was  wait- 
ing, in  His  own  good  time,  to  give  them  the  victory.  Then  they  saw  the 
struggle  broadening  in  its  purposes  as  in  its  theater.  They  did  not  shrink 
when  they  thus  found  how  they  had  walked  these  paths  of  War  with  open  but 
sightless  eyes,  while  unseen  hands  were  guiding  them  to  ends  they  knew  not  of. 
After  a  season  the  war  came  very  near  to  each  one  of  them.  Almost  every 
family  had  in  it  one  dead  for  the  holy  cause;  by  almost  every  hearthstone  rose 
lamentation  and  the  sound  of  weeping  for  those  that  were  not.  Then  came  the 
voice  of  the  tempter.  Able  sons  of  the  State,  men  foremost  in  her  honors  and 
her  trust,  besought  them  to  pause,  declared  the  war  at  once  a  failure  and  a 
crime,  entreated  them  to  array  their  potential  influence  against  the  Government 
in  its  struggle,  and  in  favor  of  peace  on  any  terms ;  conjured  them  to  save  the 
blood  of  sons,  and  husbands,  and  fathers.  They  spurned  the  temptation.  By 
a  vote  more  decisive  than  had  been  known  in  the  history  of  American  elections 
they  rejected  the  tempter.  Thenceforward  the  position  of  Ohio  was  as  a 
watchword  to  the  Nation. 

It  seems  right  that  the  history  of  such  services  and  such  devotion  should 
be  specially  preserved.  The  State  which  contributed  such  leaders  in  the  Cab- 
inet, such  Generals  in  the  field,  and  an  army  of  three  hundred  and  ten 
thousand  soldiers  to  follow  them,  may  be  pardoned  for  desiring  her  achieve- 
ments separately  recorded.  Finding  them  grouped  thus  together,  those  who 
come  after  us  may  trace  the  career  of  Grant,  and  Sherman,  and  Sheridan ; 
of  Eosecrans,  Mitchel,  McPherson;  of  McDowell,  McClellan,  Buell;  of  Gillmore, 
and  Steedman,  and  Hazen,  and  Schenck,  and  the  whole  host  of  our  worthies; 
of  Stanton,  and  Chase,  and  Wade;  of  Dennison,  Tod,  and  Brough,  and  the  two 
hundred  and  thirty  military  organizations  they  sent  into  the  field.  They  may 
watch  how  by  the  aid  of  these  the  army  grew  into  shape  and  substance.  They 
may  see  how,  following  those  it  was  led  "always  to  honor,  often  to  victory," 
and  at  last  to  glorious  success.  Then,  contemplating  this  whole  magnificent 
offering  to  the  National  cause,  they  may  come  to  say,  with  something  of  the 
pride  with  which  we,  who  have  seen  these  things  with  our  eyes  and  heard  them 
with  our  ears,  regard  the  noble  State,  the  gracious  Mother  of  us  all,  "This,  this 
was  Ohio  in  the  War." 


16  Ohio  in  the  War. 


CHAPTER  II 


THE  STATE  AT   THE  OUTBREAK  OF  THE  WAR, 


Til  B  State  of  Ohio,  which  in  the  next  four  years  was  to  contribute  to  the 
National  service  an  army  of  soldiers  amounting  in  the  aggregate,  according 
to  the  figures  of  the  Provost-Marshal  General,  to  three  hundred  and  ten 
thou&and  men,  had  in  1860  a  population  of  not  quite  two  and  a  half  millions.* 
The  existence  of  its  territorial  organization  had  only  begun  a  year  before  the 
Century;  but  it  was  already,  and  as  it  seemed  was  likely  long  to  remain,  the 
third  State  in  population  and  wealth  in  the  Union.  More  than  half  of  its  area 
was  under  cultivation,-}-  and  more  than  half  of  its  adult  males  were  farmers,  there 
being  of  this  class  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  thousand  owning  farms,  aver- 
aging a  little  over  ninety  acres  to  each  man.  So  well  was  this  most  important 
body  of  the  State's  producers  aided  by  the  natural  fertility  of  the  soil,  that  they 
furnished  each  year  more  than  double  the  entire  amount  of  food,  animal  and  veg- 
etable, that  was  needed  for  the  support  of  the  whole  population  of  the  State.  In 
they  exported  nearly  two  million  barrels  of  flour,  over  two  and  a  half  mill- 
ion  bushels  of  wheat,  three  million  bushels  of  other  grains,  half  a  million  barrels 
of  pork.  The  value  of  the  exports  of  agricultural  products  for  that  year  from 
Ohio  swelled  to  fifty-six  and  a  half  million  dollars. 

Not  less  industrious  and  prosperous  were  the  manufacturers  of  the  State. 
The  value  of  their  productsfor  1860  was  over  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  mill- 
ions of  dollars,  an  increase  of  ninety-eight  per  cent,  in  a  single  decade.  The 
city  of  Cincinnati  alone,  where  Indians  were  trading  wampum  and  buying 
blankets  when  New  York  had  already  attained  the  rank  of  the  metropolis  of  the 
continent,  manufactured  in  I860,'  sixteen  million  dollars,  worth  of  clothing,  a 
■r  quantity  than  New  York  itself  produced  in  the  same  year. 
But  the  wealth  of  the  State  and  the  welfare  of  her  people,  so  eloquently 
illustrated  in  figures  like  these,  may  perhaps  be  more  clearly  presented  in  a 
briefer  statement.  The  assessed  value  of  her  taxable  property  rose  in  1860  to 
nearly  a  thousand  million  dollars;  while,  by  the  estimate  of  her  Commissioner 
of  Statistics,  the  entire  debts  of  the  people  would  not  amount  to  twenty  per  cent. 
of  that  valuation.     Let  us  not  fail  to  add  that,  by  the  beneficent  legislation  of  the 


•  2,343,739.     In  1850  it  was  1,980,329.    And  in  1830  only  937,903. 
T  It  had  13,051,945  acres  of  improved  land  to  12,210,154  of  unimpr 


unimproved. 


Condition  of  the  State.  17 

State,  none  of  her  children  were  growing  up  without  the  free  gift  of  an  education 
that  should  fit  them  for  the  duties  of  citizenship;  that  there  were  published  and 
mainly  circulated  within  her  borders  twenty-four  daily  newspapers,  two  hundred 
and  sixty -five  weeklies,  and  fifty -four  monthlies,  making  in  the  aggregate  seventy- 
two  million  copies;  and  that  so  general  was  the  devotion  to  religion  and  the 
provision  for  religious  instruction,  that  the  church  edifices  in  the  State  contained 
sittings  enough  for  the  entire  population  of  the  State. 

The  impending  war  was  to  have  for  its  essence  the  spirit  of  hostility  to  the 
existence,  or  at  least  to  the  power  of  the  system  of  human  slavery;  and  so  it  comes 
that  the  position  of  the  State  on  this  subject  is  not  less  essential  to  a  comprehen- 
sion of  her  great  part  in  the  struggle,  than  is  an  appreciation  of  her  wonderful 
progress  and  resources.  The  political  conservatism,  which  prosperity  and  accu- 
mulating wealth  naturally  engender,  was  further  favored  in  Ohio  by  the  circum- 
stances of  her  settlement  and  geography.  Along  four  hundred  and  thirty-six 
miles  of  her  border  lay  slave  States.  From  these  many  of  her  pioneers  had  come; 
many  more  traced  with  Kentuckians  and  West  Yirginians  their  common  lineage 
back  to  the  eastern  slope  of  the  ancient  Dominion.  In  time  of  war  the  most  effect- 
ive  support  to  the  exposed  settlements  of  the  infant  State  had  come  from  their 
generous  and  warlike  neighbors  across  the  Ohio.  In  the  long  peace  that  followed, 
the  heartiest  friendships  and  warmest  social  attachments  naturally  went  out  to 
those  who  had  been  proved  in  the  hour  of  trial.  If  her  churches  on  every  hill- 
side taught  a  religion  which  found  no  actual  warrant  in  the  Bible  for  the  system 
of  human  slavery,  they  at  least  had  no  difficulty  in  believing  that  the  powers 
that  be  are  ordained  of  God,  and  by  consequence  in  enforcing  a  toleration  which 
proved  quite  as  acceptable  across  the  Border  as  the  most  exhaustive  Scriptural 
exegesis.  North  of  the  National  Boad,  which  for  many  years  was  the  Mason 
and  Dixon's  line  of  Ohio  politics,  different  views  prevailed;  and  the  people, 
tracing  their  ancestry  to  Puritan  rather  than  Yirginia  stock,  cherished  different 
feelings;  but  the  southern  half  of  the  State,  being  more  populous  and  more  influ- 
ential, long  controlled  the  elections,  and  inspired  the  temper  of  the  government 
and  the  legislation. 

In  the  Presidential  contest  of  1848,  the  electoral  vote  of  the  State  was  thus 
thrown  for  Lewis  Cass.  In  1852,  it  was  in  like  manner  given  to  Franklin  Pierce. 
But  by  this  time  a  change  had  begun.  In  the  very  heart  of  the  conservative 
feeling  of  the  State,  one  of  the  foremost  lawyers  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati  had  for 
years  been  keeping  up  an  antislavery  agitation.  He  had  found  a  few,  like- 
minded  with  himself,  but  Society  and  the  Church  had  combined  to  frown  him 
down.  Still,  so  single-minded  and  sincere  was  he,  that,  though  the  most  ambi- 
tious of  men,  he  resolutely  faced  the  popular  current,  shut  his  eyes  to  all  hope 
of  political  advancement,  and  daily  labored  at  the  task  of  resisting  the  preten- 
sions of  Slavery,  giving  legal  protection  to  the  friendless  and  helpless  negroes, 
and  diffusing  an  Abolition  sentiment  among  the  conservative  men  of  the  Border, 
and  the  influential  classes  of  the  great  city  of  the  State,  whose  prosperity  was 
supposed  to  depend  upon  her  intimate  relations  and  immense  trade  with  the 
slave-holding  regions  to  the  south  of  her.  To  this  task  he  brought  some  peculiar 
Yol.  I.--2. 


18  Ohio   in   the  War. 

qualifications.     Profoundly  ignorant  of  men,  he  was,  nevertheless,  profoundly 
.<   fa   the  knowledge  of  Man.     The  baldest  charlatan  might  deceive   him 
into  trusting  his  personal  worth;  but  the  acutest  reasoner  could  not  mislead 
him   in  determining  the  general  drift  of  popular  sentiment,  and  the  political 
I  of  the  times.     Conscious  of  abilities  that  might  place  him   in   the 
fnmt   rank  of  our  Statesmen,  his  sagacity,  not  less  than  his  conscience,  taught 
him  to  take  Time  lor  his  ally;  and  lightly  regarding  the  odium  of  his  present 
c,  to  look  confidingly  to  the  larger  promises  of  the  Future.     Loving  per- 
!  popularity,  he  was  entirely  destitute  of  the  qualifications  for  attaining  it. 
Realty  warm-hearted  and  singularly  tenacious  in  his  attachments,  he  was  perpet- 
ually regarded  as  utterly  selfish  and  without  capacity  for  friendship;  so  that  his 
id  less  than  his  merits,  shut  him  up  to  a  course  which  could,  hope  for 
personal  triumph  only  in   the  triumph  of  great  principles.     He  was  gifted  by 
nature  with  a  massive  and  cogent  eloquence,  little  likely  to  sway  the  immediate 
>ns  of  the  populace,  but  sure  to  infiltrate  the  judgment  and  conscience  of 
the  controlling  classes  in  the  community.     His  energy  was  tireless,  and  his  will 
absolutely  inflexible. 

Under  such  leadership,  ably  seconded  by  the  faithful  and  true  old  man 
who  so  long  stood  in  Ohio  the  champion  of  Abolition,  pure  and  simple,  and  the 
peculiar  representative  of  the  Eeserve,  a  new  element  sprang  up  in  Ohio  politics, 
t  a  handful  of  votes  for  Birney  for  the  Presidency;  had  risen  to  propor- 
tions which  made  it  a  respectable  element  in  political  calculations  when  it  cast, 
what  was  thought  to  be,  the  vote  of  the  balance  of  power  for  Von  Buren;  and 
had  reached  the  height  of  its  unpopularity  with  the  old  ruling  class  of  the  State 
when,  in  1852,  refusing  to  sustain  General  Scott  on  account  of  the  "anti-agita- 
tion" and  "finality  of  the  slavery  question"  features  in  his  platform,  it  persisted 
in  again  giving  the  votes  of  its  balance  of  power  to  John  P.  Hale,  and  thus 
permitting  the  triumph  of  Franklin  Pierce. 

But  before  another  Presidential  election  the  shrewd  calculations  of  the 
sagacious  leader  of  this  outcast  among  parties  had  been  realized.  Holding,  as 
has  been  seen,  the  balance  of  power,  and  subordinating  all  minor  questions  to 
what  they  regarded  as  the  absorbing  issue  of  slavery  or  antislavery,  they  had 
already,  with  a  handful  of  votes,  controlled  a  great  election,  and  sent  this 
Abolition  leader  to  the  United  States  Senate.  A  greater  triumph  now  awaited 
him.  As  dexterous  in  managing  parties  as  he  was  blind  in  managing  men,  he 
1  such  stress  upon  the  new  organization  which  had  risen  upon  the  ruins 
old  \\  big  party,  that,  detesting  his  principles  and  distrusting  himself  they 
nevertheless,  forced 'to  secure  the  votes  without  which  the  election  were 
lost  in  advance,  by  placing  his  name  at  the  head  of  their  ticket,  and  bearing 
the  od.ous  Abolitionist  in  triumph  into  the  chair  of  the  Chief  Executive  of  the 
State  The  impulse  thus  given  was  never  wholly  lost ;  for  though  the  people 
were  by  no  means  as  radical  as  their  Governor,  they  gave  at  the  next  Presi- 
dent election  a  handsome  majority  to  Fremont,  and  a  year  later  again  elected 
their  Abolition  leader. 

Whether  it  was  through  a  far-seeing  anticipation  of  what  was  to  grow  out 


Condition  of  the   State.  19 

of  this  antislavery  struggle,  or  whether  it  was  only  a  result  of  the  sagacious 
forecast  which  in  most  things  distinguished  his  administration,  Governor  Chase 
early  began  to  attempt  an  effective  organization  of  the  militia.  In  this,  as  in 
his  political  views,  he  was  in  advance  of  his  times.  In  every  State  west  of  the 
Alleghanies  the  militia  had  fallen  into  undisguised  contempt.  The  old-fash- 
ioned militia  musters  had  been  given  up ;  the  subject  had  been  abandoned  as 
fit  only  to  be  the  fertile  theme  for  the  ridicule  of  rising  writers  and  witty  stump 
orators.  The  cannon  issued  by  the  Government  were  left  for  the  uses  of  polit- 
ical parties  on  the  occasion  of  mass  meetings  or  victories  at  the  polls.  The 
small  arms  were  scattered,  rusty,  and  become  worthless.  In  Chicago  a  novel 
drill  had  been  an  inducement  for  the  organization  of  the  Ellsworth  Zouaves; 
and  here  and  there  through  the  West  the  young  men  of  a  city  kept  up  a  mil- 
itary company;  but  these  were  the  exceptions.  Popular  prejudice  against 
doing  military  duty  was  insurmountable,  and  no  name  for  these  exceptional 
organizations  so  struck  the  popular  fancy  as  that  of  "the  Cornstalk  Militia." 

Governor  Chase  at  once  essayed  the  formation  of  similarly  uniformed  and 
equipped  militia  companies  at  all  leading  points  throughout  the  State,  with 
a  provisional  organization  into  regiments  and  brigades.  At  first  the  popu- 
lar ridicule  only  was  excited;  by-and-by  attention  to  the  subject  was  slowly 
aroused.  Some  legislative  support  was  secured,  a  new  arsenal  was  established; 
an  issue  of  new  arms  was  obtained  from  the  General  Government;  and  an 
approximation  was  at  last  made  to  a  military  peace  establishment.  Such  was 
the  interest  finally  excited  that  at  one  time  a  convention  of  nearly  two  hundred 
officers  assembled  at  Columbus  to  consult  as  to  the  best  means  of  developing 
and  fostering  the  militia  system;  and  the  next  year,  before  going  out  of  office, 
Governor  Chase  had  the  satisfaction  of  reviewing,  at  Dayton,  nearly  thirty 
companies,  assembled  from  different  parts  of  the  State — every  one  of  which 
was  soon  to  participate  in  the  war  that  was  then  so  near  and  so  little  antici- 
pated. His  successor  continued  the  general  policy  thus  inaugurated,  urged  the 
Legislature  to  pay  the  militia  for  the  time  spent  in  drill,  and  enforced  the 
necessity  of  expanding  the  system.  Comparatively  little  was  accomplished, 
and  yet  the  organization  of  Ohio  militia  was  far  superior  to  that  existing  in  any 
of  the  States  to  the  westward.  All  of  them  combined  did  not  possess  so  largo 
a  militia  force  as  the  First  Ohio  Eegiment,  then  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
King,  of  Dayton. 

Thus,  materially  prosperous  and  politically  progressive,  yet  with  much  of 
the  leaven  of  her  ancient  Conservatism  still  lingering,  and  with  the  closest 
affiliations  of  friendship  and  trade  with  the  slave-holding  States  of  the  Ohio 
and  Mississippi  Yalleys,  but  with  the  germs  of  a  preparation  for  hostilities,  and 
such  a  nucleus  of  militia  as  might  serve  to  protect  the  border  from  immediate 
ravages,  Ohio  entered  upon  the  year  that  was  to  witness  the  paralysis  of  her 
industry  and  trade,  the  sundering  of  her  old  friendships,  her  political  revolu- 
tion, and  the  devotion  of  her  entire  energies  to  the  business  of  war. 


20 


Ohio   in   the  War. 


CHAPTER  III 


INITIAL  WAR  LEGISLATION -THE  STRUGGLE  AND  SURRENDER  OF  PARTY. 


HE    legislative  and  executive    departments    of   the   State   Government, 
upon  which  were   precipitated   the  weightiest  burdens  of  the  war,  had 


T 


been  chosen  as  representatives  rather  of  the  average  antislavery  progress 
of  the  Whig  party,  than  of  the  more  advanced  positions  to  which  ex-Governor 
Chase  had  been  committing  his  supporters.  Great  pains  were  taken  to  welcome 
the  Legislatures  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  on  their  visit  to  Columbus,  and  to 
convince  them  of  the  warm  friendship  borne  them,  not  less  by  the  Government 
than  by  the  people  of  the  State.  Union-saving  speeches  and  resolutions  marked 
the  popular  current;  and,  as  had  long  been  usual,  the  Union-saving  temper 
went  largely  toward  the  surrender  to  the  South  of  everything  save  the  abso- 
lutely vital  points  in  controversy.  The  Governor,  in  his  inaugural  address, 
while  firmly  insisting  upon  hostility  to  the  extension  of  slavery,  had  also  advo- 
cated the  colonization  of  the  blacks  in  Central  or  South  America,  and  faithful 
obedience  to  what  were  regarded  as  our  constitutional  obligations  to  the  slave- 
holding  States.  A  leading  member  of  the  party  in  the  Senate*  had  introduced 
a  bill  to  prevent  by  heavy  penalties  the  organization  or  the  giving  of  any  aid 
to  parties  like  John  Brown's,  and  it  had  come  within  three  votes  of  a  passage. 

More  striking  proof  of  the  conciliatory  disposition  with  which  the  Legisla- 
ture was  animated  was  to  bo  given.  The  constitutional  amendment  carried 
through  Congress  by  Thomas  Corwin,  and  submitted  to  the  Legislatures  of  the 
several  States  for  ratification,  provided  that  hereafter  no  amendment  or  other 
change  in  the  powers  of  Government  should  be  permitted,  whereby  the  National 
authorities  should  be  enabled  to  interfere  with  slavery  within  its  present  limits. 
Before  the  beginning  of  actual  hostilities  in  Charleston  Harbor,  it  was  apparent 
that,  carrying  the  effort  for  conciliation  to  the  furthest  extreme,  the  heavy  Ee- 
publican  majority  in  the  Legislature  meant  to  give  the  sanction  of  Ohio  to  this 
irreversible  guarantee  to  slavery  in  the  fundamental  law  of  the  land.  Before 
its  place  on  the  Senate  calendar  was  reached,  however,  came  the  bombardment 
of  Sumter,  the  surrender,  and  the  call  of  the  President  to  protect  the  capital 
from  the  danger  of  sudden  capture  by  the  conspirators.     On  the  15th  of  April 

♦Hon.  R.  D.  Harrison,  afterward  elected  from  the  Seventh  District,  to  succeed  ex-Governor 
Corwin  in  Congress. 


Initial   War   Legislation.  21 


Columbus  was  wild  with  the  excitement  of  the  call  to  arms.  On  the  16th  the 
feeling  was  even  more  intense ;  troops  were  arriving,  the  telegraphs  and  mails 
were  burdened  with  exhortations  to  the  Legislature  to  grant  money  and  men 
to  any  extent;  the  very  air  came  laden  with  the  clamor  of  war  and  of  the 
swift,  hot  haste  of  the  people  to  plunge  into  it.  On  the  17th,  while  every  pulse 
around  them  was  at  fever-heat,  the  Senators  of  Ohio,  as  a  last  effort,  passed  the 
Corwin  constitutional  amendment,  only  eight  members  out  of  the  whole  Senate 
opposing  it.* 

But  this  was  the  last  effort  at  conciliation.  Thenceforward  the  State  strove 
to  conquer  rather  than  to  compromise.  Already,  on  the  16th  of  April,  within 
less  than  twenty -four  hours  after  the  President's  call  for  troops  had  been  re- 
ceived, the  Senate  had  matured,  carried  through  the  several  readings,  and  passed 
a  bill  appropriating  one  million  of  dollars  for  placing  the  State  upon  a  war- 
footing,  and  for  assisting  the  General  Government  in  meeting  the  shock  of  the 
rebellion. f 

The  debate  which  preceded  the  rapid  passage  of  this  bill  illustrated  the 
melting  away  of  party  lines  under  the  white  heat  of  patriotism.  Senator  Orr, 
the  Democratic  representative  of  the  Crawford  County  Senatorial  District,  'was 
opposed  to  the  war,  and  even  to  the  purposes  of  the  Jbill,  but  he  should  vote  for 
it  as  the  best  means  of  testifying  his  hostility  to  secession.'  Judge  Thomas  M. 
Key,  of  Cincinnati,  the  ablest  Democrat  in  the  Senate,  followed. J  He,  too,  was 
in  favor  of  the  bill.  '  Yet  he  felt  it  in  his  soul  to  be  an  unwarranted  declara- 
tion of  war  against  seven  sister  States.  He  entered  his  solemn  protest  against 
the  line  of  action  announced  by  the  Executive.  It  was  an  usurpation  by  a 
President,  in  whom  and  in  whose  advisers  he  had  no  confidence;  it  was  the  be- 
ginning of  a  military  despotism.  He  firmly  believed  it  to  be  the  desire  of  the 
Administration  to  drive  off  the  border  States,  and  permanently  sever  the  Union. 
But  he  was  opposed  to  secession,  and  in  this  contest  he  could  do  no  otherwise 
than  stand  by  the  stars  and  stripes.'  Next  came  Mr.  Moore,  of  Butler  County, 
conspicuous  as  the  most  conservative  of  those  reckoned  at  all  with  the  Eepubli- 

*The  eight  who  had  the  foresight  to  perceive  that  the  17th  of  April,  1861,  was  not  a  time 
to  be  striving  to  add  security  to  slavery  were,  Messrs.  Buck,  Cox,  Garfield,  Glass,  Monroe,  Morse, 
Parrish,  and  Smith. 

tSome  days  earlier  a  bill  had  been  introduced  appropriating  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  for 
war  purposes.  On  a  hint  from  the  Executive  that  perhaps  other  and  more  important  measures 
might  be  needed,  action  was  delayed.  Then  the  million  war  bill  was  introduced,  in  response  to 
a  message  from  Governor  Dennison,  announcing  the  call  from  Washington,  maintaining  the 
necessity  for  defending  the  integrity  of  the  Union,  and  concluding  as  follows: 

"  But  as  the  contest  may  grow  to  greater  dimensions  than  is  now  anticipated,  I  deem  it  my  duty 
to  recommend  to  the  General  Assembly  of  this  State  to  make  provisions  proportionate  to  its 
means  to  assist  the  National  authorities  in  restoring  the  integrity  and  strength  of  the  Union,  in 
all  its  amplitude,  as  the  only  means  of  preserving  the  rights  of  all  the  States,  and  insuring  the 
permanent  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  whole  country.  I  earnestly  recommend,  also,  that  ah 
appropriation  of  not  less  than  four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  be  immediately  made  for 
the  purchase  of  arms  and  equipments  for  the  use  of  the  volunteer  militia  of  the  State.  I  need 
not  remind  you  of  the  pressing  exigency  for  the  prompt  organization  and  arming  of  the  mili- 
tary force  of  the  State." 

t  Subsequently  Colonel  and  Judge  Advocate  on  McClellan's  staff. 


22  Ohio  in  the  War 

can  party  in  the  Senate;  in  fact  as  almost  the  ideal  of  the  old  -Silver-Gray 
Whig.1**  Hitherto  he  had  voted  consistently  against  all  military  bills,  and  had 
avowed  Lis  readiness  to  surrender  the  Southern  forts  rather  than  bring  on 
a  collision.  'Now  he  felt  called  upon  to  do  the  most  painful  duty  of  his  life. 
But  there  was  only  one  course  left.  He  had  no  words  of  bitterness  for  party 
with  which  to  war  the  solemnity  of  the  hour.  This  only  he  had  to  say  :  He 
could  do  nothing  else  than  stand  by  the  grand  old  flag  of  the  country,  and  stand 
by  it  to  the  end.     He  should  vote  for  the  bill.' 

Thus,  to  recur  to  the  figure  already  used,  did  the  iron  rules  of  party  disci- 
pline and  prejudice,  melting  beneath  the  white  heat  of  patriotism,  still  mark  in 
broken  outline  the  old  divisions  beneath  and  through  which  the  molten  currents 
freely  mingled.  The  bill  passed  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote ;  one  Senator 
only,  Mr.  Newman,  of  Scioto  County,  .voting  against  it.f 

In  the  House,  however,  party  opposition  gave  way  more  slowly.  That 
same  afternoon  the  bill  went  over  from  the  Senate,  and  an  effort  was  made  to 
suspend  the  rules,  so  as  to  put  it  upon  its  passage.  The  Democrats  demanded 
time  for  consultation.  Mr.  Wm.  £.  "Woods]!  (ex-Speaker  and  Democratic  leader) 
gave  notice  that  it  could  not  be  unanimously  passed  without  time  were  given. 
For  one,  ho  wanted  to  hear  from  his  constituents.  Mr.  Geo.  "W.  Andrews,! |  of 
Auglaize  County,  denounced  the  excitement  on  the  subject  of  war,  here  and 
over  the  country,  as  crazy  fanaticism.  Mr.  Devore,  of  Brown  County,  'regarded 
the  interests  of  the  country;  south  of  the  Ohio  Eiver  as  well  as  north  of  it.  The 
dispatches  about  the  danger  to  Washington  were  preposterous,  and  were  mostly 
manufactured  for  evil  purposes.'  Mr.  Jessup,  of  Hamilton  County,  gave  notice 
that  if  the  majority  wanted  his  vote  they  must  wait  for  it.  And  so,  the  Eepub- 
licans  agreeing  to  delay  in  the  hope  of  securing  harmony,  the  bill  went  over, 
after  two  ineffectual  efforts  to  suspend  the  rules.§ 

The  next  day,  the  Democrats  having  in  the  meantime  spent  three  hours  in 
excited  debate  in  caucus,  the  effort  to  suspend  the  rules  again  failed.  But  the 
leaders  earnestly  assured  the  House  that  with  another  day's  delay  there  was  a 
strong  probability  of  the  unanimous  passage  of  the  bill.  A  dispatch  had  al- 
ready been  received  from  Seioto  County,  denouncing  Senator  Newman  for  his 
vote  against  it  in  the  Senate,  and  it  was  said  that  his  son  was  enlisted  in  one  of 
the  companies  then  on  the  way  to  Columbus.  Mr.  Hutcheson,  of  Madison 
County,  an  extreme  States'-Rights  Democrat,  and  almost  a  secessionist,  spoke 
handsomely  in  favor  of  the  bill,  and  drew  out  hearty  applause  from  House  and 

♦Subsequently  Colonel  of  one  of  the  hundred  days'  regimental. 

N  JLl  mjr  tf    triible  rr\™  °f  PUbHc  condemn^  «Peri.lly  to  his  own  district,  Mr. 
Is  eu  man  shortly  afterward  asked  leave  to  change  his  vote. 

t  Subsequently   Colonel   of   a  three  years'  regiment,  and   Brevet   Major-General  of  vol- 


unteers. 


I  Subsequently  Colonel  of  the  Fifteenth  Ohio  in  the  three  months'  service,  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  until  after  the  Clarksville  surrender,  of  the  Seventy-Fourth  Ohio. 

I  In  these  effort,  twenty-five  Democrats  voted  against  suspending  the  rules,  fourteen  voted 
with  the  hepuUican,  tor  suspension,  and  eight  were  absent  when  the  roll  was  called. 


The   Stkuggle  and  Surkendek   of    Paety.        23 

galleries.  But  delay  was  still  insisted  upon,  and  so  the  bill  went  over  to  the 
third  day  from  the  date  of  its  introduction. 

Then  all  were  ready.  Ex-Speaker  Woods  led  off  in  a  stirring  little  speech, 
declaring  his  intention  'to  stand  by  the  Government  in  peace  or  in  war,  right 
or  wrong.'  Mr.  Win.  J.  Flagg,  of  Hamilton  County,  followed.  '  He  was  glad 
that  delay  had  produced  unanimity.  But  he  had  been  of  the  number  that  had 
favored  instant  action.  He  had  done  so  because  Jefferson  Davis  had  shown  no 
hesitation  in  suspending  the  rules,  and  marching  through  first,  second,  and  third 
readings  without  waiting  to  hear  from  his  constituents.  He  had  ever  advocated 
peace,  but  it  was  always  peace  for  the  Union.  Now  he  was  ready  for  peace  for 
the  Union,  or  war  for  it,  love  for  it,  hatred  for  it,  everything  for  it."  Mr.  An- 
drews, of  Auglaize  County,  had  less  to  say  of  the  crazy  fanaticism  of  the  ex- 
citement. 'The  act  of  South  Carolina  toward  the  Democrats  of  the  North  was 
a  crime  for  which  the  English  language  could  find  no  desertion.  It  had  for- 
ever severed  the  last  tie  that  bound  them  together.' 

Amid  such  displays  of  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  Opposition,  the  bill  finally 
went  through,  on  the  18th  of  April,  by  an  unanimous  vote  ;  ninety-nine  in  its 
favor.  It  appropriated  half  a  million  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  into 
effect  any  requisition  of  the  President  to  protect  the  National  Government ;  four 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  the  purchase  of  arms  and  equipments  for 
the  militia  of  the  State ;  and  the  remaining  fifty  thousand  as  an  extraordinary 
contingent  fund  for  the  Governor.  The  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund 
were  authorized  to  borrow  the  money,  at  six  per  cent,  interest,  and  to  issue  cer- 
tificates therefor  which  should  be  free  from  State  taxation. 

Meantime  the  Senate,  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Garfield,  had  matured 
and  passed  a  bill  defining  and  providing  punishment  for  the  crime  of  treason 
against  the  State  of  Ohio.  It  declared  any  resident  of  the  State  who  gave  aid 
and  comfort  to  the  enemies  of  the  United  States  guilty  of  treason  against  the 
State,  to  be  punished  by  imprisonment  in  the  penitentiary  at  hard  labor 
for  life* 

With  the  passage  of  these  bills  all  semblance  of  party  opposition  to  neces- 
sary war  measures  disappeared  from  the  proceedings  of  the  Legislature.  Mr. 
Yallandigham  visited  the  capital  and  earnestly  remonstrated  with  the  Demo- 
crats for  giving  their  sanction  to  the  war;  but  the  patriotic  enthusiasm  of  the 
crisis  could  not  be  controlled  by  party  discipline.  Under  the  leadership  of  ex- 
Speaker  Woods,  a  bill  passed  exempting  the  property  of  volunteers  from  exe- 
cution for  debt  during  their  service.  Then,  as  within  a  few  days  it  became 
evident  that  far  more  troops  were  pressing  for  acceptance  than  were  needed,  to 
fill  the  President's  call  for  thirteen  regiments,  the  Legislature  acceded  to  the 
sagacious  suggestion  of  the  Governor  that  they  should  be  retained  for  the  serv- 
ice of  the  State.  The  bill  authorized  the  acceptance  of  ten  additional  regi- 
ments, provided  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  their  payment,  and  a  million 
and  a  half  more  to  be  used  in  case  of  invasion  of  the  State,  or  the  appearance 
of  danger  of  invasion.     Other  measures  were  adopted  looking  to  the  danger  of 

*This  bill  was  understood- at  the  time  to  be  specially  aimed  at  Mr.  Yallandigham. 


24  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

shipments  of  arms  through  Ohio  to  the  South;  organizing  the  militia  of  the 
State;  providing  suitable  officers  for  duty  on  the  staff  of  the  Governor;  requir- 
ing contracts  for  subsistence  of  the  volunteers  to  be  let  to  the  lowest  bidder; 
authorizing  the  appointment  of  additional  general  officers.  No  little  hostility 
toward  some  members  of  Governor  Dcnnison's  staff  was  exhibited,  but  with  the 
Governor  himself  the  relations  of  the  Legislature  were  entirely  harmonious. 
In  concert  with  him  the  war  legislation  was  completed;  and  when,  within  a 
month  after  tho  first  note  of  alarm  from  Washington  the  General  Assembly 
adjourned,  tho  State  was,  for  the  first  time  in  its  history,  on  a  war  footing. 

Before  the  adjournment  the  acting  Speaker  had  resigned  to  take  a  command 
in  one  of  the  regiments  starting  for  Washington  ;  two  leading  Senators  had 
been  appointed  Brigadier-Generals;  and  large  numbers  of  the  other  members 
had,  in  one  capacity  or  another,  entered  the  service.  It  was  the  first  of  the  war 
Legislatures.  It  met  the  first  shock  ;  under  the  sudden  pressure  matured  the 
first  military  laws.  It  labored  under  difficulties  inseparable  from  so  unexpected 
a  plunge  into  duties  so  novel.  But  it  may  now  be  safely  said  that  in  patriotism, 
in  zeal  and  ability,  it  was  second  to  neither  of  its  successors,  and  that  in  the  exu- 
berance of  patriotic  sentiment  which  wiped  out  party  lines  and  united  all  in 
common  efforts  to  meet  tho  sudden  danger,  it  surpassed  them  both. 


Dennison's  War  Administration.  25 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  OPENING  ACTS  OF  DENNISON'S  WAR  ADMINISTRATION. 


L  THOU  Gil  the  country  had  been  greatly  excited  by  the  acts  of  seces- 
sion by  several  States,  the  seizure  of  forts,  and  the  defiance  of  the  General 
Government,  there  still  lingered  in  the  minds  of  the  most  a  trust  that  in 
some  way  the  matter  would  be  adjusted,  and  bloodshed  would  be  avoided. 
There  was  much  war  talk  on  the  part  of  the  young  and  excitable,  but  the  influ- 
ential men  and  the  masses  were  slow  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of  war.  Yet 
the  portents  still  grew  darker  and  darker  at  the  South. 

"  Then  a  fierce,  sudden  flash  across  the  rugged  blackness  broke, 
And  with  a  voice  that  shook  the  land  the  guns  of  Sumter  spoke ; 

And  wheresoe'er  the  summons  came,  there  rose  an  angry  din, 
As  when,  upon  a  rocky  coast,  a  stormy  tide  sets  in."* 

Before  the  bombardment  had  ended  twenty  full  companies  were  offered  to 
the  Governor  of  Ohio  for  immediate  service.  With  the  news  of  the  surrender, 
and  the  call  of  the  President  for  volunteers,  the  excitement  became  fervidly 
intense.  Militia  officers  telegraphed  their  readiness  for  orders.  The  President 
of  Kenyon  College  tendered  his  service  in  any  capacity,  and  began  by  enlisting 
in  the  ranks.f  The  Cleveland  Grays,  the  Eover  Guards,  the  Columbus  Videttes, 
the  State  Fencibles,  the  Governor's  Guards,  the  Dayton  Light  Guards,  the 
Guthrie  Grays — the  best  known  and  best  drilled  militia  companies  in  the  State — 
held  meetings,  unanimously  voted  to  place  themselves  at  the  disposal  of  the 
Government,  and  telegraphed  to  Columbus  for  orders.  Portsmouth  announced 
a  company  ready  to  march.  Chillicothe  asked  if  she  should  send  a  company  that 
day.  Circleville  telegraphed,  offering  one  or  more  companies,  announcing  that 
they  had  two  thousand  dollars  raised  to  equip  them.  Xenia  asked  leave  to  raise  a 
battery  of  artillery  and  a  company  of  infantry.  Canton  sent  up  an  officer,  beg- 
ging the  acceptance  of  two  companies.  Lebanon  wanted  two  companies  accepted. 
Springfield  wanted  the  same.     Lancaster  started  a  company  to  Columbus.     Cin- 

•  "War  Poems,"  by  E.  J.  Cutler:  Little,  Brown  &  Co.    1867. 

t  Three  months,  indeed,  before  the  fall  of  Sumter,  foreseeing  the  necessity  for  war,  President 
Andrews  had  written  the  Governor,  offering  his  services  whenever  it  should  break  out.  He  wad 
the  first  citizen  of  Ohio  to  make  such  tender. 


26  Ohio  in   the    Wak. 

einnati.  Dayton,  Cleveland  counted  their  offers  by  the  thousand.  Steedman, 
from  Toledo,  pledged  a  full  regiment  in  ten  days.  Prominent  men,  all  over  the 
graphed  asking  what  they  could  do,  and  placing  themselves  at  the 
ditpoMl  of  the  authorities.  The  instant,  all-devouring  blaze  of  excited  patriot- 
jMn  v.  amasing'M  it  was  unprecedented.     Let  it  not  be  forgotten   that 

among  the  first  offers  were  some  from  colored  men  promising  companies,  and 
that,  in  obedience  to  the  temper  of  those  times,  they  were  refused. 

The  officer  upon  whom  the  full  pressure  of  this  sudden  avalanche  fell  had 
filled  one-half  of  his  term  as  Governor  of  the  State.  He  was  a  man  of  excel- 
1-  iit  social  connections,  of  suave,  elegant  manners,  a  master  of  deportment,  and 
I  favorite  in  polite  circles.  His  experience  in  public  affairs  had  been  limited  to 
1  single  term  in  the  State  Senate,  and  of  military  matters  he  was,  like  most 
Other  <>tli rials,  profoundly  ignorant.  Among  railroad  managers  and  bank  officers 
he  had  the  reputation  of  financial  ability,  and  of  capacity  for  controlling  large 
operations.  But  the  public  had  not  been  accustomed  to  regard  him  as  one  of 
the  leading  men  of  the  State,  or  scarcely,  indeed,  as  one  of  her  second-rates. 
Bank  and  railroad  influences,  combined  with  the  general  lack  of  formidable 
aspirants,  had  united  to  secure  him  the  nomination  for  the  Governorship.  In 
tho  debates  between  himself  and  his  Democratic  antagonist  before  popular  as- 
semblages, the  Republicans  had  been  in  great  fears  lest  their  champion  should 
prove  unequal  to  such  a  contest,  and  greatly  delighted  and  surprised  at  the  un- 
expected power  of  his  performance.  Still  the  old  idea  of  him,  as  a  man  wholly 
frittered  away  in  polish,  was  not  entirely  dispelled.  His  inaugural  was  not 
happy.  It  was  severely  criticised  as  prolix,  verbose,  and  occasionally  stilted. 
One  luckless  sentence  had  fastened  itself  in  the  minds  cf  his  opponents,  and  had 
laughed  at  over  the  State,  whenever  his  name  was  mentioned:  "If  at- 
tended with  success  at  tho  threshold  in  dissolving  the  great  Confederacy  and 
creating  a  small  one,  the  introduction  of  standing  armies  to  confront  border 
war  on  the  slave  and  free  frontiers,  and  to  push  the  scheme  of  Southern  con- 
quests, and  to  maintain  them,  and  keep  down  domestic  insurrection,  would  be 
tho  succedancum  for  tho  security  conferred  by  a  common  government."  Up  to 
tho  period  of  which  we  write  the  opposition  press,  and  even  influential  Repub- 
lican journals,  had  delighted  to  speak  of  Mr.  Dennison  as  "  the  succedaneum 
Governor."  In  tho  easy  duties  of  his  office  in  time  of  peace  he  had  acquitted 
himself  creditably;  but,  unfortunately  for  him  and  for  the  State,  there  was  a 
general  distrust  of  his  ability  to  sustain  tho  larger  responsibilities  how  upon 
him,  and  a  general  disposition  to  judge  all  his  actions  harshly  in  advance. 

Thus  unfortunate  in  the  public  estimate  of  his  qualifications  for  the  task  he 
was  now  essaying,  he  was  still  more  unfortunate  in  the  tools  with  which  he  had 
to  work.  We  have  already  seen  how  unwisely  his  distinguished  predecessor 
was  liable  to  act  in  his  selections  of  men.  But  as  Mr.  Chase  had  made  the  re- 
vival of  the  militia  one  of  the  features  of  his  administration,  Governor  Denni- 
son, wishing  to  continue  the  same  work,  found  it  easiest,  and  most  consonant 
With  his  polite  ways,  to  do  it  with  the  same  staff;  accepting  these  officers  tho 


IDennison's    War    Administration.  27 

nore  readily  as  it  was  never  dreamt  that  they  would  have  anything  of  marked 
importance  to  do.  It  thus  came  about  that  when  the  bewildering  mass  of  mil- 
itary business  was  precipitated  upon  him  on  the  15th  of  April,  he  met  it  with  a 
staff  in  which  it  seemed  as  if  the  capacity  of  bad  selection  had  been  almost  ex- 
hausted. Some  of  them  had  no  executive  ability;  some  had  no  tact;  one  was 
wholly  unpractical ;  they  failed  to  command  the  confidence  of  the  gathering 
volunteers,  and  at  least  two  of  them  were  the  butt  of  every  joker  and  idle  clerk 
about  the  Capitol. 

We  are  presently  to  see  what  complications  of  evil  these  circumstances 
brought  about. 

But  a  single  day  was  required  to  raise  the  first  two  regiments,  in  answer  to 
the  President's  call.  On  the  next  they  arrived,  in  separate  companies,  at  Co- 
lumbus, on  their  way,  as  it  proved,  to  Washington.  The  "Lancaster  Guards" 
were  the  first  to  report  on  the  ground.  Close  behind  .them  came  the  Dayton 
Light  Guards  and  the  Montgomery  Guards;  then  swiftly  following  a  score  of 
others. 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  of  April  the  First  and  Second  Ohio  were  or- 
ganized from  the  first  companies  that  had  thus  hurried  to  Columbus.  They 
were  mostly  made  up  of  well-known  militia  organizations,  from  leading  towns 
and  cities,  as  follows  : 

First   Ohio — Company  A,  Lancaster  Guards. 

"         "  "  B,  Lafayette  Guards  (Dayton). 

C,  Dayton  Light  Guards. 

D,  Montgomery  Guards. 

E,  Cleveland  Grays. 

F,  Hibernian  Guards  (Cleveland). 

G,  Portsmouth  Guards. 
H,  Zanesville  Guards. 
I,   Mansfield  Guards. 
K,  Jackson  Guards  (Hamilton). 

A,  Eover  Guards  (Cincinnati). 

B,  Columbus  Videttes. 

C,  Columbus  Fencibles. 

D,  Zouave  Guards  (Cincinnati). 

E,  Lafayette  Guards  (Cincinnati). 

F,  Springfield  Zouaves. 

G,  Pickaway  company. 
H,  Steubenville  company. 
I,    Covington  Blues  (Miami  County). 
K,  Pickaway  company. 

At  the  outset  the  State  Administration  fell  into  the  vicious  policy  of  per- 
mitting the  soldiers  to  elect  their  own  commanders.  Till  an  election  could  bo 
held,  ex-Speaker  Edward  A.  Parrott,  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives,  was  as- 


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28  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

ifefttf  for  the  First  Regiment  as  commandant,  and  Lewis  Wilson  (who  had  re- 
,1  the  office  of  chief  of  police  in  Cincinnati,  to  enter  the  service)  for  the 

•  nd. 

TImtc  were  no  arms,  uniforms,  equipments,  transportation  for  them.  But 
the  Government  was  importunate.  "Send  them  on  instantly,"  was  the  order 
from  Washington,  "and  we  will  equip  them  here."  Even  among  the  civilians, 
then  ft*  the  first  time  attempting  the  management  of  soldiers,  there  were  fore- 
bodings concerning  the  policy  of  starting  troops  to  defend  a  threatened  city 
without  guns  or  ammunition;  but  with  wild  cheers  from  the  volunteers,  and 
many  a  "God  bless  you"  from  the  on-lookers,  the  trains  bearing  the  unarmed 
crowd  moved  out  of  the  Columbus  depot,  long  before  dawn,  on  the  morning  of 
the  19th  of  April.  But  before  they  started,  fresh  arrivals  had  more  than  filled 
their  places  in  the  hastily-improvised  camp  in  the  woods  beyond  the  railroad 
depot,  which,  with  a  happy  thought  of  the  first  advocate  for  the  "coercion  of 
sovereign  States,"  Governor  Dennison  had  named  Camp  Jackson. 

Already  had  begun  the  first  of  a  long  series  of  troubles  that  were  to  cloud 
the  career  of  a  faithful  and  able  administration. 

The  Commissary-General,  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Runyan,  of  Cincinnati,  had  been 
called  upon  to  provide  for  the  troops  as  soon  as  they  began  to  arrive.  Hurrying 
up  to  Columbus,  he  found  several  companies  there  almost  as  soon  as  himself. 
"Where  were  they  to  be  put?  How  were  they  to  be  fed?  For  an  hour  or  two 
they  could  march  about  the  6treets  with  their  martial  music,  and  for  another 
hour  or  two  they  could  be  trusted  to  stand  on  grassy  spots  about  the  Capitol  at 
a  parade  rest,  but — what  then  ?  To  this  novice,  and  to  his  associates  and  supe- 
riors, indeed,  then  clustering  about  the  Governor's  table  in  the  excited  crowd  at 
the  Executive  rooms,  the  question  was  almost  startling.  To  all  of  them,  how- 
ever, the  most  natural  suggestion  was  a  hotel ;  and  to  the  hotels  accordingly, 
our  Commissary-General  sallied  forth,  having  for  aid  Mr.  Lucien  Buttles,  of  Co- 
lumbus. These  gentlemen  found  the  Goodale  House  capable  of  accommodating 
one  company,  and  willing  to  reduce  its  charges,  in  aid  of  the  common  cause,  to 
a  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  day.  Second-class  houses  could  take  four  more  com- 
panies at  somewhat  lower  rates — some  even  as  low  as  seventy-five  cents  per  day. 
And  so  the  first-arriving  soldiers  were  quartered  at  the  hotels. 

Little  as  they  knew  about  army  life,  the  authorities  knew  enough  to  under- 
stand that  this  could  only  be  temporary.  So  next  the  Governor  instructed  the 
Commissary-General  to  see  what  he  could  do  for  the  permanent  subsistence  of 
volunteers.  He  saw;  reported,  as  the  best  he  could  do,  a  contract  with  a  Mr. 
Butler  at  fifty  cents  per  day ;  and,  on  his  recommendation,  the  contract  was 
straightway  signed.  The  contractor  found  himself  unable  to  provide  food  as 
fast  as  the  troops  came  in.  Within  a  few  days  loud  complaints  arose  about 
breakfasts  delayed  till  twelve  o'clock,  and  the  like  irregularities;  the  volun- 
teers, fresh  from  the  comforts  of  home,  and  having  little  else  to  do,  growled 
lustily;  the  newspapers  discussed  the  grievance;  ardent  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature presently   took  up  the  burden  of  constituents  whom  they  found  in  the 


Dennison's  Wae  Administration.  29 

ranks;  and  so,  amid  the  enthusiasm  of  the  people  and  the  struggles  of  the  Ad- 
ministration, rose  a  hoarse  clamor  against  heartless  contractors  and  incompetent 
State  officials  who  permitted  them  to  abuse  our  gallant  citizen-soldiery.  Other 
complaints  presently  began  to  be  heard  from  Cleveland,  where  the  subsistence 
contract  had  been  given  to  O.  C.  Scoville  at  fifty  cents  per  day,  and  from  Cin- 
cinnati, where  it  had  been  given  to  H.  F.  Handy  at  sixty  cents  per  day. 

In  the  midst  of  this  came  fresh  food  for  censure.  Great  bundles  of  round 
poles  began  to  come  through  by  express  from  New  York  in  numbers  that  to  the 
uneducated  eye  seemed  absolutely  enormous,  consigned  to  the  Governor.  They 
were  the  tent-poles  belonging  to  certain  purchases  of  tents  made  for  the  State  in 
New  York.  Uniforms  were  to  be  provided  for  the  gathering  troops,  and  con- 
tracts were  hastily  given  out  on  such  terms  as  were  offered.  Messrs.  J.  &  H. 
Miller,  of  Columbus,  were  to  furnish  four  thousand  overcoats  at  nine  dollars  and 
sixty-five  cents  apiece;  Mack  &  Brothers  and  J.  IT.  Luken,  of  Cincinnati,  Eng- 
lish &  Co.,  of  Zanesville,  and  McDaniel,  of  Dayton,  were  each  to  furnish  one 
thousand  uniforms  (coats  and  trowsers  only),  at  sixteen  dollars — one-sixth  to  be 
delivered  weekly.  Mr.  Eobinson,  of  Cleveland,  was  to  furnish  two  thousand  at 
the  same  rates.  Stone  &  Estabrook  were  to  furnish  one  thousand  flannel  shirts 
at  one  dollar  and  a  half  a  piece.  Other  prices  were  in  proportion,  and  on  all  it 
appeared  that  large  profits  were  likely  to  accrue.  Shipments  of  arms  presently 
began  to  arrive,  and  there  were  stories  of  large  purchases,  at  extravagant  rates, 
in  New  York.  These  several  facts  and  rumors  were  discussed  in  the  newspapers 
with  great  severity,  and  the  leading  Eepublican  journals  were  foremost  in  cen- 
suring the  Governor's  subordinates,  and,  impliedly,  the  Governor  himself. 

Other  sources  of  dissatisfaction  appeared.  The  Adjutant-General,  a  person  of 
considerable  and  versatile  ability,  was  an  enthusiastic  militiaman,  but,  just  then, 
not  much  of  a  soldier.  He  was  withal  so  excitable,  so  volatile,  so  destitute  of 
method,  as  to  involve  the  affairs  of  his  office  in  confusion,  and  to  bewilder  him- 
self and  those  about  him  in  the  fog  of  his  own  raising.  He  accepted  companies 
without  keeping  count  of  them  ;  telegraphed  hither  and  thither  for  companies 
to  come  immediately  forward;  and  soon  had  the  town  so  full  of  troops  that  his 
associates  could  scarcely  subsist  or  quarter,  and  he  could  scarcely  organize  them; 
while,  when  he  came  to  reckon  up,  he  found  he  had  far  outrun  his  limits, 
and  had  on  hand  troops  for  nearer  thirty  than  thirteen  regiments.  Then, 
when  he  attempted  to  form  his  companies  into  regimental  organizations,  he  met 
fresh  troubles.  Each  one  wanted  to  be  Company  A  of  a  new  regiment,  and  was 
able  to  prove  its  right  to  the  distinction.  The  records  of  the  office  were  too  im- 
perfect to  show  in  most  cases  definitely  which  had  been  first  accepted.  Then 
Senators  and  Eepresentatives  must  needs  be  called  in  to  defend  the  rights  of 
their  constituents,  and  the  Governor's  room,  in  one  end  of  which  the  Adjutant- 
General  transacted  his  business,  was  for  weeks  a  scene  of  aggravating  confusion 
and  dispute. 

For  a  little  the  popular  discontent  fermented.  Then,  on  the  1st  of  May, 
the  House  of  Eepresentatives  took  it  up.  The  general  regard  felt — in  spite  of 
his  weakness — for  the  Adjutant-General,    spared  him.     But   a  resolution  was 


30  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

introduced,  declaring  it  to  be  the  sense  of  the  House  that  the  Quartermaster- 
ral  and  Commissary-General  were  unfit  for  their  places,  and  appointing  a 
commits  ft  wait  upon  the  Governor  and  request  their  removal.  Efforts  were 
made  to  couple-  with  this  an  indorsement  of  the  Governor  himself,  but  the 
II.. use  refused.  One  prominent  Eepublican  declared  that  he  hoped  the  Gover- 
nor was  not  to  blame,  but  he  'was  n't  bound  to  say  grace  before  mentioning  his 
namo  and  return  thanks  afterward  for  the  privilege;  he  wanted  those  men 
timied  out.  and  he  wanted  the  Governor  to  know  it;  and  he  wasn't  disposed 
to  mince  many  words  over  the  matter.'  A  similar  strain  wTas  adopted  by  others,  j 
and  lh««  resolution  was  passed  by  a  vote  of  sixty-one  to  twenty-four. 

The  Governor  assured  the  committee  that  all  the  subsistence  contracts  would 

be  virtually  annulled  by  the  removal  of  the  troops  to  other  camps  within  the 

forty-eight  hours;  but  knowing  better  than  they  the  injustice  of  a  portion 

of  the  clamor,  he  gave  no  indication  of  an  immediate  purpose  to  remove  the 

obnoxious  officers. 

He  kept  his  promise  by  the  speedy  selection  of  a  site  for  a  large  camp  near 
Miamiville,  on  the  Little  Miami  Eailroad,  in  the  south-western   corner  of  the 

.  where  the  main  portion  of  the  force  should  rendezvous,  and  where  it 
would  be  at  hand  for  any  danger  threatening  Cincinnati.  But  here  again  his 
evil  genius  followed  him.  The  land  was  leased  at  high  rates,  and  the  expendi- 
ture was  speedily  criticised  in  the  leading  newspapers  as  extravagant. 

The  dissatisfaction  thus  engendered  was  soon  increased  by  the  reports  com- 
ing back  from  the  First  and  Second  Eegiments.  They  had  failed  to  get  through 
to  Washington,  had  been  stopped  first  at  Harrisburg  and  then  at  Philadelphia, 
had  encountered  some  hardships  for  want  of  proper  equipment,  and  great  delays 
in  getting  their  uniforms  and  arms,  and  had  complaints  then  to  make  as  to  the 
quality  of  both.  In  the  absence  of  officers— their  election  not  having  been  held 
when  they  started  from  Columbus— the  Governor  had  placed  them  under  the 
command  of  Mr.  George  W.  McCook,  a  Democratic  politician  of  prominence, 
whom  he  constituted  his  own  personal  agent.  Under  his  supervision  all  the 
arrangements  had  been  made,  and  for  his  selection  also  the  Governor  was 
fiercely  assailed.  The  newspapers  took  up  the  complaints  of  the  soldiers;  and 
the  people  of  the  State  were  soon  made  to  believe  that  the  sons  they  had'  hur- 
riedly sent  out  in  their  eager  zeal  to  save  the  National  Capital  were  suffering 
from  the  neglect  of  the  State  authorities,  and  the  indifference  or  cruelty  of 
those  placed  over  them. 

Wo  can  now  see  how  wickedly  unjust  the  most  of  this  profuse  and  varied 
censure  was. 

In  lending  tl.o  first  volunteers  to  hotels  on  the  day  of  their  arrival  the 
Governor  resorted  to  almost  the  only  instant  relief  attainable.  And  besides 
there  was  a  lading  then  that  nothing  was  too  good  for  our  soldiers,  which  would 
abused  greater  complaint  had  he  done  anything  else.  In  awarding  the 
fifty  and  sixty  cents  per  day  contracts  for  subsistence,  he  certainly  expended 
more  than  was  needful.  But  he  acted  on  the  avowed  belief  that  it  would  not 
do  to  brmg  the  volunteers  down  at  the  very  start  to  army  rations,  in  which   he 


Dennison's  War  Administration.  31 

was  probably  right.  And  while  the  price  paid  was  large,  and  many  men  might 
have  been  found  who  would  have  furnished  the  same  provisions  for  less,  yet  the 
demand  was  immediate,  and  on  the  instant  they  were  not  found.  Furthermore, 
arrangements  can  not  be  made  in  a  small  place  like  Columbus  (where  the  rates 
were  first  established)  in  a  day  for  comfortably  subsisting  several  thousand 
men,  and  for  the  extra  exertions  required,  it  was  quite  natural  that  an  extra 
charge  should  be  made.  Within  two  weeks  the  whole  cause  of  complaint  was 
removed ;  and  under  the  authorities  at  the  new  camps,  the  troops  were  fed  at 
an  average  expense  of  less  than  one-third  of  the  Columbus  contract.  The  com- 
plaints against  the  operations  in  the  Quartermaster's  Department  proceeded 
upon  the  same  theory  of  expecting  the  very  best  results  attainable  with  long 
practice  and  abundant  leisure  to  be  secured  on  the  instant  by  the  new  machin- 
ery. The  sending  of  an  agent  of  the  Governor  with  the  First  and  Second  Reg- 
iments to  the  field  to  see  that  their  wants  were  supplied,  might,  under  the  in- 
structions of  the  General  Government,  have  been  omitted,  but  it  was  a  wise  and 
prudent  precaution.  The  selection  of  Mr.  McCook  was  one  of  many  similar 
acts  by  which,  adroitly  siezing  upon  any  prominent  Democrat  who  could  be 
used,  the  Governor,  seeing  plainly  that  the  war  must  be  a  war  of  the  people 
and  not  of  one  party,  sought  to  commit  the  Democratic  organization  also  to  its 
support. 

But  the  public  mind  was  not  in  a  state  to  look  for  or  to  comprehend  these 
motives  for  the  Governor's  actions.  We  have  seen  that  there  was  already  a  pre- 
disposition to  question  his  competency  for  the  weighty  tasks  now  upon  him, 
and  to  judge  him  harshly.  Each  complaint,  however  groundless,  served,  in  the 
feverish  excitement  of  the  hour,  to  heighten  this  tendency. 

i 

From  the  day  on  which  the  President  made  his  call  for  volunteers,  the  Gov- 
ernor had  felt  the  want  of  experienced  military  men  about  him.  Personally  he 
knew  nothing  of  military  matters — could  scarcely  tell  the  field  officers  of  a 
regiment.  Nearly  all  men  then  in  public  life  were  in  the  same  condition.  He 
had  about  him  a  staff  that  knew  something  of  militia  but  nothing  of  war.  The 
best  of  them  was  the  Adjutant-General,  of  whom  we  have  spoken.  He  had  at- 
tended a  military  school,  had  made  some  military  translations  from  the  French, 
and  had  prepared  a  militia  manual. 

From  the  outset,  therefore,  the  Governor  longed  for  some  approved  army 
officer,  to  whom  he  might  turn  over  the  matters  of  military  detail  with  which 
he  was  oppressed.  The  first  Ohio  officer  to  offer  his  services  was  a  young  engi- 
neer— afterward  to  hold  no  mean  rank  in  the  greatest  of  the  Western  armies — ■ 
Lieutenant  O.  M.  Poo.  But  he  was  at  the  Capitol  only  for  a  few  days  on  a  tem- 
porary leave  of  absence.  The  Governor  telegraphed  to  the  Secretary  of  War, 
asking  that  he  be  detailed  for  service  at  Columbus,  in  the  organization  of  troops. 
He  asked  also  that  Lieutenant  Win.  B.  Hazen,  then  a  young  Ohio  officer  of 
infantry,  reputed  to  possess  some  ability,  should  be  detailed  for  similar  service. 
The  Secretary  of  War,  Mr.  Cameron,  returned  a  pert  reply.  He  had  no  time; 
he  said,  to  be  detailing  Lieutenants  ! 


32  Ohio  in  the  War. 

bj  this  time  the  Governor  had  learned  that  he  was  to  have  the  power 
of < appointing  Generals' for  the  troops  he  was  raising.  Instantly  his  mind  re- 
,1  m  the  offiOOT  Of  wlu.se  standing  in  the  army  he  knew  the  most— Irvin 
M.  I  towell,  of  the  staff  of  Lieutenant-General  Scott.  He  did  not  yet  know  what 
r:i„k  the  <•<,., ni.aiiding  officer  of  the  Ohio  contingent  would  enjoy,  but  whatever 
it  should  be,  he  almost  determined  to  bestow  it  upon  McDowell. 

Already,  however,  some  Cincinnatians,  who  knew  there  was  a  General  to 
appoint,  had  decided  to  press  a  candidate  of  their  own.  Mr.  Larz  Anderson,  Hon. 
Win.  S.  Groesbeck,  and  other  influential  gentlemen,  united  in  a  recommendation 
of  one  Captain  McClellan,  then  an  officer  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Eailroad. 
The  Governor  remembered  him  as  a  young  man  whom  he  had  met  at  a  rail- 
road convention  a  year  or  two  before.  He  had  paid  but  little  attention  to  him, 
and  should  scarcely  have  remembered  the  name  but  for  the  enthusiastic  praises 
of  a  Mr.  Clark,  who  was  in  attendance.  This  gentleman  had  assured  Mr.  Den- 
nison  that  Captain  McClellan  was  a  man  of  remarkable  ability,  and  had  taken 
the  pains,  on  returning  home,  to  send  him  McClellan's  Report  on  the  Organiza- 
tion of  European  Armies. 

All  this  came  back  now  into  the  Governor's  memory,  as  he  listened  to  the 
praises  of  the  young  railroad  officer,  from  the  personal  friends  who  hurried  to 
Columbus  to  urge  his  appointment.  He  hunted  up  the  old  report,  sent  him  a 
year  or  two  before,  and  looked  through  it.  Finally  he  began  to  think  that  the 
man  who  understood  the  organization  of  armies  so  well  would  be  very  valuable 
in  his  offico,  to  take  charge  of  the  organization  of  the  Ohio  army.  Still,  not 
quite  willing  to  abandon  McDowell,  he  determined  to  have  a  look  at  his  rival. 
Accordingly  he  wrote  to  Captain  McClellan,  asking  him  to  come  up  to  Colum- 
bus and  give  the  benefit  of  his  advice  about  the  fortifications  then  thought  by 
the  alarmed  citizens  of  Cincinnati  to  be  necessary  to  protect  them  from  the  hos- 
tile Kentuckians.  The  Captain  replied  that  he  was  unable  to  come;  but 
that  he  would  send  in  his  stead  Captain  Pope,  of  the  regular  army,  who 
happened  then  to  be  in  the  city,  and  whose  judgment  about  such  matters  was 
excellent. 

Captain  Pope  came,  but  the  Governor  was  not  favorably  impressed  with  him. 
He  recommended  the  purchase  of  a  considerable  number  of  huge  Columbiads, 
to  be  mounted,  it  would  seem,  on  Walnut  Hills,  since  it  was  then  the  policy  to 
hold  sacred  from  the  tread  of  United  States  troops  the  soil  of  Kentucky.  In 
the  fullness  of  his  desire  to  do  whatever  was  needed,  the  Governor,  though 
with  some  misgivings,  actually  signed  the  order,  and  the  Columbiads  were 
procui.  -d. 

The  friends  of  McClellan  continued  their  urgency,  and,  at  last,  under  the 
high-pressure  system  which  the  enthusiasm  and  the  emergency  had  created, 
Governor  Dennison  hastily  wrote  a  second  time,  asking  the  young  army  officer, 
whom  by  this  time  he  was  beginning  to  believe  almost  an  absolute  authority  on 
military  matters,  to  come  up  to  the  Capitol  for  consultation.  Judging  that  by 
this  time  the  efforts  of  his  friends  must  have  paved  the  way  for  him,  McClellan 
came.     The  Governor,  favorably  disposed  already,  was  greatly  pleased  with  his 


Dennison's    War  Administration.  33 

appearance  and  demeanor.  He  reflected  that  McClcllan  seemed  to  have  more 
reputation  than  McDowell,  and  that  his  appointment  would  be  likely  to  have 
more  prestige  and  exert  a  better  influence  over  the  gathering  volunteers;  and  so, 
at  length,  he  appointed  him  a  Major-General  of  the  Ohio  militia,  to  command 
the  forces  called  into  the  field;  and  sent  a  note  to  McDowell,  regretting  that 
circumstances  seemed  to  require  the  retraction  of  the  implied  promise  that  he 
should  receive  the  place.* 

Governor  Dennison's  expectation  now  was  that  McClellan  would  remain  in 
Columbus,  and  relievo  him  of  the  burdens  of  military  administration.  In  this, 
however,  he  was  disappointed  from  the  outset.  The  new  Major-General  re- 
mained perhaps  a  couple  of  weeks,  and  gave  some  little  advice  to  the  legislative 
committees  concerning  some  of  the  military  legislation  they  had  in  hand.  But 
meantime  he  had  opened  a  correspondence  with  the  War  Department,  and  it 
presently  appeared  that  he  was  about  to  be  elevated  to  a  wider  command. 

Before  this,  however,  he  had,  only  two  da}~s  after  his  appointment,  ap- 
proached the  Governor  with  a  private  dispatch  from  Governor  Curtin,  of  Penn- 
sylvania, which  offered  him  the  command  of  the  troops  of  his  native  State. 
This,  he  said,  had  it  come  two  days  earlier,  he  would  have  accepted.  If  the 
Governor  now  chose,  in  view  of  this  fact,  to  renew  his  offer  to  McDowell,  he 
(McClellan)  would  gladly  get  out  of  the  way,  and  go  on  to  Pennsylvania.  Den- 
nison  promptly  declined.  General  confidence,  he  said,  seemed  to  have  been  ex- 
cited by  his  appointment,  and  he  would  not  unsettle  it  by  any  change.  McClel- 
lan accordingly  wrote  his  reply  :  "  Before  I  heard  you  wanted  me  in  any 
position  I  had  accepted  the  command  of  the  Ohio  forces.  They  need  my  serv- 
ices, and  I  am  bound  in  honor  to  stand  by  them." 

Presently  came  news  that  three  years'  troops  were  to  be  called  out,  and 
that  their  Generals  were  to  be  appointed  by  the  President.  Straightway  Den- 
nison  determined  to  secure,  if  possible,  the  three  years'  appointment  for  the 
new  Major-General  of  his  making.  On  the  11th  of  May  he  telegraphed  to  Sec- 
retary Chase  :  "  Can  McClellan  get  a  commission  for  three  years  at  once,  so  as 
to  make  him  rank  over  all  others,  and  make  sure  of  his  holding  the  chief  com- 
mand here?  Ohio  must  lead  throughout  the  war."  No  immediate  reply  came. 
But  on  the  14th  of  May,  while  the  Governor  was  in  Cincinnati,  on  a  hasty  trip 
to  look  after  the  requirements  of  the  southern  border,  a  dispatch  was  handed  him 
from  Mr.  Chase:  "  We  have  to-day  had  McClellan  appointed  a  Major-General 
in  the  regular  army."  He  was  in  a  room  with  McClellan,  Marcy,  and  others, 
and  he  immediately  handed  over  the  dispatch  to  the  one  whom  it  most  con- 
cerned. Governor  Dennison  has  since  described  the  utter  amazement  that  over- 
spread the  face  of  the  young  officer,  and  the  difficulty  with  which  he  could  be 
persuaded  that  so  overpowering  an  honor  had  really  been  conferred  upon  him. 
His  father-in-law  and  chief  of  staff,  Major  Marcy,  was  equally  incredulous;  and 
the  next  day  the  Governor  had  even  to  produce  the  dispatch  again,  before  Mrs. 
McClellan  could  satisfy  herself  that  her  husband  had  been  so  suddenly  raised 
so  high.     They  all  seemed  to  imagine  that  it  must  be  some  inexplicable  mis- 

*  See  post     Part  II.     Life  of  McDowell. 
Vol.  1.— 3. 


34  Ohio  in  the  War. 

t,k,.,  Mi  that   Htf  Washington  authorities  could   really  intend   nothing  of  the 

k  i  n '  i 

.while.  bavin?  given   the  chief  command   to   a   regular   officer,   who 
•hus  hitfl.lv  appreciated  by  the  army  authorities   at  Washington, 
D,nnison   next  looked  about  him  for  influential  and  energetic  men, 
,  6ntar  the  war,  on  whom  he  could  confer  the  three  Brigadier-General- 
\ewton  Schleich,  of  Fairfield  County,  then  the  Democratic  leader  in  the 
-!„.  first  elected;  J.  H.  Bates,  of  Cincinnati,  an  officer  of  the 
Old  militia,  was  the  second;  and  J.  D.  Cox,  one  of  the  Eepublican  leaders  in  the 
to,  rod  a  gentleman  who  had  already  made  himself  of  great  use  in  the  Gov- 
ernor's office  in  aiding  the  transaction  of  business,  was  the  third. 

■  these  appointments,  in  the  temper  to  which  the  public  mind  was  now 
brought,  became  subjects  of  complaint.  The  most  absurd  was  the  charge  of  the 
Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  a  leading  Democratic  newspaper  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  State,  which  denounced  the  Governor  for  the  gross  partisanship  of  his 
appointments,  and  particularly  for  the  "promotion  of  Schleich,  a  Eepublican 
nhorn,  to  the  high  rank  of  Brigadier-General !  "     So  easy  was  it  by  this 

*  It  is  scarcely  necessary  (since  it  is  substantially  intimated  in  the  text)  to  add  that  in  the 
above  I  have  followed  Governor  Dennison's  personal  statements  as  to  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing the  rapid  promotion  of  General  McClellan.  Stories  have  been  widely  circulated  to  the  effect 
that  the  original  appointment  as  Major-General  of  Ohio  militia  was  procured  by  the  accidental 
discovery  that  Curtin  intended  to  offer  a  similar  position  in  Pennsylvania,  and  even  that  this  dis- 
patch was  itself  a  forgery.  From  the  numerous  versions  set  afloat,  I  take  this  one,  from  the  Bos- 
ton Commonwealth,   because  it  happens  to   be   authenticated  by  the   initials   of  Rev.   D.   A. 

«>n: 

"  McClellan  was  an  officer  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad.  He  managed  matters  so 
miserably  a3  greatly  to  embarrass  the  principal  roads  connecting  with  that  of  which  he  had 
charge.  To  get  rid  of  him  became,  therefore,  an  important  desideratum  with  those  most  con- 
cerned in  these  roads. 

"  When  the  war  broke  out  there  was  a  meeting  between  three  of  the  persons  thus  interested. 
Two  of  them  said  :  'Now  is  our  time.  McClellan  is  a  military  man  ;  let  us  get  him  an  appoint- 
ment to  the  command  of  our  State  troops.  He  will  do  good  service  there,  and  we  shall  be  rid 
of  an  ugly  incumbrance.'  The  third  demurred.  'I  don't  know  about  that,' he  said.  'McClel- 
lan has  given  no  evidence  of  ability  as  a  man  of  business;  and  I  see  no  reason  to  tfiink  that  he 
would  do  better  as  a  General.  It  would  hardly  be  patriotic  to  take  a  load  from  our  own  shoul- 
ders and  place  it  on  those  of  the  nation.'  ■  But  he  has  been  trained  to  the  art  of  war,'  urged  the 
others  ;  'if  he  is  not  good  for  that,  what  is  he  good  for?'  The  objector  refused  to  be  convinced, 
but  the  others  made  haste  to  carry  their  project  into  effect.  A  petition  was  accordingly  sent  to 
Governor  Dennison,  praying  him  to  bestow  command  on  this  blocker  of  business— who  rose  from 
bed,  it  was  said,  at  cloven  in  the  morning.  Governor  Dennison  hesitated.  While  he  was  con- 
sidering the  matter,  a  telegram,  signed  by  Governor  Curtin,  came  from  Philadelphia,  containing 
a  request  to  McClellan  to  take  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops.  This  indication  that  he 
waa  desired  abroad  decided  the  Governor  to  employ  him  at  home.     He  was  appointed  accordingly. 

"  The  Philadelphia  telegram,  which  secured  him  his  place,  was  afterward  discovered  to  be 
bogus — concocted  in  Cincinnati  for  the  purpose  which  it  served  !  " 

So  far  at  least  as  tall  refers  to  any  influence  from  Philadelphia,  by  means  either  of  genuine 
or  forged  dispatches,  tending  to  impel  Governor  Dennison  to  the  appointment,  the  story  is  erro- 
neous. The  appointment  was  made  before  Governor  Curtin's  dispatch  was  heard  of.  As  the 
matter  was  once  thought  of  much  importance,  and  as  the  appointment  certainly  did  exercise  a 
large  and  long-continued  influence  upon  the  fortunes  of  the  war,  it  is  well  enough  that  the  exact 
facts  should  be  recorded. 


Dennison's  War  Administration.  35 

time  to  find  causes  for  denouncing  the  Governor,  and  so  little  care  did  influen- 
tial men  take  to  see  whether  there  was  the  slightest  basis  for  their  charges. 

Republicans,  on  the  other  hand,  were  disposed  to  complain  that  the  Demo- 
crats received  more  than  their  share  of  the  high  promotions.  McClellan  was  a 
Democrat,  and  so  was  Schleich,  and,  in  fact,  but  one  Republican  had  been  ap- 
pointed, out  of  the  four  general  officers  assigned  to  the  State. 

What  it  now  remains  to  us  to  tell  of  the  first  War  Administration  of  Ohio, 
constitutes  the  highest  claim  of  the  maligned  Governor  to  the  regard  and  grati- 
tude of  his  State  and  of  the  country.  To  a  man  of  his  sensitive  temper  and 
special  desire  for  the  good  opinion  of  others,  the  unjust  and  measureless  abuse 
to  which  his  earnest  efforts  had  subjected  him  were  agonizing.  But  he  suf- 
fered no  sign  to  escape  him,  and  with  a  single-hearted  devotion,  and  an  ability 
for  which  the  State  had  not  credited  him,  he  proceeded  to  the  measures  most 
necessary  in  the  crisis. 

First  of  all,  the  loan  authorized  by  the  Million  War  Bill  was  to  be  placed, 
for  without  money  the  State  could  do  nothing.  The  Common  Council  of  Cin- 
cinnati offered  to  take  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  it,  and  backed  its  offer  by  for- 
warding the  money.  The  State  Bank,  full  of  confidence  in  its  old  officer,  now 
at  the  head  of  the  Administration,  was  entirely  willing  to  take  the  rest;  the 
Common  Council  of  Columbus  was  willing  to  take  a  hundred  thousand  dollars ; 
and  offers  speedily  came  in  for  smaller  amounts  from  other  quarters.  The  Gov- 
ernor was  anxious,  however,  that  a  general  opportunity  should  be  given  to  pa- 
triotic citizens  throughout  the  State.  He,  therefore,  discouraged  somewhat  the 
large  subscribers,  and  soon  had  the  loan  favorably  placed. 

Next  after  money  came  the  demand  for  arms.  For  its  twenty-three  regi- 
ments alread}' raised,  the  State  of  Ohio  had  only  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
eighty-four  muskets  and  rifles  of  all  calibers  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  sabers. 
The  Governor  of  Illinois  had  on  hands  a  considerable  number,  of  which  Denni- 
son  heard.  He  at  once  resolved  to  procure  them.  Senator  Garfield  was  at  hand, 
ready  and  willing  for  any  work  to  which  he  might  be  assigned.  Duly  armed 
with  a  requisition  from  the  proper  authorities,  he  was  dispatched  to  the  Illinois 
Capital.  He  succeeded  in  securing  five  thousand  muskets,  and  shipped  them 
straightway  to  Columbus.  At  the  same  time — for  the  Governor,  in  the  midst  of 
the  popular  abuse,  had  already  begun  to  displa}7  a  capacity  for  broad  and  states- 
manlike views — he  was  instructed  to  lay  before  the  Illinois  Executive  a  sugges- 
tion as  to  the  propriety  of  uniting  the  Illinois  troops  and  all  others  in  the 
Mississippi  Yalley  under  the  Ohio  Major-General.  Glad  to  hear  of  an  officer 
anywhere  who  knew  anything  about  war,  they  joyfully  consented,  and  so  Mc- 
Clellan's  department  was,  with  their  full  approval,  presently  extended  from 
West  Virginia  to  the  Mississippi. 

Five  thousand  arms,  however,  were  but  a  drop  in  the  bucket,  and  accoutre- 
ments were  almost  wholly  wanting.  The  supply  in  the  entire  country  was  quite 
limited;  even  in  Europe  there  were  not  enough  immediately  accessible  to  meet 
the  sudden  demand ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  first  and  most  energetic  in  the 


36  Ohio  in  the  War. 

market  would  be  tho  first  to  secure  arms  for  their  soldiers.     Governor  Dennison 

m nii„^lv  selected  Judge-Advocate-General  Wolcott  of  his  staff*  a  gentleman 

of  fine  ability  and  of  .supposed  business  capacity,  to  proceed  forthwith  to  New 
York  as  his  agent  for  the  purchase  of  arms.  It  was  under  his  management  that 
the  h.Mstv  shipment  of  tent-poles   had  been   made,  on  which  was  based  one  of 

mrlieet  complaints  against  the  State  Administration.  He  secured  at  once, 
on  terms  as  favorable  as  could  then  be  obtained,  about  five  thousand  muskets, 
with  equipments,  knapsacks,  canteens,  etc.,  to  correspond.  Meeting  the  agent 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  just  as  he  was  about  to  sail  for  England  to  pur- 

•  arms,  he  commissioned  him  to  purchase  there  for  Ohio  a  hundred  thou- 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  Enfield  rifles.  Subsequently,  Mr.  Wolcott  secured 
authority  from  the  Ordnance  office  of  the  War  Department  to  purchase  directly 
on  the,  account  of  the  United  States  such  arms  and  accoutrements  as  were 
needed  for  Ohio  troops;  and  the  energy  and  personal  supervision  which  the  Gov- 
ernor was  thus  able  to  secure  in  the  transaction  of  the  Government  business  for 
his  State,  went  largely  to  aid  the  rapid  arming  and  equipment  of  the  Ohio 
troops.  Before  this,  however,  by  the  aid  of  another  agent,  General  Wool  had 
been  prevailed  upon  to  order  ten  thousand  muskets  through  to  Columbus,  and 
the  first  needs  were  thus  supplied/)* 

Next,  so  soon  as  the  first  rush  of  volunteers  gave  him  time  to  look  about 
him,  he  prepared  to  reorganize  his  staff  by  the  selection  of  men  better  fitted  for 
its  duties  on  a  war  establishment.  The  confusion  in  the  Adjutant-General's 
office,  and  the  enormous  labors  actually  devolving  upon  that  overworked  officer, 
first  directed  attention  to  the  task  of  securing  an  able  Assistant  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral. With  this  view  he  offered  the  place  to  Mr.  Samuel  Craighead,  of  Dayton. 
That  gentleman  visited  Columbus,  looked  at  the  workings  of  the  office  and  de- 
clined. Mr.  C.  P.  Buckingham,  a  citizen  of  the  State,  of  high  position,  a  grad- 
uate of  West  Point,  and  a  gentleman  of  calm,  methodical  habits  and  thorough 
knowledgo  of  the  business,  was  then  obtained.  Next  Colonel  Charles  Whit- 
tlesly,  another  old  army  officer,  was  given  to  the  luckless  Quartermaster-General 
as  an  assistant.  A  few  days  later  the  Commissary -General  was  displaced,  and 
the  new  Assistant  Adjutant-General  was  assigned  to  his  duties,  while  Lieutenant 
J.  W.  Sill  took  the  place  thus  vacated  under  the  Adjutant-General.  Lieutenant 
William  S.  Bosecrans — a  name  soon  to  become  notable  in  the  history  of  the 
war — was  made  Chief  Engineer. 

By  this  time  the  attitude  of  Kentucky  had  become  a  source  of  alarm  alon"" 

*  Subsequently,  and  till  his  lamented  death,  Assistant  Secretary  of  War. 

tin  this,  and  in  all  the  other  operations  in  the  same  crowded  season,  one  of  the  most  grati- 
fying features  was  the  earnest  anxiety  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  to  be  of  service,  any  way  or 
huvwIhtc,  to  the  State.  Foremost  among  them  was  the  Hon.  Noah  H.  Swayne  (now  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States),  who  repeatedly  visited  Washington  at  the  Governor's 
request,  on  business  for  the  State— permitting  the  authorities  to  make  no  remuneration  for  his 
labors  save  the  payment  of  his  traveling  expenses.  Not  less  zealous  were  the  Hon.  A.  F.  Perry, 
of  t  incinnati,  Hon.  J.  R.  Swan,  of  Columbus,  Mr.  Ball,  of  Zanesville,  and  such  members  of  the 
Legislature  as  Garfield,  Cox,  and  Flagg. 


Dennison's   War   Administration.  37 

the  border,  and  of  grave  apprehension  with  all.  Her  Governor  had  refused, 
with  insult,  the  call  of  the  President  for  troops.  Her  most  influential  newspa- 
per had  professed  itself  "struck  with  mingled  amazement  and  indignation  "  at 
the  audacity  of  such  a  call ;  declared  the  policy  of  the  Administration  to  "de- 
serve the  unqualified  condemnation  of  every  American  citizen;"  and  called 
upon  the  people  to  "  take  him  and  his  Administration  into  their  own  hands." 
A  State  guard  had  been  organized,  which  speedily  became  a  convenient  drill 
and  recruit  agency  for  the  Confederate  armies.  And  finally,  on  the  20th  of 
May,  Governor  Magoffin  had  risen  to  the  height  of  folly  and  treason  involved  in 
a  proclamation,  whereof  this  is  the  substance : 

"  Now,  therefore,  I  hereby  notify  and  warn  all  other  States,  separate  or  united,  and  espe- 
cially the  United  States  and  Confederate  States,  that  I  solemnly  forbid  any  movement  upon  Ken- 
tucky soil,  or  occupation  of  any  part,  post,  or  place  therein  for  any  purpose  whatever,  until 
authorized  by  invitation  or  permission  of  the  legislative  and  executive  authorities.  I  especially 
forbid  all  citizens  of  Kentucky,  whedier  incorporated  in  the  State  guard  or  otherwise,  making 
any  hostile  demonstrations  against  any  of  the  aforesaid  authorities  ;  to  be  obedient  to  the  order* 
of  the  lawful  authorities;  to  remain  quietly  and  peaceably  at  home,  when  off  military  duty;  to 
refrain  from  all  words  and  acts  likely  to  provoke  a  collision,  and  so  otherwise  conduct  them- 
selves that  the  deplorable  calamity  of  invasion  may  be  averted ;  but,  meanwhile,  make  prompt 
and  efficient  preparations  to  assume  the  paramount  and  supreme  law  of  self-defense,  and  strictly 
of  self-defense  alone." 

Before  the  issue  of  this  open  proclamation  of  treason — indeed  in  the  very 
first  throbs  of  the  excitement  following  the  President's  call  for  troops  and  Ken- 
tucky's refusal — Governor  Dennison,  alarmed  lest  the  border  should  become  the 
theater  of  hostilities,  sent  a  gentleman  to  confer  with  Governor  Magoffin,  and 
to  attempt  to  commit  him  to  a  friendly  policy.  He  was  politic  and  sagacious  in 
the  selection  of  his  agent.  Judge  Thomas  M.  Key,  of  the  State  Senate,  was  an 
able,  earnest,  and  patriotic  Democrat,  and  it  was  then  the  policy  to  employ  in 
as  prominent  positions  as  possible  every  member  of  that  party  who  could  be 
secured.  Moreover,  he  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  and  like  most  natives  of  that 
State,  he  cherished  a  lively  regard  for  her  honor  and  her  interest  still.  He 
was,  therefore,  likely  to  be  all  the  more  acceptable  as  a  messenger  from  the  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  of  his  adoption  to  the  Governor  of  that  of  his  birth.*  Judge 
Key  was  accordingly  sent  to  Kentucky,  with  a  letter  accrediting  him  as  a  rep- 
resentative of  the  Governor  of  Ohio,  charged  to  express  "  the  kindly  and  neigh- 
borly feeling  "  of  the  people  of  Ohio;  and  the  earnest  wish  of  the  Governor 
that  "the  same  complete  devotion  to  the  Constitution  and  Union  of  the  United 
States  should  animate  the  action  of  both  ; "  as  well  as  "  to  confer  freely  in  regard 
to  the  condition  of  the  people  upon  the  common  border,  and  the  proper  means 
for  removing  all  apprehensions  of  strife  between  them." 

What  view  Judge  Key  then  took  of  the  position  of  the  Governor  of  Ken- 
tucky may  be  inferred  from  the  dispatch  to  Governor  Dennison,  in  which  ho 
made  his  first  report : 

*  It  should  be  added  that  the  selection  of  Judge  Key  was  warmly  sanctioned  by  Senator  J. 
D.  Cox,  who  was  actively  occupied  in  the  aid  of  the  Governor,  and  whose  counsels  had  already 
become  potent. 


38 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


"Interview  long,  free,  and  satisfactory.  Expresses  purposes  and  policy  friendly  and  pru- 
dent.  Anxious  for  instant  communication  between  Executives  upon  aggression  by  citizens  of 
either  State.     Kentucky  arming  for  defense  and  neutrality." 

In  his  subsequent  more  extended  report,  Judge  Key  added  that  Governor 
Maudlin  had  dwelt  particularly  upon  "his  firm  purpose  to  permit  nothing  to  be 
don&e  that  could  be  viewed  as  menacing  the  city  of  Cincinnati,"  a  point  then 
calculated  greatly  to  ease  the  excited  apprehensions  of  that  metropolis.* 

It  frttbn  the  28th  of  April  that  Judge  Key  reported  his  free  and  satisfac- 
nt»«rview,  with  the  assurance  of  the  friendly  and  prudent  purposes  of  the 
Governor  of  Kentucky.  On  the  20th  of  May  that  officer  issued  the  proclama- 
tion above  quoted. 

Four  days  later,  on  the  suggestion  and  at  the  earnest  request  of  Governor 
Donnison,  the  Governors  of  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  Ohio  met  at  Indianapolis,  in 
conference,  on  the  occasion  of  McClellan's  review  of  the  Indiana  troops.  In 
this  conference  Governor  Dennison  dwelt  upon  the  position  of  defiance  which 
Kentuck}T  had  assumed,  and  the  essential  service  she  was  rendering  the  Confed- 

v.  He  urged  the  policy  of  seizing  the  prominent  points  in  Kentucky,  Lou- 
isville, Columbus,  Paducah,  Covington,  Newport,  and  the  railroads  leading  there- 
from. Do  this,  said  he,  and  we  at  once  remove  the  possibility  of  war  from  our 
own  borders,  stop  the  recruiting  of  Confederate  troops  in  Kentucky,  prevent 
the  possibility  of  the  State  being  betrayed  into  the  Confederacy,  and  greatly  aid 
and  strengthen  our  friends  in  Tennessee.  To  secure  the  action  of  the  Govern- 
ment on  this  suggestion,  he  wanted  it  indorsed  by  the  Governors  of  the  three 
groat  loyal  States  lying  north  of  the  border.  Governors  Yates  and  Morton 
promptly  fell  in  with  the  idea;  Senator  Trumbull,  who  was  present,  reduced  it 
to  writing  in  tho  form  of  a  memorial  to  the  Government;  the  three  Governors 
signed  it,  and  Yates  and  Trumbull  went  on  to  Washington  to  present  it. 

It  is  impossible  to  overestimate  the  change  in  the  subsequent  course  of  the 
war   which   the  adoption  of  this  wise  suggestion   would  have  insured.      The 

hery  of  Buckner  would  have  been  either  hindered  or  neutralized ;  the  for- 
tification of  Columbus  and  Bowling  Green  would  have  been  prevented ;  Ten- 
nessee, after  a  majority  of  sixty-seven  thousand  against  secession  in  March, 
could  scarcely  have  been  crowded  out  of  the  Union,  in  the  ensuing  June,  by  the 
pressure  of  Rebel  sentiment  from  all  quarters.  But  it  was  not  till  the  6th  of 
September  that  Grant,  acting  on  the  policy  originated  and  urged  by  Governor 
Dennison  in  May,  crossed  over  into  Kentucky  and  seized  Paducah  and  Smith- 
land.  By  that  time  the  opportunity  was  lost.  Columbus  was  strongly  garri- 
soned, Buckner  had  consummated  his  treason,  Bowling  Green  was  fortified,  Ten- 
was  gone— and  Kentucky  held  back  all  the  armies  of  the  West  until 
March,  18G2. 

*  Five  days  after  the  presentation  of  this  report  by  Judge  Key,  Mr.  Thos.  L.  Crittenden,  an 
estimable  citizen  of  Kentucky,  lifted  into  importance  (to  the  country's  misfortune,  when  he  sub- 
sequently became  a  Major-General  of  volunteers)  by  being  the  son  of  John  J.  Crittenden,  wrote 
voinor  Dennison,  asking  his  influence  to  secure  a  truce  between  the  General  Government 
and  the  seceded  States  till  the  extra  session  of  Congress  in  July. 


Dennison's    Wak    Administration.  39 

In  another  direction  the  forecast  of  Governor  Dennison  was  to  receive  an 
equally  signal  illustration,  and  with  a  happier  result. 

About  the  time  that  he  opened  negotiations  through  Judge  Key  with  the 
Governor  of  Kentucky,  his  eyes  were  also  turned  to  the  gathering  convention 
of  Virginia  Unionists  at  Wheeling.  When  the  magnificent  response  of  the  peo- 
ple to  the  call  for  troops  began  to  be  seen,  he  telegraphed  Mr.  Jno.  S.  Carlile, 
then  the  leading  Union  man  of  West  Virginia,*  asking  him  and  his  friends  to 
meet,  at  Bridgeport  (opposite  Wheeling,  on  the  Ohio  side),  a  representative  of 
the  Governor  of  Ohio,  for  conference.  They  promptly  assented,  and  he  sent 
forward  as  his  spokesman  Judge-Advocate-General  Wolcott,  of  his  staff.  This 
gentleman  bore  them  the  assurance  that  if  they  would  break  off  from  old  Vir- 
ginia and  adhere  to  the  Union,  Ohio  would  send  an  ample  military  force  to  pro- 
tect them.     It  was  a  pledge  the  State  was  nobly  to  redeem. 

j 

The  first  note  of  war  from  the  East  threw  Cincinnati  into  a  spasm  of  alarm. 
Her  great  warehouses,  her  foundries  and  machine  shops,  her  rich  moneyed  in- 
stitutions were  all  a  tempting  prize  to  the  Confederates,  to  whom  Kentucky  was 
believed  to  be  drifting.  Should  Kentucky  go,  only  the  Ohio  River  would  re- 
main between  the  great  city  and  the  needy  enemy,  and"  there  were  absolutely 
no  provisions  for  defense. 

The  first  alarm  expended  itself,  as  has  already  been  seen,  in  the  purchase 
of  huge  Columbiads,  with  which  it  was  probably  intended  that  Walnut  Hills 
should  be  fortified.  There  next  sprang  up  a  feverish  spirit  of  active  patriotism 
that  soon  led  to  complications.  For  the  citizens,  not  being  accustomed  to  draw 
nice  distinctions,  or  in  a  temper  to  permit  anything  whereby  their  danger  might 
be  increased,  could  see  little  difference  between  the  neutral  treason  of  Kentucky 
to  the  Government  and  the  more  open  treason  of  the  seceded  States.  They  ac- 
cordingly insisted  that  shipments  of  produce,  and  especially  shipments  of  arms, 
ammunition,  or  other  articles  contraband  of  war,  to  Kentucky  should  instantly 
cease. 

The  citizens  of  Louisville,  taking  alarm  at  this  threatened  blow  at  their 
very  existence,  sent  up  a  large  delegation  to  protest  against  the  stoppage  of 
shipments  from  Ohio.  They  were  received  in  the  Council  Chamber  of  the  City 
Hall,  on  the  morning  of  April  23d.  The  city  Mayor,  Mr.  Hatch,  announced  the 
object  of  the  meeting,  and  called  upon  Mr.  Rufus  King  to  state  the  position  of 
the  city  and  State  authorities.  Mr.  King  dwelt  upon  the  friendship  of  Ohio  for 
Kentucky  in  the  old  strain,  and  closed  by  reading  a  letter  which  the  Mayor  had 
procured  from  Governor  Dennison,  of  which  the  essential  part  was  as  follows  : 

"  My  views  of  the  subject  suggested  in  your  message  are  these :  So  long  as  any  State  re- 
mains in  the  Union,  with  professions  of  attachment  to  it,  we  can  not  discriminate  between  that 
State  and  onr  own.  In  the  contest  we  must  be  clearly  in  the  right  in  every  act,  and  I  think  it 
better  that  we  should  risk  something  than  that  we  should  in  the  slightest  degree  be  chargeable 
with  anything  tending  to  create  a  rupture  with  any  State  which  has  not  declared  itself  already 
out  of  the  Union.     To  seize  arms  going  to  a  State  which   has  not   actually  seceded,  could  give  a 

*  And  since  the  most  conspicuous  and  shameless  of  her  renegades. 


40  Ohio  in  the  War. 

pretext  for  the  assertion  that  we  had  inaugurated  hostile  conduct ;  and  might  be  used  to  create  a 
popular  feeling  in  &*or  of  secession  where  it  would  not  exist,  and  end  in  border  warfare,  which 
all  -ood  citizens,  must  deprecate.  Until  there  is  such  circumstantial  evidence  as  to  create  a  moral 
certainty  of  M  iinmediate  intention  to  use  arms  against  us,  I  would  not  be  willing  to  order  their 
NfeON  ;*  men  less  would  I  be  willing  to  interfere  with  the  transportation  of  provisions." 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  King,  "this  is  a  text  to  which  every  citizen  of  Ohio 
must  subscribe,  coming,  as  it  does,  from  the  head  of  the  State.  I  do  not  feel 
the  least  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  expresses  the  feeling  of  the  people  of  Ohio." 

But  the  people  of  Ohio  did  not  subscribe  to  it.  Even  in  the  meeting  Judge 
Bellamy  Storer,  though  very  guarded  in  his  expressions,  intimated  in  the  course 
of  his  stirring  speech  the  dissatisfaction  with  the  attitude  of  Kentucky.  "This 
is  no  time,"  he  said,  "for  soft  words.  We  feel,  as  you  have  a  right  to  feel,  that 
you  have  a  Governor  who  can  not  be  depended  upon  in  this  crisis,  but  it  is  on 
the  men  of  Kentucky  that  we  rely.  All  we  want  to  know  is  whether  you  are 
for  the  Union  without  reservation.  .  .  .  Brethren  of  Kentucky!  the  men 
of  the  North  have  been  your  friends,  and  they  still  deserve  to  be.  But  I  will 
speak  plainly.  There  have  been  idle  taunts  thrown  out  that  they  are  cowardly 
and  timid.  The  North  submits;  the  North  obeys;  but  beware!  There  is  a 
point  which  can  not  be  passed.  While  we  rejoice  in  your  friendship,  while  we 
glory  in  your  bravery,  we  would  have  you  understand  that  we  are  your  equals 
as  well  as  your  friends." 

To  all  this,  the  only  response  of  the  Kentuckians,  through  their  spokesman, 
Judgo  Bullock,  was  that  Kentucky  wished  to  take  no  part  in  the  unhappy 
struggle;  that  she  wished  to  be  a  mediator,  and  meant  to  retain  friendly  rela- 
tions with  all  her  sister  States.  But  he  was  greatly  gratified  with  Governor 
Dennison's  letter. 

The  citizens  of  Cincinnati  were  not.  Four  days  later,  when  their  indigna- 
tion had  time  to  take  shape,  they  held  a  large  meeting,  whereat  excited  speeches 
were  made,  and  resolutions  passed  deprecating  the  letter,  calling  upon  the  Gov- 
ernor to  retract  it,  declaring  that  it  was  too  late  to  draw  nice  distinctions 
between  open  rebollion  and  armed  neutrality  against  the  Union,  and  that 
armed  neutrality  was  rebellion  to  the  Government.  At  the  close  an  additional 
resolution  was  offered  which  passed  amid  a  whirlwind  of  applause: 

"Resolved,  That  any  man  or  set  of  men  in  Cincinnati  or  elsewhere  who  knowingly  sell  or 
ship  one  ounce  of  flour,  or  pound  of  provisions,  or  any  arms  or  articles  which  are  contraband  of 
war,  to  any  person  or  any  State  which  has  not  declared  its  firm  determination  to  sustain  the 
Government  in  the  present  crisis,  is  a  traitor,  and  deserves  the  doom  of  a  traitor." 

So  clear  and  unshrinking  was  the  first  voice  from"  the  great  conservative 
city  on  the  Southern  border,  whose  prosperity  was  supposed  to  depend  on  her 
Southern  trade.  They  had  reckoned  idly,  it  seemed,  who  had  counted  on  hesita- 
tion here.  From  the  first  day  that  the  war  was  open,  the  people  of  Cincinnati 
were  as  vehement  in  their  determination  that  it  should  be  relentlessly  prosecuted 
to  victory  as  the  people  of  Boston. 

They  immediately  began  the  organization  of  Home  Guards,  armed  and 
drilled  vigorously,  took  oaths  to  serve  the  Government  whenever  called  upon, 


. 


Dennison's  War  Administration.  41 


nd  devoted  themselves  to  the  suppression  of  any  contraband  trade  with  the 
Southern  States.  The  steamboats  were  watched;  the  railroad  depots  were 
searched,  and  wherever  a  suspicious  box  or  bale  was  discovered,  it  was  ordered 
back  into  the  warehouses. 

After  a  time  the  General  Government  undertook  to  prevent  any  shipments 
into  Kentucky,  save  such  as  should  be  required  by  the  normal  demands  of  her 
own  population.  A  system  of  shipment  permits  was  established,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Collector  of  the  Port,  and  passengers  on  the  ferry-boats  into 
Covington  were  even  searched  to  see  if  they  were  carrying  over  pistols  or  other 
articles  contraband  of  war;  but  in  spite  of  all  efforts  Kentucky  long  continued 
to  be  the  convenient  source  and  medium  for  supplies  to  the  South-western 
seceded  States. 

Few  will  now  doubt  that  Governor  Dennison  was  wrong  in  the  positions 
taken  in  his  letter  to  Mayor  Hatch.  Yet,  as  being  in  accordance  with  the  policy 
then  pursued  toward  Kentucky  by  the  General  Government,  it  may  be  justified; 
and  none,  in  any  event,  will  be  disposed  to  censure  it  harshly  who  remember 
the  hurrying  confusion  of  the  times  and  the  innumerable  mistakes  made  by 
every  one,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest. 

But  the  official  refusal  to  furnish  troops  at  the  President's  call  was  all  the 
notice  any  one  should  have  required  of  the  exact  position  of  Kentucky.  Had 
she  been  thenceforth  treated  as  the  enemy  she  was,  some  pages  of  the  history 
of  the  war  might  now  bear  brighter  colors. 

The  day  after  the  Cincinnati  meeting  denouncing  his  course  relative  to 
Kentucky,  Governor  Dennison,  stimulated  perhaps  by  this  censure,  but  in  ac- 
cordance with  a  policy  already  formed,  issued  orders  to  the  presidents  of  all 
railroads  in  Ohio  to  have  everything  passing  over  their  roads  in  the  direction 
of  Virginia  or  any  other  seceded  State,  whether  as  ordinary  freight  or  express 
matter,  examined,  and,  if  contraband  of  war,  immediately  stopped  and  reported 
to  him.  The  order  may  not  have  had  legal  sanction,  but  in  the  excited  state  of 
the  public  mind  it  was  accepted  by  all  concerned  as  ample  authority.  The  next 
day  similar  instructions  were  sent  to  all  express  companies. 

A  week  earlier,  on  the  21st  of  April,  the  Governor  had  taken  possession  of 
the  telegraph  lines  of  the  State,  forbidding,  as  his  somewhat  vague  order  said, 
the  passage  of  any  news  of  the  movements  of  troops  from  any  quarter,  without 
previous  submission  to  and  approval  by  him.  Mr.  Anson  Stager,  the  General 
Superintendent  of  the  Company  under  whose  control  were  all  the  lines  in  the 
State,  heartily  seconded  the  Governor's  efforts  in  this  direction;  but  the  matter 
was  one  involving  numerous  difficulties,  and  the  system  was  never  made  to 
work  satisfactorily.* 

In  all  these  orders  there  was  a  stretch  of  authority  which  only  the  stress 
of  public    danger  could    sanction,  and  which   no    exigency   could    keep    from 

*'0ne  effect  of  the  order  was  to  check  all  "Associated  Press"  dispatches  to  the  newspapers 
of  the  country  in  transitu  through  Ohio,  to  eliminate  from  them  references  to  troops  which  the 
newspapers  of  other  States  were  freely  publishing,  and  to  delay  the  delivery  of  the  dispatches. 


42  Ohio  in  the  War 

arousing  the  hostility  of  those  whom  they  affected.  The  interference  with  the 
ordinary  telegraphic  dispatches  to  the  newspapers  excited  the  most  ill-feeling. 
As  it  only  touched  the  newspapers  of  Ohio,  its  tendency  was  to  place  them 

ind  the  journals  of  other  States  in  the  publication  of  the  news.  As  it  could 
not  extend  to  the  mails,  its  only  effect  was  to  produce  an  aggravating  delay  of  a 
few  hours.  Vory  possibly  even  this  might,  in  some  few  instances  have  been  bene- 
ficial  to  the  interests  of  the  Government;  but  the  good  was  more  than  balanced 
by  the  ill-will  excited,  and  by  the  hostility  to  the  Governor  thus  intensified  in 
the  mind8of  tho  class  most  influential  in  shaping  the  public  opinion  of  the  State. 
low  ill-adapted  the  means  were  to  the  end  the  Governor  had  in  view, 
being  familiar  with  the  subject  themselves,  they  conceived  a  very  low  estimate 
of  the  ability  of  the  man  who  could  not  perceive  its  bearings  as  clearly  as  they. 

On  the  whole,  the  only  credit  we  can  assign  the  Governor  for  this  measure 
is  the  credit  of  being  ready  to  assume  grave  responsibilities  and  excite  the  dis- 
pleasure of  his  supporters,  for  the  sake  of  what  he  believed  to  be  a  public  neces- 
sity. On  this  subject  he  was  in  advance  of  every  other  Governor  in  the  Union  * 
and  of  tho  Government  of  the  United  States. 

When  the  response  of  the  Governor  of  Kentucky  to  the  call  of  the  Presi- 
dent for  volunteers— "I  say  emphatically  that  Kentucky  will  furnish  no  troops 
for  the  wicked  purpose  of  subduing  her  sister  Southern  States"— when  this 
response  was  made  public,  Governor  Dennison  immediately  telegraphed  the 
AVar  Department,  "If  Kentucky  will  not  fill  her  quota,  Ohio  will  fill  it  for  her!" 
He  more  than  kept  his  promise.  In  two  days  two  regiments  were  dispatched. 
In  a  week  the  quota  of  the  State  was  more  than  full.  Within  ten  days  so  many 
companies  had  been  accepted  that  the  State  was  forced  to  take  ten  extra  regi- 
ments into  her  own  pay.  Before  two  weeks  had  elapsed  more  companies  had 
been  offered  than  would  have  filled  the  quota  of  Ohio,  the  quota  of  Kentucky, 
and  half  the  quota  of  Virginia.  Sixteen  days  after  the  President's  call,  Adju- 
tant-General Carrington  announced  that  the  offers  of  troops  from  Ohio  were 
enough  to  fill  the  full  quota  of  seventy-five  thousand  men  allotted  to  the  entire 
country! 

We  can  now  read  these  statements  with  no  emotion  save  that  of  pride  at 
the  magnificent  conduct  of  the  noble  State.  We  can  scarcely  realize  that  they 
funnshed  at  the  time  one  of  the  weightiest  causes  for  the  increase  of  clamor 
against  the  Governor. 

'i£s2£  o'ztTiz  ,tSr£T M  as  r — of  •*  effort  to  •* 

the  ill-will  of  tint  effort  tJZ  •  a  TP  ,  M"SUre  18  because  the  measure  "rous«d  »" 
wore„„orf  w  " ^1ZZ::L  atT-PHf  ^  n°thin*-  T',e  W  -npio.ved 
it  »-  ■.-...•'rail,  understood   hat  hi  ,  2?"     *  'S  ^  to  G°Vernor  Dennis0»  t0  add  ** 

me,  J ,.,  KS2  ";as  g",di in  tws  matter  *  ^  •***  °>  -  »•»*«  of  ins 

*^*2  in  tL  sCoTohol      rSlc0        r7  k"°Wn  *"  *  **■*-*«*•*"■ 

»  i"  .-.H  the  Stata,  nnder  a  coll        ,,'"     H  "°  concei™ble  S°°d>  and  that  even  a 

,«,.er,  were  free  to  rJX£SZ£3£52L  S  is:.'?  °''  "^  "f"*  "^  ^ 

to  add,  ..  the  eomn  on  te,tira„„v  of  ,n  ,         7  mMl    And  k  h  fur'hev  due  the  Governor 

u  unaei taken  with  unvarying  courtesy  and  considerat 


tion. 


Dennison's  War  Administration.  43 


In  the  flurry  of  his  nervous  excitement,  as  well  as  by  reason  of  the  rush  of 
work  and  lack  of  assistance,  Adjutant-General  Carrington  preserved  no  complete 
record  of  his  operations.  As  hour  by  hour  the  telegraph  brought  him  the  offers 
of  fresh  companies,  he  promptly  made  answer  to  each,  accepting  them  all.  Pres- 
ently, when  it  came  to  making  up  the  regiments,  it  was  found  that  he  was  una- 
ble to  give  the  order  in  which  he  had  accepted  them,  or  sometimes  even  the 
order  in  which  they  had  arrived.  Then,  when  the  thirteen  regiments  called  for 
were  made  up,  the  camp  was  still  full  of  troops.  In  perplexitj^,  recourse  was 
had  to  the  Legislature,  and  at  the  same  time  an  order  was  made  that  no  more 
should  be  accepted.  The  Legislature  authorized  ten  more  regiments  for  State 
service.  These  were  made  up,  and  to  the  Adjutant-General's  despair  the  camp 
was  still  full.  Thirty  companies  accepted,  and  on  the  spot  had  to  be  disbanded  ; 
and  permission  given  for  others  that  had  been  accepted  to  come  forward,  was 
hastily  revoked. 

But  the  mischief  was  done.  The  disappointed  and  enraged  volunteers  went 
home,  cursing  the  Governor  and  his  staff  for  having  taken  them  to  Columbus 
on  a  fool's  errand  ;  and  deepening  the  conviction  that  the  crisis  was  too  weighty 
for  the  management  of  the  gentlemen  at  the  State  Capitol. 

Meantime  the  organized  regiments,  as  fast  as  they  were  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service,  were  sent  to  the  new  camp,  selected  by  General  Rose- 
crans  near  Cincinnati,  to  give  a  feeling  of  security  to  that  city,  and  named  by 
McClellan,  in  honor  of  the  officer  to  whom  he  owed  his  appointment,  and  under 
whose  management  the  troops  were  gathering,  Camp  Dennison. 

Here  new  confusion  began.  By  this  time  the  Government  had  realized  its 
first  mistake,  and  having  little  further  need  for  three  months'  troops,  since  the 
capital  was  safe,  was  striving  to  convert  them  into  soldiers  for  the  war.  Many 
preferred,  to  finish  the  term  for  which  they  had  enlisted  and  get  their  pay  for 
it,  before  entering  upon  another  engagement.  Distinctions  were  made  between 
these  and  those  whore-enlisted  ;  discipline  was  still  lax;  there  were  loud  (and  in 
great  measure  groundless)  complaints  about  rations ;  and  for  every  mistake  or 
wrong  the  whole  blame  was  laid  straightway  on  the  officer  whose  name  the 
camp  bore.  Yet  it  was  entirely  under  the  control  of  General  McClellan, 
now,  as  we  have  seen,  a  Major-General  of  the  United  States  regular  army, 
and  in  no  sense  under  the  orders  of  Governor  Dennison.  The  General  saw 
the  newspapers  teeming  with  complaints  against  the  Governor  for  the  man- 
agement in  Camp  Dennison ;  saw  the  man  who  had  raised  him  to  high 
office  daily  loaded  with  abuse  for  acts  done  under  his  own  authority,  by 
his  own  subordinates;  and  yet  never  once  uttered  even  a  whisper  in  explanation 
or  defense. 

For  a  time  the  Governor  bore  all  this  in  patience.  He  never  once  men- 
tioned to  the  gentlemen  of  the  press  whom  he  daily  met  that  these  faults  at 
Camp  Dennison  were  none  of  his — that  it  was  an  United  States  camp,  under 
the  exclusive  control  of  United  States  officers.  He  reasoned  that  it  was  better 
for  him  to  bear  the  odium — if  odium  there  needs  must  be — than  for  McClellan 


44  Ohio   in    the  Wae. 

to  bear  it,  since  McClellan  must  by  all  means  retain  the  confidence  of  the  troops. 
The  view  may  have  been  fallacious,  but  it  was  certainly  generous. 

K vt:n  the  generosity  never  touched  the  Major-General  he  had  made,  who, 
now  that  his  rank  was  secure,  had  grown  so  indifferent  to  the  one  on  whom  ho 
el  imbed.  McClellan  daily  read  in  the  papers  eulogies  on  his  own  brilliant 
cij.ariiics  pointed  by  contrasts  like  that  presented  by  Camp  Dennison,  wThich 
only  showed,  it  was  said,  how  a  civilian  blundered  when  he  attempted  military 
things.  And  still  he  made  no  sign.  At  last  Governor  Dennison  wrote  to  him, 
Bomewhat  sharply,  sa}-ing  that  he  ought  to  stop  the  troubles  in  the  camp  and 
the  clamors  about  them,  and  that  he  suspected  some  of  McClellan's  people  of 
lamenting  both.  No  satisfactory  reply  was  made,  and  the  troubles  and  the 
clamor  went  on.  Not  till  months  afterward  did  the  people  of  Ohio  know  that 
their  Governor  had  been  powerless  in  the  camp,  for  whose  mismanagement  they 
bad  been  loading  him  with  censure,  and  that  the  author  of  the  mismanagement 
was  the  man  they  had  been  loading  with  praises. 


West  Vieginia  Rescued   by  Ohio  Militia.  45 


CHAPTER  V 


WEST  VIRGINIA  RESCUED  BY  OHIO  MILITIA  UNDER  STATE  PAY. 


IN"  the  early  days  of  the  war,  while  communication  with  "Washington  was 
in  peril,  and  sometimes  cut  off,  and  men's  minds  were  familiarized  with  the 
idea  of  losing  the  capital,  the  isolated  State  Governors  became  in  a  measure 
their  own  strategists.  To  some,  under  these  circumstances,  nothing  presented 
itself  save  to  wait;  to  at  least  one  there  arose  apian  of  campaign  for  the  defense 
of  his  State.  Circumstances  led  him  to  dwell  upon  it  after  the  initial  danger  to 
Washington  had  passed,  and  the  War  Department  had  extended  its  control  over 
the  whole  theater  of  operations.  He  was  successful  in  securing  its  adoption ;  it 
was  his  good  fortune  that  he  was  able  to  furnish  State  militia  for  its  execution ; 
and  thus  it  came  about  that  the  campaign  became  a  part  of  the  history  of  Ohio 
rather  than  of  the  history  of  the  war,  and  that  the  first  offering  made  to  the 
General  Government  by  the  State  whose  Governor  had  been  bold  enough  to  say 
that  "Ohio  must  lead  throughout  the  war,"  was  the  offering  of  rescued  and 
regenerated  West  Virginia. 

During  the  dark  hours  of  April,  1861,  after  the  anxiety  about  the  National 
Capital,  came  apprehensions  at  Columbus  concerning  the  danger  on  the  border. 
Along  four  hundred  and  thirty-six  miles  Ohio  bounded  slave  States;  and  at 
every  point  in  the  whole  distance  Avas  liable  to  invasion.  On  the  south-eastern 
border  lay  the  State  of  Virginia,  already  threatening  to  secede,  and  soon  to  be- 
come the  main  bulwark  of  the  Eebel  cause.  On  the  southern  border  lay  the 
State  of  Kentucky,  already  furnishing  recruits  by  the  regiment  to  the  Eebel 
army,  and  soon  to  threaten  yet  greater  dangers.  To  these  States  the  first  earn- 
est glances  of  the  Governor  were  turned. 

The  attitude  of  Virginia  was  the  more  alarming,  and  her  geographical  po- 
sition made  her  hostility  a  thing  of  grave  purport.  Thrust  northward  into  the 
space  between  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  like  a  w'edge,  she  almost  divided  the  loyal 
part  of  the  nation  into  two  separate  fragments.  Here,  as  an  acute  military 
critic*  has  since  observed,  was  the  most  offensive  portion  of  the  whole  Eebel 
frontier.  Behind  the  natural  fortification  of  the  mountains  the  communication 
with  Eichmond  and  the  whole  South  was  secure.     The  mountains  themselves 

*  Emil  Schalk's  "  Summary  of  the  Art  of  War,"  pp.  45,  46. 


46  Ohio   in   the  Wae. 

admitted  of  perfect  defense.  Beyond  them  it  was  easy,  at  any  unexpected 
moment,  to  pour  down  upon  the  unguarded  frontier ;  or  to  fall,  east  or  west, 
On  the  exposed  flank  of  any  advancing  army  of  the  nation.  Yet  the  peo- 
ple of  this  territory  were  not  hostile  to  the  Union;  and  indeed  they  were 
unexpectedly  hitter  in  their  opposition  to  their  fellow-citizens  of  the  eastern 
slope,  both  on  the  subject  of  secession  and  on  the  score  of  old  local  griev- 
ances.    Seeing  then  the  strategic  importance  of  the  region,  and  the  disaffection 

-  Inhabitants,  there  was  every  reason  to  think  that  the  Eebel  authorities 
would  at  the  earliest  possible  moment  seek  to  occupy  it. 

Now  tho  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio  was  a  man  who  had  theorized  on  war, 
and  had  well  learned  some  of  its  conditions.  General  Carrington  suggested 
that  the  Ohio  River  was  not  a  proper  line  of  defense  as  against  hostile  action 
on  the  part  of  Virginia.  It  would  be  better,  he  urged,  to  seize  the  mountain 
ranges  of  Western  Virginia  and  rally  the  loyal  inhabitants  to  their  defense,  lest 
an  enemy,  operating  from  Richmond,  should  occupy  the  passes,  and  thence,  from 
that  secure  advanced  base,  overawe  the  natural  Union  sentiment  of  the  region 
and  debouch  at  pleasure  upon  the  Ohio  border. 

But,  could  the  territory  of  Virginia,  a  State  not  yet  actually  seceded,  be  en- 
tered by  the  armies  of  the  United  States,  or  even  by  the  militia  of  Ohio?  The 
most  said  no.  The  action  of  the  General  Government  said  no.  Rather  than 
cross  upon  that  sacred  soil  of  his  native  State,  General  Scott  was  permitting 
Rebel  pickets  to  guard  the  Long  Bridge  across  the  Potomac,  and  Rebel  patrols 
to  pace  their  beats  within  rifle  range  of  the  White  House.  The  question  arose 
in  the  discussions  in  the  Governor's  office  at  Columbus.  "  We  can  let  no  theory 
prevent  the  defense  of  Ohio,"  was  his  answer;  an  answer  that  itself  entitles  the 
man  to  tho  gratitude  and  regard  of  the  State  so  long  as  her  history  shall  be 
read.  "I  will  defend  Ohio  where  it  costs  least  and  accomplishes  most.  Above 
all,  I  will  defend  Ohio  beyond  rather  than  on  her  border." 

And  so,  as  in  the  case  of  Kentucky,  Governor  Dennison  had  united  the  Ex- 
ecutives of  Indiana  and  Illinois  with  himself  in  an  earnest  effort  to  secure  the 
seizure  of  her  leading  strategic  points,  so  now  in  the  case  of  West  Virginia  he 
sought  to  bring  about  the  prompt  occupation  of  her  territory. 

k&  early  Hi  19th  April,  only  four  days  after  the  call  for  volunteers,  he  deter- 
mined to  begin  by  protecting  the  exposed  points.  Parkersburg,  a  Virginia  town 
at  the  western  terminus  of  one  branch  of  the  great  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road, was  violently  hostile  in  the  tone  of  many  of  its  inhabitants,  and  by  reason 
of  its  easy  railroad  communication  with  the  mountains,  was  thought  to  be  the 
point  at  which  the  Secessionists  would  first  aim.  Across  the  river  from  Park- 
ersburg, on  the  Ohio  side,  was  Marietta,  the  terminus  of  the  railroad  from  Cin- 
dnnati-exposed  to  any  raid  across  the  river,  and  liable  to  be  cut  off  from  its 
railroad  connection  by  the  burning  of  the  extensive  trestle-work  on  which  the 
track  approached  it.  .  Here,  then,  was  the  first  danger. 

A  battery  of  six-pounders  in  good  condition  ha°d  been  tendered  by  Colonel 
Barnett,  of  Cleveland.  It  was  ordered  at  once  to  Columbus.  Meantime,  on 
Sunday,  the  Columbus  machine  shop  was  opened  at  the  request  of  Governor 


. 


West  Vikginia  Rescued  by   Ohio  Milita.  47 


ennison,*  and  before  night  two  hundred  solid  shot  were  cast.  The  next  day 
the  battery  arrived  by  special  train.  It  went  immediately  on  to  Loveland, 
thence  south-eastward  to  Marietta.  It  was  on  the  border  in  position  to  defend 
the  town,  and  to  overawe  Parkersburg,  within  forty-eight  hours  after  the  issue 
of  the  order  and  before  the  movement  had  been  discovered  by  friend  or  foc.f 

Lieutenant  O.  M.  Poe  of  the  Engineers,  the  first  officer  of  the  regular  army 
to  offer  his  services  to  the  Governor,  was  next  sent  down  to  see  what  further 
measures  of  immediate  defense  were  required  at-  Marietta,  at  Gallipolis,  and  at 
other  exposed  points. 

Then,  on  the  7th  of  May,  Governor  Dennison  telegraphed  to  Washington, 
asking  that  the  boundaries  of  the  department  they  had  just  assigned  his  new 
General,  McClellan,  should  be  extended  so  as  to  include  Western  Virginia.  The 
next  day  the  extension  was  made.  Then  he  wrote  to  McClellan,  setting  forth 
the  request  of  John  Hall,  of  Parkersburg,  of  a  committee  of  gentlemen  subse- 
quently sent  from  the  same  place,  and  of  still  others  who  appealed  in  earnest 
letters,  for  the  immediate  crossing  of  the  Ohio  and  occupation  of  the  town. 
The  designs  of  the  Secessionists  were  explained,  and  the  importance  of  fore- 
stalling them  was  pressed.  Governor  Dennison  indorsed  the  request,  and  urged 
further  reasons  why  the  troops  should  immediately  enter  West  Yirginia  at  this 
point,  and  perhaps  at  others  also  along  the  border. 

On  more  accounts  than  one,  General  McCiellan's  reply  possesses  a  historic 
interest : 

"I  have  carefully  considered  your  letter  of  the  10th,  with  the  accompanying  letters,  and 
many  others  that  I  have  received,  bearing  on  the  same  subject: 

"  Strange  as  the  advice  may  seem  from  a  young  General,  I  advise  delay  for  the  present.  I 
fear  nothing  from  Western  Virginia.  I  have  written  urgently  to  General  Scott  for  his  views  as 
to  Western  Virginia.  Every  day  I  am  making  great  progress  in  organization,  and  will  soon 
have  Camp  Dennison  a  model  establishment.  We  have  to-day  seven  regiments — by  Wednesday 
Eates's  brigade  will  be  there — the  six  new  regiments  can  be  received  as  soon  as  mustered  in. 
Send  me  the  State  regiments  then,  and  in  two  or  three  weeks  they  can  be  rendered  manageable. 
I  do  not  like  the  idea  of  detaching  raw  troops  to  the  frontier.  My  view  is  to  strike  effectively 
when  we  move,  and  everything  is  progressing  satisfactorily. 

.  .  .  "  Let  us  organize  these  men  and  make  them  effective — in  Heaven's  name  do  n't  pre- 
cipitate matters. 

.  .  .  "Don't  let  these  frontier  men  hurry  you  on.  I  had  hoped  to  leave  for  Columbus 
on  Monday  morning,  but  I  find  I  must  remain  here  to  organize  the  secret  service — it  will  be  the 
most  thorough  and  effective  I  have  ever  known,  and  must  be  attended  to  at  once. 

.  .  .  "  I  am  pressed  by  Cairo — Yates,  Morton,  etc.  The  latter  is  a  terrible  alarmist,  and 
not  at  all  a  cool  head."t 

"From  the  reception  of  that  letter,"  said  Governor  Dennison  afterward, 
"I  dated  the  beginnings  of  my  doubts  as  to  McCiellan's  being,  after  all,  a  man 

*  By  John  S.  Hall,  Esq.,  one  of  the  Directors. 

t  As  the  battery  entered  Columbus,  a  committee  of  citizens  from  Marietta  arrived  to  repre- 
sent their  danger  to  the  Governor  and  to  ask  for  succor.  They  found  that  his  foresight  had 
already  secured  them,  and  some  of  the  committee,  turning  immediately  back,  reached  Marietta 
again  on  the  same  train  which  bore  the  battery  they  had  gone  to  ask. 

X  Archives  Executive  Department,  State  Capitol.  Many  of  the  preceding  statements,  which 
I  have  not  thought  it  needful  to  credit  separately,  are  drawn  from  the  same  source. 


48  Ohio  in  the  War. 

of  action."  The  historian  who  shall  seek  to  trace  in  detail  the  steps  to  the 
Strang*  torpor  that  M.h^p.cntly  betel  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  may  indeed 
find  in  it  suggestive  hints.  The  General  to  whom  the  war  in  the  West  was  then 
pnetictttj  committed,  had  begun  by  regarding  men  like  Oliver  P.  Morton  and 
Biohard  Yates  as  alarmists,  and  had  already  placed  himself  in  the  attitude  of 
holding  hack. 

lint  Governor  Dennison  was  not  disposed  to  yield  the  point.     The  repre- 
sentations of  alarm   along  the  border  increased,  and  he  continued  to  press  on 
\|,i  hilan  his  wishes.     On  the  13th  of  May  that  officer  again  wrote  him  ;  *'Most 
Of  the  information  /obtain  from  the  frontier  indicates  that  the  moral  effect  of 
troops   directly  on  the  border  would  not  be  very  good — at  least  until  Western 
Virginia  has  decided  for  herself  what  she  will  do.     .     .     .     If  it  is  clear  that  the 
Union  men  will  be  strengthened  by  the  movement,  of  course  it  should  be  made." 
While  thus  engaged  in  putting  off  the  Governor  and  the  alarmed  people  on 
the  river,  General  McClellan  was  conducting  a  correspondence  with  Lieutenant- 
ral  Scott  as  to  a  grand  operation   in    the    Kanawha  Yalley.     He  would 
move  di recti y  up  it  to  the  mountains,  using  the  river  for  his  line  of  supplies  as 
far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Gauley ;  wrould  then  strike  across  the  Alleghanies,  move 
down  the  James,  and  thus  take  Richmond  by  the  back  door.     The  reply  of  the 
burdened  but  still  wary  and  diplomatic  veteran  wTas  adroit.     It  was  a  good  plan, 
sid — bold  and  apparently  feasible.     But  he  had   himself  been  considering  a 
plan  for  ■  grand  movement  down  the  Mississippi,  for  the  command  of  which  he 
had  thought  of  McClellan  I*    And  so  the  postponement  of  the  West  Virginia 
projeet  was  all  the  easier. 

But  by  this  time  matters  were  approaching  a  crisis.  On  the  20th  of  May, 
John  S.  Carlilo  telegraphed  Governor  Dennison  from  Wheeling  that  troops, 
under  the  proclamation  of  Letcher,  were  approaching — would  enter  Grafton 
that  day,  Clarksburg  probably  the  day  after,  and  Wheeling  very  soon.  They 
openly  avowed  their  intention  to  break  up  the  loyal  Convention  at  Wheeling. 
If  the  Unionists  of  West  Virginia  were  to  be  saved,  and  that  portion  of  the 
State  was  to  be  rescued  from  the  rebellion,  now  was  the  time  to  do  it. 

In  his  anxiety  lest  the  golden  opportunity  should  be  suffered  to  slip,  and  in 
the  natural  distrust  which  General  McClellan's  previous  course  had  excited,  the 
Governor  now  telegraphed  these  facts  not  only  to  McClellan,  but  also  to  Scott. 
Four  days  passed.  Finally,  on  the  24th  of  May,  the  Secretary  of  War  asked 
McClellan  if  he  could  not  counteract  the  effect  of  the  Rebel  camp  at  Grafton, 
and  save  the  evil  effects  on  Wheeling  and  all  West  Virginia. 

Then  at  last   McClellan  decided  that  it  was  time  to  move.     He  had  wanted 

.ate  troops  (i.  e.,  the  ten  regiments  in  excess  of  the  President's  call,  kept 

vice  by  the  State  on  her  own  responsibility)  sent  to  Camp  Dennison  "for 

two  or  three  weeks,"  that  he  might  " render  them  manageable."     Now  he  found 

*  It  will  be  observed  (see  pott.  Part  II,  Life  of  McDowell)  that  this  is  almost  precisely  the 
language  that  General  Scott  was  addressing  at  the  same  time  to  General  McDowell  in  Washing- 
ton. 1  he  original  of  General  Scott's  letter  to  McClellan  is-or  was  once-in  the  hands  of  Gov- 
ernor  Dennison. 


West  Virginia   Rescued  by  Ohio  Militia.         49 

that  these  troops  which  had  not  been  sent  to  Camp  Dennison  were  the  only 
"manageable"  ones  in  his  department  on  whom  he  could  instantly  rely.  He 
accordingly  asked  Governor  Dennison  for  leave  to  use  them.  The  Governor, 
overjoyed  to  find  that  his  cherished  movement  was  at  last  to  be  executed,  re- 
sponded by  an  order  placing  all  the  State  troops  under  General  McClellnn's 
command. 

On  the  26th  of  May  Adjutant-General  Carrington,  who  had  been  sent  down 
to  aid  in  moving  these  troops,  reported  to  General  McClellan.  The  General  was 
anxious  to  have  a  regiment  sent  to  Marietta,  opposite  one  western  terminus  of 
the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Eailroad  at  Parkersburg,  and  another  to  Bellair  opposite 
the  other  terminus,  near  Wheeling.  He  also  wanted  the  other  eight  regiments 
to  be  in  readiness  for  prompt  movements.  Adjutant-General  Carrington  at  once 
took  the  cars  back  to  Columbus.  On  the  train  he  wrote  the  dispatches  inaugu- 
rating the  movement,  and  they  were  sent  one  by  one  from  the  several  way  sta- 
tions along  the  route,  as  at  each  the  train  stopped  for  a  moment : 

"Fourteenth  regiment,  Colonel  Steedman,  at  Zanesville:  Move  at  once  by  river  to  Marietta 
to  support  Barnett's  Battery  already  there,  and  await  orders. 

"Seventeenth  regiment,  Colonel  Connell,  at  Lancaster:  Move  by  rail  to  Zanesville  to  support 
Steedman,  ordered  to  Marietta.     Transportation  ordered. 

"Fifteenth  regiment,  Colonel  Andrews,  at  Zanesville:  Move  by  rail  to  Bellair,  and  await 
orders. 

"  Sixteenth  regiment,  Colonel  Irvine,  at  Columbus :  Move  by  rail  to  Zanesville  to  support 
Andrews,  ordered  to  Bellair. 

"Nineteenth  regiment,  Colonel  Beatty,  and  Twenty-First  regiment,  Colonel  Norton,  at  Cleve- 
land: Move  fortluvith  to  Columbus  for  orders  and  immediate  service. 

"Senior  officer  of  the  Twentieth  regiment:  Complete  your  organization  forthwith. 

"To  all  Camp  Commanders:  Obey  promptly  all  orders  of  Major-General  McClellan;  Gov- 
ernor Dennison  puts  him  in  command  of  the  State  troops." 

At  the  same  time  dispatches  were  sent  to  the  various  railroad  and  steam- 
boat companies  concerned,  to  furnish  transportation. 

Within  six  hours  after  General  McClellan  had  asked  it,  the  State  troops 
were  in  motion. 

What  followed  may  here  be  briefly  told.  Colonel  Steedman  crossed  with 
the  Fourteenth  and  Barnett's  Artillery  at  Marietta,  repressed  with  a  stern  hand 
the  rising  tendencies  to  disturbance  in  Parkersburg,  swej)t  directly  out  into  the 
country  along  the  railroad,  rebuilt  bridges  (one  of  them  sixty-five  feet  long  and 
forty-five  feet  high),  repaired  the  track,  and  brought  up  a  subsistence  train  be- 
hind him.  Colonel  Irvine  crossed  with  the  Sixteenth  at  Wheeling,  united  with 
a  regiment  of  loyal  Virginians  under  Colonel  Kelly,  and  moved  out  on  the  rail- 
road, repairing  it  as  they  went.  At  the  junction  of  the  two  tracks  at  Grafton 
the  columns  met,  the  Rebel  force  fleeing  precipitately  a  few  hours  before  their 
arrival.  Then  they  pushed  after  them  to  Philippi,  fought  the  first  little  skirmish 
of  the  war,  drove  Colonel  Porterfield  and  his  Rebel  Virginia  regiment  out,  and 
there  rested.  The  great  railroad  lines  were  secured,  the  Wheeling  Convention 
was  protected  and  West  Virginia  was  practically  rescued. 

Vol.  I.— 4. 


50  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

Meanwhile  the  Twenty-First  regiment  had  been  sent  to  Gallipolis,  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Kanawha,  where  it  also  presently  crossed. 

The  uniforms  hastily  procured  for  the  men  who  had  thus  secured  a  State  to 
the  Union  irert  found  to  bo  defective;  and  the  Adjutant-General  was  presently 
Bent  to  the  field  to  remedy  the  evil.  While  there,  in  company  with  Colonels 
Stecdman  and  Barnett,  he  urged  upon  the  General  whom  McClellan  had  sent 
out  after  the  occupation,  the  policy  of  pushing  on  from  Philippi  to  the  Cheat 
Mountain  passes  beyond  Huttonsville,  and  thus  completing  their  control  of  the 
country.  Lack  of  transportation  was  assigned,  however,  as  a  reason  for  delay- 
ing a  movement  which  would  have  robbed  McClellan  of  his  early  laurels,  by 
leaving  him  no  West  Virginia  campaign  to  fight.  The  delay  gave  the  Rebels 
time  to  recover  their  energies.  General  Garnett,  an  accomplished  officer  of  the 
old  army,  was  sent  out,  troops  were  collected,  and  the  Rebel  advance  was  again 
pushed  forward  as  far  as  Laurel  Hill. 

Then  McClellan  took  the  field  with  some  regiments  from  Indiana  and  wkh 
the  rest  of  the  Ohio  State  troops.  After  some  unfortunate  delays  he  moved 
upon  the  enemy  at  Laurel  Hill  in  two  columns;  sending  one  under  General 
Morris  to  demonstrate  on  their  front,  while  he  pushed  around  with  the  other  to 
Huttonsville  in  their  rear.  General  Morris  obeyed  his  orders  to  the  letter;  Gen- 
eral McClellan  with  the  other  column  was  too  late.  Rosecrans  (already  pro- 
moted from  Chief  Engineer  on  Dennison's  Staff  to  Colonel  of  one  of  the  militia 
regiments,  and  thence  to  a  Brigadiership  in  the  regular  army)  was  left  with 
McClellan's  advance  to  fight  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain  unaided.  Garnett, 
taking  alarm  at  the  defeat  there  of  his  outpost,  hastily  retreated;  McClellan  had 
not  pushed  up  soon  enough  after  Rosecrans's  victory  to  intercept  him.  Morris 
did  the  best  ho  could  in  a  stern  chase;  Steedman,  commanding  Ms  advance, 
overtook  the  rear-guard  of  Garnett's  army  at  Carrick's  Ford,  had  a  sharp 
skirmish,  in  which  Garnett  himself  fell,  and  drove  the  army  on  in  a  state  of 
utter  demoralization.  General  Hill,  a  General  of  Ohio  militia,  sent  into  the 
hYM  on  account  of  the  militia  regiments  there,  who  had  taken  the  State,  and 
mainly  fought  the  campaign,  was  expected  to  head  it  off,  but  the  dispositions  to 
that  end  bad  not  been  perfectly  arranged,  and  so  the  scattered  fragments  es- 
c-aju ,1.  West  Virginia  was  again  free  from  armed  Rebels,  from  the  Kanawha 
River  to  its  northern  boundary.* 

into  fcll'Ii!^  aCC°Unt  °f  ^V?"  °f  We8'  Virgin!a  *  0hi0  State  tr°0P8.  not  mustered 
.n.o  the  Umted  States  eerv.ee  at  all,  the  only  effort  has  been  to  trace  the  steps  of  that  rescue. 

Ill rlrJTl  1™^™^  n'ainly  bUt  "0t  eXClUSiTC*  *  the  S'<"*  ""I-  -ay  b 
and  B .1™  m  "  m°re  ai,Pr°Priate  ^^  hereafter-     PMt  II-  Li™  of  McClellau 

/,  mc^ienan  took  the  field  with  large  re-enforcements. 


West  Virginia  Rescued  by  Ohio  Militia.  51 

Subsequent  campaigns  had  for  their  only  object  to  retain  the  territory  thus 
won.  West  Virginia  was  already  under  Union  control.  The  movement  as  we 
have  seen  was  inaugurated,  against  considerable  opposition  at  first  from  McClel- 
lan,  by  Governor  Dcnnison.  It  was  effected  entirely  by  the  militia  of  Ohio, 
with  no  assistance  whatever  save  that  derived  from  the  Virginians  themselves. 
When  McClellan  delayed  reaping  the  fruits  of  their  success  till  the  Kebels  had 
returned  with  re-enforcements,  these  militia  regiments  constituted  the  heavy 
majority  of  the  fighting  troops  that  won  the  campaign  then  required,  and  thus 
completed  their  conquest. 

It  was  rightly  said  then,  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  that  West  Vir- 
ginia was  the  gift  of  Ohio,  through  her  State  militia,  to  the  Nation  at  the  out- 
set of  the  war. 

Counting  the  column  sent  to  the  Kanawha,  he  had  thirty  regiments  in  all  under  his  command  in 
West  Virginia,  of  which  seven  were  Indiana  regiments  and  one  was  composed  of  loyal  Virgin- 
ians. The  rest  were  all  from  Ohio  (with  the  exception  of  a  company  or  two  of  Illinois  cavalry), 
though  two  of  them  were  credited  to  Kentucky.  On  the  Rich  Mountain  line  the  only  Ohio  reg- 
iment in  the  battle  was  the  Nineteenth,  one  of  the  State  militia.  On  the  Laurel  Hill  line  the 
only  regiment  engaged  in  serious  fighting  was  the  first  of  the  State  militia,  Colonel  Steedman's 
Fourteenth.  None  of  the  other  troops,  either  from  Ohio  or  Indiana,  lost  a  man  killed  or 
wounded  in  the  action  with  Garnett's  rear-guard  at  Carrick's  Ford. 


52 


Ohio  in  the   War. 


CHAPTER    VI 


THE  PROGRESS  AND  CLOSE    OF   DENNISON'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


THE  sagacious  policy  of  Governor  Dennison  concerning  an  early  occupa- 
tion of  the  territory  beyond  the  Ohio  border  had  a  full  vindication  in  the 
events  in  West  Virginia.  He  was  doomed  to  see  it  delayed  in  Kentucky  by 
ndcrness  of  the  President  toward  the  neutrality  of  his  native  State.  The 
fruits  that  an  early  movement  there  might  likewise  have  secured  were  thus 
measurably  lost.  When,  however,  the  earnest  occupation  of  Kentucky  began, 
he  was  able  to  furnish  here,  as  in  West  Virginia,  the  bulk  of  the  army.  Before 
he  went  out  of  office  his  Adjutant-General  reported  twenty-two  Ohio  three 
rears1  regiments  on  duty  in  Kentucky,  besides  a  considerable  number  of  others 
almost  ready  for  the  field,  who  were  soon  to  be  sent  in  the  same  direction* 

Meantime  these  splendid  contributions  to  Kentucky  did  not  diminish  the 
helpful  care  extended  over  West  Virginia.  At  the  end  of  the  brief  campaign 
there  which  the  Ohio  militia  had  made  successful,  General  McClellan  had  been 
called  to  Washington.  His  successor,  General  Eosecrans,  was  left  with  a  dis- 
solving army  of  three  months'  men.  The  few  Ohio  regiments  for  three  years, 
which  he  had  taken  from  Camp  Dennison  just  before  McClellan's  advent,  barely 
served  to  maintain  his  hold  upon  the  country.  By  the  8th  of  August  he  was 
telegraphing  vigorously  to  Governor  Dennison  for  re-enforcements.  He  was 
none  too  early  or  too  earnest.  For  already  the  Confederate  Government,  real- 
izing its  enormous  loss  in  West  Virginia,  had  sent  its  most  trusted  General, 
Robert  E.  Lee,  to  regain  the  territory.  The  General  Government  was  far  off 
and  slow  to  hear;  and  so  Rosecrans  appealed  directly  to  the  power  that  had 
■eized  the  State  for  aid,  in  this  emergency,  in  holding  it.  Governor  Dennison  at 
once  telegraphed  to  the  forming  regiments  to  hasten  their  organization.  "  If  you. 
Governor  of  Indiana  and  Governor  of  Michigan,  will  lend  your  efforts,"  wrote 
Rosecrans  again,  "  to  get  me  quickly  fifty  thousand  men,  in  addition  to  my  pres- 
ent force,  I  think  a  blow  can  be  struck  which  will  save  fighting  the  rifled-cannon 
batteries  at  Manassas.     Lee   is  certainly  at  Cheat  Mountain.     Send  all  troops 

.♦The  Ohio  regiments  first  thrown  into  Kentucky  were  the  First,  Second,  Fourteenth,  Fif- 
teenth, Sixteenth,  Seventeenth,  Eighteenth,  Nineteenth,  Twentieth,  Twenty-First,  Thirty-First, 
Thirty-Third,  Thirty-Fifth,  Thirty-Eighth,  Fortieth,  Forty-First,  Forty-Second,  Forty-Ninth, 
Fiftr-First,  Fifty-Ninth,  Sixty-Fourth,  and  Sixty-Fifth.  These  were  all  in  service  in  Kentucky 
in  the  fall  or  winter  of  1861. 


Pkogeess    and  Close  of  Dennison's    Administration.      53 

you  can  to  Grafton. "*  But  five  days  after  the  appeal,  all  available  troops  in  the 
West  were  ordered  to  Fremont,  in  Missouri,  and  Eosecrans's  plan  was  foiled. 

Before  this  heavy  re-enforcements  had  been  sent  to  the  column  in  the 
Kanawha  Valley  under  General  Cox.  Six  days  after  the  appeal  from  Bose- 
crans,  Cox  became  alarmed,  and  telegraphed  anxiously  to  Governor  Dennison 
about  his  command. f  Then,  a  few  days  later,  Bosecrans  again  appealed  to 
Dennison  for  troops  to  aid  him  in  marching  across  the  country  against  Floyd 
and  Wise,  to  Cox's  relief.  HI  want  to  catch  Floyd,  while  Cox  holds  him  in 
front."  So  immediate  and  effective  was  the  response  to  these  appeals  that  Gen- 
eral Bosecrans  was  enabled  to  employ  twenty-three  Ohio  regiments  J  in  the  ope- 
rations by  which  he  now  cleared  his  department  of  Bebels,  and  put  an  end  to 
efforts  for  the  recapture  of  the  country  ;  while,  to  guard  the  exposed  railroads 
in  South-eastern  Ohio,  companies  of  State  troops  were  again  employed. 

With  the  aid  given  in  this  emergency  the  direct  connection  of  the  State 
Administrations  with  the  conduct  of  campaigns  ended.||  The  country  gradually 
learned  to  make  war  methodically;  and  with  the  passing  away  of  the  crisis 
which  Governor  Dennison  had  turned  to  so  good  account,  the  sphere  of  State 
Executives  became  limited  to  the  organization  and  equipment  of  troops  and  the 
care  for  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.  To  this,  indeed,  with  the  most,  it  was  prac- 
tically limited  all  the  time.  But  Ohio  was  "  to  lead  throughout  the  war,"  and 
we  have  seen  how  in  the  initial  operations  in  West  Virginia  and  Kentucky  she 
led,  not  only  her  sister  States,  but  the  Nation. 

What  now  remains  to  be  told  of  the  first  of  our  War  Administrations  is, 
therefore,  a  story  of  details  in  recruiting  and  organization. 

The  staff  with  which  Governor  Dennison  met  the  first  shock  of  the  war 
was  already  undergoing  a  complete  change.  With  this  staff,  without  practical 
knowledge  of  war,  without  arms  for  a  regiment,  or  rations  for  a  company,  or 
uniforms  for  a  corporal's  guard  at  the  outset,  and  without  the  means  or  the  need- 
ful preparations  for  purchase  or  manufacture,  the  Administration  had,  in  less 
than  a  month,  raised,  organized,  and  sent  to  the  field  or  to  the  camps  of  the 
Government  an  army  larger  than  that  of  the  whole  United  States  three  months 
before.  Within  the  State  the  wonderful  achievement  was  saluted  with  com- 
plaints about  extravagance  in  rations,  defects  in  uniforms,  about  everything 
which  the  authorities  did.  and  about  everything  which  they  left  undone.  With- 
out the  State  the  noise  of  this  clamor  was  not  heard,  and  men  saw  only  the 
splendid  results.  The  General  Government  was,  therefore,  lavish  in  its  praise. 
The  Governor  under  whom  these  things  were  done  grew  to  be  the  most  infiu- 

*  State  Archives,  Executive  Dept,  Dennison's  Admr. 

1 14th  August,  1861. 

t  The  twenty-three  Ohio  regiments  in  service  in  Virginia  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1861,  were 
the  Third,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth,  Seventh,  Eighth,  Ninth,  Tenth,  Eleventh,  Twelfth,  Thirteenth, 
Twenty-Third,  Twenty-Fourth,  Twenty-Fifth,  Twenty-Sixth,  Twenty-Eighth,  Thirtieth,  Thirty- 
Second,  Thirty-Fourth,  Thirty-Sixth,  Thirty-Seventh,  Forty-Fourth,  and  Forty-Seventh. 

||  With  the  notable  exception  of  the  campaign  three  years  later,  in  which  Ohio  threw  in  her 
heavy  re-enforcements  of  hundred  days'  men. 


54  Ohio  in  the  War. 

I  of  all  the  State  Executives,  at  Washington,  at  the  very  time  when  at 
honw  lM  WM  th€  most  unpopular  of  all  who  had  within  the  memory  of  a  gen- 
efoffrted  to  that  office.  His  staff  officers  were  rapidly  tendered 
litiM  in  the  National  service.  His  Adjutant-General  was  made  a  Co- 
in i!„-  regular  army,  and  some  little  time  later  a  Brigadier-General  of 
r«.4  His  Quartermaster-General  was  made  a  Captain  of  regulars.f  His 
I  in  -•  in  Chief  was  made  a  Brigadier- General  of  regulars,  and  Major-Gen- 
eral 0#  volunteers  .J  His  Judge- Advocate-General  became  an  Assistant-Secre- 
in  the  War  Department. ||  His  second  Commissary-General,  after  some 
faithful  service  as  his  Adjutant-General,  was  made  Brigadier-General  of  volun- 
teers, and  assigned  to  duty  in  the  War  Department^     Two  of  the  assistants  in 

\djutant-Gcneral  s  Department  became  respectively  Major-General  of  vol- 
unteers, and  Assistant  Adjutant-General  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.** 
ffk  Surgeon-General  became  Colonel  of  a  regiment,  and  Brigadier-General  of 
volunteers.ft  His  Paymaster-General  became  a  Colonel,  and  gave  up  his  life 
on  the  fiold.JJ 

Some  of  the  changes  thus  wrought,  however,  proved  of  great  advantage  to 
the  Governor  and  to  the  service.  He  was  able,  when  the  troops  began  to  re- 
turn from  their  West  Virginia  campaign,  to  enter  upon  the  work  of  recruiting 
for  the  three  years'  service  with  a  better  understanding  of  the  requirements,  and 
a  more  systematic  preparation. 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  now  began  to  affect  the  service  a  long  train  of 
hinderances;  6ome  the  result  of  previous  misfortunes  of  the  State  administra- 
tion, some  the  operation  of  extraneous  causes,  all  combining  to  delay  and  em- 
barrass the  work. 

The  slanders  of  the  State  Government,  in  which  the  newspapers  of  both 
parties  had  indulged,  produced  their  legitimate  fruit.  Men  who  thought  of 
enlisting  were  not  willing  to  go  under  the  authority  of  a  State  which  gave  its 
soldiers  bad  rations,  which  allowed  them  to  be  swindled  in  uniforms,  and  badly 
supplied  with  arms,  which  was  universally  denounced  as  inefficient,  and  some- 
times as  worse.     In  consequence,  they  enlisted  in  the  regiments  of  other  States, 

•  Colonel  H.  B.  Carrington,  Eighteenth  Infantry,  United  States  Army. 

t  Captain  D.  L.  Wood,  Eighteenth  Infantry,  United  States  Army. 

t  W.  S.  IWraus.  ||  C.  P.  Wolcott.  §  C.  P.  Buckingham. 

Major-General  Sill  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General  C.  F.  Goddard. 
rt  W.  L.  McMillen.  jj  CoIonel  phelpg 

The  staff  of  Governor  Dennison,  as  finally  organized,  was  as  follows: 

Adjutant-General n  .,      .        r»  t>     *  •     , 

a     •.     *  »j-  .        ^  Cathannus  P.  Buckingham. 

Assistant  Adjutant-General t,    ,        ,,  5 

*    ~  J    _,  Kodney  Mason. 

Quartermaster -General q  B    W  '  ht 

^rsrrrfeneral .^^W"^ 

rivifi,  „:M  i    •♦     4  r,         • '"". Columbus  Delano. 

^^^^^r*™1  of  Subsi8tence'  rankinri  ? captai-  -d  Li— ^ 

Surgeon-General Z Christopher  P  Wolcott. 

Aid  de  Camp ^m;  **  McMillen. 

Aid  de  Camp Adolphus  E.  Jones. 

*  Martin  Welker. 


Progress  and   Close  of  Dennison's  Administration.     55 


The  very  competent  Adjutant-General  under  whom  the  work  was  now  con- 
ducted (General  Buckingham),  officially  reported  that  in  this  way  the  State  had 
furnished  through  the  latter  half  of  1861  not  less  than  ten  thousand  soldiers  to 
the  Government  for  which  she  received  no  credit.  The  number  was  undoubt- 
edly swelled  by  the  dislike  to  the  hard  and  obscure  service  in  West  Virginia,  to 
which  it  seemed  for  a  time  as  if  all  Ohio  soldiers  were  doomed  ;  and  by  the  ad- 
ditional fact  that  as  it  happened  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year,  Ohio  fur- 
nished the  most  of  the  soldiers  and  Indiana  the  most  of  the  Generals  in  that 
field  of  operations. 

The  Camp  Dennison  troubles  soon  made  their  effect  visible.  When  the 
camp  was  first  occupied  the  only  troops  were  those  enlisted  for  three  months. 
General  McClellan  decided  not  to  take  them  out  of  camp  till  they  should  re-en- 
list for  three  years.  Many  naturally  hesitated.  They  wanted  to  try  the  service 
for  which  they  had  first  volunteered;  and  then  to  be  paid  and  discharged  from 
that  before  they  undertook  fresh  obligations.  They  had  already  been  demoral- 
ized by  the  vicious  system  of  electing  their  own  officers,  under  which  election- 
eering, bribery,  drunkenness  and  lax  discipline  sprang  up.  They  were  now,  on 
the  other  hand,  displeased  to  find  that  they  were  to  be  deprived  of  a  privilege 
which  they  had  come  to  look  upon  as  a  right,  by  the  wise  determination  of  the 
Governor  to  appoint  the  officers  on  his  own  judgment  of  their  fitness.  Under 
such  influences  many — and  among  them  a  fair  share  of  the  best  material  for 
soldiers — refused  to  re-enlist.  Their  presence  among  the  three  years'  troops 
who  were  thus  compelled  to  wait  for  the  slow  progress  of  recruiting  to  fill  up 
the  vacancies,  soon  led  to  disturbances.  It  was  finally  found  necessary  to  sepa- 
rate the  three  months'  troops  altogether  from  those  enlisted  for  three  years. 
Instead  of  mustering  them  out — since  it  never  meant  to  take  them  from  camp — 
as  the  Governor  urged,  the  War  Department  had  them  sent  to  their  homes  on 
furlough,  without  discharge  and  without  pay.  They  were  naturally  dissatisfied 
with  this  reception  of  their  patriotic  volunteering  to  fight.  They  scattered 
over  the  whole  State,  telling,  each  in  his  own  home-circle,  the  tale  of  the  treat- 
ment they  had  received,  and  adding  to  the  popular  distrust. 

Meantime  their  departure  from  Camp  Dennison  did  not  diminish  the  troubles 
there.  The  enthusiasm  with  which  the  men  had  volunteered  was  ill-fed  by  the 
inaction  of  the  camp.  The  officers  were  not  sufficiently  attentive  to  the  thor- 
ough occupation  of  the  time  of  the  men  with  drill  and  preparation  for  the  field, 
and  they  soon  found  ample  leisure  to  compare  the  zeal  with  which  they  rushed 
to  the  service  with  the  dullness  of  their  life,  and  to  look  about  them  for  griev- 
ances. Sometimes  the  camp  authorities  furnished  indifferent  rations  or  quarter- 
masters' stores.  The  discontent  thus  engendered  was  inflamed  by  the  incendiary 
conduct  of  some  of  the  newspapers,  circulating  by  hundreds  through  the  camp, 
which  daily  denounced  its  management,  exaggerated  every  defect  and  sought 
for  criminal  motives  in  every  mistake.  Some  of  the  regiments  were  still  per- 
mitted to  indicate  their  choice  for  officers,  and  in  all  it  was  well  known  that  if 
the  men  took  care  to  represent  a  certain  officer  as  unpopular  he  would  not  be 
reappointed.     Lax  discipline  on  the  one  hand,  and  perpetual  fault-finding  on  the 


56  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

Otfcflr,  imt  fa  inevitable  result.     This  notorious  condition  of  Gamp  Dennison 

M   inllur.Mv   gainst  recruiting  through  the  vvhole  State,  both  directly 

m  kbfl  men  win.  would  have  enlisted,  and  indirectly,  by  leading  the  whole  com- 

munitv  to  still  farther  distrust  of  Governor  Dennison.     For  even  yet  he  had 

Left  by  the  United  States  officials  to  bear  all  the  burden  of  their  misman- 

,i,t    in   the  camp  they  had  named  after  him;  and,  stung  by  the  injustice 

which   he  felt   he  had  already  received  when  he  merited  gratitude,  he  proudly 

to  make  any  explanation  whatever  that  should  relieve  him  from  this 

undeserved  odium. 

And  now  there  came  in  still  another  cause  to  operate  against  recruiting  in 
the  time  of  our  sore  need.  The  Government,  on  realizing  its  mistake  in  limiting 
Ohio  to  thirteen  regiments,  and  on  seeing  the  splendid  service  rendered  by  the 
ten  militia  regiments,  patriotically  put  into  the  field  by  the  State  on  her  own  re- 
sponsibility, volunteered  the  assurance  that  it  would  muster  these  men  into  the 
United  States  service  and  assume  their  payment  and  discharge.  As  the  time 
approached  Governor  Dennison  visited  Washington  to  see  that  the  authorities 
would  be  sure  to  be  prepared.  His  precautions,  however,  notwithstanding  the 
assurances  he  received,  proved  fruitless.  The  regiments  came  home  to  find 
no  paymaster  ready  to  receive  them,  and  no  mustering  officer  to  discharge 
them.  They  had  to  be  sent  home,  therefore — after  a  campaign  brilliant  and 
fiitigning — without  pay  and  with  no  knowledge  of  when  they  would  get  it. 
Many  believed  they  would  never  be  paid,  all  were  dissatisfied  and  displeased, 
and  in  this  mood  they  were  scattered  over  the  whole  State.*  Thus  was  the 
MUM  of  recruiting,  which  depended  on  popular  approval  and  enthusiasm,  still 
clouded  by  occurrences  the  best  calculated  to  work  its  ruin. 

The  dissatisfaction  and  disgust  thus  spread  throughout  the  State  resulted  in 
bringing  the  work  of  recruiting  almost  to  a  stand.  Fortunately,  when  disband- 
ing the  companies  in  excess  of  the  thirteen  regiments  for  the  Government  and 
the  ten  for  the  State,  raised  in  the  first  flush  of  the  public  enthusiasm,  the  Gov- 
ernor had  decided  to  retain  enough  for  four  regiments,  under  drill  at  their  respect- 
ive homes.  These  were  now  accessible.  So,  when  the  Government  began  to  press 
for  troops,  these  wero  collected  and  organized,  and  thus  the  State  was  able,  at 
an  early  period,  to  throw  the  Twenty -Third,  Twenty-Fourth,  Twenty-Fifth,  and 
Twenty  Sixth  regiments  into  West  Virginia  at  the  first  call  of  need. 

When  at  last  the  evil  effects  of  all  the  mistakes  and  misfortunes  we  have 
enumerated  began  to  be  counteracted,  fresh  difficulties  in  recruiting  were  en- 
countered. The  Government  expected  the  regiments  to  be  full  and  fully  organ- 
beforc  it  would  receive  or  begin  to  supply  them.  If  it  took  two  months  to 
not,  the  men  who  enlisted  first  must  remain  in  camp  two  months 
w.thout  pay,  without  uniforms,  blankets  or  arms,  without  subsistence  save  as  the 
BUte  furnished  it,  and  without  any  authority  over  them  save  as  they  saw  fit  to 
yield  to  it.  Not  even  a  Lieutenant  could  be  mustered  in,  to  exercise  a  legal 
military  command  over  them  till  their  ranks  were  full.     After  a  time  the   Gov- 

mont^r  thC  GOV™/  ^r^  H  ™  hard  t0  find  and  collect  the  *en  "gain,  and  two 
months  and  more  passed  before  they  were  all  paid. 


Pkogeess  and  Close  of   Dennison's  Administration.      57 

ernment  consented  that  whenever  a  company  was  half  raised,  a  Lieutenant 
might  be  mustered  in.  Still  clothing  and  blankets  could  not  be  procured.  Then, 
at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  Governor,  special  permission  was  given  to  mus- 
ter in  the  Quartermaster,  Adjutant,  Surgeon,  and  Assistant  Surgeon  of  regi- 
ments prior  to  their  organization.  Their  clothing  and  their  sick  were  thus 
provided  for.  Finally,  authority  was  procured  to  muster  in  a  Lieutenant  at  the 
beginning  for  each  company  and  to  muster  in  the  men  as  recruited. 

The  change  was  magical.  Within  two  weeks  ten  thousand  men  were  mus- 
tered into  the  service,  and  recruiting  soon  became  again  an  easy  task. 

The  Adjutant-General,  however,  complained  of  troubles  still  remaining. 
Under  General  Scott's  influence  the  Government  had  refused  to  permit  the 
State  to  furnish  cavalry.  At  last  authority  for  one  regiment  was  procured;  but 
it  was  presently  discovered  that,  under  direct  permission  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, two  more  were  being  raised  in  the  northern  part  of  the  State,  by  Messrs. 
Wade  and  ITutchins,  and  two  more  in  Southern  Ohio,  b}r  permission  of  General 
Fremont.  Confusion  was  thus  wrought,  and  considerable  detriment  to  the  in- 
fantry recruiting  ensued. 

Furthermore,  the  war  which  was  to  be  ended  in  a  single  battle,  opened  in 
gloom  and  disaster.  The  paratysis  of  Bull  Bun  was  followed  by  mortification 
from  Ball's  Bluff,  and  the  like  blundering  defeats;  general  inaction  ensued,  and 
from  the  Potomac  to  the  Mississippi  the  Bebels  seemed  likely  to  maintain  their 
ground. 

In  spite  of  difficulties  and  depression  the  Adjutant-General  was  able,  at  the 
close  of  the  year,  to  report  forty-six  regiments  of  infantry,  four  of  cavalry,  and 
twelve  batteries  of  artillery  in  the  field,  with  twenty-two  more  regiments  of 
infantry  and  four  of  cavalry  full  or  nearly  full,  and  thirteen  in  process  of  organ- 
ization. In  all,  the  State  then  had  in  the  three  years'  service,  seventy-seven 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  forty-four  men,  besides  the  twenty-two  thousand 
three  hundred  and  eighty  men  furnished  at  the  first  call  for  three  months* 

For  these  troops  Governor  Dennison  made  the  most  earnest  efforts  to  pro- 
cure competent  and  instructed  commanders.  At  that  early  day  no  civilians  in 
the  State  had  any  military  experience,  save  the  few  who  had  served  in  the  com- 

*This  force  may  be  stated  more  in  detail  as  follows: 

Infantry,  for  three  years , 67,546 

Cavalry,  for  three  years 7,270 

Artillery,  for  three  years 3,028 

Total  three  years 77,8-14 

Add  twenty-two  regiments  three  months'  infantry 22,000 

Two  companies  three  months'  cavalry 180 

Two  sections  three  months'  artillery 80 

Barnett's  Battery,  three  months'  artillery 120 

Whole  number  of  men  enlisted  in  1861  in  Ohio. 100  224 

It  is  impossible  to  assign  accurately  to  each  county  the  number  raised  in  it,  but  the  follow- 


58 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


jK.ratively  insignificant  operations  in  Mexico.  He  sought  first,  therefore,  for 
men  trained  at  West  Point,  who  might  be  supposed  to  be  familiar,  theoretically 
at  least,  With  the  duties  of  their  offices.  Of  these  he  secured  fourteen  in  all, 
who  vrere  at  once  given  the  command  of  regiments.  For  the  rest  he  sought 
i!lv  for  men  of  any,  even  the  least,  experience,  of  ability,  zeal,  and  fitness 

for  the  service. 

Sow  well  he  succeeded  may  be  judged,  not  only  from  the  honorable  record 
of  the  regiments,  but  from  the  high  promotions  that  came  to  the  commanders. 
The  Colonel  of  the  Seventh  (B.  B.  Tyler)  became  a  Brigadier-General  of  vol- 
unteers and  Brevet  Major-General.  The  Colonel  of  the  Eighth  (S.  S.  Carroll) 
received  the  same  promotion.  The  Colonel  of  the  Ninth  (E.  L.  McCook)  be- 
came a  Brigadier;  of  the  Tenth  (W.  H.  Lytle),  the  same;  of  the  Thirteenth 
(W.  S.  Smith),  the  same;  of  the  Fourteenth  (J.  B.  Steedman),  a  Major-General; 
of  the  Nineteenth  (S.  Beatty),  a  Brigadier  ;  of  the  Twenty-Third  (W.  S.  Eose- 
crans),  a  Brigadier  in  the  regular  arnry,  Major-General  of  volunteers,  and  dis- 
tinguished commander  of  a  great  department;  of  the  Twenty-Fourth  (Jacob 
Ammcn),  a  Brigadier;  of  the  Twenty-Sixth  (E.  P.  Fyffe),  a  Brevet  Brigadier; 
of  the  Twenty-Seventh  (Jno.  W.  Fuller),  a  Brigadier  and  Brevet  Major-Gen- 


in£  statement  of  the  troops  raised  under  the  seventy-five  thousand  and  three  hundred  thousand 
calls  is  an  approximation  : 


Adams 915 

Alhn 776 

Ashland 578 

Ashtabula 1,306 

Atheni 1,358 

Auglaize 565 

Belmont 1,030 

Brown 1,027 

Butler 1,141 

Carroll 386 

Champaign  828 

Clark 841 

Clermont 1,260 

Clinton ; 703 

Columbiana 854 

OoAoetoa 806 

Crawford 448 

Cuyahoga — 

Dark*- 685 

DeAana 410 

1 VI  aware 894 

fifto  556 

Fairfield  832 

Fayette G86 

Franklin 980 

Fulton 654 

Gallia 696 

i 646 

Greene 1,074 

Guernsey 775 


Hamilton 8,192 

Hancock 747 

Hardin. 694 

Harrison 459 

Henry 526 

Highland 860 

Hocking 692 

Holmes 550 

Huron 929 

Jackson 750 

Jefferson 666 

Knox 913 

Lake 550 

Lawrence 1,263 

Licking 1,307 

Logan  870 

Lorain ;  823 

Lucas..... 1,108 

Matlison tM  405 

Mahoning 629 

Marion 579 

Mc-dina 579 

Meigs 1,292 

Mercer 556 

Miami 1^405 

Monroe 836 

Montgomery 1,158 

Morgan 750 

Morrow 696 


Muskingum 1,168 

Noble 617 

Ottaway 325 

Paulding 254 

Perry 702 

Pickaway 604 

Pike 560 

♦Portage 721 

Preble 857 

Putnam 337 

Kichland 1,087 

Ross 1,457 

Sandusky 789 

Scioto 1,083 

Seneca 928 

Shelby 475 

Stark 1,048 

Summit  969 

Trumbull 1,144 

Tuscarawas 1,02£ 

Union 691 

Van  Wert 361 

Vinton 601 

Warren l,18t 

Washington 1,381 

Wayne 734 

Williams 685 

Wood 74( 

Wyandotte 75£ 


Progress  and    Close  of    Dennisonvs    Administration.     59 

feral;  of  the  Thirtieth  (Hugh  Ewing),  a  Brigadier  and  Brevet  Major-General; 
of  the  Thirty-First  (Moses  B.  Walker),  a  Brevet  Brigadier;  of  the  Thirty-Third 
(J.  W.  Sill),  a  Brigadier;  of  the  Thirty-Fourth  (A.  S.  Piatt),  a  Brigadier;  of 
the  Thirty-Fifth  (Ferdinand  Yan  Derveer),  a  Brigadier;  of  the  Thirty-Sixth 
(George  Crook),  a  Major-General;  of  the  Forty-First  (William  B.  Hazen), 
a  Major-General;  of  the  Forty-Second  (James  A.  Garfield),  a  Major-Gen- 
eral:  of  the  Forty-Fifth  (B.  P.  Runkle),  a  Brevet  Brigadier ;  of  the  Forty -Ninth 
(Wm.  II.  Gibson)  a  Brevet  Brigadier;  of  the  Fifty-Second  (Daniel  McCook),  a 
Brigadier;  of  the  Fifty-Fifth  (Jno.  C.  Lee),  a  Brevet  Brigadier;  of  the  Sixty- 
Third  (Jno.  W.  Spraguc),  a  Brigadier;  of  the  Sixty-Fifth  (C.  E.  Harker),  a 
Brigadier;  of  the  Seventy-Second  (R.  P.  Buckland),  a  Brigadier;  of  the  Sev- 
enty-Fourth (Rev.  Granville  Moody)  a  Brevet  Brigadier;  of  the  Seventy-Fifth 
(N.  C.  McLean),  a  Brigadier ;  of  the  Seventy-Sixth  (Chas.  R.  Woods),  a  Major- 
General ;  of  the  Seventy-Eighth  (M.  D.  Leggett),  a  Major-General. 

Many  of  the  subordinate  officers  also  rose  to  high  promotion  ;  and  although 
Rome,  also,  brought  disgrace  upon  themselves  and  damage  to  the  cause,  yet  of 
the  entire  list  it  may  be  said  that  it  would  compare  favorably  with  the  appoint- 
ments from  any  other  State. 

Camps  Dennison  and  Chase,  the  one  near  Cincinnati,  the  other  near  Co- 
lumbus, were  controlled  by  the  United  States  authorities.  On  Governor  Den- 
nison fell  the  selection  and  management  of  other  camps  throughout  the  State, 
of  which  the  following  are  the  principal  ones  established  during  his  admin- 
istration : 

9 

Camp  Jackson Columbus.  Camp  Putnam at  Marietta. 

Camp  Harrison near  Cincinnati.  Camp  Wool at  Athens. 

Camp  Taylor at  Cleveland.  Camp  Jefferson at  Bellair. 

Camp  Goddard at  Zanesville.  Camp  Scott at  Portland. 

Camp  Anderson at  Lancaster. 

Until  the  United  States  undertook  the  task  of  subsisting  and  supplying  sol- 
diers as  soon  as  they  were  recruited,  these  were  supplied  by  the  State  Quarter- 
master. Of  the  magnitude  of  the  other  interests  intrusted  to  this  officer  during 
Governor  Dennison's  administration,  some  idea  may  be  formed  from  statements 
like  these : 

The  number  of  rifles  purchased  on  State  account  for  the  use  of  infantry  was 
eleven  thousand  nine  hundred. 

The  number  of  carbines  and  revolvers  for  cavalry  was  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  eighty-five. 

The  number  of  six  pounder  bronze  field  guns  was  forty-one. 

A  laboratory  was  established  at  Columbus  for  the  supply  of  ammunition, 
which  the  United  States  arsenals,  before  there  was  time  for  a  vast  enlargement 
of  their  capacities,  were  unable  to  furnish.  From  this  laboratory  two  million 
five  hundred  and  five  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty  musket  and  pistol 
cartridges  were  supplied  ;  with  sixteen  thousand  five  hundred  and  thirty-seven 
cartridges,  fixed  shot,  canister,  and  spherical  case  for  artillery. 


60  Ohio  in  the  War. 

In  the  alienee  of  r  sufficient  supply  of  rifles,  the  old  muskets  were  rifled, 

vood,  of  Cincinnati,  taking  the  contract.     The  "  Greenwood  rifle 

manufactured  became  quite  popular,  being  held  by  the  troops  the  equal  of 

the  Enfield  in  precision  and  range,  and  more  destructive,  inasmuch  as  it  carried 

•:•  weight    of  metal.      During  Dennison's    administration    twenty-five 

and  three  hundred  and  twenty-four  of  these  smooth-bore  muskets  were 

thus  changed,  at  a  cost  of  one  dollar  and  a  quarter  per  gun. 

The  Stale  had  under  its  control,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  thirty-three 
smooth -boro  six-pounders.  Twenty-seven  of  these  were  likewise  rifled  and 
made  equal  to  the  best  rifled  guns.  Twelve  additional  batteries  were  contracted 
for— the  guns  for  which  Miles  Greenwood  had  already  begun  casting. 

The  office  received  from  the  Government  and  issued  to  troops  fifty-eight 
thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty-six  rifles  and  muskets. 

It  expended  in  the  purchase  of  uniforms  $1,117,349  35.  Of  none  of  the 
va-t  quantity  of  clothing  thus  bought  were  complaints  ever  made,  except  in  the 
case  of  a  few  regiments,  which  in  the  first  rush  and  at  a  time  when  the  goods 
to  make  regulation  uniforms  were  not  in  the  country,  received  a  pretty  bad 
sample  of  shoddy. 

We  have  seen  that  the  operations  of  the  Commissary  Department  were  the 
first  to  arouse  the  clamor  which  continued  till  near  its  close  to  pursue  our  first 
War  Administration.  At  the  end  of  the  year,  however,  the  Commissary-Gen- 
eral was  able  to  report  that,  in  issuing  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  rations 
the  State  bad  paid  only  thirteen  and  one-quarter  cents  per  ration;  and  that  in 
commuting  four  hundred  and  eleven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ten  rations,* 
in  the  haste  of  the  first  organization,  before  it  was  possible  to  issue  rations,  and 
when  it  was  unavoidable  that  the  troops  should  cither  be  quartered  at  hotels  or 
otherwise  hoarded,  the  State  had  paid  only  an  average  of  about  forty-four  and 
one-half  cents  per  ration.  Large  as  this  last  sum  seemed  it  was  small  com- 
pared with  that  allowed  by  the  United  States  Army  Regulations,  under  which 
a  soldier  so  stationed  as  to  have  no  opportunity  of  messing,  was  allowed  to 
commute  at  the  rate  of  seventy-five  cents  per  day-the  highest  sum  paid  in 
the  State  anywhere  in  the  greatest  pressure  of  troops  just  after  the  April 
call.  The  whole  sum  of  expenditures  by  the  State  for  subsistence  of  soldiers 
was  $488,858  71. 

F.  r  all  these  operations  large  sums  of  money  were  required.  It  was  held 
by  the  Auditorf  that  of  the  three  millions  appropriated  by  the  Legislature  for 
W«r  purposes,  only  half  a  million  was  available  in  direct  aid  of  the  United 
States.     Th,8  was  soon   exhausted.      Presently,   however,  under  the    effective 

*J™z:tz;t^  llsi^s?  rbsistence  of  soldiers  instead  °f  ^ to 

man  for  one  day.  ab°Ve'  mcans  a  8UPPlv  of  provisions  for  one 

juers  oi  the  United  States  Treasury,  to  succeed  Elisha  Whittlesey. 


Peogkess  and  Close  of  Dennison's  Administration.      61 

financial  management  of  Secretary  Chase,  the  Government  was  able  to  refund 
the  sums  thus  advanced.  Here  a  new  difficulty  arose.  The  Auditor  decided — 
and  in  this  he  was  sustained  by  the  Attorney-General — that  these  refunded 
moneys  could  afford  the  Governor  no  relief,  since,  if  they  once  entered  the 
treasury,  they  could  not  again  be  used  in  aid  of  the  United  States — the  full 
appropriation  of  a  half  million  dollars  for  that  purpose  having  already  been 
used.     Technically  there  was  no  doubt  that  this  was  correct. 

Governor  Dennison  at  once  determined  to  evade  this  technicality  and  em- 
ploy the  money.  Accordingly,  instead  of  permitting  it  to  be  refunded  to  the 
State  Treasury  through  the  ordinary  channels,  he  caused  it  to  be  collected  from 
the  Government  by  his  personal  agents,  when  he  proceeded  again  to  use  it  for 
the  various  military  purposes  for  which  it  was  needed.  As  it  was  again,  after  a 
time  refunded,  he  again  collected  it  by  his  personal  agents,  and  continued  to 
employ  it  so  long  as  wTas  needful.  In  this  way  it  was  eventually  reported  that 
he  had  kept  out  of  the  State  Treasury  the  sum  of  $1,077,600.  For  every  dollar 
he  presented  satisfactory  accounts  and  vouchers  to  the  Legislature.  The  use 
of  this  money  was  a  bold  measure,  but  it  was  vindicated  by  the  law  of  public 
necessity,  and  it  never  cast  a  shadow  upon  the  integrity  of  the  Governor  who 
retained  it,  or  of  the  officers  through  whom  he  disbursed  it. 

During  the  fall  and  early  winter  of  1861,  a  cry  of  suffering  came  from  the 
Ohio  troops  among  the  Alleghan}^  Mountains  in  West  Virginia.  Sanitary  and 
Christian  Commissions  were  not  then  prepared  to  respond  to  such  calls,  and  the 
Governor  had  no  resource,  save  an  appeal  to  the  liberality  of  the  people.  In 
October  he  accordingly  issued  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  people  for  con- 
tributions of  clothing,  and  particularly  of  blankets.  Within  a  few  weeks  nearly 
eight  thousand  blankets  and  coverlets  had  been  sent  in,  besides  nearly  ten 
thousand  pairs  of  woolen  socks,  and  proportionate  quantities  of  other  articles. 
The  suffering  in  the  mountains  however  proved  to  have  been  much  exaggerated, 
and  only  a  small  part  of  the  articles  thus  contributed  was  sent  there.  Some 
were  used  in  hospitals,  others  were  issued  to  troops  in  Kentucky,  and  a  con- 
siderable quantity  remained  on  hands  for  the  next  year's  uses. 

The  annual  nominating  convention  of  his  party  had  been  held  during  the 
height  of  Governor  Dennison's  unpopularity.  Most  of  the  party  leaders  were 
alreadj-  aware  of  the  injustice  with  which  he  had  been  treated,  and  a  strong 
disposition  was  felt  to  renominate  him  in  spite  of  the  odium  that  would  thus  be 
attached  to  their  ticket.  But  reasoning  as  politicians  will,  that  the  party  could 
not  afford  such  a  risk,  and  being  moreover  anxious  to  draw  off  the  war  wing 
of  the  Democratic  party,  they  passed  Governor  Dennison  by  with  a  compli- 
mentary resolution,  indorsing  his  administration,  and  bestowed  their  nomina- 
tion upon  David  Tod,  of  the  Eeserve,  a  patriotic  and  prominent  Democratic 
leader. 

Governor  Dennison  betrayed  no  unseemly  mortification  at  the  result,  and 
gave  his  cordial  efforts  to  aid  in  the  success  of  the  ticket.     In  his  final  message 


62  Ohio  in  the  War. 

he  recited  the  efforts  made  to  place  the  State  on  a  war  footing  and  to  furnish 
all  the  troops  called  for,  with  scarcely  a  reference  to  the  misrepresentation  with 
which  be  hid  beei  pursued     The  facts  were  his  conclusive  vindication. 

As  a  bank  man,  he  protested  against  the  policy  of  Secretary  Chase  for  the 
destruction  of  State  banks  and  the  establishment  of  the  National  Bank  system.* 
As  a  somewhat  conservative  Eepublican  he  deplored  any  proclamation  of  im- 
mediate emancipation,  as  a  measure  which  would  insure  the  extermination  of 
the  negro  race.  He  favored  confiscation  of  Kebel  property,  and  advocated  the 
establishment  of  a  negro  colony  in  Central  America.  "I  do  not  doubt,"  he  con- 
cluded in  a  manly  strain,  '-that  errors  have  occurred  in  conducting  my  civil  and 
military  administration;  but  I  am  solaced  by  the  reflection  that  no  motive  has 
ever  influenced  me  which  did  not  spring  from  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  the 
Interests  of  my  fellow-citizens,  and  preserve  the  honor  of  the  State  and  the 
Integrity  of  the  Nation.  .  .  I  felt  that  I  would  be  recreant  to  the  duties  en- 
trusted to  me,  if  I  failed  to  exert  all  my  powers  and  employ  all  the  instrumen- 
talities at  my  command,  to  support  the  Government  in  its  efforts  to  suppress  the 
insurrection  and  maintain  its  constitutional  authority." 

For  this  singleness  of  aim  and  purity  of  purpose,  as  well  as  for  marked 
sagacity  and  ability  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties,  his  fellow-citizens 
have  long  since  given  him  credit. 

It  was  his  misfortune  that  the  first  rush  of  the  war's  responsibilities  fell 
upon  him.  Those  who  came  after  were  enabled  to  walk  by  the  light  of  his 
painful  experience.  If  he  had  been  as  well  known  to  the  State,  and  as  highly 
esteemed  two  years  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war  as  he  was  two  years  after- 
ward, his  burdens  would  have  been  greatly  lightened.  But  he  was  not  credited 
with  the  ability  ho  really  possessed,  and  in  their  distrust,  men  found  it  very 
easy  to  assure  themselves  that  he  was  to  blame  for  everything. 

That  ho  made  some  mistakes  is  not  to  be  disputed.  Some  of  the  early  ex- 
penditures were  less  closely  retrenched  than  they  might  have  been.  He  was 
scarcely  quick  enough  in  reorganizing  his  peace  establishment  staff.  He  was 
not  quite  right  in  his  policy  for  checking  contraband  goods,  and  his  well-meant 
efforts  to  suppress  contraband  news  were  ill-considered  and  productive  of  need- 
less  irritation. 

But  these  are  email  matters.  He  led  in  securing  the  redemption  of  West 
Virginia.  He  led  in  seeking  to  enforce  upon  the  Government  the  need  of  speedy 
aetmn  ,n  Kentucky.  He  led  in  pressing  the  necessity  for  a  large  army  He 
met  the  firs    shock  of  the  contest,  and  in  the  midst  of  difficulties  which  now 

irand  y  M  '  °;'Sa?ed  ^^^  "tf™*  for  the  three  months' 
scM.cc  and  e.ghty-two  for  three  years;  nearly  one-half  the  entire  number  of 
orgamzauons  sent  to  the  fie.d  by  the  State  during  the  war.    He  lea  Urn  State 

greatest  financier  that  had  controlled  th*  fin  Z        8  Pron™™ed  him  indeed  the 

Bee  "Going  Home  to  V^TS^l^^  *?"  ^ernment  within  the  century. 
in  which  this  speech  is  given.  Publ*hed  by  the  Union  Loyal  League  of  Washington; 


Progress  and    Close  of  Dennison's    Administration.     63 

3redited  with  twenty  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty-one  soldiers  above  and 
beyond  all  calls  made  by  the  President  upon  her.*  He  handled  large  sums  of 
money  beyond  the  authority  of  law  and  without  the  safeguard  of  bonded  agents, 
and  his  accounts  were  honorably  closed. 

His  fate  was  indeed  a  singular  one.  The  honest,  patriotic  discharge  of  his 
duty  made  him  odious  to  an  intensely  patriotic  people.  With  the  end  of  his 
service  he  began  to  be  appreciated.  He  was  the  most  trusted  counsellor  and 
efficient  aid  to  his  successor.  Though  no  longer  more  than  a  private  citizen,  he 
came  to  be  recognized  in  and  out  of  the  State  as  her  best  spokesman  in  the  De- 
partments at  Washington.  Those  who  followed  him  on  the  public  stage,  though 
with  the  light  of  his  experience  to  guide  them,  did  not  (as  in  the  case  of  most 
military  men  similarly  situated)  leave  him  in  obscurity.  Gradually  he  even 
became  popular.  The  State  began  to  reckon  him  among  her  leading  public 
D|en,  the  party  selected  him  as  President  of  the  great  National  Convention  at 
Baltimore,  and  Mr.  Lincoln  called  him  to  the  Cabinet. 

*  From  calculations  in  final  report  of  United  States  Provost  Marshal-General  Fry,  Vol.  I, 
p.  161. 


54  Ohio  in  the  Wae 


CHAPTER  VII 


GENERAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  FIRST  YEAR  OF  TOD'S  ADMINISTRATION. 


IN  January,  1862,  David  Tod  entered  upon  the  duties  of  Governor  of 
Ohio.  He  had  been  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  for  Governor 
in  1844,  had  run  ahead  of  his  ticket,  and  had  come  within  a  thousand 
votes  of  election  ;  had  been  a  popular  stump  orator,  the  President  of  the  Na- 
tional Douglas  Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore,  and  for  nearly  five  years 
"United  States  Minister  to  Brazil.  Then,  for  some  years,  he  had  been  success- 
fully engaged  in  iron  manufactures,  and  as  President  of  the  Cleveland  and  Ma- 
honing railroad.  He  brought,  therefore,  to  the  office  the  reputation  of  a  good 
business  man,  of  a  political  leader  with  experience  and  public  honors,  and  an 
earnest  patriot,  ready,  at  the  call  of  the  country,  to  drop  old  prejudices  and 
party  connections.  Thus  secure  in  advance  in  the  confidence  of  the  people,  he 
entered  upon  a  path  which  the  trials  of  his  predecessor  had  smoothed  for  him. 
His  knowledge  of  affairs  aided  him  in  the  business  details  of  his  office.  The 
Legislature,  now  thoroughly  aroused  to  the  magnitude  of  the  war,  gave  him  a 
hearty  co-operation.  The  staff  left  by  his  predecessor  was  trained  by  the  expe- 
rience of  the  first  crowded  year,  familiar  with  the  work  and  its  wants,  and  now 
ablo  to  give  system  to  all  the  details  of  the  military  administration.*  Governor 
Dennison  had  established  military  committees  in  every  county  in  the  State  to 
aid  and  advise  him  in  the  work  of  recruiting,  and  camps  for  the  regiments  not 
yet  complete.  At  the  outset  there  was  little  to  do,  save  to  continue  these  agen- 
cies, and  to  fill  up  the  regiments  in  camp. 

•  Governor  Tod  retained  the  three  chief  officers  of  Governor  Dennison's  staff.  Judge  Ad- 
vocate-General Wolcott  being  called  to  the  War  Department,  and  Surgeon-General  McMillen  to 
the  command  of  a  regiment,  he  was  compelled  to  fill  their  places  with  new  men.  His  staff  foi 
the  year  1862  was  as  follows : 


lam. 


Adjutant-General c  R  Buckinghe 

[Resigned  April  18,  1862,  to  enter  War  Department.] 

Adjutant-General Charles  w  ffia 

Quartermaster-General Geo#  B  Wright 

Commissary-General Columbus  Delano. 

Judge  Advocate-General Luther  Day 

Surgeon-Oeneral Gustave  C.  E.  Weber. 

LResigned,  from  ill-health,  October,  1862.] 

Aid^Cam^111 SamUel  M-  Smith' 

'  "  Garretson  J.  Young. 


Tod's  Administeation.  65 

With  trained  assistants,  an  organized  system,  and  the  work  thus  gradually 
coming  upon  him,  Governor  Tod  speedily  mastered  his  new  duties.  There 
was  no  opportunity  for  distinguishing  his  administration  by  the  redemption  of 
a  State,  or  the  appointment  of  officers  who  were  soon  to  reach  the  topmost  round 
of  popular  favor,  or  the  adoption  of  independent  war  measures  during  a  tem- 
porary isolation  from  the  General  Government.  But  what  there  was  to  do  he 
did  prudently,  systematically,  and  with  such  judgment  as  to  command  the  gen- 
eral approval  of  his  constituents. 

The  first  feature,  of  his  administration  was  the  care  for  the  wounded  of  the 
State,  sent  home  from  the  terrible  field  of  Pittsburg  Landing.  Then  he  exer- 
cised a  general  care  over  the  troops  in  the  field,  and  established  the  system  of 
State  agencies  at  important  points  for  their  benefit.  The  only  other  striking 
features  of  the  first  year  of  his  incumbency  were  the  alarm  about  the  capital 
a£id  the  rapid  recruiting  for  its  defense ;  the  filling  of  the  State  quotas  under  the 
President's  calls,  and  the  draft  to  complete  them  ;  the  arrests  which  hostility  to 
the  draft  provoked;  the  alarms  along  the  border,  first  for  the  safety  of  Cincin- 
nati when  Kirby  Smith  threatened  it,  and  then  for  the  upper  Kentucky  and  West 
Virginia  border;  and  the  special  efforts  thus  required  for  the  State  defense. 

The  outline  of  these  several  subjects  we  may  now  seek  to  trace. 

No  great  battles  had,  during  Governor  Dennison's  administration,  excited 
the  sensibilities  of  the  people  in  behalf  of  their  wounded  sons  and  brothers; 
and  no  system  of  supplementing  the  army  treatment  b}T  State  care  for  the 
wounded  had  been  held  necessary.  The  initial  movements  of  1862  did  not  lead 
to  great  losses  in  any  of  the  armies  over  the  theater  of  war  where  Ohio  soldiers 
were  now  scattered.  On  the  Potomac  the  quiet  was  still  unbroken.  In  West 
Virginia  the  season  was  too  inclement  to  permit  extended  operations.  In  Ken- 
tucky, save  the  battles  of  the  Sandy  Valley,  of  Wild  Cat,  and  of  Mill  Springs,  the 
advance  to  Nashville,  and  even  to  the  northern  border  of  Mississippi,  was  made 
almost  without  fighting.  At  Fort  Donelson,  and  in  the  operations  in  Missouri, 
the  losses  of  Ohio  troops  had  been  too  small  to  arouse  a  general  feeling  of  anx- 
iety in  the  State. 

But  Pittsburg  Landing  was  a  sudden,  startling  shock, 

"  And  heavy  to  the  ground  the  first  dark  drops  of  battle  came." 

Then  followed  rumors -of  the  sad  slaughter  and  ofthe  terrible  suffering.  The  whole 
State  was  aroused.  Men  everywhere  talked  of  it  as  a  personal  calamity,  denounced 
its  authors,  .and  demanded  haste  to  relieve  its  victims.*  It  was  not  till  the 
afternoon  of  the  9th  of  April  that  authentic  news  of  the  great  battles  ofthe  6th 

•It  was  currently  believed  in  the  West,  at  the  time,  that  the  first  day's  disaster  at  Pittsburg 
Landing  had  been  aggravated  by  the  drunkenness  of  General  Grant.  He  was  a  long  time  very  un- 
popular, in  consequence  of  his  management  at  this  battle,  in  the  States  whose  troops  suffered  the 
most  by  it;  and  he  was  never  fully  re-instated  in  public  confidence  in  the  West  till  after  the  fall 
of  Vicksburg.  It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  the  charges  of  drunkenness  or  needless  absence 
were  gross  slanders.  A  discussion  oi  the  real  causes  of  the  disaster  may  be  found  in  the  suc- 
ceeding pages,  part  II,  Life  of  Grant. 
Vol.  I.— 5 


^e  Ohio  in  the   War. 

and  7th  reached  Cincinnati.  The  losses  were  reported  at  eighteen  to  twenty 
thousand.  The  Sanitary  Commission  at  once  ordered  the  charter  of  a  steam- 
boat to  visit  the  battle-field  with  surgeons,  nurses,  and  stores,  and  within  an 
hour  the  "  Tycoon"  was  secured.  Then,  as  the  Quartermaster-General,  in  a  dis- 
pnn-1.  from  Washington,  assumed  the  expenses  of  this  boat,  the  Commission,  in 
the  course  of  the  afternoon,  chartered  another,  the  "Monarch." 

Mayor  Hatch  had  meantime  chartered  the  "Lancaster  No.  4"  on  the  city's 
account.  By  dark  she  was  equipped  with  supplies,  hospital  stores,  a  full  corps 
of  physicians  and  nurses  under  Doctors  Blackman  and  Yattier,  prominent  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  in  Cincinnati,  and  fifty  members  of  the  city  police  force, 
under  Colonel  Dudley,  and  was  rapidly  steaming  down  the  river.  Governor 
Tod,  on  being  advised  of  this  action,  promptly  telegraphed  that  the  State  would 
.'isvume  the  expenses  of  this,  the  first  boat  off  to  the  scene  of  suffering;  and 
that  he  had  selected  thirty  volunteer  surgeons  who,  with  the  Lieutenant-Gor- 
ernor  of  the  State,  would  arrive  in  Cincinnati  the  next  morning,  in  time  for 
passage  on  the  "Monarch." 

At  nine  o'clock  this  same  evening,  a  few  hours  after  the  departure  of  the 
"Lancaster  No.  4,"  the  "  Tycoon"  set  out,  likewise  fully  equipped,  with  twenty- 
three  nurses,  one  hundred  and  fifty  boxes  of  hospital  supplies,  and  eleven 
physicians,  at  the  head  of  whom  was  Dr.  Mendenhall,  another  well-known 
practitioner  of  the  city.  Eight  more  physicians,  under  Dr.  Comegys,  were 
ready  to  go  out  in  the  morning  on  the  "Monarch"  with  the  thirty  from  Colum- 
bus* Meanwhile  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  appointed  a  committee  to  secure 
from  the  City  Council  appropriations  to  meet  the  expenses  thus  incurred,  and 
the  Sanitary  Commission  received  from  individuals  who  feared  this  aid,  though 
certain,  might  be  a  few  hours  too  late,  cash  contributions  to  the  amount  of  over 
two  thousand  dollars  for  instant  wants.  Within  a  few  hours  citizens  of  Day- 
ton swelled  this  sum  by  forwarding  five  hundred  more ;  while  the  "  sanitary 
supplies"  in  store  were  speedily  augmented  by  generous  shipments  from 
Cleveland. 

The  system  thus  inaugurated  was  kept  up  so  long  as  there  appeared  any 
necessity  for  it.  Ohio  surgeons  and  nurses  visited  the  great  battle-field  and  the 
hospitals  along  the  rivers ;  Ohio  boats  removed  the  wounded  with  tender  care 
to  the  hospitals  at  Camp  Dennison  and  elsewhere  within  the  State  ;  the  Ohio 
treasury  was  the  sufficient  warrant  for  any  expenditures  for  the  comfort  of  the 
sick  or  wounded,  concerning  the  approval  of  which  by  the  General  Government 
there  was  doubt.  At  the  close  of  the  year  it  was  announced  in  the  official  re- 
ports that  the  State  had  paid  the  expenses  of  eleven  steamboats,  sent  to  Pitts- 
burg Landing  and  other  points  along  the  Tennessee,  Ohio,  and  Mississippi 
Rivers  for  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  amounting  in  the  aggregate  to  forty-seven 

♦Eli  C.  Baldwin,  Charles  F.  Wilstach,  and  C.  K.  Fosdick  were  appointed  a  committee  of 
the  Sanitary  Commission  to  take  command  of  the  "Tycoon."  B.  P.  Baker,  Larz  Anderson,  and 
J.  H  Bates  were  a  similar  Committee  for  the  "  Monarch."  Among  the  nurses  off  in  the  first  boat, 
the    Lancaster  No.  4,"  were  ten  Sisters  of  Charity. 


Tod's   Administration.  67 

thousand  thirty-eight  dollars  and  seventy-five  cents* — a  sum  which  the  pay  and 
expenses  of  nurses,  volunteer  surgeons,  etc.,  increased  to  seven  thousand  six 
hundred  and  eighty-three  dollars  and  eighty-five  cents.  The  Surgeon -General 
was  likewise  sent  with  over  twenty  surgeons  to  the  battle-field  of  Antietam,  a 
few  months  later;  and  in  the  autumn,  to  Perryville,  with  eight  surgeons  and  a 
corps  of  nurses.  Special  agents  Were  likewise  sent  to  Louisville  and  Cleveland 
to  look  after  suffering  paroled  prisoners,  and  to  the  troops  in  the  Kanawha  Val- 
ley and  at  other  points  where  suffering  was  said  to  exist.  In  much  of  this  work 
Dr.  Samuel  M.  Smith,  of  Columbus  (who  soon  after  became  Surgeon -General), 
was  conspicuous.  He  was  sent  no  less  than  five  times  in  charge  of  steamboats 
to  Pittsburg  Landing,  as  well  as  once  to  Antietam. 

This  system  presently  received  a  development  in  a  new  direction,  We 
have  just  spoken  of  the  agents  of  the  Governor  sent  to  the  Kanawha  Valley 
and  elsewhere,  on  the  reception  of  reports  about  the  wants  of  Ohio  troops  in 
the  respective  localities.  Another  step  was  soon  taken,  of  which  this  furnished 
the  suggestion. 

The  suffering  on  the  battle-fields,  and  the  subsequent  distress  of  many  poor 
men,  discharged  for  disability  or  sent  home  on  sick  leave,  whose  ignorance  of 
the  regulations  delayed  them  in  the  settlement  of  their  accounts,  the  procuring 
Of  transportation,  and  the  scores  of  other  things  for  which,  in  general,  the  sol- 
dier is  accustomed  to  look  to  his  officers,  led  to  the  establishment  of  a  system 
of  State  agencies  at  the  most  important  points.  At  first  the  onlj*  object  con- 
templated was  to  care  for  and  assist  the  sick  and  disabled  soldiers  found,  unat- 
tended by  friends,  about  the  principal  depots.  Agencies  for  this  purpose  were 
established  at  Cincinnati,  Columbus,  Cleveland,  Crestline,  and  Bellair.f  Then, 
as  the  discharged  soldiers  seemed  to  have  great  difficulty  in  the  settlement  of 
their  accounts — owing  often  to  their  own  ignorance  of  the  necessaiy  details,  and 
often  to  the  negligence  of  their  officers — the  Quartermaster-General  was  charged 
with  the  duty  of  establishing  an  agency  in  his  office,  to  which  such  soldiers  could 
resort  for  gratuitous  aid,  and  for  protection  from  ravenous  claim  agents.  Finally, 
as  the  excellent  workings  of  the  system  were  developed,  and  as  the  progress  of 
the  war  increased  the  necessity  for  it,  the  agencies  were  gradually  extended.  Be- 
fore the  close  of  the  Governor's  first  year  in  office,  they  had  been  established  at 
Cincinnati  under  the  care  of  A.  B.  Lyman,  and  at  Louisville  under  the  care  of 
Royal  Taylor.  He  soon  afterward  started  others,  as  the  varying  wants  of  the 
servioe  indicated  the  necessity,  at  Washington  under  J.  C.  Wetmore,  at  Mem- 
phis under  F.  W.  Bingham,  at  Cairo  and  St.  Louis  under  Weston  Flint,  at 
Nashville  under  Royal  Taylor  (who  continued  also  to  supervise  the  Louisville 
agency),  and  at  New  York  under  B.  P.  Baker. 

*  Governor's  message,  5th  January,  1863,  Report  of  Contingent  Fund,  p.  33.  Some  of  the 
steamers  made  two  or  more  trips.  The  names  of  those  engaged  were  "  Magnolia,"  "Glendale," 
"Tycoon,"  "Emma  Duncan,"  "Lady  Franklin,"  "Sunnyside,"  and  "  Lancaster  No.  4." 

tThe  expense  of  these  agencies  for  the  year,  including  the  subsistence  furnished  by  them 
to  suffering  soldiers,  was  only  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty- seven  dollars  and  fifty- 
eight  cents. 


63  Ohio   in  the  Wae. 

Gradually  the  care  thus  exerted  by  the  State  authorities  over  Ohio  troops 
on  the  battle-field,  in  the  hospital,  and  on  the  way  to  their  homes,  came  to  fife 
low  llllMll  in  all  their  movements  in  the  field.  The  General  Government,  for  a 
time  allowed  an  insufficient  number  of  surgeons.  Under  authority  conferred 
1>V  fche  Legislature,  Governor  Tod  supplemented  this  want  (up  to  the  time  when 

,,ss  authorized  assistant  regimental  Surgeons),  by  sending  State  Surgeons 
into  the  field.  For  this  species  of  relief  an  expenditure  of  seven  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-two  dollars  and  twenty -five  cents  was  incurred. 

Presently,  we  find  the  Governor  beginning  to  plead  the  case  of  Ohio  troops 
in  the  field  with  the  authorities.  The  Second  Ohio  Cavalry  was  in  some  trouble 
on  the  frontier.  "The  Kansas  authorities,"  said  Governor  Tod,  "do  not  com- 
mand my  confidence ;"  and  thereupon  he  appealed  to  the  Secretary  of  War  to 
gee  to  it  that  the  court  in  the  case  should  be  composed  of  officers  "noways  im- 
plicated or  interested  in  the  matter."*  Eeports  were  in  circulation  of  troubles 
among  the  paroled  Union  prisoners  in  camp  near  Chicago.  Thereupon  an 
agent  was  sent  to  see  what  number  of  Ohio  troops  were  there  and  what  was 
their  condition.!  In  the  alarm  over  Kirby  Smith's  invasion,  raw  troops,  half 
equipped,  were  hurried  into  Kentucky.  The  Governor  telegraphs  to  the  Com- 
mander of  the  Department,  begging  that  tents  be  sent  them  at  once  ;J  in  a  little 
time  telegraphs  again ;  then  sends  a  characteristic  dispatch  to  Secretary  Stan- 
ton to  the  effect  that  it  "is  well  he  doesn't  know  whose  fault  it  is,  or  he  would 
whip  the  fellow  if  he  were  as  strong  as  Samson  ;"||  once  more  appeals  to  the 
Commander  of  the  Department,  and  finally  solicits  ex-Governor  Dennison  to 
visit  head-quarters  and  give  his  personal  attention  to  the  matter.§  The  peculiar 
vein  "crops  out"  again  in  a  dispatch  about  the  same  time  to  the  Cincinnati 
Quartermaster:  ",For  God's  sake,  furnish  our  Ohio  troops  now  in  Kentucky 
with  canteens,"**  but  the  humane  purpose  was  accomplished.  A  Colonel  sends 
him,  from  Rosecrans's  battle-field  of  Corinth,  a  bloody  flag,  captured  from  a 
Texas  regiment  by  private  Orrin  B.  Gould,  of  company  G,  in  the  Twenty-Sev- 
onth  Ohio,  who  fell  in  the  act.  The  Governor  determines  that  the  hero,  though 
dead,  shall  be  rewarded,  and  his  family  are  accordingly  gratified  by  the  recep- 
tion of  a  Captain's  commission  for  him. ft 

All  this  was  well  meant  and  productive  of  good.  Scarcely  so  much  could 
be  said  for  this  foolish  dispatch: 

11  The  gallant  people  of  Ohio  are  mortified  to  death  over  the  rumored  cowardice  of  Colonel 
Rodney  Mason,  of  the  Seventy-First  Ohio,  and  in  their  behalf  I  demand  that  he  have  a  fair  but 
speedy  trial;  and,  should  he  be  convicted  of  cowardice,  that  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law  be  in- 
flicted upon  him,  for  in  that  event  we  can  not  endure  even  his  foul  carcass  upon  our  soil."U 

The  various  forms  of  the  efforts  to  raise  troops  and  the  alarm  along  the 
border,  constitute  the  prominent  remaining  features  of  the  first  year  of  Gover- 
nor Tod's  administration. 

When  Stonewall  Jackson,  bursting  unannounced  into  the  Yalley,  scattered 

•Ex  Doc  1862.     Part  I,  p.  67.  tlbid.  tlbid,  p.  72.  1  Ibid,  d.  77. 

Ubid,  p.  74.  **Ibid,  p.  78.  ttlbid,  p.  68.  ttlbid,  P.  71. 


Tod's  Administration.  69 

the  fragmentary  armies  of  the  fragmentary  department  commanders  who  held 
piecemeal  possession  therein,  and  created  the  liveliest  apprehensions  for  the 
safety  of  Washington  itself,  the  War  Department  issued  a  hasty  appeal  for 
troops  to  protect  the  Capital.  In  obedience  to  this,  Governor  Tod,  on  the  26th 
of  May,  1862,  published  his  proclamation  calling  for  volunteers  for  three  months, 
for  three  years,  or  for  temporary  guard-duty  within  the  limits  of  the  State. 
The  day  before  he  had  sent  telegraphic  dispatches  to  the  military  committees  of 
every  county  in  the  State,  announcing  the  ''imminent  danger"  at  Washington, 
assigning  the  number  expected  from  each  county,  and  urging  that  whoever  was 
willing  to  volunteer  should  hurry  to  Camp  Chase — the  railroads  being  instructed 
to  pass  such  recruits  to  Columbus  at  the  State's  expense. 

The  people  responded  promptly.  At  Cleveland  a  large  meeting  was  held, 
and  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  immediately  enlisted — among  them  twenty- 
seven  out  of  the  thirty-two  students  in  attendance  at  the  Law  School.  At 
Zanesville  the  fire  bells  rang  out  the  alarm,  and  by  ten  o'clock  a  large  meeting 
had  assembled  at  the  court-house.  Three  hundred  men  enlisted  before  three 
in  the  afternoon.  Court  was  in  session,  but  the  Judge  announced  that  it  was 
adjourned  sine  die,  as  he  and  the  lawyers  were  all  going  to  join  in  the  military 
movement.  The  Judge  at  Bellefontaine  hastened  to  enlist .*  At  Putnam  only 
three  unmarried  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  thirty  were  left  in  the 
town.  At  Western  Reserve  College  twenty  of  the  college  cadets  volunteered  on 
the  day  of  the  call,  and  more  followed  the  next  morning. 

In  all  five  thousand  volunteers  reported  at  Camp  Chase  under  this  call — the 
majority  of  them  within  the  first  and  second  days  after  its  issue.  The  men 
were  permitted  to  elect  their  company  officers,  and  the  field  and  staff  were  at 
once  appointed,  so  that  the  organization  was  almost  as  sudden  as  the  enlistment. 
Within  ten  days  after  the  call,  the  first  of  the  new  regiments,  the  Eighty-Fourth, 
was  dispatched  to  the  field.  The  Eighty-Sixth  and  Eighty -Eighth  soon  fol- 
lowed; while  the  Eighty-Fifth  and  Eighty-Seventh  organized  for  duty  within 
the  State,  relieved  other  troops  for  the  front,  and  afterward  furnished  from  their 
ranks  considerable  numbers  of  volunteers  for  active  service. 

Up  to  this  time  Governor  Tod  had  been  called  upon  to  undertake  no  work 
of  importance  connected  witfc  the  raising  of  troops,  save  to  fill  up  the  regi- 
ments wThich  Governor  Dennison  had  left  nearly  completed.  The  progress  that 
had  been  made  in  this  work  may  be  sufficiently  set  forth  in  tabular  form,  as 
follows: 

43d^  Infantry,  Colonel  J.  L.  Kirby  Smith,  completed  14th  February,  1862. 

46th  "  "  Thomas  Worthington,  completed  20th  January,  1862. 

48th  "  "  Peter  J.  Sullivan,  completed  16th  January,  1862. 

53d  "  "  Jesse  J.  Appier,  completed  3d  February,  1862. 

54th  "  "  Thomas  Kilby  Smith,  completed  6th  February,  1862. 

55th  "  "  J.  C.  Lee,  sent  to  field  25th  January,  1862. 

56th  "  "  Peter  Kinney,  sent  to  field  10th  February,  1862. 

57th  "  "  Wm.  Mungen,  completed  10th  February  1862. 

*  Judge  Wm.  Lawrence,  since  member  of  Congress.  He  became  Colonel  of  the  first  three 
months'  regiment  thus  raised,  the  Eighty-  Fourth  Ohio. 


70 

58th 


Ohio  in  the  War 


Infantry,  Colonel  Valentine  Bausenwein,  completed  3d  February  1862. 
th       *  «  Wm.  H.  Trimble,  completed  25th  February,  1862. 


n  N.  Schleich,  completed  1st  May,  1862. 

{'S{        u  «  F.  B.  Pond,  sent  to  field  17th  January,  1862. 

J   W.  Sprague,  sent  to  field  18th  February,  1862. 

21       H  u  Charles  Candy,  sent  to  field  16th  January   1862. 

Jg  h       m  "  Samuel  H.  Steedman,  sent  to  field  7th  February,  1862. 

m  h       «  «  Lewis  D.  Campbell,  completed  24th  March,  1862. 

-Ulh       m  •  J.  R.  Cockerill,  completed,  3d  February,  1862. 

1  Ul       «  «  Kcxlncv  Mason,  sent  to  field  10th  February,  1862. 

72d        «  «  R.  P.  Buckland,  sent  to  field  15th  February,  1862. 

73<1        h  «  Orland  Smith,  sent  to  field  23d  January,  1862. 

74th       u  m  Granville  Moody,  completed  28th  February,  1862. 

75th      m  m  jf.  C.  McLean,  sent  to  field  23d  January,  1862. 

76th       u  •«  Charles  R.  Woods,  completed  9th  February,  1862. 

77th       «  «  Jesse  Hildebrand,  completed  5th  February,  1862. 

78tj1       «  «  M.  D.  Leggett,  sent  to  field  10th  February,  1862. 

80th       "  "         E.  R.  Eckley,  sent  to  field  20th  February,  1862. 

g2d        "  "         James  Cantwell,  sent  to  field  23d  January,  1862. 

6th  Cavalry,  "         W.  R.  Lloyd,  sent  to  field  13th  March,  1862, 

Two  or  three  of  the  attempted  organizations  proved  unsuccessful,  and  the 
companies  raised  were  attached  to  other  commands.  The  impetus  given  to  the 
Other*  during  the  close  of  Governor  Dennison's  administration  was  sufficient,  as 
may  be  seen  above,  to  carry  them  to  completion  and  into  the  field  very  soon 
after  Governor  Tod's  inauguration. 

Toward  the  close  of  May  the  Governor  was  beginning  to  prepare  for  rais- 
ing three  new  regiments,  when  the  sudden  alarm  about  Washington  interfered. 
Thero  followed  the  hasty  mustering  of  three  months'  men  we  have  already  de- 
scribed. Then,  till  the  middle  of  July,  three  regiments  for  the  war,  the  Forty- 
Filth,  fiftieth,  and  Fifty-Second,  had  the  range  of  the  entire  State  for  recruit- 
ing. They  grew  slowly,  and  the  work  of  raising  troops  seemed  to  have  come 
almost  to  an  end. 

Meantime,  in  Juno,  had  come  the  President's  call  for  three  hundred  thous- 
and, and  soon  after  for  three  hundred  thousand  more,  clo&ely  following  on  the 
failure  of  the  peninsular  campaign,  and  the  stupor  that  seemed  to  have  befallen 
the  armies  in  the  South-west.  Under  these  calls  (not  counting  the  previous 
excess  of  credits)  the  quota  of  Ohio  was  seventy-four  thousand ;  for  thirty- 
seven  thousand  of  which,  under  the  recent  legislation  of  Congress,  the  State  mi- 
litia was  Liable  to  draft.  It  was  evident  that  some  new  plan  must  be  devised 
for  raising  these  troops.  The  community  that  was  spending  a  whole  summer  in 
filling  three  regiments  was  not  likely,  within  a  couple  of  months,  to  fill  ten 
times  as  many  fresh  ones. 

From  this  point  may  be  reckoned  the  beginning  of  the  radical  error  by 
which  all  subsequent  recruiting  in  Ohio,  and  in  the  sister  States  as  well,  was 
poisoned.  Men  had  an  instinctive  repugnance  to  a  draft ;  an  unwise  fondness 
for  being  able  to  say  that  all  the  soldiers  from  the  State  were  volunteers.  It 
followed  that  if  actual  volunteers  did  not  present  themselves,  artificial  stimu- 
lants must  be  employed  to  produce  them.     Thus  it  came  about  that  the  burdens 


TOD'S    Administration.  71 

of  the  war  rested,  not  equally  upon  all,  but  heaviest  upon  the  most  ardent,  the 
most  willing,  and  the  most  patriotic ;  and  that  ultimately,  when  this  class  was 
measurably  exhausted,  those  to  whom  money,  rather  than  patriotism,  was  a 
controlling  consideration,  became  "  volunteers  "  through  the  use  of  enormous 
bribes  in  the  shape  of  bounties.  Upon  two  classes  came  the  whole  weight  of 
the  war — the  most  willing  and  the  most  purchasable.  There  were  many  fea- 
tures about  this  unwise  policy  which  commended  it  alike  to  the  tenderness  and 
the  pride  of  public  feeling.  It  prevented  the  exceptional  cases  of  peculiar  hard- 
ship which  no  care  could  have  kept  the  draft  from  inflicting;  it  heaped  upon 
those  who  were  willing  to  fight  the  rewards  which  a  grateful  community  felt 
that  they  deserved;  it  ministered  to  the  vanity  which  was  unwilling  to  ac- 
knowledge the  necessity  of  a  draft  in  a  particular  locality  to  secure  its  quota  of 
soldiers  for  the  war. 

If  at  the  outset  the  volunteering  had  been  confined  exclusively  to  the  regi- 
ments needed  under  former  calls,  and  it  had  been  distinctly  announced  that  a 
draft  would  be  held  to  fill  the  whole  quota  under  the  new  call,  and  no  volunteers 
therefor  would  be  accepted,  a  better  system  might  have  been  inaugurated,  to 
which  a  relieved  treasury  and  a  diminished  tax  list  might  even  now  be  bearing 
testimony. 

But  the  considerations  in  favor  of  the  volunteering  system  were  held  con- 
clusive. The  surrounding  States  adhered  to  it.  The  people  revolted  from  the 
idea  of  a  draft.  Some  States  and  many  communities  were  beginning  the  offer 
of  a  local  bounty.  The  Government  was  about  to  offer  a  National  bounty. 
The  leading  newspapers  were  calling  upon  the  Governor  to  "  take  the  responsi- 
bility," and  make  a  similar  offer  for  the  State. 

This  he  did  not  do ;  but  the  opportunity  for  adopting  the  draft  as  the  sys- 
tematic, fair,  and  common  mode' of  raising  such  troops  as  were  called  for  was 
lost.  Following  the  bent  of  public  temper,  and  undoubtedly  carrying  out  the 
wishes  of  those  who  had  elected  him,  the  Governor  j>roceeded  with  an  effort  to 
distribute  the  new  quota  equitably  among  the  several  counties,  and  to  secure 
the  proper  number  of  volunteers  from  each.  The  draft,  if  used  at  all,  was  only 
to  be  held  as  a  last  resort  for  filling  irremediable  deficiencies. 

Up  to  this  time  it  was  estimated  that  one  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand  two 
hundred  voluntary  enlistments  had  been  made  in  the  State,  and  from  this  num- 
ber over  sixty  thousand  three  years'  troops  were  then  in  the  field.*  It  was 
only  by  localizing  the  regiments,  making  the  completion  of  each  one  the  par- 
ticular duty  of  a  particular  region,  that  the  work  could  again  be  made  popular. 
An  order  was  therefore  issued,  on  the  9th  of  July,  making  the  following 
assignments  : 

FIRST  DISTRICT — RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP   DENNISON. 

The  Seventy-Ninth  and  Eighty-Third  Regiments  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Hamilton, 
Warren,  and  Clinton;  the  Eighty-Ninth  in  Clermont,  Brown,  Highland,  and  Ross;  the  Ninetieth 
in  Fayette,  Pickaway,  Hocking,  Vinton,  Fairfield,  and  Perrry.     (Rendezvoused  at  Circleville.) 

•  Governor's  Annual  Message  for  1862,  p.  5. 


72 


Ohio  in  the 


Wab. 


SECOHD  DJ8TMCI-BENDEZVOOS  AT  CAMP  POBTSMOUTH. 

The  Ninety-First  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Adams,  Scioto,  Lawrence,  Pike, 
J.idvM.n,  and  Gallia. 

THIRD  DISTRICT-RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  MARIETTA. 

The  Ninety-Second  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Meigs,  Athens,  Washington, 
Noble,  and  Monroe. 

FOURTH  DISTRICT— RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  DAYTON. 

The  Ninety-Third  Regiment  will  be  railed  in  the  counties  of  Butler,  Preble,  and  Montgom- 
ery;  the  Ninety-Fourth  in  Greene,  Clarke^  Miami,  and  Darke. 

FIFTH  DISTRICT— RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  CHASE. 

The  Ninety-Fifth  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Champaign,  Madison,  Frank- 
lin, and  Licking;  the  Ninety-Sixth  in  Logan,  Union,  Delaware,  Marion,  Morrow,  and  Knox. 
(Rendezvoused  at  Delaware.) 

SIXTH   DISTRICT— RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  ZANESVILLE. 

The  Ninety-Seventh  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Morgan,  Muskingum,  Guern- 
sey, and  Coshocton. 

SEVENTH  DISTRICT— RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  STEUBENVILLE. 

The  Ninety-Eighth  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Belmont,  Tuscarawas,  Harri- 
son, Jefferson,  and  Carroll. 

EIGHTH   DISTRICT — RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  LIMA. 

The  Ninety-Ninth  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Shelby,  Mercer,  Auglaize, 
Hardin,  Allen,  Van  Wert,  Putnam,  and  Hancock. 

NINTH  DISTRICT — RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  TOLEDO. 

The  One  Hundredth  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Paulding,  Defiance,  Henry, 
Wood,  Sandusky,  Williams,  Fulton,  Lucas,  and  Ottawa. 

TENTH  DISTRICT — RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  MANSFIELD. 

•  The  One  Hundred  and  First  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Wyandot,  Crawford, 
Seneca,  Huron,  and  Erie.  (Rendezvoused  at  Monroeville) ;  the  One  Hundred  and  Second  in 
Richland,  Ashland,  Holmes,  and  Wayne. 

ELEVENTH  DISTRICT — RENDEZVOUS  AT  CAMP  CLEVELAND. 

The  One  Hundred  and  Third  Regiment  will  be  raised  in  the  counties  of  Lorain,  Medina, 
and  Cuyahoga;  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourth  in  Stark,  Columbiana,  Summit,  and  Portage. 
(Rendezvoused  at  Massillon);  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifth  in  Mahoning,  Trumbull,  Geauga, 
Lake,  and  Ashtabula. 


The  military  committees  of  the  counties  within  the  several  districts  were 
consulted  as  to  the  appointment,  of  officers  for  their  respective  regiments,  and 
the  work  speedily  received  a  fresh  impulse.  Each  community  took  a  special 
interest  in  filling  its  own  regiment,  and  in  "getting  clear  of  the  draft."  Mor- 
gan's invasion  of  Kentucky,  speedily  followed  by  that  of  Kirby  Smith,  had  an 
excellent  effect  in  stimulating  these  efforts;  and  the  alarm  along  the  West  Vir- 
ginia border  very  happily  co-operated  toward  the  same  end.  The  regiments 
were  assigned,  as  we  have  seen,  on  the  9th  of  July,  1862.  How  rapidly  they 
were  filled  may  be  gathered  from  the  folio  win"-  table  : 


' 


Tod's   Administration.  73 

100th  Regiment  rendezvoused  at  Toledo;  was  full  on  8th  August. 

93d  "  "  Dayton;  was  full  on  9th  August. 

99th  "  "  Lima;  was  full  on  11th  August. 

105th  "  "  Cleveland;  was  full  on  11th  August. 

96th  "  '  Delaware ;  was  full  on  12th  August. 

94th  "  u  Piqua;  was  full  on  14th  August. 

101st  "  "  Monroeville;  was  full  on  14th  August. 

104th  "  "  Massillon;  was  full  on  17th  August. 

92d  "  "  Marietta;  was  full  on  15th  August. 

98th  "  "  Steubenville ;  was  full  on  15th  August. 

95th  "  "  Camp  Chase;  was  full  on  16th  August. 

102d  "  "  Mansfield;  was  full  on  18th  August. 

103d  "  "  Cleveland;  was  full  on  18th  August. 

89th  "  "  Camp  Dennison ;  was  full  on  22d  August. 

90th  "  "  Circleville ;  was  full  on  22d  August. 

91st  "  "  Portsmouth ;  was  full  on  22d  August. 

97th  "  "  Zanesville ;  was  full  on  22d  August. 

The  Hamilton  County  regiments,  the  Seventy-Ninth  and  Eighty-Third, 
were  less  successful.  Two  German  ones,  raised  south  of  the  National  Road, 
the  One  Hundred  and  Sixth,  Colonel  Tafel,  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighth, 
Colonel  Limberg,  were  however  nearly  filled  in  August,  when  they  were  or- 
dered in  their  incomplete  state  into  Kentucky,  only,  as  it  proved,  to  be  speedily 
captured.  The  One  Hundred  and  Seventh,  Colonel  Meyer,  another  German 
regiment,  raised  north  of  the  National  Eoad,  was  complete  by  6th  September. 
Efforts  by  Captain  O'Dowd  to  raise  an  Irish  Catholic  regiment  proved  futile, 
and  excited  the  wrath  of  the  State  Adjutant-General  to  such  a  pitch  that  he 
reported:  "  If  the  intention  had  been  to  enlist  men  to  stay  at  home  and  be 
exempt  from  the  draft,  no  change  of  proceedings  would  have  been  required  to 
effect  these  objects.* 

Other  regiments  were,  about  the  middle  of  August,  assigned  as  follows: 

Recruits  from  Greene,  Clark,  Miami,  and  Darke,  to  the  110th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp  Piqua. 
"  "      Paulding,    Defiance,    Henry,   Wood,   Sandusky,   Williams,   Fulton,    Lucas,   and 

Ottawa,  to  the  111th,  to  rendezvous  at  Toledo. 
"  "      Montgomery,  to  the  112th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp  Dayton. 

"  "      Champaign,  Madison,  Franklin,  and  Licking,  to  the  113th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp 

Chase. 
4<  "      Fayette,  Pickaway,  Fairfield,  Perry,  Hocking,  and  Vinton,  to  the  114th   to  rendez- 

vous at  Camp  Circleville.  ' 

"  "      Stark,  Columbiana,  Summit,  and  Portage,  to  the  115th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp 

Massillon. 
"  "      Meigs,  Athens,  Washington,  Noble,  and  Monroe,  to  the  116th,  to  rendezvous  at 

Camp  Marietta. 
"      Adams,  Scioto,  Pike,  Jackson,  Lawrence,  and  Gallia,  to  the  117th,  to  rendezvous 

at  Camp  Portsmouth. 
"      the  Eighth  Military  District,  to  the  118th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp  Lima. 
"  "      Hamilton,  Butler,  Preble,  Warren,  and  Clinton,  to  the  119th,  to  rendezvous  at 

Camp  Dennison. 
"      Kichland,  Ashland,  Holmes,  and  Wayne,  to  the  120th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp 
Mansfield. 

*  Adjutant-General's  Keport  for  1862. 


: 


111th 

«< 

u 

115th 

« 

« 

114th 

« 

It 

120th 

« 

a 

121  si 

« 

u 

i-:;.i 

« 

U 

122d 

« 

a 

126th 

u 

« 

116th 

« 

« 

118th 

u 

U 

74  Ohio  in  the  War. 

.its  from  Logan,  Union,  Delaware,  Marion,  Morrow,  and  Knox,  to  the  121st,  to  rendezvoua 
at  Camp  Delaware.  '*  .' 

«      the  Sixth  Military  District,  to  the  122d,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp  Zanesville. 
«      AVyandot,  Crawford,  Seneca,  Huron,  and  Erie,  to  the  123d,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp 

Momoeville. 
«      Medina    Lorain,  and  Cuyahoga,  to  the  124th,  to  rendezvous  at  Camp  Cleveland. 
«      Mahoning  Trumbull,  (ieauga,  Lake,  and  Ashtabula,  to  the  125th,  to  rendezvous  at 

Camp  Cleveland. 
"      Belmont,  Tnscarasvas.  Harrison,  Jefferson,  and  Carroll,  to  the  126th,  to  rendezvous 

at  Camp  Steubenville. 

Of  these  the  Adjutant-General  was  able  before  the  end  of  the  year,  1862, 
to  report  the  majority  full,  as  follows: 

110th  Regiment  rendezvoused  at  Piqua;  was  full*  on  3d  October. 

Toledo;  was  full  on  27th  August. 
Massillon;  was  full  on  22d  August. 
Circleville;  was  full  on  22d  August. 
Manstield;  was  full  on  10th  September. 
Delaware;  was  full  on  11th  September. 
Monroeville;  was  full  on  26th  September. 
Zanesville;  was  full  on  8th  October. 
Steubenville;  was  full  on  11th  October. 
Marietta;  was  full  on  28th  October. 
Lima;  was  full  on  5th  December. 

Most  of  the  others  were  also  in  a  fair  way  for  speedy  completion.  Some 
new  batteries  were  also  raised,  and  the  "  Eiver  Kegiment "  (Seventh)  of  Cav- 
alry, and  several  more  organizations  of  each  arm  were  begun. 

Meantime  this  effort  to  fill  the  quota  by  volunteering  involved  a  necessary 
but  very  grave  evil.  Kecruits  could  not  be  secured  save  by  multiplying  organi- 
zations, and  so  making  energetic  recruiting  agents  of  the  new  officers,  whose 
commissions  depended  upon  the  completion  of  their  commands.  The  number 
of  regiments  and  of  officers  thus  grew  out  of  all  proportion  to  the  number  of 
men;  and  the  thinned  ranks  at  the  front,  which  most  of  all  needed  recruits,  and 
in  which  these  recruits  could  be  most  speedily  fitted  for  active  service,  received 
scarcely  any. 

Governor  Tod  did  his  best  to  change  this  unfortunate  shape  of  affairs ;  but 
the  vice  was  inherent  in  the  system.  The  tendency  was  all  to  the  new  regi- 
ments; the  public  excitement  and  effort  were  in  regard  to  them;  the  State  was 
filled  with  their  agents.  In  the  too  rare  cases  in  which  the  regiments  in  the 
field  sent  home  officers  to  recruit,  the  difference  in  their  operations  was  pithily 
stated  by  the  Governor  in  one  of  his  official  letters:  "The  great  trouble  is  that 
the  recruiting  officers  sent  home  have  their  commissions  in  their  pockets,  and 
thus  situated,  encounter  at  every  corner  recruiting  officers  who  have  their  com- 
missions to  earn."  He  proposed  that  commanders  of  regiments  should  send 
home  non-commissioned  officers  or  privates,  with  the  promise  of  commissions, 
provided  they  should  recruit  a  given  number  of  men;  but  this  sagacious  hint 

•In  point  of  fact  one  company  was  missing  at  this  date— being  only  partially  full— but  the 
regiment  was  then  ordered  to  the  field  in  Kentucky. 


.. 


Tod's  Administkation.  75 


as  not  adopted.  Then  he  suggested  to  the  Secretary  of  "War  that  the  compa- 
nies of  the  weakest  regiments  should  be  consolidated,  and  that  the  officers  of  the 
companies  thus  broken  up  should  be  sent  home  to  recruit — their  remaining  in 
the  service  to  be  conditional  upon  their  success.  Still  striving  to  fill  up  the  old 
organizations,  he  next  adopted  the  plan  of  giving  commissions  for  the  lower 
vacancies  in  certain  regiments  to  men  who  had  not  hitherto  been  in  the  service, 
on  condition  that  they  should  take  with  them  to  the  field  a  certain  number  of 
recruits.  But  the  well-meant  effort  awakened  at  once  the  most  outspoken  hos- 
tility. Officers  in  the  field  naturally  complained  that  their  chances  for  promo- 
tion were  injured  by  this  foisting  in  above  them  of  men  who  had  won  rank  not 
by  fighting  but  by  recruiting;  and  they  took  the  very  sensible  ground  that  it 
was  the  duty  of  those  who  stayed  at  home  to  keep  their  files  full.  Yet  they 
should  have  seen  that  this  was  impossible  so  long  as  the  volunteering  system 
made  rank  the  reward  of  recruiting  agents,  and  service  at  home  a  surer  way  of 
securing  it  than  service  at  the  front — in  short,  as  we  have  already  said,  that  the 
vice  was  inherent  in  the  system. 

The  only  serious  difficulties  between  the  Governor  and  the  officers  in  the 
field  grew  out  of  this  subject.  Some  refused  to  recognize  the  commissions  which 
he  had  given  to  recruiting  agents,  or  permit  them  to  be  mustered  into  the  service 
as  belonging  to  their  regiments.  Two,  out  of  the  many  tart  letters  thus  evoked, 
will  serve  to  illustrate  the  difficulty : 

The  State  of  Ohio,  Executive  Department,    "> 

Columbus,  November  7,  1862.  j 

Lieutenant-Colonel  E.W.  Hollingsworth,  Nineteenth  Regiment  0.  V.  I.,  Columbia,  Kentucky : 

Dear  Sir: — Your  letter  of  the  1st  inst.,  by  Lieutenant  Case,  is  before  me.  I  am  surprised, 
Colonel,  that  you  should  be  so  short-sighted  as  not  to  second  my  efforts  in  filling  up  your  regi- 
ment. To  save  the  existence  of  your  regiment,  and  thereby  the  official  existence  of  yourself,  I 
appointed  Lieutenant  Case  as  Second-Lieutenant,  upon  condition  that  he  recruit  thirty  men  for 
your  regiment,  and  take  them  with  him.  He  could  much  more  easily  have  earned  a  position  for 
himself  by  recruiting  for  a  new  regiment,  but  my  fear  that  the  gallant  old  Nineteenth  might  be 
attached  to  some  other  old  regiment,  and  thereby  strike  from  the  rolls  its  brave  officers,  induced 
me  to  urge  him  to  recruit  for  it.  Notwithstanding  the  bad  taste  of  your  letter,  I  have  ordered 
Lieutenant  Case  to  return  to  you  again,  and  ask  of  you  that  you  either  assign  him  to  duty  or 
give  him  up  his  men,  that  he  may  find  a  place  in  some  other  old  regiment,  the  officers  of  which 
may  be  able  to  appreciate  that  the  Secretary  of  War  will  not  keep  regiments  in  the  field  simply 

to  make  place  for  officers. 

Kespectfully  yours, 

DAVID  TOD,  Governor. 

The  State  of  Ohio,  Executive  Department,    ") 
Columbus,  November  27,  1862.  J 

Colonel  J.  67.  Hawkins,  Thirteenth  Regiment  0.  V.  I.,  Silver  Springs,  Tennessee: 

Sir: — Deeply  as  I  regret  to  differ  with  you,  I  can  not  comply  with  your  wishes  as  to  Lieu- 
tenant Charles  Crawford. 

To  preserve  the  existence  of  your  regiment,  as  I  supposed,  I  offered  this  young  man  the  po- 
sition of  Second-Lieutenant,  upon  the  express  condition  that  he  recruit  a  given  number  of  men 
within  a  time  specified.  In  thus  doing  I  supposed  that  I  was  laboring  for  the  interests  of  your 
regiment,  and  therein  for  the  best  interests  of  the  Government.  Lieutenant  Crawford  more  than 
performed  his  part  of  the  agreement — he  recruited  fifty-two  men — and  you  must  not  interfere 
with  its  performance  on  my  part. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

DAVID  TOD,  Governor. 


76  Ohio  in  the  War. 

In  spite  of  these  difficulties  considerable  numbers  for  the  old  regiments 
*ere  secured  by  the  persistent  efforts  of  the  Governor,  whose  sagacity  was  no- 
where more  conspicuous  than  in  perceiving  this  to  be  the  essential  necessity  of 
the  .vrmiting  service.  By  the  end  of  the  year  it  was  estimated  that,  of  the 
troops  raised  in  various  ways  throughout  the  State  during  the  last  eight  months, 
about  twenty-four  thousand  had  gone  to  fill  the  wasted  ranks  at  the  front. 

A  final  opportunity  to  break  away  from  the  volunteering  system  was  lost. 
When  the  orders  of  the  Secretary  of  War  for  a  draft  were  issued,  many  locali- 
ties seemed  disposed  to  slacken  their  efforts  and  await  it.  Thereupon,  on  the  5th 
of  August,  the  Governor  addressed  the  military  committees,  by  means  of  a  cir- 
cular published  in  the  newspapers: 

"The  recent  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War  in  relation  to  drafting  may  cause  diversity  of 
opinion  and  action  among  you.  Hence  I  deem  it  proper  to  urge  that  you  proceed  in  your  efforts 
to  complete  the  regiments  heretofore  called  for,  and  fill  up  those  already  in  the  field,  as  though 
the  recent  order  had  not  been  promulgated ;  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  generous  and  liberal  offers 
now  being  made  all  over  the  State,  in  the  shape  of  bounties  to  recruits,  will  not  be  withdrawn  or 
interfered  with.  It  is  believed  that  with  continued  vigorous  efforts  the  regiments  may  be  filled 
up  by  the  fifteenth." 

And  then,  as  the  Government  found  it  necessary  to  make  still  further  post- 
ponements of  the  draft,  the  Governor  again  (1st  September)  addressed  the  mili- 
tary committees : 

"For  the  new  regiments  there  are  wanted  about  two  thousand  men,  and  for  the  old  regi- 
imnts  about  twenty-one  thousand  men,  or,  in  all,  about  twenty-three  thousand.  Can  this  force 
be  raised  by  voluntary  enlistment,  and  thereby  save  the  trouble,  expense,  and  vexation  of  resort- 
ing to  drafting  in  Ohio?  It  is  believed  that  it  can  be.  More  than  twice  that  number  has  been 
raised  within  the  past  few  weeks  ;  and  surely,  the  gallant  men  of  Ohio  are  not  weary  in  their 
good  work." 

For  the  original  prejudice  against  the  draft  as  a  systematic  and  permanent 
mode  of  sustaining  the  army,  Governor  Tod  was  not  responsible.  But  it  is  thus 
seen  how  he  fell  in  with  and  finally  led  the  opposition'to  it. 

After  all,  the  draft  came.  It  was  postponed  to  the  15th  of  September.  The 
number  then  deficient  was  twenty  thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty-seven  ; 
and  it  was  further  postponed  to  the  1st  of  October.  On  the  1st  of  September 
only  thirteen  counties  had  filled  their  quotas.  On  the  1st  of  October  only  thir- 
teen more  had  escaped  the  draft,  and  it  was  finally  ordered  for  twelve  thousand 
two  hundred  and  fifty-one.  The  Secretary  of  War  appointed  six  Provost-Mar- 
shals: Charles  F.  Wilstach  of  Cincinnati,  Wells  A.  Hutchins  of  Portsmouth,  M. 
G.  Mitchell  of  Piqua,  Henry  C.  Noble  of  Columbus,  Charles  T.  Sherman  of 
Mansfield,  and  J.  L.  Weatherby  of  Cleveland.  The  State  was  divided  into  six 
diMHcts  and  assigned  to  these  gentlemen,  under  whose  supervision  the  draft 
eded-each  community  striving  by  high  and  higher  bounties,  and  by  every 
form  ot  .mhvidual  effort,  continued  to  the  last  moment,  to  escape. 

The  counties  that  filled  their  quotas  before  the  draft  was  ordered,  and  those 
that  filled  them  after  its  first  postponement,  with  the  number  of  enrolled  militia 
and  the  whole  number  of  volunteers  furnished  in  each,  from  the  outbreak  of  the 


Toes   Administration. 


77 


-ar  up  to  the  1st  of  October,  1862,  together  with  the  number  then  drafted,  may 
>e  found  set  forth  in  the  following  table : 


COUNTIES. 


Adams  

Allen 

Ashland 

Ashtabula  .. 

Athens 

Auglaize .... 
Belmont  .... 

Brown 

Butler 

Carroll 

Champaign 

Clark 

Clermont  ... 

Clinton 

Columbiana 
Coshocton... 
Crawford  ... 
Cuvahoga... 

Darke 

Defiance 

Delaware  ... 

Erie 

Fairfield  .... 

Fayette 

Franklin  ... 

Fulton 

Gallia 

Geauga 

Greene 

Guernsey.... 
Hamilton  ... 

Hancock 

Hardin  

Harrison  .... 

Henry 

Highland..., 

Hocking 

Holmes 

Huron 

Jackson  

Jefferson 

Knox 

Lake 

Lawrence  ... 

Licking 

Logan  

Lorain 

Lucas 

Madison 

Mahoning  ... 

Marion 

Medina 

Meigs 

Mercer 

Miami 

Monroe 

Montgomery 

Morgan 

Morrow 


Number 

of 

Enrollment. 


Number 

of 

Volunteers 

to  the  1st 
September. 


3,920 
3,792 
4,033 
5,945 
4,297 
3,282 
5,973 
5,127 
6,544 
2,615 
4,112 
4,838 
6,191 
3,910 
5,738 
4,299 
4,524 

14,360 
4,913 
2,535 
4,430 
4,223 
4,878 
3,243 
7,841 
2,792 
3,832 
2,711 
5,099 
3,961 

39,926 
4,156 
3,077 
3,277 
1,559 
4,755 
2,935 
3,522 
5,318 
3,221 
4,379 
4,981 
2,579 
4,062 
6,595 
3,924 
5,496 
5,918 
2,909 
4,895 
3,213 
3,858 
4,736 
2,530 
5,814 
4,489 
8,959 
3,872 
3,530 


1,428 
1,411 
1,322 
2,129 
1,963 
1,102 
2,217 
1,753 
2,759 

850 
1,493 
1,869 
2,295 
1,424 
1,830 
1,490 
1,161 
4,874 
1,503 

813 
1,724 
1,532 
1,888 
1,278 
3,105 

931 
1,288 

983 
1,889 
1,445 
14,795 
1,260 
1,197 
1,098 

704 
1,711 
1,195 

962 
1,914 
1,058 
1,856 
1,630 

945 
1,852 
2,208 
1,635 
1,704 
2,143 
1,095 
1,501 

929 
1,112 
1,716 

814 
2,120 
1,694 
2,822 
1,309 
1,179 


Number 

ordered  to  be 

drafted 


137 
105 

289 
238 

So 

172 

294 

189 
152 

75 
177 
139 
465 
227 
642 
869 
458 
202 

46 
157 

60 

18 

31 
185 
244 
100 
150 
138 
1,175 
404 

35 
215 

78 
185 


Number  of 

Volunteers 
.and  correc- 
tions to  1st 
October. 


447 
202 
230 

"361 

88 

"430 

"493 
225 
71 
457 
356 
431 
177 
198 
205 
100 
755 
237' 
232 


164 

139 

86 

146 


46 

71 

165 

'  64 

212 

102 

201 

41 

256 

29 

62 

569 

141 

39 

15 

94 

35 

39 

371 

90 

35 

42 

25 

138 

1,529 

27 

55 

10 

24 

4 

"*4i 
153 
172 

"59 
29 

"*69 


206 

419 
43 
80 

116 
48 

177 
5 

341 


93 
65 
29 


78 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


Muftkingum 
Noble 

IV 

Paulding 

Perry 

Pickaway  •••• 

Pttte..... 

Pbrtage 

Preble 

Putnam 

Richland 

!  

Sandusky  .... 

Sriui 

I • 

Shelby 

Stark 

Summit  

Trumbull.... 
Tu-r  irawas. 

Union 

Van  WYrt.... 

Vinton 

Warren 

RTaehington 
Wayne 

William- 

Wood 

Wyandot-. .. 


Cor.NTIKS. 


Number 

of 

Enrollment. 


Total 


7,020 
3,617 
1,587 
1,025 
3,104 
4,294 
2,353 
4,420 
3,575 
2,459 
5,870 
5,853 
4,387 
4,797 
5,497 
2,602 
7,910 
5,076 
5,997 
5,757 
3,059 
2,172 
2,446 
5,352 
6,089 
5,786 
3,175 
3,699 
3,322 


Number 

of 

Volunteers 

to  the  1st 

September. 


425,147 


2,314 

961 

575 

458 

1,145 

1,933 

1,060 

1,261 

1,307 

869 

1,970 

2,687 

1,403 

2,116 

2,001 

990 

2,477 

1,622 

1,937 

1,739 

1,161 

685 

1,002 

1,842 

2,243 

1,847 

975 

1,487 

1,304 


Number 

ordered  to  be 

drafted. 


151,301 


489 
483 

58 

"*96 


503 
124 
114 
377 

351 

190 

52 

686 

411 

461 

564 
62 

182 

"298 
193 
467 
295 

"15 


Number 
Volunteers 
and  correc- 
tions to  1st 

October. 


20,427 


182 

145 

21 

52 


190 
37 
39 

150 

163 
94 
63 
11 

145 
55 

218 

140 

9 

31 

246 

86 


71 
12 


Number 
drafted. 


307 

339 

37 


9,508 


•14 


313 
87 
75 

227 

188 

127 
41 
541 
356 
243 
424 
53 
151 

52 

107 

369 
224 


12,251 


Three  hundred  and  fifty-nine  of  those  thus  drafted  were  released  on  the 
ground  of  belonging  to  ehurches  conscientiously  opposed  to  fighting,  as  follows: 


Ashland 8 

Belmont 2 

Clinton 9 

Columbiana 3 

Crawford 7 

Darke 18 

Defiance 11 

Delaware 1 

Erie 2 

Fulton 5 

Gallia 4 

Greene 7 

Hancock 3 

Total 


Henry 1 

Holmes 72 

Jackson 1 

Knox 9 

Licking 2 

Mahoning 12 

Marion 2 

Medina 3 

Monroe 12 

Mercer 6 

Montgomery 78 

Morgan 7 

Morrow 1 


Muskingurti 3 

Perry 2 

Putnam 8 

Kichland 1 

Sandusky 1 

Stark 16 

Summit 3 

Tuscarawas , 11 

Van  Wert 1 

Warren 4 

Wayne 20 

Williams 2 


.359 


Opposed  from  the  outset  as  something  discreditable,  the  draft  naturally 
failed  to  accomplish  all  that  its  advocates  had  expected.  Of  the  twelve  thou- 
sand to  be  drafted,  about  four  thousand  eight  hundred  either  in  person  or  by 
substitute  volunteered  after  the  draft;  two  thousand  nine  hundred  were  for 
various  reasons  discharged;  one  thousand  nine  hundred  ran  away,  and  the  old 


Tod's  Administration.  79 

regiments  received  only  the  beggarly  re-enforcement  of  two  thousand  four  hun- 
dred.    How  these  were  distributed  may  be  seen  in  part  from  the  following: 

AT   CAMP   CLEVELAND. 

November  20,  1862,  to  the   6th  Regiment  O.  V.  Cavalry 69  men. 

"          20,     "          "       38th         "               "      Infantry 83  " 

"          20,     *          "        41st         "               "             "       11  " 

"          20,     "          *        42d         "              "             "       23  " 

"          20,     "         "        72d        "              "            "       44  " 

Total 230 

AT  CAMP  DENNISON. 

November  19,  1862,  to  the  25th  Regiment  O.  V.  Infantry 15  men. 

"          19,     "          "       30th         "              "             j       12  " 

"          17,     u         "       36th        "              "            " 32  " 

«          19,     "          A       62d        "              "            "       30  " 

"          19,     "          "      69th        "             "            "       11  " 

"         19,     "         "      70th        "             "            "      2  " 

19,     "         V      77th        "             "            "      60  " 

Total 162 

AT   CAMP   MANSFIELD. 

November  11,  1862,  to  the  16th  Regiment  O.  V.  Infantry 90  men. 

"          12,     "          "       19th         "              "             "       91  « 

"          13,     "          "       20th        "             H            "       116  " 

13,     "          *       21st        "             "            " 54  " 

December    9,     "          "       27th         "              H            "       9  " 

November  11,     "          u.       37th         "              "             "       56  " 

"          13,     "          "       41st         %              "             "       26  " 

"          13,     "          "        42d        "             "            "       47  " 

13,     "          "        43d        "              "            "       50  " 

13,     "  "       46th        "  "  "       25  " 

11,  "          "      49th        ft             "            " 77  " 

"         13,     "          "       51st        "             "            "       17  " 

"         14,     "          "      56th        H             "            «       65  « 

u         13,     "          "      57th        M             "            "       129  " 

"          13,     "         "      64th        "             "            "       93  " 

12,  "          "       76th        "             "            u       80  " 

12,     "          "        82d        "             "            "       53  " 

Total 1,078 

AT  CAMP   ZANESVILLE. 

November  11,  1862,  to  the     2d  Regiment  O.  V.  Infantry ^ 19  men. 

10,     "          "         43d        <              "            " 55  " 

"         11,     "          "        46th        "             "            H       3  « 

"         10,     "          "        51st        "             "            "       34  " 

"         10,     "          "        65th        "     >        "            "       44  " 

6,     "          "        76th        "             "            "       130  " 

u         11,    "         u       78th        "             "           "      16 

"         10,     "         "        80th        "             "            " 25  " 

Total 326 

The  deficiencies  from  runaway  drafted  men  were  soon  more  than  made  up 

by  voluntary  enlistments,  so  that  at  the  end  of  the  year  the  Governor  was  able 


80 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


.  ,,ort  the  State  ahead  of  all  calls  upon  her,  and  his  Adjutant-General  to 
reckon  up  the  mii.i  of  Ohio's  contributions  to  the  war  at  one  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-thousand one  hundred  and  twenty-one  men-not  counting  the  first  three 
months'  men  who  had  re-enlisted,  the  recruits  for  the  regular  army,  or  those 
found  i.i  the  naval  service,  or  in  organizations  credited  to  other  States. 

In  bo  far  M  the  appointment  of  new  officers  for  these  troops  fell  upon  him, 
Governor  Tod  acted  upon  excellent  principles.  As  far  as  possible  he  sought  to 
secure  for  the  leading  officers  men  already  in  the  service,  whose  conduct  had 
shown  them  worthy  of  promotion.  Thus  the  Colonels  of  a  number  of  new  reg- 
iments were  chosen  as  follows: 

45th  Regiment,  Colonel  Runkle,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  13th  O.  V.  I. 

52d  "  "  D.  McCook,  late  Captain  on  General  Staff. 

79th  «  "  Kennett,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  27th  O.  V.  I. 

83d  "  "  Moore,  late  Captain  5th  O.  V.  I. 

91st  "  "  Turley,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  22d  and  81st  O.  V.  I. 

92d  "  "  Van  Vorhes,  late  Quartermaster  18th  O.  V.  I. 

94th  •'  "  Frizell,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  11th  O.  V.  I. 

98th  "  "  Webster,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  25th  O.  V.  I. 

99th  "  "  Langworthy,  late  Captain  49th  O.  V.  I. 

100th  "  "  Groom,  late  Major  84th  O.  V.  I. 

103d  "  "  Casement,  late  Major  7th  O.  V.  I. 

106th  "  "  Hall,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  24th  O.  V.  I. 

106th  "  "  Tafel,  late  Captain  9th  O.  V.  I. 

108th  "  "  Limberg,  late  Captain  in  Kentucky  Regiment. 

110th  "  "  Keifer,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  3d  O.  V.  I. 

111th  "  "  Bond,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  67th  O.  V.  I. 

115th  "  "  Lucy,  late  Captain  32d  O.  V.  I. 

113th  H  "  Washburn,  late  Captain  25th  O.  V.  I. 

118th  "  "  Mott,  late  Captain  31st  O.  V.  I. 

120th  "  "  French,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  65th  O.  V.  I. 

121st  "  "  Reed,  late  Brigadier-General  of  Militia. 

123d  "  "  Wilson,  late  Lieutenant-Colonel  15th  O.  V.  I. 

124th  "  "  Payne,  late  Captain  in  Illinois  Regiment. 

125th  "  "  Opdycke,  late  Captain  41st  O.  V.  I. 

126th  "  "  Smith,  late  Captain  6th  U.  S.  I.,  and  Colonel  1st  O.  V.  I. 

So  far  as  possible  the  Governor  assiduously  sought  to  secure  men  for  the 
lower  offices  in  the  same  way.  Many  obstacles,  however,  were  encountered, 
from  the  unwillingness  of  the  War  Department  to  grant  furloughs  to  good  offi- 
cers in  the  midst  of  active  campaigns,  merely  that  they  might  go  home  on  re- 
cruiting duty.  Of  course  the  majority  of  the  appointments  had  to  be  taken 
from  civil  life.  In  the  selection  of  these  Governor  Tod  relied  largely  upon  the 
recommendations  of  the  county  military  committees.  He  was  quite  as  success- 
ful as  could  have  been  anticipated;  and  the  troops  of  the  State  thus  continued 
to  be,  in  the  main,  well-officered. 

During  the  progress  of  these  efforts  to  fill  up  the  army,  difficulties  were 
from  time  to  time  thrown  in  the  way  by  persons  hostile  to  the  war.  The  most 
conspicuous  perhaps  of  these  was  Dr.  Edson  B.  Olds  of  Lancaster,  a  Democratic 
politician  of  some  local  prominence.     His  speeches  were  considered  by  Gover- 


TOD'S   Administeation.  81 

nor  Tod  as  calculated  to  discourage  enlistments  so  seriously  that  he  recom- 
mended the  Washington  authorities  to  arrest  him,  under  the  provisions  of  the 
proclamation  suspending  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  Dr.  Olds  was  accordingly 
arrested  on  the  evening  of  the  12th  of  August  by  a  couple  of  United  States 
officers.  Some  resistance  was  attempted  by  one  or  more  members  of  the  family, 
but  it  proved  trifling,  and  the  prisoner  was  conveyed  with  little  difficulty  out  of 
town,  and  sent  forward  to  Fort  Lafayette,  where  the  United  States  authorities 
continued  to  hold  him  for  many  months. 

Arrests  of  some  other  parties  of  less  prominence  followed.  In  all,  eleven 
were  made — only  two  of  which  were  on  the  Governor's  recommendation. 

He  likewise  felt  constrained,  in  one  instance,  to  interfere  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  military  force.  About  the  time  Cincinnati  was  threatened  by  the 
Eebel  columns  operating  in  Kentucky,  a  Democratic  meeting  was  held  in  Butler 
County,  in  which  it  was  resolved  to  form  a  regiment  to  oppose  the  threatened 
invasion  of  the  State.  Doubting,  as  it  would  seem,  the  entire  good  faith  of  this 
procedure,  and  unwilling,  at  any  rate,  to  permit  the  efforts  of  his  officers  at  re- 
cruiting to  be  embarrassed  by  such  anomalous  organizations,  Governor  Tod 
addressed  a  letter  to  Eobert  Christy,  Esq.,  of  Hamilton,  whom  the  meeting  had 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  movement,  "Whether  it  was  intended,"  he  said 
in  this  letter,  "by  this  proceeding  to  interfere  with  the  voluntary  enlistments 
now  being  made  all  over  the  State,  in  response  to  the  President's  recent  calls 
for  troops,  is  now  immaterial.  Believing  such  to  be  the  effect,  I  feel  it  my  im- 
perative duty  to  direct  that  you,  and  all  associated  with  you  in  the  effort  to 
raise  said  regiment,  at  once  desist.  It  is  hoped  that  you  and  your  associates 
will  give  cheerful  obedience  to  this  order,  and  join  all  loyal  citizens  of  the  State 
in  their  efforts  to  suppress  the  unholy  rebellion  in  the  manner  designated  by  the 
National  authorities." 

The  state  of  affairs  in  which  orders  like  this  are  necessary,  and  in  which 
arrests  of  respectable  men  for  interfering  with  the  operations  of  the  Govern- 
ment become  common,  may  generally  be  taken  as  betokening  a  popular  reac- 
tion.    It  was  more  marked  now  than  had  been  expected. 

The  war  presented,  East  and  West,  but  a  gloomy  prospect.  The  peninsu- 
lar campaign  had  ended  in  failure.  The  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  which 
next  essayed  an  advance  toward  Eiehmond,  had  been  hurled  back  in  disorder  to 
the  defenses  of  Washington.  The  successful  Eebel  army  had  invaded  Mary- 
land, and  had  only  been  checked,  not  beaten,  at  Antietam.  The  opening  of  the 
Mississippi  had  met  with  sudden  check  at  Yicksburg.  The  great  army  that  had 
pressed  the  Eebel  column  from  Kentucky  to  North  Alabama  came  hurrying 
back  to  defend  the  Ohio  border.  Cincinnati  and  Louisville  were  threatened. 
Along  the  whole  Western  Virginia  and  Kentucky  border  alarms  about  impend- 
ing invasion  were  frequent;  and,  in  the  midst  of  this  gloomy  outlook,  the 
President  had  declared  his  purpose  to  abolish  slavery  throughout  the  Eebel 
States  (with  the  exception  of  some  inconsiderable  localities),  by  proclamation, 
as  a  war  measure. 

We  have  seen  how  nobly,  through  all  discouragements,  the  people  labored  at 

Yol.  L—6. 


Ohio  eh   the  Wak. 


ood  work  of  filling  op  the  array.    But  the  drain  of  men,  the  absence  of 
large  numbers  of  Republican  voters  in  the  field,  the  initial  unpopularity  of  the 
aipation  Proclamation,  the  embittered  feelings  aroused  by  the  ar: 
_,neral  gloom  that  grew  out  of  the  military  situation,  secured  the  rea, 
which,  a  year  before,  had  elected  Tod  Governor  by  a  majority  of 
iiousand,  now  went  Democratic  by  a  majority  of  five  thousand  five  hun- 
dred and  seventy -seven.     Out  of  nineteen  Representatives  in  Congi\ 
Republicans  were  elected. 

:e  might  have  been  some  legitimate  ground  for  fears  that  Governor 
Tod,  as  an  old  Democrat,  long  trusted  in  the  councils  of  the  party  and  likely, 
from  all  past  associations  and  prejudices,  to  revolt  from  the  Proclamation  of 
Emancipation,  would  now  be  drawn  by  this  triumph  of  his  old  friends  to  renew 
his  connection  with  them.  But  his  patriotism  was  made  of  sterner  stuff:  the 
motives  which  had  led  him  to  abandon  party  for  country  at  the  outbreak  of 
war  were  now  only  strengthened.  He  made  no  allusion,  in  his  annual  mc 
to  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  ;  but  he  dwelt  upon  the  necessity  of  sust 
ing  the  war,  urged  the  lack  of  provocation  for  the  rebellion  of  the  insurgent 
tea,  and  fully  indorsed  the  obnoxious  arrests.  He  recommended  better  pi 
ns  for  soldiers'  families,  efficient  militia  organization,  and  the  support  of 
military  school.  For  the  rest  he  proposed  to  provide  against  another  defeat 
the  polls  by  enacting  that  the  soldiers  of  the  State  should  not  be  longer  disfran- 
chised while  fighting  the  battles  of  the  Country. 


Siege  of  Cincinnati.  83 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE   SIEGE   OT   CINCINNATI 


IN  the  early  days  of  1862  a  new  name  was  growing  at  once  into  popular 
favor  and  popular  fear  among  the  prudent  Eebels  of  the  Kentucky  bor- 
der. It  was  first  heard  of  in  the  achievement  of  carrying  off  the  artil- 
lery belonging  to  the  Lexington  company  of  the  Kentucky  State  Guard  into 
the  Confederate  service.  Gradually  it  came  to  be  coupled  with  daring  "  scouts," 
by  little  squads  of  the  Eebel  cavalry,  within  our  contemplative  picket  lines 
along  Green  River ;  with  sudden  dashes,  like  the  burning  of  the  Bacon  Creek 
Bridge,*  which  the  lack  of  enterprise,  or  even  of  ordinary  vigilance  on  the 
part  of  some  of  our  commanders  permitted ;  with  unexpected  swoops  upon  iso- 
lated supply -trains  or  droves  of  army  cattle;  with  saucy  messages  about  an 
intention  to  burn  the  Yankees  out  of  Woodsonville  the  next  week,  and  the  like. 
Then  came  dashes  within  our  lines  about  Xashville,  night  attacks,  audacious 
captures  of  whole  squads  of  guards  within  sight  of  the  camps  and  within  half 
a  mile  of  division  head-quarters,  the  seizure  of  Gallatin,  adroit  impositions  upon 
telegraph  operators,  which  secured  whatever  news  about  the  National  armies 
was  passing  over  the  wires.     Then,  after  Mitchel  had  swept  down  into  North- 

*  As  the  burning  of  this  Bacon  Creek  Bridge  was  once  the  subject  of  newspaper  controversy, 
and  as  it  is  not  elsewhere  spoken  of  in  this  work,  it  may  be  interesting  here  to  show  what  view 
the  Eebels  themselves  took  of  it.  Colonel  Basil  TV.  Duke,  Morgan's  second  in  command  through- 
out the  war,  in  his  "  History  of  Morgan's  Cavalry,"  pp.  106,  107,  says : 

u  This  bridge  had  been  destroyed  at  the  time  our  forces  fell  back  from  "Woodsonville.  It 
was  a  small  structure  and  easily  replaced,  but  its  reparation  was  necessary  to  the  use  of  the  road. 
The  National  army  then  lay  encamped  between  Bacon  and  Xolin  Creeks,  the  advance  about 
three  miles  from  Bacon  Creek,  the  outposts  scarcely  half  a  mile  from  the  bridge.  A  few  days' 
labor  served  to  erect  the  wood  work  of  the  bridge,  and  it  was  ready  to  receive  the  iron  rails, 
when  Morgan  asked  leave  to  destroy  it.  It  was  granted,  and  he  started  from  Bowling  Green  on 
the  same  night  with  his  entire  command,  for  he  believed  that  he  would  find  the  bridge  strongly 
guarded,  and  would  have  to  fight  for  it.  .  .  .  Pressing  on  vigorously,  he  reached  the  bridge, 
.  .  .  and  to  his  surprise  and  satisfaction  found  it  without  a  guard,  that  which  protected  the 
workmen  during  the  day  having  been  withdrawn  at  night.  The  bridge  was  set  on  fire,  and  in 
three  hours  thoroughly  destroyed,  no  interruption  to  the  work  being  attempted  by  the  enemy. 
The  damage  inflicted  was  trifling,  and  the  delay  occasioned  of  little  consequence.  The  benefit 
derived  from  it  by  Morgan  was  twofold :  it  increased  the  hardihood  of  his  men  in  that  species 
of  service,  and  gave  himself  still  greater  confidence  in  his  own  tactics," 


84  Ohio  in  the  War. 

cm  Alabama,  followed  incursions  upon  his  rear,  cotton-burning  exploits  under 
he  very  noses  of  his  guards,  open  pillage  of  citizens  who  had  been  encouraged 
£  t,,;,,vance  of  the  National  armies  to  express  the.  loyalty.*  These  acts 
(.;)VrlV(1  a  wide  range  of  country,  and  followed  each  other  in  quick  succession, 
bu,  they  Were  all  traced  to  John  Morgan's  Kentucky  cavalry;  and  such  were 
their  freqnency  and  daring,  that  by  midsummer  of  1862  Morgan  and  his  men 
occupied  almost  as  much  of  the  popular  attention  in  Kentucky  and  along  the 
border  as  Beauregard  or  Lee. 

The  leader  of  this  band  was  a  native  of  Huntsville,  Alabama,  but  from 
early  boyhood  a  resident  of  Kentucky.  He  had  grown  up  to  the  free  and  easy 
life  of  a  slaveholding  farmer's  son,  in  the  heart  of  the  "Blue  Grass  country," 
near  Lexington ;  had  become  a  volunteer  for  the  Mexican  war  at  the  age  of 
nineteen,  and  had  risen  to  a  First-Lieutenancy;  had  passed  through  his  share 
of  personal  encounters  and  "affairs  of  honor  "  about  Lexington— not  without 
wounds— and  had  finally  married  and  settled  down  as  a  manufacturer  and  spec- 
ulator. He  had  lived  freely,  gambled  freely,  shared  in  all  the  dissipations  of 
the  time  and  place,  and  still  had  retained  the  early  vigor  of  a  powerful  consti- 
tution, and  a  strong  hold  upon  the  confidence  of  the  hot-blooded  young  men  of 
Lexington.  These  followed  him  to  the  war.  They  were  horsemen  by  instinct, 
accustomed  to  a  dare-devil  life,  capable  of  doing  their  own  thinking  in  emer- 
gencies without  waiting  for  orders,  and  in  all  respects  the  best  material 
for  an  independent  band  of  partisan  rangers  the  country  had  produced. 
They  were  allied  by  family  connections  with  many  of  the  leading  people  of 
the  "Blue  Grass"  region;  and  it  could  not  but  result  that  when  they  ap- 
peared in  Kentucky — whatever  army  might  be  near — they  found  themselves 
among  friends. 

The  people  of  Ohio  had  hardly  recovered  from  the  spasmodic  effort  to  raise 
regiments  in  a  day  for  a  second  defense  of  the  capital,  into  which  they  had 
been  thrown  by  the  call  of  the  Government  in  its  alarm  at  Stonewall  Jackson's 
rush  through  the  valley.  They  were  now,  rather  languidly,  turning  to  the  effort 
of  filling  the  new  and  unexpected  call  for  seventy-four  thousand  three  years' 
men.  Few  had  as  yet  been  raised.  Here  and  there  through  the  State  were  the 
nuclei  of  forming  regiments,  and  there  were  a  few  arms,  but  there  was  no  ade- 
quate protection  for  the  Border,  and  none  dreamed  that  any  was  necessary, 
Beauregard  had  evacuated  Corinth ;  Memphis  had  fallen  ;  Buell  was  moving 
eastward  toward  Chattanooga  ;  the  troops  lately  commanded  by  Mitchel  held 
Tennessee  and  Northern  Alabama  ;  Kentucky  was  mainly  in  the  hands  of  her 
Some-Guards,  and,  under  the  supervision  of  a  State  military  board,  was  raising 
volunteers  for  the  National  army. 

"  The  command  encamped  that  night  in  a  loyal  neighborhood,  and,  mindful  always  of  a 
decorous  respect  for  the  opinions  of  other  people,  Colonel  Morgan  made  all  of  his  men  '  play 
Union.1  They  were  consequently  treated  with  distinguished  consideration,  and  some  were  fur- 
nfehed  with  fresh  bones,  lor  which  they  gave  their  kind  friends  orders  (on  the  disbursing  officers 

shville)  for  their  back  pay.  .  .  .  Over  one  store  the  stars  and  stripes  were  floating  re- 
Rplendent.  The  men  were  so  much  pleased  with  this  evidence  of  patriotism  that  they  would  pat- 
ronise no  other  store  in  the  place!"     Basil  W.  Duke's  History  of  Morgan's  Cavalry,  pp.  158-9. 


Siege  of   Cincinnati.  So 

Suddenly,  while  the  newspapers  were  still  trying  to  explain  McClellan's 
change  of  base,  and  clamoring  against  B-uell's  slow  advances  on  Chattanooga, 
without  a  word  of  warning  or  explanation,  came  the  startling  news  that  John 
Morgan  was  in  Kentucky!  The  dispatches  of  Friday  afternoon,  the  11th  of 
July,  announced  that  he  had  fallen  upon  the  little  post  of  Tompkinsville,  and 
killed  or  captured  the  entire  garrison.  By  evening  it  was  known  that  the  pris- 
oners were  paroled;  that  Morgan  had  advanced  unopposed  to  Glasgow;  that  he 
had  issued  a  proclamation  calling  upon  the  Kentuckians  to  rise ;  that  the  author- 
ities deemed  it  unsafe  to  attempt  sending  through  trains  from  Louisville  to 
Nashville.  By  Saturday  afternoon  he  was  reported  marching  on  Lexington,  and 
General  Boyle,  the  commandant  in  Kentucky,  was  telegraphing  vigorously  to 
Mayor  Hatch,  at  Cincinnati,  for  militia  to  be  sent  in  that  direction. 

A  public  meeting  was  at  once  called,  and  by  nine  o'clock  that  evening  a 
concourse  of  several  thousand  citizens  had  gathered  in  the  Fifth  Street  market- 
space.  Meantime  more  and  more  urgency  for  aid  had  been  expressed  in  suc- 
cessive dispatches  from  General  Boyle.  In  one  he  fixed  Morgan's  force  at  two 
thousand  eight  hundred  ;  in  another  he  said  that  Morgan,  with  one  thousand 
five  hundred,  had  burned  Perryville,  and  was  marching  on  Danville;  again, 
that  the  forces  at  his  command  were  needed  to  defend  Louisyille,  and  that  Cin- 
cinnati must  defend  Lexington  !  Some  of  these  dispatches  were  read  at  the 
public  meeting,  and  speeches  were  made  by  the  Mayor,  Judge  Saffin,  and  others. 
Finally  a  committee  was  appointed,*  headed  by  ex-Senator  Geo.  E.  Pugh,  to  take 
such  measures  for  organized  effort  as  might  be  possible  or  necessary.  Before  the 
committee  could  organize  came  word  that  Governor  Tod  had  ordered  down  such 
convalescent  soldiers  as  could  be  gathered  at  Camp  Dennison  and  Camp  Chase, 
and  had  sent  a  thousand  stand  of  arms.  A  little  after  midnight  two  hundred 
men  belonging  to  the  Fifty-Second  Ohio  arrived. 

On  Sunday  morning  the  city  was  thoroughly  alarmed.  The  streets-were 
thronged  at  an  early  hour,  and  by  nine  o'clock  another  large  meeting  had  gath- 
dred  in  the  Fifth  Street  market-space.  Speeches  were  made  by  ex-Senator 
Pugh,  Thos.  J.  Gallagher,  and  Benj.  Eggleston.  It  was  announced  that  a  bat- 
talion made  up  of  the  police  force  would  be  sent  to  Lexington  in  the  evening. 
Arrangements  were  made  to  organize  volunteer  companies  Charles  F.  Wilstach 
and  Eli  C.  Baldwin  were  authorized  to  procure  rations  for  volunteers.  The 
City  Council  met,  resolved  that  it  would  pay  any  bills  incurred  by  the  commit- 
tee appointed  at  the  public  meeting,  and  appropriated  five  thousand  dollars  for 
immediate  wants.  Eleven  hundred  men — parts  of  the  Eighty-Fifth  and  Eighty- 
Sixth  Ohio  from  Camp  Chase — arrived  in  the  afternoon  and  went  directly  on  to 
Lexington.  The  police  force,  under  Colonel  Dudley,  their  chief,  and  an  artil- 
lery company,  with  a  single  piece,  under  Captain  Wm.  Glass,  of  the  City  Fire 
Department,  also  took  the  special  train  for  Lexington  in  the  evening.  Similar 
scenes  were  witnessed  across  the  river,  at  Covington,  during  the  same  period. 
While  the  troops  were  mustering,  and  the  excited  people  were  volunteering,  it 

•  Consisting  of  Mayor  Hatch,  Geo.  E.  Pugh,  Joshua  Bates,  Thos.  J.  Gallagher,  Miles  Green- 
wood, J.  W.  Hartwell,  Peter  Gibson,  Bellamy  Storer,  David  Gibson,  and  J.  B.  Stallo. 


g$  Ohio  in  the  War. 

discovered  that  a  brother  of  John  Morgan  was  a  guest  at  one  of  the  prin- 

H€  m:l,l,  no  concealment  of  his  relationship,  or  of  his  sympathy 

wilh    the    Etebel   cans,,  but  produced  a  pass   from   General  Boyle.      He   was 

detained.  V" ''',"-'  ..  , 

Monday  brought  no  further  news  of  Morgan,  and  the  alarm  began  to  abate. 

tuckians  expressed  the  belief  that  he  only  meant  to  attract  attention  by 

S0D  Lexington  and  Frankfort,  while  he  should  make  his  way  to  Bourbon 
County,  and  destroy  the  long  Townsend  viaduct  near  Paris,  which  might  cripple 
the  railroad  for  weeks.  The  Secretary  of  War  gave  permission  to  use  some 
cannon  which  Miles  Greenwood  had  been  casting  for  the  Government,  and  Gov- 
ernor Morton  furnished  ammunition  for  them  *  The  tone  of  the  press  may  be 
inferred  from  the  advice  of  the  Gazette  that  the  "bands  sent  out  to  pursue  Mor- 
gan "  should  take  few  prisoners—"  the  fewer  the  better."  "  They  are  not  worthy 
of  being  treated  as  soldiers,"  it  continued;  "they  are  freebooters,  thieves,  and 
murdorers,  and  should  be  dealt  with  accordingly." 

For  a  day  or  two  there  followed  a  state  of  uncertainty  as  to  Morgan's 
whereabouts,  or  the  real  nature  of  the  danger.  In  answer  to  an  application  for 
artillery,  the  Secretary  of  War  telegraphed  that  Morgan  was  retreating.  Pres- 
ently came  dispatches  from  Kentucky  that  he  was  still  advancing.  Governor 
Dcnnison  visited  Cincinnati  at  the  request  of  Governor  Tod,  consulted  with  the 
"Committee  of  Public  Safety,"  and  passed  on  to  Frankfort  to  look  after  the 

U  of  Ohio  troops  that  had  been  hastily  forwarded  to  the  points  of  danger. 

The  disorderly  elements  of  the  city  took  advantage  of  the  absence  of  so 
largo  a  portion  of  the  police  force  at  Lexington.  Troubles  broke^  out  between 
the  Irish  and  negroes,  in  which  the  former  were  the  aggressors;  houses  were 
fired,  and  for  a  little  time  there  were  apprehensions  of  a  serious  riot.  Several 
hundred  leading  property-holders  met  in  alarm  at  the  Merchant's  Exchange, 
and  took  measures  for  organizing  a  force  of  one  thousand  citizens  for  special 
service  the  ensuing  night.  For  a  day  or  two  the  excitement  was  kept  up,  but 
there  were  few  additional  outbreaks. 

While  Cincinnati  was  thus  in  confusion,  and  troops  were  hurrying  to  the 
defense  of  the  threatened  points,  John  Morgan  was  losing  no  time  in  idle  de- 
bates. He  had  left  Knoxville,  East  Tennessee,  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of 
July;  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  he  had  fallen  upon  the  garrison  at  Tompkins- 
ville;  before  one  o'clock  the  next  morning  he  had  possession  of  Glasgow;  by  the 
11th  ho  had  possession  of  Lebanon.  On  the  Sunday  (13th)  on  which  Cincinnati 
had  been  so  thoroughly  aroused,  he  entered  Harrodsburg.  Then,  feigning  on 
Frankfort,  he  made  haste  toward  Lexington,  striving  to  delay  re-enforcements 
by  sending  out  parties  to  burn  bridges,  and  hoping  to  find  the  town  an  easy 
capture.     Monday  morning  he  was  within  fifteen  miles  of  Frankfort;  before 

*The  Columbus  authorities  were  asked  for  ammunition,  and  sent  word  that  it  would  be  fur- 
nished only  on  the  requisition  of  a  United  States  officer  commanding  a  post.  The  Indianapolis 
authorities  furnished  it  on  the  order  of  the  Mayor;  and  the  newspapers  commented  with  some 
severity  on  what  they  called  "the  difference  between  the  red-tapeism  of  Columbus,  and  the  man- 
ner of  doing  business  at  Indianapolis." 


Siege  of  Cincinnati.  87 


nightfall  he  was  at  Yersailles — having  marched  between  three  and  four  hundred 
miles  in  eight  days. 

Moving  thence  to  Midway,  between  Frankfort  and  Lexington,  he  surprised 
,  the  telegraph  operator,  secured  his  office  in  good  order,  took  off  the  dispatches 
that  were  flying  back  and  forth;  possessed  himself  of  the  plans  and  prepara- 
tions of  the  Union  officers  at  Frankfort,  Lexington,  Louisville,  and  Cincinnati; 
and  audaciously  sent  dispatches  in  the  name  of  the  Midway  operator,  assuring 
the  Lexington  authorities  that  Morgan  was  then  driving  in  the  pickets  at  Frank- 
fort !     Then  he  hastened  to  Georgetown — twelve  miles  from  Lexington,  eighteen 
from  Frankfort,  and  within  easy  striking  distance  of  any  point  in  the  Blue 
Grass  region.     Here,  with  the  Union  commanders  completely  mystified  as  to  his 
whereabouts  and  purposes,  he  coolly  halted  for  a  couple  of  days  and  rested  his 
horses.     Then,  giving  up  all  thought  of  attacking  Lexington,  as  he  found  how 
strongly  it  was  garrisoned,  he  decided — as  his  second  in  command  naively  tells 
us* — "to  make  a  dash  at  Cynthiana,  on  the  Kentucky  Central  Eailroad,  hoping 
to  induce  the  impression  that  he  was  aiming  at  Cincinnati,  and  at  the  same 
time  thoroughly  bewilder  the  officer  in  command  at  Lexington  regarding  his 
real   intentions."      Thither,  therefore,  he   went;    and  to   some,  purpose.     The 
town  was  garrisoned  by  a  few  hundred  Kentucky  cavalry,  and  some  home- 
guards,  with  Captain  Glass's  firemen's  artillery  company  from  Cincinnati — in 
all  perhaps  five  hundred  men.     These  were  routed  after  some  sharp  fighting  at 
the  bridge  and  in  the  streets;  the  gun  was  captured,  and  four  hundred  and 
twenty  prisoners  were  taken  ;  besides  abundance  of  stores,  arms,  and  two  or 
three  hundred  horses.     At  one  o'clock  he  was  off  for  Paris,  which  sent  out  a 
deputation  of  citizens  to  meet  him  and  surrender.     By  this  time  the  forces  that 
had  been  gathering  at  Lexington  had  moved  out  against  him  with  nearly  double 
his  strength  ;f  but  the  next  morning  he  left  Paris  unmolested ;  and  marching 
through  Winchester,  Eichmond,  Crab  Orchard,  and  Somerset,  crossed  the  Cum- 
berland again  at  his  leisure.     He  started  with  nine  hundred  men,  and  returned 
with    one   thousand   two    hundred — having   captured   and   paroled   nearly   as' 
many,  and  having  destroyed  all  the  Government  arms  and  stores  in  seventeen 
towns. 

Meanwhile  the  partially -lulled  excitement  in  Cincinnati  had  risen  again. 
A  great  meeting  had  been  held  in  Court  Street  market-space,  at  which  Judge 
Hugh  J.  Jewett,  who  had  been  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  made  an 
earnest  appeal  for  rapid  enlistments,  to  redeem  the  pledge  of  the  Governor  to 
assist  Kentucky,  and  to  prevent  Morgan  from  recruiting  a  large  army  in  that 
State.  Quartermaster-General  Wright  had  followed  in  a  similar  strain.  The 
City  Council,  to  silence  doubts  on  the  part  of  some,  had  taken  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance as  a  body.  The  Chamber  of  Commerce  had  memoralized  the,  Council  to 
make  an  appropriation  for  bounties  to  volunteers ;  Colonel  Burbank  had  been 

*  Basile  W.  Duke's  History  of  Morgan's  Cavalry,  p.  199.    The  foregoing  statements  of  Mor- 
gan's movements  are  derived  from  the  same  source. 

t  Under  General  Green  Clay  Smith. 


gg  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

appointed  Military  Governor  of  the  city,*  and  there  had  been  rumors  of  martial  I 
,.IW  and  a  provost-marshal.  The  popular  ferment  largely  took  the  shape  of 
Hamor  for  bounties  as  a  means  of  stimulating  volunteers.  The  newspapers 
called  on  the  Governor  to  "take  the  responsibility,"  and  offer  twenty-five  dol- 
tan  bounty  for  every  recruit.  Public-spirited  citizens  made  contributions  for  , 
Mich  a  purpose— Mr.  J.  Cleves  Short  a  thousand  dollars,  Messrs.  Tyler,  David- 
eon  &  Co.  one  thousand  two  hundred,  Mr.  Kugler  two  thousand  five  hundred, 
Mr.  Jacob  Elsas  five  hundred.  Two  regiments  for  service  in  emergencies  were 
hastily  formed,  which  were  known  as  the  Cincinnati  Eeserves. 

Yet  withal,  the  alarm  never  reached  the  height  of  the  excitement  on  Sun-  ' 
day,  the  13th  of  July,  when  Morgan  was  first  reported  marching  on  Lexington. 
The  papers  said  they  should  not  be  surprised  any  morning  to  see  his  cavalry  on 
the  hills  opposite  Cincinnati;  but  the  people  seemed  to  entertain  less  apprehen- 
sion.    They  were  soon  to  have  greater  occasion  for  fear. 

For  the  invasion  of  Morgan  was  only  a  forerunner.  It  had  served  to  illus- 
trate to  the  Eebel  commanders  the  ease  with  which  their  armies  could  be  planted 
in  Kentucky,  and  had  set  before  them  a  tempting  vision  of  the  rich  supplies  of 
tho  "Blue  Grass." 

July  and  August  passed  in  comparative  gloom.  McClellan  was  recalled 
from  the  Peninsula,  Pope  was  driven  back  from  the  Eapidan,  and  after  a  be- 
wildering series  of  confused  and  bloody  engagements,  was  forced  to  seek  refuge 
under  the  defenses  at  "Washington.  In  the  South-west  our  armies  seemed  tor- 
pid, and  the  enemy  was  advancing.  In  the  department  in  which  Ohio  was 
specially  interested  there  were  grave  delays  in  the  long-awaited  movement  on 
Chattanooga,  and  finally  it  appeared  that  Bragg  had  arrived  there  before  Buell. 

Presently  vague  rumors  of  a  new  invasion  began  to  be  whispered,  and  at 
last  while  Bragg  and  Buell  warily  watched  each  the  other's  maneuvers,  Kirby 
Smith,  who  had  been  posted  at  Knoxville,  broke  camp  and  marched  straight  for 
the  heart  of  Kentucky  with  twelve  thousand  men  and  thirty  or  forty  pieces  of 
artillery .f  "With  the  first  rumors  of  danger,  Indiana  and  Ohio  had  both  made 
Strenuous  exertions  to  throw  forward  the  new  levies,  and  Indiana  in  particular 
had  hastily  put  into  the  field  in  Kentucky  a  large  number  of  perfectly  raw 
troops,  fresh  from  the  camps  at  which  they  had  been  recruited. 

Through  Big  Creek  and  Eogers's  Gaps  Kirby  Smith  moved  without  moles- 
tation ;  passed  the  National  forces  at  Cumberland  Gap  without  waiting  to 
attempt  a  reduction  of  the  place,  and  absolutely  pushed  on  into  Kentucky  un- 
opposed, till  within  fifteen  miles  of  Eichmond  and  less  than  three  times  that 
distance  from  Lexington  itself,  he  fell  upon  a  Kentucky  regiment  of  cavalry 
under  Colonel  Metcalf  and  scattered  it  in  a  single  charge.     The  routed  cavalry - 

*This  was  done  in  response  to  a  dispatch  requesting  it  from  Mayor  Hatch,  Captain  J.  H. 
Dickerson  (then  Post-Quartermaster,  U.  &  A.),  and  Joshua  H.  Bates,  Chairman  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Public  Safety. 

TThis  statement  of  Smith's  strength  follows  the  account  of  Colonel  Basil  W.  Duke,  History 
Morgan's  Cavalry,  p.  235.  He  says  Smith  had  in  East  Tennessee  about  twenty  thousand,  and 
that  he  left  eight  thousand  in  front  of  Cumberland  Gap. 


Siege  of  Cincinnati.  89 


men  bore  back  to  Eichmond  and  Lexington  the  first  authentic  news  of  the 
Eebel  advance.  The  new  troops  were  hastily  pushed  forward,  in  utter  igno- 
rance of  the  strength  of  the  enemy,  and  apparently  without  any  well-defined 
plans  ;  and  so,  as  the  victorious  invaders  came  up  toward  Richmond,  they  found 
this  force  opposing  them.  Smith  seems  scarcely  to  have  halted,  even  to  con- 
centrate his  command,  but  precipitating  the  advance  of  his  column  upon  the 
raw  line  that  confronted  him,  scattered  it  again  at  a  charge.*  General  Hanson, 
who  commanded  the  National  troops,  had  been  caught  before  getting  his  men 
well  in  hand.  A  little  farther  back,  he  essayed  the  formation  of  another  line, 
and  the  check  of  the  rout :  but  while  the  broken  line  was  steadying,  Smith 
again  came  charging  up,  and  the  disorderly  retreat  wTas  speedily  renewed.  A 
third  and  more  determined  stand  was  made,  almost  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town, 
and  some  hard  fighting  ensued;  but  the  undisciplined  and  ill-handled  troops 
were  no  match  for  their  enthusiastic  assailants,  and  when  they  were  this  time 
Driven,  the  rout  became  complete.f  The  cavalry  fell  upon  the  fugitives,  whole 
regiments  were  captured  and  instantly  paroled  ;  those  that  escaped  fled  through 
fields  and  by-ways,  and  soon  poured  into  Lexington  with  the  story  of  the 
disaster. 

Thither  now  went  hurrying  General  H.  G.  Wright,  the  commander  of  the 
department.  A  glance  at  the  condition  of  such  troops  as  this  battle  of  Eich- 
mond had  left  him,  showed  that  an  effort  to  hold  Lexington  would  be  hopeless. 
Before  Kirby  Smith  could  get  up  he  evacuated  the  place,  and  was  falling  back 
in  all  haste  on  Louisville,  while  the  railroad  company  was  hurrying  its  stock 
toward  the  Cincinnati  end  of  the  road  ;  the  banks  were  sending  off  their  specie ; 
Union  men  were  fleeing,  and  the  predominant  Eebel  element  was  throwing  off 
ali  disguise. 

On  the  1st  of  September  General  Kirby  Smith  entered  Lexington  in  tri- 
umph. Two  da}'s  later  he  dispatched  Heath  with  five  or  six  thousand  men 
against  Covington  and  Cincinnati;  the  next  day  he  was  joined  by  John  Morgan, 
who  had  moved  through  Glasgow  and  Danville;  and  the  overjoyed  people  of 
the  city  thronged  the  streets  and  shouted  from  every  door  and  window  their 
welcome  to  the  invaders. J  A  few  days  later  Buell  was  at  Nashville.  Bragg  was 
moving  into  Kentucky,  and  the  "race  for  Louisville,"  as  it  has  sometimes  been 
called,  was  begun.  So  swift  was  the  Eebel  rush  upon  Kentucky  and  the  Ohio 
Border;  so  sudden  the  revolution  in  the  aspect  of  the  war  in  the  South-west. 

AYe  have  told  the  simple  story  of  the  Eebel  progress.     It  would  need  more 

*29th  August,  1862. 

t  General  William  Nelson  arrived  in  time  to  command  at  this  last  struggle,  and  to  exert  all 
his  influence  in  striving  to  check  the  rout.  He  subsequently  claimed  that  the  battle  was  brought 
on  by  disobedience  to  orders  on  the  part  of  General  Manson,  and  that  his  instructions,  if  obeyed, 
would  have  secured  such  a.  disposition  of  the  troops  as  would  have  kept  the  Rebels  from  crossing 
the  Kentucky  River.  He  was  himself  wounded.  But  one  Ohio  regiment  was  in  the  action, 
the  Ninety-Fifth.     Its  share  may  be  found  more  fully  described  in  Vol.  H,  pp.  527-28. 

X  Duke's  History  Morgan's  Cavalry,  pp.  233-34.  Pollard  says  the  bells  of  the  city  were 
rung,  and  every  possible  manifestation  of  joy  was  made. 


90 


Ohio  in  the   Wak. 


vivid  colors  to  give  an  adequate  picture  of  the  state  into  which  Cincinnati  and 
ilic  surrounding  country  were  thereby  thrown. 

the  disaster  at  Riehmond  was  not  received  in  Cincinnati  till  a  late 
boor  Saturday  night.*     It  produced  great  excitement,  but  the  full  extent  of  its 
*  M  nol  realized.     There  were  soldiers  in  plenty  to  drive  back  tl 
t  u -:is  argued,  only  a  few  experienced  officers  were  needed.     The  Sal 
itary  Commission  hastened  its  shipments  of  stores  toward  the  battle-field,  and 
the  State  authorities  began  preparations  for  sending  relief  to   the  wounded 
while  the  newspapers  gave  vent  to  the  general  dissatisfaction  in  severe  criti 
eisms  on  the  management  of  the  battle,  and  in  wonders  as  to  what  Buell  could 
ing.     Thus  Sunday  passed.     Monday  afternoon  rumors  began  to  fly  abou 
that   the  troops  were   in  no  condition  to  make  any  sufficient  opposition— that 
Lexington  and  Frankfort  might  have  to  be  abandoned.     Great  crowds  flocked 
about  the  newspaper  offices  and  army  head-quarters  to  ask  the  particulars,  but 
all  still  thought  that  in  any  event  there  were  plenty  of  troops  between  the  ii^- 
Taderfl  and  themselves.     By  dusk  it  was  known  that  instead  of  falling  back  on 
Cincinnati   the  troops  were  retreating  through  Frankfort  to  Louisville — that 
between  Kirby  Smith's  flushed  regiments  and  the  banks  and  warehouses  of  the 
Queen  City  stood  no  obstacle  more  formidable  than  a  few  unmanned  siege  guns 
back  of  Covington,  and  the  easily-crossed  Ohio  Eiver. 

The  shock  was  profound.     But   none   thought  of  anything  save  to  seek 
what  might  be  the  most  efficient  means  of  defense.     The  City  Council  at  one 
met  in   extra  session — pledged  the  faith  of  the  city  to  meet  any  expenses  th 
military  authorities  might  require  in  the  emergency;  authorized  the  Mayor  ft 
suspend  all  business,  and  summon  every  man,  alien  or  citizen,  who  lived  under 
the  protection  of  the  Government,  to  unite  in  military  organizations  for  its  de- 
fense; assured  the  General  commanding  the  department  f  of  their  entire  confi- 
dence, and  requested  him  to  call  for  men  and  means  to  any  extent  desired,  no 
limit  being  proposed  save  the  entire  capacity  of  the  community. 

While  the  municipal  authorities  were  thus  tendering  the  whole  resources 
of  a  city  of  a  quarter  of  a  million  people,  the  Commander  of  the  Department 
was  sending  them  a  General.  Lewis  Wallace  was  a  dashing  young  officer  of 
volunteers,  who  had  been  among  the  first  from  Indiana  to  enter  the  field  at  thy 
outbreak  of  the  war,  and  had  risen  to  the  highest  promotion  then  attainable  in 
the  army.  He  was  notably  quick  to  take  responsibilities,  full  of  energy  and 
enthusiasm,  abundantly  confident  in  his  own  resources,  capable  of  bold  plans. 
When  the  first  indications  of  danger  in  Kentucky  appeared  he  had  waived  his 
rank  and  led  one  of  the  raw  regiments  from  his  State  into  the  field.  Then, 
after  being  for  a  short  time  in  charge  of  the  troops  about  Lexington,  he  had,  on 
being  relieved  by  General  Nelson,  returned  to  Cincinnati.  Here  the  Commander 
of  the  Department  seized  upon  him  for  service  in  the  sudden  emergency,  sum- 
moned him  first  to  Lexington  for  consultation;  then,  when  himself  hastening  to 
Louisville,  ordered  Wallace  back  to  Cincinnati,  to  assume  command  and  defend 
the  town  with  its  Kentucky  suburbs.  He  arrived  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
*30th  August.  1  Major-General  Horatio  G.  Wright. 


. 


Siege  of  Cincinnati.  91 


The  Mayor  waited  upon  him  at  once  with  notice  of  the  action  of  the  City 
Council.  The  Mayors  of  Newport  and  Covington  soon  came  hurrying  over. 
The  few  army  officers  on  duty  in  the  three  towns  also  reported;  and  a  few 
hours  were  spent  in  consultation. 

Then,*  at  two  o'clock,  the  decisive  step  was  taken. .  A  proclamation  of  mar- 
tin! law  was  sent  to  the  newspapers.  JSText  morning  the  citizens  read  at  their 
breakfast-tables — before  yet  any  one  knew  that  the  Rebels  were  advancing  on 
Cincinnati,  two  days  in  fact  before  the  advance  began — that  all  business  must 
be  suspended  at  nine  o'clock,  that  they  must  assemble  within  an  hour  thereafter 
and  await  orders  for  work;  that  the  ferry-boats  should  cease  plying,  save  under 
military  direction;  that  for  the  present  the  city  police  should  enforce  martial 
law;  that  in  all  this  the  principle  to  be  adopted  was:  "Citizens  for  labor,  sol- 
diers for  battle."  It  was  the  boldest  and  most  vigorous  order  in  the  history  of 
Cincinnati  or  of  the  war  along  the  Border.* 

"If  the  enemy  should  not  come  after  all  this  fuss,"  said  one  of  the  General's 
friends,  "you  will  be  ruined."  "Yery  well,"  was  the  reply,  "but  they  will 
come,  or,  if  they  do  not,  it  will  be  because  this  same  fuss  has  caused  them  to 
think  better  of  it."f 

The  city  took  courage  from  the  bold  course  of  its  General;  instead  of  a  panic 
there  was  universal  congratulation.  -"From  the  appearance  of  our  streets,"  said 
one  of  the  newspapers  the  next  day,  in  describing  the  operations  of  martial 
law,  "a  stranger  would  imagine  that  some  popular  holiday  was  being  celebrated. 
Indeed,  were  the  millennium  suddenly  inaugurated,  the  populace  could  hardly 
seem  better  pleased."  All  cheerfully  obeyed  the  order,  though  there  was  not 
military  force  enough  present  to  have  enforced  it  along  a  single  street.  Every 
business   house  was   closed;  in   the  unexpectedly  scrupulous  obedience  to  the 

*The  following  is  the  text  of  this  remarkable  order,  which  practically  saved  Cincinnati: 

"The  undersigned,  by  order  of  Major-General  Wright,  assumes  command  of  Cincinnati, 
Covington,  and  Newport. 

"It  is  but  fair  to  inform  the  citizens  that  an  active,  daring,  and  powerful  enemy  threatens 
them  with  every  consequence  of  war;  yet  the  cities  must  be  defended,  and  their  inhabitants 
must  assist  in  the  preparations.  Patriotism,  duty,  honor,  self-preservation,  call  them  to  the  labor, 
and  it  must  be  performed  equally  by  all  classes. 

"First.  All  business  must  be  suspended.  At  nine  o'clock  to-day  every  business  house  must 
be  closed. 

"  Second.  Under  the  direction  of  their  Mayor,  the  citizens  must,  within  an  hour  after  the 
suspension  of  business  (ten  o'clock  A.  M.),  assemble  in  their  convenient  public  places  ready  for 
orders.  As  soon  as  possible  they  will  then  be  assigned  to  their  work.  This  labor  ought  to  be 
that  of  love,  and  the  undersigned  trusts  and  believes  that  it  will  be  so ;  anyhow,  it  must  be  done. 
The  willing  shall  be  properly  credited,  the  unwilling  promptly  visited. 

"The  principle  adopted  is:  Citizens  for  the  labor,  soldiers  for  the  battle. 

"Martial  law  is  hereby  proclaimed  in  the  three  cities,  but  until  they  can  be  relieved  by  the 
military,  the  injunction  of  this  proclamation  will  be  executed  by  the  police. 

"The  ferry-boats  will  cease  plying  the  river  after  four  o'clock,  A.  M.,  until  further  orders. 

"LEWIS  WALLACE, 
"Major-General  Commanding." 

t"The  Siege  of  Cincinnati,"  by  Thomas  Buchanan  Head,  in  Atlantic  Monthly,  No.  64,  Feb- 
ruary, 1863.     Mr.  Read  served  during  the  siege  on  General  Wallace's  staff. 


92  Ohio    in    the  War. 

letter  of  ih«  proclamation,  even  the  street-cars  stopped  running,  and  the  teacl 
Oloeing  their  sciwjole,  reported  for  duty.     But  few  hacks  or  wagons  were  to  - 
on  Government  service.     Working  parties  of  citizens  -had  be 
ordered   to  report  to  Colonel  J.  V.  Guthrie;  companies  of  citizen-soldiery 
Major    Malconi    MrDowell.     Meetings  assembled  in  every  ward;  great  numba 
Of  military  organizations  were  formed;  by  noon  thousands  of  citizens  in  full* 
Mined  companies  were  industriously  drilling.     Meanwhile,  back  of  Newpoi 
,   Covington,  breastworks,  rifle-pits,  and  redoubts  had  been  hastily  trace( 
-uns  had  been  mounted,  pickets  thrown  out.     Toward  evening  a  sound  of  ham 
uerf)  and  saws  arose  from  the  landing;  by  daybreak  a  pontoon  bridge  stretched 
from  Cincinnati  to  Covington,  and  wagons  loaded  with  lumber  for  barracks  and 
material  for  fortifications  were  passing  over. 

In  such  spirit  did  Cincinnati  herself  confront  the  sudden  danger.  Not  less 
vigorous  was  the  action  of  the  Governor.  While  Wallace  was  writing  his 
proclamation  of  martial  law  and  ordering  the  suspension  of  business,  Tod  w^as 
hurrying  down  to  the  scene  of  danger  for  consultation.  Presently  he  was  tele- 
graphing from  Cincinnati  to  his  Adjutant-General  to  send  whatever  troops  were 
accessible  without  a  moment^  delay.  "Do  not  wait,"  he  added,  "to  have  them 
mustered  or  paid — that  can  be  done  here — they  should  be  armed  and  furnished 
ammunition."  To  his  Quartermaster  he  telegraphed:  "Send  five  thousand 
Itand  of  arms  for  the  militia  of  this  city,  with  fifty  rounds  of  ammunition. 
Send  also  forty  rounds  for  fifteen  hundred  guns  (sixty-nine  caliber)."  To  the 
people  along  the  border  through  the  press  and  the  military  committees  he  said: 

"Our  southern  border  is  threatened  with  invasion.  I  have  therefore  to  recommend  that  all. 
the  Io\;,l  men  of  your  counties  at  once  form  themselves  into  military  companies  and  regiments 
t<>  beat  hack  the  enemy  at  any  and  all  points  he  may  attempt  to  invade  our  State.  Gather  up 
all  the  arms  in  the  county,  and  furnish  yourselves  with  ammunition  for  the  same.  The  service 
Will  be  of  but  a  few  days'  duration.  The  soil  of  Ohio  must  not  be  invaded  by  the  enemies  of 
our  glorious  Government." 

To  Secretary  Stanton  he  telegraphed  that  he  had  no  doubt  a  large  Rebel 
force  was  moving  against  Cincinnati,  but  it  would  be  successfully  met.  The 
commander  at  Camp  Dennison  he  directed  to  guard  the  track  of  the  Little  Mi- 
ami Railroad  against  apprehended  dangers,  as  far  up  as  Xenia. 

The  rural  districts  were  meanwhile  hastening  to  the  rescue.  Early  in  the 
day-within  an  hour  or  two  after  the  arrival  of  the  Cincinnati  papers  with  news 
of  the  danger-Preble  and  Butler  counties  telegraphed  offers  of  large  numbers 
of  mo...     Warren,  Greene,  Franklin,  and  half  a  score  of  others,    rapidly  foL- 

1.    Before  night  the  Governor  had  sent  a  general  answer  in  this  proclamation : 

„T  "Cincinnati,  September  2,  1862.     . 

npftto    •"    l,'-l,onsc.t0  ^veral  communications  tendering  companies  and  squads  of  men  for  the 
protectoon  ui  (  lm,nnan,  i  announce  that  all  such  bod.eg  of  men  who  ^  armed  win  ^         ^ 

tl  ,reP:Ur        mCet0Crinnati'and  rep°rtto  General  Lew.  Wallace,  who  will  complete 

":r;^,Ziltl0n-  .  None  but  «™l  men  will  be  received,  and  such  onlv  until  the  5th 

ot  d    i,     7,  TPameS  3?  PaSS  aH  SUCh  b°dieS  °f  men  *  the  -Pense  of  the  State.     It  is 

re  t  n    ""        PS  Tding  "  ^  0f  thG  river  Counties  ]—  *eir  "tie*     **  ™* 

are  recited  to  organize  and  remain  for  the  protection  of  their  own  counties. 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 


* 


Siege   of    Cincinnati.  93 

Before  daybreak  the  advance  of  the  men  that  were  thenceforward  to  be 
known  in  the  history  of  the  State  as  the  "  Squirrel  Hunters,"  were  filing  through 
the  streets.  Next  morning,  throughout  the  interior,  church  and  fire-bells  rang; 
mounted  men  galloped  through  neighborhoods  to  spread  the  alarm;  there  was 
a  hasty  cleaning  of  rifles,  and  molding  of  bullets,  and  filling  of  powder-horns,  and 
mustering  at  the  villages ;  and  every  city-bound  train  ran  burdened  with  the 
gathering  host. 

While  these  preparations  were  in  progress  perhaps  Cincinnati  might  have 
been  taken  by  a  vigorous  dash  of  Kirby  Smith's  entire  force,  and  held  long 
enough  for  pillage.  But  the  inaction  for  a  day  or  two  at  Lexington  was  fatal 
to  such  hopes.  Within  two  days  after  the  proclamation  of  martial  law  the  city 
was  safe  beyond  peradventure. 

Then,  as  men  saw  the  vast  preparations  for  an  enemy  that  had  not  come, 
they  began,  not  unnaturally,  to  wonder  if  the  need  for  such  measures  had  been 
imperative.  A  few  business  men  complained.  Some  Germans  began  tearing 
up  a  street  railroad  track,  in  revenge  for  the  invidious  distinction  which,  in 
spite  of  the  danger,  had  adjudged  the  street  cars  indispensable,  but  not  the  lager- 
beer  shops.  The  schools  had  unintentionally  been  closed  by  the  operation  of  the 
first  sweeping  proclamation,  and  fresh  orders  had  to  be  issued  to  open  them ; 
bake-shops  had  been  closed,  and  the  people  seemed  in  danger  of  getting  no  bread ; 
the  drug-stores  had  been  closed,  and  the  sick  could  get  no  medicines.  Such 
oversights  were  speedily  corrected,  but  they  left  irritation.*  The  Evening 
Times  newspaper,  giving  voice  to  a  sentiment  that  undoubtedly  began  to  find 
expression  among  some  classes,  published  a  communication  which  pronounced 
the  whole  movement  "  a  big  scare,"  and  ridiculed  the  efforts  to  place  the  city  in 
a  posture  of  defense.f 

To  at  least  a  slight  extent  the  Commander  of  the  Department  would  seem 

*  The  following  order,  issued  by  the  Mayor,  with  the  sanction  of  General  Wallace,  obviated 
the  difficulties  involved  in  the  literal  suspension  of  all  business  in  a  great  city : 

"  1st.  The  banks  and  bankers  of  this  city  will  be  permitted  to  open  their  offices  from  one  to 
two  P.  M. 

"  2d.  Bakers  are  allowed  to  pursue  their  business. 

"3d.  Physicians  are  allowed  to  attend  their  patients. 

"4th.  Employees  of  newspapers  are  allowed  to  pursue  their  business. 

"  5th.  Funerals  are  permitted,  but  only  mourners  are  allowed  to  leave  the  city. 

"  6th.  All  coffee-houses  and  places  where  intoxicating  liquors  are  sold  are  to  be  closed  and 
kept  closed. 

"  7th.  Eating  and  drinking  houses  are  to  close  and  keep  closed. 

"  8th.  All  places  of  amusement  are  to  close  and  keep  closed. 
9th.  All  drug-stores  and  apothecaries  are  permitted  to  keep  open  and  do  their  ordinary 
business.  "GEOKGE  HATCH, 

"  Mayor  of  Cincinnati." 

t  Within  an  hour  or  two  after  this  publication,  General  Wallace  suppressed  the  Times;  for 
this  article,  as  was  generally  supposed,  although  it  was  subsequently  stated  that  the  offensive 
matter  was  an  editorial  reviewing  the  military  management  on  the  Potomac.  The  zealous  loy- 
alty of  the  paper  had  always  been  so  marked  that  General  Wallace  was  soon  made  to  feel  the 
popular  conviction  of  his  having  made  a  grave  mistake,  and  the  next  day  the  Times  was  per- 
mitted to  appear  again  as  usual. 


94  Ohio  in  the  War. 

to  have  entertained  the  same  opinion.  After  two  days  of  martial  law  and  mus- 
tering for  the  defense  of  the  city,  he  directed,  on  his  return  from  Louisville,  a 
relaxation  o£  the  stringency  of  the  first  orders,  and  notified  Governor  Tod  that 
,10  mora  men  from  the  interior  were  wanted.  The  next  day  he  relieved  General 
Wallacv  of  the  command  in  Cincinnati,  and  sent  liim  across  the  river  to  take 
eha.ge  of  the  defenses;  permitted  the  resumption  of  all   business   save  liquor- 

Dg,  only  requiring  that  it  should  be  suspended  each  afternoon  at  four  o'clock, 
and  that  the  evenings  should  be  spent  in  drill ;  systematized  the  drain  upon  the 
citv  for  labor  on  the  fortifications,  ky  directing  that  requisitions  be  made  cachf 

,ng  for  the  number  to  be  employe^  the  next  day,  and  that  these  be  equita-j 
bly  apportioned  among  the  several  wards.* 

The  day  before  the  issue  of  this  order  had  witnessed  the  most  picturesque 
and  inspiring  sight  ever  seen  in  Cincinnati.  From  morning  till  night  the  streets 
resounded  with  the  tramp  of  armed  men  marching  to  the  defense  of  the  city. 
From  every  quarter  of  the  State  they  came,  in  every  form  of  organization,  with 
every  species  of  arms.  The  "Squirrel  Hunters/'  in  their  homespun,  with  pow- 
der-horn and  buckskin  pouch  j  half-organized  regiments,  some  in  uniform  and 
some  without  it,  some  having  waited  long  enough  to  draw  their  equipments  and 
Borne  having  marched  without  them ;  cavalry  and  infantry ;  all  poured  out 
from  the  railroad  depots  and  down  toward  the  pontoon  bridge.  The  ladies  of 
the  eity  furnished  provisions  by  the  wagon-load;  the  Fifth  Street  market- 
house  was  converted  into  a  vast  free  eating  saloon  for  the  Squirrel  Hunters; 
halls  and  warehouses  were  used  as  barracks. 

On  the  4th  of  September  Governor  Tod  was  able  to  telegraph  General 
Wright:  "  I  have  now  sent  you  for  Kentucky  twenty  regiments.  I  have  twenty- 
one  more  in  process  of  organization,  two  of  which  I  will  send  you  this  week, 
five  or  six  next  week,  and  the  rest  the  week  after,  ...  I  have  no  means  of 
knowing  what  number  of  gallant  men  responded  to  my  call  (on  the  militia)  for 
the  protection  of  Cincinnati,  but  presume  they  now  count  by  thousands."  And 
the  next  day  he  was  forced  to  check  the  movement." 

*  This  order,  which  was  hailed  by  the  business  community  as  sensible  and  timely,  and  which 
certainly  gave  great  mitigation  to  the  embarrassments  caused  by  the  suspension  of  business,  was 
as  follows : 

"Head-Quarters,  Department  of  the  Ohio, | 
"  Cincinnati,  September  6,  1862.  J 
"General  Order  No.  11. 

"The  resumption  of  all  lawful  business  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  except  the  sale  of  liquor,  is 
hereby  authorized  until  the  hour  of  four  o'clock,  P.  M.,  daily. 

"All  druggists,  manufacturers  of  breadstuff's,  provision  dealers,  railroad,  express,  and  transfer 
companies,  persons  connected  with  the  public  press,  and  all  persons  doing  business  for  the  Gov- 
ernment, will  be  allowed  to  pursue  their  vocations  without  interruption. 
"By  command  of  Major-General  Wright. 

"N.  H.  McLEAN, 
"Assistant- Adjutant  General  and  Chief  of  Staff." 


Siege  of  Cincinnati.  95 

"  Columbus,  September  5,  1862. 
"To  the  Press: 

"  The  response  to  my  proclamation  asking  volunteers  for  the  protection  of  Cincinnati  was 
most  noble  and  generous.  All  may  feel  proud  of  the  gallantry  of  the  people  of  Ohio.  No  more 
volunteers  are  required  for  the  protection  of  Cincinnati.  Those  now  there  may  be  expected 
home  in  a  few  days.  I  advise  that  the  military  organizations  throughout  the  State,  formed  within 
the  past  few  days,  be  kept  up,  and  that  the  members  meet  at  least  once  a  week  for  drill.  Ee- 
cruiting  for  the  old  regiments  is  progressing  quite  satisfactorily,  and  with  continued  effort  there 
is  reason  to  believe  that  the  requisite  number  may  be  obtained  by  the  15th  instant.  For  the 
want  of  proper  accommodations  at  this  point,  recruiting  officers  are  directed  to  report  their  men 
to  the  camp  nearest  their  locality,  where  they  will  remain  until  provision  can  be  made  for  their 
removal.  Commanding  officers  of  the  several  camps  will  see  that  every  facility  is  given  neces- 
sary for  the  comfort  of  these  recruits. 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

The  exertions  at  Cincinnati,  however,  were  not  abated.  Judge  Dickson,  a 
well-known  lawyer  of  the  city,  of  Eadical  Eepublican  politics,  organized  a 
negro  brigade  for  labor  on  the  fortifications,  which  did  excellent  and  zealous 
service.  Full  details  of  white  citizens,  three  thousand  per  day — -judges,  law- 
yers, and  clerks,  merchant-prince  and  day-laborer,  artist  and  artisan,  side  by 
side — were  also  kept  at  work  with  the  spade,  and  to  all  payment  at  the  rate  of  a 
dollar  per  day  was  promised.  The  militia  organizations  were  kept  up,  "  regi- 
ments of  the  reserve  "  were  formed,  and  drilling  went  on  vigorously.  The 
Squirrel  Hunters  were  entertained  in  rough  but  hearty  fashion,  and  the  ladies 
continued  to  furnish  bountiful  supplies  of  provisions. 

Across  the  river  regular  engineers  had  done  their  best  to  give  shape  to  the 
hasty  fortifications.  The  trenches  were  manned  every  night,  and  after  an  im- 
perfect fashion  a  little  scouting  went  on  in  the  front.  General  Wallace  was 
vigilant  and  active,  and  there  was  no  longer  a  possibility  that  the  force  under 
Kirby  Smith  could  take  the  city. 

At  last  this  force  began  to  move  up  as  if  actually  intending  attack.  One 
or  two  little  skirmishes  occurred,  and  the  commander  of  the  Department,  de- 
ceived into  believing  that  now  was  the  hour  of  his  greatest  peril,  appealed  has- 
tily to  Governor  Tod  for  more  militia.     The  Governor's  response  was  prompt : 

"  Columbus,  September  10, 1862. 
"To  the  Press  of  Cleveland: 

"to  the  several  military  committees  of  northern  OHIO. 

"By  telegram  from  Major-General  Wright,  Commander-in-Chief  of  Western  forces,  re- 
ceived at  two  o'clock  this  morning,  I  am  directed  to  send  all  armed  men  that  can  be  raised  im- 
mediately to  Cincinnati.  You  will  at  once  exert  yourselves  to  execute  this  order.  The  men 
should  be  armed,  each  furnished  with  a  blanket,  and  at  least  two  days'  rations. 

"  Railroad  companies  are  requested  to  furnish  transportation  of  troops  to  the  exclusion  of 

all  other  business. 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

The  excitement  in  the  city  once  more  sprang  up.  Every  disposition  was 
made  for  defense  and  the  attack  was  hourly  expected.  The  newspapers  of  Sep- 
tember 11th  announced  that  before  they  were  distributed  the  sound  of  artillery 
might  be  heard  on  the  heights  of  Covington;  assured  readers  of  the  safety  of 
the  city,  and  exhorted  all  to  "keep  cool."     Business  was  again  suspended,  and 


96  Ohio  in  the  War. 

the  milita  companies  were  under  arms.     The  intrenchments  back  of  Covington 
were  filled;  and,  lest  a  sudden  concentration  might  break  through  the  lines  at 
so,,,.-  spot  and  leave  the  city  at  the  mercy  of  the  assailants,  the  roads  leading  to  it 
guarded,  and  only  those  provided  with  passes  could  travel  to  or  fro,  while 
the  river  was  filled  with  gunboats,  improvised  from  the  steamers  at  the  wharves, 
lint  the  expected  attack  did  not  come.     As  we  now  know,  Kirby  Smith  had 
:•  been  ordered  to  attack,  but  only  to  demonstrate;  and  about  this  very  time 
the  advance  of  Buell  seemed  to  Bragg  so  menacing  that  he  made  haste  to  order 
Smith  hack  to  his  support.     General  Wallace  gradually  pushed  out  his  advance 
a  little  and  the  Rebel  pickets  fell  back.     By  the  11th  all  felt  that  the  danger 
was  over.     On  the  12th  Smith's  hasty  retreat  was  discovered.     On  the  13th  Gov- 
ernor Tod  checked  the  movement  of  the  Squirrel  Hunters,  announced  the  safety 
of  Cincinnati,  and  expressed  his  congratulations* 

On  this  bright  Saturday  afternoon  the  "Regiments  of  the  Reserve"  came 
marching  across  the  pontoon  bridge,  with  their  dashing  commander  at  the  head 
of  the  column.  Joyfully  these  young  professional  and  business  men  traced  thei 
way  through  Front,  Broadway,  and  Fourth  Streets  to  the  points  where  they 
relieved  from  the  restraints  of  military  service,  and  permitted  to  seek  the 
pleasures  and  rest  of  home!  An  examination  of  the  dockets  and  day-books 
of  that  eventful  fortnight,  will  show  that  the  citizens  of  Cincinnati  were  absent 
from  their  usual  avocations;  but  Monday,  the  15th,  brought  again  to  the  count- 
in--  rooms  and  work-shops  the  busy  hum  of  labor. 

•  "Columbus,  September  13,  1862,  eight  o'clock  A.  M. 

"To  the  Press  of  Cleveland: 

"Copy  of  dispatch  this  moment  received  from  Major-General  Wright  at  Cincinnati:  'The 
enemy  is  retreating.  Until  we  know  more  of  his  intention  and  position  do  not  send  any  more 
citizen  troops  to  this  city.  (Signed)  H.  G.  Wright,  Major-General.'  In  pursuance  of  this  order 
all  volunteers  en  route  for  Cincinnati  will  return  to  their  respective  homes.  Those  now  at  Cin- 
cinnati may  be  expected  home  so  soon  as  transportation  can  be  secured.  The  generous  response 
from  all  parts  of  the  State  to  the  recent  call,  has  won  additional  renown  for  the  people  of  Ohio. 
The  news  which  reached  Cincinnati,  that  the  patriotic  men  all  over  the  State  were  rushing  to  its 
defense,  saved  our'soil  from  invasion,  and  hence  all  good  citizens  will  feel  grateful  to  the  patriotic 
men  who  promptly  offered  their  assistance.  It  is  hoped  that  no  further  call  for  minute-men  will 
be  necessary;  but  should  I  be  disappointed  in  this,  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  the  call  will 
be  again  cheerfully  and  gallantly  responded  to.  Eailroad  companies  will  pass  all  volunteers  to 
their  homes,  at  the  expense  of  the  State.  The  Captains  of  each  squad,  or  company,  are  requested 
to  give  certificates  of  transportation  to  the  superintendents  or  conductors  of  the  railroads  over 
Which  they  may  pass.  I  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  renew  the  request  heretofore  made, 
that  the  several  military  volunteer  organizations,  formed  within  the  past  few  days,  be  maintained, 
meeting  for  drill  as  often  as  once  a  week  at  least.  I  have  further  to  request,  that  the  command- 
ers of  said  squads  or  companies  report  by  letter  to  the  Adjutant-General,  the  strength  of  their 
respective  commands.  "DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

"Columbus,  September  13,  1862. 
|^To  Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Sec'y.  op  War,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

"The  minute-men  or  Squirrel  Hunters  responded  gloriously  to  the  call  for  the  defense  of 
Cincinnati.  Thousands  reached  the  city,  and  thousands  more  were  en  route  for  it.  The  enemy 
having  retreated,  all  have  been  ordered  back.  This  uprising  of  the  people  is  the  cause  of  the 
retreat.  You  should  acknowledge  publicly  this  gallant  conduct.  Please  order  Quartermaster 
Burr  to  pay  all  transportation  bills,  upon  my  approval. 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor. 


IrH 


H  f 


THE   SQUIRREL    HUNTER — KIRBY    SMITH  S   RAID. 


Siege  of  Cincinnati.  97 

General  Wallace  took  his  leave  of  the  city  he  had  so  efficiently  served  in  a 
graceful,  and  manly  address  : 

"  To  the  People  of  Cincinnati,  Newport,  and  Covington : — For  the  present,  at  least,  the  enemy 
have  fallen  back,  and  your  cities  are  safe.  It  is  the  time  for  acknowledgments,  I  beg  leave  to 
make  you  mine.  When  I  assumed  command  there  was  nothing  to  defend  you  with,  except  a  few 
half-finished  works,  and  some  dismounted  guns;  yet  I  was  confident.  The  energies  of  a  great 
city  are  boundless;  they  have  only  to  be  aroused,  united  and  directed.  You  were  appealed  to. 
The  answer  will  never  be  forgotten. 

"Paris  may  have  seen  something  like  it  in  her  revolutionary  days,  but  the  cities  of  America 
never  did.  Be  proud  that  you  have  given  them  an  example  so  splendid.  The  most  commercial 
of  people,  you  submitted  to  a  total  suspension  of  business,  and  without  a  murmur  adopted  my 
principle:  'Citizens  for  labor,  soldiers  for  battle.' 

"In  coming  time  strangers,  viewing  the  works  on  the  hills  of  Newport  and  Covington,  will 
ask,  'Who  built  these  intrenchments?'  You  can  answer,  'We  built  them.'  If  they  ask,  'Who 
guarded  them?'  you  can  reply,  'We  helped  in  thousands.'  If  they  inquire  the  result,  your  an- 
swer will  be,  'The  enemy  came  and  looked  at  them,  and  stole  away  in  the  night.' 

"You  have  won  much  honor;  keep  your  organizations  ready  to  win  more.  Hereafter  be 
always  prepared  to  defend  yourselves.  "LEWIS  WALLACE, 

"Major-General  Commanding." 

He  had  done  some  things  not  wholly  wise,  and  had  brought  upon  the  people 
much  inconvenience  not  wholly  necessary.  But  these  were  the  inevitable  neces- 
sities of  the  haste,  the  lack  of  preparation,  and  the  pressure  of  the  emergency. 
He  took  grave  responsibilities;  adopted  a  vigorous  and  needful  policy;  was 
prompt  and  peremptory  when  these  qualities  were  the  only  salvation  of  the 
city.  He  will  be  held  therefor  in  grateful  remembrance  so  long  as  Cincinnati 
continues  to  cherish  the  memory  of  those  who  do  her  service. 

As  the  regiments  from  the  city  were  relieved  from  duty,  so  the  Squirrel 
Hunters  were  disbanded  and  sought  the  routes  of  travel  homeward,  carrying 
with  them  the  hearty  thanks  of  a  grateful  populace.* 

While  the  attack  was  expected,  there  were  many  in  Cincinnati  who  thought 
that  the  enemy  might  really  be  amusing  the  force  on  the  front  while  preparing 
to  cross  the  river  at  Maysville,  above,  and  so  swoop  down  on  the  city  on  the 
undefended  side.  To  the  extent  of  making  a  raid  into  Ohio  at  least,  such  an 
intention  was  actually  entertained,  and  was  subsequently  undertaken  by  Col- 
onel Basil  W.  Duke,  of  John  Morgan's  command,  who  was  left  to  occupy  the 
forces  near  Cincinnati  as  long  as  possible  after  Kirby  Smith's  withdrawal.  He 
went  so  far  as  to  enter  Augusta,  on  the  river  above  Cincinnati,  where  he  was 
encountered  by  a  determined  party  of  home-guards,  and  given  so  bloody  a  re- 
ception that  after  a  desperate  little  street  fight  he  was  glad  to  abandon  his 

*The  Legislature  at  its  next  session  adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"Resolved  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  That  the  Governor  be 
and  he  is  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to  appropriate  out  of  his  contingent  fund,  a  sufficient 
sum  to  pay  for  printing  and  lithographing  discharges  for  the  patriotic  men  of  the  State,  who  re- 
sponded to  the  call  of  the  Governor,  and  went  to  the  southern  border  to  repel  the  invader,  and 
who  will  be  known  in  history  as  the  Squirrel  Hunters. 

"JAMES  R.  HUBBELL, 
"Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 
"P.  HITCHCOCK, 
Columbus,  March  11,  1863.  "President  pro  tern  of  the  Senate." 

Yol.  I.— 7. 


9g  Ohio  in  the  War. 

movement,  and  foil  back  in  haste  to  Falmouth,  and  thence,  soon  after,  toward 
the  rest  of  the  retreating  forces. 

Work  on  the  fortifications  was  prudently  continued,  and  some  little  time 
passed  before  the  city  lapsed  into  its  accustomed  ways;  but  the  "Siege  of  Cin- 
cinnati" was  over.  The  enemy  was  before  it  about  eight  days— at  no  time 
twelve  thousand  strong. 

The  following  summary  of  persons  in  charge  of  some  of  the  various  duties 
connected  with  the  sudden  organization  for  the  defense  of  the  city  may  here  be 
given : 

STAFF  OF  MAJOR-GENERAL    LEWIS   WALLACE. 

Chief  of  Staff. Colonel  J-  C-  Elston'  J'r' 

Chief  of  Artillery Major  C.  M.  Willard. 

Aid-de-Camps:  Captains  James  M.  Ross,  A.  J.  Ware,  jr.,  James  F.  Troth,  A.  G.  Sloo,  G.  P. 

Edgar,  E.  T.  Wallace. 

Volunteer  Aid-de-Camps:  Colonel  J.V.Guthrie;  Lieutenant-Colonel  G.  W.  Neff;  Major 
Malcom  McDowell,  E.  B.  Dennison;  Captains  James  Thompson,  A.  S.  Burt,  Thomas  Buchanan 
Read,  S.  C.  Erwin,  J.  J.  Henderson,  J.  C.  Belman. 

NEGRO   BRIGADE  —  CAMP    SHALER. 

Commander Judge  Dickson. 

Commissary Hugh  McBirney. 

Quartermaster J-  S.  Hill. 

FATIGUE   FORCES. 

In  Charge Colonel  J.V.Guthrie. 

Commissary Captain  Williamson. 

Quartermaster Captain  George  B.  Cassilly. 

Camp  Mitchel,  under Captain  Titus. 

"      Anderson,  under Captain  Storms. 

"      Shaler,  (back  of  Newport)  under Major  Winters. 

RIVER   DEFENSE. 

In  Charge R.  M.  Corwine. 

Aid Wm.  Wiswell,  jr. 

Men  in  Millcreek,  Green,  Storrs,  Delhi,  Whitewater,  Miami,  Columbia,  Spencer,  and  An 
derson  Townships,  subject  to  orders  of  above. 

COLLECTION   OF  PROVISIONS. 

Committee  appointed  by  General  Wallace:  Wm.  Chidsey,  T.  F.  Rogers,  T.  Horton,  T.  F 
Shaw,  and  A.  D.  Rogers. 

IN   COMMAND  OF  CINCINNATI. 

Military  Commander Lieut.  Col.  S.  Burbank,  U.  S.  A. 

Aid John  D.  Caldwell. 

Provost-Marshal A.  E.  Jones. 

EMPLOYMENT  OF   LABORERS  FOR  FORTIFICATIONS. 

Hon.  A.  F.  Perry,  assisted  by  Hon.  Benjamin  Eggleston,  Charles  Thomas,  and  Thomas 
Gilpin. 

About  the  same  time  and  throughout  the  autumn,  there  was  much  alarm 
along  the  West  Virginia  and  the  upper  part  of  the  Kentucky  border.  Governor 
Tod  was  energetic  in  sending  troops  to  the  exposed  points,  and  in  enforcing 
upon  all  officers  the  duty  of  preventing  invasion.  "  Stand  firm,"  he  telegraphed 
to  one  Captain  commanding  a  post;  "if  you  fall  I  will  escort  your  remains 
home."  At  one  time  the  danger  from  Guyandotte  seemed  imminent;  but  in 
spite  of  sad  reverses  and  barbarities  in  West  Virginia  it  passed  away. 


Arkest   and    Trial  of  Vallandigham.  99 


CHAPTER  IX 


THE  ARREST  AND  TRIAL  OF  VALLANDIGHAM. 


FEOM  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  two  Eepresentatives  in  Congress  from 
Ohio  were  the  most  conspicuous  leaders  of  the  Opposition  to  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's Administration,  and  to  the  policy  of  the  party  in  power.  Both 
were  able  and  outspoken.  \ 

One,  a  gentleman  by  birth  and  by  education,  maintained  a  relentless  hos- 
tilit}r  to  the  prosecution  of  the  war ;  but,  withal,  he  brought  to  his  discussions 
of  the  subject  such  enlarged  views,  and  so  accustomed  himself  to  the  modera- 
tion of  language  habitual  with  fair-minded  men,  who,  penetrated  with  strong 
convictions  themselves,  respect  the  strength  of  opposite  convictions  in  others, 
that  he  was  generally  popular  even  among  his  political  antagonists. 

To  the  other  life  had  been  a  rougher  struggle,  and  there  was,  moreover, 
something  in  the  texture  of  the  man's  mind  that  inclined  him  to  the  rancor  and 
virulence  of  the  most  intemperate  partisanship.  He  cherished  a  boundless  am- 
bition, and  it  was  not  more  his  natural  fondness  for  producing  sensations  and 
saying  things  that  should  attract  attention,  than  a  shrewd  calculation  of  the 
value  of  extravagance  in  times  of  high  excitement  as  a  means  of  retaining  paHy 
favor,  that  led  to  the  peculiarly  aggressive  and  defiant  nature  of  his  opposition 
to  the  war.  We  must  not  fail  to  add  that  he  was  sincere  in  his  position  ;  that 
all  his  past  political  course,  and  the  prejudices  of  his  whole  life,  combined  with 
the  natural  vehemence  of  his  character  to  make  a  zealot  of  him  in  his  advocacy 
of  peace  by  compromise. 

He  had  been  in  Congress  for  six  years,  but  at  the  election  in  1862,  in  spite 
of  the  general  triumph  of  his  party,  he  had  been  defeated  by  a  soldier  in  the 
field.  From  the  last  session  of  the  Congress  to  which  he  had  been  elected  he 
returned,  therefore,  in  the  spring  of  1863,  a  soured  politician  out  of  place,  whom 
it  behooved  to  be  all  the  more  vehement  lest  he  should  be  gradually  forgotten. 

The  first  ardor  with  which  the  peoj^le  of  Ohio  had  rushed  into  the  war 
seemed  to  have  passed  away.  The  pressure  of  its  burdens  displeased  some;  the 
gloomy  prospects  in  the  field  discouraged  many  more.  The  armies  of  the 
South-west  were  still  foiled  before  Vicksburg;  Eosecrans  had  lain  in  seeming 
exhaustion  ever  since  his  victory  at  Stone  Kiver;  the  Eebel  invasion  of  Mary- 
land had  been  followed  by  the  slaughter  about  Fredericksburg,  and  new  threats 


100  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

of  an  advance  into  Pennsylvania.  Their  success  at  the  late  election  had  greatly 
encouraged  those  Democrats  who  opposed  the  war,  and  as  a  new  draft  began  to 
be  talked  about,  there  was  much  popular  ferment,  with  some  hints  of  resist- 
ance. Mr.  Yallandigham  naturaHy  became  the  spokesman  for  the  irritated  and 
disaffected  people.  He  expressed  himself  with  great  boldness  of  utterance,  de- 
nounced the  war,  denounced  the  draft,  stirred  up  the  people  with  violent  talk, 
and  particularly  excited  them  and  himself  over  alleged  efforts  on  the  part  of  the 
military  authorities  to  interfere  with  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press,  which 
he  conjured  them  to  defend  under  any  circumstances  and  at  all  hazards. 

Possibly  with  some  reference  to  Mr.  Vallandigham,  certainly  with  direct 
reference  to  the  state  of  public  feeling  which  he  was  helping  to  bring  about,  and 
to  the  acts  that  were  growing  out  of  it,  the  new  Commander  of  the  Department 
finally  felt  constrained  to  issue  an  order  that  was  to  be  a  noted  one  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  State.  This  commander  was  Major-General  Ambrose  E.  Burnside, 
an  officer  of  distinguished  personal  gallantry,  of  the  most  loyal  devotion  to  the 
cause  of  the  country,  of  great  zeal,  not  always  according  to  knowledge,  and  of 
very  moderate  intellectual  capacity.  He  was  fresh  from  the  field  of  a  great 
disaster  incurred  under  his  management;  and  this  fact  helped  to  increase  the 
bitterness  with  which  his  efforts  to  subdue  the  sympathizers  with  the  South 
were  received.  His  "  General  Order  No.  38,"  some  results  of  which  we  are  now 
to  trace,  was  understood  at  the  time  to  have  the  approval  of  the  State  and  Na- 
tional authorities.     It  was  as  follows  : 

"Head-Quarters,  Department  or  the  Ohio,  -* 

"  Cincinnati,  April  13,  1863.      } 
*  General  Orders,  No.  38. 

"The  Commanding  General  publishes,  for  the  information  of  all  concerned,  that  hereafter 
all  persons  found  within  our  lines  who  commit  acts  for  the  benefit  of  the  enemies  of  our  country, 
will  be-  tried  as  spies  or  traitors,  and,  if  convicted,  will  suffer  death.  This  order  includes  the 
following  class  of  persons : 

"Carriers  of  secret  mails. 

"  Writers  of  letters  sent  by  secret  mails. 

"Secret  recruiting  officers  within  the  lines. 

"Persons  who  have  entered  into  an  agreement  to  pass  our  lines  for  the  purpose  of  joining 
the  enemy. 

"  Persons  found  concealed  within  our  lines  belonging  to  the  service  of  the  enemy,  and,  in 
fact,  all  persons  found  improperly  within  our  lines,  who  could  give  private  information  to  the 
enemy. 

"All  persons  within  our  lines  who  harbor,  protect,  conceal,  feed,  clothe,  or  in  any  way  aid 
the  enemies  of  our  country. 

"The  habit  of  declaring  sympathies  for  the  enemy  will  not  be  allowed  in  this  Department. 
Persons  committing  such  offenses  will  be  at  once  arrested,  with  a  view  to  being  tried  as  above 
stated,  or  sent  beyond  our  lines  into  the  lines  of  their  friends. 

.    "Il  must  bf  di8tinct]y  understood  that  treason,  expressed  or  implied,  will  not  be  tolerated  in 
this  Department. 

"Bvl^J8  rtfT  "^  Charged  With  the  execution  of  «*  o^er. 
By  command  of  Major-General  Burnside. 

"LEWIS  RICHMOND, 

"Official-  "D  P   t  »«™~  n     i  •         ,  .  "Assistant  Adjutant-General. 

Umcial .  D.  R.  Larned,  Captain  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General." 

The  publication  of  this  order  was  the  signal  for  a  stream  of  invective  from 


Arrest   and  Trial   of  VAfj,A.srrahAM.  101 

the  bolder  of  the  exponents  of  the  Peace  Democratic  feeling,  in  the  press  and  on 
the  stump.  Mr.  Vallandigham  was,  of  course,  bitter  and  outspoken.  Some  of 
his  more  intemperate  remarks  were  reported  to  General  Burnside.  Kegarding 
them  as  a  soldier,  and  with  the  tendency  to  magnify  his  office  common  to  all  pro- 
fessions, the  General  resolved,  on  the  repetition  of  the  offense,  to  arrest  this 
leader  of  the  discontented  party  and  bring  him  to  trial.  Presently  Mr.  Vallan- 
digham was  announced  to  speak  at  Mount  Vernon,  in  Knox  County,  to  a  Dem- 
ocratic mass  meeting.  A  couple  of  military  officers  were  at  once  ordered  to  re- 
pair thither,  and,  without  attracting  attention  to  their  presence,  to  observe  what 
was  said. 

The  meeting  was  on  Friday,  the  1st  of  May.  On  the  ensuing  Monday, 
after  hearing  the  reports  of  the  officers,  General  Burnside  gave  orders  for  Cap- 
tain Hutton,  of  his  staff,  with  a  company  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth 
Ohio,  to  proceed  to  Mr.  Vallandigham's  residence  in  Dayton,  arrest  him  as  qui- 
etly as  possible,  and  to  return  to  Cincinnati  by  special  train  before  daylight  the 
next  morning.  Everything  had  been  managed  with  great  caution  thus  far,  but 
on  attempting  to  make  the  arrest,  Captain  Hutton  found  the  popular  agitator 
apparently  suspicious  of  his  impending  fate.  When,  approaching  Mr.  Vallan- 
digham's door  after  midnight,  he  aroused  the  inmates  and  explained  his  errand, 
he  was  refused  admission,  while  the  object  of  his  visit,  thrusting  his  head  from 
the  second  story  bed-chamber  window,  shouted,  "  Asa,  Asa,  Asa."  Signals,  sup- 
posed to  be  in  answer  to  this  call,  were  heard,  and  presently  the  fire-bells  of  the 
city  began  ringing.  Fearing  an  attempt  at  rescue,  the  officer  waited  no  longer 
to  parley,  but,  battering  in  the  front  door,  he  entered  the  house  with  his  sol- 
diers, forced  two  other  doors  which  Mr.  Vallandigham  had  fastened  in  his  wa}^, 
and  finally  made  the  arrest.  Then,  returning  to  the  railroad  depot,  he  departed 
with  his  prisoner  in  the  special  train  before  the  crowds  gathering  in  answer  to 
the  signals  were  large  enough  to  make  any  resistance. 

The  unusual  circumstances  of  the  arrest  were  of  themselves  enough  to  pro- 
duce great  excitement  in  a  community  so  evenly  divided  in  political  sentiment, 
and  with  such  bitterness  of  feeling  on  each  side  as  in  that  of  Dayton.  It  was 
believed  by  many  at  the  time  that  secret  societies,  formed  for  purposes  hostile 
to  the  Government,  had  also  much  to  do  in  fomenting  the  agitation.  The  streets 
were  crowded  all  day  with  the  friends  and  adherents  of  Mr.  Vallandigham ; 
liquor  seemed  to  flow  among  them  freely  and  without  price;  and  the  tone  of  the 
crowds  was  very  bitter  and  vindictive.  In  the  afternoon  the  journal  formerly 
edited  by  Mr.  Vallandigham,  the  Dayton  Empire,  appeared  with  the  following 
inflammatory  article : 

"The  cowardly,  scoundrelly  Abolitionists  of  this  town  have  at  last  succeeded  in  having  Hon- 
orable C.  L.  Vallandigham  kidnapped.  About  three  o'clock  this  morning,  when  the  city  Was 
quiet  in  slumber,  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers,  acting  under  orders  from  General  Burnside,  ar- 
rived here  on  a  special  train  from  Cincinnati,  and,  like  thieves  in  the  night,  surrounded  Mr.  Val- 
landigham's dwelling,  beat  down  the  doors,  an^  dragged  him  from  his  family.  The  frantic  cries 
of  a  wife,  by  this  dastardly  act  almost  made  a  maniac;  the  piteous  tears  and  pleadings  of  a  lit- 
tle child  for  the  safety  of  its  father,  were  all  disregarded,  as  a  savage  would  disregard  the  cries 
of  a  helpless  infant  he  was  about  to  brain.     All  forms  and  manner  of  civil  law  were  disregarded. 


io?.\ 


.Qjho  in  the  War. 


Ov,  rnowere.l  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers,  and  with  pickets  thrown  out,  so  as  to  prevent 
any  alar*  being  giving  to  his  friends,  they  tore  him  forcibly  from  his  home  and  family,  and 
ma«bed  with  all  poewble  speed  to  a  special  train  in  waiting,  and  bete  it  was  known  to  any  of 
hi,  friend*  they  were  off  like  cowardly  scoundrels,  fearing,  as  they  had  reason  to,  the  vengeance 
of  an  outraged  people.  >    ' ;* -■• 

'•Mr.  Vallandigham,  nor  his  friends,  would  have  offered  no  resistance  to  his  arrest  by  due 
process  of  law.  He  had  told  them,  time  and  again,  that  if  he  was  guilty  of  treason  under  the 
Constitution,  he  was  at  all  times  ready  to  be  tried  by  that  instrument.  But  they  have  disregarded 
law,  and  all  usage  of  law,  in  this  arrest.  No  charges  were  preferred ;  he  was  not  told  for  what 
crime  he  was  dragged,  in  the  dead  hour  of  night,  from  his  family  and  his  friends.  He  was  sim- 
ply informed  that  Burnside  had  ordered  it.  Does  Burnside,  or  any  other  man,  hold  the  life  and 
liberty  of  this  people  in  his  hands  ?  Are  we  no  longer  freemen,  but  vassals  and  serfs  of  a  mili- 
tary despotism?  These  are  questions  that  will  now  be  decided.  If  the  spirit  of  the  men  who 
purchased  our  freedom  through  the  fiery  ordeal  of  the  Revolution  still  lives  in  the  heart  of  the 
people,  as  we  believe  it  does,  then  all  will  yet  be  well,  for  it  will  hurl  defiance  to  military  des- 
potism, and  rescue  through  blood  and  carnage,  if  it  must  be,  our  endangered  liberties.  Cowards 
are  not  deserving  of  liberty,  brave  men  can  not  be  enslaved.  In  our  opinion  the  time  is  near  at 
at  hand,  much  nearer  than  unthinking  men  suppose,  when  it  will  be  decided  whether  we  are  to 
remain  free,  or  bare  our  necks  to  the  despot's  heel.  The  contest  will  be  a  fearful  one.  It  will 
involve  the  loss  of  many  lives,  and  immense  destruction  of  property.  Men  in  affluence  to-day 
will  be  beggars  to-morrow ;  there  will  be  more  orphans  and  widows,  tears  and  moans,  and  suf- 
fering. But  the  men  who  love  liberty  will  emulate  the  spirit  and  daring  of  the  immortal  heroes 
of  the  Revolution,  and  make  the  willing  sacrifice.  Let  cowards,  and  all  who  are  willing  to  be 
slaves,  seek  safety  in  flight.  Let  them  cast  aside  the  Constitution,  and  never  again  look  with 
pride  upon  the  glorious  folds  of  that  starry  banner  of  freedom;  it  can  awake  no  glorious  feeling 
of  emotion  within  their  craven  hearts.  The  men  who  feel  that  '  resistance  to  tyrants  is  obedi- 
ence to  God/  are  men  for  the  times;  and,  regardless  of  every  consideration,  will,  in  the  spirit  of 
the  immortal  Patrick  Henry,  exclaim,  'Give  me  liberty  or  give  me  death.' 

"The  kidnapping  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  interests  every  lover  of  freedom  in  the  land.  It 
was  against  these  illegal  and  arbitrary  arrests  that  the  voice  of  a  mighty  people  was  heard  in 
thunder  tones  at  the  fall  elections.  That  voice  carried  terror  and  dismay  to  the  hearts  of  the  des- 
pots at  Washington.  It  opened  the  prison  bars  of  the  bastiles,  and  gave  liberty  to  hundreds  of 
outraged  men,  who  had  been  imprisoned  merely  for  opinion's  sake.  Has  that  warning  lesson 
been  so  soon  forgotten  by  the  despots  at  Washington,  and  their  satraps  and  minions  throughout 
the  country  ?  Must  they  have  a  more  severe  and  emphatic  lesson  taught  them  ?  It  would  seem 
go.  They  have  taken  the  initiative,  and  upon  them  and  their  tools  in  this  city  and  elsewhere 
must  rest  the  fearful  responsibility  of  what  follows. 

"  We  know  the  men  who  have  been  mainly  instrumental  in  having  this  hellish  outrage  per- 
petrated ;  and,  by  the  Eternal,  they  will  yet  rue  the  day  they  let  their  party  malice  lead  them  as 
accomplices  into  the  scheme  of  depriving,  by  force,  as  loyal  a  citizen  as  they  dare  be  of  his  lib- 
erty. It  has  come  to  a  pretty  pass,  when  the  liberty  of  Democrats  in  this  city  and  county  and 
district  is  in  the  hands,  and  subject  to  the  caprice  of  such  a  petty  upstart  as  Provost-Martial  Ed. 
Parrott.  Abolition  leaders  of  this  town,  having  some  influence  with  Burnside,  have  worked  out 
the  kidnapping  of  Mr.  Vallandigham.  He  has  not  been  arrested  for  any  offense  against  the 
taws  of  his  country,  for  he  has  committed  none.  Personal  and  party  malice  is  at  the  bottom  of 
it  all.  It  is  a  direct  blow  at  the  Democratic  party,  and  the  personal  liberty  of  every  member  of 
that  organization.  Will  they  quietly  submit  to  it?  That's  the  question  to  be  settled  now.  Is 
aafety  to  be  coveted  more  than  freedom?  Is  property,  or  even  life,  more  to  be  prized  than  lib- 
erty? Had  the  heroes  of  the  Revolution  so  believed  and  acted,  we,  their  children,  never  would 
have  enjoyed  the  priceless  boon  of  freedom ;  and  perhaps  it  would  have  been  called  to  feel  and 
mourn  over  its  loss.  If  justice  is  still  abroad  in  this  unhappy  country,  if  truth  and  right  is  still 
powerful  to  combat  error  and  wrong,  there  i-s  a  terrible  retribution  in  store,  not  far  distant,  for 
the  guilty  scoundrels  who,  possessed  of  'a  little  brief  authority,'  are  seeking  to  crush  out  the  last 
vestige  of  American  liberty." 

This,  of  course,  tended  to  aggravate  the  mob  spirit  that  had  already  dis- 


Akrest  and    Teial  of   Vallandigham.  103 

played  itself  in  numerous  personal  assaults.  About  dark  a  swivel  was  fired  in 
front  of  the  Empire  office,  around  which  a  crowd  soon  gathered.  They  pres- 
ently moved  across  the  street  to  the  office  of  the  Republican  newspaper,  the 
Dayton  Journal,  and  began  assailing  it  with  stones  and  occasional  pistol 
shots.  Then  a  rush  was  made,  the  doors  were  burst  open,  whatever  was 
easily  accessible  was  destroyed,  and  finally  the  building  was  set  on  fire  in  sev- 
eral different  places.  The  flames  spread  to  neighboring  houses,  and  threatened 
for  a  time  to  end  in  a  terrible  conflagration.  The  fire  companies  found  their 
hose  cut  in  dozens  of  places,  and  their  engines  unmanageable,  while  others  were 
held  back  by  force  by  the  rioters,  so  that  the  Journal  office  and  several  adjacent 
buildings  wTere  completely  destroyed  before  anything  could  be  done. 

The  next  day  General  Burnside  promptly  proclaimed  martial  law  in  Mont- 
gomery County,  and  sent  up  Major  Keith,  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventeenth 
Ohio,  to  act  as  Provost-Martial,  with  an  ample  military  force  to  back  him.  No 
further  disturbances  were  attempted. 

From  his  confinement  in  Cincinnati,  Mr.  Yallandigham,  the  next  day,  issued 
the  following  address  to  the  Democracy  of  Ohio: 

"lam  here  in  a  military  bastile,*"  for  no  other  offense  than  my  political  opinions,  and  the 
defense  of  them  and  of  the  rights  of  the  people,  and  of  your  constitutional  liberties.  Speeches 
made  in  the  hearing  of  thousands  of  you,  in  denunciation  of  the  usurpations  of  power,  infrac- 
tions of  the  Constitution  and  laws,  and  of  military  despotism,  were  the  causes  of  my  arrest  and 
imprisonment.  I  am  a  Democrat;  for  Constitution,  for  law,  for  the  Union,  for  liberty;  this  is 
my  only  crime.  For  no  disobedience  to  the  Constitution,  for  no  violation  of  law,  for  no  word, 
sign,  or  gesture  of  sympathy  with  the  men  of  the  South,  who  are  for  disunion  and  Southern 
independence,  but  in  obedience  to  their  demand,  as  well  as  the  demand  of  Northern  abolition 
disunionists  and  traitors,  I  am  here  in  bonds  to-day ;  but 

"'Time,  at  last,  sets  all  things  even.' 

"Meanwhile,  Democrats  of  Ohio,  of  the  North-west,  of  the  United  States,  be  firm,  be  true 
to. your  principles,  to  the  Constitution,  to  the  Union,  and  all  will  yet  be  well.  As  for  myself,  I 
adhere  to  every  principle,  and  will  make  good,  through  imprisonment  and  life  itself,  every 
pledge  and  declaration  which  I  have  ever  made,  uttered,  or  maintained  from  the  beginning.  To 
you,  to  the  whole  people,  to  time,  I  again  appeal.     Stand  firm.     Falter  not  an  instant ! 

"C.  L.  VALLANDIGHAM." 

A  Military  Commission,  of  which  General  R.  B.  Potter  was  President,  was 
then  in  session  in  Cincinnati,  under  General  Burnside's  orders.  Before  this  Mr. 
Vallandigham  was  brought  to  trial  on  the  day  after  the  arrest,  on  the  following 
charge  and  specifications : 

"  Charge. — Publicly  expressing,  in  violation  of  General  Orders  No.  38,  from  Head-quarters 
Department  of  the  Ohio,  sympathy  for  those  in  arms  against  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  and  declaring  disloyal  sentiments  and  opinions,  with  the  object  and  purpose  of  weakening 
the  power  of  the  Government  in  its  efforts  to  suppress  an  unlawful  rebellion. 

"Specification. — In  this,  that  the  said  Clement  L.  Vallandigham.  a  citizen  of  the  State  of 
Ohio,  on  or  about  the  1st  day  of  May,  1863,  at  Mount  Vernon,  Knox  County,  Ohio,  did  publicly 

•At  first  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  confined  in  the  military  prison  on  Columbia  Street,  but  it 
was  soon  seen  that  there  was  no  danger  of  attempted  rescue,  and  the  militarv  bastile  in  which 
he  was  then  immured  was  the  Burnet  House. 


104 


Ohio  in  the  War, 


address  a  large  meeting  of  citizens,  and  did  utter  sentiments  in  words,  or  in  effect,  as  follows,  de- 
claring the  present  war  'a  wicked,  cruel,  and  unnecessary  war;'  'a  war  not  being  waged  for  the 
ration  of  the  Union ; '  '  a  war  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  out  liberty  and  erecting  a  despot- 
i  ,„  •  "-i  war  for  the  freedom  of  the  blacks  and  the  enslavement  of  the  whites ;'  stating  '  that  if 
the  Administration  had  so  wished,  the  war  could  have  been  honorably  terminated  months  ago;'  that 
might  have  been  honorably  obtained  by  listening  to  the  proposed  intermediation  of 
••'  that 'propositions  by  which  the  Northern  States  could  be  won  back  and  the  South 
guaranteed  their  rights  under  the  Constitution,  had  been  rejected  the  day  before  the  late  battle 
of  Fredericksburg,  by  Lincoln  and  his  minions,'  meaning  thereby  the  President  of  the  United 
.  and  those  under  him  in  authority;  charging  ' that  the  Government  of  the  United  States 
was  about  to  appoint  military  marshals  in  every  district,  to  restrain  the  people  of  their  liberties, 
to  deprive  thein  of  their  rights  and  privileges ; '  characterizing  General  Orders  No.  38,  from 
Head-quarters  Department  of  the  Ohio,  as  '  a  base  usurpation  of  arbitrary  authority,'  inviting 
his  hearers  to  resist  the  same,  by 'saying,  'the  sooner  the  people  inform  the  minions  of  usurped 
power  that  they  will  not  submit  to  such  restrictions  upon  their  liberties,  the  better;'  declaring 
1  that  he  was  at  all  times,  and  upon  all  occasions,  resolved  to  do  what  he  could  to  defeat  the  at- 
tempts now  being  made  to  build  up  a  monarchy  upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  government;'  as- 
serting 'that  he  firmly  believed,  as  he  said  six  months  ago,  that  the  men  in  power  are 
attempting  to  establish  a  despotism  in  this  country,  more  cruel  and  more  oppressive  than  ever 
existed  before.' 

"  All  of  which  opinions  and  sentiments  he  well  knew  did  aid,  comfort,  and  encourage  those 
in  arms  against  the  Government,  and  could  but  induce  in  his  hearers  a  distrust  of  their  own 
Government,  sympathy  for  those  in  arms  against  it,  and  a  disposition  to  resist  the  laws  of  the 
land." 

The  prisoner  was  attended  by  eminent  counsel,  Hon.  Geo.  E.  Pugh,  Hon. 
Geo.  H.  Pendleton,  and  others,  but  he  preferred  to  submit  no  defense  to  a  tri- 
bunal which  he  declared  to  have  no  right  to  try  him,  and  contented  himself 
with  a  cross-examination  of  the  few  witnesses  summoned.  The  specifications 
were  clearly  sustained,  save  that,  in  order  to  avoid  the  delay  involved  in  sum- 
moning Mr.  Fernando  Wood,  of  New  York,  by  whom  Mr.  Yallandigham  wished 
to  prove  the  nature  of  the  propositions  for  peace  which  he  had  charged  Mr. 
Lincoln  with  refusing,  this  item  was  abandoned.  The  testimony  of  one  of  the 
witnesses  set  forth  the  intemperate  language  in  some  detail,  as  follows  : 

["The  witness  stated  that,  in  order  to  give  his  remarks  in  the  order  in  which  they  were 
made,  he  would  refresh  his  memory  from  manuscript  notes  made  on  the  occasion.  These  the 
witness  produced  and  held  in  his  hands.] 

"  The  speaker  commenced  by  referring  to  the  canopy  under  which  he  was  speaking— the 
stand  being  covered  by  an  American  flag— 'the  flag  which,'  he  said,  '  had  been  rendered  sacred 
by  Democratic  Presidents— the  flag  under  the  Constitution.' 

"  After  finishing  his  exordium,  he  spoke  of  the  designs  of  those  in  power  being  to  erect  a 
despotism;  that  ' it  was  not  their  intention  to  effect  a  restoration  of  the  Union  ;  that  previous  to 
the  bloody  battle  of  Fredericksburg  an  attempt  was  made  to  stay  this  wicked,  cruel,  and  unneces- 
sary war.'  That  the  war  could  have  been  ended  in  February  last.  That,  a  day  or  two  before 
the  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  a  proposition  had  been  made  for  the  readmission  of  Southern  Sena- 
tors into  the  United  States  Congress,  and  that  the  refusal  was  still  in  existence  over  the  Presi- 
dent s  own  signature,  which  would  be  made  public  as  soon  as  the  ban  of  secrecy  enjoined  by  the 
President  was  removed.  That  the  Union  could  have  been  saved,  if  the  plan  proposed  by  the 
speaker  had  been  adopted  ;  that  the  Union  could  have  been  saved  upon  the  basis  of  reconstruc- 
tion; but  that  it  would  have  ended  in  the  exile  or  death  of  those  who  advocated  a  continuation 
of  the  war;  that  Forney,  who  was  a  well-known  correspondent  of  the  Philadelphia  Press,  had 
said  that  some  of  our  public  men  (and  he,  Forney,  had  no  right  to  speak  for  any  others  than  those 
connected  with  the  Administration),  rather  than  bring  back  some  of  the  seceded  States,  would 


Arrest   and   Trial  of  Vallandigiiam.  105 

submit  to  a  permanent  separation  of  the  Union.'  He  stated  that  '  France,  a  nation  that  had  al- 
ways shown  herself  to  be  a  friend  of  our  Government,  had  proposed  to  act  as  a  mediator;'  but 
'  that  her  proposition,  which,  if  accepted,  might  have  brought  about  an  honorable  peace,  was  in- 
solently rejected.'  It  may  have  been  'instantly  rejected;'  that  'the  people  had  been  deceived  as 
to  the  objects  of  the  war  from  the  beginning;'  that  'it  was  a  war  for  the  liberation  of  the  blacks 
and  the  enslavement  of  the  whites.  We  had  been  told  that  it  would  be  terminated  hi  three 
months — then  in  nine  months,  and  again  in  a  year — but  that  there  was  still  no  prospect  of  its 
being  ended.  That  Richmond  was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy  ;  that  Charleston  was  theirs, 
and  Vicksburg  was  theirs;  that  the  Mississippi  was  not  opened,  and  would  not  be  so  long  as 
there  was  cotton  on  its  banks  to  be  stolen,  or  so  long  as  there  were  any  contractors  or  officers  to 
enrich.'  I  do  not  remember  which  word,  contractors  or  officers,  he  used.  He  stated  that  a 
Southern  paper  had  denounced  himself  and  Cox,  and  the  'Peace  Democrats,'  as  having  'done 
more  to  prevent  the  establishment  of  a  Southern  Confederacy  than  a  thousand  Sewards.'  That 
'they  proposed  to  operate  through  the  masses  of  the  people,  in  both  sections,  who  were  in  favor 
of  the  Union.'  He  said  that  'it  was  the  purpose  or  desire  of  the  Administration  to  suppress  or 
prevent  such  meetings  as  the  one  he  was  addressing.'  That  '  military  marshals  were  about  to  be 
appointed  in  every  district,  who  would  act  for  the  purpose  of  restricting  the  liberties  of  the  peo- 
ple;' but  that  'he  was  a  freeman ;'  that  he  'did  not  ask  David  Tod,  or  Abraham  Lincoln,  or  Am- 
brose E.  Burnside  for  his  right  to  speak  as  lie  had  done,  and  was  doing.  That  his  authority  for 
so  doing  was  higher  than  General  Orders  No.  38 — it  was  General  Orders  No.  1 — the  Constitution. 
That  General  Orders  No.  38  was  a  base  usurpation  of  arbitrary  power ;  that  he  had  the  most 
supreme  contempt  for  such  power.  He  despised  it,  spit  upon  it ;  he  trampled  it  under  his  feet.' 
That  only  a  few  days  before,  a  man  had  been  dragged  down  from  his  home  in  Butler  County,  by 
an  outrageous  usurpation  of  power,  and  tried  for  an  offense  not  known  to  our  laws,  by  a  self-con- 
stituted court-martial — tried  without  a  jury,  which  is  guaranteed  to  every  one ;  that  he  had  been 
fined  and  imprisoned.  That  two  men  had  been  brought  over  from  Kentucky,  and  tried,  contrary 
to  express  laws  for  the  trial  of  treason,  and  were  now  under  the  sentence  of  death.  That  an  order 
had  just  been  issued  in  Indiana,  denying  to  persons  the  right  to  canvass  or  discuss  military  pol- 
icy, and  that,  if  it  was  submitted  to,  would  be  followed  up  by  a  similar  order  in  Ohio.  That  he 
was  resolved  never  to  submit  to  an  order  of  a  military  dictator,  prohibiting  the  free  discussion 
of  either  civil  or  military  authority.  'The  sooner  that  the  people  inform  the  minions  of  this 
usurped  power  that  they  would  not  submit  to  such  restrictions  upon  their  liberties,  the  better.' 
1  Should  we  cringe  and  cower  before  such  authority?'  That  'we  claimed  the  right  to  criticise 
the  acts  of  our  military  servants  in  power '  That  there  never  was  a  tyrant  in  any  age  who  op- 
pressed'the  people  further  than  he  thought  they  would  submit  to  or  endure.  That  in  days  of 
Democratic  authority,  Tom  Corwin  had,  in  face  of  Congress,  hoped  that  our  brave  volunteers 
in  Mexico '  might  be  welcomed  with  bloody  hands  to  hospitable  graves,'  but  that  he  had  not  been 
interfered  with.  It  was  never  before  thought  necessary  to  appoint  a  captain  of  cavalry  as  pro- 
vost-marshal, as  was  now  the  case  in  Indianapolis,  or  military  dictators,  as  were  now  exercising 
authority  in  Cincinnati  and  Columbus.  He  closed  by  warning  the  people  not  to  be  deceived. 
That  '  an  attempt  would  shortly  be  made  to  enforce  the  conscription  act;'  that 'they  should 
remember  that  this  was  not  a  war  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union;'  that  'it  was  a  wicked 
Abolition  war,  and  that  if  those  in  authority  were  allowed  to  accomplish  their  purposes,  the  peo- 
ple would  be  deprived  of.  their  liberties,  and  a  monarchy  established ;  but  that,  as  for  him,  he 
was  resolved  that  he  would  never  be  a  priest  to  minister  upon  the  altar  upon  which  his  country 
was  being  sacrificed.' " 

The  prisoner,  in  the  cross-examination,  brought  out  the  facts  that,  notwith- 
standing his  violent  language,  he  had.  cautiously  added  that  the  remedy  for 
these  evils  was  at  the  ballot-box  and  in  the  courts;  that  he  had  denounced  the 
cheers  for  Jefferson  Davis  which  some  of  his  remarks  had  evoked;  that  he  had 
professed  his  firm  adherence  to  the  Union,  his  desire  to  try  by  compromise  to 
restore  it  as  the  fathers  made  it,  and  his  determination  not  to  take  any  part  in 
agreeing  to  its  dissolution.     These  extenuating   circumstances  he  proposed  to 


H)C>  Ohio  in  the  War. 

,,,-ovo  a  so  by  other  witnesses,  but  the  Judge-Advocate  admitted  them  all  with- 
out farther  testimony. 

When  the  trial  was  begun,  Mr.  Vallandigham  refused  to  enter  any  plea,  de- 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  Court.     At  the  close  of  the   evidence  he  simply 
read  to  the  Court  this  protest,  with  which  he  submitted  the  case  : 

"Arrested  without  due  'process  of  law/  without  warrant  from  any  judicial  officer,  and  now 
in  ■  ...ilitary  prison,  I  have  been  served  with  a  'charge  and  specifications/  as  in  a  court-martial 
or  military  commission. 

"  I  am  not  in  either  'the  land  or  naval  forces  of  the  United  States,  nor  in  the  militia  in  the 
actual  service  of  the  United  States/  and  therefore  am  not  triable  for  any  cause,  by  any  such 
court,  but  am  subject,  by  the  express  terms  of  the  Constitution,  to  arrest  only  by  due  process  of 
law  judicial  warrant,  regularly  issued  upon  affidavit,  and  by  some  officer  or  court  of  competent 
jurisdiction  for  the  trial  of  citizens,  and  am  now  entitled  to  be  tried  on  an  indictment  or  present- 
ment of  a  grand  jury  of  such  court,  to  speedy  and  public  trial  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  State 
of  Ohio,  to  be  confronted  with  witnesses  against  me,  to  have  compulsory  process  for  witnesses  in 
niv  behalf;  the  assistance  of  counsel  for  my  defense,  and  evidence  and  argument  according  to  the 
common  laws  and  the  ways  of  judicial  courts. 

"  And  all  these  I  here  demand  as  my  right  as  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  under  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States. 

"  But  the  alleged  '  offense'  is  not  known  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  nor  to  any 
law  thereof.  It  is  words  spoken  to  the  people  of  Ohio  in  an  open  and  public  political  meeting, 
lawfully  and  peaceably  assembled,  under  the  Constitution  and  upon  full  notice.  It  is  words  of 
criticism  of  the  public  policy  of  the  public  servants  of  the  people,  by  which  policy  it  was  alleged 
that  the  welfare  of  the  country  was  not  promoted.  It  was  an  appeal  to  the  people  to  change 
that  policy,  not  by  force,  but  by  free  elections  and  the  ballot-box.  It  is  not  pretended  that  I 
counseled  disobedience  to  the  Constitution,  or  resistance  to  laws  and  lawful  authority.  I  never 
have.     Beyond  this  protest  I  have  nothing  further  to  submit. 

"C.  L.  VALLANDIGHAM." 

The  Judge-Advocate  replied  that  he  had  nothing  to  say  as  to  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Court — that  question  having  been  decided  by  the  authority  conven- 
ing it;  and  that  as  to  counsel  and  witnesses,  the  prisoner  had  been  enabled  to 
have  any  witnesses  he  wished  summoned,  and.  had  three  counsel  of  his  own 
choice  in  an  adjacent  room,  whom  he  had  not  chosen,  for  reasons  unknown,  to 
bring  into  the  Court. 

And  so,  after  a  two  days'  trial,  the  case  was  left  to  the  Court.  Eight  days 
later  the  findings  were  approved  by  the  General  Commanding,  and  published  in 
general  orders.  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  found  guilty  of  the  charge  and  specifi- 
cations (with  the  exception  of  the  words,  "That  propositions  by  which  the 
Northern  States  could  be  won  back,  and  the  South  guaranteed  their  rights  under 
the  Constitution,  had  been  rejected  the  day  before  the  late  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg, by  Lincoln  and  his  minions,"  meaning  thereby  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  and  those  under  him  in  authority,  and  the  words,  "asserting  that  he 
firmly  believed,  as  he  asserted  six  months  ago,  that  the  men  in  power  are  at- 
tempting to  establish  a  despotism  in  this  country,  more  cruel  and  more  oppres- 
sive than  ever  existed  before"),  and  was  sentenced  to  close  confinement  in  some 
United  States  fort  during  the  continuance  of  the  war.  General  Burnside  named 
Fort  Warren  in  Boston  harbor,  as  the  place  of  confinement;  and  forwarded  the 
proceedings  in  the  case  to  the  President. 


Arkest  and  Teial   of  Yallandigiiam.  107 

There  was  a  general  fear  that  the  result  of  the  trial  would  be  to  exalt  Mr. 
Vallandigham  in  public  estimation  as  a  martyr  to  the  cause  of  free  speech.  On 
this  account  the  entire  proceedings  had  been  generally  disapproved  at  the  East* 
and  even  among  the  supporters  of  the  Government  within  the  State  were  very 
many  who  regretted  that  any  notice  whatever  had  been  taken  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  speech.  Now  that  the  thing  was  done,  it  was  held  that  the  least  objec- 
tionable course  out  of  the  difficulty  would  be  to  send  Mr.  Vallandigham  through 
the  lines  to  the  South,  there  to  remain  "  among  his  friends,"  as  the  newspapers 
phrased  it,  till  the  end  of  the  war.  To  this  view  the  President  acceded.  He 
accordingly  ordered  General  Burnside  to  send  Mr.  Vallandigham  under  secure 
guard  to  the  head-quarters  of  General  Kosecrans,  to  be  put  by  him  beyond  the 
military  lines.  In  case  of  his  return  he  was  to  be  arrested  and  punished  in 
accordance  with  the  original  sentence.  This  order  was  promptly  obeyed;  and, 
under  a  flag  of  truce,  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  sent  over  into  the  Eebel  lines  in 
Tennessee. 

We  shall  have  occasion  in  reciting  the  events  speedily  following  in  the 
State's  history  to  see  what  course  he  took,  and  what  was  the  final  result 
of  all  these  proceedings  upon  the  popular  action  in  favor  of  the  prosecution  of 
the  war.  s. 

Two  days  after  the  close  of  Mr.  Vallandigham's  trial  before  the  Military 
Commission,  Hon.  George  E.  Pugh,  of  his  counsel,  applied  to  Judge  Leavitt  of 
the  United  States  Circuit  Court  for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  The  application 
was  ably  argued — by  Mr.  Pugh  for  the  prisoner,  and  by  Mr.  Aaron  F.Perry, 
and  the  United  States  District-Attorney,  Mr.  Flamen  Ball,  in  behalf  of  General 
Burnside. 

The  Clerk  had  been  directed  to  notify  General  Burnside  of  the  application 
and  of  the  day  on  which  it  would  be  heard.  He  appeared,  not  only  by  counsel, 
but  in  the  following  personal  statement,  which  was  presented  for  him  by  the 
District-Attorney : 

"If  I  were  to  indulge  in  wholesale  criticisms  of  the  policy  of  the  Government,  it  would  de- 
moralize the  army  under  my  command,  and  every  friend  of  his  country  would  call  me  a  traitor. 
If  the  officers  or  soldiers  were  to  indulge  in  such  criticism,  it  would  weaken  the  army  to  the  ex- 
tent of  their  influence ;  and  if  this  criticism  were  universal  in  the  army,  it  would  cause  it  to  be 
broken  to  pieces,  the  Government  to  be  divided,  our  homes  to  be  invaded,  and  anarchy  to  reign. 
My  duty  to  my  Government  forbids  me  to  indulge  in  such  criticisms;  officers  and  soldiers  are  not 
allowed  so  to  indulge,  and  this  course  will  be  sustained  by  all  honest  men. 

"  Now,  I  will  go  further.  We  are  in  a  state  of  civil  war.  One  of  the  States  of  this  depart- 
ment is  at  this  moment  invaded,  and  three  others  have  been  threatened  I  command  the  depart- 
ment, and  it  is  my  duty  to  my  country,  and  to  this  army,  to  keep  it  in  the  best  possible  condition; 
to  see  that  it  is  fed,  clad,  armed,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  see  that  it  is  encouraged.  If  it  is  my 
duty  and  the  duty  of  the  troops  to  avoid  saying  any  thing  that  would  weaken  the  army,  by  pre- 
venting a  single  recruit  from  joining  the  ranks,  by  bringing  the  laws  of  Congress  into  disrepute, 
or  by  causing  dissatisfaction  in  the  ranks,  it  is  equally  the  duty  of  every  citizen  in  the  depart- 
ment to  avoid  the  same  evil.  If  it  is  my  duty  to  prevent  the  propagation  of  this  evil  in  the 
-army,  or  in  a  portion  of  my  department,  it  is  equally  my  duty  in  all  portions  of  it ;  and  it  is  my 
duty  to  use  all  the  force  in  my  power  to  stop  it. 

"  If  I  were  to  find  a  man  from  the  enemy's  country  distributing  in  my  camps  speeches  of 

i 


108  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

their  public  men  that  tended  to  demoralize  the  troops  or  to  destroy  their  confidence  in  the  consti- 
tute! authorities  of  the  Government,  I  would  have  him  tried,  and  hung  if  found  guilty,  and  all 
the  rul.-s  of  modern  warfare  would  sustain  me.  Why  should  such  speeches  from  our  own  public 
men  be  allowed? 

"  The  press  and  public  men,  in  a  great  emergency  like  the  present,  should  avoid  the  use  of 
party  epithets  and  bitter  invectives,  and  discourage  the  organization  of  secret  political  societies, 
which  ;irr  iilwavs  undignified  and  disgraceful  to  a  free  people,  but  now  they  are  absolutely  wrong 
and  injurious ;  they  create  dissensions  and  discord,  which  just  now  amount  to  treason.  The  simple 
names  '  Patriot'  and  'Traitor'  are  comprehensive  enough. 

"As  I  before  said,  we  are  in  a  state  of  civil  war,  and  an  emergency  is  upon  us  which  re- 
quires the  operations  of  some  power  that  moves  more  quickly  than  the  civil. 

"  There  never  was  a  war  carried  on  successfully  without  the  exercise  of  that  power. 

"It  is  said  that  the  speeches  which  are  condemned  have  been  made  in  the  presence  of  large 
bodies  of  citizens,  who,  if  they  thought  them  wrong,  would  have  then  and  there  condemned 
them.  That  fa  no  argument.  These  citizens  do  not  realize  the  effect  upon  the  army  of  our  coun- 
try, who  are  its  defenders.  They  have  never  been  in  the  field ;  never  faced  the  enemies  of  their 
country ;  never  undergone  the  privations  of  our  soldiers  in  the  field  ;  and,  besides,  they  have 
been  in  the  habit  of  hearing  their  public  men  speak,  and,  as  a  general  thing,  approving  of  what 
they  say ;  therefore,  the  greater  responsibility  rests  upon  the  public  men  and  upon  the  public 
press,  and  it  behooves  them  to  be  careful  as  to  what  they  say.  They  must  not  use  license  and 
plead  that  they  are  exercising  liberty.  In  this  department  it  can  not  be  done.  I  shall  use  all 
the  power  I  have  to  break  down  such  license,  and  I  am  sure  I  will  be  sustained  in  this  course  by 
all  honest  men.  At  all  events,  I  will  have  the  consciousness,  before  God,  of  having  done  my 
duty  to  my  country,  and  when  I  am  swerved  from  the  performance  of  that  duty  by  any  pressure, 
public  or  private,  or  by  any  prejudice,  I  will  no  longer  be  a  man  or  a  patriot. 

"  I  again  assert,  that  every  power  I  possess  on  earth,  or  that  is  given  me  from  above,  will  be 
used  in  defense  of  my  Government,  on  all  occasions,  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places  within  this 
department.  There  is  no  party — no  community — no  State  Government — no  State  Legislative 
body— no  corporation  or  body  of  men  that  have  the  power  to  inaugurate  a  war  policy  that  has 
the  validity  of  law  and  power,  but  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Government  of  the  United 
States;  and  I  am  determined  to  support  their  policy.  If  the  people  do  not  approve  that  policy, 
they  can  change  the  constitutional  authorities  of  that  Government,  at  the  proper  time  and  by  the 
proper  method.  Let  them  freely  discuss  the  policy  in  a  proper  tone ;  but  my  duty  requires  me 
to  stop  license  and  intemperate  discussion,  which  tends  to  weaken  the  authority  of  the  Govern- 
ment and  army:  whilst  the  latter  is  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  it  is  cowardly  to  so  weaken  it. 
This  license  could  not  be  used  in  our  camps— the  man  would  be  torn  in  pieces  who  would  attempt 
it.  There  is  no  fear  of  the  people  losing  their  liberties  ;  we  all  know  that  to  be  the  cry  of  dema- 
gogues, and  none  but  the  ignorant  will  listen  to  it:  all  intelligent  men  know  that  our  people  are 
too  far  advanced  in  the  scale  of  religion,  civilization,  education,  and  freedom,  to  allow  any  power 
on  earth  to  interfere  with  their  liberties ;  but  this  same  advancement  in  these  great  characteris- 
tics of  our  people  teaches  them  to  make  all  necessary  sacrifices  for  their  country  when  an  emer- 
gency requires.  The*  will  support  the  constituted  authorities  of  the  Government,  whether 
tiny  agree  with  them  or  not.  Indeed,  the  army  itself  is  a  part  of  the  people,  and  is  so 
thoroughly  educated  in  the  love  of  civil  liberty,  which  is  the  best  guarantee  for  the  permanence 
of  our  republican  institutions,  that  it  would  itself  be  the  first  to  oppose  any  attempt  to  continue 
the  exercise  of  military  authority  after  the  establishment  of  peace  by  the  overthrow  of  the  rebell- 
ion. No  man  on  earth  can  lead  our  citizen -soldiery  to  the  establishment  of  a  military  despot- 
Mm,  and  no  man  living  would  have  the  folly  to  attempt  it.  To  do  so  would  be  to  seal  his  own 
doom.     On  this  point  there  can  be  no  ground  for  apprehension  on  the  part  of  the  people. 

"It  is  saM  that  we  can  have  peace  if  we  lay  down  our  arms.  All  sensible  men  know  this  to 
be  untrue.  Were  it  so,  ought  we  to  be  so  cowardly  as  to  lay  them  down  until  the  authority  of 
the  Government  is  acknowledged? 

"  I  beg  to  call  upon  the  fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters,  sons,  daughters,  relatives,  friends, 
and  neighbors  of  the  soldiers  in  the  field  to  aid  me  in  stopping  this  license  and  intemperate  dis- 
cussion winch  is  discouraging  our  armies,  weakening  the  hands  of  the  Government,  and  thereby 
strengthening  the  enemy.     If  we  use  our  honest  efforts,  God  will  bless  us  with  a  glorious  peace 


Arrrest  and   Trial   of  Vallandigham.  109 


and  a  united  country.  Men  of  every  shade  of  opinion  have  the  same  vital  interest  in  the  sup- 
pression of  this  rebellion;  for,  should  we  fail  in  the  task,  the  dread  horrors  of  a  ruined  and  dis- 
tracted nation  will  fall  alike  on  all,  whether  patriots  or  traitors. 

"The*e  are  substantially  my  reasons  for  issuing  'General  Order  No.  38;'  my  reasons  for  the 
determination  to  enforce  it,  and  also  my  reasons  for  the  arrest  of  Hon.  C.  L.  Vallandigham  for  a 
supposed  violation  of  that  order,  for  which  he  has  been  tried.  The  result  of  that  trial  is  now  in 
my  hands. 

"In  enforcing  this  order  I  can  be  unanimously  sustained  by  the  people,  or  I  can  be  opposed 
by  factious,  bad  men.  In  the  former  event,  quietness  will  prevail ;  in  the  latter  event,  the  re- 
sponsibility and  retribution  will  attach  to  the  men  who  resist  the  authority,  and  the  neighbor- 
hoods that  allow  it. 

"All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted. 

"A.  E.  BURNSIDE,  Ma  job-General, 

"Commanding  Department  of  the  Ohio." 

Mr.  Pugh  complained  that  this  was  in  effect  a  return  to  the  writ,  avowing 
the  facts  detailed  in  the  petition  therefor;  and  that  yet,  without  having  the 
body  of  the  petitioner  in  court,  or  without  any  order  compelling  General  Burn- 
side  to  stay  the  execution  of  sentence,  he  was  required  to  proceed  with  his 
duties  as  an  advocate.  The  habeas  corpus,  he  maintained,  was  a  writ  of  right, 
under  which,  whenever  it  appeared  on  affidavit,  that  the  prisoner  was  unlaw- 
fully imprisoned  the  Court  had  no  choice,  no  latitude,  no  right  even  of  post- 
ponement. After  fortifying  this  position,  asserting  that  the  only  question  was 
whether  upon  the  allegations  of  the  petition,  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  lawfully  or 
unlawfully  imprisoned,  and,  quoting  the  preamble  and  enacting  clause  of  the 
Constitution,  he  continued  : 

"  There  can  be  no  Union  except  as  intended  by  that  compact.  The  people  have  not  agreed 
to  any  other;  and  without  their  consent,  it  is  impossible  that  any  other  should  be  legitimately 
established.  The  justice  to  be  administered  in  this  court,  and  in  all  other  tribunals,  military 
and  civil,  must  be  such  as  the  Constitution  requires.  Domestic  tranquillity  is  a  condition  greatly 
to  be  envied ;  but  it  must  be  secured  by  observing  the  Constitution  in  letter  and  in  spirit.  Gen- 
eral Burnside  admonishes  us  of  a  certain  'quietness'  which  might  prevail  as  the  consequence  of 
enforcing  his  military  order  :  I  answer  him  that  quietness  attained  by  the  sacrifice  of  our  ances- 
tral rights,  by  the  destruction  of  our  constitutional  privileges,  is  worse  than  the  worst  degree  of 
confusion  and  violence.  Touch  not  the  liberty  of  the  citizen ;  and  we,  in  Ohio,  at  least,  will  be 
unanimous.  We  may  not  concur  as  to  the  causes  which  induced  so  mighty  a  rebellion;  we  may 
differ  as  to  the  best  methods  of  subduing  or  of  mitigating  it;  we  may  quarrel  as  partisans,  or 
even  as  factionists ;  but  we  will,  nevertheless,  with  one  accord,  sustain  the  General  in  the  dark- 
est hour  of  his  despondency  as  well  as  in  the  day  of  triumph — sustain  him  by  our  counsels,  by 
all  our  means,  and,  if  necessary,  at  the  expense  of  our  lives.  But  we  can  not  give  him  our  lib- 
erties. That  sacrifice  would  be  of  no  advantage  to  him ;  and  it  would  render  us  and  our  pos- 
terity forever  miserable.  It  is  not  necessary  to  the  common  defense ;  it  would  not — it  can  not — ■ 
promote  the  common  welfare." 

He  quoted  the  clause  of  the  Constitution  prohibiting  Congress  from  passing 
any  law  abridging  freedom  of  speech,  or  the  right  of  peaceable  assembly,  to 
protest  against  grievances,  and  continued: 

"General  Burnside  holds  an  office  created  by  act  of  Congress  alone — an  office  which 
Congress  may,  at  any  time,  abolish.  His  title,  his  rank,  his  emoluments,  his  distinction  above 
his  fellow  citizens,  are  all  derived  from  that  source.  I  take  it  to  be  absolutely  certain,  therefore, 
that  he  can  make  no  '  law'  which  Congress  could  not  make.  He  can  not  abridge  the  freedom  of 
speech,  or  of  the  press,  or  the  right  of  the  people  to  assemble  and  to  consider  of  their  grievances. 


110 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


And  yet  sir  of  what  does  he  accuse  Mr.  Vallandigham?  Let  the  specification  of  Captain  Cutts 
mawer?  Of  Having  addressed  a  public  assembly  of  the  electors  of  Ohio,  at  Mount  Vernon,  in 
Knox  County  on  the  first  day  of  this  month.  Nothing  more;  nothing  whatsoever.  It  was  an 
KMemblT  of  'the  people  to  deliberate  upon  their  grievances,  and  to  advise  with  each  other  in  what 
way  those  grievances  could  be  redressed.  Into  that  forum— the  holiest  of  holies  in  our  political 
fvatem  -**■  General  Burnside  intruded  his  military  dictation.  Need  I  say  more?  What  avails 
a  right  of  the  people  to  assemble,  or  to  consult  of  their  public  affairs,  if,  when  assembled,  and 
that  peaceably,  they  have  no  freedom  of  speech?" 
• 

He  pointed  out  the  difference  between  General  Burnside's  relation  to  the 
President  as  his  military  Commander-in-Chief,  bringing  him  under  the  Articles 
of  War.  which  forbid  disrespectful  language  of  his  superior  officers,  and  that  of 
Mr.  Vallandigham,  as  simply  a  citizen.  He  answered  the  complaint  as  to  the 
effect  of  Mr.  Vallandigham's  language  on  the  people,  by  saying  in  effect  that  the 
people  must  do  their  own  thinking  after  their  own  fashion,  and  with  such  aid 
in  the  way  of  speeches  as  they  should  choose  for  themselves;  and  the  complaint 
as  to  the  effect  upon  the  soldiers,  thus : 

"O!— but  the  effect  on  the  soldiers.  Well,  sir,  let  us  inquire  into  that.  The  soldiers 
have  been  citizens ;  they  have  been  in  the  habit  of  attending  public  meetings,  and  of  listen- 
in<*  to  public  speakers.  They  are  not  children,  but  grown  men — stalwart,  sensible,  and 
gallant  men — with  their  hearts  in  tlie  right  place,  and  with  arms  ready  to  strike  whenever 
and  wherever  the  cause  of  their  country  demands.  The  General  assures  us  of  more,  even 
than  this:  'No  man  on  earth,'  'he  says,  '  can  lead  our  citizen-soldiery  to  the  establishment 
of  a  military  despotism.'  And  are  these  the  men  to  be  discouraged,  and,  especially,  to  feel 
weary  in  heart  or  limb  — unable  to  cope  with  an  enemy  in  the  field  because  Mr.  Vallandig- 
ham, or  any  other  public  speaker,  may  have  said  something,  at  Mount  Vernon  or  elsewhere,  with 
which  they  do  not  agree?  The  soldiers  have  not  chosen  me  for  their  eulogist;  but  I  will  say, 
of  my  own  accord,  that  they  are  no  such  tender  plants  as  General  Burnside  imagines.  They 
know,  exactly,  for  what  they  went  into  the  field;  they  are  not  alarmed,  nor  dissatisfied,  nor  dis- 
couraged, because  their  fellow-citizens,  at  home,  attend  public  meetings,  and  listen  to  public 
(speeches,  as  heretofore;  they  have  no  serious  misgivings  as  to  the  estimation  in  which  they  are 
holden  by  the  people  of  the  Northern  and  North-western  States,  without  any  distinction  of 
sects,  parties,  or  factions. 

"  Let  the  officers,  and  especially  those  of  highest  degree,  observe  their  military  duties ;  let 
them  see  to  it,  as  General  Burnside  has  well  said,  and  as,  I  doubt  not,  he  has  well  done,  so  far  as 
his  authority  extends,  that  the  soldiers  are  'fed,  clad,  and  armed,'  and  'kept  in  the  best  possible 
condition' for  service.  Allow  them  to  vote  as  they  please ;  allow  them  to  read  whatever  news- 
papers they  like;  cease  any  attempt  to  use  them  for  a  partisan  advantage:  I  do  not  accuse  Gen- 
eral Burnside  of  this— but  others,  and  too  many,  have  been  guilty  of  the  grossest  tyranny  in  regard 
to  it.  Protect  the  soldier  against  the  greed  of  jobbers  and  knavish  contractors— against  dealers 
in  shoddy,  in  rotten  leather,  in  Belgian  muskets,  in  filthy  bread  and  meat— against  all  the  hid  e- 
ous  cormorants  which  darken  the  sky  and  overshadow  the  land  in  times  of  military  prepara- 
tion. Let  the  party  in  administration  discharge  these  duties;  and  my  word  for  it,  sir,  that  the 
volunteers  from  Ohio,  from  Indiana,  from  Illinois,  from  every  other  State,  will  do  and  dare  as 
much,  at  least,  as  the  best  and  bravest  soldiers  in  the  world  can  accomplish." 

Reviewing  the  several  specifications  in  the  arraignment  of  Mr.  Vallandig- 
ham before  the  Military  Commission,  he  sought  to  show  how  none  of  the  words 
quoted,  even  in  the  disjointed,  unconnected  shape  in  which  they  were  given, 
passed  the  lawful  latitude  of  free  discussion;  asked  how  mere  words  could,  in 
General  Burnside's  language,  "amount  to"  treason  ;  and  discussed  at  considera- 


Arrest  and   Trial  of  Vallandigham.  Ill 

ble  length  the  question  of  constructive  treason,  and  arrayed  a  formidable  pre- 
sentment of  authorities  on  the  subject,  concluding: 

"But,  sir,  what  become  of  our  safeguards — what  avails  the  experience  .of  seven  hundred 
years — where  is  that  Constitution  which  declares  itself  to  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land — if 
a  Major-General  commanding  the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  or  any  other  officer,  civil  or  military, 
can  create  and  multiply  definitions  of  treason  at  his  pleasure?  The  ancient  Ruminalis  put  forth 
new  leaves  when  all  men  supposed  it  to  be  dying;  whether  the  tree  of  American  liberty  will  be 
able  to  supply  the  place  of  that  splendid  foliage  which  has  been  stripped  from  its  branches,  and 
scattered  beneath  our  feet,  by  this  rude  blast  of  arbitrary  and  unlimited  authority,  is  a  question 
hereafter  to  be  determined.  That  question  does  not  concern  my  distinguished  client  any  more 
than  it  concerns  every  other  citizen.  The  partisans  in  power  to-day  will  be  the  partisans  in  op- 
position to-morrow;  then  military  command  will  be  shifted  from  those  who  oppress  to  those 
who  have  been  oppressed ;  and  so,  with  the  mutations  of  political  fortune,  must  the  personal  rights 
and  rights  of  property,  and  even  the  lives,  of  all  be  in  constant  hazard.  I  pray  that  my  learned 
friends  upon  the  other  side  will  consider  this  in  time;  that  they  will  use  their  influence  not  only 
with  the  defendant,  but  with  those  to  whom  at  present  he  is  amenable,  to  revoke — ere  it  be  too 
late — the  dreadful  fiat  of  tyranny,  of  hopeless  confusion,  of  ultimate  anarchy,  which  has  been 
sounded  in  our  midst." 

Then,  saying  that  the  argument  for  the  prisoner  might  well  be  here  con- 
cluded, he  nevertheless,  under  his  instruction,  must  proceed  to  present  the  bear- 
ings of  another  article  of  the  Constitution  ;  that  guaranteeing  the  right  of  the 
people  against  unreasonable  searches  and  seizures,  and  forbidding  the  issue  of 
warrants  but  upon  probable  cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirmation.  Arraying 
the  authorities  on  this  subject,  and  enumerating  the  requisites  for  arrest  and 
trial,  he  then  concluded : 

"  And  yet,  sir,  to  that  we  have  come — in  the  first  century  of  our  Republic,  with  a  written 
Constitution  less  than  eighty  years  old,  in  a  country  professing  to  be  civilized,  intelligent,  refined, 
and  (strangest  of  all)  to  be  free !  It  is  our  case — if  your  Honor  please — your  own  case  and  mine ; 
and  not  merely  the  case  of  Clement  L.  Vallandigham.  He  is  the  victim  to-day;  but  there  will 
be,  and  must  be,  other  victims  to-morrow.  What  rights  have  we,  or  what  security  for  any  right, 
under  such  a  system  as  this  ? 

"'Every  minist'ring  spy 

That  will  accuse  and  swear,  is  lord  of  you, 

Of  me,  of -all  our  fortunes  and  our  lives. 

Our  looks  are  call'd  to  question,  and  our  words, 

How  innocent  soever,  are  made  crimes ; 

We  shall  not  shortly  dare  to  tell  our  dreams, 

Or  think,  but't  will  be  treason.' 

"  And  the  excuse  for  it,  as  given  by  General  Burnside,  is  that  a  rebellion  exists  in  Tennessee, 
in  Arkansas,  in  Louisiana,  in  Mississippi,  in  Alabama,  in  other  States  a  thousand  miles  distant 
from  us.  Does  any  rebellion  exist  here?  President  Lincoln,  by  his  proclamation  of  January  1, 
1863,  has  undertaken  to  *  designate'  the  States,  and  even  '  parts '  of  States,  at  present  in  rebell- 
ion ;  but  I  do  not  find  the  State  of  Ohio,  nor  the  county  of  Montgomery,  nor  the  city  of  Dayton 
so  designated.  How  can  the  Rebels,  in  addition  to  disclaiming  their  own  rights  under  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  United  States,  also  forfeit  the  rights  of  my  client?  I  ask  General  Burnside,  or 
his  counsel,  to  answer  me  that  question;  because,  until  it  has  been  answered,  and  answered  sat- 
isfactorily, there  can  be  no  excuse,  no  apology,  not  the  least  degree  of  palliation,  for  such  extra- 
ordinary proceedings  as  have  been  avowed  here,  and  vainly  attempted  to  be  justified. 

"  You  have  presided  in  this  court  almost  thirty  years ;  and,  during  that  time,  have  heard 
and  determined  a  vast  number  and  variety  of  important  controversies.  But  never,  as  I  venture 
to  affirm,  have  you  been  called  to  the  discharge  of  a  greater  duty  than  upon  this  occasion.  I  had 
supposed,  in  the  simplicity  of  my  heart  and  understanding,  that  all  the  propositions  for  which  I 


112 


Ohio   in  the  Wak. 


have  contended  were  too  firmly  established  in  Amenca,  as  well  as  in England, to  be  d^urbed  or 
,,  Stod.  It  seems  otherwise;  and,  therefore,  at  unusual  length,  and  without  « .lucid  an 
JSL  and  m  close  an  argument  as  I  could  wish,  have  I  descanted  upon  the  mighty  themes  of 
contort  In  all  past  ages,  between  the  supporters  of  arbitrary  power  and  the  defenders  of  popular 
rights  '  I  pray  that  you  will  command  the  body  of  my  client  to  be  brought  before  you,  m  tins 
court  of  civil  judicature,  and  in  the  open  light  of  day ;  to  the  end  that  he  may  be  informed  here 
of  What  he  is  accused,  and  may  be  tried  on  that  accusation,  whatever  it  be,  in  due  form  of  law. 
I  „  M  know  the  worst  any  man  has  to  allege  against  him  ;  and  then  let  him  stand  before  a  jury 
Of  hli  countrymen,  in  the  face  of  all  accusers,  for  deliverance,  or,  if  guilty,  for  condemnation. 

"J  ask  this,  air,  in  the  interest  of  that  Constitution  which  has  been  violated  by  his  arrest 
and  imprisonment-in  the  interest  of  that  Union,  the  fortunes  of  which  now  depend  on  the 
arbitrament  of  the  sword-in  the  interest  of  that  army  which  we  have  sent  into  the  field  to 
maintain  our  cause-in  the  interest  of  peace  at  home,  and  of  unanimity  in  waging  a  battle  so 
bloody  and  so  hazardous— in  the  interest  of  liberty,  of  justice,  of  ordinary  fairness  between  man 

and  man.  .....         -   .        .  .         »    , 

"  I  have  tried  to  say  what  ought  to  be  said,  and  no  more,  in  vindication  of  the  rights  of  the 
petitioner.  God  help  me  if  I  have  said  anything  which  ought  to  have  been  omitted,  or  omitted 
anything  which  ought  to  have  been  said  !  " 

Mr.  Perry  began  his  reply  as  follows : 

"May  it  please  the  Court:  When  General  Burnside  requested  me  to  assist  the  District 
Attorney  on  this  occasion,  he  forebore  to  give  me  any  instructions,  except  to  present  such  consid- 
erations to  the  judgment  of  the  court  as  should  seem  to  me  right  and  proper.  I  have  a  distinct 
impression  that  he  has  no  preference  that  the  questions  here  presented  should  be  heard  before 
any  other  jurisdiction  or  tribunal  rather  than  this;  and  that  he  wishes  his  proceedings  to  be  here 
discussed  by  his  counsel,  chiefly  on  the  broad  basis  of  their  merits;  that  they  should  be  made  to 
rest  on  the  solid  ground  of  the  performance  of  a  high  and  urgent  public  duty.  The  main  argu- 
ment which  I  shall  present  to  the  court  will,  therefore,  be  founded  on  the  obligations,  duties,  and 
responsibilities  of  General  Burnside  as  a  Major-General  in  command  of  an  army  of  the  United 
States,  in  the  field  of  military  operations,  for  the  purposes  of  war,  and  in  the  presence  of  the 
enemy.  I  shall  not  place  it  on  any  ground  of  apology,  excuse,  or  palliation,  but  strictly  and 
confidently  on  the  ground  of  doing  what  he  had  a  lawful,  constitutional  right  to  do ;  and  on  the 
ground  of  performing  a  duty  imposed  upon  him  as  one  of  the  necessities  of  his  official  position. 
I  shall  make  no  plea  of  an  exigency  in  which  laws  are  suspended,  and  the  Constitution  forgot- 
ten, but  shall  claim  that  the  Constitution  is  equal  to  the  emergency,  and  has  adequately  provided 
for  it ;  that  the  act  complained  of  here  is  an  act  fully  warranted  by  law,  and  authorized  by  the 
Constitution.  I  shall  support  this  claim  by  references  to  more  than  one  opinion  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  to  other  authorities."  r 

After  dwelling  upon  some  defects  in  the  application  for  the  writ,  and  ridi- 
culing its  rhetorical  features,  he  laid  down  the  principle  that  the  habeas  corpus 
could  not  meddle  with  arrests  legally  made,  and  that  arrests  under  the  laws  of 
war  were  legal  as  well  as  those  under  the  ordinary  forms.  Without  relying 
upon  the  President's  Proclamation  of  24th  September,  1862,  suspending  the  writ 
and  delating  martial  law,  he  proceeded  to  maintain  that,  with  the  privilege  of 
the  writ  admitted  to  be  still  in  full  force,  the  application  should  not  be  granted  * 

"I  claim,  then,  that  the  facts  before  this  court  show  that  the  arrest  of  Clement  L.  Vallan- 
digham,  by  Ambrose  E.  Burnside,  a  Major-General  in  the  United  States  service,  commanding  in 
the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  was  a  legal  and  justifiable  arrest.  For  the  facts  showing  its  legality 
I  rely— 1.  On  the  petition  and  affidavit  of  the  prisoner;  2.  On  facts  of  current  public  history  of 
which  the  Court  is  bound  to  take  judicial  cognizance.  Among  the  facts  of  public  history  I  need 
recall  but  few.  Unfortunately,  the  country  is  involved  in  dangers  so  many  and  so  critical,  that 
its  people  neither  do  nor  can  divert  their  thoughts  to  other  topics." 


Akeest  and  Tkial  of  Yallandigham.  113 

"The  power  and  wants  of  the  insurrection  are  not  all  nor  chiefly  military.  It  needs  not 
only  food,  clothing,  arms,  medicine,  but  it  needs  hope  and  sympathy.  It  needs  moral  aid  to  sus- 
tain it  against  reactionary  tendencies.  It  needs  argument  to  represent  its  origin  and  claims  to 
respect  favorably  before  the  world.  It  needs  information  concerning  the  strength,  disposition, 
and  movements  of  government  force.  It  needs  help  to  paralyze  and  divide  opinions  among  those 
who  sustain  the  government,  and  needs  help  to  hinder  and  embarrass  its  councils.  It  needs  that 
troops  should  be  withheld  from  government,  and  its  financial  credit  shaken.  It  needs  that  gov- 
ernment should  lack  confidence  in  itself,  and  become  discouraged.  It  needs  that  an  opinion 
should  prevail  in  the  world  that  the  government  is  incapable  of  success,  and  unworthy  of  sym- 
pathy. Who  can  help  it  in  either  particular  I  have  named,  can  help  it  as  effectually  as  by  bear- 
ing arms  for  it.  Wherever  in  the  United  States  a  wish  is  entertained  to  give  such  help,  and  such 
wish  is  carried  to  its  appropriate  act,  there  is  the  place  of  the  insurrection.  Since  all  these  helps 
combine  to  make  up  the  strength  of  the  insurrection,  war  is  necessarily  made  upon  them  all, 
when  made  upon  the  insurrection.  Since  each  one  of  the  insurrectionary  forces  holds  in  check 
or  neutralizes  a  corresponding  government  force,  and  since  government  is  in  such  extremity  as 
not  safely  to  allow  any  part  of  its  forces  to  withdraw  from  the  struggle,  it  has  no  recourse  but  to 
strike  at  whatever  part  of  the  insurrection  it  shall  find  exposed.  All  this  is  implied  in  Avar,  and 
in  this  war  with  especial  cogency.  'If  war  be  actually  levied — that  is,  if  a  body  of  men  be  actu- 
ally assembled  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  by  force  a  treasonable  purpose — all  those  who  per- 
form any  part,  however  minute,  or  however  remote  from  the  scene  of  action,  and  who  are  actu- 
ally leagued  in  the  general  conspiracy,  are  to  be  considered  as  traitors.'     4  Cranchr  126." 

Eulogizing  the  Generals  in  command  (Burnside  and  Cox),  he  then  asked: 

"Why  are  these  men  here?  Have  they,  at  any  time  since  the  war  begun,  sought  any  other 
but  the  place  of  danger  ?  They  are  here  ;  they  are  sent  here  for  war  :  to  lay  the  same  military 
hand  upon  this  insurrection,  wherever  they  can  find  it,  in  small  force  or  large  force,  before  them 
or  behind  them,  which  they  have  laid  upon  it  elsewhere.  They  are  not  here  to  cry  peace,  when 
there  is  no  peace ;  not  here  to  trifle  with  danger,  or  be  trifled  with  by  it.  They  are  patriot  Gen- 
erals, commanding  forces  in  the  field  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy,  constrained  by  their  love  of 
country,  and  in  the  fear  of  God  only,  to  strike.  Are  they  to  fold  their  arms  and  sleep  while  the 
incitements  to  insurrection  multiply  around  them,  and  until  words  shall  find  their  way  to  appro- 
priate acts?  Are  they  to  wait  until  the  wires  shall  be  cut,  railroad  tracks  torn  up,  and  this  great 
base  of  supplies,  this  great  thoroughfare  for  the  transit  of  troops,  this  great  center  and  focus  of 
conflicting  elements,  is  in  a  blaze,  before  they  can  act  ?  Must  they  wait  until  apprehended  mis- 
chief shall  become  irremediable  before  they  can  attempt  a  remedy  ?  Jefferson  Davis  would 
answer,  'Yes!'  Traitors  and  abettors  of  treason  would  everywhere  answer,  'Yes!'  I  seem  to 
hear  a  solemn  accord  of  voices  rising  from  the  graves  of  the  founders  of  the  Constitution  saying, 
'No !'  And  I  seem  to  hear  the  response  of  loyal  and  true  friends  of  liberty  everywhere  swelling 
to  a  multitudinous  and  imperative  '  Amen !'  " 

"  I  understood  the  learned  counsel  to  intimate  that  Government  would  receive  the  unani- 
mous support  of  the  people  of  Ohio,  if  it  would  do  nothing  which  displeased  any  of  them. 
'  Touch  not  the  liberty  of  the  citizen,  and  we,  in  Ohio,  at  least,  will  be  unanimous.'  May  it  please 
your  Honor,  the  liberty  of  the  citizen  is  touched  when  he  is  compelled,  either  by  a  sense  of  duty 
or  by  conscription,  to  enter  the  army.  The  liberty  of  the  citizen  is  touched  when  he  is  forbidden 
to  pass  the  lines  of  any  encampment.  The  liberty  of  the  citizen  is  touched  when  he  is  forbidden 
to  sell  arms  and  munitions  of  war,  or  to  carry  information  to  the  enemy.  Learned  counsel  is 
under  a  mistake.  We,  in  Ohio,  could  not  be  unanimous  in  leaving  such  liberties  untouched. 
The  liberty  to  stay  at  home  from  war  is  at  least  as  sacred  as  the  liberty  to  make  popular  ha- 
rangues. But  since  all  these  liberties  are  assailed  by  war,  they  must  be  defended  by  war.  We,  in 
Ohio,  never  could  be  unanimous  in  approving  the  action  of  a  government  which  should  force  one 
portion  of  the  population  to  enter  the  army,  and  allow  another  portion  of  it  to  discourage,  de- 
moralize, and  weaken  that  army.  Unanimity,  on  such  conditions,  is  impossible.  But  this  sug- 
gestion of  unanimity  is  not  quite  new.  The  zeal  of  the  advocate,  the  charming  voice,  the  stir- 
ring elocution  with  which  it  is  now  reproduced,  do  all  that  is  possible  to  redeem  it  from  its  early 
associations.     But  we  can  not  forget  that  the  same  thing  has  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  his- 

Yol.  I.— 8. 


Xi4  Ohio  in  the  War. 

torv  of  the  last  few  years.  At  the  last  presidential  election  it  happened,  as  it  had  on  all  preceding 
■iliulftr  oeoMkMU,  that  ■  majority  of  lawful  votes,  constitutionally  cast,  elected  a  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  placed  the  federal  administration  in  the  hands  of  persons  agreeing  in  opinion,  or 
appearing  1 0  aglM  with  that  majority.  It  happened,  as  it  had  ordinarily  happened  before,  that  the 
minority  did  not  agree  with  the  majority,  either  as  to  principles  oras  to  the  men  selected.  It  claimed 
(0  belie™  the  majority  in  the  wrong,  and  no  minority  could  find  provocation  or  excuse  for  being  in 

[noritft  unices  it  did  believe  the  majority  in  the  wrong.  It  is  not  now  necessary  to  inquire 
which  were  right  in  their  preferences  and  opinions.  The  minority  were  fatally  wrong  in  this,  that 
they  refused  the  arbitrament  provided  in  the  Constitution  for  the  settlement  of  such  controversies. 

BW  Administration  must  yield,  because  the  minority  found  itself  unwilling  to  yield.  The 
old  Constitution  must  be  changed  by  new  conditions,  or  run  the  risk  of  overthrow.  In  other 
words,  it  must  he  overthrown  in  its  most  vital  principles,  by  compelling  a  majority  to  accept 
terms  from  a  minority,  accompanied  by  threats  of  war,  or  it  might  be  nominally  kept  alive  by 
consenting  to  abdicate  its  functions.  All  that  the  secession  leaders  proposed  was,  that  they 
should  be  allowed  to  administer  the  Government  when  elected,  and,  also,  when  not  elected.  They 
were  willing  to  respect  the  constitutional  rights  of  elections,  provided  it  should  be  conceded  that 
if  they  were  beaten  they  should  go  on  with  public  affairs  the  same  as  if  they  had  been  elected. 
They  were  willing  to  take  the  responsibility  of  judging  what  they  would  like  to  do,  and  all  they 
asked  was  the  liberty  to  do  it.  'Touch  not  our  liberties,  and  we  can  be  unanimous! '  The  same 
old  fallacy  reappears  in  every  phase  of  the  insurrection;  sometimes  with  and  sometimes  without 
disguise.  Neither  change  of  wigs,  nor  change  of  clothing,  nor  presence  nor  absence  of  burnt 
cork,  can  hide  its  well-known  gait  and  physiognomy.  The  insurrection  will  support  the  Gov- 
ernment, provided  the  Government  will  support  the  insurrection  ;  but  the  Government  must  con- 
sent to  abdicate  its  functions,  and  permit  others  to  judge  what  ought  to  be  done,  before  it  can  be 
supported.  One  of  its  favorite  disguises  is  to  desire  to  support  the  Government,  provided  it  were 
in  proper  hands;  but  to  be  unable  to  support  it  in  its  present  hands.  The  proper  hands,  and  the 
only  proper  hands  for  Government  to  be  in,  are  the  hands  in  which  the  Constitution  places  it. 
If  the  whole  country  should  believe  any  particular  hands  to  be  the  most  suitable,  those  hands 
would  be  chosen.  He  who  can  not  support  the  Government  on  the  terms  pointed  out  in  the  Con- 
i-iitution,  by  recognizing  as  the  proper  hands  for  its  administration  the  hands  in  which  the  law 
places  it,  is  not  a  friend,  but  an  enemy  of  the  Constitution.  What  he  means  by  liberty  is  not  that 
qualified  liberty  in  which  all  may  -share,  but  a  selfish,  tyrannical,  irresponsible  liberty  to  have  his 
own  way,  without  reference  to  the  wishes  or  convenience  of  others.  This  notion  of  selfish  and 
irresponsible  liberty  is  an  unfailing  test  and  earmark  of  the  insurrection.  Whatever  other  ap- 
pearances it  may  put  on,  it  can  always  be  known  and  identified  by  this.  No  darkness  can  con- 
ceal, no  dazzling  light  transform  it.  Wherever  it  may  be  found,  there  is  insurrection,  in  spirit 
at  least,  and  according  to  different  grades  of  courage,  in  action  also.  This  kind  of  liberty  can 
not  live  at  the  same  time  with  the  liberty  which  our  Constitution  was  ordained  to  secure.  Gov- 
ernment must  lay  hands  upon  it  or  die.  Dangerous  as  its  hostility  may  be,  itss  embrace  would 
be  more  fatal.  Its  hostility  may,  in  time,  destroy  the  Government,  but  any  government  consent- 
ing to  make  terms  with  it  is  already  dead." 

He  noticed  the  claim  that  Mr.  Vallandigham's  violent  language  and  appeals 
for  resistance  pointed  only  to  resistance  at  the  ballot-box  and  in  the  courts. 
Heading  the  specifications,  he  continued: 

"  It  appears  from  this  that  he  publicly  addressed  a  large  meeting  of  citizens.  He  was  not 
expressing  in  secresy  and  seclusion  his  private  feelings  or  misgivings,  but  seeking  publicity  and 
influence.  The  occasion  and  circumstances  show  the  purpose  to  have  been  to  produce  an  effect  on 
the  public  mind,  to  mold  public  feeling,  to  shape  public  action.  In  what  direction  ?  The  charge 
fays  by  expressing  his  sympathies  for  those  in  arms  against  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
by  declaring  disloyal  sentiments  and  opinions.  He  declared  the  war  to  be  wicked  and  cruel,  and 
unnecessary,  and  a  war  not  waged  for  the  preservation  of  the  Union:  a  war  for  crushing  out  lib- 
erty and  erecting  a  despotism.  What  is  this  but  saying  that  those  who  fight  against  the  United 
States  are  in  the  right,  and  that  it  would  be  cowardly  and  dishonorable  not  to  fight  against  the 
United  States?    In  what  more  plain  or  cogent  language  could  he  urge  his  audience  themselves 


Akkest  and  Tkial  of  Vallandigham.  115 

to  take  up  arms  against  their  Government  ?  If  those  who  heard  him  could  not  be  incited  to  fight 
against  a  Government  by  persuading  them  it  was  making  an  unjust  and  cruel  war  to  crush  out 
liberty,  how  else  could  he  expect  to  incite  them?  If  he  did  not  hope  to  persuade  them  to  join 
their  sympathies  and  efforts  with  the  enemies  of  the  United  States,  by  convincing  them  that  these 
enemies  are  in  the  right,  fighting  and  suffering  to  prevent  the  overthrow  of  liberty,  standing  up 
against  wickedness  and  cruelty,  what  must  he  have  thought  of  his  audience?  What  else  but  the 
legitimate  result  of  his  argument  can  we  impute  fairly  as  the  object  of  his  hopes?  To  whatever 
extent  they  believe  him,  they  must  be  poor,  dumb  dogs  not  to  rally,  and  rally  at  once,  for  the 
overthrow  of  their  own  Government,  and  for  the  support  of  those  who  make  war  upon  it.  But 
he  did  not  leave  it  to  be  inferred.  He  declared  it  to  be  a  war  for  the  enslavement  of  the  whites 
and  the  freedom  of  the  blacks.  Which  of  the  two  was,  in  his  opinion,  the  greater  outrage,  he  does 
not  appear  to  have  stated.  It  is  one  of  the  unmistakable  marks  of  insurrection,  by  which  it  can 
always  be  identified,  that  its  declarations  for  liberty  are  for  a  selfish  and  brutal  liberty,  which  in- 
cludes the  liberty  of  injuring  or  disregarding  others.  If  his  white  audience  were  not  willing  to 
be  enslaved,  that  is  to  say,  not  willing  to  endure  the  last  and  most  degrading  outrage  possible  to 
be  inflicted  on  human  nature,  they  must,  so  far  as  they  believed  him,  resist  their  own  Govern- 
ment. If  he  himself  believed  what  he  said,  he  must  take  up  arms  to  resist  the  Government,  or 
stand  a  confessed  poltroon.  A  public  man,  who  believes  that  his  Government  is  guilty  of  the 
crimes  he  imputed,  and  will  not  take  up  arms  against  it,  is  guilty  of  unspeakable  baseness.  If 
his  audience  believed  what  he  told  them,  they  must  have  looked  upon  advice  not  to  take  up  arms 
as  insincere  or  contemptible.  No  public  man,  no  private  man,  can  make  such  charges  and  de- 
cently claim  not  to  mean  war.  All  insurrections  have  their  pretexts.  The  man  who  furnishes 
these  is  more  guilty  than  the  man  who  believes  them  and  acts  on  them.  If  the  statements  of 
Vallandigham  were  true,  the  pretexts  were  ample,  not  merely  as  pretexts,  but  as  justification  of 
insurrection.  They  were  more :  they  were  incitements  which  it  would  be  disgraceful  to  resist, 
and  which  human  nature  generally  has  no  power  to  resist.  The  place  where  such  things  are 
done  is  the  place  of  insurrection,  or  there  is  not  and  can  not  be  a  place  of  insurrection  anywhere. 
If  these  laboratories  of  treason  are  to  be  kept  in  full  blast,  they  will  manufacture  traitors  faster 
than  our  armies  can  kill  them.  This  cruel  process  finds  no  shelter  under  the  plea  of  political 
discussion.  Whatever  might  be  said  about  ballots  and  elections,  the  legal  inference  is  that  it  is 
intended  to  produce  the  results  which  would  naturally  flow  from  it.  If  the  President,  with  all 
the  army  and  navy,  and  his  'minions,'  is  at  work  to  overthrow  liberty  and  enslave  the  whites, 
every  good  man  must  fear  to  see  that  army  victorious,  and  hail  its  disasters  with  joy.  Every 
good  man  must  strike  to  save  himself  from  slavery  now  while  he  can.  The  elections  are  far  off, 
and  may  be  too  late.  It  can  not  be  claimed  that  the  motive  was  to  influence  elections,  because  the 
argument  does  not  fit  that  motive.  It  fits  to  insurrection,  and  that  only.  He  pronounced  General 
Orders  No.  38  to  be  a  base  usurpation,  and  invited  his  hearers  to  resist  it.  How  resist  it?  How 
could  they  resist  it,  unless  by  doing  what  the  order  forbade  to  be  done? 

"  What  was  there  to  be  complained  of  except  by  persons  wishing  to  do,  or  to  have  done  by 
others,  the  acts  by  that  order  prohibited?  He  invited  to  resist  the  order.  The  order  thus  to  be 
resisted  prohibited  the  following  acts,  viz.:  Acts  for  the  benefit  of  the  enemies  of  our  country, 
such  as  carrying  of  secret  mails ;  writing  letters  sent  by  secret  mails ;  secret  recruiting  of  sol- 
diers for  the  enemy  inside  our  lines ;  entering  into  agreements  to  pass  our  lines  for  the  purpose 
of  joining  the  enemy  ;  the  being  concealed  within  our  lines  while  in  the  service  of  the  enemy  ; 
being  improperly  within  our  lines  by  persons  who  could  give  private  information  to  the  enemy; 
the  harboring,  protecting,  concealing,  feeding,  clothing,  or  in  any  way  aiding  the  enemies  of  our 
country ;  the  habit  of  declaring  sympathies  for  the  enemy ;  treason.  These  are  the  things  pro- 
hibited in  Order  No.  38,  which  Mr.  Vallandigham  invited  his  audience  to  resist.  '  The  sooner/ 
he  told  them,  'the  people  inform  the  minions  of  usurped  power  that  they  will  not  submit  to  such 
restrictions  on  their  liberties,  the  better.'  The  'minions'  here  referred  to  were  the  commanding 
General  of  the  Department  and  others  charged  with  official  duties  under  their  own  Government. 
The  '  liberties '  not  allowed  to  be  restricted  were  liberties  to  aid  the  enemies  of  the  United  States. 
He  declared  his  own  purpose  to  do  what  he  could  to  defeat  the  attempt  now  being  made  to  build  up 
a  monarchy  upon  the  ruins  of  our  free  Government.  The  resistance  could  mean  nothing  but  re- 
sistance to  his  own  Government,  which  he  had  before  declared  to  be  making  attempts  to  enslave 
the  whites.     These  appeals  to  that  large  public  meeting  are  charged  to  have  been  made  'for  the 


116  Ohio  in  the  War. 

purpose  of  weakening  the  power  of  his  own  Government  in  its  efforts  to  suppress  an  unlawful  rebellion,' 
all  of  which  opinions  and  sentiments  *he  well  knew  did  aid,  comfort,  and  encourage  those  in  arms 
against  the  Government,  and  could  but  induce  in  his  hearers  a  distrust  of  their  own  Government, 
Md  -vnMKUhv  for  those  in  arms  against  it,  and  a  disposition  to  resist  the  laws  of  the  land.  Not  one 
pliable  of  all  this  is  denied,  and  yet  the  arrest  is  complained  of  as  unconstitutional." 

He  denied  the  claim  that  the  laws  of  war  could  only  apply  to  military  men, 
and  that,  under  them,  only  those  in  the  military  service  could  be  arrested ; 
showed  how  fatal  to  all  war-making  power  would  be  such  an  admission,  and 
that  even  Rebels  in  arms,  not  being  in  the  military  service  of  the  Government 
could  not  be  arrested;  drew  the  distinction  between  military  and  martial  law, 
and  arrayed  the  authorities  thereon ;  dwelt  particularly  on  the  opinion  of  the 
Supreme  Court  in  cases  growing  out  of  the  Dorr  rebellion,  concluding  this 
1  branch  of  his  argument  as  follows : 

"May  it  please  your  Honor!  I  have  pursued  this  branch  of  the  argument  at  some  length. 
If  the  view  of  the  Constitution  here  presented  be,  as  it  appears  to  me,  well  grounded  in  reason, 
and  sustained  by  authority,  the  main  proposition  on  which  the  petitioner  rests  his  application  is 
overthrown,  and,  with  it,  the  claim  to  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus. 

"I  did  not  understand  counsel  to  argue  that,  in  the  case  of  Vallandigham,  there  were  cir- 
cumstances to  render  this  arrest  illegal  or  unnecessary,  provided  such  arrests  can  in  any  case  be 
justified.  I  did  distinctly  understand  him  to  disclaim  the  idea  that  the  Constitution  permits  a 
military  arrest  to  be  made,  under  any  circumstances,  of  a  person  not  engaged  in  the  military  or 
naval  service  of  the  United  States,  nor  in  the  militia  of  any  State  called  into  actual  service  ;  and 
to  rest  his  case  on  that  broad  denial.  The  whole  petition  is  framed  on  this  idea,  for  none  of  the 
charges  are  denied. 

"Upon  first  impression,  your  Honor  may  have  inclined  to  the  belief  that  petitioner  had  as- 
sumed an  unnecessary  burden,  and  might  have  more  easily  made  a  case  by  putting  General 
Burnside  to  show  the  propriety  of  this  arrest ;  admitting  the  general  right  to  make  such  arrest  as 
were  indicated  by  the  necessities  of  the  service,  but  denying  any  ground  for  this  arrest.  But  your 
Honor  will  find  that  no  mistake  has  been  made  by  learned  counsel  on  the  other  side,  in  this 
particular.  The  circumstances  shown  justify  the  arrest,  if  any  arrest  of  the  kind  can  be  justi- 
fied. If  General  Burnside  might  have  arrested  him  for  making  the  speech  face  to  face  with  his 
soldiers,  the  distance  from  them  at  which  it  was  uttered  can  make  little  difference.  He  might 
make  it  in  camp ;  and  unless  he  could  be  arrested,  there  would  be  no  way  to  prevent  it.  The 
right  of  publication,  of  sending  by  mail  and  telegraph,  are  of  the  same  grade  with  freedom  of 
speech.  If  utterance  of  the  speech  could  not  be  checked,  its  transmission  by  mail  and  telegraph 
could  not  be.  And  I  so  understand  the  argument  of  the  counsel  of  Vallandigham.  It  appears 
to  claim,  and  go  the  whole  length  of  claiming  that  it  can  do  the  army  no  harm  to  read  such  ad- 
dresses ;  nor,  of  course,  to  hear  them.  It  is  necessary  the  argument  should  not  stop  short  of  that 
in  order  to  meet  the  question,  and  it  does  not.  Yet  this  is  not  the  whole  extent  to  which  it  must 
go  to  ayai!  the  petitioner.  It  mu.it  go  to  the  extent  of  showing  that  this  Court  is  authorized  to 
determine  that  such  addresses  may  be  heard  by  the  army,  the  opinion  of  the  commanding  Gen- 
eral to  the  contrary  notwithstanding.  It  goes  and  must  go  the  extent  of  transferring  all  responsi- 
bility for  what  is  called  the  morale  and  discipline  of  the  army  from  its  commanding  General  to  this 
Court.  It  is  not  certain  that  if  these  addresses  shall  persuade  nobody,  their  authors  will  be  disap- 
pointed? It  is  not  certain  that  any  soldier  persuaded  to  believe  that  his  Government  is  striving 
to  overthrow  liberty,  and  for  that  purpose  is  waging  a  wicked  and  cruel  war,  can  no  longer,  in 
good  conscience,  remain  in  the  service?  The  argument  leads  to  one  of  two  conclusions.  We  are 
o  be  persuaded  by  the  men  who  make  the  speeches,  that  the  speeches  will  not  produce  the  effect 
hey  intend-a  persuasion  in  which  their  acts  contradict  their  words-or  we  are  to  consent  to 
the  demorahzation  of  the  army.  The  Constitution  authorizes  and  even  requires  the  army  to  be 
lormed,  but  at  that  stage  of  the  transaction  interposes  an  imperative  prohibition  against  the  usual 
means  ot  making  it  effective. 

"It  is  said,  however,  that  the  charges  against  Vallandigham  are  triable  in  the  civil  tribu- 


Arrest  and   Trial  of   Vallandigham.  117 


nals.  So  are  a  large  proportion  of  all  the  charges  which  can  be  brought  against  any  one  engaged 
in  an  insurrection.  No  Rebel  soldier  has  been  captured  in  this  war,  no  guerrilla,  who  was  not 
triable  in  the  civil  tribunals.  The  argument  in  this,  as  in  other  particulars,  necessarily  denies 
applicability  of  the  laws  of  war  to  a  state  of  war." 


fc 


Then,  after  maintaining  the  irrelevancy  of  much  of  Mr.  Pugh's  argument 
to  the  case  in  hand,  he  concluded  : 

"May  it  please  your  Honor!  I  must  bring  this  argument  to  a  close.  Are  we  in  a  state  of 
war  or  not?  Did  the  Constitution,  when  it  authorized  war  to  be  made,  without  limitations,  mean 
war,  or  something  else?  The  judicial  tribunals  provided  for  in  the  Constitution,  throughout 
twelve  States  of  the  Union,  have  been  utterly  overthrown.  In  several  other  States  they  are 
maintaining  a  feeble  and  uncertain  hold  of  their  jurisdiction.  None  of  them  can  now  secure  to 
parties  on  trial  the  testimony  from  large  portions  of  the  country,  to  which  they  are  entitled  by 
the  Constitution  and  laws.  The  records  of  none  of  them  can  be  used  in  the  districts  dominated 
by  the  insurrection.  They  are  all  struck  at  by  this  insurrection.  Counsel  tells  us  that,  except 
the  Union  provided  for  in  the  Constitution,  there  is  no  legal  Union.  Yet  that  Union  is,  tempo- 
rarily I  hope,  but  for  the  present,  suspended  and  annulled.  This  Court  can  have  no  existence 
except  under  that  Union,  and  that  Union  now,  in  the  judgment  of  those  who  have  been  intrusted 
by  the  Constitution  with  the  duty  of  preserving  it,  depends  upon  the  success  of  its  armies.  The 
civil  administration  can  no  longer  preserve  it. 

"The  courts  which  yet  hold  their  places,  with  or  without  military  support,  may  perform 
most  useful  functions.  Their  jurisdiction  and  labors  were  never  more*  wanted  than  now.  But 
they  were  not  intended  to  command  armies.  When  Generals  and  armies  were  sent  here,  they 
were  sent  to  make  war  according  to  the  laws  of  war.  I  have  no  authority  from  General  Burnside 
to  inquire,  and  I  have  hesitated  to  inquire,  but,  after  all,  will  venture  to  inquire,  whether  an  in- 
terference by  this  Court  with  the  duties  of  military  command  must  not  tend  to  disturb  that  har- 
mony between  different  branches  of  government,  which,  at  this  time,  is  most  especially  to  be 
desired? 

"Counsel  expresses  much  fear  of  the  loss  of  liberty,  through  the  influence  of  military  as- 
cendency. Are  we,  on  that  account,  to  so  tie  the  hands  of  our  Generals,  as  to  assure  the  over- 
throw of  the  Constitution  by  its  enemies  ?  I  do  not  share  that  fear.  It  has  been  the  fashion  of 
society  in  many  countries  to  be  divided  into  grades,  and  topped  out  with  a  single  ruling  family.  In 
such  societies  the  laws  and  habits  of  the  people  correspond  with  its  social  organization.  The  two 
elements  of  power — intelligence  and  wealth — are  carefully  secured  in  the  same  hands  with  politi- 
cal power.  It  has  happened  in  a  number  of  instances,  that  a  successful  General  gained  power 
enough  to  push  the  monarch  from  his  throne  and  seat  himself  there.  In  such  instances  the 
change  was  chiefly  personal.  Little  change  was  necessary  in  the  social  organization,  laws,  or 
habits.  It  has  also  happened  that  democracies  or  republics,  which  have,  by  a  long  course  of 
corruption,  lost  the  love  and  practice  of  virtue,  have  been  held  in  order  by  a  strong  military 
hand.  But  in  this  country  no  man  can  gain  by  military  success  a  dangerous  ascendency,  because 
the  change  would  require  to  be  preceded  by  a  change  in  the  whole  body  of  laws,  in  the  habits, 
opinions,  and  social  organization.  History  furnishes  no  example  of  a  successful  usurpation  under 
similar  circumstances,  and  reason  assures  me  it  would  prove  impossible.  Our  society  has  no  ele- 
ment on  which  usurpation  could  be  founded.  My  sleep  is  undisturbed,  and  my  heart  quite  fear- 
less in  that  direction.  I  do  not  fear  that  we  shall  lose  our  respect  for  the  laws  of  peace  by 
respecting  the  laws  of  war ;  nor  our  love  for  the  Constitution  by  the  sacrifices  we  make  to  uphold 
it.  I  do  not  fear  any  loss  of  democratic  sympathies  by  the  brotherhood  of  camps.  I  do  not  fear 
any  loss  of  the  love  of  peace  by  the  sufferings  of  war.  I  am  not  zealous  to  preserve,  to  the  ut- 
most punctilio,  any  civil  right  at  the  risk  of  losing  all,  when  all  civil  rights  are  in  danger  of 
overthrow.  The  question  of  civil  liberty  is  no  longer  within  the  arbitrament  of  our  civil  tri- 
bunals. It  has  been  taken  up  to  a  higher  court,  and  is  now  pending  before  the  God  of  Battles. 
May  he  not  turn  away  from  the  sons  whose  fathers  he  favored!  As  he  filled  and  strengthened 
the  hearts  of  the  founders  of  our  liberty,  so  may  he  fill  and  strengthen  ours  with  great  con- 
stancy !  Now,  while  awaiting  the  call  of  the  terrible  docket,  while  drum-beats  roll  from  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  while  the  clear  sound  of  bugles  reaches  far  over  our  once 


113  Ohio  in  the  War. 

peaceful  hills  and  valleys;  now,  when  the  hour  of  doom  is  about  to  strike,  let  us  lose  all  sense  of 
individual  danger ;  let  us  lay  upon  a  common  altar  all  private  griefs,  all  personal  ambitions;  let 
us  unite  in  upholding  the  array,  that  it  may  have  strength  to  rescue  from  unlawful  violence,  and 
restore  to  us  the  body  of  the  American  Union— #  Pluribus  Union/  Above  all,  O  Almighty  Godl 
if  it  shall  please  thee  to  subject  us  to  still  more  and  harder  trials ;  if  it  be  thy  will  that  we  pass 
further  down  into  the  darkness  of  disorder,  yet  may  some  little  memory  of  our  fathers  move  thee 
to  a  touch  of  pity  !  Spare  us  from  that  last  human  degradation!  Save  !  O  save  us  from  the  lit- 
tleness to  be  jealous  of  our  defenders !" 

A  briefer  argument  was  made  by  District-Attorney  Ball,  and  Mr.  Pugh 

rejoined. 

The  decision  of  Judge  Leavitt  was  awaited  with  much  interest  by  all 
classes.  He  took  the  case  briefly  under  advisement,  and  finally  denied  the 
writ — giving  an  opinion,  which  we  quote  in  full: 

"This  case  is  before  the  Court  on  the  petition  of  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  a  citizen  of  Ohio, 
alleging  that  he  was  unlawfully  arrested,  at  his  home  in  Dayton,  in  this  State,  on  the  night  of  the 
5th  of  May,  instant,  by  a  detachment  of  soldiers  of  the  army  of  the  United  States,  acting  under  the 
orders  of  Ambrose  E.  Burnside,  a  Major-General  in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  and  brought 
against  his  will,  to  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  where  he  has  been  subject  to  a  trial  before  a  military 
commission,  and  is  still  detained  in  custody,  and  restrained  of  his  liberty.  The  petitioner  also 
avers  that  he  is  not  in  the  land  or  naval  service  of  the  United  States,  and  has  not  been  called  into 
active  service  in  the  militia  of  any  State ;  and  that  his  arrest,  detention  and  trial,  as  set  forth  in 
his  petition,  are  illegal,  and  in  violation  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  The  prayer  is 
that  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  may  issue,  requiring  General  Burnside  to  produce  the  body  of  the 
petitioner  before  this  Court,  with  the  cause  of  his  caption  and  detention.  Accompanying  the  pe- 
tition is  a  statement  of  the  charges  and  specifications  on  which  he  alleges  he  was  tried  before  the 
Military  Commission.  For  the  purposes  of  this  decision  it  is  not  necessary  to  notice  these  charges 
hp.vinlly,  but  it  may  be  stated  in  brief  that  they  impute  to  the  prisoner  the  utterance  of  sundry 
disloyal  opinions  and  statements  in  a  public  speech,  at  the  town  of  Mt.  Vernon,  in  the  State  of 
Ohio,  on  the  1st  of  May,  instant,  with  the  knowledge  'that  they  did  aid  and  comfort  and  encour- 
age those  in  arms  against  the  Government,  and  could  but  induce,  in  his  hearers,  a  distrust  in 
their  own  Government,  and  sympathy  for  those  in  arms  against  it,  and  a  disposition  to  resist  the 
laws  of  the  land.'  The  petitioner  does  not  state  what  the  judgment  of  the  Military  Commission 
is,  nor  is  the  Court  informed  whether  he  has  been  condemned  or  acquitted  on  the  charges  exhib- 
ited against  him. 

"  It  is  proper  to  remark  here,  that,  on  the  presentation  of  the  petition,  the  Court  stated,  to 
the  counsel  of  Mr.  Vallandigham,  that,  according  to  the  usage  of  the  Court,  as  well  as  of  other 
courts  of  high  authority,  the  writ  was  not  grantable  of  course,  and  would  only  be  allowed  on  a 
sufficient  showing  that  it  ought  to  issue.  The  Court  is  entirely  satisfied  of  the  correctness  of  the 
course  thus  indicated.  The  subject  was  fully  examined  by  the  learned  Justice  Swayne,  when 
present,  the  presiding  Judge  of  this  Court,  on  a  petition  for  habeas  corpus,  presented  at  the  last 
October  term;  a  case  to  which  further  reference  will  be  made.  I  shall  now  only  note  the  au- 
thorities on  this  point,  which  seem  to  be  entirely  conclusive. 

"  In  case  Ex  parte  Watkins  (3  Peters,  193),  which  was  an  application  to  the  Supreme  Court 
for  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  Chief-Justice  Marshall  entertained  no  doubt  as  to  the  power  of  the 
court  to  issue  the  writ,  and  stated  that  the  only  question  was  whether  it  was  a  case  in  which  the 
power  ought  to  be  exercised.  He  says,  in  reference  to  that  case,  'the  cause  of  imprisonment  is 
shown  as  fully  by  the  petitioner  as  could  appear  on  the  return  of  the  writ ;  consequently,  the 
writ  ought  not  to  be  awarded,  if  the  court  is  satisfied  the  prisoner  would  be  remanded  to  prison! 
The  same  principle  is  clearly  and  ably  stated  by  Chief-Justice  Shaw,  in  the  case  Ex  parte  Sims, 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  Massachusetts.  (7  Costing's  Kep.  285).  See,  also,  Hurd  on  hah 
corpus,  223,  et  seq.  '         ' 

"  I^havie  no  doubt  of  the  P^er  of  this  Court  to  issue  the  writ  applied  for.     It  is  clearly  cc 
ferred  by  the  fourteenth  section  of  the  Judiciary  Act  of  1789;  but  the  ruling  of  this  Court  ii 


ap; 
Co 


Arrest   and  Tkial   of  Vallandigham.  119 

the  case  just  referred  to,  and  the  authorities  just  cited,  justify  the  refusal  of  the  writ,  if  satisfied 
the  petitioner  would  not  be  discharged  upon  a  hearing  after  its  return.  The  Court,  therefore,  di- 
rected General  Burnside  to  be  notified  of  the  pendency  of  the  petition,  to  the  end  that  he  might 
ppear,  by  counsel,  or  otherwise,  to  oppose  the  granting  of  the  writ. 

"That  distinguished  General  has  accordingly  presented  a  respectful  communication  to  the 
art,  stating,  generally  and  argumentatively,  the  reasons  of  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Vallandigham, 
and  has  also  authorized  able  counsel  to  represent  him  in  resistance  of  the  application  for  the 
writ.  And  the  case  has  been  argued  at  great  length,  and  with  great  ability,  on  the  motion  for  its 
allowance. 

"It  is  proper  to  remark,  further,  that  when  the  petition  was  presented,  the  Court  made  a  dis- 
tinct reference  to  the  decision  of  this  Court  in  the  case  of  Bethuel  Rupert,  at  October  term,  18C2, 
before  noticed,  as  an  authoritative  precedent  for  its  action  on  this  application.  On  full  reflection, 
I  do  not  see  how  it  is  possible  for  me,  sitting  alone  in  the  Circuit  Court,  to  ignore  the  decision, 
made  upon  full  consideration  by  Justice  Swayne,  with  the  concurrence  of  myself,  and  which,  as 
referable  to  all  cases  involving  the  same  principle,  must  be  regarded  as  the  law  of  this  Court  un- 
til reversed  by  a  higher  court.  The  case  of  Rupert  was  substantially  the  same  as  that  of  tfce 
present  petitioner.  He  set  out  in  his  petition,  what  he  alleged  to  be  an  unlawful  arrest  by  the 
order  of  a  military  officer,  on  a  charge  imputing  to  him  acts  of  disloyalty  to  the  Government, 
and  sympathy  with  the  rebellion  against  it,  and  an  unlawful  detention  and  imprisonment  as  the 
result  of  such  order.  The  application,  however,  in  the  case  of  Rupert  differed  from  the  one  now 
before  the  Court,  in  this,  that  affidavits  were  exhibited  tending  to  disprove  the  charge  of  disloyal 
conduct  imputed  to  him;  and  also  in  this,  that  there  was  no  pretense  or  showing  by  Rupert  that 
there  had  been  any  investigation  or  trial  by  any  court  of  the  charges  against  him. 

"  The  petition  in  this  case  is  addressed  to  the  judges  of  the  Circuit  Court,  and  not  to  a  single 
judge  of  that  Court.  It  occurs,  from  the  absence  of  Mr.  Justice  Swayne,  that  the  District  Judge 
is  now  holding  the  Circuit  Court,  as  he  is  authorized  to  do  by  law.  But  thus  sitting,  would  it  not 
be  in  violation  of  all  settled  rules  of  judicial  practice,  as  well  as  of  courtesy,  for  the  District 
Judge  to  reverse  a  decision  of  the  Circuit  Court,  made  when  both  judges  were  on  the  bench?  it 
is  well  known  that  the  District  Judge,  though  authorized  to  sit  with  the  Circuit  Judge  in  the 
Circuit  Court,  does  not  occupy  the  same  official  position,  and  that  the  latter  judge,  when  present, 
is  ex  officio,  the  presiding  judge.  It  is  obvious  that  confusion  and  uncertainty,  which  would 
greatly  impair  the  respect  due  to  the  adjudications  of  the  Circuit  Courts  of  the  United  States, 
would  result  from  the  assumption  of  such  an  exercise  of  power  by  the  District  Judge.  It  wouhi 
not  only  be  disrespectful  to  the  superior  judge,  but  would  evince  in  the  District  Judge  an  utter 
want  of  appreciation  of  his  true  official  connection  with  the  Circuit  Court. 

"  Now,  in  passing  upon  the  application  of  Rupert,  Mr.  Justice  Swayne,  in  an  opinion  of  some 
length,  though  not  written,  distinctly  held  that  this  Court  would  not  grant  the  writ  of  habeas  co>-- 
pus,  when  it  appeared  that  the  detention  or  imprisonment  was  under  military  authority.  It  is 
true,  that  Rupert  was  a  man  in  humble  position,  unknoAvn  beyond  the  narrow  circle  in  which  he 
moved  ;  while  the  present  petitioner  has  a  wTide-spread  fame  as  a  prominent  politician  and  states- 
man. But  no  one  will  insist  that  there  should  be  any  difference  in  the  principles  applicable  to 
the  two  cases.  If  any  distinction  were  allowable,  it  would  be  against  him  of  admitted  intelli- 
gence and  distinguished  talents. 

"  I  might,  with  entire  confidence,  place  the  grounds  of  action  I  propose  in  the  present  easy 
upon  the  decision  of  the  learned  judge,  in  that  just  referred  to.  Even  if  I  entertained  doubts 
of  the  soundness  of  his  views,  I  see  no  principle  upon  which  I  could  be  justified  in  treating  the 
decision  as  void  of  authority.  But  the  counsel  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  not  restricted  in  the 
argument  of  this  motion  to  this  point,  but  was  allowed  the  widest  latitude  in  the  discussion  of 
the  principles  involved.  It  seemed  due  to  him  that  the  Court  should  hear  what  could  be  urged 
against  the  legality  of  the  arrest,  and  in  favor  of  the  interposition  of  the  Court  in  behalf  of  the 
petitioner.  And  I  have  been  greatly  interested  in  the  forcible  argument  which  has  been  sub- 
mitted, though  unable  to  concur  with  the  speaker  in  all  his  conclusions. 

"Ifitwere  my  desire  io  do  so,  I  have  not  now  the  physical  strength  to  notice  or  discuss  at  length 
the  grounds  on  which  the  learned  counsel  has  attempted  to  prove  the  illegality  of  General  Burn- 
side's  order  for  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Vallandigham,  and  the  duty  of  the  Court  to  grant  the  writ  ap- 
plid  for.     The  basis  of  the  whole  argument  rests  on  the  assumption  that  Mr.  Vallandigliam,  not 


120  Ohio   in  the  War 


being  in  the  military  or  naval  service  of  the  Government,  and  not,  therefore,  subject  to  the  Rules 
and  Articles  of  War,  was  not  liable  to  arrest  under  or  by  military  power.  And  the  various  pro- 
visions of  the  Constitution,  intended  to  guard  the  citizen  against  unlawful  arrests  and  imprison- 
ments have  been  cited  and  urged  upon  the  attention  of  the  Court  as  having  a  direct  bearing  on 
the  po'int.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  quote  these  excellent  guarantees  of  the  rights  and  liberties 
of  an  American  citizen,  as  they  are  familiar  to  every  reader  of  the  Constitution.  And  it  may  be 
conceded  that  if,  by  a  just  construction  of  the  constitutional  powers  of  the  Government,  in  the 
solemn  emergency  now  existing,  they  are  applicable  to  and  must  control  the  question  of  the 
legality  of  the  arrest  of  the  petitioner,  it  can  not  be  sustained,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  no 
v.  arrant  was  issued  '  upon  probable  cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirmation,' as  is  required  in 
ordinary  arrests  for  alleged  crimes.  But  are  there  not  other  considerations  of  a  controlling 
character  applicable  to  the  question?  Is  not  the  Court  imperatively  bound  to  regard  the  present 
state  of  the  country,  and,  in  the  light  which  it  throws  upon  the  subject,  to  decide  upon  the  expe- 
diency of  interfering  with  the  exercise  of  the  military  power  as  invoked  in  the  pending  applica- 
tion? The  Court  can  not  shut  its  eyes  to  the  grave  fact  that  war  exists,  involving  the  most  im- 
minent public  danger,  and  threatening  the  subversion  and  destruction  of  the  Constitution  itself. 
In  my  judgment,  when  the  life  of  the  Republic  is  imperiled,  he  mistakes  his  duty  and  obligation 
as  a  patriot  who  is  not  willing  to  concede  to  the  Constitution  such  a  capacity  of  adaptation  to  cir- 
cumstances as  may  be  necessary  to  meet  a  great  emergency,  and  save  the  nation  from  hopeless 
ruin.  Self-preservation  is  a  paramount  law,  which  a  nation,  as  well  as  an  individual,  may  find 
it  necessary  to  invoke.  Nothing  is  hazarded  in  saying  that  the  great  and  far-seeing  men  who 
framed  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  supposed  they  were  laying  the  foundation  of  our 
National  Government  on  an  immovable  basis.  They  did  not  contemplate  the  existence  of  the 
state  of  things  with  which  the  nation  is  now  unhappily  confronted,  the  heavy  pressure  of  which 
is  felt  by  every  true  patriot.  They  did  not  recognize  the  right  of  secession  by  one  State,  or 
any  number  of  States,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  it  would  have  been  in  direct  conflict  with  the 
purpose  in  view  in  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  and  an  incorporation  of  an  element  in  the 
frame  of  the  Government  which  would  inevitably  result  in  its  destruction.  In  their  glowing 
visions  of  futurity  there  was  no  foreshadowing  of  a  period  when  the  people  of  a  large  geograph- 
ical section  would  be  guilty  of  the  madness  and  the  crime  of  arraying  themselves  in  rebellion 
■gain*!  a  Government  under  whose  mild  and  benignant  sway  there  was  so  much  of  hope  and 
promise  for  the  coming  ages.  We  need  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  that,  in  the  organic  law  which 
they  gave  us,  they  made  no  specific  provision  for  such  a  lamentable  occurrence.  They  did,  how- 
ever, distinctly  contemplate  the  possibility  o.f  foreign  war,  and  vested  in  Congress  the  power  to 
declare  its  existence,  and  '  to  raise  and  support  armies,'  and 'provide  and  maintain  a  navy.' 
They  also  made  provision  for  the  suppression  of  insurrection  and  rebellion.  They  were  aware 
that  the  grant  of  these  powers  implied  all  other  powers  necessary  to  give  them  full  effect.  They 
also  declared  that  the  President  of  the  United  States  ■  shall  be  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  army 
and  navy  and  of  the  militia  of  the  several  States  when  called  into  actual  service,'  and  they  placed 
upon  him  the  solemn  obligation  'to  take  care  that  the  laws  be  faithfully  executed.'  In  refer- 
ence to  a  local  rebellion,  in  which  the  laws  of  the  Union  were  obstructed,  the  act  of  the  28th  of 
February,  1795  was  passed,  providing,  in  substance,  that  whenever,  in  any  State,  the  civil  author- 
ities of  the  Union  were  unable  to  enforce  the  laws,  the  President  shall  be  empowered  to  call  out 
such  military  force  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  emergency.  Fortunately  for  the  country,  this 
law  was  in  force  when  several  States  of  the  Union  repudiated  their  allegiance  to  the  National 
Go*  rnment,  and  placed  themselves  in  armed  rebellion  against  it.  It  was  sufficiently  compre- 
hensive in  its  terms  to  meet  such  an  occurrence,  although  it  was  not  a  case  within  the  contempla- 
t.un  ot  Congress  when  the  law  was  enacted.  It  was  under  this  statute  that  the  President  issued 
his  proclamation  of  the  15th  of  April,  1861.  From  that  time  the  country  has  been  in  a  state  of 
war,  the  history  and  progress  of  which  are  familiar  to  all.  More  than  two  years  have  elapsed, 
during  which Jh»  treasure  of  the  nation  has  been  lavishly  contributed,  and  blood  has  freely 
flowed,  and  tins  formidable  rebellion  is  not  yet  subdued.  The  energies  of  the  loyal  people  of 
the  Union  are  to  be  put  to  further  trials,  and,  in  all  probability,  the  enemy  is  yet  to  be  en- 
countered on  many  a  bloody  field. 

"It  is  not  to  be  disguised,  then,  that  our  country  is  in  imminent  peril,  and  that  the  crisis  de- 
mands of  every  Amencan  citizen  a  hearty  support  of  all  proper  means  for  the  restoration  of  the 


' 


Arrest  and  Trial  of  Vallandigham.  121 


Union  and  the  return  of  an  honorable  peace.  Those  placed  by  the  people  at  the  head  of  the 
Government,  it  may  well  be  presumed,  are  earnestly  and  sincerely  devoted  to  its  preservation 
and  perpetuity.  The  President  may  not  be  the  man  of  our  choice,  and  the  measures  of  his  Ad- 
ministration may  not  be  such  as  all  can  fully  approve.  But  these  are  minor  considerations,  and 
can  absolve  no  man  from  the  paramount  obligation  of  lending  his  aid  for  the  salvation  of  his 
country.  All  should  feel  that  no  evil  they  can  be  called  on  to  endure,  as  the  result  of  war.  is 
comparable  with  the  subversion  of  our  chosen  Government,  and  the  horrors  which  must  follow 
from  such  a  catastrophe. 

"  I  have  referred  thus  briefly  to  the  present  crisis  of  the  country  as  having  a  bearing  on  the 
question  before  the  Court.  It  is  clearly  not  a  time  when  any  one  connected  with  the  judicial  de- 
partment of  the  Government  should  allow  himself,  except  from  the  most  stringent  obligations  of 
duty,  to  embarrass  or  thwart  the  Executive  in  his  efforts  to  deliver  the  country  from  the  dangers 
which  press  so  heavily  upon  it.  Now,  the  question  which  I  am  called  upon  to  decide  is,  whether 
General  Burnside,  as  an  agent  of  the  executive  department  of  the  Government,  has  transgressed 
his  authority  in  ordering  the  arrest  o  f  Mr.  Vallandigham.  If  the  theory  of  his  counsel  is  sus- 
tainable, that  there  can  be  no  legal  arrest  except  by  warrant,  based  on  an  affidavit  of  probable 
cause,  the  conclusion  Avould  be  clear  that  the  arrest  was  illegal.  But  I  do  not  think  I  am  bound 
to  regard  the  inquiry  as  occupying  this  narrow  base.  General  Burnside,  by  the  order  of  the 
President,  has  been  designated  and  appointed  to  take  the  military  supervision  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Ohio,  composed  of  the  States  of  Kentucky,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan. 
The  precise  extent  of  his  authority,  in  this  responsible  position,  is  not  known  to  the  Court.  It 
may,  however,  be  properly  assumed,  as  a  fair  presumption,  that  the  President  has  clothed  him 
with  all  the  powers  necessary  to  the  efficient  discharge  of  his  duties  in  the  station  to  which  he  has 
been  called.  He  is  the  representative  and  agent  of  the  President  within  the  limits  of  his  De- 
partment. In  time  of  war  the  President  is  not  above  the  Constitution,  but  derives  his  power  ex- 
pressly from  the  provision  of  that  instrument,  declaring  that  he  shall  be  Commander-in-Chief 
of  the  army  and  navy.  The  Constitution  does  not  specify  the  powers  he  may  rightfully  exercise 
in  this  character,  nor  are  they  defined  by  legislation.  No  one  denies,  however,  that  the  Presi- 
dent, in  this  character,  is  invested  with  very  high  powers,  which  it  is  well  known  have  been 
called  into  exercise  on  various  occasions  during  the  present  rebellion.  A  memorable  instance  is 
seen  in  the  emancipation  proclamation,  issued  by  the  President  as  Commander-in-Chief,  and 
which  he  justifies  as  a  military  necessity.  It  is,  perhaps,  not  easy  to  define  what  acts  are  prop- 
erly within  this  designation,  but  they  must,  undoubtedly,  be  limited  to  such  as  are  necessary  to 
the  protection  and  preservation  of  the  Government  and  the  Constitution,  which  the  President 
has  sworn  to  support  and  defend.  And  in  deciding  what  he  may  rightfully  do  under  this  power, 
where  there  is  no  express  legislative  declaration,  the  President  is  guided  solely  by  his  own  judg- 
ment and  discretion,  and  is  only  amenable  for  an  abuse  of  his  authority  by  impeachment,  prosecuted 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  Constitution.  The  occasion  which  justifies  the  exercise  of 
this  power  exists  only  from  the  necessity  of  the  case ;  and  when  the  necessity  exists  there  is  a 
clear  justification  of  the  act. 

"  If  this  view  of  the  power  of  the  President  is  correct,  it  undoubtedly  implies  the  right  to 
arrest  persons  who,  by  their  mischievous  acts  of  disloyalty,  impede  or  endanger  the  military  ope- 
rations of  the  Government.  And,  if  the  necessity  exists,  I  see  no  reason  Avhy  the  power  does  not 
attach  to  the  officer  or  General  in  command  of  a  military  department.  The  only  reason  why  the 
appointment  is  made  is,  that  the  President  can  not  discharge  the  duties  in  person.  He,  there- 
fore constitutes  an  agent  to  represent  him,  clothed  with  the  necessary  power  for  the  efficient  su- 
pervision of  the  military  interests  of  the  Government  throughout  the  Department.  And  it  is 
not  necessary  that  martial  law  should  be  proclaimed  or  exist,  to  enable  the  General  in  command 
to  perform  the  duties  assigned  to  him.  Martial  law  is  well  defined  by  an  able  jurist  to  be  '  the 
will  of  a  military  commander,  operating,  without  any  restraint  save  his  judgment,  upon  the 
lives,  upon  the  persons,  upon  the  entire  social  and  individual  condition  of  all  over  whom  this  law 
extends.'  It  can  not  be  claimed  that  this  law  was  in  operation  in  General  Burnside's  Depart- 
ment when  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  arrested.  Nor  is  it  necessary  that  it  should  have  been  in 
force  to  justify  the  arrest;  the  power  is  vested  by  virtue  of  the  authority  conferred  by  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  President.  Under  that  appointment  General  Burnside  assumed  command  of  this 
Department.     That  he  was  a  man  eminently  fitted  for  the  position  there  is  no  room  for  a  doubt. 


122  Ohio    in    the   War. 

He  had  achieved,  during  his  brief  military  career,  a  national  reputation  as  a  wise,  discreet,  pat- 
riotic,' and  brave  General.  He  not  only  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  respect  of  the  President  and 
Secretary  of  War,  but  of  the  whole  country.  He  has  nobly  laid  his  party  preferences  and  pre- 
dilections upon  tile  altar  of  his  country,  and  consecrated  his  life  to  her  service.  It  was  known 
the  widely-extended  Department,  with  the  military  supervision  of  which  he  was  charged, 
■  of  gM*t  importance,  and  demanded  great  vigilance  and  ability  in  the  administration  of 
its  military  concerns.  Kentucky  was  a  border  State,  in  which  there  was  a  large  element  of  disaf- 
fection toward  the  National  Government,  and  sympathy  with  those  in  rebellion  against  it.  For- 
midable invasions  have  been  attempted,  and  are  now  threatened.  Four  of  the  States  have  a  river 
border  and  art  in  perpetual  danger  of  invasion.  The  enforcement  of  the  late  conscription  law 
n  as  a  positive  necessity.  In  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois  a  class  of  mischievous  poli- 
ticians had  snvceeded  in  poisoning  the  minds  of  a  portion  of  the  community  with  the  rankest 
feelings  of  disloyalty.  Artful  men,  disguising  their  latent  treason  under  hollow  pretensions  of 
dawodoo  to  the  Union,  were  striving  to  disseminate  their  pestilent  heresies  among  the  masses  of 
the  people.  The  evil  was  one  of  alarming  magnitude,  and  threatened  seriously  to  impede  the 
military  operations  of  the  Government,  and  greatly  to  protract  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion. 
General  I hirnside  was  not  slow  to  perceive  the  dangerous  consequences  of  these  disloyal  efforts, 
and  resolved,  if  possible,  to  suppress  them.  In  the  exercise  of  his  discretion  he  issued  the 
order — Xo.  38 — which  has  been  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  Court.  I  shall  not  comment  on  that 
order,  or  say  anything  more  in  vindication  of  its  expediency.  I  refer  to  it  only  because  General 
Burnside,  in  his  manly  and  patriotic  communication  to  the  Court,  has  stated  fully  his  motives 
and  reasons  for  issuing  it;  and  also  that  it  was  for  its  supposed  violation  that  he  ordered  the  ar- 
rest of  Mr.  Vallandigham.  He  has  done  this  under  his  responsibility  as  the  commanding  Gen- 
eral of  this  Department,  and  in  accordance  with  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  power  vested  in  him 
by  the  appointment  of  the  President.  It  was  virtually  the  act  of  the  Executive  Department  un- 
der the  power  vested  in  the  President  by  the  Constitution  ;  and  I  am  unable  to  perceive  on  what 
principle  a  judicial  tribunal  can  be  invoked  to  annul  or  reverse  it.  In  the  judgment  of  the  com- 
manding General,  the  emergency  required  it,  and  whether  he  acted  wisely  or  discreetly  is  not 
properly  a  subject  for  judicial  review. 

"  It  is  worthy  of  remark  here  that  this  arrest  was  not  made  by  General  Burnside  under  any 
claim  or  pretension  that  he  had  authority  to  dispose  of  or  punish  the  party  arrested,  according  to 
his  own  will,  without  trial  and  proof  .of  the  facts  alleged  as  the  ground  for  the  arrest,  but  with  a 
view  to  an  investigation  by  a  Military  Court  or  Commission.  Such  an  investigation  has  taken 
place,  the  result  of  which  has  not  been  made  known  to  this  Court.  Whether  the  Military  Com- 
mission for  the  trial  of  the  charges  against  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  legally  constituted  and  had 
jurisdiction  of  the  case,  is  not  a  question  before  this  Court.  There  is  clearly  no  authority  in  this 
Court  on  the  pending  motion,  to  revise  or  reverse  the  proceedings  of  the  Military  Commission, 
if  they  were  before  the  Court.  The  sole  question  is,  whether. the  arrest  was  legal ;  and,  as  before 
remarked,  its  legality  depends  on  the  necessity  which  existed  for  making  it ;  and  of  that  neces- 
sity, for  the  reason  stated,  this  Court  can  not  judicially  determine.  General  Burnside  is  unques- 
tionably amenable  to  the  executive  department  for  his  conduct.  If  he  has  acted  arbitrarily  and 
upon  insufficient  reasons,  it  is  within  the  power,  and  would  be  the  duty  of  the  President,  not  only 
to  annul  his  acts,  but  to  visit  him  with  decisive  marks  of  disapprobation.  To  the  President,  as 
commander-in-chief  of  the  army,  he  must  answer  for  his  official  conduct.  But,  under  our  Con- 
stitution, which  studiously  seeks  to  keep  the  executive,  legislative,  and  judicial  departments  of 
the  Government^ from  all  interference  and  conflict  with  each  other,  it  would  be  an  unwarrantable 
exercise  of  the  judicial  power  to  decide  that  a  co-ordinate  branch  of  the  Government,  acting 
under  its  high  responsibilities,  had  violated  the  Constitution,  in  its  letter  or  its  spirit,  by  author- 
ing the  arrest  in  question.  Especially  in  these  troublous  times,  when  the  national  life  is  in  peril, 
and  when  union  and  harmony  among  the  different,  branches  of  the  Government  are  so  impera- 
tively demanded,  such  interference  would  find  no  excuse  or  vindication.  Each  department  of  the 
Government  must,  to  some  extent,  act  on  a  presumption  that  a  co-ordinate  branch  knows  its 
powers  and  duties,  and  will  not  transcend  them.  If  the  doctrine  is  to  obtain,  that  every  one 
charged  with,  and  guilty  of,  acts  of  mischievous  disloyalty,  not  within  the  scope  of  criminal  laws  of 
the  land,  in  custody  under  the  military  authority,  is  to  be  set  free  by  courts  or  judges  on  habeas  cor- 
pus, and  that  there  is  no  power  by  which  he  may  be  temporarily  placed  where  he  can  not  perpetrate 


Arrest  and  Trial   of  Vallandigham.  123 


mischief,  it  requires  no  argument  to  prove  that  the  most  alarming  conflicts  must  follow,  and  the 
action  of  the  Government  be  most  seriously  impaired.  I  dare  not,  in  my  judicial  position,  as- 
sume the  fearful  responsibility  implied  in  the  sanction  of  such  a  doctrine. 

"And  here,  without  subjecting  myself  to  the  charge  of  trenching  upon  the  domain  of  polit- 
ical discussion,  I  may  be  indulged  in  the  remark,  that  there  is  too  much  of  the  pestilential  leaven 
of  disloyalty  in  the  community.  There  is  a  class  of  men  in  the  loyal  States  who  seem  to  have  no 
just  appreciation  of  the  deep  criminality  of  those  who  are  in  arms,  avowedly  for  the  overthrow 
of  the  Government,  and  the  establishment  of  a  Southern  Confederacy.  They  have  not,  I  fear, 
risen  to  any  right  estimate  of  their  duties  and  obligations,  as  American  citizens,  to  a  Government 
which  has  strewn  its  blessings  with  a  profuse  hand,  and  is  felt  only  in  the  benefits  it  bestows.  1 
may  venture,  the  assertion  that  the  page  of  history  will  be  searched  in  vain  for  an  example  of  a 
rebellion  so  wholly  destitute  of  excuse  or  vindication,  and  so  dark  with  crime,  as  that  which  our 
bleeding  country  is  now  called  upon  to  confront,  and  for  the  suppression  of  which  all  her  ener- 
gies are  demanded.  Its  cause  is  to  be  found  in  the  unhallowed  ambition  of  political  aspirants 
and  agitators,  who  boldly  avow  as  their  aim,  not  the  establishment  of  a  government  for  the  better 
security  of  human  rights,  but  one  in  which  all  political  power  is  to  be  concentrated  in  an  odious 
and  despotic  oligarchy.  It  is,  indeed,  consolatory  to  know  that  in  most  sections  of  the  North 
those  who  sympathize  with  the  rebellion  are  not  so  numerous  or  formidable  as  the  apprehensions 
of  some  would  seem  to  indicate.  It  may  be  assumed,  I  trust,  that  in  most  of  the  Northern  States 
reliable  and  unswerving  patriotism  is  the  rule,  and  disloyalty  and  treason  the  exception.  But 
there  should  be  no  division  of  sentiment  upon  this  momentous  question.  Men  should  know,  and 
lay  the  truth  to  heart,  that  there  is  a  course  of  conduct  not  involving  overt  treason,  or  any  offense 
technically  defined  by  statute,  and  not,  therefore,  subject  to  punishment  as  such,  which,  never- 
theless, implies  moral  guilt  and  gross  offense  against  their  country.  Those  who  live  under  the 
protection  and  enjoy  the  blessings  of  our  benignant  Government,  must  learn  that  they  can  not 
stab  its  vitals  with  impunity.  If  they  cherish  hatred  and  hostility  to  it,  and  desire  its  subver- 
sion, let  them  withdraw  from  its  jurisdiction,  and  seek  the  fellowship  and  protection  of  those 
with  whom  they  are  in  sympathy.  If  they  remain  with  us,  while  they  are  not  of  us,  they  must 
be  subject  to  such  a  course  of  dealing  as  the  great  law  of  self-preservation  prescribes  and  will 
enforce.  And  let  them  not  complain,  if  the  stringent  doctrine  of  military  necessity  should  find 
them  to  be  the  legitimate  subjects  of  its  action.  I  have  no  fears  that  the  recognition  of  this  doc- 
trine will  lead  to  an  arbitrary  invasion  of  the  personal  security  or  personal  liberty  of  the  citizen. 
It  is  rare,  indeed,  that  a  charge  of  disloyalty  will  be  made  upon  insufficient  grounds.  But  if 
there  should  be  an  occasional  mistake,  such  an  occurrence  is  not  to  be  put  in  competition  with 
the  preservation  of  the  life  of  the  nation.  And  I  confess  I  am  but  little  moved  by  the  eloquent 
appeals  of  those  who,  while  they  indignantly  denounce  violations  of  personal  liberty,  look  with 
no  horror  upon  a  despotism  as  unmitigated  as  the  world  has  ever  witnessed. 

"  But  I  can  not  pursue  this  subject  further.  I  have  been  compelled  by  circumstances  to  pre- 
sent my  views  in  the  briefest  way.  I  am  aware  there  are  points  made  by  the  learned  counsel 
representing  Mr.  Vallandigham,  to  which  I  have  not  adverted.  I  have  had  neither  time  nor 
strength  for  a  more  elaborate  consideration  of  the  questions  involved  in  this  application.  For  the 
reasons  which  I  have  attempted  to  set  forth,  I  am  led  clearly  to  the  conclusion  that  I  can  not  ju- 
dically  pronounce  the  order  of  General  Burnside  for  the  arrest  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  as  a  nul- 
lity, and  must,  therefore,  hold  that  no  sufficient  ground  has  been  exhibited  for  granting  the  writ 
applied  for.  In  reaching  this  result,  I  have  not  found  it  necessary  to  refer  to  the  authorities 
which  have  been  cited,  and  which  are  not  controverted,  for  the  obvious  reason  that  they  do  not 
apply  to  the  theory  of  this  case,  as  understood  and  affirmed  by  the  Court.  And  I  may  properly 
add  here,  that  I  am  fortified  in  my  conclusion  by  the  fact,  just  brought  to  my  notice,  that  the 
Legislature  of  Ohio,  at  its  last  session,  has  passed  two  statutes,  in  which  the  validity  and  legality 
of  arrests  in  this  State  under  military  authority  are  distinctly  sanctioned.  This  is  a  clear  indi- 
cation of  the  opinion  of  that  body,  that  the  rights  and  liberties  of  the  people  are  not  put  in 
jeopardy  by  the  exercise  of  the  power  in  question,  and  is,  moreover,  a  concession  that  the  pres- 
ent state  of  the  country  requires  and  justifies  is  exercise.  It  is  an  intimation  that  the  people  of 
our  patriotic  State  will  sanction  such  a  construction  of  the  Constitution  as,  without  a  clear  viola- 
tion of  its  letter,  will  adapt  it  to  the  existing  emergency. 

"  There  is  one  other  consideration  to  which  I  may,  perhaps,  properly  refer,  not  as  a  reason 


124  Ohio  in  the   War. 

for  refusing  the  writ  applied  for,  but  for  the  purpose  of  saying  that,  if  granted,  there  is  no  prob- 
ability that  it  would  be  available  in  relieving  Mr.  Vallandingham  from  his  present  position.  It 
is  at  least,  morally  certain,  it  would  not  be  obeyed.  And  I  confess  I  am  somewhat  reluctant  to 
authorize  a  process,  knowing  it  would  not  be  respected,  and  that  the  Court  is  powerless  to  enforce 
obedience.  Yet,  if  satisfied  there  were  sufficient  grounds  for  the  allowance  of  the  writ,  the  con- 
sideration to  which  I  have  adverted  would  not  be  conclusive  against  it. 
"  For  these  reasons  I  am  constrained  to  refuse  the  writ."* 

The  Democratic  party  assailed  this  judicial  decision  with  unwonted  bitter- 
ness; and  the  correctness  of  parts  of  the  opinion  was  doubted  by  many  earnest 
supporters  of  the  Government.  It  stood  however  as  the  law  of  the  land  ;  and 
under  its  influence  the  utterance  of  the  sentiments  to  which  Mr.  Yallandigham 
had  given  so  free  expression,  became  much  more  guarded.  A  strong  popular 
reaction  set  in  in  favor  of  the  Government,  and  the  soldiers  had  thenceforward 
less  reason  to  complain  of  the  "fire  in  the  rear." 

Since  the  war  a  subject  similar  in  some  of  its  features  has  been  brought 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  the  case  of  the  Indiana  Con- 
spirators. The  decision  was  adverse  to  some  of  the  positions  assumed  by  Judge 
Leavitt;  and,  freed  from  technical  terms,  was  substantially  that,  in  States  not  in 
rebellion,  where  the  civil  courts  were  in  session  and  the  territory  was  not  the 
actual  theater  of  war,  such  cases  should  be  tried,  not  before  military  commis- 
sions, but  in  the  ordinary  tribunals,  and  with  the  accustomed  forms  of  law. 

*  The  above  opinion,  and  the  extracts  from  the  speeches  and  other  documents,  have  all  been 
carefully  revised  by  their  respective  authors.  We  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  R.  W.  Car- 
roll, whose  publishing  house  brought  them  out  in  book  form,  for  permission  to  use  them  here. 


Armed   Resistance  to  the  Authorities.  125 


CHAPTER  X 


ARMED   RESISTANCE   TO   THE   AUTHORITIES 


THE  excited  feeling  among  the  Peace  Democrats,  of  which  Mr.  Yal  Ian  dig- 
ham's  inflammatory  speech  at  Mount  Yernon  was  an  exponent,  continued 
for  some  months.  One  outbreak  that  threatened  for  a  little  time  to  prove 
serious  had  occurred  in  Noble  County,  before  his  arrest.  Two  occurred  after- 
ward ;  one,  that  in  Dayton,  growing  immediately  from  it;  the  other  arising  in 
Holmes  County  out  of  resistance  to  the  enrollment  for  a  draft. 

None  of  these  were  so  serious  or  so  wide-spread  as  the  similar  movements 
about  the  same  time,  in  Indiana  on  the  West,  or  in  Pennsylvania  and  New 
York  on  the  East;  but  they  nevertheless  rose  to  the  importance  of  organized 
and  armed  efforts  to  resist  the  authorities ;  and  no  regard  for  the  fair  fame  of 
the  State  should  now  lead  to  their  concealment. 

It  was  near  the  middle  of  March,  1863,  that  what  the  newspapers  of  the 
day  called  "the  speck  of  war  in  Noble  County  "  made  its  appearance.  This 
county,  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  State  near  the  Yirginia  line,  is  rough, 
hilly,  and  sparsely  peopled — in  great  part  by  an  uneducated  community  of  Yir- 
ginia and  Kentucky  origin.  Peace  Democracy  was  the  general  political  faith 
at  that  time,  and  the  citizens  had  been  not  a  little  excited  by  seditious  teach- 
ings, by  their  hostility  to  a  draft,  and  by  the  indications  that  the  fortune  of  war 
was  going  steadily  against  the  Government. 

Mr.  Flamen  Ball,  then  the  United  States  District-Attorney  for  Southern 
Ohio,  came  into  possession  in  February,  'of  a  letter  written  by  F.  W.  Brown,  a 
school-teacher  in  the  village  of  Hoskinsville,  Noble  County,  to  Wesley  McFar- 
ren,  a  private  soldier  of  company  G-,  Seventy-Eighth  Ohio  Infantry,  denouncing 
the  Administration,  expressing  opposition  to  the  war,  and  urging  McFarren  to 
desert.  The  soldier  did  desert,  and  found  harbor  and  concealment  near  Hos- 
kinsville. 

A  Deputy  United  States  Marshal  and  a  corporal's  guard  from  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Ohio,  were  thereupon  dispatched  from  Cincinnati  to 
arrest  the  deserter  and  the  instigator  of  desertion.  This  force  presently  re- 
turned with  the  report  that,  at  Hoskinsville,  they  had  found  the  men  they  sought 
under  the  protection  of  nearly  a  hundred  citizens,  armed  with  shot  guns,  rifles, 
and  muskets,  and  regularly  organized  and  officered.     The  Captain  pleasantly 


126 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


proposed  to  the  Deputy  United  States  Marshal  and  squad,  that  they  surrender 
and  be  paroled  as  prisoners  of  the  Southern  Confederacy! 

On  the  16th  of  March  an  order  was  thereupon  issued  by  the  post  command- 
ant at  Cincinnati*  to  Captain  L.  T.  Hake,  to  report  with  companies  B  and  IT, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Ohio,  with  ten  days'  rations  and  forty  rounds  of 
ammunition,  to  United  States  Marshal  A.  C.  Sands,  to  serve  as  his  posse  in 
making  arrests  in  Noble  County.  On  the  evening  of  the  18th  they  reached 
Cambridge,  the  seat  of  justice  of  the  adjoining  county,  where  they  received  all 
possible  aid  and  information  from  the  inhabitants.  Leaving  the  railroad,  they 
now  marched  across  the  country  to  Hoskinsville.  On  the  way  word  was  re- 
ceived that  the  people  were  still  in  arms,  and  were  determined  to  continue  their 
resistance  to  the  officers.  But,  on  their  arrival  on  the  afternoon  of  the  20th, 
they  found  no  force  to  meet  them.  The  men  had  secreted  themselves  in  the 
woods,  and  only  a  few  frightened  women  and  children  were  to  be  found.  The 
business  of  searching  for  and  arresting  the  parties  concerned  in  the  previous 
resistance  to  the  Deputy  Marshal  was  then  begun,  on  the  strength  of  an  affida- 
vit, before  United  States  Commissioner  Halliday,  by  Moses  D.  Hardy,  giving 
names  of  some  of  them,  as  follows : 

"William  McCune,  James  McCune,  Joseph  McCune,  Mahlon  Belford,  Absalom  Willey,  Wil- 
li :i m  Willey,  Curtis  Willey,  Wesley  Willey,  Asher  Willey,  Milton  Willey,  Edmund  G.  Brown, 
William  Campbell,  Henry  Campbell,  William  Pitcher,  Joshua  Pitcher,  Joseph  Pitcher,  Andrew 
Coyle,  John  Coyle,  Thomas  Kacey,  John  Kacey,  George  A.  Kacey,  Peter  Kacey,  William  Cain, 
Samuel  Cain,  Abel  Cain,  A.  G.  Stoneking,  Samuel  McFarren,  Kichard  McFarren,  Joel  McFar- 
ren,  David  McFarren,  Lewis  Fisher,  Milvin  M.  Fisher,  James  McKee,  Benton  McKee,  WTilliam 
Archer,  James  Harkens,  George  Ziler,  Peter  Eodgers,  William  Lowe,  Andrew  Lowe,  Samuel 
Marquis,  Arthur  Marquis,  John  Marquis,  M.  Norwood,  Robert  Boggs,  Elisha  Fogle,  Abner 
Davis,  William  Davis,  Taylor  Burns,  John  Manifold,  George  Manifold,  Henry  Engle,  Joshua 
Hillyer,  Benton  Thorle,  Richard  Burlingame,  George  Willey,  H.  Jones,  Joseph  Jones,  Gordon 
Westcoll,  G.  E.  Gaddis,  William  Engle,  Jacob  Trimble,  Charles  Brown,  Andrew  J.  Brown, 
William  Barnhouse." 

The  expedition  remained,  making  arrests  and  searching  for  the  guilty  par- 
ties through  the  20th,  21st,  and  22d.  It  then  marched  to  Sharon,  then  to  Cald- 
well, the  county  seat,  and  thence  to  Point  Pleasant— halting  for  the  night  and 
making  arrests  at  each  place.  After  thus  marching  over  nearly  the  entire  dis- 
trict in  which  the  disaffection  had  been  fomented,  the  command  returned  with 
its  prisoners  to  Cambridge,  where  they  were  welcomed  at  a  public  banquet. 
Messrs.  F.  Clatworthy  and  E.  Henderson  acted  as  aids  to  the  Marshal  throughout. 

Subsequently  the  following  prisoners,  thus  arrested,  were  brought  before 
the  United  States  Court  in  Cincinnati,  Judges .Swayne  and  Leavitt  presiding: 


rown, 
lliam 


''Andrew  Coyle,  George  WTilley,  Henry  Engle,  Lewis  Fisher,  Charles  Brown,  Andrew  Bnr 
William  Barnhouse,  Gordon  Westcoll,  William  Engle,  Jacob  Trimble,  Samuel  Marquis,  Willi 
McCune,  Joseph  McCune,  James  McCune,  Joshua  Hillyer,  Benton  Thorle,  Richard  Burlingame, 
Samuel  Cain,  John  Kacey,  William  Norwood,  Robert  Boggs,  Richard  McFarren,  Thomas  Racey, 
Georce  A.  Racey,  William  Campbell,  Henry  Campbell,  Harrison  Jones,  Joel  McFarren,  G  E. 
Gaddis,  William  Lowe,  John  Willey,  James  McKee,  James  Harkens,  Mahlon  Belford,  Samuel 
McFarren." 


*  Then  Lieutenant-Colonel  Eastman. 


Armed   Resistance  to  the  Authorities.  127 

These  were  arraigned  on  indictment  for  obstructing  process,  and  those  of 
them  named  below  plead  guilty,  and  were  fined  and  imprisoned: 

"Samuel  McGennis,  Benton  Thorle,  William  McCune,  John  Willey,  James  Harkins,  William 
Lowe,  Joel  McFarren,  Lewis  Fisher,  Mahlon  Belford." 

In  the  cases  of  Samuel  McFarren,  John  Wesley  McFarren,  Curtis  Willey, 
John  Eacey,  Alexander  McBride,  Benton  McKee,  Tertullus  W.  Brown,  Andrew 
Coyle,  Peter  Eacey,  and  James  McKee,  indictments  for  conspiracy  were  found; 
and  Samuel  McFarren,  John  Eacey,  and  Andrew  Coyle,  were  convicted,  sen- 
tenced, and  fined  five  hundred  dollars  each.  T.  W,  Brown  made  his  escape,  as 
did  many  others  implicated,  a  number  of  them  going  to  the  territories. 

The  Noble  County  Eepublican  (newspaper)  stated  that,  at  a  meeting  held 
by  the  men  engaged  in  the  protection  of  the  deserter,  resolutions  had  been 
passed,  declaring,  1st,  that  they  were  in  favor  of  the  Union  as  it  was,  and  the 
Constitution  as  it  is;  2d,  that  they  would  oppose  all  arbitrary  arrests  on  the 
part  of  the  Government;  3d,  opposition  to  the  enforcement  of  the  conscription 
act;  4th,  recommending  the  raising  of  money,  b}^  contribution,  for  the  purchase 
of  arms  to  enable  them  successfully  to  resist  a  draft,  should  another  be  ordered; 
5th,  the  assassination  of  an  obnoxious  person. 

How  these  brave  words  ended  has  been  told.  Quiet  was  restored  in  the 
county,  and  the  healthy  influence  of  the  punishments  inflicted  was  soon  mani- 
fest in  the  tone  of  the  community. 

In  speaking  of  Mr.  Yallandigham's  arrest,  we  have  already  mentioned  the 
disturbances  and  incendiarism  following  it,  which  led  to  the  proclamation  of 
martial  law  in  Montgomery  County. 

The  only  remaining  outbreak  of  importance  was  one  in  resistance  to  the 
enrollment  for  a  draft  in  Holmes  County,  on  the  south-western  verge  of  the 
Western  Reserve,  in  the  following  June. 

On  the  5th,  while  the  enrolling  officer,  Mr.  E.  W.  Eobinson  of  Loudonville, 
was  proceeding  with  his  duty,  he  was  attacked  by  some  of  the  excited  populace. 
Some  stones  were  thrown,  and  he  was  told  that  if  he  ever  returned  on  such 
work  his  life  would  be  in  danger.  He  reported  the  facts  to  Captain  J.  L.  Drake, 
Provost-Marshal  of  the  district,  who  promptly  arrested  four  of  the  ringleaders. 
The  alarm  however  spread  quickly,  and  before  he  had  conveyed  them  to  prison 
he  was  encountered  near  the  village  of  Napoleon,  by  a  force  reported  at  the 
time  to  number  sixty  or  seventy  men,  armed  with  rifles  and  revolvers.  They 
demanded  the  immediate  release  of  the  prisoners,  and  he  was  forced  to  comply. 
Then  they  proceeded  to  revile  him  as  a  secessionist  himself,  declared  that  he 
"should  never  again  visit  their  township  in  his  official  capacity,  and  even  levelled 
their  guns  upon  him,  ordering  him  to  kneel  in  the  road  and  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance!  Finally,  however,  with  renewed  warnings  never  to  return,  they 
suffered  him  to  depart. 

These  occurrences  were  reported  to  Colonel  Parrott,  then  the  Provost-Mar- 
shal General  of  the  State,  and  to  Brigadier-General  Mason,  in  command  at 
Columbus.     Colonel  Wallace,  of  the  Fifteenth  Ohio,  was  ordered  to  the  scene 


128  Ohio   in   the  War. 

of  disturbance,  with  a  force  made  up  of  scraps  of  commands  found  at  Camp 
Chase— a  part  of  the  Third  Ohio,  the  Governor's  Guards,  Sharp-Shooters  from 
Camp  Dennison,  twenty  Squirrel  Hunters  from  Wooster,  and  a  section  of  Cap- 
tain Neil's  Battery— in  all  about  four  hundred  and  twenty  men.  It  was  re- 
ported  that  they  would  find  the  malcontents  in  a  regular  fortified  camp,  with 
pickets,  intrenchments,  and  cannon. 

Governor  Tod,  anxious  that  bloodshed  should  be  avoided  if  possible,  prepared 
the  following  judicious  proclamation : 

"Columbus,  O.,  16th  June,  1863. 
"To  the  men  who  are  now  assembled  in  Holmes  County  for  the  purpose  of  using  armed  force  in  resisting 

the  execution  of  the  laws  of  the  National  Government  : 

"I  have  heard  with  pain  and  deep  mortification  of  your  unlawful  assemblage,  and  as  Gov- 
ernor of  the  State  to  which  you  owe  allegiance,  and  as  the  friend  of  law  and  order,  as  well  as 
the  friend  of  yourselves  and  your  families,  I  call  upon  you  at  once  to  disperse  and  return  to  your 
quiet  homes.  This  order  must  be  immediately  complied  with,  or  the  consequences  to  yourselves 
will  be  destructive  in  the  extreme.  The  Government,  both  of  the  State  and  Nation,  must  and 
shall  be  maintained.  Do  not  indulge  the  belief  for  a  moment  that  there  is  not  a  power  at  hand 
to  compel  obedience  to  what  I  now  require  of  you.  Time  can  not  be  given  you  for  schemes  or 
Bfchinationi  of  any  kind  whatever.  I  have  felt  it  my  duty  to  give  you  this  timely  warning;  and 
having  done  my  duty,  I  sincerely  hope  you  will  do  yours. 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

This,  General  Mason  was  requested  to  have  sent  forward  under  a  flag  of 
truce,  before  firing  upon  any  party  he  might  meet.  If  the  party  should  then 
offer  to  disperse  he  asked  that  they  might  be  permitted  to  do  so.  If  they  re- 
fused, he  continued,  with  the  indiscreet  language  that  sometimes  got  the  better 
of  him,  "then  show  them  no  quarter  whatever."* 

On  the  morning  of  the  17th  Colonel  Wallace  landed  with  his  command  at 
Lake  Station,  on  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne,  and  Chicago  Eailroad,  twelve  miles 
from  Napoleon,  where  the  malcontent  camp  was  said  to  be  located.  Marching 
in  that  direction,  he  came  upon  the  pickets  about  three  miles  south-east  of  the 
village,  and  drove  them  in.  Then,  throwing  out  skirmishers  to  the  front,  he 
advanced.  A  number  of  men  stationed  behind  a  rude  stone  breastwork  de- 
livered a  single  volley  as  the  skirmishers  approached,  and  then  fled  to  the  woods. 
The  command  pursued,  taking  two  or  three  prisoners,  and  wounding  two.f  No 
organized  force,  however,  was  encountered  after  the  first  volley  from  behind  the 
stone  breastwork.  Squads  of  men  scouted  through  the  hills,  under  the  guidance 
of  Union  men  of  the  neighborhood,  and  brought  in  six  prisoners  before  evening. 

Meantime  leading  Peace  Democrats  were  striving  to  have  all  thought  of 
resistance  abandoned;  and  one  of  the  rescued  prisoners,];  visiting  the  neighbor- 
ing  village  of  Williamsburg  that  night  to  ask  re-enforcements,  met  with  a  very 
cold-reception.  Finally  a  committee  of  both  parties  was  appointed  to  visit  the 
camp  and  endeavor  to  adjust  the  difficulty.  Hon.  D.  P.  Leadbetter,  ex-sheriff 
John  French,  Llewellyn  Allison,  and  Colonel  D.  French  represented  the  Demo- 
crats, and  Robert  Long  and  Colonel  Baker  the  Unionists. 
*  Ex.  Doc.  1863,  part  I,  p.  297. 
tGeorge  Butler  and Brown,  both  shot  through  the  thigh.  %  Wm.  Greiner. 


Armed   Resistance  to  the  Authorities.  129 

On  the  morning  of  the  18th  they  waited  upon  Colonel  Wallace,  and  finally- 
agreed  to  visit  the  insurgents  and  try  to  secure  the  surrender  of  the  prisoners. 
The  Democratic  members  spent  the  day  in  visits  to  different  squads  of  those  in 
arms;  and  by  evening  returned  with  the  promise  that,  the  next  day,  such  men 
as  were  wanted  would  be  delivered.  Next  morning  Mr.  Leadbetter  and  Colonel 
French  appeared  with  the  four  rescued  prisoners,  William  Greiner,  Jacob  Stuber, 
Simeon  Snow,  and  Peter  Stuber.  They  promised  to  deliver  the  ringleaders  in 
the  rescue,  Lorenzo  Blanchard,  Peter  Kaufman,  James  Still,  William  H.  Dyal, 
Emanuel  Bach,  Godfrey  Steiner,  and  Henderson,  and  with  this  under- 
standing Colonel  Wallace  returned  with  his  command  to  Columbus. 

It  was  reported  in  the  newspapers  at  the  time,  and  generally  believed,  that 
over  a  thousand  men  had  been  in  the  insurgent  camp  the  previous  Sunday, 
either  as  combatants  or  as  auditors  to  the  inflammatory  speeches  that  were  then 
made.  A  considerable  store  of  cooked  provisions  was  found  in  houses  in  the 
neighborhood.  They  had  four  little  howitzers;  and,  on  Colonel  French's  admis- 
sion, there  were  nine  hundred  men  fully  armed. 

With  the  subsidence  of  this  difficulty,  the  violent  passions  that  had  been 
engendered  were  turned  into  a  new  channel.     Th?  great  Yallandigham  and 
Brough  political  campaign  absorbed  the  energies  of  all:  and  its  result  was  such 
as  to  end  all  efforts  at  resistance  to  the  authorities. 
Vol.  I.— 9. 


J30 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  THE  NATIONAL  GUARD. 


WE  have  seen  that  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war  Governor  Chase 
had  sought  to  revive  the  despised  militia  system  of  Ohio;  that  the 
few  militia  companies  thus  kept  up  were  seized  upon,  when  the 
guns  of  Sumter  rang  across  the  Land,  for  organizing  the  first  regiments  hurried 
to  the  field;  that  thenceforward,  in  the  stern  presence  of  a  war  that  called  for 
volunteers  by  the  hundred  thousand,  militia  and  musters  fell  into  utter  neglect. 
But  the  alarm  along  the  boVder  in  the  fall  of  1862,  and  particularly  the  siege  of 
Cincinnati,  served  to  illustrate  the  mistake  thus  made.  The  State,  while  crowd- 
ing brigades  of  her  sons  to  the  front  armed  and  equipped  for  battle,  was  bare 
and  defenseless  at  home.  A  handful  of  bold  riders  could  throw  a  great  city  into 
a  panic;  a  regiment  or  two  could  convulse  the  State,  ring  alarm  bells  through- 
out her  limits,  and  summon  the  crude,  unorganized  swarms  of  Squirrel  Hunters 
to  ready  but  unsatisfactory  service  in  her  defense. 

The  lesson  was  not  lost  upon  the  people;  and  their  representatives  in  the 
State  Legislature — assembling  a  few  months  later  in  adjourned  session— were 
made  to  understand  that  a  satisfactory  organization  of  the  militia  of  the  State, 
and  the  complete  arming  and  equipment  of  a  sufficient  number  of  them  for  im- 
mediate service  in  such  sudden  emergencies,  were  popular  demands. 

Governor  Tod  fully  appreciated  the  general  feeling,  as  well  as  the  palpable 
necessity  which  suggested  it.  In  his  message  to  the  Legislature,  at  the  opening 
of  the  session  of  1863,  he  said : 

"The  necessity  of  a  thorough  organization  of  the  militia  of  the  State,  must  now  be  apparent 
to  all,  and  your  attention  is  earnestly  invited  to  the  subject.  .A  plan,  embracing  my  views  and 
opinion!  on  this  important  subject,  will  be  presented  for  the  consideration  of  the  military  com- 
mittee of  the  House  in  a  few  days.  I  have  given  the  matter  much  consideration,  and  hope  that 
my  labors  may  prove  of  service  to  the  committee." 

Throughout  the  session  the  committees  continued  to  labor  upon  the  subject. 
At  last,  after  considerable  partisan  opposition,  and  only  in  the  last  hours  of  the 
session,  a  bill  was  passed  "to  organize  and  discipline  the  militia  of  Ohio."  It 
was  the  basis  of  the  organization  that  afterward  enabled  Governor  Brough,  at 
scarcely  two  days'  notice,  to  throw  to  the  front  at  the  critical  hour  of  the  East- 
ern campaign,  the  magnificent  re-enforcement  of  forty  thousand  Ohio  National 
Guards. 


National    Guard.  131 

The  bill  kept  in  view  throughout  two  objects :  First,  it  was  to  secure  the 
enrollment,  organization,  and,  as  far  as  might  be,  the  drill  of  the  entire  military 
strength  of  the  State,  including  eveiy  able-bodied  man  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five;  and,  second,  it  was  to  provide  for  a  force  of  volunteers 
raised  from  this  militia,  who  should  be  armed,  uniformed,  and  equipped,  and 
should  bo  instantly  available  at  any  sudden  call  for  the  defense  of  the  State. 
These  distinct  classes  were  to  be  designated  respectively  the  Ohio  Militia  and 
the  Ohio  Volunteer  Militia. 

It  was  accordingly  provided  that  the  assessors  should  make  an  enrollment, 
and  return  the  same  to  the  county  auditor,  and  proper  penalties  were  imposed 
for  any  efforts  to  deceive  the  assessors  or  defeat  the  enrollment.  The  township 
trustees  were  to  hear  applications  for  exemption,  divide  their  localities  into 
company  districts,  and  order  elections  for  company  officers,  the  returns  of  which 
should  be  made  to  the  county  sheriffs.  The  sheriffs  should  then  organize  the 
companies  into  regiments  and  order  the  election  of  regimental  officers;  and  the 
Governor  was  empowered  to  consolidate  these  regiments,  or  order  the  organiza- 
tion of  new  ones,  as  the  good  of  the  service  should  seem  to  require — while  regi* 
mental  officers  could  do  the  same  as  to  companies.  Thus  the  "Ohio  Militia" 
was  to  be  made  up. 

The  "Ohio  Volunteer  Militia"  was  to  be  composed  of  such  companies  or 
batteries  as  the  Governor  should  choose  to  accept;  it  was  to  be  fully  armed  and 
equipped,  and  its  members  were  to  provide  themselves  with  United  States  regu- 
lation uniforms;  it  was  to  muster  on  the  last  Saturday  of  each  September,  at 
the  same  time  with  the  militia,  and  was,  beside,  to  have  not  less  than  two  addi- 
tional musters  each  year;  it  was  to  be  subject  to  the  first  call  in  case  of  invasion 
or  of  riot;  it  was  to  unite  with  the  officers  of  the  militia  in  the  last  two  of  the 
eight  days'  encampment  for  "officers'  muster"  for  which  the  act  provided.  The 
volunteer  companies  were  to  draw  two  hundred  dollars  per  year  from  the  State 
military  fund  (batteries  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  dollars  for  every  two  guns), 
for  the  care  of  arms  and  incidental  expenses;  their  members  were  to  be  held 
for  five  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  they  were  to  be  exempt  from  fur  Cher 
military  duty  of  any  kind  in  time  of  peace. 

The  bill  was  long  and  complicated  ;  it  was  incumbered  with  much  machin- 
ery for  Courts  of  Inquiry,  fines,  elections  of  company,  regimental,  and  even  bri- 
gade commanders,  transportation  to  officers'  musters,  payment  of  encampment 
expenses,  and  all  manner  of  minutiae;  but  the  above  were  its  essential  features. 

In  organizing  the  militia  under  this  law  Governor  Tod  derived  invaluable 
aid  from  his  Adjutant-General.  This  officer*  had  been  a  devoted  militia-man  in 
the  old  peaceful  times.  His  little  field-service  had  not  been  brilliant,  and,  indeed, 
was  then  resting  under  weighty,  though  unjust,  censure.  But  he  Avas  earnest, 
laborious,  possessed  of  considerable  system,  familiar  with  the  wants  of  the  mili- 
tia service,  and  capable  of  infinite  attention  to  small  things — peculiarly  quali- 
fied, in  fact,  for  the  onerous  task  to  which  he  was  now  called. 

-General  Charles  W.Hill. 


232  Ohio  in  the  War. 

II,  :,t  once  undertook  the  enforcement  of  the  new  law.  At  the  outset  it 
was  found  to  be  so  cumbrous  that  the  newspapers  would  not  print  it;  and  so 
complicate!  that,  even  after  it  was  circulated  in  pamphlet  form,  those  who  had 
moot  interest  in  it  could  scarcely  understand  its  provisions.  At  last  the  Adju- 
tant-General  had  resort  to  public  meetings.  He  itinerated  in  the  interest  of  the 
militia  system  through  the  State,  held  meetings  and  made  speeches  at  Marietta, 
Dayton,  Cleveland,  Wooster,  Mansfield,  Norwalk,  Elyria,  Newark,  Zanesville, 
Lebanon,  Cincinnati,  Portsmouth,  Ironton,  Gallipolis,  Pomeroy,  London,  Dela- 
ware, Urhana,  Piqua,  and  Toledo.  The  Quartermaster-General  assisted  him  at 
gome  of  these  places,  and  made  speeches  alone  at  some  others.  Finally  addi- 
tional meetings  were  held  on  the  6th  and  7th  of  July,  1863,  in  Cincinnati.  There 
was  trouble  in  procuring  arms,  and  some  slowness  among  the  people  in  aiding 
'to  get  the  system  into  operation,  but  by  the  end  of  the  first  week  in  July  the 
returns  of  company  elections  were  beginning  to  come  in. 

Then  came  the  Morgan  raid,  suspending  all  work  of  this  kind,  and  plung- 
ing the  State  once  more  into  the  spasmodic  effort  of  unorganized  masses  to  op- 
pose on  the  instant  an  organized  and  swiftly-moving  foe. 

'  The  exhaustion  which  followed,  and  the  necessary  attention  to  ordinary 
business  which  had  been  neglected  during  the  invasion,  wrought  still  further 
delay.  Then  scarcely  any  arms  could  be  secured  for  cavalry  or  artillery.  Uni- 
forms were,  however,  obtained  at  less  than  Government  rates,*  and  the  organ- 
izing companies  took  prompt  advantage  of  this  excellent  arrangement. 

To  the  encampments  and  officers'  musters  the  Adjutant-General  was  par- 
ticularly attentive.  He  succeeded  in  getting  grounds,  fuel,  water,  and  the  like 
necessaries  free  of  expense  to  the  State,  by  convincing  the  towns  at  which  en- 
campments were  to  be  held  of  the  business  advantages  th#t  would  thus  accrue. 
He  had  competent  and  experienced  officers  assigned  to  each,  and  at  three  he 
himself  assumed  personal  command.  The  militia  officers  and  the  volunteer 
companies  were  kept  at  drill  during  the  time  prescribed  by  law,  and  the  organ- 
ization was  thus  given  shape  and  cohesion. 

•  As  the  result  of  these  labors,  he  was  able  at  the  end  of  the  year  to  report 
an  organized  militia  of  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  and 
seventy -two  men,  and  a  volunteer  militia,  equipped  and  available  for  duty  at 
any  hour's  call,  forty-three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty  strong.f 

Governor  Tod  justly  reported  in  his  last  message  that  the  services  of  the 
Adjutant-General  in  this  work  could  not  be  too  highly  commended.  We  shall 
have  occasion  to  see  how,  within  a  few  months,  it  was  to  prove  a  thing  of  Na- 
tional significance;  and  we  can  not  better  conclude  this  too  brief  account  of  a 
great  task  well  accomplished,  than  in  the  words  of  pregnant  advice  which  Gen- 

*  Fatigue  suit,  cap,  lined  blouse,  and  trowsers,  at  seven  dollars  and  twenty-one  cents ;  and 
fnll-dress  suit,  with  hat  trimmed,  at  twelve  dollars  and  seventy-two  cents. 

t  Of  these,  thirty-one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty-three  were  uniformed  before  the  1st 
of  November,  1863,  and  thirty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  had  been  in  attendance 
at  the  fall  encampments.  They  had  voluntarily  expended,  for  uniforms  and  other  articles  of 
outfit,  up  to  that  time,  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  thousand  two  hundred  and  four  dollars  and 


National  Guard 


133 


eral  Hill  gave,  in  turning  over  the  subject  to  his  successor.     They  were  to  have 
a  wider  application  than  he  then  imagined  : 

**  Keeping  in  mind  the  probabilities,  or  even  possibilities,  of  having  to  call  the  troops  for 
oervice  before  midsummer,  it  is  recommended  that  all  of  the  preparations  be  made  early,  and 
that  the  encampments  commence  in  time  to  be  completed  by  the  first  week  in  July.  Every  or- 
ganization will  thus  be  brought  into  good  working  order,  and  ready  for  efficient  service.  If  the 
State  is  menaced,  or  a  raid  or  invasion  comes,  its  ability  to  put  any  requisite  number  of  effective 
troops  in  the  right  positions  at  once,  will  be  a  mere  question  of  railroad  transportation,  and  if 
the  year  brings  no  such  occasion  for  service,  there  will  be  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the 
State  is  ready." 

eighty-two  cents.     The  Adjutant-General  does  not  report  the  distribution  of  these  volunteers 
among  the  several  counties,  but  he  gives  the  following  enrollment  of  the  militia  in  each  county; 


COUNTIES. 


Adams  

Allen 

Ashland  — 
Ashtabula  .. 

Athens , 

Auglaize .... 
Belmont  .... 

Brown 

Butler 

Carroll 

Champaign 

Clark 

Clermont    .. 

Clinton 

Columbiana 
Coshocton... 
Crawford  ... 
Cuvahoga... 

Darke 

Defiance — 
Delaware  ... 

Erie 

Fairfield  ... 

Fayette 

Franklin  ... 

Fulton 

Gallia , 

Geauga 

Greene 

Guernsey... 
Hamilton  .. 
Hancock.... 

Hardin  

Harrison  ... 

Henry 

Highland... 

Hocking 

Holmes 

Huron 

Jackson  .... 
Jefferson. . . . 

Knox 

Lake 

Lawrence .. 
Licking: 


Number 

of 

Enrollment. 


3,336 
3,356 
3,049 
4,231 
2,574 
2,644 
4,095 
3,861 
5,993 
2,126 
3,769 
4,102 
4,416 
2,991 
4,605 
3,100 
3,122 

11,188 
4,552 
1,802 
2,929 
3,556 
4,432 
2,426 
6,904 
2,563 
2,949 
2,205 
3,728 
2,982 

41,960 
3,098 
2,974 
3,092 
1,472 
3,687 
2,584 
2,549 
5,038 
2,453 
3,905 
3,381 
2,373 
2,965 
5,009 


COUNTIES. 


Logan  

Lorain 

Lucas 

Madison , 

Mahoning  ... 

Marion 

Medina 

Meigs 

Mercer 

Miami 

Monroe 

Montgomery 

Morgan 

Morrow 

Muskingum 

Noble 

Cutaway 

Paulding 

Perry  , 

Pickaway  .... 

Pike 

Portage 

Preble 

Putnam 

Richland  — 

Ross 

Sandusky  .... 

Scioto 

Seneca 

Shelby 

Stark.. 

Summit  

Trumbull.... 
Tuscarawas . 

Union 

Van  Wert.... 

Vinton 

Warren 

Washington 

Wayne 

Williams  — 

Wood . 

Wyandot.... 

Total 


Numbci 
of 

Enrollm't. 


3,518 
4,015 
5,339 
1,894 
3,574 
2,873 
2,917 
3,991 
1,730 
4,485 
2,959 
7,430 
3,157 
2,891 
5,583 
2,830 
1,183 
788 
2,289 
3,561 
1,572 
3,778 
3,573 
1,751 
3,880 
4,620 
3,296 
3,116 
3,808 
2,711 
6,482 
3,643 
4,425 
4,042 
2,631 
1,516 
1,723 
3,872 
4,829 
5,140 
2,659 
2,713 
2,841 

345,593 


134 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


CHAPTER  XII, 


THE   MORGAN   RAID   THROUGH   OHIO, 


LITTLE  progress  had  been  made  in  the  organization  of  the  State  Militia, 
when,  in  July,  1863,  there  came  another  sudden  and  pressing  demand 
for  it. 

Eosecrans  lay  at  Stone  Eiver  menacing  Bragg  at  Tullahoma.  Burnside 
was  at  Cincinnati  organizing  a  force  for  the  redemption  of  East  Tennessee, 
which  was  already  moved  well  down  toward  the  confines  of  that  land  of  stead- 
fast but  sore-tried  loyalty.  Bragg  felt  himself  unable  to  confront  Eosecrans; 
Buckner  had  in  East  Tennessee  an  inadequate  force  to  confront  Burnside.  But 
the  communications  of  both  Eosecrans  and  Burnside  ran  through  Kentucky, 
covered  mostly  by  the  troops  (numbering  perhaps  ten  thousand  in  all)  under 
General  Judah.  If  these  communications  could  be  threatened,  this  last  force 
would  at  least  be  kept  from  re-enforcing  Eosecrans  or  Burnside,  and  the  advance 
of  one  or  both  of  these  officers  might  be  delayed.  So  reasoned  Bragg,  as,  with 
anxious  forebodings,  he  looked  about  the  lowering  horizon  for  aid  in  his  ex- 
tremity. 

He  had  an  officer  who  carried  the  reasoning  to  a  bolder  conclusion.  If, 
after  a  raid  through  Kentucky,  which  should  endanger  the  communications  and 
fully  occupy  General  Judah,  he  could  cross  the  Border,  and  carry  terror  to  the 
peaceful  homes  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  he  might  create  such  a  panic  as  should 
delay  the  new  troops  about  to  be  sent  to  Eosecrans,  and  derange  the  plans  of 
the  campaign.  There  was  no  adequate  force,  he  argued,  in  Indiana  or  Ohio  to 
oppose  him;  he  could  brush  aside  the  local  militia  like  house-flies,  and  outride 
any  cavalry  that  should  be  sent  in  pursuit;  while  in  his  career  he  would  in- 
evitably draw  the  whole  Union  force  in  Kentucky  after  him,  thus  diminishing 
the  pressure  upon  Bragg  and  delaying  the  attack  upon  East  Tennessee.  This 
was  John  Morgan's  plan. 

Bragg  did  not  approve  it.  He  ordered  Morgan  to  make  a  raid  into  Ken- 
tucky; gave  him  carte  blanche  to  go  wherever  he  chose  in  that  State;  and  par- 
ticularly urged  upon  him  to  attempt  the  capture  of  Louisville;  but  forbade  the 
crossing  of  the  Ohio.  Then  he  turned  to  the  perils  with  which  Eosecrans's 
masterly  strategy  was  environing  him. 

Morgan  prepared  at  once  to  execute  his  orders ;  but  at  the  same  time  he 


Morgan  Raid.  135 

gave  confidential  information  to  Basil  W.  Duke,  his  next  in  command  of  his 
intention  to  disregard  Bragg's  prohibition.  Ho  even  went  further.  Weeks 
before  his  movement  began  he  sent  men  to  examine  the  fords  of  the  upper 
Ohio — that  at  Buffi ngton  Island  among  them — and  expressed  an  intention  to  re- 
cross  in  that  vicinity,  unless  Lee's  movements  in  Pennsylvania  should  make  it 
advisable  to  continue  his  march  on  Northern  soil,  until  he  thus  joined  the  army 
of  Northern  Virginia.* 

Here  then  was  a  man  who  knew  precisely  what  he  wanted  to  do.  He 
arranged  a  plan,  far-reaching,  comprehensive,  and  perhaps  the  boldest  that  the 
cavalry  service  of  the  war  disclosed ;  and  before  the  immensely  superior  forces 
which  he  evaded  could  comprehend  what  he  was  about,  he  had  half  executed  it. 

On  the  2d  of  July  he  began  to  cross  the  Cumberland  at  Burkesville  and 
Turkey -Neck  Bend,  almost  in  the  face  of  Judah's  cavalry,  which,  lying  twelve 
miles  away  at  Marrowbone,  trusted  to  the  swollen  river  as  sufficient  to  render 
the  crossing  impracticable.  The  mistake  was  fatal.  Before  Judah  moved  down 
to  resist,  two  regiments  and  portions  of  others  were  across.  With  these  Morgan 
attacked,  drove  the  cavalry  into  its  camp  at  Marrowbone,  and  was  then  checked 
by  the  artillery.  But  his  crossing  was  thus  secured,  and  long  before  Judah 
could  get  his  forces  gathered  together  Morgan  was  half  way  to  Columbia.  He 
had  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty  men  all  told.  Before  him  lay  three 
States,  Kentucky,  Indiana,  Ohio,  which  he  meant  to  traverse ;  one  filled  with 
hostile  troops,  the  others  with  a  hostile  and  swarming  population. 

*The  above  statement  differs  widely  from  the  common  understanding  of  Morgan's  movement 
into  Indiana  and  Ohio  as  a  last  desperate  resort,  never  originally  contemplated",  and  finally 
adopted  only  because  the  Union  cavalry  was  so  close  upon  him  that  he  could  do  nothing  else; 
But  to  one  who  remembers  what  Morgan  had  already  done  in  the  way  of  evading  pursuers,  and 
recalls  the  fact  that  when  he  reached  the  Ohio,  the  pursuing  cavalry  was  full  forty  miles  behind 
him,  this  will  seem  inherently  improbable.  Partly  for  this  reason,  partly  because  of  corrobo- 
rating circumstances,  and  partly  because  of  the  general  candor  and  seeming  trustworthiness  of 
his  account,  I  have  preferred  to  follow  the  statements  of  Basil  W.  Duke.  In-  his  "History  of 
Morgan's  Cavalry"  (pp.  409,  410,  411),  he  gives  substantially  the  above  version  of  the  conference 
between  Bragg  and  Morgan,  and  of  the  latter's  avowed  determination  to  disobey  Bragg's  order 
against  crossing  the  Ohio;  and  (p.  429)  thus  scouts  the  theory  that  the  raid  north  of  the  river 
was  an  afterthought,  and  an  expedient  to  which  Morgan's  desperate  condition  drove  him: 

"It  has  been  frequently  surmised  in  the  North  that  Morgan  crossed  the  Ohio  River  to  escape 
from  Hobson.  Of  all  the  many  wild  and  utterly  absurd  ideas  which  have  prevailed  regarding 
the  late  war,  this  is  perhaps  the  most  preposterous.  .  .  .  Hobson  was  from  twenty-four  to 
thirty-six  hours  behind  us — he  was  at  any  rate  a  good  fifty  miles  in  our  rear,  and  could*  learn  our 
track  only  by  following  it  closely.  General  Morgan,  if  anxious  to  escape  Hobson,  and  actuated 
by  no  other  motive,  would  have  turned  at  Bardstown  and  gone  out  of  Kentucky  through  the 
western  part  of  the  State,  where  he  would  have  encountered  no  hostile  force  that  he  could  not 
have  easily  repulsed.  It  was  not  too  late  to  pursue  the  same  general  route  when  we  were  at 
Garnettsville.  ...  To  rush  across  the  Ohio  River  as  a  means  of  escape  would  have  been  the 
choice  of  an  idiot.  .  .  .  That  military  men  in  the  North  should  have  entertained  this  opinion, 
proves  only  that  in  armies  so  vast  there  must  necessarily  be  many  men  of  very  small  capacity. 
General  Morgan  certainly  believed  that  he  could,  with  energy  and  care,  preserve  his  men  from 
capture  after  crossing  the  Ohio,  but  he  no  more  believed  that  it  would  be  safer,  after  having 
gained  the  northern  side  of  the  river,  than  he  believed  it  was  safer  in  Kentucky  than  south  of 
the  Cumberland." 


]36  Ohio  in   the    War. 

The  next  day,  at  the  crossing  of  Green  Eiver,  he  came  upon  Colonel  Moore 
with  a  Michigan  regiment,  whom  he  vainly  summoned  to  surrender  and  vainly 
strove  to  dislodge.  The  fight  was  severe  for  the  little  time  it  lasted;  and  Mor- 
gan, who  had  no  time  to  spare,  drew  off,  found  another  crossing,  and  pushed  on 
thttrtgb  Campbellsville  to  Lebanon.  Here  came  the  last  opportunity  to  stop 
him.  Three  regiments  held  the  position,  but  two  of  them  were  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  town.  Falling  upon  the  one  in  the  town  he  overwhelmed  it 
before  the  others  could  get  up,  left  them  hopelessly  in  his  rear,  and  double- 
quicked  his  prisoners  eight  miles  northward  to  Springfield  before  he  couldstop 
toag  enough  to  parole  them  *  Then  turning  north-westward,  with  his  foes  far 
behind  him.  he  marched  straight  for  Brandenburg,  on  the  Ohio  Eiver  some 
sixty  miles  below  Louisville.  A  couple  of  companies  were  sent  forward  to  cap- 
ture boats  for  the  crossing;  others  were  detached  to  cross  below  and  effect  a 
diversion  ;  and  still  others  were  sent  toward  Crab  Orchard  to  distract  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Union  commanders.  He  tapped  the  telegraph  wires,  thereby  finding 
that  he  was  expected  at  Louisville  and  that  the  force  there  was  too  strong  for 
him  ;  captured  a  train  from  Nashville  within  thirty  miles  of  Louisville;  picked 
up  squads  of  prisoners  here  and  there,  and  paroled  them.  By  ten  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  the  8th  his  horsemen  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  They  had 
crossed  Kentucky  in  five  days. 

When  the  advance  companies,  sent  forward  to  secure  boats,  entered  Bran- 
denburg, they  took  care  to  make  as  little  confusion  as  possible.  Presently  the 
Henderson  and  Louisville  packet,  the  J.  J.  McCoombs,  came  steaming  up 
the  river,  and  landed  as  usual  at  the  wharfboat.  As  it  made  fast  its  lines, 
thirty  or  forty  of  "Morgan's  men"  quietly  walked  on  board  and  took  possession. 
Soon  afterward  the  Alice  Dean,  a  fine  boat  running  in  the  Memphis  and  Cincin- 
nati trade,  came  around  the  bend.  As  she  gave  no  sign  of  landing,  they 
steamed  out  to  meet  her,  and  before  captain  or  crew  could  comprehend  the 
matter,  the  Alice  Dean  was  likewise  transferred  to  the  Confederate  service. 
When  Morgan  rode  into  town,  a  few  hours  later,  the  boats  were  ready  for  his 
crossing. 

Indiana  had  just  driven  out  a  previous  invader— Captain  Hines,  of  Mor- 
gan's command,  who,  with  a  small  force,  had  crossed  over  "id  stir  up  the  Cop- 
perheads," as  the  Rebel  accounts  pleasantly  express  it.  Finding  the  country 
too  hot  for  him,  he  had  retired,  after  doing  considerable  damage;  and  in  Bran- 
denburg he  was  now  awaiting  his  chief. 

Preparations  were  at  once  made  for  crossing  over.  But  the  men  crowding 
down  incautiously  to  the  river  bank,  revealed  their  presence  to  the  militia  on 
the  Indiana  side,  whom  Captain  Hines's  recent  performance  had  made  unwont- 
edly  watchful.  They  at  once  opened  a  sharp  fusillade  across  the  stream  with 
musketry  and  with  an  old  cannon,  which  they  had  mounted  on  wagon  wheels. 
Morgan  speedily  silenced  this  fire  by  bringing  up  his  Parrott  rifles;  then  hastily 
dismounted  two  of  his  regiments  and  sent  them  across.     The  militia  retreated, 

♦Some  horrible  barbarities  to  one  or  two  of  these  prisoners  were  charged  against  him  in  the 
newspapers  of  the  day. 


Morgan  Raid.  137 

and  the  two  Rebel  regiments  pursued.  Just  then  a  little  tin-clad,  the  Spring* 
field,  which  Commander  Leroy  Fitch  had  dispatched  from  New  Albany  on  the 
first  news  of  .something  wrong  down  the  river,  came  steaming  toward  the  scene 
of  action.  "Suddenly  checking  her  way,"  writes  the  Rebel  historian  of  the 
raid,*  "she  tossed  her  snub  nose  defiantly,  like  an  angry  beauty  of  the  coal- 
pits, sidled  a  little  toward  the  town,  and  commenced  to  scold.  A  bluish-white 
funnel-shaped  cloud  spouted  out  from  her  left-hand  bow,  and  a  shot  flew  at  the 
town,  and  then  changing  front  forward  she  snapped  a  shell  at  the  men  on  the 
other  side.  I  wish  I  were  sufficiently  master  of  nautical  phraseology  to  do 
justice  to  this  little  vixen's  style  of  fighting;  but  she  was  so  unlike  a  horse,  or 
even  a  piece  of  light  artillery,  that  I  can  not  venture  to  attempt  it."  He  adds 
that  the  Rebel  regiments  on  the  Indiana  side  found  shelter,  and  that  thus  the 
gunboat  fire  proved  wholly  without  effect.  After  a  little  Morgan  trained  his 
Parrotts  upon  her;  and  the  inequality  in  the  range  of  the  guns  was  such  that 
she  speedily  turned  up  the  river  again. 

The  situation  had  seemed  sufficiently  dangerous.  Two  regiments  were 
isolated  on  the  Indiana  side;  the  gunboat  was  between  them  and  their  main 
body;  while  every  hour  of  delay  brought  Hobson  nearer  on  the  Kentucky  side, 
and  speeded  the  mustering  of  the  Indiana  militia.  But  the  moment  the  gunboat 
turned  up  the  river  all  danger,  for  the  present,  was  past.  Morgan  rapidly 
crossed  the  rest  of  his  command,  burned  the  boats  behind  him,  scattered  the 
militia,  and  rode  out  into  Indiana.  There  was  }~et  time  to  make  a  march  of  six 
miles  before  nightfall. 

The  task  now  before  Morgan  was  a  simple  one,  and  for  several  da}*s  could 
not  be  other  than  an  easy  one.  His  distinctly-formed  plan  was  to  march 
through  Southern  Indiana  and  Ohio,  avoiding  large  towns  and  large  bodies  of 
militia,  spreading  alarm  through  the  country,  making  all  the  noise  he  could,  and 
disappearing  again  across  the  upper  fords  of  the  Ohio  before  the  organizations  of 
militia  could  get  such  shape  and  consistency  as  to  be  able  to  make  head  against 
him.  For  some  days  at  least  he  need  expect  no  adequate  resistance;  and  while 
the  bewilderment  as  to  his  purposes  and  uncertainty  as  to  the  direction  he  was 
taking  should  paralyze  the  gathering  militia,  he  meant  to  place  many  a  long 
mile  between  them  and  his  hard-riders. 

Spreading,  therefore,  all  manner  of  reports  as  to  his  purposes,  and  assuring 
the  most  that  he  meant  to  penetrate  to  the  heart  of  the  State  and  lay  Indianapolis 
in  ashes,  he  turned  the  heads  of  his  horses  up  the  river  toward  Cincinnati, 
scattered  the  militia  with  the  charges  of  his  advance  brigade,  burnt  bridges 
and  cut  telegraph  wires  right  and  left,  marched  twenty-one  hours  out  of  the 
twenty-four,  and  rarely  made  less  than  fifty  or  sixty  miles  a  day. 

His  movement  had  at  first  attracted  little  attention.  The  North  was  used 
to  having  Kentucky  in  a  panic  about  invasion  from  John  Morgan,  and  had  como 
to  look  upon  it  mainly  as  a  suggestion  of  a  few  more  blooded  horses  from  the 
"Blue  Grass"  that  were  to  be  speedily  impressed  into  the  Rebel  service.     Get- 

*  Duke's  History  Morgan's  Cavalry,  p.  433. 


138  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

lYshiinr   had   just  been   fought;    Yicksburg  had  just  fallen— what  were  John 
ran  and  his  horse-thieves?    Let  Kentucky  guard  her  own  stables  against  her 

own  outlaws! 

IV -sentry  he  came  nearer,  and  Louisville  fell  into  a  panic.  Martial  law 
*as  proclaimed ;  business  was  suspended;  every  preparation  for  defense  was 
hastened.  Still  few  thought  of  danger  beyond  the  river;  and  the  most,  remem- 
bering the  siege  of  Cincinnati,  were  disposed  to  regard  as  very  humorous  the 
ditching  and  the  drill  by  the  terrified  people  of  the  Kentucky  metropolis. 

Then  DAM*  the  crossing.  The. Governor  of  Indiana  straightway  proclaimed 
martial  law,  and  called  out  the  Legion.  General  Burnside  was  full  of  wise  plans 
for  "bailing"  the  invatfer,  of  which  the  newspapers  gave  mysterious  hints. 
Thoroughly  trustworthy  gentlemen  hastened  with  their  "reliable  reports"  of  the 
Eebel  strength.  They  had  stood  on  the  wharfboat  and  kept  tally  as  the  cav- 
alry crowed  ;  and  there  was  not  a  man  less  than  five  thousand  of  them!  Others 
had  talked  with  them,  and  been  confidentially  assured  that  they  were  going  up  to 
Indianapolis  to  burn  the  State  House.  Others,  on  the  same  veracious  authority, 
weii'  assured  that  they  were  heading  for  New  Albany  and  Jeffersonville  to  burn 
Government  stores.  The  militia  everywhere  were  sure  that  it  was  their  duty 
to  gather  in  their  own  towns  and  keep  Morgan  off;  and,  in  the  main,  he  saved 
them  the  trouble  by  riding  around.  Hobson  came  lumbering  along  in  the  rear — 
riding  his  best,  but  finding  it  hard  to  keep  the  trail,  harder  to  procure  fresh 
horses,  since  of  these  MorgaTi  made  a  clean  sweep  as  he  went,  and  impossible 
to  narrow  the  distance  between  them  to  less  than  twenty-four  hours. 

Still  the  true  purpose  of  the  movement  was  not  divined — its  very  audacity 
was  its  protection.  General  Burnside  concluded  that  Hobson  was  pressing  the 
invaders  so  hard,  forsooth,  that  they  must  swim  their  horses  across  the  Ohio 
below  Madison,  to  escape,  and  his  dispositions  for  intercepting  them  proceeded 
upon  that  theory.  The  Louisville  packets  were  warned  not  to  leave  Cincinnati 
lest  Morgan  should  bring  them  to  with  his  artillery,  and  force  them  to  ferry 
him  back  into  Kentucky.  Efforts  were  made  to  raise  regiments  to  aid  the 
Indianians— if  only  to  reciprocate  the  favor  they  had  shown  when  Cincinnati 
was  under  siege— but  the  people  were  tired  of  such  alarms,  and  could  not  be 
induced  to  believe  in  the  danger. 

By  Sunday  *  three  days  after  Morgan's  entry  upon  Northern  soil,  the  author- 
ities had-advanced  their  theory  of  his  plans  to  correspond  with  the  news  of  his 
movements.  They  now  thought  he  would  swim  the  Ohio  a  little  below  Cincin- 
nati, at  or  near  Aurora.  But  the  citizens  were  more  apprehensive.  They  began 
to  talk  about  "a  sudden  dash  into  the  city."  The  Mayor  requested  that  busi- 
ness be  suspended,  and  that  the  citizens  assemble  in  their  respective  wards  for 
defense.  Finally  General  Burnside  came  to  the  same  view,  proclaimed  martial 
law,  and  ordered  the  suspension  of  business.  Navigation  was  practically  stopped, 
and  gunboats  scoured  the  river  banks  to  remove  all  scows  and  flatboats  which 
might  aid  Morgan  in  his  escape  to  the  Kentucky  shore. 

Later  in  the  evening  apprehensions  that,  after  all,  Morgan  might  not  be  so 
*  12th  Julv. 


i 


Morgan    Raid.  139 


anxious  to  escape,  prevailed.  Governor  Tod  was  among  the  earliest  to  recog- 
nize the  danger;  and  while  there  was  still  time  to  secure  insertion  in  the  news- 
papers of  Monday  morning,  he  telegraphed  to  the  press  a  proclamation  calling 
t  the  militia : 


"Columbus,  July  12,  1863. 
?o  the  Press  of  Cincinnati: 


: 

"Whereas,  This  State  is  in  imminent  danger  of  invasion  by  an  armed  force,  now,  therefore, 
to  prevent  the  same,  I,  David  Tod,  Governor  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  militia  force  thereof,  by  virtue  of  the  authority  vested  in  me  by  the  Constitution  and  laws  of 
said  State,  do  hereby  call  into  active  service  that  portion  of  the  militia  force  which  has  been 
organized  into  companies  within  the  counties  of  Hamilton,  Butler,  Montgomery,  Clermont, 
Brown,  Clinton,  Warren,  Greene,  Fayette,  Ross,  Monroe,  Washington,  Morgan,  Noble,  Athens, 
Meigs,  Scioto,  Jackson,  Adams,  Vinton,  Hocking,  Lawrence,  Pickaway,  Franklin,  Madison, 
Fairfield,  Clark,  Preble,  Pike,  Gallia,  Highland,  and  Perry.  I  do  hereby  further  order  all  such 
forces  residing  within  the  counties  of  Hamilton,  Butler,  and  Clermont,  to  report  forthwith  to 
Major-General  A.  E.  Burnside,  at  his  head-quarters  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  who  is  hereby  au- 
thorized and  required  to  cause  said  forces  to  be  organized  into  battalions  or  regiments,  and  appoint 
all  necessary  officers  therefor.  And  it  is  further  ordered  that  all  such  forces  residing  in  the  coun- 
ties of  Montgomery,  Warren,  Clinton,  Fayette,  Ross,  Highland,  and  Boone,  report  forthwith  to 
Colonel  Neff,  the  military  connnander  at  Camp  Dennison,  who  is  hereby  authorized  to  organize  said 
forces  into  battalions  or  regiments,  and  appoint,  temporarily,  officers  therefor  ;  and  it  is  further 
ordered,  that  of  all  such  forces  residing  in  the  counties  of  Franklin,  Madison,  Clark,  Greene, 
Pickaway,  and  Fairfield,  report  forthwith  at  Camp  Chase,  to  Brigadier-General  John  S.  Mason, 
who  is  hereby  authorized  to  organize  said  forces  into  battalions  or  regiments,  and  appoint,  tem- 
porarily, officers  therefor;  it  is  further  ordered  that  all  of  such  forces  residing  in  the  counties  of 
Washington,  Monroe,  Noble,  Meigs,  Morgan,  Perry,  Hocking,  and  Athens,  report  forthwith  to 
Colonel  William  R.  Putnam  at  Camp  Marietta,  who  is  hereby  authorized  to  organize  said  forces 
into  battalions  or  regiments,  and  appoint,  temporarily,  officers  therefor. 

"DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

It  was  high  time.  Not  even  yet  had  the  authorities  begun  to  comprehend 
the  tremendous  energy  with  which  Morgan  was  driving  straight  to  his  goal. 
While  the  people  of  Cincinnati  were  reading  this  proclamation,  and  considering 
whether  or  not  they  should  put  up  the  shutters  on  their  store-windows,*  Morgan 
was  starting  out  in  the  gray  dawn  from  Summansville,  for  the  suburbs  of  Cin- 
cinnati. Long  before  the  rural  population  within  fifty  miles  of  the  city  had 
read  the  proclamation  calling  them  to  arms  he  was  at  Harrison. f 

"Here,"  pleasantly  explains  his  historian,  J  "General  Morgan  began  to 
maneuver  for  the  benefit  of  the  commanding  officer  at  Cincinnati.  He  took  it 
for  granted  that  there  was  a  strong  force  of  regular  troops  in  Cincinnati.  Burn- 
side  had  them  not  far  off,  and  General  Morgan  supposed  that  they  would  of 
course  be  brought  there.  If  we  could  get  past  Cincinnati  safely  the  danger  of 
the  expedition,  he  thought,  would  be  more  than  half  over.  Here  he  expected 
to  be  confronted  by  the  concentrated  forces  of  Judah  and  Burnside,  and  he  an- 
ticipated great  difficulty  in  eluding  or  cutting  his  way  through  them.  Once 
safely  through  this  peril,  his  escape  would  be  certain,  unless  the  river  remained 

•Many  business  men  wholly  disobeyed  the  orders,  and  kept  their  stores  or  shops  open 
through  the  day. 

tHe  reached  Harrison  at  one  P.  M.  on  this  same  Monday,  13th  July. 
t  Duke's  History  ''Morgan's  Cavalry,"  pp.  439,  440. 


140  Ohio  in  the  War. 

sohi-h  that  the  transports  could  carry  troops  to  intercept  him  at  the  upper 
crossing*."— Unless,  indeed  !  "...  His  object  therefore,  entertaining  these 
views,  and  believing  that  the  great  effort  to  capture  him  would  be  made  as  he 
C  sod  the  Hamilton  and  Dayton  Railroad,  was  to  deceive  the  enemy  as  to  the 
exact  point  where  he  would  cross  this  road,  and  denude  that  point  as  much  as 
possible  of  troops.  He  sent  detachments  in  various  directions,  seeking  however 
to  create  the  impression  that  he  was  marching  to  Hamilton." 

This  was  wise  and  prudent  action  in  the  audacious  Rebel  commander;  but, 
well  as  he  generally  read  the  purposes  of  his  antagonists,  he  here  made  one  mis- 
take. He  supposed  that  he  was  to  be  confronted  by  military  men,  acting  on 
military  principles. 

As  it  was,  he  deceived  everybody.  The  Hamilton  people  telegraphed  in 
great  alarm  that  Morgan  was  marching  on  their  town.  A  fire  was  seen  burning 
at  Venice,  and  straightway  they  threw  out  pickets  to  guard  the  main  roads  in 
that  direction  and  watch  for  Morgan's  coming.  Harrison  sent  in  word  of  the 
passage  of  the  Rebel  cavalry  through  that  place  at  one  o'clock,  and  of  the  belief 
that  they  were  going  to  Hamilton.  Wise  deputy  sheriffs,  who  had  been  cap- 
tured by  Morgan  and  paroled,  hastened  to  tell  that  the  Rebel  chief  had  con- 
versed with  them  very  freely;  had  shown  no  hesitation  in  speaking  of  his  plans, 
and  had  assured  them  he  was  going  to  Hamilton.  All  this  was  retailed  at 
the  head-quarters,  on  the  streets,  in  the  newspaper  offices. 

That  night,  while  the  much-enduring  printers  were  putting  such  stories  in 
type,  John  Morgan's  entire  command,  now  reduced  to  a  strength  of  bare  two 
thousand*  was  marching  through  the  suburbs  of  this  city  of  a  quarter  of  a 
million  inhabitants,  within  reach  of  troops  enough  to  eat  them  up,  absolutely 
unopposed,  almost  without  meeting  a  solitary  picket,  or  receiving  a  hostile  shot! 

"In  this  night-march  around  Cincinnati,"  writes  again  the  historian  of 
Morgan's  cavalry,f  "we  met  with  the  greatest  difficulty  in  keeping  the  column 
together.  The  guides  were  all  in  front  with  General  Morgan,  who  rode  at  the 
head  of  the  second  brigade,  then  marching  in  advance.  This  brigade  had,  con- 
sequently, no  trouble.  But  the  first  brigade  was  embarrassed  beyond  measure. 
Cluke's  regiment  was  marching  in  the  rear  of  the  second,  and  if  it  had  kept 
closed  up  we  would  have  had  no  trouble,  for  the  entire  column  would  have  been 
directed  by  the  guides.  But  this  regiment,  although  composed  of  superb  ma- 
terial and  unsurpassed  in  fighting  qualities,  had  from  the  period  of  its  organiza- 
tion, been  under  lax  and  careless  discipline,  and  the  effect  of  it  was  now  observ- 
able. The  rear  companies  straggled,  halted,  delayed  the  first  brigade—for  it 
was  impossible  to  ascertain  immediately  whether  the  halt  was  that  of  the  brigade 
in  advance  or  only  of  these  stragglers— and  when  forced  to  move  on  they  would 
go  off  at  a  gallop.  A  great  gap  would  be  thus  opened  between  the  rear  of  our 
brigade  and  the  advance  of  the  other;  and  we,  who  were  behind,  were  forced 
to  grope  our  way  as  we  best  could.     When  we  would  come  to  one  of  the  many 

*Duke  says  less  than  two  thousand;  and  from  what  we  now  know  of  the  extent  to  which 
straggling  and  desertion  had  gone  in  their  ranks,  this  seems  probable, 
tlbid,  p.  443. 


I 


Morgan  Raid.  141 


junctions  of  roads  which  occur  in  the  suburbs  of  a  largo  city,  we  would  be  com- 
pelled to  consult  all  sorts  of  indications  in  order  to  hit  upon  the  right  road. 
The  night  was  intensely  dark,  and  we  would  set  on  fire  large  bundles  of  paper 
or  splinters  of  wood  to  afford  a  light.  The  horses'  tracks  on  roads  so  much 
traveled  would  give  us  no  clue  to  the  route  which  the  other  brigade  had  taken 
at  such  points;  but  we  could  trace  it  by  noticing  the  direction  in  which  the  dust 
'settled'  or  floated.  .  .  .  We  could  also  trace  the  column  by  the  slaver 
dropped  from  the  horses'  mouths.  It  was  a  terrible,  trying  march.  Strong 
men  fell  out  of  their  saddles,  and  at  every  halt  the  officers  were  compelled  to 
move  continually  about  in  their  respective  companies,  and  pull  and  haul  the 
men,  who  would  drop  asleep  in  the  road — it  was  the  only  way  to  keep  them 
awake.  Quite  a  number  crept  off  into  the  fields  and  slept  until  they  were 
awakened  by  the  enemy.  ...  At  length  day  appeared,  just  as  we  reached 
the  last  point  where  Ave  had  to  anticipate  danger.  We  had  passed  through 
Glendale  and  across  all  of  the  principal  suburban  roads,  and  were  near  the 
Little  Miami  Eailroad.  Those  who  have  marched  much  at  night  will  remember 
that  the  fresh  air  of  morning  almost  invariably  has  a  cheering  effect  upon  the 
tired  and  drowsy,  and  awTakens  and  invigorates  them.  It  had  this  effect  upon 
our  men  on  this  occasion,  and  relieved  us  also  from  the  necessity  of  groping  our 
way.  We  crossed  the  railroad  without  opposition,  and  halted  to  feed  the  horses 
in  sight  of  Camp  Dennison.  After  a  short  rest  here  and  a  picket  skirmish,  we 
resumed  our  march,  burning  in  this  neighborhood  a  park  of  Government  wagons. 
That  evening  at  four  o'clock  we  were  at  Williamsburg,  twenty-eight  miles  east 
of  Cincinnati,  having  marched,  since  leaving  Summansville  in  Indiana,  in  a 
period  of  about  thirty-five  hours,  more  than  ninety  miles — the  greatest  march 
that  even  Morgan  had  ever  made.  Feeling  comparatively  safe  here  he  per- 
mitted the  division  to  go  into  camp  and  remain  during  the  night." 

From  this  picture,  by  a  participant  of  the  march  of  two  thousand  Eebel  cav- 
alry unopposed  through  the  suburbs  of  Cincinnati,  we  turn  to  the  heart  of  the 
city.  Through  the  da}'  there  had  been  a  little  excitement  and  some  drilling. 
Part  of  the  business  houses  were  closed,  but  the  attendance  at  the  ward  meet- 
ings was  very  meager.  General  Cox,  under  directions  from  General  Burnside, 
had  divided  the  city  and  county  into  militia  districts,  assigned  commanders  to 
each,  and  ordered  the  completion  of  the  organizations.*     The  district  command- 

*  The  following  are  the  orders  in  question  : 

"Head-Quarters,  District  of  Ohio,  ^ 
"Cincinnati,  July  13,  1863.      J 
"  Special  Orders  No.  — . 

"  I.  For  the  more  perfect  organization  of  militia  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  the  city  is  divided 
into  four  districts,  as  follows:  First  District,  consisting  of  the  Firgt,  Third,  Fourth,  and  Seven- 
teenth Wards,  under  command  of  Brigadier-General  S.  D.  Sturgis,  head-quarters,  Broadway 
Hotel.  Second  District,  consisting  of  Second,  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Fourteenth  Wards,  under  com- 
mand of  Major  Malcom  McDowell,  head-quarters,  Burnet  House.  Third  District,  consisting  of 
Seventh,  Ninth,  Tenth,  and  Eleventh  Wards,  under  command  of  Brigadier-General  Jacob  Ara- 
men,  head-quarters,  Orphan  Asylum.  Fourth  District,  consisting  of  the  Eighth,  Twelfth,  Fif- 
teenth, and  Sixteenth  Wards,  under  command  of  Colonel  Granville  Moody,  head-quarters,  Fin- 
ley  Methodist  Episcopal  Chapel,  on  Clinton,  near  Cutter  Street. 


142  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

ants  had  ordered  the  militia  to— "parade  to-morrow."*  By  "to-morrow,"  as 
we  h:ive  seen,  John  .Morgan,  after  riding  through  the  suburbs,  was  twenty-eight 
miles  away !  / 

Toward  midnight  glimmerings  of  how  it  was  being  overreached  began  to 
dawn  upon  the  official  mind,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  latest  bulletins  from  head- 
quarters, which  the  newspapers  were  permitted  to  publish.  While  the  printers 
were  busy  with  them,  Morgan  was  marching  his  straggling,  exhausted,  scat- 
tered column  through  the  suburbs ;  about  the  time  city  readers  were  glancing 
over  them,  he  was  feeding  his  horses  and  driving  off  the  pickets  at  Camp 
Dennison: 

"11.30  P.  M.  A  courier  arrived  last  evening  at  General  Burnside's  head -quarters,  having 
left  Cheviot  at  half  past  eight  P.  M.,  with  information  for  the  General.  Cheviot  is  only  seven 
miles  from  the  city.     He  states  that  about  five  hundred  of  Morgan's  men  had  crossed  the  river 

"  II.  The  militia  of  Covington  will  report  to  Colonel  Lucy,  commandant  of  that  post.  Those 
of  Newport  will  report  to  Colonel  Mundy. 

"III.  The  independent  volunteer  companies  will  report  to  Colonel  Stanley  Matthews,  head- 
quarters at  Walnut  Street  House. 

"  IV.  The  officers  of  the  militia  companies  are  ordered  to  parade  their  companies  forthwith, 
and  to  report  to  the  commandants  of  their  districts,  severally  named  above.  In  districts  where 
officers  have  not  been  elected,  they  will  be  temporarily  appointed  by  the  commandants  of  the 
districts. 

"  V.  After  the  militia  have  been  paraded,  and  their  company  organization  so  completed  that 
they  can  be  rapidly  and  systematically  called  into  service,  details  will  be  made  of  such  compa- 
nies, etc.,  as  may  be  needed  for  immediate  use,  and  the  remainder  will  be  allowed  to  go  to  their 
homes,  subject  to  future  calls.  It  is,  therefore,  of  advantage  to  the  citizens  that  the  primary  or- 
ganization be  completed  with  the  greatest  speed. 

"By  command  of  Brigadier-General  J.  D.  Cox. 

"  G.  M.  BASCOM,  Assistant  Adjutant-General." 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  Military  Committee  they  were  requested  to  district  the  county,  as 
had  been  done  for  the  city,  and  to  appoint  commanders,  and  the  following  was  the  result : 

"  Head-Quarters,  District  of  Ohio,  ■» 

,,~  -  „  "  Cincinnati,  July  13,  1863.     J 

"General  Orders  No.  — . 

"Hamilton  County,  beyond  the  limits  of  the  city,  will  be  divided  into  Military  Districts  as 
follows,  and  commandants  of  militia  companies  will  report  to  the  following-named  officers  : 

"  1st.  Millcreek  Township,  report  to  General  J.  H.  Bates,  city. 

"2d.  Anderson,  Columbia,  and  Spencer  Townships,  report  to  James  Peal,  Pleasant  Eidge. 

"3d.  Sycamore  and  Symmes  Townships,  report  to  C.  Constable,  Montgomery. 

"4th.  Springfield  and —  Townships,  report  to  Henry  Gulick,  Bevis  P.  O. 

"5th.  Crosby,  Harrison,  Miami,  and  Whitewater  Townships,  report  to  W.  F.  Converse, 
Harrison. 

||  6th.  Delhi,  Storrs,  and  Green  Townships,  report  to  Major  Peter  Zinn,  Delhi. 

"The  above-named  officers  will  immediately  assume  command  and  establish  their  head- 
quarters. 

"  By  order  of  Brigadier^eneral  Cox. 

"J.  newton  Mcelroy, 

Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Acting  Assistant  Inspector-General,  District  of  Ohio." 

*"The  Enrolled  Ohio  State  regular  militia  of  the  First  District  of  the  City  of  Cincinnati 
will  parade  to-morrow,  July  14,  1863,  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M.,  in  their  respective  sub-districts. 
ah  who  tail  to  comply  with  the  above  will  be  considered  as  deserters,  and  treated  accordingly." 
From  order  of  General  Sturgis,  commandant  of  First  District. 


i 


Morgan    Raid.  143 

at  Miamitown,  and  attacked  our  pickets,  killing  or  capturing  one  of  them.     Morgan's  main  force, 

said  to  be  three  thousand  strong,  was  then  crossing  the  river.     A  portion  of  the  Rebel  force  had 

been  up  to  New  Haven,  and  another  had  gone  to  New  Baltimore  and  partially  destroyed  both 

f  those  places.     The  light  of  the  burning  towns  was  seen  by  our  men.     When  the  courier  left, 

organ  was  moving  up,  it  was  reported,  to  attack  our  advance. 

1A.M.  A  courier  has  just  arrived  at  head-quarters  from  Colerain,  with  dispatches  for 
General  Burnside.  He  reports  that  the  enemy,  supposed  to  be  two  thousand  five  hundred  strong, 
with  six  pieces  of  artillery,  crossed  the  Colerain  Pike  at  dark  at  Bevis,  going  toward  New  Bur- 
lington, or  to  Cincinnati  and  Hamilton  Pike,  in  direction  of  Springdale. 

"  1.30  A.  M.  A  dispatch  from  Jones's  Station  states  that  the  enemy  are  now  encamped  be- 
tween Venice  and  New  Baltimore. 

"2  A.  M.  Another  dispatch  says  the  enemy  are  coming  in,  or  a  squad  of  them,  from  New 
Baltimore  toward  Glendale,  for  the  supposed  purpose  of  destroying  a  bridge  over  the  Cincinnati, 
Hamilton  and  Dayton  Railroad  near  Glendale. 

"  2  A.  M.  A  dispatch  from  Hamilton  says  it  is  believed  that  the  main  portion  of  Morgan's 
force  is  moving  in  that  direction  going  east.  At  this  writing — quarter  past  two  A.  M. — it  is  the 
impression  that  Morgan's  main  force  is  going  east,  while  he  has  sent  squads  to  burn  bridges  on 
the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  and  Dayton  Railroad,  and  over  the  Miami  River,  but  he  may  turn  and 
come  down  this  way  on  some  of  the  roads  leading  through  Walnut  Hills  or  Mount  Auburn."* 

The  next  day,  with  the  revelation  that  Morgan  was  gone,  began  the  gath- 
ering of  the  militia. f  Some  hurried  to  Camp  Chase,  to  be  there  held  for  the 
protection  of  the  Capital,  or  thence  thrown  toward  South-eastern  Ohio,  on  his 
front.  Others  assembled  at  Camp  Dennison,  to  be  hurried  by  rail  after  him. 
All  over  the  Southern  part  of  the  State  was  a  hasty  mustering  and  crowding 
upon  extra  trains,  and  rush  to  the  points  of  danger.  Hobson,  who,  in  spite  of 
Morgan's  tremendous  marching,  was  now  onty  a  few  hours  behind,  pressed  so 
hard  upon  his  trail  that  the  flying  band  had  little  time  for  the  burning  of  rail- 
road bridges,  or,  indeed,  for  aught  but  the  impressment  of  fresh  horses.  Judah, 
with  his  troops,  was  dispatched  by  boats  to  gain  the  front  of  the  galloping  col- 
umn and  head  it  off  from  the  river. 

Meantime  the  excitement  and  apprehension  in  all  the  towns  and  villages 
within  thirty  or  forty  miles  of  Morgan's  line  of  march  was  unprecedented  in 
the  history  of  the  State.  Thrifty  farmers  drove  off  their  horses  and  cattle  to 
the  woods.  Thrifty  housewives  buried  their  silver  spoons.  At  least  one  terri- 
fied matron,  in  a  pleasant  inland  town  forty  miles  from  the  Eebel  route,  in  her 
husband's  absence,  resolved  to  protect  the  family  carriage-horse  at  all  hazards, 
and  knowing  no  safer  plan,  led  him  into  the  house  and  stabled  him  in  the  par- 
lor, locking  and  bolting  doors  and  windows,  whence  the  noise  of  his  dismal 
tramping  on  the  resounding  floor  sounded,  through  the  live-long  night,  like  dis- 
tant peals  of  artillery,  and  kept  half  the  citizens  awake  and  watching  for  Mor- 
gan's entrance. 

There  was,  indeed,  sufficient  cause  for  considering  property  insecure  any- 
where within  reach  of  the  invaders.  Horses  and  food,  of  course,  they  took 
wherever  and  whenever  they  wanted  them;  our  own  raiding  parties  generally 

•  Squads  of  Morgan's  men  passed  from  Lockland,  through  Sharpsburg  and  Montgomery,  and 
even  so  close  to  the  city  as  Duck  Creek,  two  miles  from  the  corporation  line,  stealing  all  the  fine 
horses  they  could  lay  their  hands  upon. 

t  Preble  County,  in  the  front  here,  as  at  the  siege  of  Cincinnati,  had  sent  down  a  company 
or  two  the  night  before. 


141  Ohio    in    the   War. 

did  the  same.  But  the  mania  for  plunder  which  befel  this  command  and  made 
its  line  of  march  look  like  a  procession  of  peddlers,  was  something  beyond  all 
ordinary  cavalry  plundering.  We  need  look  for  no  other  or  stronger  words,  in 
describing  it,  than  the  second  in  command  has  himself  chosen  to  use.  "The 
disposition  for  wholesale  plunder,"  he  frankly  admits,  "exceeded  anything  that 
anv  of  us  had  ever  seen  before.  The  men  seemed  actuated  by  a  desire  to  pay 
off,  in  the  enemy's  country,  all  scores  that  the  Union  army  had  chalked  up  in 
the  South.  The  great  cause  for  apprehension,  which  our  situation  might  have 
inspired,  seemed  only  to  make  them  reckless.  Calico  was  the  staple  article  of 
appropriation.  Each  man  (who  could  get  one)  tied  a  bolt  of  it  to  his  saddle, 
only  to  throw  it  away  and  get  a  fresh  one  at  the  first  opportunity.  They  did 
not  pillage  with  any  sort  of  method  or  reason ;  it  seemed  to  be  a  mania,  sense- 
less and  purposeless,  One  man  carried  a  bird-cage,  with  three  canaries  in  it, 
for  two  days.  Another  rode  with  a  chafing-dish,  which  looked  like  a  small  me- 
tallic coffin,  on  the  pommel  of  his  saddle  till  an  officer  forced  him  to  throw  it 
away.  Although  the  weather  was  intensely  warm,  another  slung  seven  pairs  of 
skates  around  his  neck,  and  chuckled  over  the  acquisition.  I  saw  very  few  ar- 
ticles of  real  value  taken  ;  they  pillaged  like  boys  robbing  an  orchard.  I  would 
not  have  believed  that  such  a  passion  could  have  been  developed  so  ludicrously 
among  any  body  of  civilized  men.  At  Piketon,  Ohio,  some  days  later,  one  man 
broke  through  the  guard  posted  at  a  store,  rushed  in,  trembling  with  excitement 
and  avarice,  and  filled  his  pockets  with  horn  buttons.  They  would,  with  few  ex- 
ceptions, throw  away  their  plunder  after  a  while,  like  children  tired  of  their  toys."* 

Some  movements  of  our  own  were,  after  their  different  fashion,  scarcely 
less  ridiculous.  Some  militia  from  Camp  Dermison,  for  example,  marched  after 
Morgan  till  near  Batavia,  when  they  gravely  halted  and  began  felling  trees 
across  the  road  to — check  him  in  case  he  should  decide  to  come  back  over  the 
route  he  had  just  traveled  !  A  worthy  militia  officer  telegraphed  to  Governor 
Tod  Morgan's  exact  position,  and  assured  him  that  the  Eebel  forces  numbered 
precisely  four  thousand  seven  hundred  and  fifty  men  !  Burnside  himself  tele- 
graphed that  it  was  now  definitely  ascertained  that  Morgan  had  about  four 
thousand  men.  At  Chillicothe  they  mistook  some  of  their  own  militia  for  Eebel 
scouts  and,  by  way  of  protection,  burned  a  bridge  across  a  stream  always  ford- 
able.  Governor  Tod  felt  sure  that  only  the  heavy  concentration  of  militia  at 
Camp  Chase  had  kept  Morgan  from  seizing  Columbus  and  plundering  the  State 
treasury.  Several  days  after  the  bulk  of  the  invading  force  had  been  captured, 
the  Governor  gravely  wrote  to  a  militia  officer  at  Cleveland,  whom  he  was  ex- 
horting  to  renewed  vigilance,  "I  announce  to  you  that  Morgan  may  yet  reach 
the  lake  shore !  "  f 

But  if  there  was  an  error  in  the  zeal  displayed,  it  was  on  the  safe  side. 
Over  fifty  thousand  Ohio  militia  actually  took  the  field  against  the  sore-pressed, 
fleeing  band.J:  Not  half  of  them,  however,  at  any  time  got  within  three-score 
miles  of  Morgan. 

*  Duke's  History  of  Morgan's  Cavalry,  pp.  436,  437. 

t  Ex.  Doc,  1863,  part  I,  p.  230.  J  Adjutant-General's  Eeport  for  1863,  p.  82. 


Morgan    Raid.  145 

That  officer  was  meantime  intent  neither  upon  the  lake  shore  nor  yet  upon 
the  treasury  vaults  at  Columbus,  but,  entirely  satisfied  with  the  commotion  he 
had  created,  was  doing  his  best  to  get  out  of  the  State.  He  came  very  near 
doing  it. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  July  he  was  stopping  to  feed  his  horses  in 
sight  of  Camp  Dennison.  That  evening  he  encamped  at  Williamsburg,  twenty- 
eight  miles  east  of  Cincinnati.  Then  marching  through  Washington  C.  IL, 
Piketon  (with  Colonel  Eichard  Morgan  going  through  Georgetown),  Jackson, 
Vinton,  Berlin,  Pomeroy,  and  Chester,  he  reached  the  ford  at  Buffington  Island 
on  the  evening  of  the  18th.  But  for  his  luckless  delay  for  a  few  hours  at  Ches- 
ter, it  would  seem  that  he  might  have  escaped. 

Until  he  reached  Pomeroy  he  encountered  comparatively  little  resistance. 
At  Camp  Dennison  there  was  a  little  skirmish,  in  which  a  Bcbel  Lieutenant  and 
several  privates  were  captured;  but  Lieutenant-Colonel  Neff,  the  commandant, 
wisely  limited  his  efforts  to  the  protection  of  the  bridge  and  camp.  A  train  of 
the  Little  Miami  Eoad  was  thrown  off  the  track.  At  Berlin  there  was  a  skir- 
mish with  the  militia  under  Colonel  Eunkle.  Small  militia  skirmishes  were 
constantly  occurring,  the  citizen-soldiery  hanging  on  the  flanks  of  the  flying  in- 
vaders, wounding  two  or  three  men  every  day,  and  occasionally  killing  one. 

At  last  the  daring  little  column  approached  its  goal.  All  the  troops  in  Ken- 
tucky had  been  evaded  and  left  behind.  All  the  militia  in  Indiana  had  been 
dashed  aside  or  outstripped.  The  fifty  thousand  militia  in  Ohio  had  failed  to 
turn  it  from  its  predetermined  path.  Within  precisely  fifteen  days  from  the 
morning  it  had  crossed  the  Cumberland — nine  days  from  its  crossing  into  Indi- 
ana— it  stood  once  more  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  A  few  hours  more  of  day- 
light and  it  would  be  safely  across  in  the  midst  again  of  a  population  to  which 
it  might  look  for  sympathy,  if  not  for  aid. 

But  the  circle  of  the  hunt  was  narrowing.  Judah,  with  his  fresh  cavalry,  was 
up,  and  was  marching  out  from  the  river  against  Morgan.  Hobson  was  hard 
on  his  rear.  Colonel  Eunkle,  commanding  a  division  of  militia,  was  north  of 
him.  And  at  last  the  local  militia  in  advance  of  him  were  beginning  to  fell 
trees  and  tear  up  bridges  to  obstruct  his  progress.  Near  Pomeroy  they  made  a 
stand.  For  four  or  five  miles  his  road  ran  through  a  ravine,  with  occasional  in- 
tersections from  hill  roads.  At  all  these  cross-roads  he  found  the  militia  posted; 
and  from  the  hills  above  him  they  made  his  passage  through  the  ravine  a  per- 
fect running  of  the  gauntlet.  On  front,  flank,  and  rear  the  militia  pressed;  and, 
as  Morgan's  first  subordinate  ruefully  expresses  it,  "  closed  eagerly  upon  our 
track."  In  such  plight  he  passed  through  the  ravine,  and,  shaking  clear  of  his 
pursuers  for  a  little,  pressed  on  to  Chester,  where  he  arrived  about  one  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon.* 

Here  he  made  the  first  serious  military  mistake  that  had  marked  his  course 
on  Northern  soil.  He  was  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of  the  ford  at  which  ho 
hoped  to  cross ;  and  the  skirmishing  about  Pomeroy  should  have  given  him  am- 

•  18th  July. 

Vol.  L— 10. 


146  Ohio  in  the  War. 

pie  admonition  of  the  necessity  for  haste.  But  he  had  been  advancing  through 
the  ravine  at  a  gallop.  He  'halted  now  to  breathe  his  horses,  and  to  hunt  a 
guide.     The  hour  and  a  half  thus  lost  went  far  toward  deciding  his  fate. 

When  his  column  was  well  closed  up  and  his  guide  was  found,  he  moved 
forward.  It  was  eight  o'clock  before  he  reached  Portland,  the  little  village  on 
the  hank  of  the  Ohio  nearly  opposite  Buffington  Island.  Night  had  fallen— a 
11  night  of  solid  darkness,"  as  the  Eebel  officers  declared.  The  entrance  to  the 
ford  was  guarded  by  a  little  earthwork,  manned  by  only  two  or  three  hundred 
infantry.     This  alone  stood  between  him  and  an  easy  passage  to  Virginia, 

But  his  evil  genius  was  upon  him.  He  had  lost  an  hour  and  a  half  at 
Chester  in  the  afternoon — the  most  precious  hour  and  a  half  since  his  horse's 
feet  touched  Northern  soil;  and  he  now  decided  to  waste  the  night.  In  the 
hurried  council  with  his  exhausted  officers  it  was  admitted  on  all  hands  that 
Judah  had  arrived — that  some  of  his  troops  had  probably  given  force  to  the 
skirmishing  near  Pomeroy — that  they  would  certainly  be  at  Buffington  by 
morning,  and  that  gunboats  would  accompany  them.*  But  his  men  were  in 
bad  condition,  and  he  feared  to  trust  them  in  a  night  attack  upon  a  fortified 
position  which  he  had  not  reeonnoitered.     The  fear  was  fatal. 

Even  3'et,  by  abandoning  his  wagon-train  and  his  wounded,  he  might  have 
reached  unguarded  fords  a  little  higher  up.  This,  too,  was  mentioned  by  his 
officers.  He  would  save  all,  he  promptly  replied,  or  lose  all  together.  And  so 
he  gave  mortgages  to  fate. 

By  morning  Judah  was  up.  At  daybreak  Duke  advanced  with  a  couple  of 
Rebel  regiments  to  storm  the  earthwork,  but  found  it  abandoned.  He  was  rap- 
idly proceeding  to  make  the  dispositions  for  crossing  when  Judah's  advance 
Struck  him.  At  first  he  repulsed  it  and  took  a  number  of  prisoners,f  the  Ad- 
jutant-General of  Judah's  staff  among  them.  Morgan  then  ordered  him  to 
hold  the  force  on  his  front  in  check.  He  was  not  able  to  return  to  his  com- 
mand till  it  had  been  broken  and  thrown  into  full  retreat  before  an  impetuous 
charge  of  Judah's  cavalry,  headed  by  Lieutenant  O'Neil,  of  the  Fifth  Indiana. 
He  succeeded  in  rallying  them  and  re-forming  his  line.  But  now,  advancing 
up  the  Chester  and  Pomeroy  road,  came  the  gallant  cavalry  that  over  three 
States  had  been  galloping  on  their  track— the  three  thousand  of  Hobson's  com- 
mand—who for  now  two  weeks  had  been  only  a  day,  a  forenoon,  an  hour  be- 
hind them. 

As  Hobson's  guidons  fluttered  out  in  the  little  valley  by  the  river  bank 
where  they  fought,  every  man  of  that  band  that  had  so  long  defied  a  hundred 
thousand  knew  that  the  contest  was  over.  They  were  almost  out  of  ammuni- 
tion, exhausted,  and  scarcely  two  thousand  strong;  against  them  were  Hob- 
son's three  thousand  and  Judah's  still  larger  force.  To  complete  the  overwhelm- 
ing odds  that,  in  spite  of  their  efforts,  had  at  last  been  concentrated  upon  them, 
the  tin-clad  gunboats  steamed  up  and  opened  fire. 

Morgan  comprehended  the  situation   as  fast  as  the  hard-riding  troopers, 

*  Duke's  History  Morgan's  Cuv.,  p.  447.  f  Forty  or  fifty,  he  claims. 


Morgan  Raid.  147 

who,  still  clinging  to  their  bolts  of  calico,  were  already  beginning  to  gallop 
toward  the  rear.  He  at  once  essayed  to  extricate  his  trains,  and  then  to  with- 
draw his  regiments  by  column  of  fours  from  right  of  companies,  keeping  up, 
meanwhile,  as  sturdy  resistance  as  he  might.  For  some  distance  the  with- 
drawal was  made  in  tolerable  order ;  then,  under  a  charge  of  a  Michigan  cav- 
alry regiment,  everything  was  broken,  and  the  retreat  became  a  rout.  Morgan, 
with  not  quite  twelve  hundred  men,  escaped.  His  brother,  with  Colonels 
Duke,  Ward,  Huffman,  and  about  seven  hundred  men,  were  taken  prisoners. 

This  was  the  battle  of  Buffington  Island.  It  was  brief  and  decisive.  But 
for  his  two  grave  mistakes  of  the  night  before,  Morgan  might  have  avoided  it 
and  escaped.  Yet  it  can  not  be  said  that  he  yielded  to  the  blow  that  insured 
his  fate  without  spirited  resistance,  and  a  courage  and  tenacity  wrorthy  of  a 
better  cause.    Our  superiority  in  forces  was  overwhelming  and  our  loss  trifling.* 

The  prisoners  were  at  once  sent  down  the  river  to  Cincinnati,  on  the  trans- 
ports which  had  brought  up  some  of  their  pursuers,  in  charge  of  Captain  Day, 
of  General  Judah's  staff,  f  of  whose  "manly  and  soldierly  courtesy"  they  made 
grateful  mention,  albeit  not  much  given  to  praising  the  treatment  they  received 
at  the  North.  The  troops,  with  little  rest,  pushed  on  after  Morgan  and  the 
fugitive  twelve  hundred. 

And  now  began  the  dreariest  experience  of  the  Rebel  chief.  Twenty  miles 
above  Buffington  he  struck  the  river  again,  got  three  hundred  of  his  command 
across,  and  was  himself  midway  in  the  stream,  when  the  approaching  gunboats 
checked  the  passage.  Returning  to  the  nine  hundred  still  on  the  Ohio  side,  he 
once  more  renewed  the  hurried  flight.  His  men  were  worn  down  and  exhausted 
by  long-continued  and  enormous  work;  they  were  demoralized  by  pillage,  dis- 
couraged by  the  shattering  of  their  command,  weakened  most  of  all  by  their 
loss  of  faith  in  themselves  and  their  commander,  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of 
foes,  harassed  on  every  hand,  intercepted  at  every  loophole  of  escape,  hunted 
like  game  night  and  day,  driven  hither  and  thither  in  their  vain  efforts  to 
double  on  their  remorseless  pursuers.  It  was  the  early  type  and  token  of  the 
similar  fate,  under  pursuit  of  which  the  great  army  of  the  Confederacy  was  to 
fade  out;  and  no  other  words  are  needed  to  finish  the  story  we  have  now  to 
tell  than  those  with  which  the  historian  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  decribes 
the  tragic  flight  to  Appomattox  C.  H.  :  "Dark  divisions,  sinking  in  the  woods 
for  a  few  hours'  repose,  would  hear  suddenly  the  boom  of  hostile  guns  and  the 
clatter  of  the  troops  of  the  ubiquitous  cavalry,  and  they  had  to  be  up  and 
hasten   off.       Thus   pressed   on    all   sides,  driven    like    sheep   before    prowling 

•  Among  the  few  killed,  however,  was  Major  Daniel  McCook,  a  patriotic  old  man,  for  whose 
fate  there  was  very  general  regret.  He  was  not  in  the  service,  but  had  accompanied  the  cavalry 
as  a  volunteer.  He  was  accorded  a  military  funeral  at  Cincinnati,  which  was  largely  attended. 
He  was  the  father  of  Kobert  L.,  Alexander  M.,  and  George  W.  McCook,  besides  several  other 
sons,  nearly  all  of  whom,  with  notable  unanimity,  had  been  in  the  service  from  the  outbreak  of 
the  war,  and  most  of  whom  had  risen  to  high  rank. 

t  Afterward  on  the  staff  of  Governor  Cox,  at  Columbus. 


148  Ohio  in  the   War. 

wolves.  amid  hunger,  fatigue,  and  sleeplessness,  continuing  day  after  day,  they 
fared  toward  the  vising  sun: 

"'Such  resting  found  the  soles  of  unhlest  feet.'"* 

Yet,  to  the  very  last,  the  energy  this  daring  cavalryman  displayed  was  such 
as  to  extort  our  admiration.  From  the  jaws  of  disaster  he  drew  out  the  rem- 
nants  of  his  command  at  Buffington.     When  foiled  in  the   attempted  crossing 

•above,  he  headed  for  the  Muskingum.  Foiled  here  by  the  militia  under  Bunkle, 
he  doubled  on  his  track  and  turned  again  toward  Blennerhassett  Island.  The 
clouds  of  dust  that  marked  his  track  betrayed  the  movement,  and  on  three  sides 
the  pursuers  closed  in  upon  him.  While  they  slept,  in  peaceful  expectation  of 
receiving  his  surrender  in  the  morning,  he  stole  out  along  a  hillside  that  had 
been  thought  impassable— his  men  walking  in  single  file  and  leading  their 
horses;  and  by  midnight  he  was  out  of  the  toils  and  once  more  marching  hard 
to  outstrip  his  pursuers.  At  last  he  found  an  unguarded  crossing  of  the  Mus- 
Uingum,  at  Eaglesport,  above  McConnellsville,  and  then,  with  an  open  country 

»before  him,  struck  out  once  more  for  the  Ohio. 

This  time  Governor  Tod's  sagacity  was  vindicated.  He  urged  the  shipment 
of  troops  by  rail  to  Bcllaire,  near  Wheeling,  and  by  great  good  fortune,  Major 
Way,  of  the  Ninth  Michigan  Cavalry,  received  the  orders.  Presently  this  officer 
was  on  the  scent.  "Morgan  is  making  for  Hammondsville,"  he  telegraphed 
General  Burnside  on  the  25th,  "and  will  attempt  to  cross  the  Ohio  River  at 
Wellsville.  I  have  my  section  of  battery,  and  shall  follow  him  closely."  He 
kept  his  word  and  gave  the  finishing  stroke.  "Morgan  was  attacked  with  the 
remnant  of  his  command,  at  eight  o'clock  this  morning,"  announced  General 
Burnside  on  the  next  day  (26th  July)  "at  Salineville,  by  Major  Way,  who,  after 
a  severe  fight  routed  the  enemy,  killed  about  thirty,  wounded  some  fifty,  and 
took  some  two  hundred  prisoners."  Six  hours  later  the  long  race  ended:  "I 
captured  John  Morgan  to-day  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M.,"  telegraphed  Major  Eue  of 
the  Ninth  Kentucky  Cavalry  on  the  evening  of  the  26th,  "taking  three  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  prisoners,  four  hundred  horses,  and  arms." 

Salineville  is  in  Columbiana  County,  but  a  few  miles  below  the  most  north- 
erly point  of  the  State  touched  by  the  Ohio  River,  and  between  Steubenville 
and  Wellsville,. nearly  two-thirds  the  way  up  the  eastern  border  of  the  State. 
Over  such  distances  had  Morgan  passed  after  the  disaster  at  Buffington,  which 
all  had  supposed  certain  to  end  his  career;  and  so  near  had  he  still  come  to 
making  his  escape  from  the  State,  with  the  handful  he  was  still  able  to  keep 
together. 

The  circumstances  of  the  final  surrender  were  peculiar,  and  subsequently 
led  to  an  unpleasant  dispute.  Morgan  was  being  guided  to  the  Pennsylvania 
line  by  a  Mr.  Burbeck,  who  had  gone  out  with  a  small  squad  of  volunteers 
against  him,  but  with  whom,  according  to  Morgan's  statement,  an  arrangement 
had  been  made  that,  on  condition  that  he  would  disturb  no  property  in  the 
*Swinton's  History  Army  Potomac,  p.  614. 


Morgan  Raid.  149 


county,  he  was  to  be  safely  conducted  out  of  it.  Seeing,  by  the  clouds  of  dust 
on  a  road  parallel  with  the  one  he  was  on,  that  a  cavalry  force  was  rapidly 
gaining  his  front,  and  that  thus  his  escape  was  definitely  cut  off,  he  undertook 
to  make  a  virtue  of  his  necessity,  and  try  to  gain  terms  by  volunteering  sur- 
render to  his  guide.  Burbeck  eagerly  swallowed  the  bait,  and  accepted  the 
surrender  upon  condition  that  officers  and  men  were  to  be  immediately  paroled. 
In  a  few  minutes  Major  Eue  was  upon  them.  He  doubted  the  propriety  of  such 
a  surrender,  and  referred  the  case  to  General  Shackleford  (second  in  command 
in  Hobson's  column)  who  at  once  disapproved  and  refused  to  recognize  it. 

Morgan  thereupon  appealed  to  Governor  Tod,  as  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Ohio  militia,  claiming  to  have  surrendered  upon  terms  to  one  of  his  sub- 
ordinates, and  calling  upon  him  to  maintain  the  honor  of  his  officer  thus 
pledged.  Governor  Tod  took  a  little  time  to  examine  the  case,  and  on  the  1st 
of  August  responded:  UI  find  the  facts  substantially  as  follows:  A  private  citizen 
of  New  Lisbon,  by  the  name  of  Burbeck,  went  out  with  some  fifteen  or  sixteen 
others  to  meet  your  forces,  in  advance  of  a  volunteer  organized  military  body 
from  the  same  place  under  the  command  of  Captain  Curry.  Said  Burbeck  is 
not  and  never  was  a  militia  officer  in  the  service  of  this  State.  He  was  captured 
by  you  and  traveled  with  you  some  considerable  distance  before  your  surrender. 
Upon  his  discovering  the  regular  military  forces  of  the  United'  States  to  be  in 
your  advance  in  line  of  battle,  you  surrendered  to  said  Burbeck,  then  your 
prisoner.  "Whether  you  supposed  him  to  be  a  Captain  in  the  militia  service  or 
not  is  entirely  immaterial." 

The  officers  of  Morgan's  command — not  so  much  perhaps  because  of  the 
alleged  lack  of  other  secure  accommodations  as  through  a  desire  to  gratify  the 
popular  feeling  that  they  should  be  treated  rather  as  horse-thieves  than  as  sol- 
diers, and  with  a  wish  also  to  retaliate  in  kind  for  the  close  confinement  to 
which  the  officers  of  Colonel  Straight's  raiding  party  were  then  subjected  in 
Eebel  prisons — were  immured  in  the  cells  of  the  Ohio  Penitentiaiy*  They 
have  since  made  bitter  complaints  of  this  indignity,  as  well  as  of  the  treatment 
there  received,  thereby  only  illustrating  the  different  feelings  with  which  men 
guard  Andersonvilles  and  Salisburies,  from  those  with  which  they  themselves 
regard,  from  the  inside,  places  much  less  objectionable. 

After  some  months  of  confinement,  Morgan  himself  and  six  other  prisoners 
made  their  escape,  on  the  night  of  the  27th  of  November,  by  cutting  through 
the  stone  floors  of  their  cells  with  knives  carried  off  from  the  prison  table,  till 
they  reached  the  air-chamber  below ;  tunneling  from  that  under  the  walls  of 
the  building  into  the  outer  yard,  and  climbing  the  wall  that  surrounds  the 
grounds  by  the  aid  of  ropes  made  from  their  bed-clothes.  The  State  authorities 
were  very  much  mortified  at  the  escape,  and  ordered  an  investigation.  It  was 
thus  disclosed  that  the  neglect  which   enabled  the  prisoners  to  prosecute  the 

*The  official  dispatches  requesting  the  use  of  the  penitentiary  for  this  purpose  indicate  that 
it  was  to  General  Halleck  that  Morgan  and  his  officers  were  indebted  for  the  practice  of  this 
method  of  treating  prisoners  of  war. 


150 


Ohio  in  the  War 


tedious  task  of  cutting  through  the  stone  floors  undiscovered,  had  its  origin  in 
the  coarse-minded  suggestion  of  one  of  the   directors  of  the  penitentiary  that 

the  daily  sweeping  of  the  cells  might  be  dispensed  with,  and  "  the  d d  Eebels 

made  to  sweep  their  own  cells."  This  poor  effort  to  treat  the  prisoners  of  war 
worse  than  he  treated  the  convicts,  enabled  them  to  cover  up  their  work  and 
conceal  it  from  any  inspection  of  cells  that  was  made.  It  was  officially  re- 
ported that  misunderstandings  between  the  military  authorities  in  Columbus 
and  the  civil  authorities  of  the  penitentiary  led  to  the  escape. 

Morgan  quietly  took  the  Little  Miami  train  for  Cincinnati  on  the  night  of 
his  escape,  leaped  off  it  a  little  outside  the  city,  made  his  way  across  the  river, 
and  was  straightway  concealed  and  forwarded  toward  the  Confederate  lines  by 
his  Kentucky  friends.  He  lived  to  lead  one  more  raid  into  the  heart  of  his  fa- 
vorite "Blue  Grass,"  to  witness  the  decline  of  his  popularity,  to  be  harassed  by 
officers  in  Kichmond  who  did  not  understand  him,  and  by  difficulties  in  his  com- 
mand, and  finally  to  fall,  while  fleeing  through  a  kitchen  garden,  in  a  morning 
skirmish  in  an  obscure  little  village  in  East  Tennessee.  He  left  a  name  second 
only  to  those  of  Forrest  and  Stuart  among  the  cavalrymen  of  the  Confederacy, 
and  a  character  which,  amid  much  to  be  condemned,  was  not  without  traces  of 
a  noble  nature. 

The  number  of  Ohio  militia  called  into  service  during  the  Morgan  raid  has 
already  been  roughly  stated  at  fifty  thousand.  The  Adjutant-General,  in  his 
next  annual  report,  gave  the  following  tabular  statement  of  the  number  from 
each  county,  and  the  amount  paid  for  their  services: 


COUNTIES. 


Athens 

Adams 

Butler 

Belmont 

Clarke 

Clinton 

Clermont.... 
Champaign . 
Delaware — 
Franklin  .... 

Fayette 

Fairtteld 

Oallia 

Greene , 

(iuernsey.... 
Hamilton  ... 
II i^h land  .... 
Hooking  -... 

Jackson  

Montgomery 


No.  of 

Com  pa ' 

uies. 


26 

4 

14 

6 

27 

26 

7 

2 

1 

49 

20 

25 

27 

16 

4 

15 

23 

15 

5 

1 


No.  of 

Men  on 

duty. 


Amount  paid. 


1,967 
340 

1,202 
378 

2,697 

1,980 
507 


3,952 
1,530 
2,094 
2,032 
1,135 

323 
1,461 
1,898 
1,307 

510 
60 


$11,671  74 
1,171  44 
3,220  73 

816  86 
7,947  71 
5,282  64 
1,328  51 

214  41 

45  26 

10,441  59 

7,083  39 

5,091  39 

17,408  50 

3,780  06 

1,147  82 

8,001  00 

6,858  17 

4,554  82 

2,294  92 

102  35 


COUNTIES 


Jefferson 

Lawrence 

Licking 

Madison 

Monroe 

Meigs 

Morgan 

Muskingum 

Noble 

Pickaway 

Perry 

Pike 

Ross 

Scioto 

Vinton 

Washington 

Knox 

Warren 

Total  amounts 


No.  of 
Compa- 
nies. 


1 
16 
28 
17 
28 

2 
18 
25 
11 

9 
48 

7 
13 
32 

1 
10 


587 


No.  of 

Men  on 

duty. 


511 

572 

109 

1,478 

2,449 

1,661 

2,409 

150 

1,741 

1,980 

911 

782 

4,180 

639 

1,059 

2,542 


49,357 


Amount  paid. 


$939  10 

2,783  01 

482  15 

4,643  24 

11,256  26 

11,108  52 

10,834  61 

1,161  71 

5,620  61 

9,627  68 

4,665  07 

3,254  51 

22,816  18 

3,537  43 

5,298  81 

13,092  09 

77  60 

2,657  58 


$212,318  97 


To  this  an  explanation  was  added  : 
"  Many  companies  that  responded  promptly  and  performed  efficient  service  for  from  one  to 


. 


Morgan    Raid.  151 


ve  days,  have  returned  muster-rolls  and  declined  payment  for  the  service  rendered  in  defense 
of  their  own  homes ;  still  others  have  never  made  out  rolls  for  pay,  generously  donating  their 
services  to  the  State.  The  entire  militia  force  of  Harrison  County,  through  Mr.  Shotwell,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Military  Committee,  unanimously  declined  payment  for  the  very  important  service 
they  rendered.  There  are,  however,  rolls  outstanding  that  have  been  returned  on  account  of  some 
defects.  I  have  information  of  about  seventy  additional  companies  that  have  reported  for  pay, 
most  of  which  will  be  ultimately  paid  ;  they  will  increase  the  number  paid  to  upward  of  fifty- 
five  thousand  men,  and  add  twenty  thousand  dollars  to  the  sum  total." 

The  Governor  stated  some  of  the  expenses  of  the  raid  as  follows : 

Pay  proper  of  militia  $250,000 

Damage  by  the  enemy  495,000 

Damage  by  our  troops 152,000 

$897,000 

This  was  exclusive  of  the  heavy  expense  of  subsisting  and  transporting  the 
militia. 

He  maintained  that  there  was  wisdom  in  the  very  heavy  concentration  of 
this  force  at  Camp  Chase  to  protect  the  Capital,  but  at  an  early  period  in  the 
raid,  two  days  after  Morgan's  entry  upon  Ohio  soil,  he  announced  to  the  men 
there  assembled  that  they  were  not  needed,  and  dismissed  one-half  of  them, 
chosen  by  lot,  to  their  homes.  Four  days  later,  on  receipt  of  news  of  the  ac- 
tion at  Buffington  Island,  he  discharged  all  the  rest  from  the  camp.  Nearly  all 
in  South-western  Ohio  were  also  discharged  early  in   the  progress  of  the  raid. 

Two  days  before  the  battle  at  Buffington  Island  he  issued  a  circular  to 
the  Military  Committees  of  the  several  counties  through  which  Morgan  passed,, 
asking  full  reports  of  the  losses,  public  and  private,  from  the  raid,  and  the  names 
of  the  individual  sufferers.  These  amounts  were  afterward  made  the  subject, 
of  a  claim  on  the  General  Government  for  reclamation.  After  Morgan's  sur- 
render, the  Governor  issued  an  address  to  the  people  of  the  State,  reciting  the 
main  facts  of  the  invasion,  and  congratulating  them  upon  "  the  capture  and  de- 
struction of  one  of  the  most  formidable  cavalry  forces  of  the  Eebels;  a  force 
that  had  been  a  terror  to  the  friends  of  the  Union  in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky 
for  about  two  years." 

It  should  not  be  forgotten,  in  contrasting  the  numbers  of  the  Ohio  militia 
thus  called  out  with  their  performance,  that  they  were  only  being  organized 
when  the  call  was  made  upon  them  ;  that  they  were  utterly  without  drill,  and 
that  many  of  them  even  took  the  field  before  their  officers  had  been  commis- 
sioned. 

In  1864  the  Legislature  ordered  the  appointment  of  a  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners to  examine  and  pass  upon  the  claims  for  damages  to  property  during 
the  Morgan  raid.  Messrs.  Albert  McYeigh,  Geo.  W.  Barker,  and  Henry  S.  Bab- 
bitt, who  were  appointed  the  commissioners,  passed  over  the  route  of  the  raid, 
and  had  public  hearings  of  the  claims  at  each  point.  They  reduced  them 
largely  in  most  cases,  and  classified  them  into  damages  done  by  the  Eebels,  by 
United  States  troops,  and  by  State  militia  respectively.  A  summary  of  their 
report  sets  forth  the  results  of  their  investigation  in  tabular  form,  as  follows: 


152 


Ohio  in  the   Wae. 


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Number  of  Claims. 


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Vallandigham  Campaign.  153 


CHAPTER   XIII 


THE  VALLANDIGHAM  CAMPAIGN 


THE  early  summer  of  1863  was  the  dead-]3oint  of  danger  in  the  war. 
We  have  been  seeing  how  arbitrary  arrests,  popular  disaffection,  resist- 
ance to  the  draft,  and  an  audacious  invasion  were  features  of  its  his- 
tory within  the  limits  of  Ohio.  Elsewhere  the  gloom  was  far  greater.  The 
worse  than  failure  at  ChanceUorsville  was  followed  by  the  transfer  of  Lee's  en- 
tire army  to  the  soil  of  Pennsylvania.  The  long  labors  before  Yicksburg  had 
not  yet  been  rewarded  with  success,  and  fresh  disasters  at  Galveston  and  else- 
where had  combined  to  deepen  the  general  gloom. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  feeling  that  General  Burnside,  by  his  arrest  of 
Mr.  Vallandigham,  lifted  that  politician  into  the  position  of  a  representative 
man,  and,  in  making  him  the  martyr  of  his  party,  made  him  also  its  leader. 
He  had  scarcely  reached  the  Confederate  lines  until  the  Eebel  newspapers  were 
emphasizing  the  fact  that  he  could  only  be  received  as  a  prisoner — as  one  emi- 
nently deserving  kindness  and  consideration,  but  none  the  less  a  prisoner;  that 
it  would  be  the  height  of  folly  for  him  to  think  of  remaining  in  the  Confeder- 
acy ;  that  his  true  base  of  operations  was  Canada,  and  his  true  mission  to  be- 
come the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  Governorship  of  Ohio.* 

The  idea  which  would  thus  appear  to  have  been  suggested  at  the  South 
was  soon  found  to  have  taken  firm  hold  upon  the  minds  of  the  masses  in  the 
Democratic  party.  Its  leaders  regarded  such  a  policy  as  unwise  in  the  ex- 
treme, and  would  greatly  have  preferred  the  nomination  of  a  moderate  war 
Democrat,  like  Hugh  J.  Jewett,  their  former  candidate.  But  the  masses  were 
dissatisfied — sore  about  the  draft,  inflamed  with  anger  at  the  treatment  of  the 
man  who  had  most  boldly  championed  their  views,  and  absorbed  to  such  a  de- 
gree in  these  personal  grievances  as  to  consider  their  redress  a  question  of  more 
importance  than  the  prosecution  of  the  war  or  the  preservation  of  the  Nation. 

As  the  time  for  the  convention  approached,  the  tide  of  opinion  set  in 
stronger  and  stronger  for  Vallandigham,  until  it  soon  became  a  popular  furor. 
For  days  before  the  date  for  the  assemblage  Columbus  was  crowded  with  dele- 
gations from  the  rural  districts,  whose  intensity  of  feeling  and  bitterness  of 
expression  found  no  parallel  in  any  previous  political  excitement  in  the  State. 

*  For  the  earliest  expressions  of  these  views  the  curious  reader  is  referred  to  the  first  num- 
bers of  the  Chattanooga  Rebel  issued  after  news  of  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  within 
General  Bragg's  lines  had  been  received. 


154  Ohio  in  the   War. 

They  denounced,  especially,  General  Burnside's  "Order  No.  38,"  declared  it 
an  insufferable  tyranny,  proclaimed  their  intention  of  violating  it  on  all  oc- 
casions, and  defiantly  threatened  resistance  to  attempted  arrests.  Governor 
Tod,  General  Burnside,  and  Secretary  Stanton  were  the  subjects  of  peculiarly 
virulent  attack.  Mr.  Yallandigham  was  the  suffering  champion  of  their  cause, 
whose  wrongs  were  to  be  redressed,  whose  election  as  Governor  was  to  be  made 
the  fitting  rebuke  to  his  persecutors.  His  absence  made  no  difference.  When 
elected  he  could  easily  gain  access  to  the  Border;  and  then,  where  was  the 
General,  or  even  higher  official,  who  would  dare  to  keep  the  chosen  Governor 
Of  this  grea*t  State  in  exile  beyond  its  limits?  Only  let  that  be  attempted,  and 
the  Lieutenant-Governor  elect  would  lead  an  army  of  a  hundred  thousand 
Democrats  to  the  Border  to  bring  him  home  in  triumph ! 

The  talk  of  the  masses  thus  developed  a  deliberate  purpose  to  provoke  the 
gravest  issues,  and  a  readiness  to  embroil  the  State  in  civil  war.  They  had  re- 
solved on  resistance  to  arrests,  resistance  as  far  as  might  be  to  the  draft  and  to 
the  war,  and  they  were  reckless  as  to  consequences. 

The  leaders  vainly  tried  to  stem  the  current.  As  a  last  resort  they  strove 
to  bring  forward  General  McClellan,  who  was  still  a  citizen  of  Ohio,  as  a  can- 
didate for  the  Governorship,  but  he  refused  the  use  of  his  name.  When  the 
convention  assembled  an  immense  crowd  took  possession,  overslaughed  the  del- 
egates, elected  as  permanent  chairman  a  man  who  w*as  not  a  delegate  at  all,* 
and  clamored  for  the  nomination  of  Yallandigham  by  acclamation.  The  most 
of  the  members  fell  completely  in  with  the  current;  a  few  war  Democrats 
made  sturdy  resistance  for  a  little,  demanded  a  call  of  the  delegates  by  coun- 
ties, and  cast  their  votes  for  Judge  Jewett.  But  the  pressure  was  overwhelm- 
ing. Jewett's  own  county  presently  insisted  upon  withdrawing  his  name,  and, 
amid  a  wild  saturnalia  of  cheering,  and  embracing,  and  all  manner  of  extrava- 
gant demonstrations  of  delight,  the  convict  of  General  Burnside's  Military 
Commission  was  nominated  by  acclamation  as  the  candidate  of  this  great  party 
for  the  office  of  Governor  of  Ohio. 

A  strenuous  struggle  was  made  for  a  resolution  in  favor  of  peace  in  the 
platform,  but  the  most  shouted:  "Yallandigham  is  platform  enough;"  and  so 
the  leaders  were  left  to  fit  their  declaration  of  principles  to  their  candidate 
with  what  skill  they  might,  while  the  great  crowd  hung  with  delight  on  the 
address  of  ex-Senator  Pugh,  who,  having  been  Mr.  Yallandigham's  legal  repre- 
sentative in  the  trials,  was  naturally  called  out  to  speak  for  him  now.  It  was 
known  that  through  the  morning  Mr.  Pugh  had  been  urging  moderation ;  but 
by  this  time  the  air  of  the  convention  had  infected  him.  His  violent,  inflam- 
matory address  completely  carried  away  his  hearers;  and,  in  the  whirlwind  of 
enthusiasm  which  he  evoked,  he  was  nominated  by  acclamation  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  in  spite  of  his  protests  and  refusal.  Some  passages  of  this  remark- 
able speech  (as  reported  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day)  were  as  follows : 

"The  Democracy  did  not  bring  the  war  about— it  was  by  the  acts  of  the  Administration  in 
power.     No  one  but  the  abject  slave  of  the  Administration  would  say  that  this  controversy  could 
*  Ex-Governor  Medill. 


not  have  been 


Vallandigham  Campaign.  *     155 


have  been  settled  on  honorable  terras  of  peace.  He  conld  not,  and  he  did  not  state  this  as 
a  matter  of  opinion,  but  as  a  fact.  The  Administration  had  been  warned  and  implored  not  to 
launch  the  country  into  a  civil  war.  The  inevitable  result  was  predicted,  and  he  now  called  it  to 
its  account.  If  the  Government  should  demand  untold  treasures  to  suppress  the  rebellion  it 
should  have  them;  it  should  have  all  its  wants  under  the  Constitution.  If  then  the  Administra- 
tion did  not  succeed,  its  folly  would  be  apparent,  and  the  judgment  of  God  and  history  would  be 
against  it. 

"He  would  utter  no  word  and  commit  no  act  that  could  be  construed  as  an  excuse  for  its 
failure.  Having  all  the  constitutional  power,  if  it  succeeded  and  preserved  the  Union,  it  would 
have  credit,  but  if  it  failed,  it  should  not  put  on  him  or  his  any  excuse  for  the  failure.  If  these 
gentlemen  declare  martial  law,  and  if  the  security  of  himself,  his  wife,  and  his  children,  and  his 
property,  was  to  be  subject  to  the  whim  of  General  Burnside,  or  any  other  General,  the  time  for 
them  and  him  had  arrived  to  call  a  convention,  which  should  never  adjourn  until  it  had  achieved 
the  liberty  of  the  people.  He  scorned  'Order  38.'  He  trampled  under  foot  the  order  of  every 
military  officer  outraging  the  laws;  and  if  his  fellow-citizens  were  such  abject  slaves  as  to  hold 
their  liberty  and  right  of  free  speech  subject  to  the  dictation  of  any  military  man,  whether  Gen- 
eral, Colonel,  Corporal,  or  private,  they  deserved  to  be  slaves.  He  had  already  said  that  his 
friend,  their  nominee  for  Governor,  had  dared  to  express  his  opinions,  and  for  so  doing  he  had 
been  banished.  He  (Pugh)  might  not  have  agreed  with  all  Vallandigham  had  said,  but  he  in- 
sisted upon  his  right  to  express  his  opinions,  and  he  exhorted  them  to  postpone  every  other  ques- 
tion to  the  great  question  of  the  vindication  of  our  liberties. 

"He  would  exhort  Mr.  Lincoln  on  the  question  of  war  when  he  (Pugh)  had  the  liberty  to 
discuss  war  or  peace.  He  would  express  his  opinions  under  the  rights  guaranteed  him  by  the 
Constitution,  even  at  the  hazard  of  his  life.  He  begged  the  Democracy  to  think  of  this;  not  to 
go  home  and  think  of  crops  and  workshops,  and  put  it  off.  It  ought  to  fill  their  hearts  every 
hour;  it  ought  to  be  their  business  from  now  until  the  second  Tuesday  of  October.  What  was 
their  property  worth  to  them — what  the  safety  of  their  wives  and  children,  and  every  thing  dear 
to  them,  if  they  were  liable  at  the  dead  hour  of  jthe  night  to  have  their  doors  broken  open  and 
to  be  dragged,  from  the  presence  of  wife  and  children,  to  a  mock  tribunal  and  tried?  Don't  cheer 
and  repent  to-morrow.  It  was  easy  for  them  to  cheer  without  responsibility.  Say  what  you  mean 
and  stick  to  it.  Let  each  man  take  counsel  of  his  own  heart,  and  then  come  to  the  resolution 
that  this  thing  must  be  stopped  peaceably  if  possible,  but  stopped  it  must  be.  If  you  do  that 
it  will  be  stopped.     Do  n't  talk  about  it ;  do  it  and  maintain  it  at  all  hazards. 

"Somebody  must  meet  the  issue.  If  I,  God  help  me,  I  will  meet  it.  I  am  out  of  political 
life,  and  will  accept  no  office;  but  claim  my  rights  as  a  private  citizen,  guaranteed  to  me  by  the 
Constitution.  If  we  had  an  honest  man  as  Governor  my  rights  and  liberties  could  have  been  pre- 
served. That  creature  who  has  licked  the  dust  off  the  feet  of  the  Administration  is  less  than  the 
dust  in  the  balance.  We  have  no  Governor.  We  have  a  being,  and  he  has  the  audacity  to  say, 
and  has  said  to  my  face,  after  this  war  is  over  he  will  come  back  into  the  Democratic  party,  and 
put  such  men  as  Vallandigham  and  Olds  to  the  wall.  I  told  him  if  he  showed  his  face  in  a 
Democratic  convention  I  would  move  to  suspend  all  business  until  he  was  expelled.  I  can  par- 
don an  honest  man  who  might  have  been  misled,  but  the  man  who  not  only  sold  himself,  but  sold 
the  birthright  of  Democracy,  his  crime  is  infamous.  If  General  Burnside  should  arrest  me  to- 
morrow, will  you  act?  (Cheers,  and 'yes.')  Then  your  liberties  will  be  safe.  I  have  considered 
that  possibly  you  might  not  act;  but,  whether  you  will  act  or  not,  if  it  be  at  the  cost  of  my  life, 
I  intend  to  maintain  my  rights  as  a  freeman.  Our  fellow-citizen,  for  expressing  his  opinions,  was 
seized  between  night  and  morning  by  an  overpowering  force  of  soldiers  and  dragged  from  Day- 
ton to  Cincinnati  to  be  imprisoned.  The  judicial  officer,  knowing  his  duty,  refused  to  interfere 
from  personal  cowardice,  and  he  trampled  the  Constitution  under  his  feet.  Judge  Leavitt's  name 
will  be  handed  down  to  posterity  with  scorn  and  shame.  I  tell  you  nothing  less  than  the  safety 
and  necessity  of  my  family  brought  me  here.  Life  is  no  longer  tolerable  under  the  despotism 
that  exists.  I  would  rather  be  led  to  the  altar  than  submit  to  '  Order  38.'  The  question  is,  will 
you  submit  to  it?  If,  after  a  fair  and  honest  appeal,  a  majority  of  the  people  decide  to  submit, 
then  I  counsel  you  to  sell  your  goods  and  chattels  and  emigrate  to  some  other  country,  where 
you  can  find  freedom.  I  say,  like  Patrick  Henry,  'If  this  be  treason  make  the  most  of  it.'  Now, 
my  friends,  I  think  I  have  violated  'Order  38'  enough. 


156 


Ohio  in  the  Wak 


"I  knew  perfectly  well  when  Lincoln  changed  the  sentence  of  Vallandigham,  that  the  He- 
publicans  would  sav  it  was  done  at  Vallandigham'*  request.  While  on  the  gunboat  with  Pen- 
dleton Dr.  Pries,  Mr.  Ware,  and  Mr.  McLean,  I  asked  Mr.  Vallandigham:  'Has  the  President 
given  you  a  choice?1  He  replied  that  he  had  not.  I  asked  him  :  'If  he  gave  you  a  choice  which 
would  you  take?'  and  his  answer  was,  'I  would  go  to  Fort  Warren  a  thousand  times  rather  than 
go  South  and  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Kebels.'  He  authorized  me  to  say  this.  If  General 
Borotide  has  spies  here  and  should  lead  me  out  between  a  file  of  soldiers,  I  have  given  you  my 
opinions.  Free  speech  is  the  only  security  for  our  freedom,  and  we  must  assent  to  this  right.  If 
1  suffer  I  shall  only  consider  that  I  have  gone  in  the  way  of  a  true  patriot;  I  shall  look  to  the 
Democracy  in  prosperous  times  for  a  vindication  in  this  hour  of  trial.  I  will  not  desert  my  prin- 
lipk-s,  and  if  I  sutler  they  will  say  at  least  that  that  man  was  ever  true  to  the  principles  he  pro- 
fessed. Do  not  adjourn,  I  beg  of  you,  until,  in  the  name  of  the  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand 
Democrats  of  Ohio,  you  have  demanded  of  Abraham  Lincoln  the  restoration  of  Vallandigham  to 
his  home. 

"We  will  not  talk  of  war,  or  peace,  or  rebellion,  until  our  honored  citizen  has  been  restored 
to  us.  If  you  make  that  your  platform  you  will  be  victorious.  If  not,  I  counsel  you  to  seek  a 
home  where  liberty  exists." 

This  convention  was  held  on  the  11th  of  June.  At  that  time  Mr.  Vallan- 
digham was  still  within  the  Confederate  lines,  and  it  is  not  known  that  his 
friends  had  received  any  communications  from  him  since  the  party  under  a  flag 
of  truce  from  General  Eosecrans  had  carried  him  over.*  The  convention  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  urge  upon  the  President  the  duty  of  giving  him  permis- 
sion to  return.  A  similar  appeal  from  New  York  Democrats  had,  a  little  before, 
drawn  from  Mr.  Lincoln  an  elaborate  vindication  of  his  policy  of  arbitrary  ar- 
rests. He  therefore  replied  now  to  the  Ohio  committee  with  more  brevity. 
Their  address  and  his  reply  are  subjoine'd : 

"  Washington  City,  June  26,  1863. 
"  To  His  Excellency,  the  President  of  the  United  States  : 

"The  undersigned  having  been  appointed  a  committee,  under  the  authority  of  the  resolutions 
of  the  State  convention  held  at  the  city  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  the  11th  instant,  to  communicate 
with  you  on  the  subject  of  the  arrest  and  banishment  of  Clement  L.  Vallandigham,  most  respect- 
fully submit  the  following  as  the  resolutions  of  that  convention,  bearing  upon  the  subject  of  this 
communication,  and  ask  of  your  Excellency  their  earnest  consideration.  And  they  deem  it  proper 
to  state  that  the  convention  was  one  in  which  all  parts  of  the  State  were  represented,  and  one  of 
the  most  respectable  as  to  numbers  and  character,  one  of  the  most  earnest  and  sincere  in  support 
of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union  ever  held  in  that  State. 

"  Resolved,  1.  That  the  will  of  the  people  is  the  foundation  of  all  free  government ;  that  to 
give  effect  to  this  will,  free  thought,  free  speech,  and  a  free  press  are  indispensable.  Without  free 
discussion  there  is  no  certainty  of  sound  judgment;  without  sound  judgment  there  can  be  no  wise 
government. 

"  Resolved,  2.  That  it  is  an  inherent  and  constitutional  right  of  the  people  to  discuss  all  meas- 
ures of  their  Government,  and  to  approve  or  disapprove,  as  to  their  best  judgment  seems  right. 
They  have  a  like  right  to  propose  and  advocate  that  policy  which,  in  their  judgment,  is  best,  and 
to  argue  and  vote  against  whatever  policy  seems  to  them  to  violate  the  Constitution,  to  impair 
their  liberties,  or  to  be  detrimental  to  their  welfare. 

"  Resolved,  3.  That  these,  and  all  other  rights  guaranteed  to  them  by  their  Constitution,  are 
their  rights  in  time  of  war  as  well  as  in  the  time  of  peace,  and  of  far  more  value  and  necessity 
in  VU  than  peace;  for  in  time  of  peace  liberty,  security,  and  property  are  seldom  endangered; 
m  war  they  are  ever  in  peril. 

"  Resolved,  4.  That  we  now  say  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  not  by  way  of  threat,  but  calmly 

*  A  report,  however,  was  in  circulation  at  the  convention,  that  his  wife  had  received  letters 
from  him,  saying  he  would  soon  be  home  again. 


V  A  LLAXDI  G H A  M      C  A M P  A  I G N .  157 

and  firmly,  that  we  will  not  surrender  these  rights,  nor  submit  to  their  forcible  violation.     We 
will  obey  the  laws  ourselves,  and  all  others  must  obey  them. 

"Resolved,  11.  That  Ohio  will  adhere  to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union  as  the  best,  and  it 
may  be  the  last,  hope  of  popular  freedom,  and  for  all  wrongs  which  may  have  been  committed, 
or  evils  which  may  exist,  will  seek  redress  under  the  Constitution,  and  within  the  Union,  by  the 
peaceful  but  powerful  agency  of  the  suffrages  of  the  people. 

"  Resolved,  14.  That  we  will  earnestly  support  every  constitutional  measure  tending  to  pre- 
serve the  Union  of  the  States.  No  men  have  a  greater  interest  in  its  preservation  than  we  have, 
none  desire  more;  there  are  none  who  will  make  greater  sacrifices  or  endure  more  than  we  will 
to  accomplish  that  end.  We  are,  as  we  ever  have  been,  the  devoted  friends  of  the  Constitution 
and  the  Union,  and  we  have  no  sympathy  with  the  enemies  of  either. 

"  Resolved,  15.  That  the  arrest,  imprisonment,  pretended  trial,  and  actual  banishment  of  Clem- 
ent L.  Vallandigham,  a  citizen  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  not  belonging  to  the  land  or  naval  forces 
of  the  United  States,  nor  to  the  militia  in  actual  service,  by  alleged  military  authority,  for  no 
other  pretended  crimes  than  that  of  uttering  words  of  legitimate  criticism  upon  the  conduct  of 
the  Administration  in  power,  and  of  appealing  to  the  ballot-box  for  a  change  of  policy — (said 
arrest  and  military  trial  taking  place  where  the  courts  of  law  are  open  and  unobstructed,  and  for 
no  act  done  within  the  sphere  of  active  military  operations  in  carrying  on  the  war) — we  regard 
as  a  palpable  violation  of  the  following  provisions  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States : 

"  1.  'Congress  shall  make  no  law  .  .  .  abridging  the  freedom  of  speech  or  of  the  press, 
or  the  right  of  the  people  peaceably  to  assemble,  and  to  petition  the  Government  for  a  redress  of 
grievances.' 

"  2.  '  The  right  of  the  people  to  be  secure  in  their  persons,  houses,  papers,  and  effects,  against 
unreasonable  searches  and  seizures,  shall  not  be  violated ;  and  no  warrant  shall  issue  but  upon 
probable  cause,  supported  by  oath  or  affirmation,  and  particularly  describing  the  place  to  be 
searched,  and  the  person  or  things  to  be  seized.' 

"  3.  l  No  person  shall  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital  or  otherwise  infamous  crime,  unless  on 
a  presentment  or  indictment  of  a  grand  jury,  except  in  cases  arising  in  the  land  or  naval  forces, 
or  in  the  militia  when  in  actual  service  in  time  of  war  or  public  danger.' 

"4.  '  In  all  criminal  prosecutions  the  accused  shall  enjoy  the  right  to  a  speedy  and  public 
trial  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  State  and  district  wherein  the  crime  shall  have  been  committed; 
which  district  shall  have  been  previously  ascertained  by  law.' 

"And  we  furthermore  denounce  said  arrest,  trial,  and  banishment,  as  a  direct  insult  offered 
to  the  sovereignty  of  the  people  of  Ohio,  by  whose  organic  law  it  is  declared  that  no  person  shall 
be  transported  out  of  the  State  for  any  offense  committed  within  the  same.      * 

"Resolved,  16.  That  C.  L.  Vallandigham  was,  at  the  time  of  his  arrest,  a  prominent  candidate 
for  nomination  by  the  Democratic  party  of  Ohio  for  the  office  of  Governor  of  the  State ;  that  the 
Democratic  party  was  fully  competent  to  decide  whether  he  is  a  fit  man  for  that  nomination,  and 
that  the  attempt  to  deprive  them  of  that  right,  by  his  arrest  and  banishment,  was  an  unmerited 
imputation  upon  their  intelligence  and  loyalty,  as  well  as  a  violation  of  the  Constitution. 

"Resolved,  17.  That  we  respectfully,  but  most  earnestly,  call  upon  the  President  of  the  United 
States  to  restore  C.  L.  Vallandigham  to  his  home  in  Ohio,  and  that  a  committee  of  one  from  each 
Congressional  District  of  Ohio,  to  be  selected  by  the  presiding  officer  of  this  convention,  is  hereby 
appointed  to  present  this  application  to  the  President. 

"The  undersigned,  in  the  discharge  of  the  duty  assigned  them,  do  not  think  it  necessary  to 
reiterate  the  facts  connected  with  the  arrest,  trial,  and  banishment  of  Mr.  Vallandigham ;  they 
are  well  known  to  the  President  and  are  of  public  history ;  nor  to  enlarge  upon  the  positions 
taken  by  the  convention,  nor  to  recapitulate  the  constitutional  provisions  which  it  is  believed 
have  been  contravened  ;  they  have  been  stated  at  length,  and  with  clearness,  in  the  resolutions 
which  have  been  recited.  The  undersigned  content  themselves  with  a  brief  reference  to  other 
suggestions  pertinent  to  the  subject. 

"  They  do  not  call  upon  your  Excellency  as  suppliants,  praying  the  revocation  of  the  order 
banishing  Mr.  Vallandigham,  as  a  favor,  but  by  the  authority  of  a  convention   representing  a  ' 
majority  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  they  respectfully  ask  it  as  a  right  due  to  an  Amer- 
ican citizen,  in  whose  personal  injury  the  sovereignty  and  dignity  of  the  people  of  Ohio,  as  a 
free  State,  has  been  offended. 


158  Ohio   in  the  Wae. 

"  And  this  duty  they  perform  the  more  cordially  from  the  consideration  that  at  a  time  of 
great  national  emergency,  pregnant  with  dangers  to  our  Federal  Union,  it  is  all-important  that 
the  true  friends  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union,  however  they  may  differ  as  to  the  mode  of  ad- 
ministering the  Government,  and  the  measures  most  likely  to  be  successful  in  the  maintenance  of 
the  Constitution  and  the  restoration  of  the  Union,  should  not  be  thrown  into    conflict  with  each 

"The  arrest,  unusual  trial,  and  banishment  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  have  created  wide-spread 
Mid  alarming  disaffection  among  the  people  of  the  State;  not  only  endangering  the  harmony  of 
the  friends  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union,  and  tending  to  disturb  the  peace  and  tranquillity 
of  the  State,  but  also  impairing  that  confidence  in  the  fidelity  of  your  Administration  to  the  great 
landmarks  of  free  government  essential  to  a  peaceful  and  successful  enforcement  of  the  laws  of 

Ohio. 

"You  are  reported  to  have  used,  in  a  public  communication  on  this  subject,  the  following 

language : 

"'It  gave  me  pain  when  I  learned  that  Mr.  Vallandigham  had  been  arrested;  that  is,  I  was 
pained  that  there  should  have  seemed  to  be  a  necessity  for -arresting  him,  and  that  it  will  afford 
me  great  pleasure  to  discharge  him  so  soon  as  I  can  by  any  means  believe  the  public  safety  wi|l 
not  suffer  by  it.' 

"The  undersigned  assure  four  Excellency,  from  our  personal  knowledge  of  the  feelings  of 
the  people  of  Ohio,  that  the  public  safety  will  be  far  more  endangered  by  continuing  Mr.  Val- 
landigham in  exile  than  by  releasing  him.  It  may  be  true  that  persons  differing  from  him  in 
political  views  may  be  found  in  Ohio  and  elsewhere  who  will  express  a  different  opinion;  but 
they  are  certainly  mistaken. 

"Mr.  Vallandigham  may  differ  with  the  President,  and  even  with  some  of  his  own  political 
party,  as  to  the  true  and  most  effectual  means  of  maintaining  the  Constitution  and  restoring  the 
Union;  but  this  difference  of  opinion  does  not  prove  him  to  be  unfaithful  to  his  duties  as  an 
American  citizen.  If  a  man  devotedly  attached  to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union  conscientiously 
believes  that,  from  the  inherent  nature  of  the  Federal  compact,  the  war,  in  the  present  condition 
of  things  in  this  country,  can  not  be  used  as  a  means  of  restoring  the  Union  ;  or  that  a  war  to 
subjugate  a  part  of  the  States,  or  a  war  to  revolutionize  the  social  system  in  a  part  of  the  States, 
could  not  restore,  but  would  inevitably  result  in  the  final  destruction  of  both  the  Constitution 
and  the  Union,  is  he  not  to  be  allowed  the  right  of  an  American  citizen  to  appeal  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  people  for  a  change  of  policy  by  the  constitutional  remedy  of  the  ballot-box? 

"During  the  war  with  Mexico  many  of  the  political  opponents  of  the  Administration  then  in 
power  thought  it  their  duty  to  oppose  and  denounce  the  war,  and  to  urge  before  the  people  of 
the  country  that  it  was  unjust,  and  prosecuted  for  unholy  purposes.  With  equal  reason  it  might 
have  been  said  of  them  that  their  discussions  before  the  people  were  calculated  to  discourage 
enlistments,  'fo  prevent  the  raising  of  troops,'  and  to  induce  desertions  from  the  army  ;  and  leave 
the  Government  without  an  adequate  military  force  to  carry  on  the  war. 

"If  the  freedom  of  speech  and  of  the  press  are  to  be  suspended  in  time  of  war,  then  the  es- 
sential element  of  popular  government  to  effect  a  change  of  policy  in  the  constitutional  mode  is 
at  an  end.  The  freedom  of' speech  and  of  the  press  is  indispensable,  and  necessarily  incident  to 
the  nature  of  popular  government  itself.  If  any  inconvenience  or  evils  arise  from  its  exercise, 
they  are  unavoidable. 

"On  this  subject  you  are  reported  to  have  said  further: 

'"It  is  asserted,  in  substance,  that  Mr.  Vallandigham  was,  by  a  military  commander,  seized 
and  tried,  'for  no  other  reason  than  words  addressed  to  a  public  meeting,  in  .criticism  of  the 
course  Of  the  Administration,  and  in  condemnation  of  the  military  order  of  the  General.'  Now, 
if  there  bv  no  mistake  about  this,  if  there  was  no  other  reason  for  the  arrest,  then  I  concede  that 
the  arrest  was  wrong.  But  the  arrest,  I  understand,  was  made  for  a  very  different  reason.  Mr. 
Vallandigham  avows  his  hostility  to  the  war  on  the  part  of  the  Union,  and  his  arrest  was  made 
because  he  was  laboring  with  some  effect  to  prevent  the  raising  of  troops,  to  encourage  desertions 
from  i  he  army,  and  to  leave  the  rebellion  without  an  adequate  military  force  to  suppress  it.  He 
was  arrested,  not  because  he  was  damaging  the  political  prospects  of  the  Administration,  or  the 
personal  interests  of  the  Commanding  General,  but  because  he  was  damaging  the  army,  upon 
the  existence  and  vigor  of  which  the  life  of  the  Nation  depends.     He  was  warring  upon  the 


Vallandigham   Campaign.  159 

military,  and  this  gave  the  military  constitutional  jurisdiction  to  lay  hands  upon  him.  If  Mr. 
Vallandigham  was  not  damaging  the  military  power  of  the  country,  then  his  arrest  was  made 
on  mistake  of  facts,  which  I  would  be  glad  to  correct  on  reasonable  satisfactory  evidence.' 

"In  answer  to  this,  permit  us  to  say — First:  That  neither  the  charge,  nor  the  specifications 
in  support  of  the  charge  on  which  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  tried,  impute  to  him  the  act  of  either 
laboring  to  prevent  the  raising  of  troops  or  to  encourage  desertions  from  the  army.  Secondly: 
No  evidence  on  the  trial  was  offered  with  a  view  to  support,  or  even  tended  to  support,  any  such 
charge.  In  what  instance,  and  by  what  act,  did  he  either  discourage  enlistments  or  encourage 
desertions  from  the  army?  Who  is  the  man  who  was  discouraged  from  enlisting?  and  who  en- 
couraged to  desert  by  any  act  of  Mr.  Vallandigham?  If  it  be  assumed  that,  perchance,  some 
person  might  have  been  discouraged  from  enlisting,  or  that  some  person  might  have  been 
encouraged  to  desert,  on  account  of  hearing  Mr.  Vallandigham's  views  as  to  the  policy  of  the 
war  as  a  means  of  restoring  the  Union,  would  that  have  laid  the  foundation  for  his  conviction 
and  banishment?  If  so,  upon  the  same  grounds,  every  political  opponent  of  the  Mexican  war 
might  have  been  convicted  and  banished  from  the  country. 

"When  gentlemen  of  high  standing  and  extensive  influence,  including  your  Excellency, 
opposed,  in  the  discussions  before  the  people,  the  policy  of  the  Mexican  war,  were  they  '  war- 
ring upon  the  military?'  and  did  this  'give  the  military  constitutional  jurisdiction  to  lay  hands 
upon  '  them?  And,  finally,  the  charge  of  the  specifications  upon  which  Mr.  Vallandigham  was 
tried  entitled  him  to  a  trial  before  the  civil  tribunals,  according  to  the  express  provisions  of  the 
late  acts  of  Congress,  approved  by  yourself,  July  17,  1862,  and  March  3,  1863,  which  were  man- 
ifestly designed  to  supersede  all  necessity  or  pretext  for  arbitrary  military  arrests. 

"The  undersigned  are  unable  to  agree  with  you  in  the  opinion  you  have  expressed,  that  the 
Constitution  is  different  in  time  of  insurrection  or  invasion  from  what  it  is  in  time  of  peace 
and  public  security.  The  Constitution  provides  for  no  limitation  upon  or  exceptions  to  the 
guarantees  of  personal  liberty,  except  as  to  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus.  Has  the  President,  at  the 
time  of  invasion  or  insurrection,  the  right  to  engraft  limitations  or  exceptions  upon  these  con- 
stitutional guarantees  whenever,  in  his  judgment,  the  public  safety  requires  it? 

"True  it  is,  the  article  of  the  Constitution  which  defines  the  various  powers  delegated  to 
Congress  declares  that  'the  privilege  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  shall  not  be  suspended,  unless 
where,  in  cases  of  rebellion  or  invasion,  the  public  safety  may  require  it.'  But  this  qualifica- 
tion or  limitation  upon  this  restriction  upon  the  powers  of  Congress  has  no  reference  to  or  con- 
nection with  the  other  constitutional  guarantees  of  personal  liberty.  Expunge  from  the  Consti- 
tution this  limitation  upon  the  powers  of  Congress  to  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  yet 
the  other  guarantees  of  personal  liberty  would  remain  unchanged. 

"  Although  a  man  might  not  have  a  constitutional  right  to  have  an  immediate  investiga- 
tion made  as  to  the  legality  of  his  arrest,  upon  habeas  corpus,  yet  'his  right  to  a  speedy  and  pub- 
lic trial,  by  an  impartial  jury  of  the  State  and  district  wherein  the  crime  shall  have  been  com- 
mitted,'will  not  be  altered;  neither  will  his  right  to  the  exemption  from  'cruel  and  unusual 
punishments ; '  nor  his  right  to  be  secure  in  his  person,  houses,  papers,  and  effects,  against  un- 
reasonable seizures  and  searches;  nor  his  right  not  to  be  deprived  of  life,  liberty,  or  property, 
without  due  process  of  law;  nor  his  right  not  to  be  held  to  answer  for  a  capital  or  otherwise 
infamous  offense,  unless  on  presentment  or  indictment  of  a  grand  jury  be  in  anywise  changed. 

"  And  certainly  the  restriction  upon  the  power  of  Congress  to  suspend  the  writ  of  habeas 
corpus,  in  time  of  insurrection  or  invasion,  could  not  afiect  the  guarantee  that  the  freedom  of 
speech  and  of  the  press  shall  not  be  abridged.  It  is  sometimes  urged  that  the  proceedings  in 
the  civil  tribunals  are  too  tardy  and  ineffective  for  cases  arising  in  times  of  insurrection  or  inva- 
sion. It  is  a  full  reply  to  this  to  say  that  arrests  by  civil  proeess  may  be  equally  as  expeditious 
and  effective  as  arrests  by  military  orders. 

"True,  a  summary  trial  and  punishment  are  not  allowed  in  the  civil  courts.  But  if  the 
offender  be  under  arrest  and  imprisoned,  and  not  entitled  to  a  discharge  on  writ  of  habeas  corpus, 
before  trial,  what  more  can  be  required  for  the  purpose  of  the  Government?  The  idea  that  all 
the  constitutional  guarantees  of  personal  liberty  are  suspended,  throughout  the  country,  at  a  time 
of  insurrection  or  invasion  in  any  part  of  it,  places  us  upon  a  sea  of  uncertainty,  and  subjects 
the  life,  liberty,  and  property  of  every  citizen  to  the  mere  will  of  a  military  commander,  or  what 
he  might  say  that  he  considers  the  public  safety  requires.     Does  your  Excellency  wish  to  have 


160  Ohio  in   the  War. 

it  understood  that  yon  hold  that  the  rights  of  every  man  throughout  this  vast  country  are  sub- 
ject to  be  annulled  whenever  you  may  say  that  you  consider  the  public  safety  requires  it  in  time 
of  invasion  or  insurrection? 

"You  are  further  reported  as  having  said  that  the  constitutional  guarantees  of  personal  lib- 
ertv  have  '  no  application  to  the  present  case  we  have  in  hand,  because  the  arrests  complained  of 
were  not  made  for  treason;  that  is,  not  for  the  treason  defined  in  the  Constitution,  and  upon  the 
conviction  of  which  the  punishment  is  death ;  nor  yet  were  they  made  to  hold  persons  to  answer 
for  capital  or  otherwise  infamous  crimes;  nor  were  the  proceedings  following,  in  any  constitu- 
tional or  legal  sense,  criminal  prosecutions.  The  arrests  were  made  on  totally  different  grounds, 
;nid  the  proceedings  following  accorded  with  the  grounds  of  the  arrests,'  etc. 

"The  conclusion  to  be  drawn  from  this -position  of  your  Excellency  is,  that  where  a  man  is 
liable  to  'a  criminal  prosecution,'  or  is  charged  with  a  crime  known  to  the  laws  of  the  land,  he 
is  clothed  with  all  the  constitutional  guarantees  for  his  safety  and  security  from  wrong  and  injus- 
tice; but  that  where  he  is  not  liable  to  '  a  criminal  prosecution,'  or  charged  with  any  crime  known 
to  the  laws,  if  the  President  or  any  military  commander  shall  say  that  he  considers  that  the  pub- 
lic safety  requires  it,  this  man  may  be  put  outside. of  the  pale  of  the  constitutional  guarantees, 
and  arrested  without  charge  of  crime,  imprisoned  without  knowing  what  for,  and  any  length  of 
time,  or  be  tried  before  a  court-martial,  and  sentenced  to  any  kind  of  punishment  unknown  to 
the  laws  of  the  land,  which  the  President  or  military  commander  may  deem  proper  to  impose. 

"Did  the  Constitution  intend  to  throw  the  shield  of  its  securities  around  the  man  liable  to 
be  charged  with  treason  as  defined  by  it,  and  yet  leave  the  man  not  liable  to  any  such  charge  un- 
protected by  the  safeguard  of  personal  liberty  and  personal  security?  Can  a  man  not  in  the  mil- 
itary or  naval  service,  nor  within  the  field  of  the  operations  of  the  army,  be  arrested  and  impris- 
oned without  any  law  of  the  land  to  authorize  it?  Can  a  man  thus,  in  civil  life,  be  punished 
without  any  law  defining  the  offense  and  prescribing  the  punishment?  If  the  President  or  a 
court-mnrtial  may  prescribe  one  kind  of  punishment  unauthorized  by  law,  why  not  any  other 
kind?  Banishment  is  an  unusual  punishment,  and  unknown  to  our  laws.  If  the  President  has 
the  right  to  prescribe  the  punishment  of  banishment,  why  not  that  of  death  and  confiscation  of 
property?  If  the  President  has  the  right  to  change  the  punishment  prescribed  by  the  court-mar- 
tial, from  imprisonment  to  banishment,  why  not  from  imprisonment  to  torture  upon  the  rack  or 
execution  upon  the  gibbet  ? 

"If  an  indefinable  kind  of  constructive  treason  is  to  be  introduced  and  engrafted  upon  the 
Constitution,  unknown  to  the  laws  of  the  land  and  subject  to  the  will  of  the  President  whenever 
an  insurrection  or  invasion  shall  occur  in  any  part  of  this  vast  country,  what  safety  or  security 
will  be  left  for  the  liberties  of  the  people? 

"The  constructive  treasons  that  gave  the  friends  of  freedom  so  many  years  of  toil  and  trouble 
in  England,  were  inconsiderable  compared  to  this.  The  precedents  which  you  make  will  become 
a  part  of  the  Constitution  for  your  successors,  if  sanctioned  and  acquiesced  in  by  the  people  now. 

"  The  people  of  Ohio  are  willing  to  co-operate  zealously  with  you  in  every  effort  warranted 
by  the  Constitution  to  restore  the  Union  of  the  States,  but  they  can  not  consent  to  abandon  those 
fundamental  principles  of  civil  liberty  which  are  essential  to  their  existence  as  a  free  people. 

"  In  their  name  we  ask  that,  by  a  revocation  of  the  order  of  his  banishment,  Mr.  VaJlandigham 
may  be  restored  to  the  enjoyment  of  those  rights  of  which  they  believe  he  has  been  unconstitu- 
tionally deprived. 

"  We  have  the  honor  to  be,  respectfully,  yours,  etc., 

"M.  BIRCHARD,  Chairman,  19th  District. 
"  David  A.  Hour,  Secretary,  3d  District. 


"George  Bliss, 

14th  District. 

George  S.  Converse, 

7th  District. 

"T.  W.  Bartley, 

8th 

u 

Warren  P.  Noble, 

9th 

« 

"  W.  J.  Gordon, 

18th 

(i 

George  H.  Pendleton 

1st 

(i 

"  John  O'Neill, 

13th 

<< 

W.  A.  Hutching, 

11th 

H 

"C.A.White, 

6th 

(• 

Abner  L.  Backus, 

10th 

U 

"W.  D.  Finck, 

12th 

<< 

J.  F.  McKinney, 

5th 

a 

"Alexander  Long 

2d 

u 

P.  C.  Le  Blond, 

5th 

u 

"J.W.White, 

16th 

a 

Louis  Schaefer, 

17th 

u 

"Jas.  R.Morris, 

15th 

" 

Vallandigham  Campaign.  161 

REPLY   OF   THE   PRESIDENT. 

"Washington,  D.  C,  June  29,  1863. 

"Gentlemen:  The  resolutions  of  the  Ohio  Democratic  State  Convention,  which  you  present 
nfe,  together  with  your  introductory  and  closing  remarks,  being  in  position  and  argument  mainly 
the  same  as  the  resolutions  of  the  Democratic  meeting  at  Albany,  New  York,  I  refer  you  to  my 
response  to  the  latter  as  meeting  most  of  the  points  in  the  former.  This  response  you  evidently 
used  in  preparing  your  remarks,  and  I  desire  no  more  than  that  it  be  used  with  accuracy.  In  a 
single  reading  of  your  remarks,  I  only  discovered  one  inaccuracy  in  matter  which  I  suppose  you 
took  from  that  paper.  It  is  where  you  say,  'the  undersigned  are  unable  to  agree  with  you  in  the 
opinion  you  have  expressed,  that  the  Constitution  is  different  in  time  of  insurrection  or  invasion 
from  what  it  is  in  time  of  peace  and  public  security.' 

"A  recurrence  to  the  paper  will  show  you  that  I  have  not  expressed  the  opinion  you  suppose. 
I  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  Constitution  is  different  in  its  application  in  cases  of  rebellion  or 
invasion,  involving  the  public  safety  from  what  it  is  in  times  of  profound  peace  and  public  secu- 
rity; and  this  opinion  I  adhere  to,  simply  because  by  the  Constitution  itself,  things  may  be  done 
in  the  one  case  which  may  not  be  done  in  the  other. 

"I  dislike  to  waste  a  word  on  a  merely  personal  point,  but  I  must  respectfully  assure  you 
that  you  will  find  yourselves  at  fault,  should  you  ever  seek  for  evidence  to  prove  your  assumption 
that  I  'opposed  in  discussions  before  the  people  the  policy  of  the  Mexican  War.' 

"You  say,  'Expunge  from  the  Constitution  this  limitation  upon  the  power  of  Congress  to 
suspend  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  yet  the  other  guarantees  of  personal  liberty  would  remain 
unchanged.'  Doubtless  if  this  clause  of  the  Constitution,  improperly  called  as  I  think  a  limita- 
tion upon  the  power  of  Congress  were  expunged,  the  other  guarantees  would  remain  the  same; 
but  the  question  is  not  how  those  guarantees  would  stand  with  that  clause  out  of  the  Constitution, 
but  how  they  stand  with  that  clause  remaining  in  it,  in  case  of  rebellion  or  invasion,  involving 
the  public  safety.  If  the  liberty  could  be  indulged  of  expunging  that  clause,  letter  and  spirit,  I 
really  think  the  constitutional  argument  would  be  with  you. 

"  My  general  view  on  this  question  was  stated  in  the  Albany  response,  and  hence  I  do  not 
state  it  now.  I  only  add  that,  as  seems  to  me,  the  benefit  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  is  the  great 
means  through  which  the  guarantees  of  personal  liberty  are  conserved  and  made  available  in  the 
last  resort;  and  corroborative  of  this  view,  is  the  fact  that  Vallandigham  in  the  very  case  in  ques- 
tion, under  the  advice  of  able  lawyers,  saw  not  where  else  to  go,  but  to  the  habeas  corpus.  But  by 
the  Constitution  the  benefit  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus  itself  may  be  suspended  when  in  cases  of 
rebellion  and  invasion  the  public  safety  may  require  it. 

"You  ask  in  substance  whether  I  really  claim  that  I  may  override  all  the  guaranteed  rights 
of  individuals,  on  the  plea  of  conserving  the  public  safety — when  I  may  choose  to  say  the  public 
safety  requires  it.  This  question,  divested  of  the  phraseology  calculated  to  represent  me  as  strug- 
gling for  an  arbitrary  personal  prerogative,  is  either  simply  a  question  who  shall  decide,  or  an 
affirmation  that  nobody  shall  decide,  what  public  safety  does  require  in  cases  of  rebellion  or  in- 
vasion. The  Constitution  contemplates  the  question  as  likely  to  occur  for  decision,  but  it  does 
not  expressly  declare  who  is  to  decide  it.  By  necessary  implication,  when  rebellion  or  invasion 
comes,  the  decision  is  to  be  made  from  time  to  time;  and  I  think  the  man  whom,  for  the  time  the 
people  have,  under  the  Constitution  made  the  Commander-in-Chief  of  their  army  and  navy,  is 
the  man  who  holds  the  power  and  bears  the  responsibility  of  making  it.  If  he  uses  the  power 
justly,  the  same  people  will  probably  justify  him;  if  he  abuses  it,  he  is  in  their  hands,  to  be  dealt 
with  by  the  modes  they  have  reserved  to  themselves  in  the  Constitution. 

"The  earnestness  with  which  you  insist  that  persons  can  only  in  times  of  rebellion  be  law- 
fully dealt  with,  in  accordance  with  the  rules  for  criminal  trials  and  punishments  in  times  of 
peace,  induces  me  to  add  a  word  to  what  I  have  said  on  that  point  in  the  Albany  response.  You 
claim  that  men  may,  if  they  choose,  embarrass  those  whose  duty  it  is  to  combat  a  giant  rebellion 
and  then  be  dealt  with  only  in  turn  as  if  there  was  no  rebellion.  The  Constitution  itself  rejects 
this  view.  The  military  arrests  and  detentions  which  have  been  made,  including  those  of  Mr. 
Vallandigham,  which  are  not  different  in  principle  from  the  others,  have  been  for  prevention  and 
not  for  punishment — as  injunctions  to  stay  injury — as  proceedings  to  keep  the  peace,  and  hence, 
like  proceedings  in  such  cases  and  for  like  reasons,  they  have  been  accompanied  with  indictments, 
or  trials  by  juries,  nor,  in  a  single  case,  by  any  punishment  whatever  beyond  what  is  purely 

YOL.  I.— 11. 


1Q2  Ohio  in  the  War 

incidental  to  the  prevention.  The  original  sentence  of  imprisonment  in  Mr.  Vallandigham's  case 
was  to  prevent  injury  to  the  military  service  only,  and  the  modification  of  it  was  made  as  a  less 
disagreeable  mode  to  him  of  securing  the  same  prevention. 

"I  am  nnable  to  perceive  an  insult  to  Ohio  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Vallandigham.  Quite  surely 
nothing  of  this  sort  was  or  is  intended.  I  was  wholly  unaware  that  Mr.  Vallandigham  was  at  the 
time  of  ha  arrest,  a  candidate  for  the  Democratic  nomination  for  Governor,  until  so  informed  by 
your  reading  to  me  the  resolutions  of  the  Convention.  I  am  grateful  to  the  State  of  Ohio  for 
many  things',  especially  for  the  brave  soldiers  and  officers  she  has  given  in  the  present  National 
trial  to  the  armies  of  the  Union. 

"You  claim,  as  I  understand,  that,  according  to  my  own  position  in  the  Albany  response,  Mr. 
Vallandigham  should  be  released  ;  and  this  because,  as  you  claim,  he  has  not  damaged  the  mili- 
tary service,  by  discouraging  enlistments,  encouraging  desertions,  or  otherwise ;  and  that,  if  he 
had  he  should  have  been  turned  over  to  the  civil  authorities  under  the  recent  acts  of  Congress. 
I  certainly  do  not  know  that  Mr.  Vallandigham  has  specifically  and  by  direct  language  advised 
against  enlistments,  and  in  favor  of  desertion  and  resistance  to  drafting.  We  all  know  that  com- 
binations, armed  in  some  instances,  to  resist  the  arrest  of  deserters,  began  several  months  ago ; 
that  more  recently  the  like  has  appeared  in  resistance  to  the  enrollment  preparatory  to  a  draft; 
and  that  quite  a  number  of  assassinations  have  occurred  from  the  same  animus.  These  had  to  be 
met  by  military  force,  and  this  again  has  led  to  bloodshed  and  death.  And  now,  under  a  sense 
of  responsibility  more  weighty  and  enduring  than  any  which  is  merely  official,  I  solemnly  declare 
my  belief  that  this  hindrance  of  the  military,  including  maiming  and  murder,  is  due  to  the 
course  in  which  Mr.  Vallandigham  has  been  engaged  in  a  greater  degree  than  to  any  other  cause, 
and  is  due  to  him  personally  in  a  greater  degree  than  to  any  other  one  man.  These  things  have 
been  notorious,  known  to  all,  and  of  course  known  to  Mr.  Vallandigham.  Perhaps  I  would  not 
be  wrong  to  say  they  originated  with  his  special  friends  and  adherents.  With  perfect  knowledge 
of  them  he  has  frequently,  if  not  constantly,  made  speeches  in  Congress  and  before  popular 
assemblies,  and  if  it  can  be  shown  that  with  these  things  staring  him  in  the  face,  he  has  ever 
uttered  a  word  of  rebuke  or  counsel  against  them,  it  will  be  a  fact  greatly  in  his  favor  with  me,  and 
one  of  which,  as  yet,  I  am  totally  ignorant.  When  it  is  known  that  the  whole  burden  of  his 
speeches  has  been  to  stir  up  men  against  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  and  that  in  the  midst  of 
resistance  to  it,  he  has  not  been  known  in  any  instance  to  counsel  against  such  resistance,  it  is 
next  to  impossible  to  repel  the  inference  that  he  has  counseled  directly  in  favor  of  it.  With  all 
this  before  their  eyes,  the  convention  you  represent  have  nominated  Mr.  Vallandigham  for  Gov- 
ernor of  Ohio,  and  both  they  and  you  have  declared  the  purpose  to  sustain  the  National  Union 
by  all  constitutional  means.  But  of  course  they  and  you,  in  common,  reserve  to  yourselves  to 
decide  what  are  constitutional  means;  and,  unlike  the  Albany  meeting,  you  omit  to  state  or  inti- 
mate that  in  your  opinion  an  army  is  a  constitutional  means  of  saving  the  Union  against  rebell- 
ion, or  even  to  intimate  that  you  are  conscious  of  an  existing  rebellion  being  in  progress,  with 
the  avowed  object  of  destroying  that  very  Union.  At  the  same  time  your  nominee  for  Governor, 
in  whose  behalf  you  appeal,  is  known  to  you  and  to  the  world  to  declare  against  the  use  of  an  army 
to  suppress  the  rebellion.  Your  own  attitude,  therefore,  encourages  desertion,  resistance  to  the  .: 
draft,  and  the  like,  because  it  teaches  those  who  incline  to  desert  and  escape  the  draft  to  believe 
it  is  your  purpose  to  protect  them,  and  to  hope  that  you  will  become  strong  enough  to  do  so. 
After  a  personal  intercourse  with  you,  gentlemen  of  the  Union  look  upon  it  in  this  light.  It  is  a 
substantial  hope,  and,  by  consequence,  a  real  strength  to  the  enemy.  It  is  a  false  hope,  and  one 
which  you  would  willingly  dispel.  I  will  make  the  way  exceedingly  easy.  I  send  you  dupli- 
cates of  this  letter  in  order  that  you,  or  a  majority  of  you,  may,  if  you  choose,  indorse  your 
names  upon  one  of  them,  and  return  it  thus  indorsed  to  me,  with  the  understanding  that  those 
signing  are  thereby  committed  to  the  following  propositions,  and  to  nothing  else : 

"  1.  That  there  is  now  a  rebellion  in  the  United  States,  the  object  and  tendency  of  which  is  to 
destroy  the  National  Union ;  and  that,  in  your  opinion,  an  army  and  navy  are  constitutional 
means  for  suppressing  that  rebellion. 

"2.  That  no  one  of  you  will  do  anything  which,  in  his  own  judgment,  will  tend  to  hinder  the 
increase  or  favor  the  decrease,  or  lessen  the  efficiency  of  the  army  and  navy  while  engaged  in  the 
efiort  to  suppress  the  rebellion;  and, 

"  3.  That  each  of  you  will,  in  his  sphere,  do  all  he  can  to  have  the  officers,  soldiers,  and  sea- 


{VALLANDIGHAM     CAMPAIGN.  163 

len  of  the  army  and  navy,  while  engaged  in  the  effort  to  suppress  the  rebellion,  paid,  fed,  clad, 
nd  otherwise  well  provided  and  supported. 
"And  with  the  further  understanding  that  upon  receiving  the  letter  and  names  thus  indorsed, 
will  cause  them  to  be  published,  which  publication  shall  be,  within  itself,  a  revocation  of  the 
rder  in  relation  to  Mr.  Vallandigham.  x 

"It  will  not  escape  observation  that  I  consent  to  the  release  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  upon  terms 
not  embracing  any  pledge  from  him  or  from  others  as  to  what  he  will  or  will  not  do.  I  do  this 
because  he  is  not  present  to  speak  for  himself,  or  to  authorize  others  to  speak  for  him,  and  hence, 
I  shall  expect,  that  on  returning  he  would  not  put  himself  practically  in  antagonism  with 
the  position  of  his  friends.  But  I  do  it  chiefly  because  I  thereby  prevail  on  other  influen- 
tial gentlemen  of  Ohio  to  so  define  their  position  as  to  be  of  immense  value  to  the  army — thus 
more  than  compensating  for  the  consequences  of  any  mistake  in  allowing  Mr.  Vallandigham  to 
return,  so  that,  on  the  whole,  the  public  safety  would  not  have  suffered  by  it.  Still,  in  regard  to 
Mr.  Vallandigham  and  all  others,  I  must  hereafter,  as  heretofore,  do  so  much  as  the  public  serv- 
ice may  seem  to  require. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be  respectfully  yours,  etc.,  A.  LINCOLN." 

The  Committee  responded  to  this  proposition  in  another  long  argument, 
closing  as  follows: 

"The  people  of  Ohio  were  not  so  deeply  moved  by  the  action  of  the  President,  merely 
because  they  were  concerned  for  the  personal  safety  or  convenience  of  Mr.  Vallandigham,  but 
because  they  saw  in  his  arrest  and  banishment  an  attack  upon  their  own  personal  rights ;  and 
they  attach  value  to  his  discharge  chiefly  as  it  will  indicate  an  abandonment  of  the  claim  to  the 
power  of  such  arrest  and  banishment.  However  just  the  undersigned  might  regard  the  prin- 
ciples contained  in  the  several  propositions  submitted  by  the  President,  or  how  much  soever  they 
might,  under  other  circumstances,  feel  inclined  to  indorse  the  sentiments  contained  therein,  yet 
they  assure  him  they  have  not  been  authorized  to  enter  into  any  bargains,  terms,  contracts,  or 
conditions  with  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  procure  the  release  of  Mr.  Vallandigham. 

"The  opinions  of  the  undersigned  touching  the  questions  involved  in  these  propositions  are 
well  known,  have  been  many  times  publicly  expressed,  and  are  sufficiently  manifested  in  the 
resolutions  of  the  convention  which  they  represent,  and  they  can  not  suppose  that  the  President 
expects  that  they  will  seek  the  discharge  of  Mr.  Vallandigham  by  a  pledge,  implying  not  only 
an  imputation  upon  their  own  sincerity  and  fidelity  as  citizens  of  the  United  States;  and  also  carry- 
ing with  it  by  implication  a  concession  of  the  legality  of  his  arrest,  trial,  and  banishment,  against 
which  they  and  the  convention  they  represent,  have  solemnly  protested.  And  while  they  have 
asked  the  revocation  of  the  order  of  banishment,  not  as  a  favor,  but  as  a  right,  due  to  the  people 
of  Ohio,  and  with  a  view  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  conflict  or  disturbance  of  the  public  tran- 
quillity ;  they  do  not  do  this,  nor  does  Mr.  Vallandigham  desire  it,  at  any  sacrifice  of  their  dignity 
and  self-respect.  ,  • 

"The  idea  that  such  a  pledge  as  that  asked  from  the  undersigned  would  secure  the  public 
safety  sufficiently  to  compensate  for  any  mistake  of  the  President  in  discharging  Mr.  Vallandig- 
ham, is,  in  their  opinion,  a  mere  evasion  of  the  grave  questions  involved  in  this  discussion,  and 
of  a  direct  answer  to  their  demand.  And  this  is  made  especially  apparent  by  the  fact  that  this 
pledge  is  asked  in  a  communication  which  concludes  with  an  intimation  of  a  disposition  on  the 
part  of  the  President  to  repeat  the  acts  complained  of. 

"  The  undersigned,  therefore,  having  fully  discharged  the  duty  enjoined  upon  them,  leave 
the  responsibility  with  the  President. 

The  effort  of  the  President  to  commit  these  gentlemen  to  the  support  of  the 
army  and  the  war  thus  failed.  It  was  wTell  understood  that  this  happened,  not 
entirely  because  they  disliked  his  "evasion  of  the  grave  questions  involved1'  in 
the  treatment  of  Mr.  Vallandigham,  but  also  and  mainly  because  of  the  fact 
that,  in  the  temper  then  prevalent  in  their  party,  they  were  unwilling  to  give 
any  countenance  to  the  war. 


164  Ohio    in    the  Wak. 

Mr.  Yallandigham  passed  through  the  Confederacy,  from  Chattanooga  to 
Richmond,  and  thence  to  Wilmington.  Here  he  took  passage  on  a  blockade- 
runner,  which,  escaping  capture,  landed  him  safely  at  the  British  port  of  Nas- 
sau, whence  he  made  his  way  under  the  British  flag  to  Canada,  taking  up  his 
quarters  on  the  Canada  side  at  the  Niagara  Falls.  He  arrived  at  Niagara  on 
the  15th  of  July,  and  on  the  same  day  issued  the  following  address,  accepting 
the  nomination  which  had  been  conferred  upon  him  while  he  was  in  the 
Confederacy : 

"Niagara  Falls,  Canada  West,  July  15,  1863. 

"  Arrested  and  confined  for  three  weeks  in  the  United  States,  a  prisoner  of  state ;  banished 
thence  to  the  Confederate  States,  and  there  held  as  an  alien  enemy  and  prisoner  of  war,  though 
on  parol,  fairly  and  honorably  dealt  with  and  given  leave  to  depart,  an  act  possible  only  by  run- 
ning the  blockade  at  the  hazard  of  being  fired  upon  by  ships  flying  the  flag  of  my  own  country, 
1  found  myself  first  a  freeman  when  on  British  soil.  And  to-day,  .under  the  protection  of  the 
British  flag,  I  am  here  to  enjoy  and  in  part  to  exercise  the  privileges  and  rights  which  usurpers 
insolently  deny  me  at  home.  The  shallow  contrivance  of  the  weak  despots  at  Washington  and 
their  advisers  has  been  defeated.  Nay,  it  has  been  turned  against  them,  and  I,  who  for  two 
years  was  maligned  as  in  secret  league  with  the  Confederates,  having  refused  when  in  their  midst, 
under  circumstances  the  most  favorable,  either  to  identify  myself  with  their  cause,  or  even  so 
much  as  to  remain,  preferring  rather  exile  in  a  foreign  land,  return  now  with  allegiance  to  my 
own  State  and  Government  unbroken  in  word,  thought,  or  deed,  and  with  every  declaration  and 
pledge  to  you  while  at  home,  and  before  I  was  stolen  away,  made  good  in  spirit  and  to  the  very 
letter. 

"  Six  weeks  ago,  when  just  going  into  banishment  because  an  audacious  but  most  cowardly  des- 
potism caused  it,  I  addressed  you  as  a  fellow-citizen.  To-day,  and  from  the  very  place  then  selected 
by  me,  but  after  wearisome  and  most  perilous  journeyings  for  more  than  four  thousand  miles  by 
land  and  upon  sea,  still  in  exile,  though  almost  in  sight  of  my  native  State,  I  greet  you  as  your 
representative.  Grateful,  certainly  I  am,  for  the  confidence  in  my  integrity  and  patriotism,  im- 
plied by  the  unanimous  nomination  as  candidate  for  Governor  of  Ohio,  which  you  gave  me  while 
I  was  yet  in  the  Confederate  States.  '  It  was  not  misplaced ;  it  shall  never  be  abused.  But  this 
is  the  last  of  all  considerations  in  times  like  these.  I  ask  no  personal  sympathy  for  the  personal 
wrong.  No;  it  is  the  cause  of  constitutional  liberty  and  private  right  cruelly  outraged  beyond 
example  on  a  free  country,  by  the  President  and  his  servants,  which  gives  public  significance  to 
the  action  of  your  convention.  Yours  was,  indeed,  an  act  of  justice  to  a  citizen  who,  for  his  devo- 
tion to  the  rights  of  the  States  and  the  liberties  of  the  people,  had  been  marked  for  destruction 
by  the  hand  of  arbitrary  power.  But  it  was  much  more.  It  was  an  example  of  courage  worthy 
of  the  heroic  ages  of  the  world  ;  and  it  was  a  spectacle  and  a  rebuke  to  the  usurping  tyrants  who, 
having  broken  up  the  Union,  would  now  strike  down  the  Constitution,  subvert  your  present  Gov- 
ernment, and  establish  a  formal  and  proclaimed  despotism  in  its  stead.  You  are  the  restorers 
and  defenders  of  constitutional  liberty,  and  by  that  proud  title  history  will  salute  you. 

"  I  congratulate  you  upon  your  nominations.  They  whom  you  have  placed  upon  the  ticket 
with  me  are  gentlemen  of  character,  ability,  integrity,  and  tried  fidelity  to  the  Constitution,  the 
Union,  and  to  liberty.  Their  moral  and  political  courage,  a  quality  always  rare,  and  now 
the  most  valuable  of  public  virtues,  is  beyond  question.  Every  way,  all  these  were  nominations 
fit  to  be  made.  And  even  jealousy,  I  am  sure,  will  now  be  hushed,  if  I  especially  rejoice  with 
you  in  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Pugh  as  your  candidate  for  Lieutenant-Governor  and  President  of 
the  Senate.  A  scholar  and  a  gentleman,  a  soldier  in  a  foreign  war,  and  always  a  patriot ;  eminent 
as  a  lawyer,  and  distinguished  as  an  orator  and  a  statesman,  I  hail  his  acceptance  as  an  omen  of 
the  return  of  the  better  and  more  virtuous  days  of  the  Republic. 

'  1  indorse  your  noble  platform ;  elegant  in  style,  admirable  in  sentiment.  You  present  the 
true  issue,  and  commit  yourselves  to  the  great  mission  just  now  of  the  Democratic  party— to  restore 
and  make  sure  first  the  rights  and  liberties  declared  yours  by  your  Constitutions,    It  is  in  vain 


Vallandigham  Campaign.  165 


honored  and  polluted  by  repeated  and  most  aggravated  exactions  of  tyrannic  powers.  It  is  base 
in  yourselves,  and  treasonable  to  your  posterity,  to  surrender  these  liberties  and  rights  to  the 
reatures  whom  your  own  breath  created  and  can  destroy. 

"  Shall  there  be  free  speech,  a  free  press,  peaceable  assemblages  of  the  people,  and  a  free 

allot  any  longer  in  Ohio  ?     Shall  the  people  hereafter,  as  hitherto,  have  the  right  to  discuss  and 

ndenin  the  principles  and  policy  of  the  party — the  ministry — the  men  who  for  the  time  con- 

uct  the  Government  ?     To  demand  of  their  public  servants  a  reckoning  of  their  stewardship, 

nd  to  place  other  men  and  another  party  in  power  at  their  supreme  will   and  pleasure?     Shall 

rder  38  or  the  Constitution  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land?     And  shall  the  citizen  any  more 

arrested  by  an  armed  soldiery  at  midnight,  dragged  from  wife  and  child  at  home  to  a  military 

risen  ;  thence  to  a  mock  military  trial ;  thence  condemned  and  then  banished  as  a  felon  for  the 

xereise  of  his  rights?     This  is  the  issue,  and  nobly  you  have  met  it.     It  is  the  very  question  of 

ee,  popular  government  itself.     It  is  the  whole  question :  upon  the  one  side  liberty,  upon  the 

ther  despotism.     The  President,  as  the  recognized  head  of  his  party,  accepts  the  issue.     What- 

ver  he  wills,  that  is  law.     Constitutions,  State  and  Federal,  are  nothing;    acts  of  legislation 

othing;  the  judiciary  less  than  nothing.     In  time  of  war  there  is  but  one  will  supreme — his 

ill ;  but  one  law — military  necessity — and  he  the  sole  judge.     Military  orders  supersede  the 

bnstitution,  and  military  commissions  usurp  the  place  of  the  ordinary  courts  of  justice  in  the 

nd.     Nor  are  these  mere  idle  claims.     For  two  years  and  more,  by  arms,  they  have  been 

forced.     It  was  the  mission  of  the  weak  but  presumptuous  Burnside — a  name  infamous  for- 

ver  in  the  ears  of  all  lovers  of  constitutional  liberty — to  try  the  experiment  in  Ohio,  aided  by  a 

judge  whom  I  name  not,  because  he  has  brought  foul  dishonor  upon  the  judiciary  of  my  country. 

n  your  hands  now,  men  of  Ohio,  is  the  final  issue  of  the  experiment.     The  party  of  the  Admin- 

tration  have  accepted  it.     By  pledging  support  to  the  President  they  have  justified  his  outrages 

pon  liberty  and  the  Constitution,  and  whoever  gives  his  vote,  to  the  candidates  of  that  party, 

commits  himself  to  every  act  of  violence  and  wrong  on  the  part  of  the  Administration  which  he 

pholds ;  and  thus,  by  the  law  of.  retaliation,  which  is  the  law  of  might,  would  forfeit  his  own 

ight  to  liberty,  personal  and  political,  whensoever  other  men  and  another  party  shall  hold  the 

wer.     Much  more  do  the  candidates  themselves.     Suffer  them  not,  I  entreat  you,  to  evade  the 

ue;  and  by  the  judgment  of  the  people  we  will  abide. 

"And  now,  finally,  let  me  ask,  what  is  the  pretext  for  all  the  monstrous  acts  and  claims  of 

rbitrary  power,  which  you  have  so  nobly  denounced?     '  Military  necessity?'     But  if  indeed  all 

hese  be  demanded  by  military  necessity,  then,  believe  me,  your  liberties  are  gone,  and  tyranny 

perpetual.     For  if  this  civil  war  is  to  terminate  only  by  the  subjugation  or  submission  of  the 

outh  to  force  and  arms,  the  infant  of  to-day  will  not  live  to  see  the  end  of  it.     No,  in  another 

way  only  can  it  be  brought  to  a  close.     Traveling  a  thousand  miles  and  more,  through  nearly 

ne-half  of  the  Confederate  States,  and  sojourning  for  a  time  at  widely  different  points,  I  met 

ot  one  man,  woman,  or  child  who  was  not  resolved  to  perish  rather  than  yield  to  the  pressure 

f  arms,  even  in  the  most  desperate  extremity.     And  whatever  may  and  must  be  the  varying 

brtune  of  the  war,  in  all  which  I  recognize  the  hand  of  Providence  pointing  visibly  to  the  ulti- 

ate  issue  of  this  great  trial  of  the  States  and  people  of  America ;  they  are  better  prepared  now 

very  way  to  make  good  their  inexorable  purpose  than  at  any  period  since  the  beginning  of  the 

struggle.     These  may,  indeed,  be  unwelcome  truths,  but  they  are  addressed  only  to  candid  and 

onest  men.     Neither,  however,  let  me  add,  did  I  meet  any  one,  whatever  his  opinions  or  his 

tation,  political  or  private,  who  did  not  declare  his  readiness,  when  the  war  shall  have  ceased,  and 

invading  armies  been  withdrawn,  to  consider  and  discuss  the  question  of  re-union.     And  who  shall 

doubt  the  issue  of  the  argument?     I  return,  therefore,  with  my  opinions  and  convictions  as  to 

war  or  peace,  and  my  faith  as  to  final  results  from  sound  policy  and  wise  statesmanship,  not  only 

nchanged  but  confirmed  and  strengthened.     And  may  the  God  of  heaven  and  earth  so  rule  the 

earts   and   minds  of  Americans  everywhere   that  with  a  Constitution   maintained,   a   Union 

restored,  and  liberty  henceforth  made  secure,  a  grander  and  nobler  destiny  shall  yet  be  ours  than 

that  even  which  blessed  our  fathers  in  the  first  two  ages  of  the  republic. 

"C.  L.  VALLANDIGHAM." 


Iqq  Ohio  in  the   War. 

We  have  hud  occasion  to  notice  that  Governor  Tod's  faithful,  zealous,  and 
generally  able  administration  was  occasionally  marred  by  foibles,  and  once  or 
twice  by  serious  mistakes.  People  laughed  at  some  of  his  exaggerated  and 
undignified  expressions— as  when  he  announced  to  the  Secretory  of  War  that  it 
was  well  he  did  not  know  who  was  withholding  certain  supplies  from  the  new 
troops,  since,  if  he  did,  he  "would  whip  the  fellow,  though  he  were  as  strong  as 
Samson"— and  it  is  always  more  unfortunate  to  an  aspirant  for  public  favor  to 
become  ridiculous  than  to  make  even  serious  blunders.  But  there  was  also  a 
disposition  to  charge  upon  him  responsibility  for  some  needless  expenses,  some 
unfounded  alarms,  some  unwise  vigor  in  the  business  of  arrests.  The  dissatis- 
faction was  not  general,  nor  was  it  very  well  founded ;  but  it  was  sufficient  to 
break  the  force  of  what  might  otherwise  have  proved  a  spontaneous  movement 
for  his  renomi nation. 

As  the  determination  of  the  Democratic  masses  to  nominate  Mr.  Yallandig- 
ham  became  evident,  a  growing  sentiment  began  to  appear  in  favor  of  casting 
aside  all  personal  considerations,  and  nominating  the  strongest  candidate  who 
could  be  found,  to  head  the  Union  ticket.  It  appeared  that  Governor  Tod  was 
not  generally  held  to  be  that  man  ;  and  it  was  thought  questionable  whether, 
even  if  his  ability  were  conceded,  he  would,  under  the  peculiar  circumstances, 
be  the  most  available  candidate.  These  considerations  were  having  some 
weight,  though  Governor  Tod  still  seemed  to  have  the  best  prospects ;  when  the 
managers  of  the  two  leading  Republican  newspapers  of  Cincinnati,  apparently 
by  a  preconcerted  plan,  united  in  giving  special  prominence  to  a  new  candidate. 

John  Brough  had  in  times  past  been  one  of  the  most  honored  names  among 
the  Ohio  Democracy.  The  man  had  been  founder  and  editor  of  their  great 
party  organ,  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer;*  had  achieved  a  remarkable  financial  repu- 
tation as  Auditor  of  State;  had  been  tendered  foreign  missions,  and  even  a  place 
in  the  cabinet  of  a  Democratic  President.  He  was  reckoned  one  of  their  best 
stump  speakers.  He  had  been  out  of  politics  and  engaged  in  managing  rail- 
ways for  nearly  fifteen  years,  so  that  his  fame  had  become  almost  traditional, 
and  his  name  called  up  associations  with  great  campaigns  and  great  leaders 
whom  the  party  had  canonized. 

He  now  appeared,  almost  unheralded,  at  Marietta,  the  home  of  his  boy- 
hood, to  address  an  assemblage  of  supporters  of  the  war.  The  Cincinnati  news- 
papers two  days  later— on  the  very  day  on  which  they  published  the  report  of 
the  Vallandigham  Convention— spread  his  speech  in  full  before  their  readers, 
not  forgetting  to  suggest  that  the  great  Democrat  who  now  gave  such  hearty 
support  to  the  Government  in  its  trials  would  be  an  excellent  man  to  put  up 
against  the  "Blue-light  Convention  and  its  convict  candidate."  f  The  speech 
was  an  admirable  popular  effort,  and  its  instant  effect  was  to  make  Mr.  Brough 

*The  paper  had  been  in  existence  long  before,  but  under  Mr.  Brough's  proprietorship  its 
name  WU  changed  to  that  which  it  has  ever  since  borne,  and  such  other  changes  were  made 
as  would  seem  to  warrant  the  treatment  of  him  as  its  founder. 

tThis  was  the  phrase  with  which  Hon.  E.  D.  Mansfield  headed  an  article  in  the  Gazette  on 
the  nomination  of  Mr.  Vallandigham. 


d 


Vallandigham  Campaign.  167 

the  most  popular  man  in  t^he  State.  The  next  day  the  Cincinnati  Republican 
papers  openly  came  out  in  advocacy  of  his  nomination;  the  feeling  spread  like 
wild-fire,  and  when,  in  the  next  week,  the  Union  Convention  assembled  at  Co- 
lumbus, it  was  seen  from  the  outset  that  Mr.  Brough  had  a  majority  of  the 
elegates. 

Governor  Tod's  friends,  however,  gave  him  an  earnest  support.  The  ballot 
stood,  for  Brough,  two  hundred  and  twenty-six;  for  Tod,  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three  and  half.  The  Governor  behaved  handsomely.  He  addressed  the 
convention,  giving  a  frank  expression  of  his  natural  disappointment,  and  assur- 
ances of  his  intention,  nevertheless,  to  do  all  in  his  power  for  the  success  of 
the  ticket. 

The  enthusiasm  of  the  convention  was  greatly  excited  by  the  address  from 
the  soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  presented  by  Governor  Dennison. 
This  document,  which  had  no  small  influence,  both  upon  the  nominations  and  in 
the  subsequent  canvass,  was  as  follows: 

"Tbiune,  Tenn.,  June  9th. 

"Gentlemen:  You  have  been  selected  by  the  representatives  of  a  very  large  number  of  the 
soldiers  of  Ohio,  now  serving  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  to  attend  the  Union  Conven- 
tion, called  to  assemble  at  Columbus  on  the  17th  inst.,  for  the  nomination  of  Governor  and  other 
State  officers. 

"We  sincerely  hope  that  neither  the  convention  nor  the  people  of  Ohio,  will  deem  this  action 
of  her  citizen-soldiery  as  formed  upon  any  mere  desire  to  participate,  even  in  the  remotest  degree, 
in  party  or  political  strifes  at  home,  but  solely  from  a  most  earnest  wish  that  civil,  State,  and 
political  action  may  be  so  conducted  as  to  contribute  to  the  great  object  which  all  true  patriots, 
whether  citizens  or  soldiers,  must  have  at  heart,  the  maintainance  of  the  Government  and  the 
restoration  of  the  Union.  With  parties,  as  such,  we  have  long  since  ceased  to  sympathize,  and  to- 
day the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  has  but  this  platform  of  political  principles :  '  An  unlimited  use 
of  all  the  energies  and  all  the  resources  of  the  Government  for  the  prosecution  of  the  war  until  the 
rebellion  is  subjugated  and  the  Union  restored.'  Though  formerly  divided  by  all  the  party  dis- 
tinctions of  their  time,  we  are  to-day  a  '  band  of  brothers,'  standing  firmly  and  unitedly  upon  this 
broad  platform.  We  ask  of  each  other  no  reason  why  we  are  so  united,  but  we  gratefully  accept 
the  fact  and  let  that  suffice.  We  do  not  discuss  whether  slavery  be  right  or  wrong;  whether  the 
slaveholder  or  abolitionist  is  the  primary  cause  of  the  rebellion ;  it  is  enough  for  us  that  the 
rebellion  now  exists,  and  that  we  are  bound  by  the  heritage  of  the  past,  and  the  hope  of  the 
future,  to  put  it  down.  We  did  not  refuse  to  sustain  the  Government  before  the  Administration 
inaugurated  the  policy  of  emancipation.  We  will  not  desert  it  now  that  it  has.  The  efficiency 
and  continued  harmony  of  your  army  depend,  in  a  great  measure,  upon  the  State  Government  at 
home.  It  has  pleased  that  Government  to  give  us,  while  yet  in  the  field,  a  voice  at  the  polls. 
While  eminent  civilians  at  home  will  doubtless  be  proposed  to  the  convention  as  candidates  for 
the  gubernatorial  chair,  from  whom  a  choice  might  be  made  that  would  command  our  cordial 
support ;  still,  if  such  choice  can  not  be  made  with  harmony,  we  beg  to  suggest  the  propriety  of 
selection  being  made  from  among  the  many  eminent  public  men  Ohio  now  has  in  the  field.  Such 
a  candidate,  while  being  thoroughly  acquainted  with  every  want  of  the  soldier,  would,  at  the 
same  time,  possess  equal  ability  to  administer  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  State.  For  such  a  can- 
didate we  can  safely  pledge  the  undivided  support  of  Ohio's  one  hundred  thousand  soldiers. 

"  Once  more  we  call  upon  our  friends  at  home  to  stand  firmly  by  the  Government  and  its 
army.  Mistakes  in  policy,  if  any  such  occur,  are  but  the  straw  and  foam  that  whirl  and  disap- 
pear on  the  broad  river  of  nationality,  sweeping  on  majestically  and  undisturbed  beneath  them. 
Under  this  Administration  the  American  Union  is  to  fall  ingloriously,  or  be  so  firmly  re-estab- 
lished that  the  world  in  arms  can  not  shake  it  henceforth,  and  none  but  traitors  can  withhold 
their  support.  Whatever  will  aid  in  crushing  traitors  is  orthodox  with  us,  regardless  of  what 
old  political  text-books  say.     We  ask  you  to  unite  on  our  simple  platform. 


168  Ohio  in  the  War. 

"The  shifting  scenes  of  National  life  are  now  changing  with  electric  swiftness;  old  ideas, 
theories  and  prejudices  are  being  hurried  into  their  graves.  With  the  stern  realities  of  the  liv- 
ing present  we  must  grapple  boldly  and  act  earnestly,  or  history  will  write  over  our  National  tomb 
that  we  of  the  North  were  unequal  to  the  hour  in  which  we  lived.  Let  us  labor  on,  then,  patiently 
and  ahIousIv,  ouch  in  his  separate  sphere  of  action-you  as  citizens  surrounded  by  the  blessings 
and  the  quiet  of  home,  striving  against  traitors  there -we  fighting  less  dangerous  foes  on  the  fields 
which  lie  between  them  and  the  homes  we  love  so  well.  Over  these  fields  of  carnage  now  we 
hope,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  to  re-establish  our  noble  form  of  American  nationality,  that  shall 
yet  bless  the  world  as  no  government  before  has  done.  This,  with  you,  we  hope  to  enjoy  when 
we  have  laid  aside  the  character  of  soldiers  and  entered  again  the  walks  of  peaceful  life. 
"  With  highest  regard,  gentlemen,  we  have  the  honor  to  remain, 
"Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servants, 

"  GEO.  P.  ESTE,  Colonel  14th  O.  V.  I. 
"F.  VAN  DERVEER,  Colonel  15th  O.  V.  I. 
"  DURBIN  WARD,  Lieutenant-Colonel  17th  O.  V,  I. 
"  To  Hon.  Wm.  Dennison,  Brigadier-General  J.  D.  Cox,  Judge  Stanley  Matthews,  Colonel 
John  M.  Connell,  Colonel  James  H.  Godman." 

The  following  declaration  of  principles,  reported  by  Senator  Wade,  was 
adopted  by  acclamation : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  calamities  of  the  present  rebellion  have  been  brought  upon  this  Nation 
by  the  infamous  doctrines  of  nullification  and  secession,  promulgated  by  Calhoun  and  denounced 
by  General  Jackson  in  1832,  and  reiterated  by  the  convention  held  in  the  city  of  Columbus  on 
the  11th  instant.  We  denounce  them  as  incompatible  with  the  unity,  integrity,  power,  and  glory 
of  the  American  Republic. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  war  must  go  on  with  the  utmost  vigor,  till  the  authority  of  the  National 
Government  is  re-established  and  the  old  flag  floats  again  securely  and  triumphantly  over  every 
State  and  Territory  of  the  Union. 

"  Resolved,  That  in  the  present  exigencies  of  the  Republic  we  lay  aside  personal  preferences 
and  prejudices,  and  henceforth,  till  the  war  is  ended,  will  draw  no  party  line,  but  the  great  line 
between  those  who  sustain  the  Government  and  those  who  oppose  it ;  between  those  who  rejoice 
in  the  triumph  of  our  arms  and  those  who  rejoice  in  the  triumph  of  the  enemy. 

"  Resolved,  That  immortal  honor  and  gratitude  are  due  to  our  brave  and  patriotic  soldiers  in 
the  field,  and  everlasting  shame  and  disgrace  to  any  citizen  or  party  who  withholds  it ;  that,  sym- 
pathizing with  the  army  in  its  hardships,  and  proud  of  its  gallantry,  the  lovers  of  the  Union 
will  stand  by  it,  and  will  remember,  aid,  and  support  those  who  are  disabled,  and  the  families 
of  those  who  fall  fighting  for  their  country. 

"Resolved,  That  confiding  in  the  honesty,  patriotism,  and  good  sense  of  the  President,  we 
pledge  to  him  our  support  of  his  earnest  efforts  to  put  down  the  rebellion. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  present  Governor,  David  Tod,  is  an  honest,  able  public  servant,  and 
that  his  official  conduct  deserves  and  receives  the  approbation  of  all  loyal  people. 

Mr.  Brough  signified  his  acceptance  of  the  nomination,  which  he  continued 
to  protest  was  unexpected  and  undesired,  in  the  following  letter  : 

"Cleveland,  Ohio,  July  27,  1863. 

"Gentlemen:  On  my  return  home  last  evening  I  found  your  favor  of  17th  instant,  an- 
nouncing my  nomination,  by  the  Union  Convention,  as  a  candidate  for  Governor  of  Ohio. 

"  You  are  fully  aware,  gentlemen,  that  this  nomination  has  been  made,  not  only  without  my 
solicitation,  but  against  my  personal  wishes.  The  circumstances  attending  it,  and  the  manner  of 
its  presentation,  scarcely  admit  of  discussion  as  to  the  course  to  be  adopted.  Personal  considera- 
tions must  yield  to  the  duty  which  every  man  owes  to  the  State ;  and  therefore,  while  appreciating 
alike  the  honors  and  responsibilities  of  the  position,  I  assume  the  standard  you  present  to  me, 
and,  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability,  will  bear  it  through  the  contest,  whether  to  victory  or  defeat, 
those  who  have  chosen  me  must  determine. 


ALLANDIGHAM    CAMPAIGN.  169 

"I  accept  and  fully  approve  the  resolutions  of  the  convention  accompanying  your  note. 
My  own  position  has  been  so  clearly  defined  that  I  consider  it  unnecessary  to  restate  it  on  this 
occasion.  I  have  but  one  object  in  accepting  the  position  your  constituents  have  assigned  me — 
and  that  is  to  aid  you  and  them  in  sustaining  the  Government  in  the  great  work  of  suppressing 
this  most  wicked  rebellion,  and  restoring  our  country  to  its  former  unity  and  glory. 

"  Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  BROUGH. 

"  Messrs.  Wm.  Dennison,  Pres't,  John  D.  Caldwell,  Sec'y,  Union  Convention  of  Ohio.  " 

The  campaign  which  ensued  will  long  be  remembered  in  Ohio  as  one  of  the 
most  exciting  ever  known  in  her  history.  The  meetings  of  both  parties  were 
unusually  large — those  of  the  Democrats  being  especially  noticeable  for  unpre- 
cedented numbers  and  enthusiasm.  The  ablest  speakers  on  both  sides  traversed 
the  State;  and  the  newspapers  gave  almost  as  much  space  to  the  canvass  as  to 
the  great  victories  in  the  field,  which  soon  came  to  inspire  the  party  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. The  tone  of  the  Democrats,  in  spite  of  this  revolution  in  the  prospects 
of  the  war,  was  one  of  unabated  defiance,  and  they  proclaimed,  on  all  hands, 
their  determination  to  form  an  army  to  conduct  Mr.  Vallandigham  home  in  case 
they  should  elect  him.  To  the  last  they  appeared  confident  of  success,  and  the 
vote  showed  that  they  polled  their  full  strength.  On  the  other  side  a  fuller  vote 
was  brought  out  than  ever  before  at  a  gubernatorial  election.  Mr.  Chase,  then 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  set  the  example  of  "  going  home  to  vote" — making 
for  that  purpose  his  first  visit  to  Ohio  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  Large 
numbers  of  clerks  from  the  departments  in  Washington  imitated  his  course,  as 
did  thousands  of  citizens  scattered  east  and  west  through  other  States,  on 
business  or  pleasure. 

The  result  was  as  signal  as  the  struggle  had  been  conspicuous.  One  hun- 
dred thousand  was  the  majority  by  which  the  people  of  Ohio  put  the  seal  of 
their  condemnation  on  the  course  which  Mr.  Vallandigham  had  chosen  to  pur- 
sue, and  renewed  their  vows  to  continue  the  war,  through  good  fortune  or  ill,  to 
the  end  of  the  utter  defeat  of  the  rebellion. 

Mr.  Brough's  majority  on  the  home  vote  was  sixty-one  thousand  nine  hun- 
dred and  twenty.  Of  the  votes  of  the  soldiers,  forty-one  thousand  four  hundred 
and  sixty-seven  were  cast  for  him,  and  only  two  thousand  two  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  for  Mr.  Vallandigham*  Erough's  aggregate  majority  was  thus 
swelled  to  one  hundred  and  one  thousand  and  ninety-nine,  in  a  total  vote  of 
four  hundred  and  seventy-six  thousand  two  hundred  and  twenty-three.  But 
Mr.  Vallandigham  had  received  the  startling  number  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  thousand  five  hundred  and  sixty -two  votes.  In  the  election,  one 
year  before,  the  Democrats  had  carried  the  State — the  soldiers  not  being  per- 
mitted to  vote — by  a  majority  of  five  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-seven. 
The  change  in  majorities,  therefore,  on  the  home  vote  alone  was  sixty-seven 
thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-seven ;  while,  including  the  soldiers'  vote,  it 

*  Even  this  the  soldiers  spoke  of  as  falling  many  thousands  below  the  majority  they  would 
have  given  had  the  election  come  before  the  battle  of  Chickainauga.  Great  numbers  of  men 
who  would  have  voted  for  Brough  were  left  upon  that  unfortunate  field — to  linger  out  the  war  in 
Rebel  prisons,  or  to  be  thenceforth  reported  "  dead  on  the  field  of  glory."     . 


170  Ohio  in  the  War. 

swelled  to  the  enormous  number  of  one  hundred  and  seven  thousand  five  hun 
drcd  and  seventy-six. 

The  general  feeling  of  triumph  found  expression    in    the  editorial  of  the 
Cincinnati  Gazette  the  morning  after  the  election— which  may  be  taken  as  a  fai 
indication  of  the  temper  of  the  times,  and  with  which  we  may  fitly  close  thi 
condensation  of  the  salient  features  of  a  great  historical  campaign  : 

M  VICTORY ! — NEMESIS  ! 

"  Thank  God  !  The  good  name  of  our  State  is  once  more  free  from  stain  !  It  was  a  disgrace 
to  Ohio,  loyal  mother  of  us  all,  that  such  a  man  as  Clement  L.  Vallandigham  should  be  nomi- 
nated by  any  considerable  party  of  her  citizens  for  any  respectable  position  in  the  State ;  but 
right  nobly  has  the  disgrace  been  wiped  out.  Our  people  forgot  party  when  patriotism  was  in- 
volved ;  and  from  the  river  to  the  lakes  their  condemnation  of  traitors  and  sympathizers  with 
traitors  has  sounded  out  in  tones  so  clear,  so  loud,  that  through  the  whole  limits  of  this  Nation, 
Rebel  or  Loyal,  none  can  fail  to  hear. 

"If  Ohio  furnished  the  most  conspicuous  and  persistent  minion  of  the  great  rebellion,  Ohio, 
too,  has  magnificently  repudiated  her  recreant,  banished  son!  No,  exiled  citizen,  not  son! 
Thank  God !  he  is  no  son  of  Ohio,  whom  her  people  have  loathingly  spurned  from  his  crouching 
position  beyond  the  border. 

"Beneath  our  office  windows  the  people  of  Cincinnati  are  thronging  the  public  space  in  a 
wild  exuberance  of  ecstatic  joy  they  have  not  shown  since  the  first  proud  victories  of  the  war 
stirred  the  great  heart  of  the  Nation  to  its  profoundest  depths;  and  the  name  of  the  candidate 
whose  high  honor  it  has  been  to  become  the  symbol  of  a  State's  loyalty  is  ringing  in  exultant 
shouts  from  square  to  square. 

"'Count  eyery  ballot  a  bullet  fairly  aimed  at  the  heart  of  the  rebellion,'  said  the  great  min- 
ister of  finance  yesterday.*  They  are  counting  the  bullets  thus  truly  aimed!  In  the  morning 
the  State  will  count  from  our  bulletins  as  the  city  counts  to-night;  and  as  the  reckoning  is 
footed  up,  there  will  come  a  gush  of  joy,  and  of  pride  that  overtops  the  joy. 

"It  is  no  great  victory  that  prompts  this  thanksgiving  of  the  Commonwealth.  It  is  simply 
the  redemption  of  our  fair  fame!  It  is  what  we  all  knew  the  noble  State  must  do,  but  what  it 
thrills  us  to  find  she  has  done  so  superbly. 

"The  estimates  we  thought  the  wildest  are  far  outstripped.  The  State  Central  Committee 
talked  of  thirty-two  thousand  majority  on  the  home  vote.  It  will  be  fifty  thousand  !  At  Colum- 
bus they  say  it  is  more  likely  to  be  seventy -five  thousand !  And  this  is  without  our  soldiers ! 
Wait  till  their  voice  comes  in,  and  the  thunders  of  our,  home  guns  will  be  penny  fire-crackers 
beside  the  reverberating  roar  of  their  artillery. 

"  From  across  the  water  the  echoes  will  soon  come  sounding  back.  There  is  an  end  of  hopes 
for  a  desertion  of  their  Government  by  the  people;  an  end  of  hopes  for  a  division  at  the 
North ;  an  end  of  expectations  of  peace  save  through  the  red  gates  of  a  war  that  knows  no  close 
but  the  close  of  the  rebellion  it  means  to  crush. 

"So  much  for  the  victory!     And  now  for  the  retributive  justice  it  compels ! 

"It  has  been  no  ordinary  contest  concerning  disputed  questions  of  politics.  It  was  a 
grave  attempt  by  certain  leading  men,  enjoying  the  privileges  of  citizens  of  Ohio,  to  establish 
treason  to  the  Government  under  the  forms  of  law— to  place  the  State  in  direct  hostility  to  the 
General  Government.  For  that  crime,  and  for  all  the  consequences  that  crime  would  have  en- 
tailed, had  it  been  as  successful  as  they  strove  to  make  it,  we  hold  these  men  responsible  now  and 
through  all  their  lives.     For  this  sin  there  is  no  forgiveness. 

"Political  opponents  from  whom  we  differ  we  can  yet  esteem ;  but  men  who  sought  to  dis- 
grace the  Nation  by  base  submission  to  its  enemies,  or  to  dishonor  the  State  by  placing  it  with 
the  traitors  against  the  Government— why  should  they  be  less  infamous  evermore  than  the  Tories 
and  Cowboys  of  our  earlier  and  less  dangerous  times  of  trial  ? 

"The  prime  mover  in  all  the  conspiracy  is  Clement  L.  Vallandigham.  Let  him  pass!  Con- 
victed by  two  courts,  banished  by  the  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  Nation,  an  appellant  from  that 
tribunal  to  the  bar  of  his  State,  and  by  her  cast  off  with  an  ignominy  none  other  of  her  citizens 

*This  phrase  had  occurred  in  a  speech  by  Secretary  Chase  on  the  election. 


Vallandigham    Campaign.  171 

ever  received — branded  traitor  by  the  rulers,  sealed  traitor  by  the  people — let  him  wander,  out- 
cast that  he  is,  with  the  mark  of  Cain  upon  his  brow,  through  lands  where  distance  and  obscurity 
may  diminish,  till  the  grave  shall  swallow,  his  infamy. 

"Ohio  has  had  sons  whom  she  delighted  to  honor;  men  crowned  with  her  Senatorial  bays, 
or  chosen  to  stand  and  speak  for  her  among  the  Representatives  of  the  Nation.  How  had  this 
foul  rottenness  festered  in  the  State,  that  it  could  reach  these  men  and  blight  them  forever?  In 
a  moment  of  crazy  delirium  they  permitted  vexation  at  private  grievances,  or  groveling  fealty  to 
party  machinery  by  which  they  hoped  to  rise,  or  unmanly  fear  of  party  drill  to  conquer  their 
consciences  and  their  honor;  and  to  the  horror  of  all  who  took  honest  pride  in  their  fair  names, 
they  fell  to  be  the  seconds  and  adherents  of  the  malevolent  outcast.  It  is  a  hard  fate  for  men 
who  might  have  had  large  futures  before  them ;  but  stern  justice  demands  that  henceforth,  to 
each  one  who  loves  the  honor  of  his  State,  their  names — they  rise  to  all  lips,  we*  need  not  call 
them  over — be  held  infamous  for  evermore. 

"  There  can  be,  there  must  be  no  escape.  They  will  seek  to  evade  the  responsibility  for 
their  bold,  bad  attempt ;  will  shuffle,  and  equivocate,  and  deny ;  but  it  must  not  be.  As  they 
have  sowed,  so  must  they  reap.  For  the  deceived  masses  there  may  be  many  excuses;  for  the 
deceiving  leaders  none.  To  have  been  a  Tory  in  the  Revolution  will  seem  a  light  thing  in  the 
years  that  come,  beside  having  been  a  Vallandigham  leader  in  the  Great  Rebellion." 


172  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


CHAPTER  XIV, 


THE  CLOSING  FEATURES   OF   TOD'S  ADMINISTRATION, 


THEOUGHOUT  his  term  of  service  Governor  Tod  was  zealous,  watch- 
ful, and  pains-taking  to  a  degree  not  common  among  officials  of  any  grade. 
After  his  defeat  in  the  effort  for  renomination  these  qualities  were  more 
conspicuous  than  ever.  None  could  fail  to  see  that  he  was  wounded  by  the 
treatment  he  had  received ;  but  none  could  fail  also  to  see  that  his  efforts  to 
serve  faithfully  the  people  who  had  elected  him  continued  unabated  till  the  last 
hour  of  his  official  career. 

We  have  already  passed  in  review  most  of  the  events  which  make  the 
period  of  his  administration  memorable  in  our  history.  It  remains  to  speak 
of  his  continued  efforts  for  recruiting  the  army  ;  of  his  continued  care  of  the 
wounded ;  of  his  relations  with  the  officers  in  the  field ;  of  his  efforts  for  the 
protection  of  the  border  from  minor  raids  ;  of  the  discharges  to  the  Squirrel 
Hunters,  and  the  re-enlistment  of  the  veterans. 

The  large  numbers  of  men  put  into  the  field  in  1862  left  comparatively  lit- 
tle work  to  be  done  in  the  way  of  raising  troops  in  Ohio  in  1863.  Throughout 
the  year  fifteen  thousand  and  sixty  new  men  were  enlisted  who,  according  to 
the  Governor's  calculation,  raised  the  entire  number  furnished  by  the  State  to 
two  hundred  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-one.  Of  these  a  few  were  for 
missing  companies  in  infantry  regiments  sent  to  the  field  before  their  numbers 
were  completed,  and  a  few  for  missing  battalions  in  cavalry  regiments  in  the 
field.  A  couple  of  six  months'  regiments  were  raised  under  the  unwise  call  of 
the  Government  for  such  troops  in  June.  A  couple  of  heavy  artillery  regi- 
ments were  raised— one  of  them  having  for  a  nucleus  a  regiment  of  infantry 
already  in  the  service ;  and  one  or  two  new  batteries  of  light  artillery  were 
formed.  A  regiment  or  two  for  service  in  guarding  prisoners,  and  a  negro  reg- 
iment completed  the  list  of  new  organizations.  Several  that  had  been  per- 
mitted to  enter  the  service  as  coming  from  other  States,  in  the  great  rush  for 
acceptance  in  1861,  were  reclaimed.  The  rest  of  the  recruiting,  conducted  by  the 
aid  of  the  military  committees,*  but  mainly  under  the  authority  of  "United 

*The  services  of  these  military  committees  throughout  the  war  were  most  valuable,  and 
were  entirely  gratuitous.    They  were  originally  appointed  by  Governor  Dennison,  and  contin- 


Jlosing    Features  of  Tod's    Administration. 


173 


States  officers,  was  for  the  old  regiments,  and  under  the  stimulus  of  a  desire  to 

avoid  the  draft.     The  grand  total  of  these  various  efforts  we  have  already  given. 

But  the  grand  feature  of  the  enlistments  for  1863  was  one  with  which,  from 

the  nature  of  the  case,  the  State  authorities  could  have  little  to  do.     The  Ohio 

ued  by  his  successors,  with  a  few  occasional  changes  caused  by  deaths  or  disabilities.  The  names 
of  their  members  deserve  an  honorable  record;  and  their  organization  at  the  close  of  18G3  gives 
about  as  fair  a  statement  of  the  general  working  force  as  is  attainable.  We  present  the  list, 
therefore,  as  it  stood  at  that  date : 


ADAMS. 

E.  P.  Evans,  Ch'n. 
G.  W.  McKee. 
J.  N.  Hook,  Sec'y. 
T.  J.  Millen. 
U.  Sprowl. 

ALLEN. 

T.  Cunningham,  Ch. 
Shelbv  Taylor,  Sec'y. 

A.  N.  Smith. 
Isaiah  S.  Pillars. 
Joseph  W.  Hunt. 

ASHLAND. 

L.  J.  Sprengle,  Soc'y. 
William  Osborn. 
W.  H.  H.  Potter. 
John  I).  Jones. 

B.  D.  Frew. 
W.  A.  Roller. 

C.  0.  Wick. 

ASHTABULA. 

Abner  Kellogg. 
John  A.  Prentice. 
Edwin  R.  Williams. 
Edward  A.Wright. 
J.  D.  Ensign,  Sec'y. 

ATHENS. 

M.M.  Greene,  Ch'u. 
Hon.  J.W.  Bayard. 
H.  S.  Brown. 
Hon.  L.  L.  Smith. 
S.W.Pickering,  Sec'y. 
Capt.  J.  M.  Dana. 
E.  H.  Moore. 
W.  R.  Golden. 

AUGLAIZE. 

B.  A.Wendlon,  Ch'n. 
Col.  John  Walkup. 
John  G.  Bennett. 
David  Simpson. 
William  Bush. 
S.  B.  Ayres. 
John  Keller,  Sec'y. 

BELMONT. 

D.  D.  T.  Cowen,  Ch'n. 
John  Lippencott, 
Alex.  Brannum. 

St.  Clair  Kelly. 
Lewis  Boyer. 
William  Smith. 
Hon.  Wm.  Kennon. 

BROWN. 

G.W.King,  Chairm'n 
Jacob  Hermann. 

E.  Blair. 

S.  Hemphill. 

J.  P.  Biehn,  Sec'y. 

BUTLER. 

N.  C.  McKarland,  Ch. 
Alex.  F.  Hume. 
Israel  Williams,  Sec'y 
Henry  Beardsley. 
J.  M.  Millikin. 


CARROLL. 

George  Hardesty. 
William  Deford. 
George  Beatty. 
Edwin  Forrell. 
0.  A.  Shober,  Sec'y. 

CHAMPAIGN. 

Wm.  McDonald,  Ch'n. 
John  II.  Bryan. 
Thomas  Chance. 
Isaac  Johnson. 
R.  C.  Fulton,  Sec'y. 


CLARK. 

John  B.  Hagan,  Ch'n. 
Alex.  Waddle. 
Samuel  E.  Sturrell. 

D.  A.  Harrison.  Sec'y. 
Charles  ML.  Clark. 
William  S.  Merauda. 
Kreider  Mower. 

CLERMONT. 

Philip  B.  Swing,  Ch'n. 
R.  W.  Clark. 
John  Goodwin. 
Dr.  Cyrus  Gaskins. 
Dr.  John  P.  Emrie. 

CLINTON. 

R.  B.  Harlan,  Ch'n. 
William  C.  Fife. 
C.  M.  Bosworth. 
William  B.  Fisher. 

A.  W.  Miller. 
J.  Q.  Smith. 

COLUMBIANA. 

Hon.  L.W.  Potter. 
John  Voglesung. 
J.J.  Boone. 
Josia/h  Thompson. 
Joseph  G.  Laycock. 

COSHOCTON. 

Dr.  A.  L.  Cass,  Ch'n. 
Houston  Hay. 
Capt.  E.  Shaffer. 
Col.  J.  Irvine,  Sec'y. 
Seth  McClain. 
Hon.  John  Johnson. 

CRAWFORD . 
T.  J.  Orr,  Chairman. 
Jacob  Scroggs. 
George  Quinby,  Sec'y. 
H.  C.  Carhart. 
W.  W.  Bagley. 

CUYAHOGA. 

W.B.  Castle,  Ch'n. 
William  Bingham. 
F.  Nicola. 

E.  Hessenmneller. 

Col.  George  B.  Seuter. 
Stillman  Witt. 
M.  Barlow,  Sec'y. 
William  Edwards. 
William  F.  Cary. 

DARKE. 

Daniel  R.  Davis. 
Capt.  Charles  Calkins 
Capt.  B.B.  Allen. 
W.  M.  Wilton,  Sec'y. 

DEFIANCE. 

Jonas  Colby,  Ch'n. 

John  Cr<>w>. 

S.  A.  Strong. 

John  Paul. 

J.  P.  Buffington,  Sec'y 

DELAWARE. 

Hon.  T.W.  Powell,  Ch 

Robert  McKiuney. 
Charles  Shermau. 
James  W.  Stark. 
John  W.  Ladd. 

B.  C.  Waters. 
George  F.  Stayman. 
Hugh  Cole. 
Burton  Moore. 

ERIE. 

Hon.  J.  M.  Root,  Ch. 
Henry  C.  Bush. 
Walter  F.  Stone. 
Capt.  Thomas  Fernald 
Charles  Boaford. 


FAIRFIELD. 

M.  A.  Daugherty,  Ch. 

A.  Syfert. 
John  Reber. 
1\  B.  Euing. 

John  B.  McNeil,  Sec'y. 

FAYETTE. 

Hon.  J.  Pursell,  Ch'n. 
Peter  Wendel. 
II.  B.  Maynard,  Sec'y. 
Gilbert  Terrill. 
James  M.  Edwards. 

FRANKLIN. 

John  Miller,  Ch'n. 
David  Taylor. 
L.  W.  Babbitt. 
Peter  Ambos. 
John  Field. 

FULTON. 
N.  Merrill,  Chairm'n. 
Octavhis  Waters. 

D.  W.  H.  Howard. 
O.  B.  Verity,  Sec'y. 
Joel  Brigham. 
William  Sutton. 

GALLIA. 

Joseph  Bradbury. 
James  Harper. 
Amos  KepU-y. 
Robert  Black. 
Wm.  Nash,  Sec'y. 

OEAUGA. 

Hon.  D.Woodbury,  Ch, 
Erastus  Sp'-ncer. 
Chester  Palmer. 
Hon.  P.Hitchcock.Sec. 
David  Robinson. 

GREENE. 

B.  Nesbitt,  Chairman. 
Capt.  A.  McDowell. 

E.  H.  Munger. 
Horace  Brelsford. 
Joseph  Wilson. 

GUERNSEY. 

Hon.C.J.Albright.Ch 
Joseph  D.  Taylor. 
Thomas  Oldham. 
Isaac  Morton. 
Joseph  Ferrell. 

HAMILTON. 

Gen.  J.  H.  Bates,  Ch. 
Hon.  N.  W.  Thomas. 
Col.  A.  E.  Jones. 
W.  W.  Lodwick. 
John  W.  Ellis. 
Francis  Weisnewski. 
W.  H.  Davis,  Sec'y. 
Thomas  Sherlock. 
Eli  Muchmore. 
Amzi  Magill. 

HANCOCK . 

Edson  Goit,  Ch'n. 
J.  F.  Perky. 
Henry  Brown,  Sec'y. 
J.  S.  Patterson. 
J.  B    Rothschild. 

HARDIN.  ' 

Henry  Harris. 
B.-nj.  R.  Brunson. 
Hugh  Letson. 
R.  L.  Chase. 
David  Goodin. 

C.  II.  Gatch,  Sec'y. 

HARRISON. 

0.  Slemmons,  Ch'n. 
James  M.  Paul. 
John  Jamison. 


Harrison— Continued. 
Charles  Warfell. 
S.  B.  Shotwell,  Sec'y. 

HENRY. 

E.  Sheffield,  Chairm'n. 
Cyrus  Howard. 
Achilles  Smith. 
James  Durban. 
L.  H.  Bigelow,  Sec'y. 

HIGHLAND. 

Dr.  Wm.  Smith,  Ch'n. 
Dr.  Enos  Holmes. 
James  H.  Thompson. 
Col.  Jacob  Hyer. 

HOCKING. 

James  R.  Grozan,  Ch. 
Alex.  White. 
C.  W.  James. 
Capt,  G.  M.  Wrebb. 

HOLMKS. 

Col.  A.  Baker.  Ch'n. 
Dr.  John  G.  Bingham. 
John  Corbus. 

B.  C.  Brown,  Sec'y. 
Trayer  Anderson. 
John  W.  Vorhes. 

HURON. 

C.  L.  Boalt,  Esq.,  Ch. 
John  Dewey. 
George  G.  Baker. 
John  Gardiner. 

J.  M.  Farr. 

C.  A.  Preston,  Sec'y. 

JACKSON. 

Davis  Mackley,  Ch'n. 
Joshua  E.  Ferrell. 
George  W.  Johnson. 
James  Tripp. 
J.  E.  Jones. 
John  M.  Martin. 

JEFFERSON. 

Col.G.W.McCook.Ch. 
R.  C.  Hoffman. 
Joseph  Means. 
Charles  Mather. 
Beatty  McFarlane. 

KNOX. 

James  Blake. 
C.  H.  Scribner. 
T.  P.  Frederick. 
Adam  Weaver. 
S.  L.  Taylor. 
Sherman  Pyle,  Sec'y. 

LAKE. 

Hon.  S.  S.  Osborn,  Ch. 

C.  C.  Jennings. 
Chas.  D.  Adams,  Sec'y. 
Sellick  Warren. 

D.  R.  Page. 

LAWRENCE. 

John  Campbell. 
Hon.  H.  S.  Neal. 
B.nj.  F.  Cory. 
Ralph  Leet. 
Thomas  McCarthy. 
Wm.  W.  Kirker. 
John  Merrill. 

LICKING. 

Joseph  White. 
Col.  Andrew  Legg. 
Michael  Morath. 
Dr.  J.  N.  Wilson. 
Noah  Wilkins. 

LOGAN. 
I.  S.  Gardner,  Ch. 
John  Underwood. 


logan— Continued . 
R.  E.  Runkle. 
J.  B.  McLauhlin, Sec'y. 
John  Emery. 
Isaac  Smith. 

LORAIN. 

H.  E.  Mussey,  Ch'n. 
G.  G.  Washburn. 
R.  A.  How. 
Conrad  Reid. 
J.  H.  Dickson. 

LUCAS. 

Gen.  John  E.  Hunt.Ch. 
John  J.  Manor. 
George  W.  Reynolds. 
Capt.  R.  Waite,  Sec'y. 
Peter  Lent. 
James  W.  Brigham. 
Peleg  T.  Clarke. 

MADISON. 

Thomas  P.  Jones,  Ch. 
Gabriel  Prugh. 
Benj.  F.  Clark,  Sec'y. 
Oliver  P.  Crabb. 
Robert  Armstrong. 

MAHONING. 
Hosea  Hoover. 
Fred.  W.  Whitslar. 
John  M.  Edwards. 
C.  Fitch  Kirtland. 
F.  0.  Arms 

MARION. 

John  Merrill,  Ch'n. 
Amos  H.  King. 
Ira  Ohler,  Sec  y. 
Adam  Ault. 
B.  W.  Davis. 


MEDINA. 

Hon.  H.  G.  Blake,  Ch. 
William  Shakespear. 
N.  H.  Bostwick. 
Asaph  Severance,  jr. 
Ephraim  Briggs. 

MEIGS. 

Hiram  G.  Daniel,  Ch. 
David  R.  Jacobs. 
H.  B.  Smith,  Sec'y. 
Nicholas  Stanberry. 
Ed.  Tiffany. 

MERCER. 

Dr.  J.  Tayler,  Ch'n 
Wm.  0.  A.  Munsel. 
Oliver  Ellis,  Sec'y. 
William  Dickman. 
Adam  Jewitt. 


MIAMI. 

Hon.M.G.Mitchell.Ch. 
Dr.  Harrison. 
Robert  L.  Douglass. 
Charles  Morris. 
Wrilliam  W.  Crane. 
John  Wiggin. 
James  M.  Rowe. 

MONROE. 

Hon.  Wm.  F.  Hunter. 
Hon.  J.  A.  Davenport. 
John  Kerr,  Esq. 
Stephen  S.  Ford. 
J.  ft.  Kirkbride,  Sec'y. 

MONTGOMERY. 

Hon.D.  A.Haynes. 
James  Turner. 
T.  A.  Philips. 
Geo.  Startsman. 


Henry  Fowler. 


Henry 
R.  W. 


Steele,  Sec'y. 


174 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


regiments  in  the  field  had  dwindled  from  a  thousand  to  an  average  of  from  tw< 
to  four  hundred  each.  They  had  been  decimated  in  battle,  had  languished  1 
hospitals,  had  borne  the  manifold  sufferings  of  the  camp  and  the  march,  hac 
gone  through  a  Red  Sea  of  troubles,  and  even  yet  were  far  from  the  sight 
the  promised  land.  They  had  left  families,  unprotected,  behind  them  ;  thej 
fell  that  others  at  home  should  be  in  the  ranks  beside  them;  they  saw  as  y 
little  reward  for  all  their  toils,  privations,  and  wounds. 

With  such  a  past  and  such  prospects  to  contemplate,  they  heard  the  deman< 
of  the  Generals  for  more  troops.     Their  own  terms  of  enlistment  weve  expiring 
long  before  the  great  campaign  to  which  they  were  then  looking  forward  shouh 
be  ended  many  of  them  would  have  the  right  to  turn  their  faces  homewarc 
But,  with  a  patriotism  to  which  the  history  of  the  war  furnishes  no  equal  di 
play,  the}'  turned  from  this  alluring  prospect,  resolved  that  the  vacant  places  b] 
the  loved  firesides  should  remain  vacant  still,  perhaps  for  the  war,  perhaps  foi 
ever,  and  pledged  themselves  to  the  Government  once  more  as  its  soldiers  to  tin 
end.     Over  twenty  thousand  veterans,  the  thin  remnants  of  nearly  eighty  ve< 
iments  of  Ohio  soldiers,  re-enlisted  for  the  war  within   a  few  weeks  after  tin 
subject  was  first  proposed  to  them.     It  was  the  most  inspiring  act  since  th< 
uprising  after  Sumter. 

The  Sixty-Sixth  was  the  first  of  these  regiments  to  return  to  the  State  aft< 
its  re-enlistment,  on  the  veteran  furlough  of  thirty  days,  by  which  the  Gover 
ment  wisely  marked  its  gratitude  for  their  unexampled  fidelity.     It  rcachec 

Military  Committees  for  1863 — Continued^ 


MORGAN. 

(Jen.  .las.  Cornelius. 
John  B.  Stone. 
Enoch  Dye. 
IIuii.  W.  V.  Sprague. 
Hon.  J.  II.  (to/lord. 

.1  ( •-till a  Davis. 
F.  W.  Wood. 

/ 
sioniiow. 

A.  It.  iMimi,  Ch'n. 
.1.  <;.  Miles. 

Win.  Chase. 
Bertram!  Andrews. 
Dr.  J.  M.  Briggs,  Sec, 

MUSKINGUM. 

Hon.  T.  J.  Magi nn is. 
Valentine  !!•  st. 
Mai.  K.  W.  1\  Muse. 
I).  McCarty. 
Terry  Wiles. 

NO MLR. 

J.  Bellur.!. 

.loli n  M.  Round. 

B.  F.  Sprigga. 
Win.  Ft  use  i . 
John  W.  Tipton. 

OTTAWA. 

James  Lattimore. 
Dr.  W.  W.  Stedman. 
Cyrus  Williams. 
Ira  Dntchor,  Bec'y. 
John  Ryder. 
Aug.  W.  Lucky. 

PU'i.mxa. 
F.  T.  Mellingcr,  Ch'n 
IiaUh  Richard*. 

S.  R.  Brown,  Sec'y. 
John  W.  Ay  res. 
Samuel  Fotder. 

PERRY. 

Col.N.B.Colborn.  Oh 
£.  Rose. 


runny— Continued. 
T.  Selby. 
William  Spencer. 
J.  L.  Sheridan,  Sec'y. 

PICKAWAY. 
Geo.  W.  Gregg,  Ch'n. 
James  R<>ber. 
Joseph  P.  Smith. 
Isaac  N.  Bow, 
Nelson  J.  Turney. 
P.O.  Smith,  Sec'y. 

PIKE. 

Andrew  Gilgore,  Ch'n 

PORTAGE. 

S.  E.  M.  Kneeland. 
Alphonso  Hart. 
Cot.  H.  L.  Carter. 
Philo  B.  Conant. 
S.  D.  Harris,  jr.,  Sec. 

PREBLE. 

G.  W.  Thorn pson,  Ch. 
Robert  Miller. 
L.  C.  Abbott. 

PUTNAM. 

James  L.  Olney. 
John  Dixon. 
Thos.  .1.  Butler. 
John  B.  Frnckly. 
Jacob  Shaft'. 

RICHLAND. 

James  Purdy,  Ch'n. 
Thomas  Mickey. 
Henry  C.  Hedges. 
B.  S.  Runyaii. 
A.  B.  Beverstock. 
H.  P.  Davis,  Esq. 

ROSS. 

John  Hough,  Ch'n. 
Addison  Pearson. 
Wm.  T.  McClintick. 


ROSS—  Continued. 
Job  E.  Stevenson. 
John  R.  Allston. 
M.  R.  Bartlett. 
D.  A.  Schutte,  Sec'y. 

SANDUSKY. 

Dr.  L.  Q.  Rawson,  Ch 
James  Justice. 
Oliver  Mclntyre. 
Isaac  Knapp. 

C.  0.  Tillotson,  Sec'y. 

SCIOTO. 

A.  W.  Bnskirk. 
Samuel  Mackhm. 
Martin  B.  Gillret. 
John  P.  Torry,  Sec'y. 

SENECA. 

J.  M.  Naylor,  Ch'n. 
G.  M.  Ogden. 
Charles  Foster. 
John  T.  Huss. 
Michael  Sullivan. 

SHELBY. 

J.  Cummins,  Ch'n. 
John  F.. Eraser. 
Chas.  W.  Wells. 
J.  S.  Conklin. 
J.  J.  Elliott,  Sec'y. 
Q.  M.Russell. 

stai:k. 
Hon.    J.     W.    Under- 
bill, Ch'n. 
John  l\  Mong. 
G.  G.  B.  Greenwood. 
Anson  Pease. 
S.  Molby. 
II .  Knoblock. 
Jus.  S.  Kelly. 

D.  B.  Wvant. 
JohnF.  Reynolds. 
John  P.  Rix. 

H.  S.  Martin. 


SUMMIT. 

Col.L.  P.  Buckley, Ch 
Henry  McKinney. 
Henry  Baldwin. 
Wm.  C.  Sackett. 
Archibald  Shields. 

TRUMRULL. 

G.  T.  Townsend,  Ch'n, 
John  M.  Stull. 
John  R.  Woods. 
Jacob  W.  Pattengill. 
G.  F.  Townsend,  Sec. 

TUSCARAWAS. 

John  Sargent,  Ch'n. 
John  11.  Barnhill. 
John  Hildt. 
Clark  11.  Robinson. 
E.  Burnett. 

UNION. 

P.  B.  Cole,  Ch'n. 
J.  A.  Henderson,  Sec. 
J.  R.  Smith. 
A.  F.  Wilkins. 
Joseph  New  love. 

VAN  WERT. 

E.  P.  Edson,  Ch'n. 
A.  McGavren. 
Robert  Conn,  jr. 
James  Webster. 
Wm.  Patterson,  Sec'y. 

VTNTON. 

Francis  Shades,  Ch'n. 
Isaac  Brown. 
Charles  Brown. 
E.  P.  Ambrose. 
J.  S.  Hawk,  Sec'y. 

WARREN. 

R.  W.  Gilchrist,  Ch'n. 
Wm.  H.  Clement. 
Thomas  Allen. 


warren—  Continued. 
Dr.  J.  Scott. 
J.  S.  Reese. 
J.  S.  Totter,  Sec'y. 

WASHINGTON. 

Col.  W.K. Putnam,  <H 

George  W.  Baker. 
S.  T.  Cooke. 
Mark  Greene. 
John  Newton. 


WAYNE. 

Dr.  L.  Firestone,  CI 
J.  H.  Bumgardner, 

David  Robinson. 
Robert  Donelly. 
R.  B.  Stibbs. 
Constant  Lukf* 
Aug.  McDonald. 


WILLIAMS. 

S.  E.  Blakslee,  Ch'n. 

James  Bell. 

A.  M.  Pratt. 

J.  N.  How. 

J.  Pollett. 

J.  Youse,  Sec'y. 

woor>. 
Dr.   II.    A.   Hamiltoi 

Chairman. 
Jas.  W.  Rosa. 
E.  Graham. 
George  Daskev. 
Col.  J.  T.  Norton. 

WYANDOT. 

J.  Y.  Roberts,  Ch'n. 

S.  II.  Hunt. 

J.  D.  Sears. 

S.  H.  White. 

T.  E.  Grisell,  Sec'y. 


Closing  Features  of  Tod's  Administration. 


175 


Columbus  on  the  2Gth  of  December,  1863,  The  Twenty-Ninth  soon  followed, 
and  after  it  in  rapid  succession  came  a  stream  of  them — the  Twelfth,  the  Four- 
teenth, the  Seventeenth,  the  Nineteenth,  the  Twenty-Third,  the  Twenty-Seventh, 
the  Thirty  First,  the  Thirty-Sixth,  the  Thirty-Eighth,  the  Thirty -Ninth,  the 
Forty-Third,  the  Forty-Fourth,  the  Fifty-First,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  noble 
list.  The  Twenty-Third,  Colonel  E.  B.  Hayes,  was  the  first  in  which  re-cnli^t- 
ments  had  begun — the  work  being  fairly  commenced  in  its  ranks  in  October. 
The  Thirty-Ninth,  Colonel  E.  F.  Noyes,  furnished  a  larger  number  of  veterans 
than  any  other  regiment  from  the  State.  The  number  from  each,  as  well  as 
from  several  organizations  credited  to  other  States,  but  wholly  or  in  part  raised 
in  Ohio,  may  be  found  set  forth  in  the  following  table:* 

INFANTRY. 


No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

1st   

3 

33 

47 
127 

20 
6 
3 
4 

70 
204 
181 
322 
302 
366 

62 
312 
306 
275 

31 
257 

65 
203 
187 
437 

28th 

62 
269 

301 
277 
304 
229 
312 
38 
364 
218 
360 
534 
179 
211 

2 
436 
453 

2 
288 
233 
254 
314 
260 

4 

53d 

54th 

380 
153 
310 
280 
213 
109 
1 
243 
292 
455 
226 
171 
269 
246 
300 
348 
332 
313 
261 
247 
321 
66 
252 
304 

78th 

303 

2d 

29th 

30th 

80th 

245 

4th... 

55th 

56th 

57th 

81st 

136 

5th 

31st 

82d 

90th 

95th 

291 

7th 

32d 

1 

8th 

33d 

34th 

58th 

2 

9th 

59th 

104th 

1 

10th  ... 

35th 

61st 

110th 

1 

11th 

19th 

30th 

62d 

H3th 

4 

37th 

63d 

2dBat,V.R.C. 
18th  Indiana.. 
52d 
57th 

10th  Tenn 

14th  Kentucky 

1st  West  Va... 

4th 

5th 

9th 

11th 

66th  Ilinois.... 

1 

13th... 

3Sth 

39th 

64th 

1 

14th 

65th 

1 

15th. 

40Lii 

41st 

66th 

2 

17th 

67th 

68th 

69th 

70th 

71st 

18 

18th  

42d 

1 

19th  

43d 

4 

20th 

44th  

87 

21st   

45th 

46th 

47th 

48th 

49th 

51st 

126 

22d 

72d 

73d 

74th 

75th 

76th 

77th 

58 

23d 

2 

24th 

92 

25th 

26th 

27th... 

52d 

CAVALRY. 


No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No 
Men. 

1st 

285 
358 
307 
205 
127 

6th 

264 

44 
81 

1 
62 

4th  Pa.  Cav  ... 

11th      " 

2nd  Ind.  Cav.. 

11th 

9th  Ills.  Cav... 

3 

36 
3 
4 
1 

5th  Iowa  Cav.. 

IstW.V.Cav.. 

2d      " 

5th     "        " 

7th     "        " 

1 

2d 

11th 

M'Lauglin'sSq 
5th  Indp.  Batt. 
Merrill's  H'se. 

29 

3d 

333 

4th 

3 

5th 

51 

'Adjutant-General's  Report  for  1864. 


176 

Ohio  in  the  War 

AETILLEKY. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 

Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
31  en. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

No.  Regiment. 

No. 
Men. 

lit— Light 

1st — Henry 

1st — Mounted... 
1st  Ind'pt  Bat... 
2d             "      .. 
3d             "      .. 

515 
17 

115 
17 
31 
46 

4th  Ind't  Batt. 

5th 

6th          " 

7th 

8th 

9th 

26 
9 

66 
22 
24 
41 

lOtlilnd'tBatt. 

12th 

14th         " 

15th 

16th 

17th 

34 

33 

77 

10 

80 

1 

25th  Ind't  Batt 
1st  Ky.  Batt- 
le Mo.  L.  A... 
IstW.Va.L.A 
1st  Pa.  L.  A.... 

109 

17 

1 

14 
9 

Total  numb 

They  re 
They  fanned 
spirit  of  oppo 
nated  in  the 
State,  and  all 
found  how  w 
how  lavish  t 
beating  back 
were  feasted 
to  the  little 
Nation,  were 

It  has  be 

20.708. 

kindled  the  fires  of  a  glowing  patriotism  throughout  the  State, 
the  work  of  recruiting  to  a  flame.     They  shamed  out  the  sullen 
sition  to  the  losses  and  inconveniences  of  the  war  which  had  culmi- 
^allandigham  movement.     They  secured  the  devotion  anew  of  the 
that  it  contained,  to  the  great  struggle.     And  for  themselves,  they 
arm  was  the  popular  gratitude,  how  tender  the  care  for  the  soldier, 
he  generous  regards  of  those  from  whose  homes  they  had  been 
the  horrors  of  war.     They  were  the  honored  guests  of  the  State, 
at  every  table,  were  toasted  at  every  assemblage,  were  pointed  out 
children  wherever  they  passed  as  the  men  who  were  saving  the 
showered  with  the  smiles  of  beauty  and  the  blessings  of  age. 

to  have  been  secured;  let  it  never  be  said  that  it  was  the  fault  of  the  colored 
men  themselves  that  they  were  not. 

At  the  first  call  for  troops  in  1861,  Governor  Dennison  was  asked  if  he 
would  accept  negro  volunteers.  In  deference  to  a  sentiment  then  almost  uni- 
versal, not  less  than  to  the  explicit  regulations  of  the  Government,  he  replied 
that  he  could  not.  When  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  changed  the  status 
of  negroes  so  completely,  and  the  Government  began  to  accept  their  services, 
they  resumed  their  applications  to  the  State  authorities.  Governor  Tod  still 
discouraged  them.  He  had  previously  committed  himself,  in  repelling  the 
importunities  of  their  leaders,  to  the  theory  that  it  would  be  contrary  to  our 
laws,  and  without  warrant  either  in  their  spirit  or  letter,  to  accept  them,  even 
under  calls  for  militia.  He  now  did  all  he  could  to  transfer  such  as  wished  to 
enlist  to  the  Massachusetts  regiments. 

The  Adjutant-General,  in  his  report  for  1863,  professed  his  inability  to  say 
why  Massachusetts  should  be  permitted  to  make  Ohio  a  recruiting-ground  for 
filling  her  quotas.  If  he  had  looked  into  the  correspondence  which  the  Go 
ernor  gave  to  the  public  in  connection  with  his  message,  he  would  have  foun 
out.  As  early  as  May  11th  the  Governor  said,  in  a  letter  to  Hon.  Win.  Porte 
Millon,  Ohio  :  "  I  do  not  propose  to  raise  any  colored  troops.  Those  now  bein 
recruited  in  this  State  are  recruited  by  authority  from  Governor  Andrew,  o 
Massachusetts."  * 


*  Ex.  Doc,  1863.    Part  I,  p.  270. 


Closing  Scenes   of  Tod's    Administration.  177 

A  few  dayfi  later  he  wrote  to  John  M.  Langston  :  "As  it  was  uncertain 
what  number  of  colored  men  could  be  promptly  raised  in  Ohio,  I  have  advised, 
and  still  do  advise,  that  those  disposed  to  enter  the  service  promptly  join  the 
Massachusetts  regiments.  .  .  .  Having  requested  the  Governor  of  Massa- 
chusetts to  organize  the  colored  men  from  Ohio  into  separate  companies,  so  far 
as  practicable,  and  also  to  keep  me  fully  advised  of  the  names,  age,  and  place 
of  residence  of  each,  Ohio  will  have  the  full  benefit  of  all  enlistments  from  the 
State,  and  the  recruits  themselves  the  benefit  of  the  State  associations  to  the 
same  extent  nearly  as  if  organized  into  a  State  regiment."  *  And  to  persons 
proposing  to  recruit  said  companies  he  .wrote  that  all  commissions  would  be 
issued  by  the  Governor  of  Massachusetts.  In  this  course  he  had  the  sanction 
if  not  the  original  suggestion  of  the  Secretary  of  War.  Afterward  his  applica- 
tions for  authority  to  raise  an  Ohio  regiment  were  for  some  time  refused,  but 
finally  he  secured  it,  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Seventh  was  the  quick 
result.  Unfortunately  it  was  numbered  as  the  Fifth  United  States  Colored. 
The  result  of  all  this  was  that  Ohio  received  credit  for  little  over  a  third  of  her 
colored  citizens  who  volunteered  for  the  war. 

To  the  end  Governor  Tod  continued  to  add  to  the  weight  of  the  debt  the 
State  owes  him  for  his  zealous  care  of  her  wounded. 

Immediately  after  Stone  Eiver  he  sent  Surgeon-General  Smith  to  the  battle- 
field with  forty  surgeons  and  nurses.  That  very  efficient  officer  had  learned  by 
past  experience  the  necessity  for  a  longer  period  of  additional  aid  to  the  sur- 
geons in  the  field  than  had  been  customary  after  great  battles,  and  accordingly 
he  now  took  none  who  were  not  able  to  remain  in  the  hospitals  for  at  least  a 
month's  service.  Such  of  the  wounded  as  could  be  properly  transported  were 
sent  home  on  the  steamer  Emerald,  which  was  chartered  for  this  purpose  by 
the  Governor,  and  was  sent  out  under  the  care  of  Dr.  E.  NT.  Barr,  as  Medical 
Director,  and  Mr.  Octavius  Waters,  as  commander.  Large  expenditures  were 
thus  incurred,  but  the  grateful  thanks  of  many  rescued  soldiers  who  had  been 
ready  to  perish  were  the  more  than  sufficient  return. 

Soon  after  General  Grant,  by  the  brilliant  campaign  below  Yicksburg,  had 
gained  the  rear  of  the  besieged  city,  another  hospital  steamer,  the  St.  Cloud, 
was  sent  by  the  Ohio  authorities  to  gather  up  the  wounded  who  had  been  left 
along  the  line  of  the  rapid  march.  As  in  all  previous  cases,  the  Cincinnati 
Sanitary  Commission  and  the  Columbus  Ladies'  Aid  Society  gave  liberal  assist- 
ance in  furnishing  the  boat  with  supplies.  It  went  under  the  care  of  Mr. 
Waters,  as  commander,  and  Dr.  A.  Dunlap,  of  Springfield,  as  Medical  Director. 
At  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  the}^  were  met  by  an  order  from  General  Grant  that 
"none  of  the  sick  and  wounded  should  betaken  from  Yicksburg  by  hospital 
boats  from  any  of  the  States,  for  the  reason  that  the  United  States  had  sufficient 
means  of  transporting  their  wounded  in  their  own  boats  as  fast  as  it  could  be 
done  with  safety."  Returning  thus  disappointed,  they  found  an  opportunity  to 
do  good  service  by  carrying  timely  re-enforcements  to  repel  an  attack  on  the 

*  Ex.  Doc,  1863.    Part  I,  p.  271. 
Yol.  I.— 12. 


178  Ohio  IN  THE  Wae- 

the  colored  troops  at  Milliken's  Bend,  in  progress  as  they  arrived.  At  Memphis 
they  were  again  met  by  an  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War  forbidding  the 
further  removal  of  the  sick  and  wounded  to  their  respective  States.  Defeated 
in  the  objects  of  their  mission  they  could  only  distribute  their  supplies  and 
return  with  a  few  wounded  officers.  With  this,  Governor  Tod's  effort  with 
hospital  boats  ended. 

When  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  came  to  break  the  gloom  which,  toward 
the  middle  of  18G3,  was  settling  upon  the  country,  the  Governor  promptly  ten- 
dered to  the  Surgeon -General  of  the  United  States  medical  assistance  to  any; 
extent,  but  it  was  declined,  with  the  assurance  that  the  Government  had  made  full' 
provision  for  the  comfort  of  the  wounded  in  all  respects.  The  State  Surgeon- 
General  subsequently  saw  occasion  to  express  his  regret  that  he  had  not  taken 
the  want  for  granted,  accepted  the  numerous  offers  from  the  best  physicians  of 
the  State,  and  taken  a  corps  of  them  directly  to  the  battle-field. 

Some  agents  were,  however,, sent  to  look  after  the  Gettysburg  wounded; 
and  the  efficient  State  Agent  at  Washington  labored  zealously  for  the  welfare 
of  all  of  them  who  came  within  his  reach.  The  State  Agency  Sj-stem  at  the> 
various  points  of  most  importance  was  kept  up  with  excellent  results.  The 
Governor  now  also  kept  the  Rev.  E.  A.  Howbert — an  Ohio  clergyman  who, 
throughout  his  administration,  was  employed  in  work  for  the  soldiers — travel- 
ing through  the  Eastern  armies  (as  well  as  once  or  twice  through  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland),  reporting  to  him  the  condition  of  Ohio  soldiers,  informing  him 
of  the  special  wants  in  each  locality  and  of  cases  of  neglect,  and  thus  enabling 
him  to  give  proper  direction  to  the  efforts  of  the  various  organizations  furnish- 
ing volunteer  aid  to  the  men  in  the  field. 

In  a  hundred  other  ways  the  Governor  .manifested  the  same  watchful  care 
for  the  wounded,  which  really  forms  the  most  beautiful  feature  of  his  work,  and 
his  highest  claim  to  the  gratitude  of  the  State.  He  urged  and  urged  again  upon 
the  Secretary  of  War  the  speedy  discharge  to  their  homes  of  men  no  longer  fit 
for  duty.  He  insisted  that  the  paroled  Ohio  prisoners  at  Annapolis,  whose 
distressful  condition  awakened  the  sympathies  of  all,  should  be  speedily  sent  to 
Ohio  hospitals,  as  near  as  possible  to  their  respective  homes.  Wherever  it 
Beemed  at  all  possible  he  urged  also  the. removal  of  Ohio  patients  in  other  hos- 
pitals throughout  the  country,  either  to  their  homes  or  to  hospitals  within  the 
State.  In  certain  cases  he  insisted  upon  changes  of  Medical  Directors,  as  when 
he  declared  that,  from  sources  entitled  to  his  fullest  confidence,  he  was  assure 
that  Dr.  Irwin,  then  director  at  Memphis,  was  not  fit  for  his  place.  Often 
wrote  letters  in  behalf  of  distressed  parents  to  surgeons  in  distant  hospitl 
asking  for  whatever  was  needed  for  private  soldiers,  facts  of  their  last  illnes 
removal  of  their  remains,  and  the  like.  Again  and  again  he  was  forced 
refuse  patriotic  ladies,  and  even  school-girls,  permission  to  enter  the  army  lin< 
as  hospital  nurses;  but  he  took  care  to  soften  the  disappointment  as  much  at 
possible.     From  scores  of  such  letters  this  one  must  suffice : 

*  Ex.  Doc,  1863.     Part  I,  p.  142. 


Closing   Features  of  Tod's  Administration.  179 

"  Columbus,  January  24,  1863. 
"  Miss  Rosella  Rice,  Perry ville,  Ohio  : 

"  Dear  Girl,:  Your  kind  and  benevolent  letter  of  the  19th  instant,  asking  a  passport  for  a 
friend  to  visit  her  gallant  boy  at  Bowling  Green  hospital,  is  before  me,  and  it  causes  me  great 
pain  to  be  compelled  to  say  that  I  can  not  comply  with  your  generous  request.  Our  brave  army 
near  Nashville  is  suffering  for  the  want  of  food,  and  the  entire  army  under  General  Rosecrans  is 
in  peril  for  the  want  of  re-enforcements.  This  state  of  things  made  it  the  imperative  duty  of 
General  Rosecrans  to  forbid  all  travel  of  civilians  over  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad, 
and  my  painful  duty  to  carry  out  hisr  orders  to  that  effect.  Your  pleading  letter  came  near  swerv- 
ing me  from  my  duty,  and  yet  I  am  glad  that  I  possess  the  official  firmness  to  deny  you. 

"  Very  affectionately  yours,  DAVID  TOD,  Governor." 

What  he  could  and  what  he  could  not  do  to  further  their  wishes  he  wrote 
over  and  over,  with  like  care  and  tenderness,  to  anxious  wives  and  mothers  and 
sisters  all  through  the  State;  and  wherever  the  authority  of  the  Governor  of 
Ohio  could,  within  his  knowledge,  help  to  smooth  the  pillow  of  a  sick  or  wounded 
soldier  of  the  State,  the  effort  was  made.  He  was  heartily  sustained  and  assisted 
throughout  in  this  good  work  by  Surgeon-General  Smith,  a  man  whose  tender 
care  and  sympathy  will  long  be  gratefully  remembered  by  the  soldiers  he  served 
so  well. 

Governor  Tod  did  not  escape  without  some  difficulties  with  the  officers  in 
the  field.  Indeed,  such  is  the  anomalous  position  of  these  officers,  indebted  to 
the  Governor  for  their  commissions,  and  looking  to  him  for  promotion,*  yet 
owing  him  no  obedience,  that  difficulties  could  scarcely  be  avoided.  He  wrote 
tartly  to  Colonel  Casement  that  he  learned  with  surprise  of  the  Colonel's  course 
in  disregarding  his  action  under  an  order  exempting  certain  privates  from  punish- 
ment for  absence  without  leave,  and  that  he  must  insist  on  prompt  compliance 
and  no  controversy  .f  Colonel  Hildebrand  having  expressed  dissatisfaction  with 
the  promotion  of  a  Sergeant,  the  Governor  told  him  the  circumstances  com- 
manded a  more  respectful  tone,  and  then  patiently  explained.];  He  had  Cap- 
tain Leggett  dismissed  the  service  for  writing  what  he  styled  a  foolish  and 
inflammatory  letter  which  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  but  asked  his  re-instate- 
ment  after  he  had  explained  that  it  appeared  in.  a  garbled  form,  and  was  not 
intended  for  publication  ||  He  utterly  refused  to  acknowledge  Colonel  Anson 
McCook's  claim  that  no  one  but  the  commander  of  the  regiment  should  have 
anything  to  do  with  the  appointments  in  it.§  To  Colonel  Lane's  claim  of  a 
similar  nature  he  offered  a  similar  response.** 

Nearly  all  these  differences  with  officers  rose  out  of  the  vexed  question  of 
promotions.  On  this  subject  he  adopted  no  fixed  rule.  Sometimes  he  promoted 
in  accordance  with  rank,  sometimes  against  it ;  sometimes  in  accordance  with 
the  wishes  of  the  Colonel,  sometimes  against  him.  Hs  successor,  adopting  a 
uniform  rule,  was  to  find  it  almost  equally  productive  of  embarrassments. 

The  transportation  of  soldiers  over  the  railroads  of  the  State,  on  fur- 
lough, sick-leave,  and  the  like,  grew  to  be  an  important  feature  of  the  State 
work.     It  was   committed  to  the  Quartermaster-General,  who  finally  made  an 

•  Up  only,  of  course,  to  the  grade  of  Colonel.  t  Ex.  Doc,  1863,  part  I,  p.  163, 

Ubid.,  p.  165.  « Ibid.,  p.  171.  I  Ibid.,  p.  173.  **  Ibid.,  p.  177. 


180 


Ohio  in   the    Wae. 


arrangement  with    the    several   companies   for  transportation  at  the    uniforr 

of  one   and  a   half  eents  per  mile.      Tickets  were  at  first  given  to  th 

railroad  agents,  to  be  issued  to  those  entitled  to  them.     Afterward,  when  thi 

found   to   involve  some  practical   difficulties,  the   charge  of  these   tickei 

committed  to  the  State  agents,  and  ultimately  the  sale  of  tickets  on  cred 
to  soldiers  was  reduced  to  as  narrow  limits  as  possible.  Some  three  thousan 
,!, .liars  were  reported  by  the   Quartermaster-General  as  probably  lost  in  th 

u:iv ;l  sura  altogether  insignificant  when  compared  with  the  great  convenienc 

and  saving  to  needy  soldiers.  The  militia  transported  to  the  musters  in  186t 
were  carried  at  the  same  reduced  rates,  the  railroad  companies  generally  givin 
a  cheerful  acquiescence  to  the  view  that  it  was  their  duty  thus  to  make  sacrifice 
for  the  common  cause  as  well  as  others — the  more,  inasmuch  as  their  proper! 
was  peculiarly  exposed  to  the  hazards  of  war  from  -which  the  soldiers  protecte 
them,  and  as  their  business  was  also  measurably  augmented  by  the  lower  rate 

The  manufacture  of  ammunition  at  the  State  arsenal  was  continued  up  t 
August,  1863.  when,  owing  to  difficulties  in  getting  supplies  of  powder  from  tl 
Ordnance  Department  at  Washington,  it  was  abandoned. 

Under  a  resolution  of  the  Legislature,  discharges  in  due  form  were  fu 
nished  to  the  "Squirrel  Hunters"  who,  in  the  preceding  year,  had  rushed  to  tl 
defense  of  Cincinnati.  The  numbers  sent  from  each  county  thus  came  to  I 
ascertained  with  at  least* an  approximate  degree  of  accuracy.  They  are  s« 
forth  in  the  following  table  : 


COUNTIES.        Number 


Adams 

Allen 

Anihind  

Ashtabula 

Athens 

Brown 

Butler 

Carroll 

Champaign.... 

Clark 

Clermont 

Clinton 

Colombians  ... 

Crawford  

Cuyahoga 

Ene 

Faii-lield  


250 
163 
104 
366 
160 
1,326 
116 

14 
201 
459 
442 
607 
337 

31 
454 

60 

58 


COUNTIES.         Number 


Fayette... 
Franklin . 

Gallia 

Geauga  ... 
Greene  ... 
Guernsey 
Hamilton 
Hancock.. 
Hardin  ... 
Highland 
Hocking  . 
Holmes... 
Huron  ... 
Jackson .. 

Knox , 

Lake 

Lawrence 


25 

244 
1,093 
199 
675 
3 
504 
170 

55 

203 

7 

45 
295 
200 
256 
129 
561 


COUNTIES.         Number.        COUNTIES 


Licking 

Logan 

Lorain 

Lucas 

Mahoning.... 

Marion 

Medina 

Miami 

Montgomery 

Morrow 

Muskingum 

Cutaway 

Pike 

Portage 

Preble 

Richland  .... 


404 
178 
295 
197 
149 

80 
103 

92 
425 
266 

32 

17 
150 
261 
372 
258 

50 


Sandusky  , 

Scioto 

Seneca 

Shelby 

Stark" 

Summit  .. 
Trumbull. 

Union 

Van  Wert 
Warren  ... 
Wayne .... 
Williams  . 

Wood  

Wyandot . 

Total.. 


Numn 


15,73 


Mr.  LMson  B.  Olds,  whose  arrest  for  speeches  calculated  to  discourage  enli,1- 
mentfl  in  the  first  year  of  Tod's  administration  has  been  mentioned,  had  be.3 
released.  He  now  procured  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of  Governor  Tod,  on  te 
charge  of  kidnapping,  under  an  old  State  law.  His  movements  were  fcdroif 
timed  so  as  to  carry  the  Governor  to  the  Fairfield  Court  just  after  its  adjoin - 
ment,  and  thus  secure  his  incarceration,  for  a  few  days,  at  least.  But  Judo 
Gholson  of  the  Superior  Court  promptly  issued  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  and  te 


Closing  Features  oe  Tod's  Administration.  181 

Governor  was  finally  permitted  to  give  bail  for  his  appearance  at  the  next  term 
of  the  court.  The  main  object  of  the  arrest — the  hope  to  retaliate  for  Old's  im- 
prisonment in  kind  and  humiliate  the  Governor,  was  thus  defeated,  and  the 
whole  movement  finally  came  to  nothing. 

Hon.  E.  D.  Mansfield,  the  Commissioner  of  Statistics,  reported  at  the  close 
of  1863  that  out  of  five  hundred  and  fifty-four  thousand  three  hundred  and 
fifty-seven  able-bodied  men,  whom  his  calculations  upon  the  census  returns 
showed  to  be  embraced  in  the  population  of  the  State,  one  hundred  and  forty 
thousand  were  then  absent  in  the  service,  or  had  died  or  been  disabled  in  it; 
leaving  the  great  reserve  of  four  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand  three  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  from  which  re-enforcements  could  yet  be  drawn.  Two-thirds 
of  the  able-bodied  men  of  the  State  were  thus  left  at  home  to  carry  on  her  agri- 
culture, manufactures,  and  commerce,  in  spite  of  all  the  pressure  of  the  war. 
"Ohio,"  he  exclaimed,  "if  we  consider  the  progress  of  machinery,  has  no  longer 
airy  thing  to  fear  from  the  reduction  of  her  industry."  He  further  deduced, 
from  the  election  returns,  the  conclusion  that  the  State,  in  spite  of  all  losses,  had 
thirty  thousand  more  able-bodied  men  in  the  autumn  of  1863  than  in  the 
autumn  of  1860;  and  that  the  loss  of  able-bodied  men  in  the  State,  traceable 
to  the  war,  had  as  yet  only  amounted  to  twelve  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
eighty. 

In  such  condition  the  State  found  herself  at  the  close  of  her  second  war 
administration.  Governor  Tod  conducted  his  closing  work  with  dignity  and 
continued  zeal;  made  provisions  for  burial  places  for  Ohio  soldiers;  watched  to 
the  last  over  the  safety  of  the  Border;  took  vigorous  measures  to  repel  the 
danger  that  once  threatened  from  piratical  incursions  organized  in  Canadian 
waters;  and  took  especial  pains  to  leave  the  organization  of  the  militia  in  a 
satisfactory  shape.  In  his  last  message  he  tersely  recited  the  work  the  State 
had  done,  urged  an  increased  tax  levy  for  the  relief  of  the  families  of  soldiers, 
and  advised  an  increase  in  the  salary  to  be  paid  his  successor,  commensurate 
with  the  labors  and  expenses  of  the  position. 

He  laid  down  his  office,  perhaps  not  quite  so  popular  as  when  he  had  entered 
upon  its  duties,  yet  with  a  better  title  to  popularity.  It  was  indeed  easy  to 
ridicule  some  of  his  peculiarities.  He  was  a  trifle  pompous  in  his  style — some- 
what sophomoric,  not  to  say  egotistic,  in  habitually  referring  to  the  soldiers  as 
"my  gallant  boys" — given  to  puerile  exaggerations,  as  when  he  declared  that 
the  people  were  determined  to  "put  down  the  accursed  rebellion,  whether  that 
take  seven  days  or  seven  hundred  years."* 

He  made  some  mistakes  of  undue  vigor,  and  some  of  his  operations  entailed 
expenses  not  wholly  necessary.  But  he  was  zealous,  industrious,  specially 
watchful  for  the  welfare  of  the  troops,  faithful  in  season  and  out  of  season.  He 
was  at  the  head  of  the  State  in  the  darkest  hours  through  which  she  passed. 
He  left  her  affairs  in  good  order,  her  contributions  to  the  Nation  fully  made  up, 
her  duties  to  her  soldier  sons  jealously  watched,  and  her  honor  untarnished. 

*Ex.  Doc,  1833,  part  I,  p.  166. 


182  0HI°   IN  THE  Wae- 


OHAPTEE    XV 


THE  OPENING  OF  BROUGH'S  ADMINISTRATION -HIS  CARE  FO', 
THE  SOLDIERS,  AND  THE  STRIFES  TO  WHICH  IT  LED. 


ON  the  11th  of  January,  1864,  John  Brough  became  G-overnor  of  Ohi 
He  brought  to  the  office  a  larger  reputation  for  ability  than  either  < 
his  predecessors  during  the  war.  He  came  in  on  the  topmost  wave  of  i 
unparalleled  popular  enthusiasm,  backed  by  such  a  majority  as  no  Governor  ( 
the  State  had  ever  before  received,  sustained  by  a  public  confidence  that  lies 
tated  at  no  demand,  and  was  ready  for  any  sacrifice  for  the  war. 

In  his  inaugural  address  he  gracefully  recognized  the  true  significance  Cj 
his  wonderful  triumph.  "It  was  no  mere  party  triumph,"  he  said,  "  no  indivh 
ual  success.  No  mere  partisan  effort  could  have  achieved  such  a  victory;  r 
man  in  the  State  is  worthy  of  or  could  have  received  so  sublime  an  ovation 
"It  was,"  he  continued,  "a  spontaneous  declaration  of  the  intense  loyalty  of  oi 
people  to  their  Government — bearing  with  it  the  stern  commandment  that  ever 
energy  of  their  State  and  every  exertion  of  its  rulers  shall  be  given  to  tlj 
restoration  of  that  Government  to  its  original  unity  and  power.  It  not  onl 
relieves  us  of  all  mere  partisan  trammels  and  affinities,  but  it  commands  i 
that,  for  the  time  being,  these  shall  be  laid  aside  until  the  great  purpose 
accomplished  of  restoring  our  country  to  a  position  in  which  partisan  contes 
may  be  indulged  without  involving  our  nationality,  and  party  victories  be  wc 
without  their  possible  results  giving  encouragement  to  Eebels  in  arms  again: 
the  supremacy  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  land.  In  that  spirit  I  accej 
the  iate  declaration  of  our  common  constituency,  and  humbly  thank  them  thi 
in  this  particular  they  have  made  my  path  easy  and  straight  before  me." 

Toward  the  close  of  his  inaugural  he  gave  voice  to  another  lesson  of  tl 
great  campaign  which  had  ended  in  his  triumph.  "We  want  peace,"  he  said- 
"the  North  as  well  as  the  South— but  we  have  not  passed  the  terrible  ordeJ 
of  the  last  three  years  to  make  or  accept  peace  upon  any  other  than  honorab 
terms.  We  can  not  negotiate  with  Eebels  in  arms,  or  admit  of  anything  froi 
them  but  unconditional  surrender  and  submission.  .  .  .  The  pasL  has  i 
punishments  that  may  be  mitigated  or  forgiven,  but  the  future  must  have  fu 
and  ample  security.  .  .  .  There  are  but  two  ways  in  which  the  restoratio 
of  peace  and  the  Union  is  to  be  accomplished:  first,  the  unconditional  surreiuh 


Opening   of  Bkougips   Administration.  183 

of  the  leaders  and  the  abandonment  of  the  rebellion  ;  or,  second,  the  continued 
progress  and  conquests  of  our  arms  until  the  military  power  of  the  Confederacy 
is  broken  and  the  heart  of  the  rebellion  crushed." 

In  such  spirit  and  with  graceful  reference  to  his  predecessor,*  he  entered 
upon  the  duties  in  which  he  was  to  make  the  last  great  offering  to  the  cause. 

The  only  recommendation  to  the  Legislature  which  Governor  Brough  felt 
called  upon  to  make  in  his  inaugural,  was  one  which  was  to  prove  a  conspicu- 
ous feature  of  his  administration.  He  insisted  that  the  tax  for  the  aid  of  sol- 
diers' families  was  not  half  large  enough.  He  objected  to  Governor  Tod's  rec- 
ommendation that  it  be  doubled,  that  even  this  increase  would  be  too  small  to 
do  justice  either  to  the  people  or  the  soldiers;  and  urged  that  the  work  was  a 
debt  due  the  soldier,  and  should  not  be  left  to  private  contributions.  To  the 
arguments  in  favor  of  leaving  this  relief  to  charitable  efforts,  he  made,  at  somo 
length,  this  reply: 

"1.  That  if  the  State  acknowledges  this  obligation  to  the  family  of  the  absent  soldier,  she 
should  meet  it  as  a  compensation  for  his  services,  and  in  a  manner  fully  equal  to  the  necessities 
of  the  case. 

"2.  Private  contribution  is  not  equitable  in  its  character,  and  can  not  be  adjusted  to  the  prop- 
erty and  interests  that  are  protected  by  our  armies.  The  generous  will  give  beyond  their  actual 
abilities,  while  the  parsimonious,  or  the  opponent  of  the  war,  will  withhold  from  pecuniary  or 
unpatriotic  considerations.  Taxation  alone  will  equalize  this  burden,  and  impose  it,  where  it 
should  rest,  upon  the  property  protected  by  the  services  that  the  revenue  is  intended  to  compen- 
sate. If  the  additional  levy  increases  the  taxation  of  generous  contributors,  it  relieves  them  from 
a  larger  amount  of  private  bounty,  and  imposes  it  upon  the  non-contributors,  where  it  should  fall. 
Even  when  the  State  assumes  the  entire  support  of  soldiers'  families,  there  will  be  scope  enough 
for  private  contributions  to  alleviate  the  privations  and  sufferings  of  sick,  disabled,  and  wounded 
men  in  hospitals  and  at  home. 

u3.  The  form  of  private  charity  is  not  always  acceptable  to  its  recipients,  and  especially 
the  class  to  whom  this  is  applicable.  Much  suffering  and  privation  will  be  endured  before  pride 
will  suffer  application  to  private  charity,  where  there  is  a  consciousness  that  meritorious  services 
of  the  absent  provider  should  promptly  call  the  State  to  the  protection  and  support  of  his  de- 
pendent family.  We  should  divest  this  fund  of  the  appellation  of  charity.  It  is  not  such,  in 
any  application  of  the  term.  It  is  an  honest  debt,  and  an  imperative  duty,  that  we  owe  the  men 
who  are  serving  us  in  positions  of  labor  and  danger.  They  save  us  from  invasion — from  the 
destructive  ravages  of  war  within  our  borders.  While  they  press  the  conquests  of  our  arms  for 
the  restoration  of  our  Government,  they  protect  our  property  and  our  lives ;  they  are  the  con- 
servators of  all  the  prosperity  that  surrounds  us.  They  do  not  perform  this  service  for  the 
small  compensation  allowed  them  by  the  Government.  They  are  actuated  by  a  higher  and  a 
nobler  motive;  and  while  they  incur  privations,  danger,  and  death  for  the  common  cause,  the 
State  should  not  only  protect  their  families  from  want,  but  make  the  act  one  of  right  and  justful 
compensation,  instead  of  burdening  it  with  the  offensive  appellation  of  charity.  Neither  should 
it  be  governed  by  the  rigid  economy  of  mere  subsistence.  It  should  be  at  least  such  plenty  and 
comfort  as  the  stalwart  arm  of  the  natural  provider  would  furnish  them,  if  he  were  at  home  to 
do  it,  instead  of  laboring  in  our  service,  to  ward  calamity  from  our  hearthstones. 

"  In  my  judgment  three  mills  on  the  dollar  is  the  least  sum  at  which  this  tax  should  be 

•  "His  arduous  labors  have  contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  gratifying  results  presented 
to  you*  and  it  is  a  pleasing  reflection  that  the  people  of  the  State  will  be  able  to  follow  him  into 
his  present  retirement  from  executive  duties  with  the  grateful  plaudit  of  'well  done,  good  and 
faithful  servant.'  It  will  be  an  abiding  pleasure  to  me  if,  at  the  end  of  my  own  brief  service,  I 
shall  be  able  to  attain  alike  his  usefulness  and  his  reward." 


Ig4  Ohio    in    the  War. 

fixed   and   I  would   prefer  to  see  it  four  mills.     The  patriotic  people  of  the  State  will  cheerfully 
,„d  justify  yw  for  imposing  it.     The  act  should  also  require  county  commissioners  to 
collect  sports  of" disbursements  from  township  and  ward  trustees,  and  communicate  their  aggre- 
gate* annually  to  the  Auditor  of  State." 

The  Legislature,  accepting  these  views,  yet  fearful  of  such  heavy  taxation 
B8  they  proposed,  passed  a  bill  levying  a  tax  of  two  mills  on  the  dollar,  giving 
oountv  commissioners  power  to  add  another  inill,  and  city  councils  authority  to 
add  half  a  mill  more.  Township  and  county  officers  were  charged  with  the 
proper  distribution  of  the  fund,  but  in  case  of  their  failure  or  misconduct,  the 
Governor  was  authorized  to  interfere. 

As  soon  as  this  measure  became  a  law,  the  Governor  gave  earnest  attention 

to  its  enforcement.     He  presently  found  a  tendency  to  obstruct  its  operations, 

ions  where  the  political  belief  of  the  majority  had  suffered  defeat  in  the  de- 

,'  Mi-.  Vallandigham.     Township  officers  neglected,  or  openly  refused  to  do 

their  duty.     Thereupon  Governor  Brough  appealed  to  the  military  committees: 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  April  5,  1864. 
"To  the  Military  Committees  op  the  State  of  Ohio: 

"Gentlemen:  I  send  you,  herewith,  a  copy  of  the  act  passed  by  the  recent  General  Assem- 
bly, 'for  the  relief  of  the  families  of  soldiers  and  marines  in  the  State  and  United  States  service, 
and  of  those  who  have  died  or  been  disabled  in  such  service.'  I  especially  call  your  attention  to 
the  eighth  section  of  the  law,  and  on  behalf  of  our  soldiers  and  their  families  earnestly  ask  your 
co-operation  in  giving  it  efficiency. 

"There  are  almost  daily  complaints  to  this  department,  that  township  officers  in  certain 
localities  are  indisposed  to  administer  this  fund  in  the  manner  evidently  designed  by  the  General 
Assembly.  Women  complain  of  being  rudely  treated — of  being  compelled  to  travel  long  dis- 
tances to  get  signatures  of  officers,  and  then  being,  allowed  very  small  amounts,  of  being  almost 
insultingly  catechised  as  to  their  means  of  support,  and  divers  other  hindrances  and  oppressions. 
1  have  been  unwilling  to  believe  that  men,  trusted  of  their  fellow-citizens,  would  or  could  make 
of  their  offices  a  means  of  oppression  upon  the  weak  and  helpless  families  of  the  brave  men  who 
are  fighting  our  battles,  and  keeping  the  tide  of  rebellion  from  our  borders;  but  inquiries  made 
of  military  committees  have  brought  replies  even  worse  than  the  original  complaints.  I  am 
mortified  that  these  things  are  so;  but  while  this  evil  spirit  works  with  those  who  set  party  spirit 
above  patriotism,  and  political  resentment  above  the  obligations  of  public  duty,  the  friends  of  the 
country  and  its  brave  defenders  must  contribute  a  portion  of  their  time  and  trouble  to  aid  in  the 
enforcement  of  the  provision  made  by  the  law  to  remedy  these  evils.  Except  through  occasional 
correspondence,  I  can  not  be  advised  of  these  cases  where  the  law  is  wrested  to  private  purposes, 
and  its  operations  hindered  and  embarrassed.  I  request  you,  therefore,  to  co-operate  with  me  in 
this  particular.  Where  township  officers  do  not  faithfully  administer  the  law,  I  hope  you  will 
at  once  present  the  facts  to  your  county  commissioners.  If  they  neglect  or  refuse  to  act,  please 
notify  this  department,  and  at  the  same  time  indicate  good  and  loyal  men  who  will  undertake  the 
performance  of  the  duty.  Be  assured  of  prompt  and  decisive  action  in  this  quarter;  and  in  cases 
where  you  report  to  me  specific  facts,  1  will  put  them  in  such  attitude  that  the  people  of  the  State 
shall  see  and  know  the  means  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  injuring  the  cause  of  the  country 
and  its  soldiers  at  the  same  time.  I  do  not  doubt  your  cordial  sympathy  with  me  in  this  work ; 
for  it  is  a  duty  we  all  owe,  while  our  soldiers  protect  us  abroad,  to  look  to  the  support  and  com- 
fort of  their  loved  ones  at  home. 

"The  act  is  unusually  clear  and  explicit  in  its  provisions.  If,  however,  controversies  arise 
as  to  its  intent  and  meaning,  I  hope  you  will  freely  state  them,  and,  as  far  as  I  can  do  so,  I  will 
aid  in  solving  them.  The  law  was  enacted  in  a  spirit  of  liberality  and  justice,  and  it  should  be 
bo  administered.  It  does  not  dole  out  a  charity,  but  awards  what  is  justly  due  to  its  citizens  who 
have  voluntarily  left  their  peaceful  avocations  to  protect  the  State,  and  aid  in  crushing  an  unholy 
rebellion  against  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  Nation. 

"Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 


Opening  of  Bkough's  Administration.  185 

This  appeal  he  supplemented  with  the  utmost  personal  watchfulness.  In 
some  cases  he  found  that  boards  of  township  trustees,  composed  of  partisans  of 
Mr.  Yallandigham,  had  actually  set  aside  this  money  from  its  legitimate  use,  and 
added  it  to  their  bridge  funds!  Wherever  he  had  occasion  to  suspect  unfaithful- 
ness, he  summarily  dispossessed  these  officers  of  their  power.  As  the  year 
passed  away  he  found  his  fund  exhausted,  and  the  winter  bringing  prospect 
of  suffering.  To  meet  the  want,  he  made  an  official  appeal  for  private  con- 
tributions: 

"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  November  14,  18G4. 
"To  the  Military  Committees: 

"The  chilling  blasts  give  token «of  approaching  winter.  How  are  the  families  of  our  brave 
soldiers  prepared  to  meet  it,  and -pass  through  its  trials?  The  long-continued  campaigns — the 
almost  constant  moving  of"  troops,  has  rendered  difficult,  and  in  some  cases  impracticable,  the 
punctual  payment  of  the  men.  They  have  not  been  able,  therefore,  to  remit  as  much  as  usual  to 
their  families.  In  the  meantime,  the  prices  of  food,  clothing,  and  particularly  fuel,  have  largely 
advanced,  and  many  families  will  want  the  means  of  comfort  and  sustenance  unless  our  people 
are  liberal  of  their  gifts. 

"  We  must  not  weary  in  well-doing.  How  much  of  our  prosperity  and  security  we  owe  to 
our  army  in  the  field  can  easily  be  understood  and  appreciated  by  every  citizen  of  the  State.  I 
do  not  ask  charity  for  the  families  of  these  men,  I  ask  open  manifestations  of  gratitude  for  their 
labors  and  sacrifices,  and  a  liberal  recognition  of  the  obligations  we  are  under  to  them.  The 
general  sentiment  of  the  men  is,  we  want  less  in  the  field  and  more  at  home.  The  State  agencies 
have  done  a  great  work  this  year  for  our  men,  as  the  forthcoming  reports  will  show  you.  Now 
that  the  winter  is  upon  us,  while  we  do  not  neglect  the  sanitary  work  in  the  field,  let  us  direct  a 
larger  portion  of  our  energies  to  the  wants  of  the  families  in  our  midst.  Thursday,  the  24th 
instant,  we  will  devote  as  a  day  of  thanksgiving  and  prayer  to  Almighty  God  for  His  mercies  and 
blessings.  We  will  be  strengthened  and  made  fervent  by  so  doing.  Let  us  thereupon  devote 
Saturday,  the  26th,  as  a  day  of  feasting  and  jubilee  to  the  soldiers'  families. 

"In  cities  and  towns  fuel  is  a  most  important  item.  Call  upon  farmers  and  friends  to  come 
in  with  their  wagons  loaded  with  wood,  and  let  them  make  it  heaping  measure.  Of  their  abund- 
ant crops  of  potatoes,  apples,  grains,  and  vegetables,  let  them  make  liberal  contributions.  Do  not 
confine  this  to  county  seats;  but  let  the  same  be  done  in  all  the  towns  of  the  county  where  there 
are  families  needing  aid.  The  committee  can  readily  organize  a  small  body  of  respectable  citi- 
zens at  each  point,  who  will  attend  to  receiving  and  distributing  all  such  contributions.  I  need 
not  go  into  the  details.  Start  the  noble  work  in  your  county,  and  hundreds  of  willing  hands  will 
be  put  forth  to  aid  you. 

"Clothing  is  much  needed  among  these  families,  especially  in  towns  and  cities.  Almost 
every  family  can  contribute  something  in  this  particular;  but  wealthy  men  can  contribute  money, 
either  to  buy  clothing  or  to  purchase  fabrics  which  thousands  of  our  countrywomen,  with  busy 
fingers,  will  fashion  into  garments  for  the  needy. 

"  The  appeal  is  to  all  our  people.  Do  not  be  backward  or  hesitating  on  this  day  of  jubilee. 
Have  no  fears  that  too  much  will  be  contributed.  There  is  more  necessity  than  ever  before. 
The  large  number  of  men  furnished  this  year;  the  putting  forth  of  the  National  Guard,  and  the 
advance  in  the  prices  of  the  necessaries  of  life,  have  all  drawn  heavily  on  the  relief  fund.  In 
many  counties  it  has  been  anticipated  and  exhausted.  You  are  not  likely  to  exceed  the  actual 
wants  of  the  soldiers'  families;  but  even  if  you  should  contribute  somewhat  to  their  comfort,  or 
even  luxury,  it  will  be  a  very  small  equivalent  for  the  protection  you  have  received,  and  the  pros- 
perity you  have  enjoyed. 

"I  respectfully  urge  the  committees  to  give  this  matter  special  and  immediate  attention. 
Give  full  notice  of  the  movement.  Let  the  call  upon  the  people  be  widely  circulated.  Give  a 
few  days  to  perfecting  the  arrangement.  The  time  is  small  compared  with  that  expended  for  us 
by  the  men  at  the  front.  See  that  the  relief  contributed  is  extended  to  its  object;  and  thus  we 
will  make  this  a  day  that  will  gladden  the  hearts  of  wives  and  kindred  at  home,  and  strengthen 
the  arms,  and  reanimate  the  courage  of  husbands,  fathers,  and  brothers,  in  the  field.  It  is  a 
noble  work,  let  it  be  well  done.  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 


18(3  Ohio  in   the   Wak. 

While  thus  giving  unusual  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  soldiers'  families 
he  continued  the  work,  so  well  begun  by  his  predecessors,  of  watching,  through 
the  various  military  agencies  of  the  State,  over  the  troops  from  Ohio  in  ever}? 
field.  The  Legislature,  on  his  suggestion,  increased  the  number  of  these  agen- 
cies to  twelve.  As  far  as  possible  the  men  selected  for  each  were  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  work;*  the  system  of  their  operations  was  carefully  revised; 
and  something  of  the  same  close  management,  industry,  and  economy  were 
infused  into  the  business  for  which  the  Governor  had  been  noted,  in  past  times. 
in  his  railroad  operations.  Of  the  results  attained  in  these  agencies  a  fair  idea 
may  be  derived  from  the  report  of  the  most  important  of  them,  that  at  Wash- 
ington, where  to  be  an  Ohioan  came  to  be  regarded  among  the  soldiers  as  a  dis- 
tinction, insuring  kindly  treatment  and  watchful  care  in  all  emergencies.  The 
material  portions  of  this  report  for  the  year  1864  are  as  follows  : 

"  The  Agency  has  furnished  during  the  year  five  hundred  and  ninety-three  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  miles  of  transportation  to  individual  enlisted  men  from  Ohio,  amount- 
ing to  eight  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-six  dollars  and  fifty-six  cents,  on  which  there  was  a 
saving  to  them  of  two  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-four  dollars  and  forty-two  cents;  which 
mm  amounts  to  more  than  your  agent  has  charged  to  the  expense  account  of  your  Agency. 

"  The  Agency  has  collected  at  the  Paymaster-General's  Department,  for  individual  Ohio  sol- 
diers discharged  the  service,  something  over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  It  has  collected 
from  the  different  departments,  and  remitted  to  soldiers'  families  and  citizens  of  Ohio,  free  of  cost, 
some  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  It  may  not  he  out  of  place  here  to  note  one  spe- 
cial case.  A  claim  of  the  Franklin  County,  Ohio,  Infirmary  on  the  Government  for  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  sixty-six  dollars  had  heen  repeatedly  rejected  (although  it  had  all  the  influ- 
ence that  gentlemen  in  high  official  positions  could  give  it),  or  payment  refused  for  a  greater  sum 
than  nine  hundred  and  odd  dollars.  The  full  amount  was  ohtained,  thus  saving  to  that  charita- 
ble institution  an  important  fund. 

"  It  has  attended  to  the  wants  and  furnished  gratuitous  information  to  at  least  six  thousand 
correspondents. 

"It  has  given  counsel  and  relief  to  over  ten  thousand  Ohio  soldiers  who  have  called  at  its 
office. 

"  It  has  visited,  or  caused  to  be  visited  (for  the  purpose  of  relief),  in  the  hospitals  of  Wash- 
ington, Alexandria,  Baltimore,  and  Annapolis,  many  thousand  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  of  the 
State.  During  the  spring,  summer,  and  autumn  of  the  past  year  it  has  had  its  relief  agents  in 
the  armies  of  the  'Potomac'  and  'James,'  who  have  rendered  essential  services,  not  only  to  the 
soldiers  of  Ohio,  but  to  those  of  other  States. 

"It  has  received  and  distributed  among  the  sick  and  wounded  men  of  Ohio,  in  the  field  and 
hospitals,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  packages  of  sanitary  stores,  the  most  of  which  were  sent  by  the 
patriotic  and  self-sacrificing  ladies  of  Ohio. 

"On  the  arrival  of  the  National  Guards  (Ohio 'one  hundred  days  men')  in  Washington, 
your  agent  addressed  to  each  of  the  commanding  officers  a  letter,  of  which  the  following  is  a 
copy: 


*  The  assignment  was  as  follows  : 

Washington Jas.  C.  Wetmore.  New  Orleans Lorin  E.  Brownell. 

Louisvil,e Vcsalius  Horr.  Columbus Jas.  E.  Lewis. 

Na8hville D-  &  Taylor.  Cincinnati D.  K.  Cady. 

Chattanooga Royal  Taylor.  Cleveland Clark  Warren. 

St-  Louis Weston  Flint.  Crestline.: W.  W.  Bagley. 

MemPhi3 F«  W.  Bingham.  Gallipolis R.  L.  Stewart. 

Of  these  the  Cleveland,  Crestline,  and  Gallipolis  agents  were  paid  each  five  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars  per  annum  ;  the  New  Orleans,  Memphis,  Nashville,  and  Chattanooga  agents,  one 
thousand  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  and  all  the  rest  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars  each. 


Opening  of   Brought   Administration.  187 

"  '  Ohio  State  Military  Agency,  Washington,  D.  C,  May,  1864. 

"'TO   COLONEL   COMMANDING  REGIMENT  OHIO   N.    G.: 

"  'Sir:  It  would  afford  me  pleasure,  as  far  as  I  am  able,  to  answer  the  call  of  your  Surgeon 
in  charge,  approved  by  yourself,  for  sanitary  stores,  for  use  of  the  sick  in  your  regimental  hospital. 
"  'I  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "  'JAMES  C.  WETMORE,  O.  S.  M.  Agent.' 

"  The  severe  epidemic  that  prevailed  in  many  of  those  regiments  during  their  short  term  of 
service  called  largely  for  relief,  and  which  your  Excellency's  foresight,  and  the  generous  contri- 
butions of  the  'Ladies'  Aid  Societies'  of  our  State,  enabled  your  agent  to  respond  to  the  many 
draughts  made  upon  him  for  such  assistance. 

"The  amount  disbursed  for  the  relief  of  sick,  wounded,  and  unfortunate  Ohio  soldiers,  since 
your  Excellency  placed  a  fund  in  the  hands  of  your  agent  (March  1,  1864),  has  been  seven  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars  and  twenty-seven  cents,  which  amount  went  directly  for  the 
benefit  of  our  soldiers,  except  a  small  amount  for  labor.  The  agents,  whose  names  have  been 
reported  to  you  at  different  times,  are  Ohio  gentlemen  who  kindly  volunteered  their  services  free 
of  charge. 

"  It  has  obtained  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  Adjutant-General,  Surgeon-General,  and  Com- 
missary-General of  prisoners  important  orders  affecting  the  interests  and  welfare  of  Ohio  soldiers." 

An  example  of  the  special  results  attained  after  great  battles  may  be  found 
in  the  operations  of  the  Ohio  Agency  after  the  battles  of  the  Wilderness.  One 
of  the  persons  sent  down  to  Fredericksburg  with  stores  for  the  wounded,  Mr. 
John  Hopley,  made  a  report,  of  which  this  is  the  substance : 

"  There  are,  I  judge,  over  five  thousand  wounded  at  Fredericksburg.  They  are  not  lying  in 
the  streets,  so  that  our  patrol  can  not  pass,  as  was  reported,  but  nearly  every  house  contains 
wounded  men.  All  of  the  public  and  very  many  of  the  private  buildings,  especially  the  large 
ones,  are  crowded  from  basement  to  attic.  In  the  way  of  comforts  and  supplies  a  gradual 
improvement  is  daily  evident,  but  everything  is  still  very  difficult  to  get.  For  some  days  the 
commonest  necessaries  were  wanting,  and  a  vast  amount  of  increased  suffering  was  in  conse- 
quence added  to  the  terrible  aggregate  of  human  agony  everywhere  patent.  For  many  days  even 
after  my  arrival,  which  was  a  week  after  the  sick  and  wounded  had  been  sent  there,  there  was 
no  regularity  in  the  feeding  of  the  wounded,  and  scarcely  anything  for  them  but  plain  hard  tack 
and  coffee,  and  poor  at  that.  There  were  no  beds,  and  frequently  no  blankets,  for  upon  the  set- 
ting in  of  hot  weather  the  men  had  thrown  them  away,  and  thousands  were  lying  upon  the  bare 
floor.  For  many  nights  there  were  no  lights  in  many  of  the  hospitals,  and  the  sufferers  had  to 
lie  and  groan  in  torture  through  the  terrible  darkness,  with  no  possibility  of  being  relieved.  The 
first  fearful  duty  of  the  morning  would  be  to  distinguish  the  sleeping  from  those  forever  at  rest. 
One  surgeon  to  over  two  hundred  men  would  be  a  fair  estimate.  Under  these  circumstances 
what  attention  can  our  brave  citizens  obtain  who  have  arrived  at  that  terrible  crisis  in  their  career 
when  bleeding  and  dying  for  us  is  no  longer  a  rhetorical  ornament?  Their  wounds  are  often 
undressed  for  days,  and  when  at  length  dressed,  then  not  by  professional  hands  or  with  the 
requisite  appliances,  for  on  Wednesday  I  heard  a  hospital  surgeon  say  there  was  not  a  pound  of 
simple  cerate  in  the  city.  As  an  instance  of  what  I  have  said,  a  brave  Ohio  boy,  to  whom  I 
took  a  tin  cup  of  beef  soup,  and  who  declared  he  was  only  slightly  wounded — having  an  arm 
broken  by  a  round  shot  which  had  also  carried  away  a  finger — said  he  had  to  go  two  squares  to 
get  some  one  to  pour  cold  water  upon  his  arm,  which  had  not  been  dressed  since  the  previous 
morning,  being  then  four  P.  M.  Opposite  to  our  State  agency  rooms  is  a  house  filled  with 
wounded,  many  of  whom  having  thrown  away  their  blankets,  were  lying  on  the  bare  floor ;  some 
without  arms,  some  without  a  leg,  and  others  more  fearfully  and  fatally  wounded.  These,  for 
twenty-four  hours  had  no  food  but  what  the  Ohio  Agency  supplied,  and  for  many  long,  weary 
hours,  loaded  with  pain,  not  a  surgeon  could  be  spared  to  attend  to  them.  When  it  is  remem- 
bered that  our  effective  army  must  be  supplied  at  all  hazards,  that  two  weeks  ago  we  did  not  pos- 
sess Fredericksburg,  and  that  the  collection  of  the  wounded  there  has  been  sudden  and  unex- 
pected, it  can  not  be  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  powers  that  be,  that  these  sad  things  are  constantly 
occurring,  while  it  can  be  said  that  at  least  a  slight  improvement  is  daily  perceptible. 


188  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

"Upon  my  arrival  I  found  several  gentlemen- already  sent  forward  by  Mr.  Wetmore,  to 
Whom  I  *M  attracted  to  report,  and  who  had  already  been  for  many  days  actively  at  work  dis- 
tribating  such  supplies  as  had  been  forwarded.  The  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions  were 
aaktng  themselres  beneficially  felt;  but  the  feeling  prevailed  that  the  former  was  not  doing 
as  much  as  the  latter,  nor  coming  up  to  the  expectations  of  those  who  supposed  themselves  capa- 
ble of  fudging.  Possibly  the  demand  upon  the  Sanitary  Commission  was  so  very  great  that  it  was 
ntly  drained,  but  it  was  very  difficult  to  get  anything  from  it.  As  an  instance  coming 
under  mv  own  experience,  I  took  up  for  Mrs.  Swishelm,  who  was  in  charge  of  the  Theater  Hos- 
pital, a  requisition  lor  six  crutches,  three  shirts,  three  pairs  of  drawers,  and  three  bottles  of 
brandy,  or  some  other  stimulant.  I  took  the  requisition  at  her  request,  and  stated  that  she  had 
almost  the  entire  charge  of  a  hospital  in  which  were  very  many  legless  and  armless  sufferers,  and 
upon  the  requisition  all  I  could  get  was  a  single  bottle  of  sherry  wine.  Again,  its  men  came  fre- 
quently to  our  State  agency  rooms  and  were  freely  supplied  with  many  things,  and  instead  of  the 
Sanitary  Commission  supplying  us,  we,  in  many  cases,  supplied  them.  Considering  the  amount 
of  funds  the  State  of  Ohio,  through  her  sanitary  fairs,  has  poured  into  the  treasury  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission,  I  think  it  was  a  part  of  the  duty  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  to  put  themselves 
in  communication  with  the  Ohio  State  Agency  and  offer  to  supply  whatever  stores  might  be 
needed;  but  nothing  of  the  kind  was  done.  I  think  the  State  of  Ohio  had  a  right  to  expect  this, 
and  that  there  was  a  neglect  of  duty  somewhere  that  it  was  not  done.  It  is  but  my  own  opin- 
ion, and  your  Excellency  may  think  otherwise.  It  further  seemed  to  me  that  the  sanitary  people 
had,  with  their  greatness  and  extended  resources,  so  entangled  themselves  with  routine  formali- 
ties ami  red  tape  that  they  were  unable  to  be  as  promptly  and  effectively  useful  as  the  less  liber- 
ally endowed  Christian  Commission. 

"I  am  proud  of  our  own  State  Agency.  Through  the  promptness  of  Mr.  Wetmore,  and  the 
activity  of  the  gentlemen  he  had  sent  there,  the  State  of  Ohio  has  been  effectively  and  benefi- 
cially felt;  but  I  fear  not  so  much  among  the  brave  citizens  of  our  own  State  as  they  had  a  right 
to  expect.  Our  gallant  Buckeyes  are  scattered  through  the  city  in  many  houses  widely  sepa- 
rated, and  they  are  often  surrounded  with  citizens  from  other  States  which  have  no  Soldiers'  Aid 
Agencies  established  there.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  impossible  to  discriminate,  and  cruel 
to  do  so.  The  wounded  man  from  Illinois  or  New  York  is,  when  before  us,  as  much  entitled  to 
our  sympathy,  and  to  whatever  comforts  we  may  have  to  dispense,  as  our  own  brave  Buckeyes; 
and  we  can  not,  while  administering  to  the  wounded  of  Ohio  those  comforts  and  luxuries  the 
liberality  of  her  citizens  have  provided,  refuse  to  other,  and  perhaps  more  severely  wounded 
citizens  around  us,  that  alleviation  of  their  sufferings  which  it  may  be  in  our  power  to  bestow. 
Thus  I  found  the  Ohio  Relief  Association  constantly  betrayed  by  the  circumstances  surroundin- 
gs into  being  a  Relief  Association  for  the  wounded  of  the  whole  Union.  This  is  neither  fair  to 
the  Ohio  boys  who  need  Ohio's  fostering  care,  nor  to  the  citizens  of  Ohio  at  home  who  have 
determined  that  the  citizens  in  the  field  should  be  well  cared  for,  and  yet,  as  I  experienced  the 
situation  of  affairs,  it  could  not  be  amended." 

And,  to  conclude  this  imperfect  exhibit  of  the  workings  of  the  State  Agency 
system,  we  may  add  the  substance  of  the  Eeport  for  the  Nashville  Agency: 

"Number  transportation  tickets  sold 3  132 

Amount  of  money  receivable  for  same ..."..1"  $4  647  29 

Amount  of  money  collected  on  soldiers'  account .......  ".".!'.'.'.'. $24528  70 

do  nZnnoV,iaVe  beT  'V arge nTmheT  °f  Boldien'  ^^  *»  """^  «**  W»  whose  names 

Kiv       b^tl  atThe^    7        1THe  r"1  nUmber  °f  PerS°nS  aSSi8ted  in"  ™ious  ways  can  not  be 
■  that  the  number  is  large  there  can  be  no  doubt.     The  expenses  of  this  office  (exclusive  -' 


"  The  J^sen  Z1  1  /  ^  ^  ^  hUndred  ™d  ***'{™  hilars  and  ninety-two  cents. 
not  eau^ed  n^r r  lriShmg  °Ur  diSCharged  and  furl°U^hed  S0ldiers  transportation  is 
su  h  a  Itl'  Jo r    rt    "  2  T™**  *  **  d^™^     »  often  occurs  that  there  is 

aw. it  the! turn  o    7°,       7       ^  ?™lent  office  "*  this  place,  that  men  are  compelled  to 
o    ext  a  exnen  e  ^ ''  "  ^  ***™*  UcketS  ^  ™  rdieved  from  ^  del^ 


"Since  May  1st  I  have  kept  a  full  record  of  Ohio  soldiers  admitted  to  hospitals 


I 

Opening  of  Brougips   Administration.  189 

this  place.  This  has  proved  very  useful  iu  furnishing  friends  a  ready  reference,  and  of  great 
assistance  lo  me  in  answering  numerous  letters  of  inquiry.  From  such  record  I  find  that  the 
following  changes  have  taken  place  since  May  1st,  as  follows,  viz.: 

"Number  of  Ohio  soldiers  admitted,  including  those  in  hospital  May  1st 10,970 

Number  transferred  North 4,429 

Number  returned  to  duty 1,765 

Number  discharged 32 

Number  furloughed 1,397 

Number  died 277 

•'The  move  made  by  Governor  Brough  and  yourself  to  have  a  portion  of  the  donations  from 
the  generous  people  of  Ohio  sent,  through  you,  to  the  State  Military  Agents,  to  be  distributed  by 
them  directly  to  Ohio  soldiers,  has  met  with  the  hearty  approval  of  our  soldiery,  and  if  the  sat- 
isfaction manifested  by  them  is  a  fair  index,  the  scheme  has  proved  a  success.  Since  June  3d  I 
have  received  sanitary  goods,  etc.: 

"From  yourself. 200  pkgs. 

From  Cincinnati  Br.  U.  S.  Sanitary  Commission,  as  per  your  order 15      " 

From  Mil  ford  Center  Aid  Society 4      " 

From  Unionville  Aid  Society 1    v" 

From  unknown  sources 2      " 

k 

"Total  number  packages 222 

"Of  which  the  following  disposition  has  been  made: 

"Forwarded  to  Agency  at  Chattanooga 68  pkgs. 

Delivered  to  U.  S.  Christian  Commission  as  per  your  request 5      " 

Distributed  from  this  office  and  to  hospitals 109      " 

Remaining  on  hand ., 40      " 

"Total  number  packages 222 

CONTENTS   OF    PACKAGES. 


Opened  for  Distribution. 


Shirts 549 

Drawers  prs.  191 

Stockings prs.  245 

Pants.  prs.     11 

Coats 22 

Handkerchiefs 625 

Towels 263 

A  r  m-slings 

Housewives 54 

Slippers 39 

Quilts 10 

Sheets 24 


484 
189 
243 
3 
22 
450 
212 


On 

[lai.d 


65 
2 

2 


175 

51 
21 
30 


Opened  for  Distribution. 


Pillows  and  Pads ...1025 

Pillow-cases 207 

Rolls  Bandages 1339 

Pkgs.  Rags 1648 

Pkgs.  Lint 20 

Bottles  Cordial 325 

Can  Fruit 275 

Pkgs.  Dried  Fruit 69 

Pounds  Apples 1318 

Pkgs.  Herbs 33 

Can   Butter.. 1 


Distrib' 

uted. 


On 

Hand. 


902 

207 

1139 

1348 

17 

304 

262 

60 

1318 

13 

1 


123 

200 

300 

3 

21 

13 

9 

20 


"Owing  to  the  difficulty  in  obtaining  transportation  during  the  past  few  weeks,  I  have  been 
compelled  to  retain  quite  an  amount  of  goods  intended  for  the  agency  at  Chattanooga.  Although 
the  distribution  of  goods  adds  largely  to  the  duties  of  this  office,  we  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  much  distress  is  relieved,  the  popularity  of  our  State  increased,  and  that  our  extra 
labor  is  appreciated  by  the  soldiers. 

"Upon  entering  this  office  Governor  Brough  placed  at  my  disposal  a  special  fund  for  reliev- 
ing extreme  cases  of  necessity,  for  which  no  other  provision  was  made.  From  this,  and  funds 
sent  me  by  benevolent  persons,  I  have  been  enabled  to  relieve  many  of  the  most  distressing  cases 
imaginable." 


190 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


It  may  have  been  observed  that  the  State  Agency  system,  under  the  increased 
vigor  infused  into  its  workings  by  Governor  Brough,  opened  the  way  to  com- 
plications  with  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions.  These  organizations 
not  unnaturally  sought  that  the  contributions  for  the  soldiers  should  pass 
through  their  hands.  The  State  authorities  preferred  to  have  the  control. 
Clashings  arose;  and,  in  one  or  two  cases,  open  and  very  unpleasant  controversies. 

In  his  message  in  January,  1865,  the  Governor  condensed  his  reasons  for 
turning  the  stream  of  good  works  for  the  soldiers  as  far  as  possible  into  the 
channel  of  the  State  Agencies: 

"There  are  many  benefits  attending  this  system,  which  should  not  be  disregarded. 

"1.  It  is  decidedly  the  most  economical  way  of  aggregating  and  distributing  the  contribu- 
tions of  our  people,  and  expending  the  means  appropriated  by  the  State  for  this  purpose. 

"2.  It  renders  certain  the  distribution  of  all  supplies  to  the  objects  and  purposes  for 
which  they  are  intended.  There  is  hardly  a  possibility  for  misappropriation.  There  is  no 
machinery  about  it  to  be  kept  lubricated,  and  no  class  of  middle  men  to  levy  toll  upon  it. 

"3.  By  proper  care  and  management  it  is  made  more  prompt  and  energetic  than  any  other 
mode;  and,  by  being  more  systematic,  will  be  more  general  and  appropriate  in  its  relief. 

"4.  It  fosters  and  gratifies  the  State  pride  of  our  soldiers.  It  comes  nearer  to  the  feeling 
of  home.  An  Ohio  soldier  regards  an  Ohio  Agency  as  a  place  he  has  a  right  to  enter  and 
expect  a  welcome.  If  he  is  in  want,  there  is  no  system  of  orders  or  requisitions  for  him  to  go 
through— no  prying  and  unpleasant  catechism  for  him  to  submit  to.  The  supplies  furnished  by 
his  State  and  his  people  are  there;  and  he  feels  that  he  is  no  object  of  charity  when  he  partakes 
of  them.  His  remembrances  of  home  are  freshened — his  attachment  to  his  State  is  quickened 
and  increased — and  he  goes  away  feeling  that  he  is  not  neglected  or  forgotten — that  the  cause  of 
the  country  is  still  worth  upholding,  and  the  dear  old  State  still  worth  defending  from  the 
encroachments  of  the  Rebel  adversary.  And  this  is  doubly  the  case  when  the  agent  passes 
almost  daily  through  his  hospital — bends  over  the  bed  on  which  he  is  stretched  with  sickness  or 
wounds — inquires  kindly  into  his  wants,  and  ministers  unto  them  from  the  benefactions  of  his 
people,  and  the  liberality  of  his  State.     Surely  that  spirit  is  worth  cherishing  and  preserving. 

"  While  I  do  not  seek  to  limit  the  contributions  of  our  people  through  other  channels,  I 
invoke  their  attention  to  their  own  agencies,  and  their  active  co-operation  in  the  labors  of  the 
opening  year.  If  earnest,  benevolent  citizens  will  organize  a  central  association  here,  I  will  be 
glad  to  work  with  them.  If  our  aid  societies  are  satisfied  with  the  present  system  of  working 
through  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  we  will  continue  it,  in  the  hope  it  will  be  much 
enlarged — that  our  supplies  will  be  increased — and  our  soldiers  comforted  and  strengthened 
under  the  perils  and  sufferings  they  are  called  to  endure." 

And  in  a  letter  of  instructions  to  his  agent  at  Louisville,  in  reference  to  the 
claims  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  the  Governor  entered  somewhat  more  into 
detail : 

"The  point  submitted  in  yours  of  the  3d  inst.,  is  somewhat  difficult  and  complicated.  We 
desire,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  work  in  harmony  with  the  Sanitary  Commission ;  but  there  are 
circumstances  to  be  taken  into  account  which  we  can  not  disregard. 

"1.  M;iny  of  our  aid  societies  have  adopted  the  principle  that  their  labors  and  collections 
shall  be  devoted  to  Ohio  men  first,  until  they  are  fully  cared  for.  Where  they  so  direct,  accom- 
panying (heir  contributions,  their  requests  must  be  complied  with. 

"2.  Many  of  these  societies  desire  that  their  aid  shall  be  State  aid,  and  administered  as 
such.  Whether  rightfully  or  wrongfully,  they  have  more  confidence  that  supplies  through  this 
channel  will  more  certainly  reach  and  benefit  the  object  of  their  care  and  bounty. 

"3.  If  they  desired  their  contributions  to  go  through  a  common  stock,  either  of  the  Sanitary, 
or  any  other  association,  they  could  so  send  them,  without  cost  of  transportation  to  the  State,  or 
trouble  to  the  agents,  and  at  the  same  time,  deprive  the  State  and  the  aid  societies  of  any  State 
credit  in  providing  or  disbursing  them. 


Opening  of  Brougits  Administration.  191 

"4.  Many  soldiers  feel  that  the  relief  associations  are  charities,  but  that  State  aid  is  a  right 
which  they  may  claim  without  any  delicacy.  This  is  acknowledged  on  the  part  of  many  of  our 
people,  and  the  principle  is  worthy  of  encouragement. 

"The  main  cause  of  trouble  with  the  Sanitary  Commission,  which  is  now  alienating  the  gen- 
erous people  of  this  State  from  it,  is  that  it  will  not  permit  any  other  exertion  ;  will  not  allow  any 
rivalry  in  the  good  work;  demands  a  monopoly  of  all  the  donations  of  the  people,  and  the  dis- 
tribution of  them  without  any  check  or  investigation.  Its  publications  declare  that  the  people 
of  Ohio  have  constituted  the  Commission  the  'sole  almoners  of  their  bounty' — the  people  say 
they  have  done  no  such  thing. 

"  The  State  officers  and  agents  have  no  desire  to  monopolize  relief,  or  to  break  down  or  drive 
the  Sanitary  Commission  from  the  field.  We  are  willing  to  work  alongside  of  them,  to  do  all 
the  good  we  can ;  to  aid  them  when  short  of  supplies ;  to  give  them  full  credit  for  what  aid  they 
may  render  us,  but  we  can  not  put  our  contributions  for  Ohio  men  into  their  general  pot,  and 
then  receive  it,  or  a  fraction  of  it,  back,  on  orders,  as  Sanitary  stores. 

"Such  a  demand,  on  their  part,  is  unreasonable,  and  is  made  in  a  spirit  of  superiority  and 
monopoly.  Our  position  is  a  clearly  proper  and  defensible  one ;  and  we  shall  steadily  hold  it. 
We  would  avoid  conflict — we  desire  to  work  in  harmony. 

"  Our  people  have  given  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  to  the  Commission,  let  that  be 
administered  for  the  purpose  of  its  donation.  What  these  same  people  give  to  the  State  authori- 
ties, will  be  distributed  under  State  authority,  for  the  benefit  of  Ohio  men.  We  will  do  this  in 
the  spirit  of  kindness  and  co-operation.  If  the  Commission  is  not  satisfied,  and  chooses  to  cut 
off  supplies  from  Ohio  men,  because  the  State  desires  to  aid  them,  let  that  position  be  assumed 
and  made  known.  The  State  and  its  people  will  be  found  equal  to  the  emergency.  We  do  not 
desire  to  invite  or  provoke  such  a  result,  but  we  will  not  shrink  from  it  if  forced  upon  us  as  a 
retaliation  for  attempting  to  preserve  the  character  and  identity  of  the  State  in  the  care  of  its 
soldiers.  •        / 

"  Your  duty,  therefore,  in  this  matter,  while  a  delicate,  is  a  firm  one. 

"Avoid  controversy  and  strife;  but  minister  to  those  under  your  care  the  comforts  that  are 
6ent  to  them.  When  our  people  or  myself  desire  to  use  the  Sanitary  or  any  other  commission  to 
do  the  work  of  your  agency,  you  will  be  regularly  notified.  Until  then,  pursue  the  straight  line 
of  duty,  kindly  but  firmly.  If  a  room  is  found  necessary  for  your  supplies,  get  it  as  economically 
as  you  can.  If  you  find  help  necessary  in  the  work  of  receiving  and  distributing,  more  than  you 
have,  you  are  authorized  to  employ  it.  But  in  all  assume  no  prerogative,  and  give  no  unneces- 
sary offense.  Work  in  harmony  as  long  as  it  is  possible  to  do  so,  making  all  proper  concessions, 
but  not  yielding  the  great  principle  that  the  State  will  look  after  her  sons,  without  accepting  the 
dictation  or  patronage  of  any  institution." 

The  most  serious  difficulty,  however,  was  that  in  which  the  State  agent 
became  involved  with  the  Sanitary  Commission  at  Washington.  The  trouble 
here  was  primarily  about  a  contract  made  by  the  Commission  with  the  Balti- 
more and  Ohio,  and  connecting  roads,  by  which  all  soldiers  for  Northern  Ohio 
were  forced  to  go  over  these  roads,  and  thus  to  make  long  and  expensive  detours 
from  their  direct  routes  home.  As  a  practical  railroad  man,  Governor  Brough 
saw  at  once  the  injustice  and  the  motives  of  this  arrangement.  As  soon  as  com- 
plaints began  to  reach  him,  he  directed  the  State  agent  to  take  entire  charge, 
thenceforth,  of  the  supply  of  transportation  to  Ohio  soldiers  going  home. 
Against  this  the  Sanitary  Commission  protested.  The  feeling  grew  bitter,  and 
some  things  that  had  been  better  unsaid,  crept  into  the  newspapers. 

In  how  temperate  and  wise  a  spirit  of  moderation  Governor  Brough  him- 
self viewed  the  controversy  may  be  seen  in  his  own  hand-writing,  in  a  letter 
preserved  among  the  State  archives  for  the  year  1864.  "I  am  afraid,"  he 
wrote  to  his  agent,  "  that  you  have  a  little  too  much  personal  feeling  in  regard 


j92  Ohio  in  the  War. 

lo  the  Bnmtary  trouble.    Public  servants  must  remember  that  great  public  inter- 

e8tfl  mug|    not  eted   by  personal   wishes  or  feelings.      The  interests  of 

Others  are  involved  in  this  matter.     ATe  have  soldiers  to  be  fed  and  cared  for. 

rork  the  Sanitary  Commission  is  doing  well."     And  to  this  he  added 

■  golden  words  of  advica:  "In  everything  that  affects  the  interest  of  our 
BOldiors  v.v  must  conciliate  where  necessary;  we  must  heal  and  not  widen 
breaches;  we  must  crucify  personal  feelings;  we  must  bear  injuries  as  they  come 
rather  than  resent  them  when  no  good  will  follow.  In  this  case,  as  in  all 
Others,  we  must  not  provoke  a  conflict,  and  if  it  must  come,  let  ns  be  sure  that 

re  in  tin-  right,  We  must  not  weaken  confidence  in  an  institution  that  is 
doing  good,  even  though  it  commit  some  errors."* 

But  with  all  his  moderation,  he  was  immovable  in  his  resistance  to  what 
>:inled  as  the  encroachments  of  the  Sanitary  Commission.  He  would  not 
place  the  State  machinery  for  the  relief  of  her  soldiers  in  its  hands.  He  would 
not  withdraw  his  agents  ;  would  not  give  them  the  money  and  stores  from  the 
Stah-:  would  not  yield  his  personal  responsibility  for  the  soldiers  sent  out  by 
his  constituents.  In  the  case  of  the  railroad  imbroglio  at  Washington  he 
finally  ended  the  controversy  as  follows  : 

"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  January  20,  1864. 
;>.  N.  Knapp,  Esq.,  Associate  Secretary  Sanitary  Commission,  Washington  City,  D.  C: 

"Sir:  Your  communication  of  December  23,  addressed  to  Governor  Tod,  has  come  to  my 

hands.     Of  the  accompanying  correspondence  I   had  been   in  possession   for  some  weeks.     My 

personal  knowledge  of  this  ticket  department  covered  much  more  than  the  topics  of  this  contro- 

1  do  not  propose  to  follow  the  intricacies  of  the  controversy  itself,  but  to  deal  as  briefly 

as  possible  with  the  facts. 

"1.  I  concede  to  the  Sanitary  Commission  all  they  claim  as  to  the  motives  which  actuated 
their  principal  officers  in  this  arrangement  for  soldiers'  transportation.  I  cheerfully  acknowl- 
edge their  gittat  labors  and  usefulness  in  the  work  of  ministering  to  the  comforts  of  soldiers.  I 
impeach  them  with  no  frauds  or  attempts  at  fraud.  Yet  they  are  but  men,  and  may  err  in  judg- 
ment, even  where  motives  are  pure. 

"  2.  1  hold  they  did  err  in  judgment  first,  when  in  organizing  this  plan  they  gave  a  monop- 
olizing control  to  one  line  of  road  out  of  Washington  and  its  connections ;  and  second,  when  a 
controversy  arises  they  at  once  adopt  the  independent  ticket  office  of  that  road  as  a  part  of  their 
own  organization,  and  defend  it  with  great  zeal  against  all  charges.  Thi3  ticket  office  is  not  under 
your  control.  It  is  the  office  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road;  the  agent  is  appointed  by  them, 
reports  to  them,  is  paid  by  them,  and,  of  course,  works  for  them,  lie  is  independent  of  you,  and 
you  can  not  know  what  he  does  only  as  he  sees  fit  to  disclose  to  you.  Pie  has  injured  you,  and 
he  can  continue  to  do  so.     He  is  an  agent  to  be  watched,  and  not  to  be  implicitly  trusted. 

"  Z.  The  argument  that  is  made  by  Mr.  Abbott  to  you  in  favor  of  giving  a  monopoly  in  this 
transportation  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road  is  unsound  in  this,  that  that  road  makes  a  ter- 
mination and  connections  at  Wheeling  that  disables  it  from  accommodating  many  Western  sol- 
diers in  direct  routes  of  travel  to  their  homes.  Their  ticket/agent  will  always  send  over  his  whole 
line,  while  many  a  soldier  would  be  facilitated  in  getting  to  Pittsburg,  Let  me  illustrate:  I 
have  known  soldiers  for  Fort  Wayne,  and  parts  west  of  it,  sent  via  Wheeling,  Columbus,  and  Indi- 
anapolis. Look  over  the  map  for  the  detour.  I  knew  of  three  soldiers  going  to  Winchester,  Ran- 
dolph County,  Indiana,  sent  on  tickets  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  seventy-live  miles  west  of  their 
destination,  with  no  further  transportation  ;  for,  from  that  point  I  passed  them  home.  Soldiers 
from  Northern  Ohio  have  been  sent  to  Wheeling,  thence  back  to  Wellsville,  and  thence  to  Cleve- 

*  Letter  to  James*  C.  Wetmore,  February,  1864.  Letter  Books  Brough's  Administration,  State 
Archives. 


•  ••  • 

.      •  •  •  • 


•       ••  •  • 


Opening  of  Brought   Administration.  193 

land  and  Toledo.  All  these  should  have  had  transportation  to  Pittsburg,  whence  they  had 
straight  roads  home.  All  these  things  are  within  my  personal  knowledge.  Granted  there  was 
trouble  in  getting  the  Northern  Central  Road  into  the  arrangement.  They  did  come  into  it  for 
Northern  Pennsylvania  soldiers,  for  Ohio  soldiers  at  Governor  Tod's  request,  and  would,  with  a 
fair  distribution  of  business,  have  done  it  with  you.  Mr.  Abbott's  argument  shows  that  he  was 
as  willing  to  get  rid  of  them,  upon  a  slight  refusal,  as  lie  was  anxious  to  give  a  monopoly  to  the 
Baltimore  and  Ohio  Road.  I  do  not  attribute  to  him  any  bad  motive  in  doing  so,  but  the  fact  is 
none  the  less  fixed. 

"5.  Here,  therefore,  is  the  root  of  the  evil.  Mr.  Abbott  did  not  understand  all  the  ramifi- 
cations of  these  routes  of  communication.  He  did  not  foresee  that  in  a  great  work  of  this  kind 
he  must  have  not  only  immediate  but  remote  lines  open  to  him.  He  did  not  comprehend  the 
fact  that  Pittsburg  was  a  more  important  distributive  point  for  Northern  and  Central  Ohio  than 
Wheeling.  He  was  not  versed  in  the  sympathies  of  trunk  lines  and  their  connections.  He 
wanted  to  do  with  one  party  only.  Granted  that  orders  have  been  given  to  send  soldiers  by  the 
direct  routes.  The  ticket  agent  interprets  that  for  himself,  and  acts  for  the  interests  of  his  em- 
ployers. You  can  not  know  his  transgressions  ;  you  can  not  control  his  acts ;  you  can  do  noth- 
ing but  implicitly  take  his  statements,  and  become  at  once  his  shield  and  defense.  Hence  what 
was  intended  for  a  good  thing  for  soldiers  has,  by  a  mistake  in  the  beginning,  and  interested 
management  on  the  part  of  railroad  agents  vested  with  its  monopoly,  become  a  source  of  strife, 
and,  in  some  cases,  of  small  wrongs  and  oppression.     Monopolies  always  produce  such  results. 

"  6.  It  was  partially  in  view  of  this  that  Governor  Tod  organized  his  system  of  furnishing 
half-fare  transportation  to  Ohio  soldiers,  and  intrusted  his  tickets  to  his  own  agent.  He  could 
not  have  them  sold  at  that  office,  and  his  agent  bore  many  complaints  before  he  gave  a  public 
caution  to  Ohio  men. 

"  7.  A  strict  construction  of  M.  "Wetmore's  card,  I  admit,  implies  a  censure  upon  the  Sani- 
tary Commission.  If  I  had  written  it  I  would  have  embraced  the  ticket  agency  alone.  And 
yet,  as  the  beginning  of  the  trouble  is  in  your  granted  monopoly  (which  was  an  error  of  judg- 
ment and  not  of  intention),  you  should  not  blame  him  for  his  course  in  not  more  strictly  defining 
the  line  of  responsibility. 

"8.  I  attach  very  little  importance  to  the  case  of  McDonald,  except  as  to  its  having  been  the 
initial  point  of  this  controversy.  Mr.  Wetmore  has  affidavits  of  other  cases.  Still  others  have 
been  matters  of  complaint  here  in  Ohio,  and  others,  and  more  flagrant  ones,  have  come  under  my 
own  personal  observation  in  Ohio  and  Indiana.  Because  you  are  ignorant  of  any  other  than  the 
case  of  McDonald,  if  for  nothing  else,  I  acquit  the  sanitary  committee,  as  a  body,  of  any  knowl- 
edge or  complicity  in  this  thing,  except  the  great  mistake  in  the  beginning. 

"9.  The  controversy  has  been  a  very  unpleasant  one.  I  would  regret  it  were  it  not  that  I 
see  that  good  will  come  from  it.  The  officers  of  this  State  do  not  desire  any  collision  with  the 
Sanitary  Commission.  We  would  much  rather  co-operate  with  them  ;  but  when  we  know  that 
they  have,  however  honestly,  made  a  mistake,  we  shall  not  hesitate  to  protect  our  soldiers  from 
the  results  of  it ;  and  especially  will  we  not  permit  them  to  grant  as  a  monopoly  the  whole  mat- 
ter of  transportation  from  Washington  when,  through  our  own  agents,  we  can  do  better  for  our 
soldiers. 

"10.  No  further  good  can  come  from  a  prolongation  of  this  controversy.  I  respectfully  sug- 
gest that  the  sanitary  committee  not  only  send  all  Ohio  soldiers  to  the  Ohio  quarters  for  trans- 
portation, but  protect  them  from  being  seized  at  the  ticket  office  on  their  grounds ;  and  that,  on 
the  other  hand,  Mr.  Wetmore  withdraw  his  card,  and  co-operate  in  works  of  kindness  with  you. 
So  shall  both  State  and  Sanitary  Commission  work  together  harmoniously  for  a  common  purpose, 
the  protection  of  the  interests  of  the  soldiers. 

"  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

The  Commission  was  unable  to  deal  with  these  trenchant  statements,  but  it 
never  regarded  the  Governor  afterward  with  a  kindly  eye.  With  its  Western 
Branch,  however,  his  relations  were  generally  cordial,  as  they  were  also  with  the 
Christian  Commission  everywhere. 

The  State  Quartermaster  was  directed  to  take  charge  of  all  contributions 
Vol.  1.— 13. 


194 


Ohio  in   the  War. 


which  the  people  might  prefer  to  send  to  the  soldiers  directly  through  the 
medium  of  the  State  Agencies.  The  supplies  thus  forwarded  were  liberal, 
and  it  was  believed  that  they  were  distributed  to  the  soldiers  for  whom  thef 
mm  intended  with  more  accuracy,  promptness,  and  economy  than  could  have 
been  secured  in  any  other  way. 

How  conciliatory  in  wish,  yet  firm  in  action,  Governor  Brough  was  as  to  his 
relations  to  outside  organizations  for  relieving  the  soldiers,  we  have  been  seeing. 
It  remains  to  observe  that  his  patience  gave  way,  and  his  strong  passions  were 
inflamed  to  the  utmost  at  any  maltreatment  of  Ohio  soldiers  in  hospitals.  Other 
errors  he  could  regard  with  charity;  but  this  was  a  crime  for  which  he  could 
scarcely  find  words  to  express  his  feelings,  or  hot,  vigorous  action  prompt 
enough  to  satisfy  his  demands. 

lie  kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  all  the  hospitals  where  any  considerable  num- 
bers of  Ohio  troops  were  congregated.  The  least  abuse  of  which  he  heard  was 
made  matter  of  instant  complaint.  If  the  Surgeon  in  charge  neglected  it,  he 
appealed  forthwith  to  the  Medical  Director.  If  this  officer  made  the  slightest 
delay  in  administering  the  proper  correction,  he  went  straight  to  the  Surgeon- 
General.  Such,  from  the  outset,  was  the  weight  of  his  influence  with  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  that  no  officer  about  that  Department  dared  stand  in  the  way  of 
Brough's  denunciation.  It  was  known  that  the  honesty  and  judgment  of  his 
statements  were  not  to  be  impugned,  and  that  his  persistency  in  hunting  down 
offenders  was  remorseless. 

Into  the  details  of  his  dealings  with  hospital  authorities  we  can  not  enter. 
But  the  cases  of  the  Camp  Dennison  and  Madison  Hospitals  may  serve  as  illus- 
trations. 

Through  the  autumn  of  1864  complaints  as  to  the  food  of  patients  at  Camp 
Dennison  were  rife — particularly  complaints  as  to  the  food  of  convalescents. 
To  these  the  Governor  promptly  called  the  attention  of  Surgeon  Tripler,  the 
Medical  Director  at  Cincinnati.  That  officer  sent  up  Surgeon  Stanton,  a  cousin 
to  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  make  an  investigation,  the  report  of  which  was 
duly  forwarded  to  Governor  Brough.  The  two  letters  from  him  thus  evoked 
do,  perhaps,  some  injustice,  or,  at  least,  express  a  possibly  harsh  judgment. 
But  as  instances  of  the  rough,  sturdy  way  in  which  he  stood  up  for  his  wounded 
men,  like  a  bear  for  its  wounded  cubs,  of  the  pitiless  severity  with  which  he  cut 
through  all  excuses  for  mistreatment  of  the  soldiers,  and  of  his  utter  indifference 
to  mere  considerations  of  social  and  official  standing  in  the  persons  whom  he 
attacked,  they  are  unique.  No  soldier  will  read  them  without  fresh  feelings  of 
gratitude  to  the  strong  champion  who  thus  espoused  his  cause  against  all  comers: 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  November  29,  1864. 
"Surgeon  C.  S.  Tripler,  Medical  Director,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

'Sir:  Absence  in  part,  and  in  part  other  objects,  have  prevented  an  earlier  response  to 
your  favor  of  September  26th,  inclosing  report  of  Surgeon  Stanton,  touching  the  complaints  of 
bad  treatment  of  our  men  at  Camp  Dennison. 

"Upon  a  careful  reading  of  the  report  of  Surgeon  Stanton,  I  was  forcibly  struck  with  the 
fact  that,  while  he  admitted  that  insufficient  and  deteriorated  food  was  furnished  the  men,  and  the 


Opening  of  Bkough's  Administration.  195 


hospital  fund  largely  reduced  without  providing  an  equivalent  to  the  sick  aud  wounded,  he  was 
utterly  unable  to  discover  by  what  process  this  was  accomplished,  or  upon  whom  the  responsi- 
bility of  tiiis  state  of  things  should  rest.  Whether  this  defect  of  vision  was  personal  or  official — 
artificial  or  real — I  had  not  then  any  means  of  determining:  but  I  have  always  entertained  the 
opinion  that  an  honest  public  servant  rarely  finds  a  dishonest  effect  without  being  able  to  trace  it 
to  the  proper  cause.  I  was  very  far  from  being  satisfied  with  the  superficial  and  gingerly  report 
of  Surgeon  Stanton.  The  reports  to  me  of  the  gross  wrongs  perpetrated  on  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers  at  Camp  Dennison  had  become  a  serious  matter.  I  had  several  times  pressed  you  for  an 
investigation.  You  finally  send  me  a  report  which  admits  all  that  has  been  charged;  measurably 
evades  the  point  of  liability,  rather  seeking  to  cover  up  than  expose;  presents  facts  that  tell  an 
open  story  of  wrong,  if  not  of  fraud;  and  glosses  all  over  with  glittering  generalities  and  specious 
phrases  without  vigor  or  honesty  of  purpose.  Still  no  remedy  was  proposed ;  no  change  of  offi- 
cials recommended;  no  remedy  for  the  wrongs  or  sufferings  of  our  men  pointed  out;  but  the 
scarred  and  wounded  veterans  of  a  score  of  battle-fields  were  coolly  sacrificed  to  the  esprit  de  corps 
of  the  medical  profession.  I  felt  that  your  blood  would  be  stirred  by  this  thing;  that  your  repu- 
tation, if  nothing  else,  would  spur  you  to  a  further  investigation  of  this  wrong,  and  an  applica- 
tion of  a  remedy.  I  waited  sometime  patiently  for  such  a  demonstration,  but  it  came  not.  I 
^then  instituted  inquiries  on  my  own  account.  By  whom,  and  in  what  manner.  I  am  prepared,  on 
a  proper  occasion,  to  disclose.  It  ngust  be  sufficient  for  the  present  purpose  to  state  that  I  offi- 
cially indorse  the  parties  making  it,  as  capable,  truthful,  and  honest  men.  No  information  of 
theirs  comes  from  hospital  patients — but  from  undoubtedly  reliable  sources. 

"The  three  following  points  are  clearly  established: 

"1.  That  the  quantity  of  the  food  provided  for  the  convalescent  soldier  in  this  hospital  for 
the  past  six  months,  has  been  entirely  inadequate. 

"  2.     The  quality  of  an  important  article — coffee — has  been  deteriorated. 

"  3.  The  variety  which  is  designed  to  be  furnished  to  the  sick  under  the  name  of  delicacies, 
has  been  deficient. 

"4.  The  question  of  the  capacity  or  honesty  of  the  Surgeon-in-chief  is  left  to  conjecture; 
from  the  facts,  charity  pointing  to  the  former  in  the  absence  of  the  actual  and  positive  proofs  as  to 
the  latter. 

"I  am  willing  to  accept  the  first  part  of  the  suggestion  myself;  but  unwilling  that  it  shall 
any  longer  work  injury  and  wrong  to  our  soldiers. 

"  During  all  this  time  it  is  shown,  as  by  Surgeon  Stanton,  that  full  rations  have  been  drawrn, 
and  a  good  quality  of  articles  furnished;  but  the  men  have  not  reaped  the  benefit;  and  the  sick 
and  wounded  have  languished  for  the  delicacies  which  the  hospital  fund  should  have  furnished. 

"In  relation  to  the  article  of  coffee  it  is  found: 

"1.  That  instead  of  the  issue  of  the  original  berry  parched,  to  be  ground  in  the  hospital 
kitchens,  a  large  coffee-mill  has  been  procured,  and  the  coffee  drawn  from  the  Post  Commissary 
lias  been  ground  in  the  large  mill,  and  issued  in  that  form. 

"2.  The  cooks  have  been  instructed  to  save  their  coffee  grounds  after  boiling,  dry  them,  and 
then  return  them  to  the  issuing  clerk  of  the  hospital. 

*"As  a  matter  of  course  the  coffee  is  a  miserable  slop. 
"4.  The  question  naturally  occurs,  '  Do  the  dried  coffee  grounds  after  being  returned  to  the 
issuing  clerk  get  mixed  with  a  portion  of  good  coffee,  and  find  its  way  to  the  soldier's  table  a 
second  time?'  Perhaps  Dr.  Stanton  could  have  determined  this,  if  he  had  drank  a  cup  of  the 
'miserable  slop'  with  which  our  soldiers  are  regaled.  The  smallness  of  the  hospital  fund  is  a 
matter  of  surprise.  Dr.  Stanton  admits  this  himself.  He  can  not  imagine  the  reason.  I  am  not 
willing  to  suggest  it.  The  prior  history  of  the  hospital  proves  that,  under  former  management, 
this  fund  was  not  only  ample  to  supply  the  men  with  extras  and  delicacies,  but  a  surplus  of  several 
thousand  dollars  was  paid  over  to  other  hospitals  in  1863. 

"I  trouble  you  merely  with  the  points,  not  copying  the  very  interesting  detail  with  which 
they  are  illustrated.  There  is  enough  of  this  in  all  conscience.  If  we  grow  indignant  over  the 
starvation  and  inhuman  treatment  of  our  soldiers  in  Rebel  prisons,  what  emotion  will  our  people 
manifest  when  they  find  the  same  thing  in  their  own  hospitals,  even  though  it  occur  only  from 
the  incapacity  of  those  who  should  be  stewards  of  our  bounty? 

"I  learn  from  the  public  papers,  that  the  Surgeon  in  charge  at  Camp  Dennison  has  been 


196  Ohio  IB   the   Wae. 

relieved  there  and  ordered  to  Evansville.  From  other  sources  I  am  advised  that  efforts  are  being 
made  to  get  that  order  reversed,  and  continue  the  present  order  of  things.  To  the  latter,  you 
may  be  assured,  I  shall  not  consent;  on  the  other  hand,  while  I  am  not  only  willing  but  deter- 
mined to  be  rid' of  him  in  Ohio  hospitals,  I  have  strong  scruples  about  having  him  imposed  upor 
the  hospitals  of  other  States.  My  own  judgment  is,  that  his  want  of  capacity,  exemplified  in  this 
case,  disqualifies  him  for  any  similar  position.  Be  this  as  it  may,  I  now  insist  upon  his  imme- 
i  emoval  from  Camp  Dennison  ;  and  if  you  feel  any  hesitancy  about  assuming  this  responsi- 
bility I  am  ready  at  any  moment  to  forward  a  copy  of  this  communication,  with  the  report  on 
which  it  is  predicated,  to  the  War  Department.  If  the  removal  is  not  promptly  made,  I  shall  ask 
it  direct  of  the  Surgeon -General. 

"  I  am  aware  that  I  have  not  kept  strictly  within  regulations  by  instituting  an  investigation 
into  a  hospital  under  your  control.  I  have  explained  that  I  waited  one  month  after  Dr.  Stanton',' 
report  for  you  to  move  in  the  matter.  It  did  not  seem  possible  that  you  would  rest  in  silence 
over  that  document.  You  did  not  act.  From  that  report,  if  from  nothing  else,  I  knew  the 
wrong  existed.  You  did  not  apply  the  remedy.  I  could  not  see  our  men  suffer,  and  daily  read 
their  appeals  for  relief.  I  sympathized  with  them  if  their  military  guardians  did  not.  Thug 
you  have  my  reasons  for  my  action.  I  regard  them  as  sufficient,  and  am  confident  the  War  De- 
partment will  so  consider  them. 

"I  will  relieve  you  from  any  indignation  by  making  the  confession  to  the  Department  myself, 
J  have  tried  to  keep  within  regulations  and  to  co-operate  with  you.  I  regret  any  collision ;  but  I 
can  not  hear  complaints  from  our  men  without  investigating  them;  and  where  I  find  wrongs  I  am 
always  restless  until  I  find  a  remedy.  Very  respectfully, 

"  JOHN  BKOUGH,  Governor  of  Ohio."  * 

This  very  naturally  drew  out  a  reply  from  Surgeon  Triplet- — the  nature  of 
which  may  be  gathered  from  the  Governor's  response : 

"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  December  7,  1864. 
"Surgeon  C.  S.  Tripler,  Medical  Director,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

"Sir:  I  acknowledge  your  favor  of  the  3d  instant.  As  I  have  assurance  therein  that  Surgeon 
Varian  has  been  relieved  from  Camp  Dennison,  my  object  is  accomplished,  and,  though  my  time 
does  not  admit  of  extended  correspondence  on  the  subject,  I  owe  it  perhaps  in  justice  to  you  to 
notice  a  few  points. 

"1.  I  have  heretofore  done  full  justice  to  your  official  conduct  as  director  in  the  department, 
and  the  general  promptitude  of  your  action.  It  was  on  this  account  that  I  was  so  greatly  sur- 
prised at  what  I  took  to  be  your  acquiescence  in  the  state  of  things  at  that  camp  after  the  report 
of  Surgeon  Stanton. 

"I  supposed  you  would  regard  that  report  as  I  did— as  an  evidence  that  an  immediate  change 
was  required  there.  I  read  your  letter  accompanying  that  report  hastily,  and  did  not  then  recog- 
nize, what  now  appears  to  me,  that  you  considered  it  a  sufficient  explanation,  not  requiring  any 
immediate  action. 

"The  papers  came  to  me  as  I  was  leaving  to  go  East.  Had  I  supposed  it  possible  that  you 
regarded  the  investigation  as  satisfactory,  I  would  have  advised  you  that  it  was  not  so  to  me,  and 
required  prompt  action.  Such  an  idea  never  occurred  to  me,  and  I  daily  expected  to  hear 
that  Surgeon  Varian  was  removed. 

"  2  I  do  not  comprehend  the  reason  for  the  delay  on  the  ground  that  Surgeon  Varian  was 
detailed  by  your  superiors,  and  not  under  your  immediate  control,  A  report  from  you  as  to  his 
incapacity  in  the  position  he  filled  would  have  brought  a  change  at  any  moment.  My  experience 
is  that  the  department  looks  to  the  care  of  our  men,  and  npt  to  places  for  incompetent  officers 
over  them. 

'  "3.  My  course  is,  where  I  finda  wrong  to  institute  a  remedy,  and  I  will  not  allow  any  man 
living  to  stand  in  the  way  of  it.  I#ay  sometimes  act  impulsively,  but  I  have  not  done  so  in 
this  case  I  waited  a  full  month,  during  which  time  the  wrong  prevailed,  and  no  movement  of  a 
visible  character  was  made  until  I  took  the  matter  in  charge. 

"  4.  1  nave  no  disposition  to  do  injustice  to  Surgeon  Stanton.  I  have  read  his  report  again,  and 
♦Brough's  Letter  Books  for  1864.    State  Archives. 


Opening  of   Beough's  Adminb3tbation.  197 

can  not  take  back  a  word  by  which  I  have  characterized  it.  He  found  a  grave  wrong  to  our 
oen  at  camp.  He  could  have  acquired  the  details,  and  the  requisite  remedy.  He  lacked  either 
he  capacity  or  disposition  to  do  so — am  willing  to  admit  the  latter.  He  could  have  ascertained 
he  details  fully  as  well  as  others  did  it  after  him.  He  took  the  case  as  made  by  Surgeon  Va- 
ian  and  there  rested  it.  His  sympathies  stopped  there.  What  were  the  wrongs  of  a  lot  of  sick 
nd  wounded  men  to  him,  compared  with  the  reputation  and  place  of  the  man  through  whose 
ncapacity  these  wrongs  were  inflicted  ! 

"  Did  he  inspect  the  insufficiency  of  food  and  its  results?  He  could  have  tasted,  analyzed  the 
uiserable  slops  called  coffee;  he  could  have  ascertained  that  coffee  grounds  were  dried  and  sent 
»ack  to  the  post  commissary;  he  could  have  ascertained  that  food  was  deteriorated,  and  that  it  was 
llstributed  without  regard  to  the  ability  of  the  men  to  consume  it. 

"  All  these  things  were  subject  to  his  knowledge;  but  he  passes  them  by,  and  'draws  on  his 
magination  for  his  facts,'  undertaking  to  speculate  about  what  he  could  have  demonstrated  in  an 
lour.  This  is  why  I  denominated  it  a  ' gingerly  report.'  If  not  designed,  it  was  calculated  to 
Green  the  officer  through  whose  '  incapacity'  these  things  existed.  Surgeon  Stanton  may  be  an 
lonest  and  good  officer.  I  do  not  seek  to  controvert  your  opinions  on  this  point,  but  he  does  not 
onduct  investigations  to  my  satisfaction.  I  desire  a  little  more  earnest  and  thorough  inquiry 
nto  matters  connected  with  this  hospital. 

"5.  It  is  proper  to  say  that  in  the  facts  communicated  to  me,  no  one  is  based  on  the  state- 
nents  of  the  patients  in  hospitals.  I  am  glad  you  realize  the  position  of  these  men.  I  do  the 
ame.  I  do  not  want  to  wrong  surgeons,  but  I  will  not  screen  them,  nor  any  other  class  of  officers, 
ither  from  charges  or  complaints;  many  of  the  latter  are  fictitious,  some  of  them  exaggerated; 
>ut  all  of  them,  or  nearly  so,  merit  investigation,  beyond  the  statements  of  the  surgeon  in  charge, 
,nd  outside  of  his  influence. 

"  I  hope  we  understand  our  relative  positions.  I  do  not  feel  that  I  have  misjudged  or 
vronged  you  in  this  matter,  but  that  you  have  done  injustice  to  yourself.  I  desire  to  co-operate 
:ordially  with  you.  All  I  have  said  or  done  in  this  case  has  been  directly  with  yourself,  except 
he  investigation  I  directed  when  I  found  you  had  determined  to  rest  the  matter  upon  the  report 
>f  Surgeon  Stanton.  The  complaints  of  men  come  direct  to  me.  I  can  not  pass  them  by,  es- 
>ecially  after  this  experience.  If  they  can  be  investigated  through  your  department,  I  much 
orefer  that  course;  but  I  can  not  abide  superficial  examinations  that  stand  self-condemned  on 
heir  face,  nor  permit  incompetent  officers  to  remain  in  charge*  for  months  after  they  should  be 
lismissed.  I  can  only  assure  you  that  my  personal  feelings  toward  yourself  are  as  kindly  as 
;ver;  my  severity  of  speech  is  not  intended  to  wound  but  to  aid  as  a  corrective  in  past  or  future 
vrongs  to  our  men. 

"  Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  BROUGH."* 

These  Camp  Dennison  troubles  had  scarcely  been  settled  till  complaints  be- 
*an  to  grow  more  uniform  and  continuous  concerning  the  bad  food  at  the  hos- 
pital in  Madison,  Indiana,  where  a  large  number  of  Ohio  patients  were  collected. 
The  Ohio  Agent  at  Louisville  reported  these  complaints,  and  from  many  other 
sources  the  Governor  satisfied  himself  of  their  justice.  As  in  other  cases  he  fol- 
.owed  the  hesitation  of  the  medical  authorities  to  administer  the  correctives 
which  he  demanded,  with  swift,  strong  action  on  his  own  account.  On  the  same 
lay  he  forwarded  orders  to  his  agent  and  notification  to  the  Medical  Director,  as 
follows : 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  January  5,  1865. 
'Captain  V.  Horr,  Agent,  Louisville,  Kentucky: 

"Sir:  You  will  please  call  on  Assistant-Surgeon-General  Wood,  or  the  Medical  Director 
3f  your  department,  and  respectfully  request  that  no  more  transfers  of  Ohio  men  be  made  to  the 
Hospitals  at  Madison,  Indiana,  while  it  is  under  the  charge  of  Surgeon  Grant.  Send  them  any- 
where else  but  there.  The  treatment  at  that  place  is  inhuman  and  villainous.  I  have  appealed 
:o  the  Medical  Director  of  this  department  for  a  change,  but  no  movement  is  made,  I  ask,  there- 

*Brough's  Letter  Books  for  1864.     State  Archives. 


!98  Ohio  in   the  Wa-b. 

fore,  that  our  men  be  protected  from  any  farther  injustice  and  barbarity.     You  may  furnish, 
copy  of  thtfletter.  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BKOUGH. 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  January  5,  1865. 
■  Surgeon  C.  S.  Tripler,  Medical  Director,  Cincinnati,  Ohio  : 

"Sir-  I  am  under  obligations  for  the  transfer  of  one  hundred  Ohio  men  from  that  pest-house 
called' a  hospital  at  Madison,  to  points  where,  I  hope,  they  will  be  properly  fed  and  decently 

•  I  respectfully  request  that  the  rest  of  the  Ohio  soldiers  at  that  point  be  transferred  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment,  and  that  no  more  Ohio  soldiers  be  sent  to  that  hospital  while  it  is  under 
the  control  of  Surgeon  Grant.  If  your  own  reputation  as  Medical  Director  of  this  department 
doea  not  require  a  change  in  the  management  of  that  hospital,  my  duty  as  Governor  of  the  State 
b  to  protect  our  soldiers,  as  far  as  practicable,  from  the  brutal  treatment  they  have  received 
there.  If  I  enn  not  accomplish  this  through  vour  department,  I  must  attempt  it  elsewhere.  I 
regret  much  to  be  compelled  to  assume  this  position. 

"It  is  three  weeks  since  I  called  your  attention  to  this  matter.  The  complaints  accumu- 
late on  me  every  day— and  I  know  them  to  be  well  founded.  I  can  not  permit  the  wrong  to  con- 
tinue, if  I  can  possibly  reach  it.  If  I  have  failed  through  you,  where  I  have  desired  to  work  in 
hannonv.  I  must  try  it  otherwise,  even  if  it  be  against  your  views  and  wishes. 

"  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

The  storm  thus  raised  about  the  ears  of  the  authorities  soon  produced  a 
change.  An  investigation  ordered  by  Governor  Morton,  of  Indiana,  resulted  in 
a  report  that  the  food  furnished  had  been  insufficient  and  of  inferior  quality, 
but  that  it  was  now  greatly  improved.  The  surgeon  in  charge  resigned.  But 
the  Medical  Director  sought  to  break  the  force  of  the  charges,  whereupon  the 
Governor  responded  with  a  terse  exhibit  of  the  process  of  "  medical  investiga- 
tions into  alleged  mismanagement  of  hospitals." 

"  Coulmbus,  January  14,  1865. 
"  Surgeon  C.  S.  Tripler,  Cincinnati,  Ohio  : 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  favor  of  the  9th  instant.  I  do  not  propose  to 
review  its  suggestions  in  regard  to  Madison  Hospital,  as  I  am  advised  by  Surgeon  Wood  that 
Surgeon  Grant  has  resigned,  to  take  effect  31st  instant.  In  this  act  Surgeon  Grant  has  been  wiser 
than  hi.s  friends.  Notwithstanding  the  whitewashing  of  a  Government  inspection,  he  knows  that 
the  special  inspection  made  by  Governor  Morton,  in  response  to  the  demands  of  the  Madison 
people,  more  than  confirmed  the  report  made  to  me,  and  that  his  dismissal  was  a  matter  of  cer- 
tainty. His  departure  from  the  scene  of  his  petty  tyranny  and  abuse  of  brave  men  will  unloose 
tongues  that  have  been  tied  by  fear  of  him ;  and  if  you  will  take  the  trouble,  next  month,  to  go 
beyond  head-quarters  into  the  wards,  you  will  find  that  the  actions  of  Governor  Morton  and 
myself  have  been  more  than  justifiable. 

"I  am  very  well  satisfied  that  Surgeon  Grant  has  voluntarily  retired.  What  is  past  can  not 
be  recalled.  The  present  and  future  only  can  be  improved.  If  abuses  can  be  remedied  without 
unnecessary  publicity,  perhaps  it  is  as  well — for  if  the  wrongs  done  at  that  hospital  were  dis- 
closed to  the  public,  it  would  shake  their  confidence  in  our  whole  hospital  management.  As  it 
is,  there  is  enough  promulgated  to  severely  damage  the  reputation  of  officers  to  whom  that  man- 
agement is  intrusted. 

"I  know  nothing  of  the  inspector  sent  to  Madison.  He  may  merit  all  the  encomiums  you 
bestow  upon  him,  but  you  will  allow  me,  in  kindness,  to  make  some  suggestions  in  regard  to  these 
inspections : 

"1.  Inspectors  are  generally  in  full  sympathy  with  surgeons  in  charge.  Both  classes  adopt 
the  theory  that  men  in  hospitals  are  a  set  of  grumblers  and  fault-finders,  whose  complaints  are 
to  be  disregarded. 

"This  assumption  has  done  infinite  wrong,  and  in  many  cases  covered  gross  frauds.  Asa 
general  thing,  the  assumption  is  false  and  wicked. 

"  2.  The  inspection  rarely  goes  beyond  head-quarters.  Full  of  this  false  theory,  he  takes 
the  statements  of  the  surgeon  in  charge,  as  he  eats  his.  dinner,  and  justifies  it  by  his  theory  as  he 


Opening   of  Bkough's   Administration.  199 

ises  the  wines.  If  lie  does  go  beyond,  it  is  after  he  has  received  his  impressions  from  the 
head. 

"  The  assistants  understand  the  bonds  of  sympathy — they  know  they  are  at  the  mercy  of 
both  parties,  and  they  close  their  lips  or  evasively  approve. 

"3.  The  abused  private  is  not  consulted  in  the  matter;  or  if  called  up,  it  is  in  the  presence 
of  interested  superiors,  who,  he  knows,  will  punish  him,  or  'send  him  to  the  front,  if  he  died 
by  the  way.'     He  is,  of  course,  silent. 

"4.  Upon  this  character  of  investigation,  the  inspector  goes  forth  and  makes  his  report. 

"The  sore  is  healed  over — the  wrong  goes  on,  and  our  men  are  further  mistreated  and 
abused.  I  speak  of  that  which  I  know.  I  have  narrowly  watched  this  thing,  and  the  cases  at  Den- 
nison  and  Madison  fully  justify  my  position.  It  is  in  full  proof  that  at  the  latter  place  the  cor- 
respondence of  the  men  was  interrupted,  their  letters  opened  and  read,  and  the  writers  punished 
for  daring  to  complain.  I  do  not  say  there  were  no  false  charges  made,  and  that  there  are  no 
grumblers.     I  know  that  to  be  so;  but  it  is  not  a  safe  theory  upon  which  to  judge  all  complaints. 

"When  a  whole  hospital  complains,  there  is  some  cause  for  it.  As  Medical  Director  you 
are  the  umpire.  As  such  you  should  receive  all  the  facts  and  judge  of  them  fairly.  The  Gov- 
ernment and  the  men  alike  look  to  you  for  this  course. 

"  I  do  not  intend  to  impeach  your  motives  or  your  official  course,  but  I  want  to  show  you 
that  in  the  large  majority  of  cases,  when  you  hear  the  inspector,  take  all  he  says  for  granted,  and 
close  the  case  upon  his  report,  you  are  acting  exparte,  for  you  have  only  the  statement  of  the  surgeon 
in  charge,  be  he  incompetent  or  corrupt.  If  you  follow  this  course,  if  you  hold  all  the  presump- 
tions in  favor  of  the  surgeon  and  against  the  men,  if  you  encourage  the  theory  that  all  com- 
plaints are  false,  because  a  few  are  so,  if  you  investigate  in  the  interests  of  the  surgeon  instead 
of  against  him,  you  will  fail  in  the  great  commission  that  is  given  to  you,  and  very  soon  forfeit 
the  high  reputation  you  brought  into  this  department.  The  sympathies  of  the  Western  authori- 
ties are  with  the  men  who  have  fought  their  battles. 

"  While  we  are  ready  to  approve  all  good  and  competent  surgeons  in  charge  of  our  hospitals, 
we  do  not  approve  them  until  we  know  their  worth.  We  are  jealous  of  them  until  they  have 
won  our  confidence,  and  we  have  no  mercy  for  either  the  incompetent  or  corrupt.  Our  men 
are  objects  of  our  care,  and  we  will  not  see  them  wronged.  In  this  we  want  your  sympathy  and 
your  aid.  We  want  you  to  realize  our  position  and  work  with  us.  In  a  word,  we  ask  you  to  join 
us  in  the  adjuration  to  'doubt  all  things,  prove  all  things,  and  hold  fast  to  things  which  are  good.' 
I  have  no  other  purpose  myself,  no  enemies  to  punish,  no  surgeons  to  promote.  I  want  the  right 
for  my  soldiers,  and  that  I  will  contend  for  against  all  opposition. 

"  Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  BROUGH."  • 

That  this  was  all  just  we  can  not  affirm.  That  it  was  error  on  the  safe 
side,  if  at  all,  is  patent;  and  the  soldiers,  who  rarely  heard  of  these  efforts  dur- 
ing his  life,  and  will  see  his  strong  words  in  their  favor  now  for  the  first  time, 
as  they  find  them  here  copied  from  the  archives  of  the  State,  will  learn  at  last 
to  appreciate  the  warmth  of  the  zeal  in  their  service  which  lie  never  cared  to 
trumpet  to  the  world,  and  which  he,  nevertheless,  made  so  searching  and  so 
effectual  for  good. 

In  his  dealings  with  other  hospitals,  Governor  Brough  generally  kept  two 
main  points  in  view.  He  strove  to  have  Ohio  soldiers  transferred,  as  rapidly  as 
possible  to  hospitals  within  the  State.  And,  when  Ohio  soldiers  in  transitu 
needed  medical  assistance,  he  demanded  such  arrangements  as  would  insure  it 
without  the  tedious  delay  sometimes  involved  in  awaiting  an  order  from  a  med- 
ical director. 

-'•Justice  to  Surgeon  Tripler  requires  it  to  be  added  that  he  denied  the  charge  of  insufficient 
food  furnished  to  convalescents,  and  attributed  it  to  the  craving  appetite  always  felt  by  that 
class  of  patients,  which  wise  physicians,  in  hospitals  or  in  family  practice,  were  always  compelled 
to  restrain — to  the  great  dissatisfaction  of  the  patients  themselves. 


200 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  LAST  RECRUITING-ITS   PROGRESS   AND   PERILS, 


WE  have  seen  in  the  previous  administration  the  beginnings  of  the  vicious 
system  by  which  the  work  of  recruiting  was  poisoned— the  system  which, 
when  the  genuine  impulse  of  volunteering  had  measurably  disappeared, 
sought  by  bribery,  in  the  shape  of  bounties,  to  secure  a  sickly  counterfeit  of  it, 
rather  than  resort  to  the  honest  and  impartial  draft.  We  have  now  to  see  how 
the  work  t*ius  grew  more  and  more  difficult,  and  the  drafts  it  had  been  sought 
to  shun  grew  nevertheless  the  more  frequent,  till  the  clear  vision  of  the  Governor 
of  the  State  was  able  to  perceive  nothing  less  than  ruin  in  the  near  future. 

The  re  enlistment  of  the  veterans,  and  the  recruiting  near  the  close  of  Gov- 
ernor Tod's  administration,  left  the  State  ahead  of  her  quotas  under  all  the  calls. 
But  in  February,  1864,  came  a  fresh  call  from  the  President,  under  which  the 
quota  of  Ohio  was  fifty-one  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty-five  men.  In 
March  came  another  call,  adding  twenty  thousand  five  hundred  and  ninety-five 
to  the  quota;  in  July,  another  adding  fifty  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety- 
two  more;  and  in  December  another,  under  which  the  final  quota  of  the  State 
was  twenty-six  thousand  and  twenty-seven. 

The  method  pursued  in  raising  these  required  troops  wTas  uniform — save  in 
its  progressive  tendency  from  bad  to  worse.  Yery  much  against  the  wishes  of 
Governor  Brough,  there  was  left  no  plan  save  to  offer  high  and  higher  bounties. 
Government,  State,  count}',  township  bounties,  hundreds  piled  on  fresh  hundreds 
of  dollars,  till  it  had  come  to  such  a  pass  that  a  community  often  paid  in  one 
form  or  another  near  a  thousand  dollars  for  every  soldier  it  presented  to  the 
mustering  officers,  and  double  as  much  for  every  one  it  succeeded  in  getting  into 
the  wasted  ranks  at  the  front.  Saying  nothing  of  the  desertion,  the  bounty- 
jumping,  the  substitute  brokerage  thus  stimulated,  we  have  only  to  add  that  all 
this  extravagance  failed  in  its  main  purpose— it  too  rarely  got  the  respective 
localities  "out  of  the  draft."  Out  of  the  four  calls  made  upon  Brough's  admin- 
istration, which  we  have  enumerated,  the  second  was  made  before  the  preceding- 
one  had  been  filled,  and  for  three  of  them,  as  many  as  several  drafts  were  ordered. 

It  was  found  that  the  State  had  not  received  proper  credits  for  her  previous 
contributions,  and   a  reduction  of  over  twenty  thousand  was  secured  in   the 

ned  quotas.  Even  with  this  aid  seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eleven 
men  had  to  be  drafted  in  May,  out  of  whom  the  Government— so 'ineffectual  had 
the  whole  system  become— received  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  twenty-one 


. 


Pkogress  of  Recruiting. 


201 


a, 


oldiers,  and  commutation  money  for  the  rest.  In  September  a  draft  for  nine 
thousand  and  six  was  ordered,  under  which,  thanks  to  the  excess  of  credits  in 
patriotic  localities  that  had  already  more  than  filled  their  quotas,  the  State 
obtained  a  small  credit  to  carry  over  to  the  final  call.  Under  this  also  a  little 
drafting  was  done  in  backward  localities. 

Eleven  new  regiments  were  organized  in  1864,  running  from  the  One  Hun- 
red  and  Seventy-Third  to  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-Third,  and  some  fifteen 
companies  were  divided  among  others ;  while  a  considerable  number  of  the  old 
regiments,  being  wasted  below  the  minimum  allowed  by  the  department,  were 
.either  consolidated  or  reduced  to  battalions.  Early  in  1865,  under  the  inspiring 
aspect  of  affairs,  the  new  regiments  required  were  rapidly  raised  and  sent  to 
the  field;  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-Fourth  as  soon  as  the  22d  of  February, 
and  the  last  of  them,  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-Seventh  by  the  15th  of 
April.  Officers  for  the  new  regiments  were  sought  almost  exclusively  from 
the  meritorious  officers  of  Ohio  troops  then  at  the  front — two  years'  active 
service  being  held  an  indispensable  prerequisite. 

How  well  or  ill  each  county  in  the  State  stood  at  the  close  may  be  gathered 
from  the  following  table.  Here  may  be  seen  what  counties  lagged  behind,  what 
ones  resorted  to  the  draft,  what  ones  kept  up  the  patriotic  impulse  to  the  last 
and  stood  ahead  of  all  their  quotas,  when  Appomattox  C.  IT.  ended  the  struggle 
and  sounded  the  recall : 


COUNTIES. 

0 

c 
5 

5  ^ 

8 

eg 

a* 
1  "< 

Eg 

a 

COUNTIES. 

<© 
a 

o 

CO 

1 

P 

C"6o 
p. 

:  o* 
:  ^ 

:   N 

op 

s 

I 

a-. 
2. 

id  I 
217 
248 
326 
191 
148 
428 
329 
492 
167 
226 
385 

206 
259 

271 
479 
069 
455 
137 
29.) 
207 
366 
127 
679 
174 
265 
115 
414 
236 
2,143 
277 
199 
279 
8* 
3U 

197 
429 
119 
214 
359 
169 
2:58 
437 

98 
202 
233 

294 
194 
161 
371 
296 
452 
159 
166 
370 
323 
199 
230 
171 
431 
407 
384 
91 
294 
174 

133 

•132 

170 

128 
386 
227 
1,869 
242 
174 
230 

63 
298 
112 
127 
420 

99 
188 
206 
102 
220 
392 

35 
10 

133 
212 
233 
327 
195 
170 
389 
340 
454 
164 
185 
370 
329 
200 
250 
188 
435 
420 
408 
94 
297 
174 
318 
134 
441 
131 

143 

235 
2,048 
259 
195 
237 
63 
313 
137 
127 
420 
112 
193 
215 
102 
232 
399 

28 
5 
15 

_••■ 

290 
301 
267 

257 
300 

87 
165 
338 
134 
440 
261 
598 
256 
186 
501 
276 
102 

74 
193 
326 

95 
264 
246 
147 
289 
357 
294 
233 
377 
221 
408 
363 
271 
380 
202 
113 
145 
200 
301 
327 
210 
204 
231 

281 
285 
200 
234 
274 

82 
136 
305 
122 
429 
158 
534 
225 
153 
280 
203 

30 

16 
159 
296 

63 
214 
246 
127 
242 
330 
369 
223 
346 
1S3 
373 
310 
221 
252 
190 
107 

90 
248 
240 
279 
109 
1*7 
210 

3 
5 
6 
1 

30 

1 
30 
19 

7 
105 
10 
32 
33 
12 
16 

5 

2 
18 
22 

7 
45 

234 
290 
206 
235 
304 

89 
137 
£35 
141 
430 
263 
544 
257 
186 
292 
219 

41 

177 
320 
70 
259 
240 
132 
309 
339 
272 
233 
359 
190 
378 
316 
265 
252 
213 
114 
125 
250 
371 
282 
170 
188 
220 

*4 

2 

3 

4 
2 

12 

Allen 

Ashtabula  

33 
1 
9 
19 
44 

19 

22 

l 
l 

Mahoning 

39 

Medina  .... 

28 

Brown 

Butler 

ii 

Meigs 

Mer.er 

38 
3 
41 
15 
3 

Champaign 

Clark 

Monroe 

Montgomery  ... 

Clermont 

6 

Clinton  

Columbiana 

9 
83 
44 
249 
47 
43 

Muskingum  .... 

Noble 

Ottawa 

""26 

209 

17 
1 

13 

24 

61 

Cuyahoga 

Darke 

16 

2 

Pilce 

25 

Erie 

Fairfield 



32 
13 

7 

1 
9 

9 
15 

Preble 

Fayette 

7 

5 
67 
9 
7 
10 
13 
13 

Franklin 

208 

s 

86 
2 
28 
1 
95 
18 
4 
42 
25 

Fulton 

Ross 

22 

Greene 

....... 

"'76 

18 

8 
179 
17 
21 

7 

25 

Stark     . 

30 

4 

Hardin 

44 

6 

Harrison 

Tuscarawas  .... 

128 

Henry 

Highland 

"""■} 

17 

7 
35 

2 

131 

3 

1 
1 
16 

15 

25 

Hocking 

20 

70 
9 
7 

19 
114 

96 
0 

38 

Warren 

10 

Washington.... 
Wayne 

Jackson 

Jefferson 

13 
5 
9 

45 

40 

Knox  

Lake 

Wood 

16 

5 

12 

7 

Total 

Licking 

20,022 

21,868 

1,415 

23,283 

S8 

2,827 

202  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

On  the  23d  of  August,  1864,  the  people  of  the  State  were  startled  by  a 
proclamation  appealing  to  them  not  to  offer  organized  resistance  to  the  draft 
then  impending.  The  language  of  the  Governor  was  conciliatory,  and  he  made 
few  disclosures  as  to  any  secret  knowledge  of  the  danger  which  he  professed  to 
apprehend.  After  reciting  the  facts  connected  with  the  order  for  a  draft,  he 
mentioned  a  fear  of  organized  opposition  to  it,  explained  the  punishments  for 

piracy  against  the  Government,  and  continued: 

"Most  earnestly  do  I  appeal  to  the  people  of  the  State  not  to  engage  in  this  forcible  resist- 
ance to  the  laws,  which  evil  counsellors  and  bad  men  are  leading  them.  It  can  not,  and  will  not, 
succeed.  Its  triumph,  if  it  achieve  any,  must  be  of  a  mere  temporary  character.  The  Govern- 
ment is  not  weak.  It  is  strong  and  powerful.  It  can  not,  and  it  will  not,  permit  an  armed 
insurrection  to  impeach  its  strength,  or  impair  its  power,  while  contending  with  the  Southern 
rebellion.  I  do  not  say  this  to  you  in  any  spirit  of  intimidation,  or  in  any  threatening  tone.  I 
ppeak  it  to  you  as  a  warning,  and  with  an  imploring  voice  to  hear  and  heed  it.  I  know  what  the 
determination  of  your  Government  is,  and  I  fully  comprehend  the  power  at  hand  to  enforce  it. 

"What  can  you,  who  contemplate  armed  resistance,  reasonably  expect  to  gain  by  such  a 
movement?  You  can  not  effectually  or  permanently  prevent  the  enforcement  of  the  laws.  You 
can  not  in  anywise  improve  your  own  condition  in  the  present,  and  must  seriously  injure  it  in  the 
future.  Judicious  and  conservative  men,  who  look  to  the  supremacy  of  Government  for  the  pro- 
tection and  safety  of  their  persons  and  propertv,  will  not  sympathize  or  co-operate  with  you. 
You  may  commit  crime;  you  may  shed  blood;  you  may  destroy  property;  you  may  spread  ruin 
and  devastation  over  some  localities  of  the  State;  you  may  give  aid  and  comfort  for  a  season  to 
the  Rebels  already  in  arms  against  the  country;  you  may  transfer,  for  a  brief  time,  the  horrors 
of  war  from  the  fields  of  the  South  to  those  of  the  State  of  Ohio;  you  may  paralyze  prosperity, 
and  create  consternation  and  alarm  among  our  people.  This  is  a  bare  possibility,  but  it  is  all 
you  can  hope  to  accomplish;  for  you  have  looked  upon  the  progress  of  our  present  struggle  to 
little  purpose,  if  you  have  not  learned  the  great  recuperative  power,  and  the  deep  earnestness  of 
the  country  in  this  contest.  The  final  result  will  not  be  doubtful;  the  disaster  to  you  will  be 
complete,  and  the  penalty  will  equal  the  enormity  of  the  crime. 

"From  the  commencement  of  this  rebellion  the  State  of  Ohio  has  maintained  a  firm  ami 
inflexible  position  which  can  not  now  be  abandoned.  In  this  internal  danger  that  now  threatens 
us,  I  call  upon  all  good  citizens  to  assert  and  maintain  the  supremacy  of  the  Constitution  and 
laws  of  the  land.  These  constitute  the  great  elements  of  our  strength  as  a  nation,  and  they  are 
the  bulwarks  of  our  people.  Hold  in  subjection  by  persuasion  and  peaceable  means,  if  you  can, 
all  attempts  at  civil  insurrection,  or  armed  resistance  to  the  laws.  Failing  in  this,  there  is 
another  duty  as  citizens  from  which  we  may  not  shrink,  and  to  which  I  earnestly  hope  we  may 
not  be  enforced.  To  those  who  threaten  us  with  this  evil,  I  say,  we  do  not  use  any  threats  in 
return— there  is  no  dasire  to  provoke  passion,  or  create  further  irritation.  Such  men  are  earnestly 
and  solemnly  invoked  to  abandon  their  evil  purposes;  but  at  the  same  time  they  are  warned  that 
this  invocation  is  not  prompted  by  any  apprehension  of  the  weakness  of  the  Government,  or  the 
success  of  the  attempts  to  destroy  it.  I  would  avert,  by  all  proper  means,  the  occurrence  of  civil 
war  in  the  State;  but  if  it  must  come,  the  consequences  be  with  those  who  precipitate  it  upon  us. 

"JOHN  BEOUGH." 

We  now  know  that  it  was  the  discovery  of  the  ''Order  of  American 
Knights"  or  "Sons  of  Liberty,"  and  the  knowledge  of  the  extent  of  their 
plans,  which  prompted  these  precautions.  His  Private  Secretary*  has  since 
explained  the  circumstances:  "Governor  Brough  received  his  first  intimation 
of  what  was  being  done  by  that  secret  organization  in  the  State  of  Ohio  from 
.Mnjor-General  Eosecrans,  whose  watchfulness  was  very  extraordinary.       The 

•  Hon.  Wm.  Henry  Smith,  subsequently  Secretary  of  State.  The  extract  above  given  is 
from  a  private  letter  to  the  author. 


Pkogkess  of  Recruiting.  203 

rovernor  then  employed  secret  agents,  who  penetrated  the  most  hidden  recesses 
)f  the  order,  and  ascertained  all  that  was  going  on.  One  of  his  agents  was  a 
mort-hand  writer,  who  took  reports  of  the  most  remarkable  declarations  made 
,t  their  meetings.  This  same  officer  aided  in  distributing  the  arms  to  the  mem- 
>ers — which  was  done  by  moonlight — in  the  country.  The  Governor  was  so 
'igilant — sitting  up  all  night,  often  for  several  nights  in  succession,  to  receive 
-eports  from  his  agents — that  he  was  able  to  foil  their  treasonable  schemes 
'ithout  bloodshed." 

For  bloodshed  seems  to  have  been  really  intended.     They  met  in  secret  for 
Irill,  armed  themselves  as  well   as  they  could,  boasted  of  their  strength,  and 
>penly  threatened  that  the  second  draft  of  186-4  should  not  take  place.     But 
>efore  the  draft  came  on,  the  regiments  of  the  National  Guard  (whose  history  we 
lave  next  to  trace)  were  pouring  back  into  the  State.     "I  claim  very  little  credit 
for  my  own  counsels,"  said  the  Governor  modestly  in   his  annual  message  some 
Lonths  afterward,  "but  as  regiment  after  regiment  was  discharged  from  the 
mps,   and  went  to   their  homes,  with  arms  in  their  hands  and  wrell-known 
oyalty  in  their  hearts,  the  wave  of  rebellion  very  rapidly  subsided;  and  the 
inspirators  wrho  had  been  the  boldest  in  their  demonstrations  of  resistance  to 
he  lawrs,  were  among  the  first  to  hurry  substitutes  into  the  ranks  of  the  army, 
relieve  the  State  of  their  presence,  in   order  to  avoid  the  service  they  had 
penly  threatened  could  not  be  imposed.     The  draft  went  forward  promptly, 
nd  in  the  most  peaceable  manner.     The  persecution  and  abuse  of  Union  citi- 
ens  ceased  at  once.     Law  and  order  were  again  in  the  ascendant;  and  no  doubt 
fear  was  entertained  as  to  the  perfect  ability  of  the  State  to  maintain  them, 
nd  yet  no  force  was  used;  no  considerable  body  of  men  kept  under   arms  in 
ilitary  array — no  parade  or  exhibition  of  armed  forces.     But  there  spread  all 
ver  our  territory  a  consciousness  that  the  State  was  prepared  for  any  emer- 
gency;  that  its  protectors  were  ready  at  a  moment's  warning,  and  could  be 
implicitly  relied  upon  ;    and   that  the  first  movement  toward  forcible  resist- 
ance  of  the  laws  would  be  speedily  crushed,  entailing  its  consequences  upon 
those  w7ho  might  inaugurate  if.     It  was  a  peaceful  triumph,  achieved  by  the 
inherent  power  of  a  State,  in  its  least  pretentious  manifestation;  and  its  result 

Ijid  consequences  were  of  a  thousand  times  more  value  than  the  expenditure 
he  organization  and  support  of  the  National  Guard  have  imposed  upon  the 
teople."  • 

Sundry  facts  as  to  this  organization  were  given  by  the  Adjutant-General  in 
lis  report : 
"One  of  the  most  noticeable  features  of  the  rebellion  during  the  year,  in  Ohio,  which  neces- 
arily  engaged  a  large  share  of  the  attention  bf  this  department,  was  the  existence  throughout  the 
itate  of  a  formidable  secret  organization,  known  as  "The  Order  of  American  Knights."  The  origin 
of  this  society  is  directly  traceable  to  the  rebellion,  of  which  it  has  been  at  all  times  an  auxil- 
iary. Early  in  the  year  the  Governor  organized  a  system  of  espionage  upon  certain  suspicious 
movements  of  well-known  Rebel  sympathizers  in  the  State.  Through  the  instrumentality  of 
detectives,  and  other  means  not  necessary  to  enumerate,  the  entire  workings  of  the  order,  their 
objects,  principles,  and  strength  were  ascertained.  By  comparing  the  information  thus  obtained 
with  what  had    been  learned  of  the  order  by  the  military  authorities  in  Missouri,  Indiana,  and 


20i  Ohio  in  the   War. 

other  Western  States,  it  was  clearly  demonstrated  that  there  existed  in  the  State  of  Ohio  a  secret, 
treasonable  organization,  numbering  from  eighty  thousand  to  one  hundred  and  ten  thousand  mem- 
hen,  bound  together  by  oaths,  which  they  professed  to  hold  paramount  to  their  allegiance  to  their 
State  and  country.  This  organization  was  to  a  considerable  extent  armed,  drilled,  and  supplied 
with  ammunition.  It  had  a  quasi  military  organization,  and  a  system  of  signals  by  which  large 
numbers  might  be  called  together  at  the  very  shortest  notice.  The  written  principles  of  the  order 
recognize  and  defend  the  institution  of  slavery,  and  its  twin  abomination,  the  right  of  secession. 
These  doctrines  were  sugar-coated  by  fallacious  arguments  and  nicely-rounded  periods,  to  tickle 
the  ears  of  the  groundlings,  and  entice  the  unsuspecting  neophyte  to  advance  to  the  higher 
degrees,  where  all  disguise  was  thrown  aside,  and  the  knife  was  whetted  and  the  gun  shotted,  to 
Like  the  life  of  any  man  who  dared  stand  up  for  the  cause  of  the  country. 

"The  purposes  and  operations  of  the  order  were  fully  known  early  in  the  summer,  and 
ample  steps  were  taken  to  meet  any  overt  act  of  violence  with  such  a  power  as  would  crush  it 
out  at  once  and  forever.  The  programme  of  the  uprising  last  contemplated  embraced  the 
destruction  of  the  railroads  and  telegraph  lines,  and  the  sudden  movement  of  a  force  to  this  city; 
the  seizure  of  the  State  and  United  States  arsenals  here ;  the  release  of  the  Rebel  prisoners  at 
Camp  Chase,  who  were  to  be  armed  by  the  arms  captured  here.  The  column,  thus  re-enforced, 
was  to  co-operate  with  John  Morgan,  or  some  other  Rebel  commander,  who  was  expected  to 
demonstrate  at  some  point  on  the  border,  more  probably  in  Kentucky.  The  time  fixed  for  the 
coiiiniencement  of  this  grand  movement  was  the  16th  day  of  August  last.  This  date  was  learned 
from  several  sources,  and  from  lodges  in  different  parts  of  this  and  other  States.  It  was  also 
known  to  the  Rebel  prisoners  at  Camp  Chase,  and  of  course  they  were  on  the  qui  vive  for  their 
expected  deliverance. 

"The  real  causes  of  the  failure  of  this  movement  are  known  to  be  the  increased  vigilance  of 
our  military  authorities  in  strengthening  the  prison-  and  arsenal  guards,  in  arresting  the  leading 
conspirators  in  the  several  States,  and  the  seizure  of  large  quantities  of  arms  known  to  belong  to 
the  organization." 

Serious  as  this  hidden  danger  would  now  seem  to  have  been,  there  was  an 
open  one,  connected  with  the  work  of  recruiting  the  army,  which  threatened  far 
more  alarming  consequences.  It  was  no  less  than  the  demoralization  of  the  peo- 
ple and  the  bankruptcy  of  the  country,  by  the  fast-growing  evils  of  the  ruinous 
bount3r  system. 

The  machinery  itself  was  imperfect— cumbrous  in  detail,  and  open  to 
abuses.  "There  is  more  or  less  corruption  in  at  least  one-half  the  subordinate 
provost-marshalships  of  the  State,"  wrote  Brough  in  a  confidential  letter  to  the 
Provost-Mar.shal-General.  Men  furnished  substitutes  who  were  ineligible. 
Substitutes  deserted  by  the  hundred,  and  enlisted  again  for  fresh  and  higher 
bounties.  The  business  of  substitute  brokerage  came  to  be  almost  a  respect- 
able way  of  making  a  fortune.  While  the  army  was  thus  cheated,  the  people 
were  impoverished  in  tl^eir  efforts  to  buy  soldiers.  No  Government  in  the 
world,  in  the  whole  history  of  war,  ever  had  an  army  raised  at  such  cost  as 
were  the  recruits  of  1864.  No  Government  in  the  world  could  ever  long  endure 
such  a  financial  strain.  All  the  bounties,  it  is  true,  did  not  come  from  the 
National  or  State  Treasuries  but  where  they  were  made  up  by  local  efforts,  the 
communities  in  question  were  thus  weakened  by  the  drain,  and  rendered  less 
capable  of  bearing  the  heavy  taxation.  One  way  or  another,  by  public  or  pri- 
vate extravagance  in  purchasing  military  duty,  the  money  of  the  country  was 
being  swept  into  the  vortex,  credit  was  being  exhausted,  debts  were  acctimu- 
ating  and  sagacious  men  came  to  dread  bulletins  from  the  treasury  far  more 
than  those  from  the  army. 


Difficulties  of    Recruiting.  205 

From  the  outset  Governor  Brough    protested   against   any  delays    in    the 
Iraft,  having   for    their   object   the    extension    of  opportunities    for   piling   up 
>ounties  in  the  hope  of  getting  soldiers.     As  early  as  March   14,  we  find  him 
riting  in  this  vigorous  strain  to  the  Secretary  of  War:* 

"Columbus,  March  14, 1864. 
;  Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington  City,  D.  C  : 

"Sir:  In  your  general  remark  to  the  Senate,  that  State  executives  were  pressing  the  exten- 
sion of  bounties  I  hope  you  made  a  mental  reservation  in  favor  of  your  servant.     I  have  favored 
le  draft  steadily  from  the  day  the  proclamation  ordering  it  on  the  10th  was  issued.     The  result 
)f  this  last  postponement  has  fulfilled  my  prediction  to  the  President. 

"Recruiting  has  virtually  stopped.  The  bounties  even  will  not  tempt,  and  the  local  authori- 
ses and  citizens  having  the  fear  of  the  draft  removed,  are  making  no  further  effort  to  fill  quotas, 
'hey  regard  the  postponement  of  the  draft  as  indefinite,  both  because  of  the  recruiting  and 
jcause,  as  they  say,  'Ohio  is  so  near  being  out  she  will  not  be  drafted,  even  if  a  draft  is  ordered.' 
re  shall  do  very  little  more  in  this  State  until  our  people  realize  that  a  draft  will  be  had  on  a 
ixed  day,  and  that  promise  must  be  kept. 

"I  favor  a  draft  for  another  consideration.  I  regard  our  financial  position  as  rapidly  becom- 
lg  the  most  critical  one  connected  with  the  war.  With  every  man  we  put  into  the  army,  costing 
is  over  three  hundred  dollars,  we  are  amassing  a  debt  and  corresponding  taxation,  that  will  soon 
>rce  us  to  resort  to  the  same  means  as  the  Confederacy  to  get  rid  of  it,  except  that  in  our  case 
ich  a  measure  will  be  our  destruction.  If  the  call  is  to  be  filled,  let  us  have  the  draft  on  the 
1st  of  April.  Yours,  very  truly, 

"JOHN  BROUGH." 

In  other  and  equally  vigorous  communications  he  had  even  earlier  placed 
limself  upon  the  record,  in  earnest  opposition  to  the  whole  bounty  system  as 
then  administered.  We  have  seen  that  no  man, outdid  him — no 'man  indeed 
came  near  equaling  him  in  the  extent  of  his  claims  for  the  families  of  soldiers, 
but  he  did  not  regard  the  wasteful  bounties  to  the  men  as  the  proper  method  of 
supplying  the  wants  of  the  families  they  left  behind.  To  Congress  he  appealed 
for  the  aid  which  Congress  alone  could  give,  in  at  least  modifying  a  system 
against  which  no  one  State  could  make  effectual  opposition.  His  two  letters  to 
the  Chairman  of  the  Military  Committee  of  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  were 
regarded  at  the  time  as  the  ablest  presentment  of  the  case  which  reached  that 
body  from  any  quarter.  "With  them  we  may  fitly  close  this  account  of  the  re- 
cruiting in  the  last  years  of  the  war,  and  the  evils  and  dangers  that  beset  it : 

"Columbus,  February  6,  1865. 
"Hon.  R.  C.  Schenck,  House  of  Representatives,  Washington  City,  D.  C: 

"Sir:  The  local  bounty  system  is  ruining  the  armies  and  the  Government.  The  present 
'stem  of  allotting  quotas  and  filling  them  is  weakening  if  not  actually  destroying  the  confidence 
of  the  people,  and  with  it  our  political  ability  to  sustain  the  Government.  It  has  run  into  cor- 
ruptions, or  rather  created  them,  of  the  most  serious  and  alarming  character  all  over  the  State. 
This  is  a  general  statement  I  know ;  but  details  are  plenty  enough  to  make  a  respectable-sized 
volume.  The  temptation  to  the  subordinate  under  slender  pay  is  great,  while  the  controlling 
and  examining  power  is  too  remote.  A  deputy  prevost-marshal  or  a  surgeon  can  only  be  re- 
moved by  an  order  from  Washington.  He  may  have  influences  enough  to  hold  himself  in  position 
for  months  over  the  head  and  even  against  the  recommendations  of  the  State  Provost-Marshal, 
who  perhaps  has  not  strictly  legal  evidence,  but  yet  information  of  such  a  character  as  to  satisfy 
him  that  the  man  should  be  removed.  Why  not  regard  them  as  civil  officers  to  be  removed  when 
the  public  service  required?  Why  hold  them  under  the  military  rule,  to  be  reached  only  by 
charges,  arrests,  and  court-martial  investigations?     Why  should  they  not  be  responsible  to  the 

*Brough's  private  Letter  Books,  State  Archives,  War  Department  Letters,  1864,  p.  33. 


20G 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


State  provost-marshals,  and  they  in  tnrn  to  the  Provost  Marshal-General?  What  is  the  neces- 
sity of  all  the  red-tape  that  now  exists?  But  a  more  pertinent  and  practical  inquiry  comes  up: 
why  not  change  the  whole  programme  of  assigning  quotas  and  filling  them?  Why  not  under  a 
call  for  troops,  assign  to  each  State  its  quota  of  the  call,  and  leave  the  assignment  of  local  credits 
and  quotas,  and  the  raising  of  the  men  to  the  State  authorities  under  Government  inspection  and 
muster?  It  can  he  done  for  less  than  half  the  expense  of  the  present  system,  and  would  eom- 
mand  the  confidence  of  the  people  much  more  than  the  present  system. 

•  We  are  daily  overwhelmed  hy  delegations  and  letters  from  all  parts  of  the  State  in  regard 
to  local  quotas,  and  representations  of  errors  and  injustices.  We  have  no  information  and  of 
course  can  not  give  any;  we  can  only  refer  to  the  Assistant  Provost  Marshal-General.  His  an- 
iwer  is  that  he  has  no  knowledge  of  details.  The  quotas  of  congressional  districts  are  given  to 
him  from  Washington,  and  the  rule  fixed  by  which  to  distribute  below  that.  Men  go  away 
dissatisfied— in  many  eases  despondent,  in  some  bitter  opponents  of  the  whole  Government  ma- 
chinery. It  needs  simplification,  and  it  can  be  simplified.  It  is  necessary  to  bring  it  nearer  to 
the  people,  where  they  can  know  its  workings  and  hold  some  one  responsible  for  it.  I  give  you 
merely  a  general  idea.  The  details  may  be  a  little  troublesome,  but  they  can  be  readily  worked 
out.  It  would  not  strike  out  the  provost-marshal's  department,  but  simply  relieve  it  of  its  tedious 
and  cumbrous  details,  dividing  them  round  among  the  respective  States.  Under  it  I  think  we 
could  control  and  restrain  much  of  the  fraud  and  corruption  that  is  now  prevailing,  and  unless 
checked  will  effectually  break  down  the  power  of  the  Government  to  replenish  its  armies.  I 
Can  say  to  you  confidentially,  that  of  the  thirty  thousand  men  raised,  credited,  and  mustered 
in  Ohio  during  the  last  call,  over  ten  thousand  failed  to  reach  the  front.  This  appears  here  of 
record.  Pennsylvania  shows  a  worse  result.  About  one  thousand  one  hundred  men  have  been 
forwarded  to  Camp  Chase  under  the  present  call,  and  of  these  two  hundred  and  sixty-three  were 
on  the  lists  last  night  as  'absent  without  leave,'  and  this  although  the  money  brought  here  with 
them  is  taken  from  them  on  arrival.  Still  they  have  been  mustered  and  credited,  and  fill  so 
much  of  the  'quota,'  though  not  of  the  army. 

"The  State  swarms  with  bounty-brokers,  bounty-jumpers,  and  mercenaries  of  every  descrip- 
tion. Men  take  contracts  to  fill  'quotas'  as  they  would  to  furnish  hay  or  wood.  They  take  the 
largest  share  to  themselves,  and  frequently  the  recruit  deserts  because  he  says  he  has  been  swindled 
in  his  bounty.  Patriotism  and  love  of  the  cause  are  supplanted  to  a  large  degree,  as  a  motive 
of  filling  our  armies  by  the  mercenary  spirit  of  making  money  out  of  the  operation.  In  our  own 
State  I  am  alarmed  at  the  enormous  debts  we  are  creating  and  piling  upon  weak  localities.  I 
have  not  the  data  to  fix  it,  but  I  am  satisfied  it  now  exceeds  six  millions  of  dollars.  There  is  a 
pay  day  for  it  all,  either  in  crushing  taxation  or  dishonor. 

"  In  addition  to  this  apprehension  is  the  painful  conviction  that  it  does  not  give  us  men  to 
fill  our  wasting  ranks— it  does  not  add  to  our  power  to  crush  the  rebellion  and  end  the  war. 
Instead  of  that  it  is  constantly  weakening  us,  both  in  a  military  and  financial  sense.  We  are 
drifting  upon  the  breakers!  We  are  going  to  ruin  !  I  have  been  trying  to  persuade  our  legisla- 
tors to  provide  a  State  bounty,  merely  duplicating  the  bounty  of  the  Government,  and  prohibit 
all  local  bounties  or  debt  on  taxation  for  them.  But  the  answer  is,  'other  States  will  not  do  it,' 
and  we  must  keep  up  in  the  general  scramble.  I  do  not  know  that  we  can  get  co-operation,  but 
I  would  have  some  faith  in  doing  so  if  the  States  had  control  of  filling  their  own  quotas,  and 
were  required  to  produce  men  for  them.  Perhaps  we  might  fail,  but  we  would  remedy  one  class 
of  evils  and  have  a  chance  for  the  other. 

'•A  recent  convention  of  Adjutant-Generals  at  this  city  brought  here  some  experienced  and 
able  men.  Upon  this  point  of  States  filling  their  quotas,  there  was  a  full  debate  and  a  perfect 
unanimity  of  opinion.  Is  anything  practicable  in  the  waning  hours  of  this  session  of  Congress, 
or  will  we  necessarily  go  on  under  the  present  system  through  another  year?  If  so,  I  can  onlv 
dep  ore  it.  I  am  full  of  anxiety  upon  this  subject.  I  would  almost  try  to  break  the  chains  that 
bind  me  here,  and  go  to  Washington  if  I  were  convinced  I  could  do  anY  good  thereby.  Unless 
we  can  change  our  policy  I  have  painful  forebodings  of  the  future.  We  have  strength  enough] 
but  we  are  throwing  it  away;  we  are  weakening  our  armies  by  every  call  and  draft,  instead  of 
strengthening  them;  we  are  piling  up  enormous  debts  and  taxations  upon  our  people ;  we  are 

TeZTl    ^  C°   I       T  °f  «"  thinkhlg  and  earne8t  P°lti0n  0f  our  Pe°Ple>  «»d  pampering  the 
desires  of  the  weak  and  profligate;  we  are  making  a  traffic  of  the  holiest  duty  we  owe  to  the 


: 


Difficulties  of    Recbuiting.  207 

untry,  and  procrastinating  a  struggle  tliat  we  have   the   power  to  speedily  terminate,  if  our 
ns  were  less  popularly  and  more  earnestly  directed. 

"I  have  written  more  than  1  intended,  and  you  will  patiently  read.     I  hope  I  am  wrong  in 

forebodings.     I  will  be  gratified  to  find  myself  so.     I   do  not  profess  to  be  wiser  than  other 

n.     In  this  particular  I  would  be  almost  glad  to  find  myself  a  fool.     It  has  been  a  subject  of 

uch  examination  and  reflection.     I  can  see  its  remedy  only  in  the  wisdom  of  Congress — I  can 

not  add  to  that,  but  I  can  not  refrain  from  making  some  suggestions  for  your  consideration  in  this 

private  way.  Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  BKOUGH." 

"Columbus,  February  9,  1865. 
"  Hon.  R.  C.  Schenck,  House  of  Representatives,  Washington  City,  D.  C. : 

"Sir:  After  so  long  a  communication  only  three  days  ago,  I  will  no  doubt  be  considered 
obtrusive  in  again  reviewing  the  subject;  but  anxiety  grows  upon  me  every  day,  and  I  can  not 
forbear  every  exertion  to  remedy  the  evils  that  beset  us. 

"  Present  indications  are  that  Ave  will  not  enlist  over  ten  thousand  men  out  of  a  quota  of 
twenty-six  thousand;  of  whom  fully  twenty-five  per  cent,  will  fail  to  reach  the  service.  The 
argument  is  constantly  repeated,  that  one  State  can  not  inaugurate  a  reform  where  other  States 
refuse  to  co-operate.  This  sentiment  pervades  and  influences  alike  legislators  and  people.  The 
overweening  anxiety  is  to  fill  the  quotas — get  the  credits,  no  matter  what  the  material,  or  how 
the  army  is  affected.  I  feel  the  force  of  all  this,  yet  I  see  its  consequences  not  only  in  pay  own 
State  but  elsewhere. 

"It  seems  to  me  there  must  be  and  is  a  controlling  power  somewhere.  All  admit  that  the 
bounty  is  the  source  of  the  evil.  But  it  is  said  that  having  inaugurated  the  system  we  can  not 
get  rid  of  it;  that  it  has  passed  beyond  our  control,  and  we  must  patiently  await  the  ruin  that  is 
rapidly  working  out.  I  will  not  discuss  this  latter  proposition.  I  simply  do  not  believe  it.  If 
we  have  the  moral  courage  we  can  .control  the  evil,  provided  we  concentrate  our  energies  and 
ur  strength. 

'The  bounty  system  began  with  the  General  Government — that  Government  must  assume  the 
itiati  ve  in  restraining  it.  To  that  end  I  suggest  that  Congress  should  enact :  1.  That  no  bounty  or 
payment  shall  be  given  or  made  by  any  locality  or  community  to  any  man* for  entering  the  service, 
except  such  bounty  as  may  be  provided  by  his  State,  which  shall  not  exceed  the  amount  paid  by 
the  Government  for  a  like  term  of  service.  2.  That  the  price  of  a  substitute  shall  be  fixed  at 
double  the  amount  of  the  Government  bounty,  and  no  higher  sum  shall  be  paid  or  received. 
3.  That  no  soldier  shall  enlist  as  substitute  out  of  his  own  State,  and  on  his  offering  to  do  so, 
shall  be  returned  to  his  State  for  punishment. 

"  These  enactments  will  cut  present  evils  up  by  the  roots,  and  I  fail  to  see  any  new  ones  they 
can  breed.  Why  is  it  not  in  the  power  of  the  present  Congress  to  enact  them  ?  Do  not  answer 
that  concentration  of  action  can  not  be  had.  We  must  have  it.  No  measure  is  before  that  body  of 
such  vital  moment  as  this.  We  are  at  the  turning  point  of  our  destiny,  militarily  and  financially. 
The  next  campaign  settles  the  impending  controversy  for  good  or  for  evil. 

"  But  I  will  not  argue  it.  1  make  the  suggestion  and  it  is  the  only  one  I  can  make  that 
seems  to  give  promise  of  good  results.  1  hope  it  will  commend  itself  to  your  own  good  judg- 
ment, and  that  you  will  lend  it  all  your  valuable  aid. 

"I  have  not  written  to  any  of  our  delegation  but  yourself.  I  would  like  you  to  show  my 
notes  to  General  Garfield,  if  it  is  consistent  with  your  views.  I  need  not  repeat  that  I  am  deeply 
solicitous  on  the  subject.  I  may  write  a  note  to  our  senators  to-night,  but  I  can  not  go  into  the 
matter  as  fully  as  I  have  done  lo  you.  Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  BIIOUGH." 

The  next  campaign  did  "settle  the  impending  con  trover^."     The  sagacity 

of  Brough  was  not  at  fault — we  are  next  indeed  to  see  how  in  other  ways  and 

with  potent  weight  his  policy  was  to  aid  in  settling  it.     But  the  evils  to  which 

his  forebodings  so  gloomily  turned  were  not  averted.     The  frightful  expenses 

an  army  of  a  million   men,  raised  with  such  waste,  to  confront  the  remnant 

of  the  hundred  thousand  that  was  left  to  uphold  the  Bebel  banner,  still   press 

own  the  country.     For  many  weary  years  to  come  they  must  continue  to  press, 

nless,  alas!  relief  be  sought  in  National  dishonor. 


in: 


208 


Ohio   in  the  Wae. 


CHAPTEK    XVII 


THE   HUNDRED   DAYS'   MEN, 


THE  summer  of  1863  had  been  marked  in  Ohio  by  unusual  turbulence 
and  by  invasion.  The  arrests,  the  trial  of  Vallandigham,  and  his  sub- 
sequent defiant  candidacy  for  the  Governorship,  the  organized  efforts  to 
resist  the  draft,  the  dangers  along  the  whole  southern  border,  and  the  invasion 
by  John  Morgan,  had  combined  to  make  the  year  memorable  in  our  local  annals. 
As  the  season  for  military  operations  in  1864  approached,  Governor  Brough  dis- 
played special  anxiety  to  be  prepared  for  similar  dangers. 

Toward  the  close  of  February  he  discussed  with  ex-Governor  Denniscn  the 
plan  of  having  a  few  regiments  of  the  volunteer  militia  of  the  State  called  into 
active  service  for  duty  along  the  southern  border;  and,  at  his  request,  Governor 
Dennison  visited  Washington  to  urge  this  policy  upon  the  Secretary  of  War. 
Mr.  Stanton  doubted  the  immediate  necessity,  and  for  various  reasons,  specially 
including  the  jealousy  of  other  States,  which  it  would  arouse,  discouraged  the 
proposition. 

On  tl>e  15th  of  March  Governor  Brough  addressed  the  Secretary  at  some 
length,  renewing  his  proposition,  and  strenuously  urging  its  necessity.  "Pass- 
ing events  in  Ohio  and  in  Canada,"  he  wrote,  "point  to  a  pressing  danger  of 
raids  upon  us  from  that  quarter;  while  our  southern  frontier,  including  that  of 
Indiana,  is  undoubtedly  to  be  the  object  of  an  assault  by  Morgan  and  his  forces, 
as  soon  as  their  preparations  are  completed."  The  true  way,  he  argued,  to  pre- 
vent such  raids,  as  well  as  the  only  economical  way,  was  to  have  a  force  of 
drilled  men  on  the  frontier.  A  knowledge  that  the  State  was  prepared  to  receive 
him  would  be  the  surest  way  to  prevent  Morgan  from  coming,  and  he  insisted 
that  he  ought  therefore  to  have  authority  to  call  out  two  to  four  regiments.  But 
the  view  which  other  States  would  take  of  such  a  measure,  still  seemed  sufficient 
reason  for  delay.* 

Meantime  all  saw  the  critical  point  of  the  war  to  be  approaching.  The 
Nation  had  enormous  armies  in  the  field,  but  they  were  larger  on  the  pay-rolls 
than  in  the  list  of  men  present  for  duty  at  the  front.  A  General  had  been  pro- 
moted to  the  chief  command  whose  avowed  policy  for  conquering  the  rebellion 
was  the  lavish  use  of  overwhelmingly  superior  forces.     The  Government  stand- 

*  BrougU's  private  Letter  Books,  State  Archives,  War  Department  Letters,  pp.  36-37. 


Hundred  Days'   Men.  209 


ing  aghast  at  the  frightful  expenses  into  whieh  the  bounty  system  and  this  pol- 
icy of  demanding  untold  numbers  had  plunged  it,  held  success  in  the  impending 
campaign  to  be  indispensable — it  could  not,  as  was  declared,  bear  up  under  such 

P drain  for  another  year. 
Because,  therefore,  success  then  was  held  to  be  vitally  necessary,  and 
because  the  General  in  command  would  only  promise  a  prospect  of  success,  on 
condition  that  he  should  have  treble  or  quadruple  the  number  of  soldiers  his 
antagonist  could  muster,  it  became  an  object  of  the  utmost  solicitude  that  every 
veteran  in  the  forts  about  Washington,  or  the  block-houses  along  the  railroads, 
should  be  added  to  the  ranks  then  about  to  plunge  into  the  blind,  blood}^  wrest- 
ling of  the  Wilderness.     But  neither 'forts  nor  railroads  could  be  left  exposed. 

John  Brough  was  the  first  to  comprehend  the  situation  and  divine  its  wants. 
He  was  led,  likewise,  to  it  by  a  continuation  of  his  recent  effort.  He  had  sought 
the  protection  of  his  State  by  placing  its  militia  in  the  field  in  such  numbers 
that  an  invader  would  keep  away.  He  now  sought  a  similar  but  larger  end,  the 
protection  of  the  Capital  and  the  whole  territory  of  the  North,  by  keeping  the 
enemy  so  busy  on  their  own  soil  that  they  would  have  no  opportunity  for  incur- 
sions Northward.  Under  his  suggestions  the  State  militia  law  had  been  care- 
fully revised  and  improved,  and  the  militia  force  which  Governor  Tod  had  left 
was  in  excellent  condition.  He  conceived,  therefore,  the  idea  of  calling  out  this 
militia  to  hold  the  forts  and  railroads,  while  Grant  should  throw  his  whole 
strength  upon  the  Eebel  army,  crush  it,  and  end  the  war.  Within  a  hundred 
days — such  was  then  the  understanding  of  the  Bebel  peril,  and  such  was  un- 
doubtedly a  correct  apprehension  of  the  possibilities  which  a  Frederick  or  Napo- 
leon might  have  grasped — the  struggle  should  be  over.  For  the  lass  great  effort 
that  should  end  the  contest,  therefore,  he  rightly  held  that  Ohio  would  make 
any  sacrifice,  and  that  the  sister  States  to  the  westward  could  be  induced  to 
unite  with  her. 

Accordingly,  on  his  suggestion,  a  meeting  of  the  Governors  of  Ohio,  Indi- 
ana, Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Iowa  was  held  at  Washington.  Governor  Brough 
stated  his  ability  to  furnish  thirty  thousand  men.  Governors  Morton  and  Yates 
believed  they  could  each  add  twenty  thousand.  There  was  some  difference  as 
to  the  time  for  which  the  offer  could  be  made,  but  the  term  of  one  hundred 
days  was  finally  agreed  upon ;  and  under  Governor  Brough's  direction  the  fol- 
lowing proposition  was  prepared : 

"War  Department,  Washington  City,  April  21,  1864. 
"  To  the  President  of  the  United  States  : 

"I.  The  Governors  of  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Iowa,  and  Wisconsin  offer  to  the  President 
infantry  troops  for  the  approaching  campaign,  as  follows : 

Ohio 30,000 

Indiana 20,000 

Illinois 20,000 

I        Iowa 10,000 
Wisconsin - 5,000 

"II.  The  term  of  service  to  be  one  hundred  days,  reckoning  from  the  date  of  muster  into 
the  service  of  the  United  States,  unless  sooner  discharged. 

"III.  The  troops  to  be  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States  by  regiments,  when 
Vol.  I.— 14. 


210  Ohio  in  the  War. 

the  regiments  are  filled  up,  according  to  regulations,  to  the  minimum  strength— the  regiments  to 
be  organized  according  to  the  regulations  of  the  War  Department ;  the  whole  number  to  be  fur- 
nish,?! within  twenty  days  from  date  of  notice  of  the  acceptance  of  this  proposition. 

"IV.  The  troops  to  be  clothed,  armed,  equipped,  subsisted,  transported,  and  paid  as  other 
United  States  infantry  volunteers,  and  to  serve  in  fortifications,  or  wherever  their  services  may 
be  required,  within  or  without  their  respective  States. 

"  V.  No  bounty  to  be  paid  the  troops,  nor  the  services  charged  or  credited  on  any  draft. 
"VI.  The  draft  for  three  years'  service  to  go  on  in  any  State  or  district  where  the  quota  is 
not  filled  up ;  but  if  any  officer  or  soldier  in  this  special  service  should  be  drafted,  he  shall  be 
credited  for  the  service  rendered. 

"JOHN  BROUGH,  Governor  of  Ohio. 
"O.  P.  MORTON,  Governor  of  Indiana. 
"RICHARD  YATES,  Governor  of  Illinois. 
"W.  M.  STONE,  Governor  of  Iowa." 

All  believed  that  this  would  insure  the  speedy  success  of  Grant's  campaign. 
The  President,  taking  the  same  hopeful  view,  accepted  the  proposition  two  days 
after  it  was  presented. 

On  that  eventful  Saturday  afternoon  the  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio  was 
startled  with  this  dispatch  : 

"  Washington,  April  23,  1864. 
"  B.  R.  Cowen,  Adjutant-  General  : 

"Thirty  thousand  volunteer  militia  are  called  from  Ohio,  the  larger  portion  to  ser- 
vice out  of  the  State.  Troops  to  be  mustered  into  service  of  United  States  lor  one  hundred 
days,  unless  sooner  discharged;  to  be  mustered  in  by  regiments,  of  riot  less  than  the  minimum 
strength,  and  organized  according  lo  laws  of  War  Department. 

"  They  will  be  clothed,  armed,  equipped,  transported,  and  paid  by  the  Government,  and  to 
serve  on  fortifications,  or  wherever  services  may  be  required.  Not  over  five  thousand  to 
be  detailed  for  home  service;  no  bounty  to  be  paid  or  credit  on  any  draft.  The  draft  to  go  on  in 
deficient  localities,  but  if  any  officer  or  soldier  in  the  special  service  is  drafted,  he  will  be  cred- 
ited for  the  service  rendered.  Time  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  It  is  thought  here,  that  if 
substitutes  are  allowed,  the  list  of  exemptions  may  be  largely  reduced ;  say,  confining  it  to  tele- 
graph operators,  railroad  engineers,  officers  and  foremen  in  shops,  and  mechanics  actually 
employed  on  Government  or  State  work  for  miltary  service.  This  is  left  to  your  discretion.  Set 
the  machinery  at  work  immediately.     Please  acknowledge  receipt  by  telegraph. 

"JOHN  BROUGH." 

The  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio  was  a  man  who  had  been  trained  to  matters 
of  detail,  and  had  long  displayed  a  special  aptitude  for  such  executive  work. 
He  thoroughly  understood  all  the  minutiae  of  the  militia  system.  He  was  sin- 
gularly accurate  and  comprehensive  in  his  grasp  of  details ;  was  incapable  of 
being  confused  by  any  sudden  pressure  of  business;  was  not  liable  to  lose  his 
judgment  or  his  coolness  under  the  bewildering  rush  .pf  exciting  matters;  not 
to  be  discouraged  by  difficulties,  not  to  be  swerved  from  his  straight  path  by 
any  representation  of  hardships  or  clamor  for  exemptions— an  officer  of  clear, 
strong  common  sense. 

Governor  Brough  well  knew  the  man  upon  whom  his  unexpected  dispatch 
was  to  throw  this  sudden  weight,  and  he  assured  the  Secretary  of  War  that,  by 
the  time  lie  could  get  back  to  Columbus,  he  should  find  the  great  movement  well 
begun.     He  was  not  disappointed. 

The  announcement  was  received  at  Columbus  on  Saturday  afternoon. 
There  were  no  adequate  means  of  reaching  the  people  before  Monday  morning. 


Hundked  Days'  Men.  211 


,!■ 


Meantime  the  necessary  orders  were  made,  and  such  preparations  as  foresight 
could  suggest,  were  devised.  The  papers  of  Monday  morning,  throughout  the 
State,  contained  the  following: 

"General  Head-Quarters  State  op  Ohio, 
"Adjutant-General's  Office,  Columbus,  April  25,  1864. 
"General  Orders  No.  12. 

"The  regiments,  battalions,  and  independent  companies  of  infantry  of  the  National  Guard 
of  Ohio  are  hereby  called  into  active  service  for  the  term  of  one  hundred  days,  unless  sooner 
discharged.  They  will  be  clothed,  armed,  equipped,  transported,  and  paid  by  the  United  States 
Government. 

"These  organizations  will  rendezvous  at  the  most  eligible  places  in  their  respective  counties 
(the  place  to  be  fixed  by  the  commanding  officer,  and  to  be  on  a  line  of  railroad  if  practicable), 
on  Monday,  May  2,  1864,  and  report  by  telegraph,  at  four  o'clock  P.  M.  of  the  same  day,  the 
number  present  for  duty. 

"The  alacrity  with  which  all  calls  for  the  military  forces  of  the  State  have  been  heretofore 
met,  furnishes  the  surest  guaranty  that  the  National  Guard  will  be  prompt  to  assemble  at  the 
appointed  time.  Our  armies  in  the  field  are  marshaling  for  a  decisive  blow,  and  the  citizen-sol- 
diery will  share  the  glory  of  the  crowning  victories  of  the  campaign,  by  relieving  our  veteran 
regiments  from  post  and  garrison-duty,  to  allow  them  to  engage  in  the  more  arduous  labors  of 
the  field.  By  order  of  the  Governor: 

"B.  K.  COWEN,  Adjutant-General,  Ohio." 

At  the  same  time  an  order  was  promulgated,  making  the  exemptions  which 
the  Governor  had  suggested. 

And  now  came  the  tremendous  pressure  which,  for  a  little  time,  the  Adju- 
tant-General had  to  bear  alone.  A  week  had  been  given  preparatory  to  the 
rendezvous.  Through  this  time  protests,  appeals  for  exemption,  warnings  of 
danger  to  the  State,  financially  and  politically,  poured  in.  General  Cowen  bore 
stoutly  up  against  them  all,  refused  every  appeal  for  exemption  that  did  not 
come  under  the  terms  of  his  order,  referred  applications  for  discharge  to  the 
regimental  commanders,  assured  every  objector  that  the  call  was  necessary,  that 
it  would  be  enforced  at  all  hazards,  and  that  the  State  Administration  was 
read}7  to  accept  all  responsibilities. 

Throughout  the  State  arose  a  sudden,  excited,  sometimes  angry  buzz.  The 
men  who  composed  the  volunteer  militia  companies  (now  known  as  the  National 
Guard)  were  among  the  most  substantial  and  patriotic  citizens  of  the  State. 
They  were  in  the  midst  of  the  opening  business  or  labors  of  the  season.  To 
almost  every  man  it  came  as  a  personal  sacrifice  to  be  made  for  a  necessity  not 
very  clearly  understood.  Some  prominent  Union  leaders  discouraged  the 
movement;  all  saw  that  it  would  prove  a  repetition  of  the  wasteful  folly  of  the 
early  calls  for  three  months'  and  six  months'  troops  (who  had  just  come  to  be 
useful  when  their  term  of  service  had  expired),  unless,  indeed,  the  crisis  were 
such  that  this  sudden  re-enforcement  would  insure  the  striking  of  the  final 
blow. 

The  day  came  for  the  mustering  of  the  regiments  at  their  respective  rendez- 
vous. A  cold  rain  prevailed  throughout  the  State.  Many  had  predicted  that 
the  movement  would  be  a  failure;  it  now  seemed  as  if  it  must  be.  But  by  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  commanders  of  regiments  began  to  report  by  telegraph. 
At  seven  in  the  evening  the  Adjutant-General  telegraphed  the  Secretary  of 


212 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


War:  "More  than  thirty  thousand  National  Guards  are  now  in  camp  and 
ready  for  muster."  At  half-past  seven  the  reports  showed  thirty-eight  thousand 
men  in  camp,  and  clamorous  to  be  sent  forward.  Considering  the  exhaustion, 
the  previous  discouragements,  the  period  in  the  war,  it  was  the  grandest  uprising 
of  soldiers,  the  most  inspiring  rush  of  armed  men  from  every  village  and  ham- 
let and  walk  of  life  that  the  whole  great  struggle  displayed. 

Governor  Brough  gave  fitting  expression  to  the  general  feeling  of  admira- 
tion which  the  stirring  spectacle  evoked,  in  an  address,  the  next  day  issued: 

"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  Ma}'  3,  1864. 
"To  the  National  Guard  or  Ohio: 

"The  Commander-in-Chief  cordially  and  earnestly  thanks  you  for  your  noble  response  on 
yesterday  to  the  call  made  for  the  relief  of  our  army,  and  the  salvation  of  the  country.  This 
manifestation  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  is  alike  honorable  to  yourselves  and  your  noble  State. 
In  the  history  of  this  great  struggle  it  will  constitute  a  page  that  you  and  your  descendants  may 
hereafter  contemplate  with  perfect  satisfaction. 

"The  duty  to  which  you  will  be  assigned,  though  comparatively  a  minor  one,  will  be  none 
the  less  beneficial  to  the  cause  of  the  country.  While  you  hold  fortifications,  and  lines  of  army 
communications,  you  will  release  veteran  soldiers,  and  allow  them  to  strengthen  the  great  army 
that  is  marshaling  for  the  mightiest  contest  of  the  war.  In  this  you  will  contribute  your  full 
measure  to  the  final  result  we  all  so  confidently  anticipate,  and  so  much  desire — the  end  of  the 
rebellion,  and  the  restoration  of  peace  and  unity  in  the  land. 

"There  is  no  present  imminent  danger  that  calls  you  from  your  peaceful  avocations.  But,  it 
is  necessary  that  we  enter  upon  the  spring  campaign  with  a  force  that  will  enable  us  to  strike 
rapid  and  effective  blows  when  the  conflict  opens.  Though  we  have  met  with  a  few  reverses  this 
spring,  the  general  military  situation  is  everywhere  hopeful,  and  those  in  command  of  your 
armies  were  never  more  confident.  But  we  can  not  permit  this  war,  in  its  present  proportions, 
to  linger  through  another  year.  It  is  laying  a  burden  upon  us  which,  by  vigorous  and  united 
exertion,  we  must  arrest.  It  is  true  economy,  as  well  as  the  dictate  of  humanity,  to  call  to  the 
termination  of  this  contest  a  force  that  will  be  sufficient  for  the  purpose.  Time,  treasure,  and 
blood  will  alike  be  saved  in  augmenting  our  forces,  and  making  the  contest  short  and  decisive. 
The  hope  of  the  Rebel  leaders  is  in  the  procrastination  of  the  war.  In  this  a  political  party  in 
the  North  sympathizes  with  them,  and  is  laboring,  by  the  same  means  to  secure  a  political  triumph 
at  the  expense  of  the  unity  and  future  prosperity  of  the  Nation.  The  first  we  must  subdue  with 
our  arms  within  the  hundred  days,  and  then  we  can  turn  upon  the  other  and  win  over  it  a  more 
peaceful,  but  not  less  glorious  victory. 

"I  am  not  ignorant  of  the  sacrifices  this  call  imposes  upon  you,  nor  of  the  unequal  manner 
in  which  it  imposes  the  burdens  of  the  war.  You  must  reflect,  however,  that  hitherto  we 
have  experienced  comparatively  little  of  the  inconveniences  and  depression  consequent  upon  a 
state  of  war.  If  a  part  of  these  come  home  to  us  now,  we  can  well  afford  to  meet,  for  so  short  a 
time,  the  tax  imposed  upon  us,  especially  when  the  sacrifice  gives  promise  of  materially  hasten- 
ing the  close  of  the  contest.  The  burden  must  necessarily  be  unequal,  for  the  Union  men  of  this 
country  must  work  out  its  salvation.  The  disloyal  element  is  not  to  be  relied  upon  either  to 
encourage  our  armies,  or  to  aid  in  the  crushing  of  the  rebellion.  You  are,  in  this  particular,  not 
unlike  your  ancestors  who  achieved  the  independence  of  your  country  against  a  foreign  enemy 
on  the  one  hand,  and  the  tories  of  the  revolution  on  the  other. 

•'  Remember  then,  that  like  unto  those  who  wrought  out  your  nationality,  through  adversity 
that  you  have  not  yet  experienced,  the  greater  the  sacrifice  the  higher  the  honor  of  those  who  are 
called  to  preserve  it. 

"Fully  comprehending  the  effects  of  this  call  upon  the  industrial  interests  of  the  State,  I 
would  not  have  made  it,  had  I  not  been  fully  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  an  increase  of  our 
forces,  as  the  most  effective  means  of  hastening  the  close  of  the  contest  and  the  advent  of  peace. 
I  have  done  what  I  conscientiously  believed  to  be  my  duty  in  the  present  position  of  affairs,  and 
you  have  responded  in  a  manner  that  challenges  my  admiration,  and  will  command  the  gratitude 
of  the  country. 


Hundred    Days'  Men.  213 

"Go  forth,  then,  soldiers  of  the  National  Guard,  to  the  fulfillment  of  the  duty  assigned  to 
you.  I  have  entire  confidence  that  you  will  meet  all  its  requirements  with  fidelity  and  honor. 
The  prayers  of  the  people  of  the  State  will  follow  you;  and  may  your  return  be  as  glorious  as 
your  going  forth  is  noble  and  patriotic.  JOHN  BROUGH." 

^hen  followed  the  difficult  work  of  consolidation.  Since  the  original 
organization  of  the  volunteer  militia,  thousands  of  its  members  had  entered  the 
National  service,  and  every  regiment  was  thus  reduced  below  the  minimum. 
The  principle  adopted  was  to  break  up  the  smaller  companies  and  divide  the 
men  among  the  others  in  such  proportions  as  were  needed.  Army  officers  of 
experience  were  called  in  to  aid  in  this  delicate  duty;  Colonel  W.  P.  Richard  - 
son  at  Camp  Chase,  General  A.  M.  McCook  at  Camp  Dennison,  and  Colonel 
.qui la  Wiley  at  Camp  Cleveland. 

On  these,  and  on  all  others,  the  Governor  now  pressed  again  and  again  the 
iportance  of  haste.  "Nothing,"  as  an  eye-witness  wrote,  "was  neglected. 
There  was  no  detail  so  small  that  it  did  not  receive  the  personal  attention  of  the 
Governor.  He  had  an  eye  on  every  officer  and  kept  him  to  his  work.  There 
were  men  selfi&h.  and  unpatriotic  enough  at  this  time  to  seek  to  create  disturb- 
ance by  filling  the  minds  of  the  men  with  fear  that  they  were  being  entrapped 
only  to  be  offered  up  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  Moloch  of  war.  To  a  Major  of  a  regi- 
ment that  refused  to  be  mustered,  he  telegraphed :  '  The  Guard  will  be  promptly 
mustered  out  at  the  end  of  the  hundred  days.  The.  faith  of  the  Government 
and  the  State  are  both  pledged  to  this.  The  regiment  can  serve  in  the  State  if 
it  wants  to  do  so.  We  want  a  regiment  at  Camp  Chase  to  guard  Rebel  prisoners 
and  patrol  Columbus.  No  other  regiment  wants  to  do  it.  Men  who  refuse  to 
muster  will  be  held  to  this  service.  The  muster  into  the  United  States  service 
is  a  mere  form  to  make  the  payment  from  the  Government  instead  of  the  State. 
Advise  me  if  this  is  satisfactory.'  This  regiment  was  mustered  within  a  few 
hours,  and  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  out  of  the  State.  Delay  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  regiments  was  not  tolerated.  To  Colonel  Jackson,  of  the  Ninth,  he  tel- 
egraphed :  'Your  regiment  was  reported  ready  yesterday.  President  Jewett 
says  no  requisition  has  yet  been  made  for  transportation.  The  War  Depart- 
ment is  thundering  at  me  for  these  troops  every  hour.  No  trivial  cause  for 
delay  must  be  suffered  to  intervene.  Jewett  says  he  can  have  a  train  this 
afternoon  if  immediate  notice  is  given.  Why  can  not  this  be  done?  Time  is 
precious.  Make  every  hour  count.'  To  Major-General  McCook,  at  Camp  Den- 
nison, he  telegraphed  nearly  the  same.  Mustering  officers  and  quartermasters 
were  kept  driving,  and,  with  a  few  exceptions,  they  were  willing  to  do  all  in 
their  power,  and  the  importance  of  this  energy  and  haste  will  be  more  appre- 
ciated when  it  is  remembered  that  at  this  time  Ohio  was  the  only  State  furnish- 
ing militia  to  take  the  place  of  veterans."* 

The  War  Department  was  amazed  and  caught  napping.  It  had  no  expecta- 
tion of  such  a  response,  and  was  unprepared  with  mustering  officers.  But  for 
this — so  tremendous  was  the  energy  with  which  the  wTork  was  driven  forward — 

•  From  a  newspaper  sketch  of  the  raising  of  the  Hundred  Days'  Men,  written  by  Hon.  Wm. 
Henry  Smith. 


214  Ohio  in  the   War. 

the  whole  force  might  have  been  on  its  way  to  the  field  several  days  sooner.  As 
it  was,  Within  two  weeks,  over  thirty  thousand  men,  fully  armed  and  equipped, 
were  put  into  the  service.  Within  a  single  week  after  the  assemblage,  it  was 
found  that  there  were  several  thousands  more  in  camp  than  the  Government  had 
agreed  to  accept,  and  Governor  Brough  was  telegraphing : 

"  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

"I  have  five  or  six  regiments  organized  and  in  camp  more  than  my  quota.  Will  you  take 
them  or  must  I  disband  them?  If  you  take  them  where  shall  they  he  assigned?  Answer  early 
as  they  are  crowding  me.  JOHN  BROUGH." 

On  the  same  day  the  Secretary  of  War  replied  us  follows : 

"I  will  accept  all  the  troops  you  can  raise.  The  other  States  will  be  deficient  and  behind 
time.  We  want  every  man  now.  .  .  .  Let  us  have  all  your  regiments  within  the  next 
week.     They  may  decide  the  war.  EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War." 

Before  this  indeed,  the  Secretary,  finding  with  what  implicit  confidence  he 
might  call  upon  Ohio  in  hours  of  need,  had  telegraphed : 

"Washington,  D.  C,  May  5,  1864. 
"  Governor  Brough  :  General  Sigel's  advance  has  exposed  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail- 
road, and  a  guerrilla  force  of  about  a  hundred  have  seriously  injured  the  shops  and  several 
engines  at  Piedmont.     Mr.  Garrett  says  that  a  regiment  of  your  men  will,  if  promptly  for- 
warded, prevent  any  further  injury. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War." 

"  Washington,  D.  C,  May  5,  1864. 
"  Governor  Brough  :  If  you  have  any  regiments  organized,  please  forward  them  immedi- 
ately to  Wheeling  and  Cumberland.     The  Rebels,  in  small  squads,  are  already  on  the  Baltimorfl 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  unless  driven  off  may  do  considerable  damage.     Sigel  has  moved  his 
force  down  the  Valley,  and  is  too  far  off  to  do  any  good. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War. 


i 


"Washington,  D.  C,  May  13,  1864. 
"  Governor  Brough  :  Official  dispatches  have  been  received  from  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac. A  general  attack  was  made  by  General  Grant  at  four  and  a  half  o'clock  A.  M.  yesterday, 
followed  by  the  most  brilliant  results.  At  eight  o'clock  Hancock  had  taken  four  thousand  pris- 
oners, including  Major-General  Edward  Johnson  and  several  Brigadiers,  and  between  thirty 
and  forty  cannon.     Now  is  the  time  to  put  in  your  men. 

"EDWIN  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War." 

In  answer  to  the  first  of  these  dispatches  the  first  of  the  National  Guard 
regiments  left  on  the  5th  of  May,  three  days  after  reporting  in  camp.  The  last 
one  was  ready  to  leave  on  the  16th.  Within  that  time  forty-one  minimum  reg- 
ments  and  one  battalion  of  seven  companies,  in  all  thirty-five  thousand  nine 
hundred  and  eighty-two  men,  had,  as  the  Adjutant-General,  with  justifiable 
pride,  recited  in  his  report,  "been  consolidated,  organized,  mustered,  clothed, 
armed,  equipped,  and  turned  over  to  the  United  States  military  authorities  for 
transportation  and  assignment." 

Two  days  later  Governor  Brough  had  the  pleasure  of  sending  this  cautious 
recital : 

tc  "  Columbus,  May  18,  1864. 

E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

"Ohio  has  sent  regiments  as  follows:    Four  to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  two  to  Cumberland, 
thirteen  to  Washington,  and  the  fourteenth  will  leave  to-night;  three  to  Parkersburg,  four  to 


Hundred   Days'   Men.  215 

Charleston,  three  to  New  Creek,  three  to  Harper's  Ferry.  Has  stationed  one  at  Gallipolis,  two 
at  Camp  Dennison,  two  at  Camp  Chase,  two  regiments  and  a  battalion  of  seven  companies  at 
Johnson's  Island ;  being  forty  regiments  and  one  battalion,  comprising  an  aggregate  of  thirty- 
four  thousand  men.     This  work  has  been  completed  in  sixteen  days. 

"JOHN  BROUGH." 

But  before  Mr.  Stanton  received  this,  he  had  already  made  haste  to  express 
his  gratitude.  "  The  Department  and  the  Nation  are  indebted  to  you,"  he  tele- 
graphed, "more  than  I  can  tell,  for  your  prompt  and  energetic  action  at  this 

crisis." 

The  provision  that  members  of  the  National  Guard  in  active  service  should 
not  be  exempt  from  the  draft  then  pending,  was  obviously  calculated  to  create 
a  feeling  that  they  were  being  unjustly  dealt  with.  Governor  Brough  sought  a 
change  in  this  respect,  which  should  cause  the  burdens  of  the  draft  to  fall  upon 
the  opponents  of  the  war,  the  great  class  which  had  thus  far  evaded  military 
duty,  and  was  now  peacefully  at  home,  while  the  more  patriotic  had  been  sud- 
denly carried  by  thousands  to  the  front.  He  regarded  the  National  Guard 
movement  as  having  pretty  well  sifted  out  the  young  Union  men  liable  to  mili- 
tary duty,  and  he  wanted  the  draft,  therefore,  at  this  opportune  moment,  to  fall 
upon  the  communities  at  home,  where  the  Peace  men  were  now  largelj-  in  the 
majority.     His  efforts  failed,  but  he  persisted — the  correspondence  shows  with 

what  results: 

"Columbus,  May  4,  1864. 
"E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

"The  National  Guard  of  Ohio  have  fully  responded  to  my  call.  They  do  not  want  to  be 
credited  on  the  quota,  and  they  want  the  draft  to  go  forward,  but  they  ask  to  be  exempt  from  it, 
that  the  draft  may  fall  upon  the  stay-at-home  men.  That  is,  if  the  name  of  a  man  is  drawn  who 
belongs  to  the  National  Guard,  it  be  laid  aside  the  same  as  an  enlisted  volunteer,  and  another 
name  be  drawn.  For  many  reasons,  I  recommend  this,  if  it  can  properly  be  done.  It  will 
increase  rather  than  decrease  Our  military  strength,  and  somewhat  equalize  (he  burdens  of 
service.     Our  Guard  is  composed  exclusively  of  Union  men.  JOHN  BROUGH." 

"Columbus,  May  4,  1864. 
"E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

"Your  dispatch  received.  I  will  crowd  the  force  by  all  practicable  means.  Carefully  con- 
sider and  grant,  if  possible,  my  request  to  exempt  the  National  Guard  from  the  present  draft 
making  it  fall  on  the  'shirks.'     There  is  great  future  value  in  this  movement 

"JOHN  BROUGH." 

Washington  Ciiy,  May  4,  1864. 
"His  Excellency  John  Brough,   Governor  of  Ohio: 

"After  much  consideration  of  your  suggestion  in  regard  to  the  draft,  it  seems  to  me  impos- 
sible for  the  Department  to  conform  to  your  wishes,  for  the  following,  among  other  reasons: 

"1.  Any  change  in  the  terms  agreed  upon  between  the  Governors  and  the  President  in  one 
instance,  would  form  certain  occasion  for  an  infinite  number  of  changes  that  would  be  applied 
for  by  others,  and  would  lead  either  to  great  discontent  at  their  being  refused,  or  to  serious  injury 
to  the  service  by  adopting  them. 

"2.  The  terms  of  the  arrangement  were  called  for  by  the  Committee  on  Finance,  and  formed 
the  basis  of  their  recommendations  for  the  appropriation.  In  their  view,  and  in  the  view  of 
General  Grant,  it  was  deemed  an  indispensable  condition  that  the  special  volunteers  should  in  no 
wise  interfere  with  the  operation  of  the  law  for  drafting.  A  change  now  made  in  the  particular 
you  mention,  would  be  charged  immediately  as  a  breach  of  faith  on  the  part  of  the  Executive 
with  Congress,  and  might  lead  to  very  serious  complications. 

"E.  M.  STANTON,  Secretary  of  War." 


216  Ohio  in  the  War 


"  General  Head-Quarters,  State  of  Ohio,         ^ 
"Adjutant-General's  Office,  Columbus,  May  5,  1864.  J 
"Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

"My  request  was  to  exempt  the  members  of  the  National  Guard,  actually  in  service,  from 
operations  of  the  present  draft  to  fill  Ohio's  quota  on  the  last  call,  but  not  to  extend  to  any  draft 
on  any  future  call.  No  other  State  tendering  militia  can  object  to  this,  as  their  quotas  are  all 
full;  neither  does  it  break  any  faith  with  Congress,  as  it  does  not  change  the  position  of  the  State 
as  to  filling  her  quota  by  draft.  I  propose  that  the  draft  shall  go  on,  and  the  quota  filled  thereby, 
but  simply* to  limit  its  operations  to  men  who  have  not  enlisted  or  responded  to  the  call  for  the 
National  Guard.  Thus  I  put  you  thirty  thousand  National  Guards  into  the  hundred  days'  ser- 
nd  l»v  draft  fill  my  quota  of  ninety-two  hundred  from  other  citizens  of  the  State.  I  do  not 
reduce  you"  a  man  in  the  service,  but  add  to  it  in  the  number  of  men  who  may  be  drafted  from 
the  Guard.  I  do  not  ask  any  credit  for  the  Guard  on  quotas,  nor  any  exemption  for  it  on  future 
calls  if  any  are  made.  Is  not  this  reasonable  and  just?  I  know  it  will  be  acceptable  to  our 
people.  JOHN  BKOUGH." 

"Columbus,  July  5;  1864. 
"Hon.  E.  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  Washington,  D.  C: 

"Sir:  I  respectfully  urge  that  in  the  pending  call  for  additional  men,  the  principles  be 
established : 

"1.  That  at  the  expiration  of  the  notice  of  fifty  days,  any  balance  of  the  quota  of  any  State 
that  may  be  deficient,  shall  be  drafted  from  the  population  of  the  State  that  may  not  be,  at  the 
time,  in  the  service  of  the  United  States. 

"2.  That  this  be  construed  to  embrace  the  one  hundred  days'  men  of  the  several  States 
furnishing  them,  and  that  if  any  such  men  be  drafted,  the  name  of  such  man  be  set  aside,  and 
another  name  be  drawn  to  fill  the  place. 

"  3.  That  this  rule  be  observed  only  while  the  hundred  days'  men  are  in  service,  and  for 
fifty  days  thereafter;  and  after  the  expiration  of  such  time,  this  class  of  men  to  become  liable  to 
other  and  future  calls,  as  other  citizens  of  the  State. 

"4.  I  submit  to  you  the  expediency  of  providing  that  if  hundred  days'  men  shall  volunteer 
under  the  first  call,  they  be  allowed  to  join  such  regiments  as  they  may  elect,  and  be  credited 
with  such  time  as  they  may  have  served  under  the  hundred  day  call,  not  exceeding  fifty  days. 

"I  do  not  press  this  point  beyond  your  own  convictions  as  to  its  policy  and  propriety.  The 
three  first  propositions,  however,  I  do  urge  as  a  matter  of  justice  to  the  men  who  have  so  promptly 
come  forward  in  the  hundred  day  service,  and  as  a  fair  and  equitable  distribution  of  the  burdens 
of  the  war  among  those  who  have  heretofore  avoided  them.  I  do  not  see  any  legal  difficulty  in 
exempting  from  the  first  call  and  draft  men  who  are  actually  in  service  at  the  time,  however 
proximate  their  term  of  service,  especially  if  they  become  liable  to  a  future  call  after  that  service 
has  expired.    The  principle  seems  to  me  just  and  equitable,  and  I  urge  its  adoption. 

"Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

Subsequently,  however,  under  an  opinion  from  Solicitor  Whiting,  of  the 
War  Department,  all  men  actually  in  the  service  of  the  United  States— no  mat- 
ter for  what  term  of  service— at  the  time  of  the  draft,  were  held  to  be  exempt 
from  its  operations.  But  no  credit  was  ever  given  the  State  on  subsequent 
quotas  for  this  magnificent  and  instant  re-enforcement  of  the  National  armies 
on  the  sudden  call. 

Of  the  whole  volunteer  militia  of  the  State  but  one  company  absolutely 
refused  to  obey  the  order  calling  it  out.  Under  the  authority  of  the  Governor, 
this  case  was  dealt  with  as  follows: 

"General  Head-Quarters,  State  of  Ohio,         ^ 

"Adjutant-General's  Office,  Columbus,  May  26,  1864. } 
"Special  Orders,  No.  314. 

"Company  B,  Captain  Wendell  Mischler,  Fortieth  Battalion,  National  Guard,  is  hereby 
dishonorably  dismissed  from  the  service  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  with  forfeiture  of  all  pay  and  allow- 


Hundred   Days'   Men.  217 

ances,  or  having  refused  to  come  to  the  relief  of  the  Government,  under  the  recent  call  of  the 
President  for  one  hundred  days'  troops. 

"The  National  Guard  of  Ohio,  by  its  promptness  in  responding  to  said  call,  has  won  an 
immortality  of  honor,  and  justice  to  it  demands  that  all  recusants  should  be  promptly  punished, 
and  the  Guard  relieved  from  the  odium  of  so  disgraceful  a  course  of  action. 

"To  the  honor  of  the  Guard,  it  is  announced  that  the  above  company  was  the  only  one 
among  the  forty-two  regiments  sent  to  the  field  that  lacked  faith  in  the  honor  of  their  State  and 
adopted  country,  and  refused  to  fly  to  the  relief  when  the  fate  of  the  country  was  trembling  in 

•balance. 
"  They  can  return  to  their  homes  and  say  to  their  friends  and  neighbors  that  they  have 
rded  their  country  and  its  safety  as  secondary  to  their  own  personal  ease  and  security;  and 
that  in  the  hour  of  most  imminent  peril  to  that  Government  which  had  received  and  protected 
them  when  aliens,  they  basely  betrayed  their  trust,  and  refused  to  follow  their  gallant  comrades 
to  the  field  of  honor  and  of  danger. 

"No  member  of  said  company  will  be  allowed  to  enlist  in  any  other  company  of  the  National 
Guard,  under  any  circumstances  whatever,  as  men  who  wish  to  be  'soldiers  in  peace  and  citizens 
in  war,'  will  not  be  allowed  to  disgrace  the  Guard,  or  peril  the  State  and  Nation  by  their  pres- 

(i  and  example. 
"By  order  of  the  Governor:  B.  R.  COWEN,  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio." 

The  sudden  summons  of  the  National  Guard  to  active  service  was  specially 
3ly  to  lead  to  suffering  among  the  families  thus  left,  at  a  week's  warning, 
unprovided  for.  Profoundly  alive  to  this  aspect  of  the  movement,  Governor 
Brough  lost  no  time  in  appealing  to  the  citizens  at  home  for  aid 

*"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  May  9,  1864. 
the  Military  Committees  and  the  People  of  the  State  : 
"The  departure  of  the  National  Guard  from  the  State,  in  the  service  of  the  country,  will 
necessarily  work  much  individual  hardship.  In  many  cases  in  each  county,  families  of  laboring 
men,  dependent  on  the  daily  labor  of  the  head,  will  be  left  almost  wholly  unprovided  for.  The 
compensation  of  the  soldier  will  not  enable  him  to  provide  for  the  daily  wants  of  his  family.  We 
who  remain  at  home,  protected  by  the  patriotism  and  sacrifices  of  these  noble  men,  must  not  per- 
mit their  families  to  suffer.  The  prompt  response  of  the  Guard  to  the  call  has  reflected 
honor  upon  the  State.  We  must  not  sully  it  by  neglecting  the  wants  of  those  our  gallant  troops 
leave  behind.     No  such  stain  must  rest  upon  the  fair  character  of  our  people. 

"As  organized,  is  ever  better  than  individual  action,  I  suggest  to  the  people  of  the  several 
counties  that  they  promptly  raise,  by  voluntary  contribution,  a  sufficient  sum  to  meet  the  proba- 
ble wants  of  the  families  of  the  Guards,  who  may  require  aid,  and  place  the  same  in  the  hands 
of  the  military  committee  of  the  county,  for  appropriation  and  distribution.  The  committee  can  des- 
ignate one  or  two  good  men  in  each  township  who  will  cheerfully  incur  the  trouble  and  labor  of  pass- 
ing upon  all  cases  in  their  townships,  and  of  drawing  and  paying  such  appropriation  as  may  be  made 
to  them.  Citizens,  let  this  fund  be  ample.  Let  those  whom  God  has  blessed  with  abundance  con- 
tribute to  it  freely.  It  is  not  a  charity  to  which  you  may  give  grudgingly.  It  is  payment  of  only 
part  of  the  debt  we  all  owe  the  brave  men  who  have  responded  to  the  call  of  the  country,  and 
whose  action  is  warding  off  from  us  deadly  perils,  and  saving  us  from  much  more  serious  sacri- 
fices. What  is  all  your  wealth  to  you  if  your  Government  be  subverted?  What  the  value  of 
your  stores  if  your  public  credit  or  finances  be  ruined,  or  Rebel  armies  invade  and  traverse  your 
State?  Be  liberal  and  generous  then  in  this  emergency.  Let  no  mother,  wife,  or  child  of  the 
noble  Guard  want  the  comforts  of  life  during  the  hundred  days;  and  let  these  noble  men  feel  on 
their  return  that  the  people  of  the  State  appreciated,  and  have,  to  some  extent,  relieved  the  sacri- 
fices they  so  promptly  made  in  the  hour  of  the  country's  need. 

"As  these  families  do  not  come  within  the  means  provided  by  the  Relief  Law,  we  must  look 
to  voluntary  contributions  to  provide  for  them.  In  aid  of  these,  I  feel  authorized  to  appropriate 
the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars  from  the  Military  Contingent  Fund.  This  sum  will  be  appor- 
tioned among  the  several  counties  in  proportion  to  the  number  of  the  Guard  drawn  from  each, 
and  the  chairman  of  the  military  committee  early  notified  of  the  amount  subject  to  his  order. 


218 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


"In  many  cases  men  have  left  crops  partly  planted,  and  fields  sown,  that  in  due  time  must 
be  harvested  or  lost  In  each  township  and  county  there  should  be  at  once  associations  of  men 
M  ,,„„„.  who  will  resolve,  that,  to  the  extent  of  their  ability,  they  will  look  to  these  things.  It  is 
nat  only  the  dictate  of  patriotism,  but  of  good  citizenship,  that  we  make  an  extra  exertion  to 
WV6  the  crops  to  the  country,  and  the  accruing  value  to  the  owners,  who,  instead  of  looking  to 
'seed-time  and  harvest,  are  defending  us  from  invasion  and  destruction.  Men  of  the  cities  and 
town,  when  the  harvest  is  ready  for  the  reaper,  give  a  few  days  of  your  time,  and  go  forth  by 
the  doMM  and  fifties  to  the  work.  The  labor  may  be  severe,  but  the  sacrifice  will  be  small,  and 
the  reflection  of  the  good  you  have  done  will  more  than  compensate  you  for  it  all. 

"In  this  contest  for  the  supremacy  of  our  Government,  and  the  salvation  of  our  country, 
Ohio  occupies  a  proud  position.  Her  standard  must  not  be  lowered;  rather  let  us  advance  it  to 
the  front.  No  brighter  glory  can  be  reflected  on  it  than  will  result  from  a  prompt  and  generous 
support  to  the  families  of  the  Guard.     Let  us  all  to  the  work. 

"  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

A  few  da}-8  afterward,  changing  his  views  as  to  the  proper  interpretation 
of  the  law  providing  relief  for  soldiers'  families,  the  Governor  addressed  a  sep- 
arate appeal  to  the  military  committees  of  the  several  counties : 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  May  16,  1864. 
"To  the  Military  Committees: 

"Upon  more  careful  examination  of  the  provisions  of  the  Relief  Law,  I  feel  constrained  to 
change  my  former  position  as  to  the  right  of  families  of  the  National  Guard  to  its  benefits.  They 
have  the  same  rights  as  families  of  other  soldiers  in  the  service.  Still,  our  people  should  bear  in 
mind  that  with  the  large  addition  thus  made  to  the  dependent  families  of  soldiers,  this  fund  will 
now  be  severely  burdened.  The  taxation  was  made  on  the  basis  of  our  quotas  under  the  calls. 
We  have  now  added  over  thirty  thousand  men;  and  to  that  extent  have  increased  the  number  of 
families  that  will  require  aid.  Therefore,  it  is  necessary  that  we  should  add  to  the  fund,  by  vol- 
untary contribution,  to  the  extent,  at  least,  of  this  increase  of  its  liability.  You  should  see  that 
your  county  commissioners  levy  the  discretionary  tax  for  this  year ;  or,  at  least  have  a  clear 
record  of  a  refusal  to  do  so. 

"Some  complaints  in  regard  to  the  action  of  trustees  in  the  distribution  of  this  fund,  are  an- 
swered in  this  form: 

"1.  It  is  asked,  Where  the  absent  soldier  owns  a  house  and  lot,  or  a  small  tract  of  land  on 
which  his  family  resides,  is  the  family  thereby  debarred  from  relief?  Certainly  not ;  unless  the 
property,  independent  of  furnishing  a  home  for  the  family,  is  productive  of  the  means  of  support- 
ing it.  Unproductive  property  may  be  an  incumbrance,  in  the  way  of  taxes  and  other  expenses. 
Sensible  and  well-meaning  men  should  not  have  any  trouble  in  deciding  questions  of  this  kind. 
A  helpless  family  may  not  be  able  to  work  ground,  even  to  the  partial  extent  of  a  livelihood. 
The  simple  question  with  practical  men  should  be:  Does  the  family,  considering  all  its  circum- 
stances, its  capability  to  produce,  its  ordinary  industry  and  economy,  need  aid  to  live  comforta- 
bly? If  so,  the  aid  should  be  extended.  It  is  mortifying  to  add,  that  in  a  few  cases  trustees  are 
represented  as  deciding  that  where  the  family  held  a  small  homestead,  entirely  unproductive,  it 
was  not  entitled  to  relief  until  the  property  be  sold,  and  its  proceeds  consumed.  Such  a  position 
is  at  variance  alike  with  the  provisions  of  the  law,  and  the  dictates  of  humanity. 

"2.  It  is  asked  whether  the  family  of  a  deceased  soldier  in  receipt  of  a  Government  pension 
is  entitled  to  relief?  The  answer  depends  upon  the  circumstances,  sensibly  viewed.  Is  the  pen- 
sion, considering  trte  size  and  helplessness  of  the  family,  sufficient  for  its  support?  If  not,  relief 
should  be  extended  from  the  fund,  and  the  amount  of  the  pension  is  to  be  taken  into  the  account 
when  equalizing  the  fund  in  the  township. 

"Other  questions  that  may  arine  should  be  settled,  not  by  the  strict  rules  of  legal  refinement, 
but  upon  the  principles  of  practical  common  sense.  The  trust  should  be  liberally  and  honestly 
construed.  There  is  no  requirement  to  practice  a  niggardly  economy,  but  to  fairly  distribute  the 
fund  in  the  spirit  of  justice  and  humanity,  and  accomplish  with  it  the  greatest  amount  of  good. 

"In  cases  where  the  military  committees  feel  warranted  in  doing  so,  they  can  relieve  them- 
selves of  some  labor  and  responsibility,  and  probably  secure  a  more  equitable  distribution,  by 


1 


Hundred  Days'  Men.  219 


pportioning  the  voluntary  contributions  among  the  townships,  upon  the  basis  adopted  by  the 
:ounty  commissioners,  and  handing  the  amounts  to  the  township  trustees,  to  be  paid  out  in  the 
ame  manner,  and  as  a  part  of  the  relief  fund. 

I        "Please  have  this  circular  published  in  your  county. 
"Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

The  service  of  the  National  Guard  did  not  accomplish  the  result  that  had 
>een  expected  with  such  confidence,  alike  by  National  and  State  authorities.  It 
lid  relieve  the  men  whom  Grant  wanted  from  forts  and  railroads,  but  with  these 
•e-enforcements  he  did  not  win  the  great  victory  that  had  been  expected  ;  the 
var  was  not  ended  within  the  hundred  days ;  and,  in  a  certain  sense,  therefore, 
he  great  movement  was  a  failure. 

In  another  and  larger  sense  it  was  not.  In  accordance  with  the  prophetic 
leclaration  of  her  first  war  Governor,  Ohio  still  led  throughout  the  war.  She 
vas  incomparably  ahead  of  all  the  States  that  had  united  with  her  in  the  offer 
)f  hundred  days'  men  to  the  Government,  alike  in  the  numbers  that  she  furnished 
■ind  in  the  promptness  with  which  they  were  forwarded.  Even  Indiana,  usually 
io  near  the  front,  fell  far  behind  her  now.  The  Ohio  National  Guard  regiments 
guarded  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  from  the  river  to  the  sea-board;  they 
nanned  the  forts  at  Baltimore,  and  filled  the  fortifications  around  Washington. 
They  liberated  the  garrisons  over  this  great  extent  of  territory,  and  thus  swelled 
Grant's  army  Avith  thirty  thousand  veterans.  They  grew  restive  under  mere 
^uard-duty,  and  finally  begged  that  they  too  might  go  to  the  front.*  Nearly  all 
)f  them  were  under  fire;  and  none  brought  discredit  upon  the  Commonwealth 
;hat  sent  them  forth.  Into  the  details  of  their  service  we  can  not  enter  here. 
Elsewhere  f  we  have  sought  to  tell  the  story  of  each  ;  it  is  enough  here  to  add 
;hat  their  numbers,  promptness,  and  uniform  bearing  drew  forth,  not  only  such 
mlogies  as  we  have  already  quoted,  but  this,  at  the  close  of  their  service,  from 
Mr.  Lincoln  himself: 

"Executive  Mansion,  Washington  City,") 
September  10,  1864.         ) 

"The  term  of  one  hundred  days,  for  which  the  National  Guard  of  Ohio  volunteered  having 
expired,  the  President  directs  an  official  acknowledgment  of  their  patriotism  and  valuable  service 
luring  the  recent  campaign.  The  term  of  service  of  their  enlistment  was  short,  but  distinguished 
)j  memorable  events  in  the  Valley  of  the  Shenandoah,  on  the  Peninsula,  in  the  operations  of  the 
lames  River,  around  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  in  the  battle  of  Monocacy,  in  the  intrenchments 
)f  Washington,  and  in  other  important  service.  The  National  Guard  of  Ohio  performed  with 
ilacrity  the  duty  of  patriotic  Volunteers,  for  which  they  are  entitled,  and  are  hereby  tendered, 
hrough  the  Governor  of  their  State,  the  National  thanks. 

"The  Secretary  of  War  is  directed  to  transmit  a  copy  of  this  order  to  the  Governor  of  Ohio, 
ind  to  cause  a  certificate  of  their  honorable  service  to  be  delivered  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of 
he  Ohio  National  Guard,  who  recently  served  in  the  military  force  of  the  Unijed  States  as  vol- 
unteers for  one  hundred  days. 

[Signed]  "ABRAHAM  LINCOLN." 

In  calling  out  the  National  Guard  Governor  B  rough  assumed  a  responsi- 
bility and  ran  a  risk,  from  which  all  but  the  boldest  would  have  shrunk  back. 

*The  One  Hundred  and  Thirty-Second,  Colonel  Haines,  of  Logan  County,  was  the  first  to 
ask  to  be  sent  to  the  front.     Several  others  speedily  followed. 
t  Volume  II,  Sketches  National  Guard  Regiments. 


220 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


It  did  not  accomplish  all  the  good  he  hoped,  and  it  may  have  helped  to  swe 
the  unpopularity  which  we  are  next  to  see  growing  at  home  and  in  the  arn 
against  him.     But  it  was  through  no  fault  of  his  that  Grant  was  foiled  in  t] 
Wilderness,  and  faced  with  Lee's  steady  front  at  every  bloody  step  of  his  pain] 
progress  toward  Eichmond.      Brough   had  done  what   he  could  to  "organic 
victory;"  he  had  kept  the  State,  whose  honor  he  so  jealously  guarded,  far  ii 
advance  of  all  her  sisters,  and  had  displayed  an  energy  and  devotion  beyond  al 
praise.     Others  of  his  actions  may  have  produced  more  lasting  good,  but  noi 
displayed  more  consummate  ability,  and  none  reflected  brighter  honor  upon  tl 
State. 


Bkough's   Troubles  with    Officers.  221 


CHAPTEE  XVIII 


ROUGH'S  TROUBLES  WITH  OFFICERS,  AND  HIS    FAILURE  TO 

BE   RENOMINATED. 


rHE  anomalous  position  of  regimental  officers — owing  their  commissions 
to  the  Governor  of  their  State,  but  owing  him  no  obedience — looking 
to  him  for  promotions,  but  looking  elsewhere  for  the  orders  under  which 
romotions  must  be  won — has  already  been  described.  It  insured  difficulty 
etween  the  Governor  and  his  officers,  no  matter  what  policy  of  promotion 
e  might  adopt.  Governor  Tod  had  preferred  to  get  on  without  a  policy.  At 
netime  he  would  promote  according  to  rank,  at  another  time  in  spite  of  rank  ; 
ow  he  would  give  the  ranking  Sergeant  the  vacant  Second-Lieutenancy ;  again 
e  would  jump  a  Captain  over  the  heads  of  all  superiors  to  the  vacant  Lieuten- 
nt-Colonelcy ;  to-day  he  would  be  governed  by  the  recommendations  of  the 
!olonel ;  to-morrow  by  the  recommendations  of  military  committees  or  personal 
cquaintances;  the  next  day  by  the  apparent  sentiment  of  the  regiment;  the 
ext  by  the  requirements  of  rank. 

That  this  was  unwise  is  not  here  argued.  Perhaps  it  was  well  thus  to  set- 
le  each  case  as  it  arose,  upon  such  varying  considerations  as  should  seem  to 
uggest  the  need  of  a  peculiar  treatment ;  certainly  it  resulted  in  less  difficulty 
han  a  contrary  course  was  to  bring  on.  But  Governor  Brough  was  a  man  of 
evere  methods.  He  must  work  on  clearly-defined  rules,  or  he  could  work  with 
io  satisfaction. 

One  of  his  earliest  efforts,  therefore,  was  to  secure  a  system  of  promotions. 
He  saw  the  evils  resulting  from  promotion  on  the  recommendation  of  the  com- 
aanding  officer,  the  openings  it  gave  for  tyranny  and  for  favoritism,  the  abso- 
ute  mastery  of  the  fortunes  of  subordinates  it  secured  to  the  Colonel.  Looking 
o  the  regulations  and  the  orders  of  the  War  Department,  he  saw  a  way  pro- 
vided for  driving  out  incompetent  officers,  and  where  they  were  not  incompe- 
tent, he  conceived  it  unjust  to  ignore  their  rank  in  making  promotions  to  fill 
vacancies.  It  was  a  cardinal  theory  with  him  to  bear  only  his  legitimate  respon- 
sibilities, and  to  compel  all  others  to  do  as  much.  He  was  unwilling  to  assume 
<he responsibility  of  punishing  inefficient  officers  in  the  field;  that  was  made 
;he  duty  of  those  who  were  conversant  with  the  facts,  and  were  therefore  able 
:o  resort  to  the  remedy  in   the  regulations.      He  would,    therefore,   promote 


222  Ohio  in   the  War. 

according  to  rank,  save  in  cases  where  known  intemperance  would  make  thi 
course  one  of  immediate  danger  to  the  command,  and  would  put  upon  the  reg 
iment  itself  the  task  of  ridding  its  roster  of  men  who  proved  unfit,  and  wh 
stood  in  the  way  of  the  promotion  of  others. 

Acting  on  such  views  he  early  promulgated  his  noted  "  General  Order  N< 
5  "  the  fertile  source  of  many  of  the  troubles  which  embittered  his  administra 
tion,  and  turned  the  officers  of  the  army  against  him : 

"General  Head-Quarters,  State  of  Ohio,         \ 
"  Adjutant-General's  Office,  Columbus,  February  6,  1864.  / 

''(Ikneral  Orders  No.  5. 

"  Hereafter,  all  vacancies  in  established  regiments,  battalions,  or  independent  companies  wi 
be  filled  by  promotion  according  to  seniority  in  the  regiment,  battalion,  or  independent  com  pan; 
except  in  cases  of  intemperance. 

"  Existing  orders  from  the  War  Department  afford  the  necessary  facilities  for  ridding  tli 
service  of  incompetent  or  inefficient  officers,  by  ordering  them  before  an  examining  board,  whic 
will  relieve  the  Governor  from  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  deciding  the  merits  of  an  officer  o 
the  mere  opinion  of  the  regimental  or  other  commander. 

"  Section  ten  of  an  act  of  Congress,  approved  July  22,  1861  (General  Orders  No.  49,  seri< 
of  1861),  provides  as  follows: 

"  '  That  the  General  commanding  a  separate  Department  or  detached  army,  is  hereby  authoi 
ized  to  appoint  a  military  board  or  commission  of  not  less  than  three  nor  more  than  five  officer 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  examine  the  capacity,  qualifications,  propriety  of  conduct  and  efficienc 
of  any  commissioned  officer  of  volunteers  within  his  Department  or  army,  who  may  be  reporte 
to  the  board  or  commission,  and  upon  such  report,  if  adverse  to  such  officer,  and  if  approved  b 
the  President  of  the  United  States,  the  commission  of  such  officer  shall  be  vacated  ;  Provide* 
always,  that  no  officer  shall  be  eligible  to  sit  on  such  board  or  commission  whose  rank  or  pr< 
motion  would  in  any  way  be  affected  by  its  proceedings,  and  two  members,  at  least,  if  practicabl 
Hhall  be  of  equal  rank  of  the  officer  being  examined.' 

"  No  officer  shall  be  deprived  of  his  right  to  promotion  on  the  mere  expression  of  his  con 
manding  officer  that  he  is  not  competent  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  position  to  which  his  sen 
ority  entitles  him. 

**  In  the  case  of  promotions  of  sergeants  the  same  rule  will  govern,  and  for  this  reason :  con 
manding  officers  of  regiments  and  other  organizations  will  give  careful  attention  to  the  appoin 
ment  of  non-commissioned  officers,  that  none  but  competent,  proper,  and  efficient  men  shall  1 
brought  into  the  line  of  promotion. 

"  Officers  who  seek  to  be  detailed  on  duty  which  detaches  them  from  their  commands,  will  1 
considered  out  of  the  line  of  promotion  during  their  continuance  on  such  detached  service.  N< 
tice  of  such  detail  must  be  furnished  this  department,  and  also  notice  of  the  time  they  ar 
returned  to  their  commands. 

"  Commanding  officers  must  promptly  deliver  all  commissions  to  the  parties  for  whom  the 
are  intended.  By  order : 

"  B.  R.  COWEN,  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio." 

Abstract  theory  would  pronounce  this  rule  perfect;  practical  results  rnigh 
give  a  different  verdict.  The  leading  officers  claimed  that  Governor  Brough  di 
not  always  act  on  his  own  regulation,  and  they  were  opposed  to'  it  at  any  rat 
from  the  start,  for  very  obvious  reasons.  Their  power  to  promote  or  retar* 
promotions  was  measurably  taken  away  ;  and  it  was  from  this  an  easy  ste 
to  open  hostility  against  the  man  who  had  done  it.  Then  Governor  Broug 
himself  was  led,  by  the  logic  of  his  position,  into  becoming  more  and  more  th 
champion  of  the  private  soldier  as  against  the  officer,  and  of  the  subordinat 
officer  as  against  his  superiors.     That  a  strong   sense  of  justice  to  the  wea 


Brough's   Troubles  with   Offices.  223 

inspired  this  is  plain;  that  it  proved  sometimes  subversive  of  all  commonly- 
accepted  rules  of  subordination  and  military  etiquette  can  not  be  denied. 

Disputes  with  the  officers  in  the  field  soon  sprang  up.  For  a  time  these 
were  kept  within  bounds,  but  as  the  officers  began  to  feel  more  and  more  out- 
raged, they  threw  off  the  tone  of  deference  to  the  Governor.  He,  on  the  other 
hand,  treated  them  as  he  would  his  railroad  operatives;  held  them  to  the  same 
rigid  performance  of  duty;  rebuked  with  as  little  search  for  soft  phrases  when 
he  thought  they  were  neglecting  their  work.  Thus,  by  and  by,  a  state  of 
affairs  sprang  up  which  led  to  the  most  acrimonious  correspondence,  to  the  dis- 
missal of  officers  for  disrespect  to  the  Governor,  and  to  a  combination  of  officers 
against  Brough's  renomination. 

To  such  a  pass  did  things  come  that,  on  a  reference  by  the  Governor  to  the 
onel  of  a  regiment  of  a  complaint  which  a  soldier  of  the  regiment  had 
chosen  to  send  to  the  Governor,  this  extraordinary  interchange  of  indorsements 
on  the  soldier's  letter  could  ensue : 


"Head-Quarters  Second  Brigade,  Third  Division  Fourth  A.  C.,~) 

"New  Market,  March  25,  1865.         J 


"Respectfully  returned.  This  communication  to  the  Governor  is  a  studied  assault  on  my 
character  as  an  officer,  and  should  not  have  received  the  official  attention  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  of  the  military  of  Ohio.  It  certainly  will  receive  no  attention  from  me  until  it  shall  have 
gone  to  the  Governor  through  the  soldier's  commanding  officer.  This  private  channel  of  slan- 
dering military  officers,  has  been  too  freely  used,  and  has  certainly  received  tacit  sanction  at  the 
Capital.  As  inattention  to  a  soldier's  wants  and  rights  by  an  officer  is  among  the  gravest  of 
offenses,  so  is  such  a  charge,  when  not  well  founded,  a  low  slander. 

"  If  his  Excellency  desires  to  know  the  history  of  this  case,  it  will  afford  me  pleasure  to  give 
it,  but  his  request  must  in  no  way  indorse  the  grave  charges  of  wanton  cruelty  against  me. 
"Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"H.  K.  McCONNELL,  Colonel  Seventy-First  Ohio  Infantry." 

Executive  Department,  Columbus,  April  13,  1865. 

"Returned  to  Colonel  McConnell  as  unofficer-like  and  insolent.  It  is  alike  the  prerogative 
and  the  duty  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  to  hear  and  investigate  the  complaints  of  the  humblest 
private  against  the  acts  of  his  commanding  officer.  He  does  not  acknowledge  any  regulation 
requiring  a  private  to  ask  permission  of  the  officer,  of  whose  injustice  he  complains,  to  graciously 
permit  him  to  forward  his  petition.  In  every  case  of  this  kind  the  officer  has  been  first  called 
upon  for  a  statement  of  facts  or  explanation  of  the  case,  and  the  officer  who  throws  himself  upon 
his  dignity,  and  talks  of  slander  and  defamation,  naturally  provokes  the  suspicion  that  he  has  no 
better  explanation  or  defense.  Colonel  McConnell  can  act  his  own  pleasure  in  regard  to  farther 
report  in  this  case.  He  can  have  no  mitigation  of  the  terms  in  which  it  was  originally  called  for. 
In  the  mean  time,  he  can  rest  assured  that  this  department  will  receive  the  complaint,  and 
redress,  as  far  as  practicable,  the  grievances  of  the  soldiers  of  the  State,  as  it  will  protect  itself 
from  the  insolence  of  officers  who  do  not  comprehend  the  courtesies  and  duties  of  their  positions. 

"By  order  of  the  Governor.  SIDNEY  D.  MAXWELL, 

"A.  D.  C,  etc.,  to  Governor  Brough." 

Long  before  this,  a  gallant  officer,  soon  to  lay  down  his  life  for  the  cause, 
had  been  betrayed  by  the  feeling  which  was  already  spreading  among  men  of 
his  rank  against  the  Governor,  into   a  letter  which  drew  out  this  response: 

"  Executive  .  Department,  Columbus,  March  8,  1864. 
"Colonel  Daniel  McCook,  Fifty-Second  Regiment  0.  V.  L,  McAffee  Church,  Georgia: 

"Sir:  When  the  Colonel  of  the  Fifty-Second  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry  clothes  his 
communications  in  language  becoming  'an  officer  and  a  gentleman,'  they  will  be  courteously 


224 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


responded  to.  How  true  his  allegations  may  be  as  to  the  Provost-Marshal,  I  have  not  taken  the 
rouble  to  inquire;  but  as  to  this  department,  both  directly  and  inferential^,  they  are  alike 
iMnltin.  and  .u.lounded.  As  I  can  not  present  as  disrespectful  a  communication  as  this  to  the 
trshal  I  leave  Colonel  McCook  to  redress  his  own  grievances,  until  he  appreciates  a 
more  eetttood.  and  respectful  manner  in  seeking  it  through  this  department 

"Very  respectfully,  JOHiN   BROUGH.77 

While  thus  addressing  officers  who  treated  him  with  disrespect,  he   was 
hunting  down  others  whom  he  believed  to  be  shirks,  in  a  manner 
which  these  letters  that  follow  may  illustrate: 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  July  21,  1864. 
"  Ma.jmk  \V.  G.  Neixson,  Annapolis,  Maryland: 

"Siu:  1  a...  surprised  to  learn  to-day  that  you  left  the  regiment  on  the  second  day  of  May, 
and  have  not  been  with  it  since;  that  a  part  of  the  time  you  have  been  sick,  but  the  greater 
portion  fOO  bare  been  managing  to  keep  on  detached  service  out  of  the  field.  I  do  not  know 
how  much  of  this  is  true,  but  so  long  an  absence  from  the  regiment  requires  an  explanation.  I 
have  no  fancy  for  officers  who  play  off  from  their  regiments,  and  I  have  therefore  written  the 
War  Department  requesting  that  your  case  be  investigated. 

i  K-  regiment  requires  its  officers;  if  you  can  not  serve  in  your  line  of  duty,  you  should  not 
prevent  another  from  doing  so.  Yours  truly,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  August  5,  1864. 
"  Major  "W.  G.  Neilson,  Twenty-Seventh  Regiment  U.  S.  Colored  Troops,  Elmira,  Neio  York : 

"  Dear  Sir:  I  have  yours  of  the  3d  instant.  I  gave  you  reports  that  reached  me,  and  of 
the  truth  of  which  I  had  no  knowledge,  while  I  have  not  charged  you  with  any  improper  con- 
duct or  shirking  from  duty  (though  others  have  done  so),  and  do  not  make  any  such  charges  now. 
I  am  still  impressed  with  the  fact  that  in  the  critical  condition  of  your  regiment  you  should  not 
have  laid  sixty  days  inactive  without  at  least  some  effort  to  relieve  it,  or  some  communica- 
tion with  this  department.  It  is  very  certain  that  your  prestige  with  the  regiment  is 
gone.  I  will  have  it  full  to  the  maximum  in  fifteen  days,  and  it  needs  officers  badly.  As  you 
admit  you  can  not  return  to  it,  the  question  is  with  yourself  whether  you  will  deprive  it  of  an 
officer,  and  remain  a  drone  in  the  service. 

"  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH,  Governor  of  Ohio." 

The  Governor  was  no  less  outspoken  in  defense  of  officers  whom  he  believed 
to  be  doing  their  duty,  and  against  whom  prejudicial  efforts  were  making  at 
head-quarters  or  in  the  department.  Of  his  representations  on  this  class  of 
subjects,  the  letter  below  may  serve  as  a  sample,  while  it  also  illustrates  his 
views  of  the  strong  practice  at  elections  which  the  times  would  warrant: 

"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  October  14,  1864. 
"  Major-General  Hooker,  Commanding  Department,  Cincinnati : 

"Sir:  I  am  informed  that  Colonel  Greene,  in  charge  of  draft  rendezvous  here,  is  asking 
that  Major  Skiles,  Eighty-Eighth  Regiment  O.  V.  I.,  in  charge  of  Tod  Barracks  here,  be 
relieved  and  superseded.  I  have  not  had  any  conversation  with  Colonel  Greene  myself,  but  my 
information  comes  from  responsible  parties.  Major  Skiles  is  one  of  the  very  best  officers  we 
have  in  service  here.  His  offense,  I  am  informed,  is  that  he  acted  as  marshal  of  a  Union  torch- 
light procession  here  on  Saturday  night,  and  on  election  day  refused  to  allow  Mr.  Congressman 
Cox  to  go  within  the  barracks  to  electioneer  among  the  soldiers,  where  the  poll  was  opened. 
On  the  one  hand,  it  is  said  that  Colonel  Greene  is  a  sympathizer  with  General  McClellan ;  of 
this  I  have  no  evidence.  On  the  other  hand,  an  army  officer  states  his  position  to  be  that  he 
holds  it  improper  for  an  army  officer,  either  regular  or  volunteer,  to  take  any  part  in  elections 
beyond  his  vote.  On  whichever  ground  it  is  placed  is  to  me  immaterial.  Major  Skiles  has 
done  his  duty  as  an  officer,  and  I  hold  he  is  doing  it  as  a  citizen,  and  in  both  he  is  sustaining 
the  Government  and  aiding  to  crush  the  rebellion.  I  therefore  respectfully  protest  against  his 
being  superseded  therefor.  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 


B  rough's   Troubles  with   Officers.  22p 

We  have  spoken  of  the  charge  by  the  officers  that  Governor  Brough  did 
not  uniformly  adhere  to  his  own  rule  about  promotions,  as  laid  down  in  '•  Order 
No.  5."     They  pointed  to  a  class  of  cases  like  that  of  Captain  Mayer  as  proof: 

"  Executive  Department,  Columbus,  November  17,  1864. 
"  Brigadier-General  J.  P.  Hatch,  Jacksonville,  Florida  : 

"Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  favor  of  the  26th  instant.  While  I  have 
great  respect  for  your  opinions,  I  think  I  have  fully  examined  and  understand  the  troubles  in 
the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Regiment.  Captain  Mayer  is,  in  my  judgment,  so  intimately 
connected  with  them  that  his  promotion  to  the  command  would  be  a  step  I  can  not  consent  to 
take.  I  frankly  told  him  so  when  he  called  on  me,  some  months  since;  and  I  further  said, 
what  I  now  repeat,  that  I  would  hail  his  resignation  as  a  token  of  future  promise  and  usefulness 
of  the  regiment.  I  have  seriously  thought  of  asking  his  removal  by  the  War  Department,  but 
have  heretofore  forborne,  what,  upon  less  provocation,  I  shall  hereafter  do.  During  my  absence 
the  Adjutant-General  sent  him  a  commission  as  Major,  which  I  directed  should  be  revoked. 

"In  the  hope  of  promoting  the  efficiency  of  the  regiment,  I  have  to-day  appointed  Captain 
J.  S.  Cooper  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  sent  him  to  the  regiment.  He  is  a  good  officer  and  known 
to  the  command.  He  is  conversant  with  the  troubles  in  the  regiment,  and  I  trust  he  will  be 
able,  by  a  conciliatory  but  firm  course,  to  remedy  them.  I  shall  not  permit  Captain  Mayer  to 
embarrass  him  for  an  hour  after  that  fact  comes  to  my  knowledge.  I  have  no  personal  feeling 
in  the  matter ;  my  only  object  is  to  promote  the  harmony  and  efficiency  of  the  regiment. 

"  Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

The  letter-books  of  Brough's  administration,  in  the  State  archives  (from 
which  the  documents  here  are  taken),  swarm  with  similar  evidences  of  his 
activity,  his  remorseless  pursuit  of  men  whose  conduct  he  thought  unsatisfac- 
tory, his  habitual  disregard  of  the  dignity  of  officers,  his  championship  of  the 
private  soldiers,  his  watchfulness  for  those  he  suspected  to  be  shirks.  Thus, 
within  two  or  three  weeks  after  his  inauguration,  we  find  him  addressing  the 
Secretaiy  of  War*  concerning  Colonel  De  Haas,  of  the  Seventy-Seventh  Ohio : 
"  The  fact  is  presented  that  during  twenty-one  months'  service  of  said  regiment, 
since  Colonel  Mason  took  command.  Colonel  De  Haas  has  been  with  it  but  one 
hundred  and  sixty-one  days,  and  those  were  during  the  time  it  was  not  en- 
gaged in  field  service.  He  has  been  in  action  with  it  but  once,  and  that  but 
two  hours ;  and  my  information  is  (from  other  sources  than  Colonel  Mason) 
that  his  record  on  that  occasion  is  anything  else  than  honorable.  ...  On 
seven  days'  furlough  he  has  been  absent  six  months.  .  .  .  The  regiment 
should  not  be  sent  back  under  this  officer.  ...  He  stands  in  the  way  of 
the  promotion  of  officers  who  have  shared  the  privations  of  the  regiment.  If 
the  power  were  mine  I  would  find  a  way  to  right  this  wrong." 

A  few  days  later,f  we  find  him  writing  to  Colonel  J.  A.  Lucy,  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Fifteenth  Ohio:  "You  will  save  yourself  and  your  officers  some 
trouble  and  improve  the  morale  of  your  regiment  by  refraining  from  sending 
me  the  proceedings  of  indignation  meetings  on  the  subject  of  promotions.  If 
an  error  is  committed  by  this  department  it  does  not  require  the  machinery  of 
a  national  convention  to  have  it  corrected !  " 

Some  soldiers  in  the  Second  Ohio  Heavy  Artillery  complained  that  they 
had  been  treated  with  unjust  cruelty  by  some  of  the  officers.     Brough  straight- 

*  On  25th  January,  1864.  t  February  11,  1864. 

Yol.  I.— 15. 


226  Ohio   in   the  War. 

way  wrote  to  General  Steedman,  in  whose  command  the  regiment  was,  asking 
that  the  complaints  be  quietly  investigated. 

H6  defended  -Order  No.  5"  against  all  complaints,  and  wanted  it  adopted 
as  the  rule  also  in  the  promotions  beyond  the  rank.of  Colonel.  «  Let  me  illus- 
-  he  said,  in  the  course  of  a  long  letter  about  affairs  in  Sherman's  army. 
,.Tll,  Ilomination  of  Colonel  Harker  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship  has  cost  us 
lour  of  the  best  Colonels  in  the  army.  He  was  No.  16  in  the  rank  of  Ohio 
Colonels;  and,  of  the  fifteen  ranking  him,  twelve  at  least  were  as  meritorious 
as  himself.     Two  of  these  have  resigned  and  been  discharged  the  service  hon- 

!  v.     Two  more  have  resignations  pending." 

In  this  matter  he  had  been  opposed  by  Senator  John  Sherman,  between 
whom  and  himself  strife  as  to  promotions  seems  to  have  been  common.  On 
another  occasion,  Brough  having  recommended  Colonels  Van  Derveer  and  Gibson 
for  Brigadier-Generalships,  Sherman  wrote  to  him,  asking  that  he  would  with- 
draw these  recommendations,  for  the  purpose  of  insuring  the  promotion  of 
Colonel  Stanley.  Brough  replied:  " I  respectfully  protest  against  the  injustice 
of  overslaughing'his  (Stanley's)  ranking  officers,  who  are  his  equals  in  merit." 

In  the  re-enlistment  of  the  veterans,  Fuller's  well-known  brigade  was 
credited  to  Tennessee  instead  of  Ohio,  to  the  great  astonishment  of  the  officers, 
as  well  as  of  the  Governor.  Colonel  Edw.  F.  Noyes,  of  the  Thirty -Ninth,  and 
other  officers  concerned,  wrote  earnestly  to  the  Governor  on  the  subject,  pro- 
testing against  the  change.  He  seems  finally  to  have  been  convinced  that  Pul- 
ler himself  was  to  blame  for  it,  and  that  the  new  muster-rolls  had  been  pur- 
posely made  to  show  that  the  enlistment  took  place  in  Tennessee  (which  was 
technically  true),  for  the  purpose  of  compelling  Ohio  to  raise  more  troops. 
Brough  thereupon  writes  to  Judge  Spaulding  at  Washington,  complaining  of 
Fuller's  action,  and  adding:  "I  submit  whether  these  facts  constitute  a  good 
reason  for  his  promotion  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship."  * 

Thus,  on  all  hands,  Brough's  brusque  ways  with.. the  officers,  and  his  utter 
indifference  to  their  feelings  when  he  felt  the}7  were  in  the  wrong,  were  raising 
up  enemies  for  him,  whose  enmity  was  to  prove  potential.  A  case  was  yet  to 
come  which  should  attract  more  general  attention,  and  seem  to  the  army  to 
involve  some  elements  of  persistent  injustice.  On  this  the  feeling  against 
him  concentrated.  It  was  a  much-disputed  case,  but  the  facts  generally  agreed 
upon  were  about  these: 

In  accordance  with  a  policy  which  we  have  seen  to  be  somewhat  common 
with  him,  Governor  Tod  had  given  a  commission  to  Sergeant  John  M.  Wood- 
ruff, of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh,  on  condition  that  he  should  recruit 
thirty  men  for  the  regiment,  and  take  them  back  with  him  to  the  field.  Two 
days  after  Governor  Brough's  inauguration  Woodruff  reported  at  Columbus, 
gave  proofs  of  having  the  men,  and  received  the  commission  in  due  form. 
When,  however,  he  presented  himself  in  the  field  to  Colonel  J.  K.  Bond,  tho 
commandant  of  the  regiment,  that  officer  took  his  commission,  but  refused  to 

*  A  movement  for  which  was  then  on  foot.  The"  rolls  were  finally  changed,  and  the  regi- 
ments thus  restored  to  Ohio. 


Brough's  Troubles  with   Officers.  227 

muster  him  into  the  service,  for  the  reasons,  as  subsequently  appeared,  (1)  that 
Woodruff  had  been  commissioned  without  any  recommendation  from  the  regi- 
ment, not  having  been  even  sent  home  to  recruit,  but  to  conduct  drafted  men 
back  to  the  regiment;  (2),  that  some  of  the  men  whom  he  claimed  as  recruits, 
entitling  him  to  the  commission,  had  not  been  recruited  by  him;  and  (3),  that 
he  merited  no  promotion  by  behavior  either  in  the  regiment  or  at  home. 

Governor  Brough  did  not  learn  for  some  months  that  his  commission  to 
Woodruff  was  being  ignored.  The  news  then  came  in  a  letter  of  complaint 
from  Woodruff  himself,  dated  22d  May,  1864.  He  thereupon  asked  Colonel 
Bond  to  report  the  reasons  for  preventing  his  muster.  To  this  the  only  response 
received  was  as  follows  : 

"  Head-Quarters  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  O.  V.  I.,  1 
Near  Acworth,  Georgia,  June  9,  1864.      J 
"  Respectfully  returned  to  the  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio,  a  report  having  been  made  in  the 
case  to  the  department. 

(Signed)  "JOHN  R.  BOND,  Colonel  One  Hundred  and  Eleventh  O.  V.  I." 

This  Brough  construed  as  referring  to  a  report  sent  to  the  War  Depart- 
ment, and  as,  therefore,  intimating  that  the  matter  was  one  with  which  the 
Governor  of  Ohio  had  nothing  to  do,  and  on  which  the  Colonel  did  not  pro- 
pose to  be  catechised.  Meantime  Woodruff  had  been  severely  wounded  and 
crippled  for  life,  and  the  Governor  had  issued  to  him,  in  acknowledgment  of 
his  gallantry,  a  commission  as  First-Lieutenant.  He  now  at  once  forwarded  to 
the  Secretary  of  War  Woodruff's  letter,  the  inquiry  of  the  Adjutant-General, 
and  Bond's  reply — making  no  recommendation,  but  calling  the  Secretary's  at- 
tention to  the  language  of  Bond's  reply,  and  stating  that  he  had  failed  to  report 
as  requested. 

The  Secretary  of  War  had  a  profound  admiration  for  Governor  Brough,  as 
had  also  the  President.  They  held  him  the  ablest  of  the  Governors,  relied  im- 
plicitly upon  him,  and  about  this  time  were  specially  grateful  to  him  for  the 
splendid  keeping  of  his  promise  of  hundred-days'  men.  The  result  could,  of 
course,  be  foreseen.  A  special  order  was  promptly  issued,  u  dishonorably  dis- 
missing Colonel  Bond  from  the  service  for  refusing  to  recognize  the  commis- 
sions of  the  Governor  of  Ohio."  A  copy  of  this  order  was  sent  to  Brough,  but 
no  other  correspondence  was  had  on  the  subject. 

Subsequently  Colonel  Bond  explained  that  the  report  referred  to  in  his 
offensive  indorsement  above  quoted  was  in  reality  one  which  he  had  previously 
sent  to  the  Governor  on  this  case,  which  had  never  been  received.  Supposing 
that  before  his  reply  could  reach  Columbus  this  report  must  come  to  hand,  and 
that,  therefore,  his  indorsement  would  be  understood,  and  a  longer  explanation 
needless,  he  sent  it  as  quoted,  being  the  more  disposed  to  be  very  brief  where 
he  could,  because  they  were  then  in  the  midst  of  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  on 
the  march.  He  had  many  warm  friends  in  Toledo,  who  interested  themselves 
in  his  case,  and  made  efforts,  both  at  Columbus  and  Washington,  to  have  him 
reinstated.  To  this  end  a  special  order  was  finally  procured  from  General 
Halleck,  directing  him,  as  an  indispensable  preliminary,  to  make  a  satisfactory 


228  Ohio  in   the  Wak. 

apology  to   Governor   Brough.      On    this   document,   when    received,    Brough 
placed  the  following  indorsement: 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  November  12,  1864. 

"The  within  il  probably,  ■  technical  fulfillment  of  the  order  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  but, 
i„  ,nv  judgment  it  is  deficient  in  the  elements  of  repentance  and  frankness.  It  does  not  meet 
the  tar.  that  Colonel  Bond  had  determined,  from  favoritism  to  others  and  personal  repugnance, 
that  Woodruff  should  not  be  mustered.  # 

'•The  record  shows  that  after  a  personal  interview  with  the  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio,  in 
August,  he  went  to  his  regiment  and  reported  that  the  commission  would  be  revoked,  and  mus- 
RDOther  man  over  him,  thus  filling  the  only  vacancy  in  the  regiment. 

Adjutant-General  says  he  made  no  such  communication.  The  averment  that  Wood- 
ruff had  not  recruited  his  men  is  a  pretext.  He  produced  evidence  of  that  fact  when  the  com- 
mit i«.n  was  issued.    Captain  Beal's  statement  that  he  recruited  the  men  is  not  justified. 

"In  my  judgment  the  good  of  the  regiment  and  of  the  service  require  that  Colonel  Bond 
should  be  relieved  from  his  command,  for  these  reasons  : 

*  1.  This  is  his  second  offense  of  this  character.  In  1862  Governor  Tod  was  compelled  to 
procure  a  special  order  of  the  War  Department  to  muster  a  Lieutenant  and  Adjutant.  The 
offense  was  passed  over. 

"2.  He  has  passed  a  large  portion  of  his  time  away  from  his  regiment.  He  has  been  twice 
arrested  for  gross  intemperance,  and  was  six  months  absent  from  the  regiment  at  home  under 
one  of  these  arrests.     Both  arrests  were  released  without  trial,  under  promise  of  reformation. 

"  3.  He  has  been,  and  is  now,  in  political  sentiment,  opposed  to  the  head  of  the  Govern- 
ment, and,  consequently,  its  policy  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war ;  and  in  this  particular  is  very 
obnoxious  to  a  large  majority  of  his  command. 

"  He  appeals  to  have  the  stigma  of  a  dismissal  removed.  While  I  respectfully,  but  ear- 
nestly, protest  against  his  being  assigned  to  command  again,  I  have  no  objections,  if  the  De- 
partment sanctions  such  a  course,  to  a  reinstation,  accompanied  by  an  immediate  resignation.  I 
leave  this  for  the  Secretary  to  determine.  I  am  convinced  the  service  would  be  benefited  by  the 
retiracy  in  one  form  or  the  other.  JOHN  BROUGH,  Governor  of  Ohio." 

Some,  at  least,  of  the  charges  thus  made  could  probably  have  been  sus- 
tained ;  but  there  was  a  good  deal  of  sympathy  with  Bond,  especially  among 
the  officers  of  the  army.  He  was  said  to  be  brave,  and  a  good  fighting  Colonel, 
and  to  such  a  man  they  held  that  much  ought  to  be  pardoned.  The  matter  got 
into  the  newspapers ;  several  of  the  most  influential  journals  of  the  State 
attacked  Brough's  course  in  the  case,  as  exhibiting  a  petty  spirit  of  personal 
revenge  and  an  unwillingness  to  drop  his  cause  of  quarrel  after  the  most  sat- 
isfactory apologies.  The  latent  hostility  to  the  Governor,  which  his  previous 
treatment  of  many  others  had  aroused,  now  broke  out  openly,  and  he  speedily 
became  intensely  unpopular,  with  a  large  portion  of  the  officers,  at  least,  of 
that  army  which,  a  year  before,  had  given  him  forty-one  thousand  votes,  to 
only  two  thousand  against  him. 

Wo  can  now  see  that  much  of  this  feeling  was  unwarranted.  Among  the 
confidential  letters  in  the  State  Archives,  for  the  term  of  Brough's  administra- 
tion, is  one  on  this  subject,  touchingly  expressing  his  appeal  to  the  safe  judg- 
ment of  time,  which  may  be  properly  made  public.  It  is  addressed  to  Colonel 
W.  H.  Drew,  then  the  acting  military  agent  of  the  State  at  Chattanooga.  This 
gentleman  seems  to  have  expressed  fears  as  to  the  effect  which  the  feeling 
aroused  by  the  Bond  case  would  have  on  the  Governor's  political  prospects.  He 
replied  on  the  20th  of  February,  1865,  explaining  the  facts  at  some  length,  and 
concluding  in  this  wise  and  temperate  strain  : 


Brought  Failure  to  be  Renominated.  229 

"This  is  a  simple  history  of  the  affair.  I  had  no  personal  feeling  in  it— never  saw  Colonel 
Bond  until  he  first  called  on  me — never  had  any  controversy  with  him  until  it  grew  out  of  this 
affair.  I  treated  him  and  his  counsel  with  uniform  courtesy  and  kindness;  heard  them  patiently, 
and  assured  them  I  had  no  offended  dignity  to  avenge  and  propitiate.  My  only  object  was  the 
good  of  the  service,  and  to  prevent  the  return  to  it  of  an  officer  who  I  conscientiously  believed 
should  not  be  there.  I  understand  the  case  is  now  under  review  at  Washington.  I  can  not  tell 
what  may  be  its  result,  but  I  am  satisfied  I  have  done  nothing  but  my  duty  in  regard  to  it. 

"Personally,  I  am  very  indifferent  as  to  political  consequences  to  myself  on  account  of  this, 
or  any  other  of  my  public  acts.  The  most  earnest  desire  I  have  is  to  be  permitted  to  retire 
from  a  position  I  did  not  seek,  and  really  involuntarily  assumed.  I  am  equally  indifferent  as  to 
who  may  be  my  successor,  though  I  confess  to  some  anxiety  that  he  shall  be  one  who  will  make 
it  a  cardinal  principle  not  to  put  in  the  military  service,  or  continue  there,  officers  who  disqualify 
themselves  by  intemperate  habits  or  immoral  conduct. 

"Now  for  the  moral  of  this  long  story.  You,  as  well  as  myself,  have  an  important  duty  to 
perform  toward  our  men  who  can  not  help  themselves.  To  do  this  successfully,  we  must  some- 
times crucify  our  feelings  and  our  animosities.  We  may  think  wrong  is  being  done — that  friends 
are  being  injured — that  improper  means  are  being  used  to  forward  ambitious  purposes.  But  we 
must  pass  this  all  by  in  the  present.  Time  and  truth  will  set  all  things  right.  To  hasten  this 
end  we  must  avoid  controversies  with  those  who  have  power  that  they  can  use,  either  to  favor  or 
injure  the  success  of  our  labors.  Your  relation  to  the  commander  is  such  that  you  should  be 
extremely  cautious  as  to  your  feelings  and  utterance  where  third  parties  are  concerned.  If  he 
looks  to  high  political  position  you  need  not  become  his  partisan,  but  you  should  not  become  his 
opponent,  nor  make  him  yours  in  such  form  as  to  impair  your  usefulness  to  the  men  under  your 
charge.  Avoid  harsh  expressions,  avoid  controversies,  avoid  even  allusion  to  an  irritating  sub- 
ject. While  I  personally  appreciate  and  prize  your  friendship  for  and  confidence  in  me,  I  would 
not  for  a  moment  you  should  weaken  your  own  position  or  usefulness  by  assuming  my  defense 
against  any  charges  or  imputations.  Living  or  dead,  I  have  no  fears  of  any  assaults  that  may  be 
made  upon  my  public  acts.  I  know  they  have  all  been  dictated  by  honest  motives.  They  may 
be  marked  by  errors,  but  not  by  weakness  or  dishonesty.  And  so  time  and  truth  will  prove 
them. 

"This  is  a  miserable  scrawl,  but  I  have  not  time  to  re-write.  Accept  in:a  purely  confiden- 
tial character,  and  believe  me  Very  truly  yours, 

*  "JOHN  BROUGH." 

Other  causes  combined  to  increase  the  unpopularity  which  originated  in  the 
army.  The  Governor  was  rough,  harsh,  and  implacable  with  men  who  were 
guilty  of  little  offenses.  His  honesty  was  fierce  and  aggressive,  and  it  led  him 
to  denounce  many  men  for  practices  which  the  most  considered  quite  in  the  line 
of  official  precedents.  He  utterly  scorned  the  arts  of  popularity,  and  refused 
to  court  the  "local  great  men"  of  Columbus  and  other  political  centers  in  the 
State.  His  manners  were  often  offensive,  and  his  personal  habits,  in  some 
respects  at  least,  if  not  in  all  with  which  he  was  freely  charged,  were  not  cor- 
rect. Besides  all  this,  the  call  on  the  National  Guard  had  left  some  soreness  in 
the  minds  of  many  people  whom  it  inconvenienced. 

He  still  had  hosts  of  friends  throughout  the  State;  men  who  could  overlook 
all  minor  considerations  in  their  admiration  for  his  splendid  abilit}^,  and  their 
gratitude  for  the  incorruptible  honesty,  the  economy,  and  the  wonderful  and 
wise  zeal  that  had  marked  his  service  of  the  State.  These  urged  him  to  be  a 
candidate  for  renomination.  For  a  time  he  held  the  question  under  advisement, 
declaring  that  he  would  consider  it  only  in  the  light  of  what  would  be  best  for 
the  Union  party.  Then  he  wrote  to  all  who  addressed  him  on  the  subject,  that 
while  he  believed  he  might  secure  a  nomination,  he  was  unwilling  to  struggle 


230  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

for  it-  that  it  would  be  better  for  the  party  to  have  a  candidate  who  would 
arouse  less  personal  hostility,  and  that  he  would  not  enter  the  contest.  And 
finally  ho  addressed  this  frank  and  characteristic  communication  to  the  press: 

"Columbus,  June  15,  1865. 

"  To  the  People  of  Ohio  : 

"I  accepted  the  nomination  of  the  Union  party  for  Governor  of  Ohio  two  years  ago  with 
unfeigned  reluctance.  I  did  not  seek  or  desire  it,  and  I  only  accepted  from  considerations  of 
public  duty,  which,  in  view  of  the  state  of  the  country,  it  clearly  imposed  upon  me.  I  came  into 
office  with  the  firm  determination  that  if  the  military  power  of  the  rebellion  should  be  broken, 
and  the  war  closed  during  the  first  term  of  my  administration— which  I  confidently  anticipated— 
under  no  circumstances  would  I  be  a  candidate  for  re-election.  This  determination  I  freely  com- 
municated to  my  friends.  During  the  past  spring,  under  pressing  importunities  from  nearly 
every  section  of  the  State,  I  allowed  this  position  to  be  modified  to  this  extent,  that  while  I  would 
not  seek  the  nomination,  and  did  not  desire  it,  yet  if  it  was  conferred  with  a  reasonable  degree  of 
unanimity  and  good  feeling,  I  would  not  decline  it.  I  however  reserved  to  myself  the  privilege 
of  following  my  original  purpose,  and  withdrawing  my  name  from  the  canvass  whenever,  in  my 
judgment,  the  same  should  become  requisite  to  the  harmony  of  the  convention  and  the  success 
of  its  nominations. 

"Many  prominent  men  of  the  Union  organization  will  bear  me  witness  that  I  have  frequently 
urged  upon  them  the  conflicts  that  would  arise  from  my  renomination.  In  times  like  those 
through  which  we  have  passed  in  the  last  four  years,  no  man  who  filled  the  position,  and  honestly 
and  conscientiously  discharged  the  duties  of  the  office  of  Governor  of  Ohio,  could  hope  to  escape 
censure  and  opposition,  or  fail  to  destroy  what  politicians  term  his  'availability '  as  a  candidate 
for  re-election.  Such  was  the  case  with  two  of  my  predecessors,  who  were  earnest,  good  men.  I 
could  not,  and  did  not,  hope  to  avoid  the  same  result;  and  therefore  I  made  the  reservation,  and 
based  it  upon  my  own  judgment  of  passing  events.  Even  if  I  desired  the  position,  I  owe  the 
people  of  the  State  too  much  to  embarrass  their  future  action  for  the  gratification  of  my  own 
ambition.  As  I  have  no  political  desires,  either  present  or  future,  the  path  of  duty  becomes  not 
only  plain,  but  personally  pleasant. 

"After  a  careful  survey  of  all  ihe  surroundings,  I  am  entirely  satisfied  that  the  same  con- 
siderations of  duty  that  pressed  upon  me  the  acceptance  of  a  nomination  two  years  ago,  as  impe- 
riously require  that  I  should  decline  it  at  the  present  time.  Under  this  conviction,  I  respectfully 
but  unconditionally  withdrew  my  name  from  the  convention  and  the  canvass.  ' 

"I  am  aware  that  by  this  decision  I  do  violence  to  the  wishes  and  feelings  of  a  host  of 
friends,  whose  good  opinions  I  cherish.  But  they  must  pardon  me.  I  have  no  sentiment  of 
doubt  or  distrust,  either  of  their  friendship  or  good  judgment;  but  I  see  my  own  course  so  clearly 
that  I  may  not  turn  aside  from  it. 

11  Of  course  I  have  no  personal  regrets  or  disappointments.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  highly 
gratified  that  I  can  honorably  retire.  I  doubt  very  much  whether  my  health — much  impaired 
by  close  confinement  to  official  duties — would  sustain  me  through  a  vigorous  campaign ;  while 
increasing  years,  and  the  arduous  labor  of  a  long  life  in  public  positions,  strongly  invite  me  to 
retirement  and  repose  during  the  few  years  that  may  yet  remain  to  me. 

"  To  the  people  of  the  State,  who  have  so  nobly  sustained  me,  I  owe  a  lasting  debt  of  grati- 
tude. I  have  served  them,  during  the  trying  periods  of  my  administration,  to  the  best  of  my 
ability.  I  know  that  I  have  done  it  conscientiously  and  honestly.  I  look  back  upon  my  record 
with  but  a  single  regret,  and  that  is,  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  make  it  more  effective  in  the 
cause  of  the  State  and  Nation.  Very  respectfully, 

^  "JOHN  BKOUGH." 


Close   of   Biiough's   Administration.  231 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


CLOSE   OF   BROUGH'S   ADMINISTRATION 


TO  the  illustrations  of  Governor  Brough's  activity  for  the  army,  for  the 
soldiers  in  the  hospitals,  for  recruiting,  and  for  the  advancement  of 
Grant's  campaign,  it  is  fitting  lo  add  here  some  indications  of  the  in- 
fluence he  exerted  upon  the  Union  party.  Early  in  1864  he  opcnty  committed 
himself  to  the  renomination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  for  the  Presidency.  He  seized  the 
opportunity,  however,  of  a  malignant  attack  upon  Secretary  Chase,  which  that 
gentleman  had  some  apparently  substantial  reasons  for  supposing  to  have  been 
made  with  the  connivance  of  the  President,  to  address  him  his  congratulations 
on  the  triumphant  manner  in  which  he  had  passed  the  investigation  that  ensued. 
In  reply  to  Mr.  Chase's  acknowledgment  of  this  letter  he  wrote  again,  striving 
to  soften  the  asperities  between  Mr.  Chase  and  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  to  convince 
him  of  the  hopelessness  of  any  effort  to  defeat  Mr.  Lincoln: 

"June  1, 1865. 
"  Hon.  S.  P.  Chase,  Washington  City,  D.  C. 

"My  Dear  Sir:  An  unusual  pressure  of  business  engagements  has  prevented  an  earlier 
acknowledgment  of  your  esteemed  favor  of  the  19th  instant.  I  confess  I  feel  highly  gratified, 
not  only  that  you  found  some  benefit,  however  slight,  in  the  suggestions  I  had  the  honor  of 
making  to  you,  but  that  you  appreciate  and  so  kindly  credit  me  with  the  motives  that  prompted 
them.  Not  the  least  of  these,  let  me  now  assure  you,  was  the  cordial  personal  friendship  which 
I  have  ever  entertained  for  you;  a  sentiment  I  have  cherished  from  the  first  day  of  our  acquaint- 
ance, and  which  no  difference  of  opinion  in  public  matters  has  ever  interfered  with.  I  confess  to 
you  I  had  other  motives — the  condition  of  the  country,  the  value  and  importance  of  your  serv- 
ices in  the  Treasury,  the  disaster  that  would  follow  a  breach  in  the  public  councils  and  your 
retiracy,  the  shock  to  our  whole  system  of  credit  and  finance — but  I  felt  that  all  these  were 
reconcilable  with  the  personal  desire  I  had  for  the  preservation  of  your  own  high  character  and 
reputation.  I  was  satisfied  then,  and  am  now,  that  your  best  vindication,  and  your  highest  meed 
of  honor,  would  be  found  in  remaining  at  your  post,  and  demanding  through  your  friends  in  Con- 
gress a  full  investigation  of  the  charges  made  against  you.  I  urged  that  course  on  the  Ohio  del- 
egation, and  they  pledged  themselves  to  it.  The  result  has  justified  you  nobly  before  the 
country.  It  has  sustained  you,  and  sustained  your  friends.  You  stand  better  before  the  Nation 
to-day  than  if  Blair  had  not  afforded  you  the  opportunity  for  so  triumphant  a  vindication.  I 
know  this  result  has  been  reached  at  a  terrible  cost  of  personal  feeling  to  yourself— but  these 
things  are  ever  so.  It  is  the  penalty  men  pay  in  this  age  for  inflexibly  holding  and  pursuing  a 
course  dictated  by  honor  and  integrity.  It  is  said  that  every  worldly  affliction  has  its  consola- 
tion. Yours  must  be  that  your  personal  suffering  is  immensely  less  than  would  have  been  the 
consciousness  that  you  merited  the  reproaches  cast  upou  you,  and  that  your  friends  could  not  suc- 
cessfully vindicate  your  official  conduct.     I  am  more  than  gratified  if  I  contributed  to  a  result 


232  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

that  I  am  satisfied  has  alike  enured  to  your  benefit  and  the  protection  of  the  Nation  from  a 

serious  ditaater.  , 

"While  1  have  no  palliation  for  the  course  of  Blair,  you  must  allow  me  to  say,  m  all  kindness, 

that  I  think  von  in  error  in  attributing  any  portion  of  his  malignaty  to  the  promptings  or  even 

the  knowledge  of  the  President.     I  think  Mr.  Lincoln  erred  in  his  original  promise  to  reinstate 

Blair  in  the  army.     Having  given  that  pledge,  his  innate  honesty  of  character  prompted  him  to 

it.     I  think "that  at  the  last  moment  he  saw  that  error  more  clearly  than  he  did  the  means 

Of  correcting  it.    But  I  am  most  certain  that  it  was  no  part  of  his  purpose  to  prompt  or  even  to  jus- 

.; air's  hostility  to  you.    The  whole  affair  has  been  an  unfortunate  one.    I  do  not  feel  willing 

lodtauM  it;  bat  while,  with  my  knowledge  of  all  the  facts,  I  concede  that  a  little  sterner  course 

on  the  part  of  the  President  would  have  produced  better  results.     I  do  not  find  in  them  any  evi- 

of  falsity  or  hostility  on  his  part  toward  you  personally  or  officially.     I  admit  that  I  have 

l,,.n  anxious  to  find  this  so— but  I  do  not  think  that  my  judgment  has  been  colored  by  my  desires 

in  this  particular. 

•  While  I  would  have  preferred  not  to  have  opened  the  political  campaign  at  so  early  a  day, 
I  accept  the  nomination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  as  one  that  I  think  would  have  been  made  as  certainly 
sixty  or  ninety  days  hence.  It  is  to  an  unusual  extent  an  impulse  of  the  popular  mind,  and 
nothing  but  a  great  disaster  to  our  cause  would  have  changed  it.  I  do  not  regard  it  as  a  measure 
of  hostility  to  you  or  any  other  of  the  distinguished  men  whose  names  were  connected  with  the 
(  ui\ass.  It  grows  out  of  the  circumstances,  and,  perhaps,  the  necessities  of  the  case.  It  is  the 
point  upon  which  the  public  anxiety,  for  a  favorable  result  to  our  great  struggle,  has  concentrated 
as  promising  more  of  harmony  and  unity  of  action  than  any  other.  After  much  reflection,  I  am 
inclined^o  accept  it  as  the  best  practicable  result  we  could  attain. 

"I  do  not  sympathize  in  your  apprehensions  as  to  the  result.  I  have  no  reasonable  doubt  as 
to  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln — that  is,  if  the  Union  party  of  the  country  can  elect  any  man  of 
undoubted  Union  sentiments  and  policy.  That  which  would  defeat  him,  would  defeat  any  other 
man  on  the  same  platform ;  that  is,  disaster  to  our  cause  in  the  field.  "We  must  achieve  success 
with  our  arms;  we  must  see  the 'beginning  of  the  end' of  this  rebellion  during  this  year;  we 
must  defeat  the  Fabian  policy  of  the  Rebels  by  bold  and  vigorous  progress — or  he  who  foretells 
adverse  political  results,  will  not  be  entitled  to  the  reputation  of  a  prophet.  But  with  military 
-comes  political  triumph;  and  I  think  I  see  more  certain  indications  of  that  now  than  at 
any  former  period  of  the  war.  There  may  be,  and  there  will  be,  some  dissenters  from  this  nom- 
ination;  some  will  find  one  cause  in  the  past,  and  others  an  apprehension  in  the  future.  But  I 
am  impressed  with  the  peculiarity  of  this  contest.  While  there  is  an  anxious  and  earnest  desire 
to  terminate  this  great  struggle,  there  is  an  equal  purpose  to  terminate  it  rightfully,  and  a  fixed 
determination  to  lay  aside  all  prejudices,  and  sacrifice  for  the  present  all  preferences  and  wishes, 
to  accomplish  the  great  end.  The  nearer  we  approach  this  end  through  the  successes  of  our  arms, 
and  the  firmness  and  energy  of  our  Government,  the  more  irresistible  will  the  popular  tide  be- 
come-and  all  opposition  will  be  swept  away  by  it.  You  may  see  this  indicated  by  the  late  con- 
vention at  Cleveland.  There  are  leading  politicians  enough  who  do  not  prefer  Mr.  Lincoln— but 
they  did  not  cast  their  fortunes  with  that  manifestation  of  opposition  to  him.  They  realize  the 
political  'situation,'  and  stand  back.  They  see  the  risiug  of  the  tide  and  wait  to  calculate  its 
altitude.  They  know  that  the  success  of  our  cause  by  the  military  arm  leaves  no  room  to  doubt 
the  political  result.  I  do  not  care  to  contemplate  the  other  side  of  the  picture ;  but  this  convic- 
"""  ,,nPrfrf* ^  upon  my  mind,  that  if  disaster  does  come  in  the  field,  and  we  can  not  breast 
jt  under  Mr.  Lincoln,  we  should  be  as  badly,  if  not  worse,  defeated  under  any  other  political 


leader. 

:rave  your  pardon  for  t.ho  infl;^;™  ^f  n,:„  * :r.i_  i_„         .  .,        ^  ,., 


I  crave ;  your  pardon  for  the  infliction  of  this  terribly  long  epistle.     I  did  not  contempk 
ZZ „    •  /  UP,my  Pen'    II  "  my  h0nest  View  from  m?  ow"  stand-point ;  whether 

Z7^f^r,°7-y0A-miTm["e-  ■*"  '-'»y™«en,  without  choosing  phrases,  and  is 

<  ifleron  W         r?  .     °Ur  fnend'y  rC'ati0nS-     *  haTe  on'r  «»  «P»*  that  though  we  may 
d.fler  on  these  point.,  it  „  my  earnest  desire  that  these  relations  may  not  thereby  be  disturbed. 

"  Very  truly  yours,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

„n     L"fC«n  t'.,C  P''e9idential  campaign  there  were  grave  apprehensions,  among 
some,  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  success,  and  at  the  time  there  were  reports  of  a  move- 


Close  of  Brok,ii\s  Administration.  233 

ment  designed  to  force  him  off  the  Republican  ticket,     Possibly  with  reference 
to  this,  the  following  letter  was  sent  to  Mr.  Theodore  Tilton : 

"Columbus,  September  5,  1864. 
"Theodore  Tilton,  Esq.,  Editor  Independent,  New  York: 

"Sir:  I  have  the  note  under  date  of  3d  instant  of  Messrs.  Greeley,  Godwin,  and  yourself. 
I  answer  your  interrogatories: 

"1.  I  not  only  regard  the  election  of  Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  probability,  but  I  am  satisfied  that 
unity  and  co-operation  in  the  Union  element  can  easily  make  it  a  certainty. 

"2.     At  this  time  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  result  in  the  State  of  Ohio. 

"3.  Under  these  convictions  I  answer  your  three  interrogatories  very  decidedly  in  the  neg- 
ative. 

Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

The  unpublished  letters  of  the  Governor  abound  in  evidences  of  his  con- 
tinued and  constant  activity  for  the  service  of  the  State. 

In  February,  1864,  he  writes  to  the  Secretary  of  "War  concerning  the 
appointment  of  an  officer  from  ]S~ew  Hampshire  as  Provost-Marshal  for  Ohio, 
after  the  resignation  of  Provost-Marshal  Parrott :  "  Is  Ohio  so  poor  in  men 
and  material  that  it  is  necessary  to  import  upon  her?  I  have  now  four  crippled 
Colonels  who  can  not  for  some  time  go  back  to  the  field  (either  of  whom  is 
abundantly  competent  for  this  place),  and  all  desiring  some  position  of  useful- 
ness, but  they  find  themselves  some  morning  turned  out  to  shift  for  themselves. 
Are  our  veterans  to  be  made  to  know  that  their  toils  and  dangers  go  for 
nothing?  Is  the  Colonel  who  left  his  leg  at  Mission  Ridge,*  or  he  who  came 
from  .Ringgold  covered  with  wounds,  to  be  told  that  a  place  he  could  fill  in 
Ohio  is  reserved  for  some  sound  Colonel  from  Xew  Hampshire?  Have  we  done 
anything  to  merit  this  slight?  Respectfully,  but  firmly,  I  protest  against  this 
wrong  to  the  State  and  its  band  of  war-worn  veteran  officers." 

In  January,  1864,  he  writes  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  calling  his  attention 
to  the  exposed  condition  of  the  Border,  and  asking  for  artillery,  owed  by  the 
Government  under  old  militia  laws.  Stanton  at  first  objected;  but  Brough  per- 
sisted until  his  efforts  resulted  in  the  equipment  of  four  complete  batteries, 
which,  during  the  hundred  days'  movement,  did  good  service. 

He  remonstrated  against  the  injustice  which  kept  between  twenty  and 
thirty  independent  batteries  in  the  field  fronl  Ohio,  and  asked  a  regimental 
organization  for  them,  that  their  officers  might  have  some  chance  of  promo- 
tion. "I  more  than  ask,"  he  said  in  a  letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1864,  "I  urge  that  at  least  two  regiments  of  artillery  be  created  from  Ohio 
batteries  now  in  service.  They  are  all  re-enlisting — must  they  go  back  as 
independent  batteries  only?" 

He  felt  the  passions  of  his  kind  at  witnessing  the  horrible  condition  of  some 
of  the  starved  Union  prisoners,  on  their  return  from  Southern  confinement.  A 
relative  of  General  Cass,  of  Michigan,  and  a  personal  friend  of  his  own,  wrote 
to  him  about  this  time,  asking  his  influence  to  secure  the  release  on  parole  of  a 
Rebel  General,  then  confined  at  Detroit,  that  he  might  remain  with  friends 

*  Understood  to  refer  to  Colonel  Wiley,  Forty -First  Ohio. 


234  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

there  who  would  entertain  him,  and  be  responsible  for  his  conduct.     This  is 

trough's  reply: 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  May  23,  1864. 

kral  John  E.  Hunt,  Detroit,  Michigan: 

"Sir-  I  have  your  favor  of  the  19th  instant.  All  prisoners  of  war,  civil  and  military,  are 
under  the 'sole  charge  of  Colonel  William  Hoffman,  Commissary-General  of  Prisoners,  Washing- 
ton (  i;y.  I  can  not  interfere  with  them  if  I  would,  and  I  can  not  give  an  order  to  any  to  com- 
municate with  them  without  his  permission.  .    \    M  „      ,    , 

"I  am  glad  it  is  so.  Some  four  weeks  ago  I  saw,  at  Baltimore,  the  arrival  of  a  vessel  loaded 
wilh  our  prisoner!  from  Belle  Isle,  who,  in  the  very  refinement  of  barbarism,  had  been  reduced 
by  o;ir  vat  ion  to  mere  skeletons,  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  incapacitate  them  for  further  service 
in  the  I  nion  armies.  Over  one-third  of  these  men  were  too  far  gone  to  be  resuscitated,  and  died 
within  forty-eight  hours  after  arrival.  While  I  would  not  retaliate  on  Kebel  prisoners  by  prac- 
ticing like  means,  I  confess,  General,  I  have  very  little  sympathy  with,  or  desire  to  parole  or 
■  from  confinement,  men  who  have  been  upholding  a  rebellion  that  has  deluged  the  land 
with  sorrow  and  blood— and  whose  leaders  have  resorted  to  cruelty  and  barbarism  in  the  treat- 
in.-nt  of  prisoners  more  infernal  than  any  ever  practiced  by  savages.  The  higher  the  rank  and 
social  position  of  men,  the  less  are  they  entitled  to  sympathy.  They  sinned  against  light  and 
knowledge.  Therefore  I  am  glad  their  fate  is  not  in  my  keeping,  lest,  under  such  provocation,  I 
should  not  be  over  merciful. 

"  I  return  letter  as  requested, 

"Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

Some  lawyers,  understood  then  to  be  sympathizers  with  the  rebellion,  wrote 
him  a  letter  urging  with  pertinacity,  but  without  much  courtesy,  his  duty  to 
help  to  get  some  claims  of  clients  allowed  at  Washington.     He  replied: 

"Executive  Department,  Columbus,  May  26,  1864. 
"C.  &  C,  Attorneys,  Athens,  Ohio: 

"Gentlemen:  I  have  been  honored  with  two  epistles  from  your  firm.  The  inclosures  in 
your  first  communication  I  forwarded  to  the  War  Department.  Your  second  note  I  shall  send 
after  them,  giving  you  an  introduction  to  the  Secretary. 

"I  duly  appreciate  the  lecture  you  so  emphatically  read  to  me  as  to  my  duty  to  my  constit- 
uents, but  I  fail  to  see  any  obligation  to  become  the  agent  of  'attorneys'  to  press  their  claims 
upon  the  departments,  especially  when  those  'attorneys'  are  blessed  with  a  manner  of  communi- 
cation so  much  more  emphatic  and  persuasive  than  my  own.  Your  clients  undoubtedly  com- 
mitted their  interests  to  your  hands  in  consideration  of  your  business  energy,  and  your  influence 
with  the  departments  at  Washington  ;  and  it  would  be  improper  for  me  to  rob  you  of  the  honors 
of  success,  by  any  interference  on  my  part.  On  the  other  hand,  while  I  am  ever  ready  to  respond 
to  the  appeals  of  my  constituents,  I  do  not  recognize  the  right  of  'attorneys'  to  command  my 
services  for  their  own  benefit,  especially  when  in  so  doing  they  berate  and  denounce  the  •Govern- 
ment which  it  is  alike  my  pleasure  and  my  duty  to  support. 

"Very  respectfully,  JOHN  BROUGH." 

In  marked  contrast  was  the  cordial  letter — to  select  one  out  of  many — 
which  he  wrote  in  November  to  Samuel  Pike,  of  Washington  C.  HI,  sympa- 
thizing with  his  fatherly  solicitude  for  the  special  exchange  of  his  son,  but  add- 
ing that,  heartily  as  he  wished  he  could  help  him,  he  felt  bound  to  oppose  all 
special  exchanges,  for  the  reason  that  they  tended  to  render  more  hopeless  the 
case  of  thoso  still  kept  in  Southern  prisons,  and  to  postpone  still  further  the  day 
of  their  deliverance. 

While  the  struggle  lasted,  Governor  Brough  was  second  to  no  Statesman 
of  the  Nation  in  the  clearness  of  vision  with  which  he  perceived  the  popular 
demand,  or  in  the  zeal  with  which,  amid  all  discouragements,  he  enforced  the 


Close  of  Brought  Administration.  235 

necessity  for  the  steady  prosecution  of  the  war  to  the  ends  of  human  freedom 
and  National  supremacy.  In  the  height  of  the  personal  vexations  we  have 
shown  as  surrounding  him,  he  closed  his  message  to  the  Legislature  with  these 
brave  words : 

"Instead  of  voting  this  war  'a  failure,'  and  commanding  a  'cessation  of  hostilities/  the  peo- 
ple have  declared  it  a  success  thus  far  in  its  progress,  and  required. its  continuance  until  the 
rebellion  is  suppressed,  and  their  Government  restored  to  its  original  power  and  usefulness. 
They  have  counted  its  cost  and  measured  its  sacrifices ;  they  have  voted  to  themselves  heavy  tax- 
ation, and  if  necessity  requires  it,  more  calls  upon  them  to  fill  up  the  ranks  of  their  armies  ;  they 
have  left  their  authorities  no  discretion ;  have  forbidden  them  to  take  any  backward  step,  but  to 
press  onward  with  energy  and  vigor,  calling  for  and  using  all  the  resources  of  the  Nation  until 
the  Rebel  power  is  broken,  and  the  peace  and  unity  of  the  country  is  restored.  They  have  gone 
further,  and  declared  with  clear  and  unmistakable  emphasis  that  with  the  conquest  of  this  rebell- 
ion must  perish  its  most  potent  element,  as  well  as  one  of  its  exciting  causes ;  and  that  when 
peace  sheds  its  blessings  again  upon  our  people  this  shall  be,  what  God  and  our  fathers  designed 

it — A  LAND  OF  HUMAN  FREEDOM. 

"  From  the  commencement  of  this  great  contest  the  State  of  Ohio  has  occupied  no  doubtful 
or  hesitating  position.  Our  people  have  assumed  their  burdens  with  alacrity,  and  borne  them 
with  cheerfulness.  They  have  responded  with  promptitude  to  every  call  that  has  been  made  upon 
them ;  and  without  passing  the  bounds  of  becoming  modesty,  they  may  point  with  emotions  of 
pride  to  the  record  which  her  sons  have  made  for  the  State  in  the  council  and  in  the  field.  Ohio 
officers  have  commanded  with  distinction  and  honor  in  nearly  every  department  of  the  service  ; 
and  Ohio  soldiers  have  battled  with  exalted  courage  and  patriotism  upon  nearly  every  field  of  the 
war,  and  marched  over  portions  of  every  State  that  the  treasonable  leaders  took  into  rebellion. 
At  all  times  and  at  all  places  they  have  nobly  done  their  duty;  achieving  for  themselves  and 
reflecting  upon  their  State  the  highest  honor.  True,  there  have  been  grievous  sacrifices  ;  there 
has  been  mourning  at  many  hearth-stones ;  and  we  have  often  been  called  upon  to  pause  in  our 
exultation  over  the  noble  conduct  of  our  living  heroes,  to  lament  our  heroes  dead ;  but  even  the 
eye  bedimmed  with  tears  has  caught  a  glance  of  the  future,  and  the  stricken  heart  has  found  con- 
solation in  the  assurance  that  all  these  sacrifices  will  be  hallowed  in  the  triumph  of  freedom,  and 
the  coming  greatness  and  glory  of  our  country.  The  commandment  of  the  people  is  to  you  and 
to  me,  in  our  allotted  spheres,  to  move  onward  to  the  accomplishment  of  this  great  end  ;  and  to 
contribute  all  of  ability  and  usefulness  we  possess  to  the  consummation  of  that  grand  triumph  in 
which  not  only  we  ourselves  but  the  friends  of  free  government  throughout  the  world  will  rejoice." 

"When  at  last  the  tidings  from  Appomattox  C.  H.  flashed  across  the  Land, 
and  the  rapidly  following  reduction  of  the  army  that  was  no  longer  needed 
began,  Secretary  Stanton  found  nowhere  more  efficient  aid  in  hurrying  the  sol- 
diers back  to  their  peaceful  avocations  than  in  the  Executive  of  Ohio,  on  whom 
he  had  so  often  relied.  The  tables  elsewhere  given*  may  show  the  rapidity 
with  which  the  work  was  done,  but  they  can  not  exhibit  the  fervid  energy  with 
which  the  Governor  pressed  it  at  every  point;  the  persistency  with  which  he 
assailed  the  paymasters  and  mustering  officers,  forcing  them  to  work  harder 
than  they  were  accustomed,  and  greatly  arousing  their  indignation  thereby; 
the  vehemence  with  which  he  strove  to  prevent  the  addition  of  unnecessary 
expenses  for  a  single  day  to  the  enormous  debt  under  which  the  Nation  was 
staggering.  At  the  same  time  he  hastened  temporary  provision  for  a  home  for 
disabled  soldiers.f  These  were  services  that  gained  him  no  credit  then  ;  we 
owe  them  at  least  the  reward  of  grateful  remembrance  now. 

*Vol.  IT,  p.  7. 

t  Charles  Anderson  became  Governor  of  Ohio  before  these  arrangements  for  the  Soldiers' 


236  Ohio  in  the  War. 

The  simple  words  with  which  the  Governor  had  concluded  his  address  to 
the  people  of  the  State,  declining  the  canvass  for  renomination,  were  soon  to 
receive  >  Bad  significance.  "  I  doubt  very  much,"  he  then  wrote,  "  whether  my 
health— much  impaired  by  close  confinement  to  official  duties— would  sustain 
me  through  a  vigorous  campaign,  while  increasing  years  and  the  arduous  labor 
Of  a  long  life  in  public  positions,  strongly  invite  me  to  retirement  and  repose 
during  the  few  years  tfiat  may  yet  remain  to  me." 

But  the  Government  had  other  purposes.  Secretary  Stanton  wished  to 
retire  at  the  close  of  the  war,  and  it  was  arranged  that  the  man  whom  of  all 
others  he  and  Mr.  Lincoln  held  fittest  for  the  place  should  succeed  him.  Gov- 
ernor Brough  was  expected  to  assume  charge  of  the  War  Department  at  least  at 
the  close  of  his  term  as  Governor,  if  not  at  an  earlier  date. 

Neither  his  own  longings  for  a  few  years'  retirement  and  repose,  nor  Mr. 
Lincoln's  wish  that  his  services  should  be  transferred  to  the  National  arena, 
were  to  be  gratified. 

In  the  midst  of  his  labors  his  health  began  to  give  way.  The  store  of 
strength  on  which  he  had  been  drawing  so  profusely,  was  even  lower  than  he 
thought  when,  with  some  natural  forebodings,  he  doubted  whether  it  would  be 
sufficient  to  carry  him  through  the  labors  of  an  active  canvass  of  the  State. 
Through  the  closing  work,  connected  with  the  disbandment  of  the  army,  he 
labored  more  unremittingly  than  ever,  often  spending  the  whole  night  at  his 
desk,  in  his  efforts  to  hasten  the  reduction  of  expenses.  No  human  system 
could  endure  this  strain. 

Early  in  June,  while  his  health  was  broken  down  by  harassing  labor,  and 
before  he  seemed  to  have  recovered  from  the  shock  and  anxiety  consequent  upon 
the  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  he  stepped  upon  a  stone  in  such  a  way  as  to 
bruise  the  foot  and  give  a  severe  sprain  to  the  ankle.  His  great  weight  and  the 
soreness  of  this  foot  compelled  him  for  days  to  lean  heavily  upon  his  cane,  and 
in  the  diseased  and  impoverished  condition  of  his  blood,  inflammation  in  the 
hand  was  thus  brought  on.  In  both  foot  and  hand  gangrene  set  in,  and  for  two 
months  his  sufferings  were  continuous  and  acute.  The  liveliest  alarm  was  man- 
ifested by  tho  Government  at  his  condition.  The  Secretary  of  War  sent  out  the 
army  Surgeon  most  conversant  with  such  cases,  to  remain  in  constant  attend- 
ance upon  him,  in  conjunction  with  the  Surgeon -General  of  the  State.  Daily 
dispatches  as  to  his  condition  were  required  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Government. 
Every  care  which  family  affection  or  professional  skill  could  suggest  was  given, 
but  it  all  proved  vain.  He  was  literally  worn  out  in  the  public  service,  and  his 
system  had  no  powers  of  recuperation.  After  incredible  sufferings  he  at  length 
passed  into  a  state  of  insensibility,  from  which  he  was  never  in  this  life  aroused. 
He  died  at  his  residence  in  Cleveland,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  29th  of  August,  about 
half  a  year  before  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  and  some  weeks  before 
tho  election  of  his  successor. 

Home  were  finished.  He  placed  it  under  the  charge  of  five  trustees,  Surgeon-General  R  N.  Barr  • 
Hon.  Lewis  B  Gunckle,  of  Dayton ;  Hon.  Jas.  C.  Hall,  of  Toledo;  Stillman  Witt,  Esq.,  of 
Cleveland;  and 1  Hon.  Chas.  F.  Wilstach,  of  Cincinnati.  It  was  first  located  at  the  old  Tripler 
Hospital,  near  Columbus. 


Close  of  Brought   Administration.  237 

Of  the  administration  thus  brought  to  an  untimely  close  it  maybe  said  that 
it  was  at  once  the  most  vigorous  and  the  most  unpopular,  as  well  as  perhaps  the 
most  able  with  which  Ohio  was  honored  throughout  the  war.  It  grappled  with 
no  such  sudden  rush  of  momentous  and  new  questions  as  did  Dennison's  ;  it 
passed  through  no  such  gloomy  periods  of  depression  as  did  Tod's.  With  fewer 
necessities  therefor,  it  created  more  dissatisfaction  than  did  either.  Governor 
Brough  was  impetuous,  strong-wTilled,  indifferent  to  personal  considerations, 
often  regardless  of  men's  feelings,  always  disposed  to  try  them  by  a  standard 
of  integrity  to  which  the  world  is  not  accustomed.  His  administration  was 
constantly  embroiled — now  with  the  Sanitary  Commission — then  with  the  offi- 
cers in  the  field — again  with  the  surgeons.  But  every  struggle  was  begun  and 
ended  in  the  interest  of  the  private  soldiers  as  against  the  t}Tranny  or  neglect 
of  their  superiors ;  in  the  interest  of  subordinate  officers  as  against  those  who 
sought  to  keep  them  down  ;  in  the  interest  of  the  men  who  fought  as  against 
those  who  shirked  ;  in  the  interest  of  the  maimed  as  against  the  sound  ;  in  the 
interest  of  their  families  as  against  all  other  expenditures.  Never  was  a  Knight 
of  the  old  Chivalry  more  unselfishly  loyal  to  the  defense  of  the  defenseless. 

We  write  no  apology  for  his  errors,  attempt  no  concealment  of  his  vices. 
We  have  no  sympathy  with  the  false  charity  that  would  belie  history  in  order 
to  hide  them.  They  were  such  that,  proud  as  is  the  heritage  of  fame  he  has 
left  us,  no  parent  in  the  State  can  point  to  John  Brough  as  an  example  for 
his  boy.  But  they  rarely  injured  the  public  service ;  and  they  scarcely  mar 
the  picture  he  has  left  us  of  statesmanlike  ability  and  of  patriotic  devotion  ;  of 
an  integrity  like  that  of  Cato,  and  an  industry  without  a  parallel. 


238 


Ohio  in  the  Wak, 


CHAPTER  XX 


MILITARY  LEGISLATION  OF  THE  STATE. 


WITH  the  death  of  Governor  Brough  properly  ends  our  account  of  the 
War  Administrations  of  Ohio.     What  followed  was  merely  the  resump- 
tion, with    a   rapidity  that    approached   the    marvellous,  of  their  civil 
duties  by  the  returning  soldiers. 

After  the  initial  war  legislation  of  the  Legislature  at  the  session  of  1860-61, 
we  have  taken  little  pains  thus  far  to  trace  the  additional  acts  by  which  the  spirit 
of  the  people  was  mirrored  in  their  laws.  We  may  here,  therefore,  fitly  present 
a  summary  of  the  legislation  on  military  matters  at  succeeding  sessions  through- 
out the  war : 

LEGISLATION  OF  1862. 

Dr.  Scott,  member  from  Warren  County,  introduced  into  the  House  in  January,  1862,  a  bill 
for  the  relief  of  soldiers  families.  The  bill  provided  for  a  levy  of  three-fourths  of  one  mill  on 
the  dollar  valuation  on  the  grand  list  of  the  taxable  property  of  the  State.  The  revenue  so 
raised  was  to  be  disbursed,  without  compensation  by  the  commissioners  of  the  several  counties  of 
the  State,  to  the  families  of  all  volunteers  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  United  States  from  this 
State.  [A  similar  bill  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Keady  in  1863,  and  passed,  providing  for  a  levy 
of  one  mill  on  the  dollar — to  be  disbursed  in  the  same  manner.] 

Several  bills  of  a  local  nature  were  passed  at  the  session  of  1862,  authorizing  the  county  com- 
missioners of  several  of  the  counties  to  transfer  moneys  from  certain  county  funds  to  the  relief 
fund  for  soldiers  families. 

Mr.  Sayler,  member  from  Hamilton  County,  introduced  in  the  House  in  January,  1862,  a 
bill  to  enable  the  volunteers  of  Ohio,  when  in  the  military  service  of  the  State  or  of  the  United 
States,  to  exercise  the  right  of  suffrage,  and  designating  the  manner  in  which,  where,  and  by 
whom,  such  elections  should  be  conducted.  The  bill  was  referred  to  a  select  committee,  who  re- 
ported it  back  without  recommendation. 

A  bill  upon  the  same  subject  was  introduced  into  the  Senate  by  Mr.  Gunckle,  Senator  from 
the  Montgomery  District,  which  was  passed  by  the  Senate,  and  transmitted  to  the  House  for  its 
action,  where,  after  its  second  reading,  it  was  referred  to  a  select  committee,  who  reported  it  back 
without  recommendation,  when  the  House  ordered  it  to  be  laid  on  the  table.  No  further  action 
was  had  upon  this  bill  at  that  session. 

At  the  second  session  in  1863,  Mr.  Odlin,  member  from  Montgomery  County,  reported  from 
a  select  committee  of  the  House  an  amended  bill,  which  provided  that  whenever  any  of  the 
qualified  voters  of  this  State  shall  be  in  the  actual  military  service  of  this  State  or  of  the  United 
States,  they  may,  upon  the  usual  days  for  holding  county,  state,  congressional,  and  presidential 
elections,  exercise  the" right  of  suffrage  at  any  place  where  there  shall  be  twenty  such  voters,  as* 
fully  as  it  present  at  their  usual  places  of  election.     The  remaining  sections  of  the  bill  provide 


Military  Legislation  of  the  State.  239 

the  manner  in  which  and  by  whom  such  elections  shall  be  conducted;  requiring  the  return  of  the 
poll-books  used  and  ballots  voted  at  such  election  to  the  proper  county  and  State  officers. 
This  bill  (House  Amendments  to  S.  B.,  No.  143)  was  passed  by  the  House,  and  the  amendments 
were  agreed  to  by  the  Senate. 

Mr.  Stiver,  member  from  Preble  County,  introduced  into  the  House  a  bill  to  prohibit  per- 
sons in  this  State  from  trafficking  with  persons  engaged  in  armed  hostility  to  the  Government  of 
the  United  States.  The  penalty  for  violation  of  the  provisions  of  this  act  was  imprisonment  in 
the  penitentiary.     The  bill  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Mr.  Flagg,  member  from  Hamilton  County,  introduced  into  the  House  in  April,  18G2,  a  bill 
authorizing  the  Governor  to  contribute  out  of  his  contingent  fund  to  the  Cincinnati  branch  of  the 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  such  sums  of  money  as  in  his  discretion  he  might  deem 
proper,  to  be  applied  to  the  relief  of  the  wounded  and  sick  soldiers  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  The 
bill  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly. 

A  bill  reported  from  the  Senate  Judiciary  Committee  was  passed  by  both  branches  of  the 
General  Assembly  in  January,  1862,  exempting  from  execution  the  property  of  all  persons  mus- 
tered into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  so  long  as  they  continued  in  such  service,  and  two 
months  after  muster  out.     This  law  was  amendatory  of  the  act  of  May,  1861. 

Mr.  McVeigh,  Senator  from  the  Fairfield  District,  introduced  into  the  Senate  a  bill  supple- 
mentary to  the  act  of  April,  1861,  to  provide  for  the  defense  of  the  State,  and  for  the  support  of 
the  Federal  Government  against  rebellion,  and  making  appropriations  for  the  payment  of  claims 
for  the  purchase  of  arms  and  equipments  for  the  militia  of  the  State;  also  troops  of  the  United 
States  where  such  purchases  were  made  under  the  authority  of  the  Governor,  and  creating  a 
board  of  commissioners  for  the  examination  and  adjustment  of  claims  against  the  State  arising 
out  of  military  transactions.  The  Auditor  of  State,  Secretary  of  State,  and  Attorney-General, 
constituted  the  board.     The  bill  was  passed  by  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly,  1862. 

Mr.  Hitchcock,  from  a  select  committe  of  the  Senate,  reported  a  bill  providing  for  the  ap- 
pointment by  the  Governor  of  pay  agents,  whose  duty  it  was  to  visit  the  volunteers  from  Ohio  in 
the  service  of  the  United  States,  and  obtain  from  them  allotments  of  pay  and  remittances  of 
money  for  the  benefit  of  their  families  or  friends.  All  moneys  received  by  such  agents  was  to 
be  paid  into  the  State  Treasury.  The  bill  was  passed  by  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly, 
in  1862,  and  was  found,  for  a  year  or  two,  to  give  tolerable  satisfaction  by  its  workings. 

Mr.  Eggleston,  Senator  from  Hamilton  County,  introduced  into  the  Senate  a  bill  appropri- 
ating three  thousand  dollars  to  aid  the  Cincinnati  branch  of  the  United  Sanitary  Commission,  in 
promptly  and  efficiently  giving  relief  to  such  wounded  and  sick  Ohio  soldiers  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States  as  might  be  brought  to  that  point  for  care.  The  bill  passed  both  branches  of 
the  General  Assembly  in  1862. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  January,  1862,  tendering  thanks  to  General  Thomas  and 
Colonels  Garfield  and  McCook,  and  men  of  their  commands,  for  the  victory  achieved  by  them  in 
Kentucky  over  the  enemies  of  the  Union. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  February,  1862,  tendering  thanks  to  General  Grant  and 
Flag-Officer  Foote,  and  men  of  their  commands,  for  the  courage,  gallantry,  and  enterprise  ex 
hibited  in  the  bombardment  and  capture  of  Fort  Henry ;  also  for  capture  of  Fort  Donelson. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  February,  1862,  tendering  thanks  to  General  Burnside  and 
Commander  Goldsborough,  and  men  of  their  commands,  for  the  victories  achieved  in  North 
Carolina. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  March,  1862,  tendering  thanks  to  Brigadier-General  Cur- 
tis, Brigadier-General  Sigel,  and  Colonels  Asboth,  Davis,  and  Carr,  and  men  of  their  commands, 
for  the  victory  achieved  over  the  Kebel  forces  under  Van  Dorn,  Price,  and  MeCulloch,  at  Pea 
Eidge,  in  the  Ozark  Mountains  of  Arkansas. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  March,  1862,  declaring  that  the  Government  could  make 
no  peace  save  on  the  basis  of  an  unconditional  submission  to  the  supremacy  of  the  Constitution 
and  the  laws;  that  the  future  peace  and  permanency  of  the  Government,  as  well  as  the  best 


240  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

interest,  of  humanity,  demanded  the  speedy  trial  and  summary  execution  of  all  the  leading 
conspirators;  and  that,  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  Ohio,  the  Legislature  protested  agarnst  any 
peace,  save  upon  this  basis. 

A  Joint  resolution  was  passed  in  April,  1862,  tendering  thanks  to  Brigadier-General 
Shield,  and  officers  and  men  of  his  command  for  their  gallant  conduct  in  the  victory  achieved 
at  Winchester,  Virginia. 

LEGISLATION  OF  1863. 

Mr.  Krum,  from  a  select  committee  of  the  House,  reported  a  bill  to  provide  for  bounty  paid 
to  Ohio  volunteers  who  enlisted  and  were  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  United  States,  under  the 
calls  of  the  President  issued  on  the  second  day  of  July  and  on  the  fourth  day  of  August,  A.  D. 
ntl  creating  the  County  Commissioners  of  the  several  counties  of  this  State  a  County  Board, 
Whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  ascertain  and  make  record  of  the  amount  of  such  bounty  paid,  or  agreed 
to  be  paid,  to  volunteers  in  their  respective  counties,  and  the  manner  in  which  such  bounty  was 
paid,  or  agreed  to  be  paid ;  and  authorizing  the  county  commissioners  to  assess  a  tax  upon  the 
taxable  property  entered  upon  the  grand  tax  duplicate  of  their  respective  counties  for  the  pay- 
ment of  such  claims.     The  bill  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Mr.  McVeigh,  Senator  from  the  Fairfield  District,  introduced  a  bill  to  provide  more  effect- 
ually for  the  defense  of  the  State  against  invasion.  This  bill  authorized  the  Governor,  in  case 
of  invasion  of  the  State,  or  danger  thereof,  to  call  into  active  service  the  militia  of  the  State,  or 
such  numbers  as,  in  his  opinion,  might  be  necessary  to  defend  the  State  and  repel  such  invasion, 
and  making  an  appropriation  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  payment  of  the  necessary 
expenses  that  may  be  incurred  by  the  Governor  in  calling  out  the  militia  of  the  State  for  any  of 
the  objects  provided  for  in  this  act,  and  empowering  the  Commissioners  of  the  Sinking  Fund  to 
borrow  such  sum  on  the  faith  and  credit  of  the  State,  and  to  issue  certificates  to  the  parties  loan- 
ing the  State  the  said  sum,  bearing  six  per  cent,  interest,  payable  semi-annually,  exempt  from 
taxation  under  the  authority  of  this  State.     This  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Mr.  Sinnet,  Senator  from  the  Licking  District,  introduced  a  bill  empowering  the  Governor 
to  appoint  such  number  of  military  claim  agents  as  the  good  of  the  service  might  require, 
whose  duty  it  was  to  investigate,  give  advice,  and  take  such  other  action  as  would  enable  dis- 
charged Ohio  soldiers  speedily  to  obtain,  free  of  charge,  the  money  due  them  from  the  General 
Government  for  military  service.     This  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  January,  1863,  tendering  thanks  to  Major-General  Rose- 
crans,  staff,  officers,  and  men  under  their  command,  for  the  achievement  of  the  victory  at  Mur- 
freesboro',  Tennessee. 

A  joint  resolution  was  passed  in  January,  tendering  thanks  to  Major-General  Benjamin  F. 
Butler  for  his  distinguished  services  to  the  country  during  the  rebellion. 

A  joint  resolution,  passed  in  February.  1863,  tendering  thanks  to  the  Eighty-Third,  Ninety- 
Sixth,  and  Seventy-Sixth  Ohio  Begiments,  and  the  Seventeenth  Ohio  Battery,  for  gallantry  and 
good  conduct  at  the  capture  of  Arkansas  Post. 

A  joint  resolution,  passed  in  March,  1863,  tendering  thanks  to  patriotic  citizen-soldiers 
of  the  State— the  "  Squirrel  Hunters"— for  their  gallant  conduct  in  repairing  to  points  of  danger 
on  the  border  to  defend  the  State  from  the  threatened  invasion  of  the  Rebel  hordes  under  the 
command  of  Kirby  Smith. 

A  joint  resolution,  passed  in  March,  tendering  thanks  to  Major-General  Lew.  Wallace,  for 
the  promptness,  energy,  and  skill  exhibited  by  him  in  organizing,  planning  the  defense,  and  exe- 
cuting the  movements  of  soldiers  and  citizens  under  his  command  at  Cincinnati,  at  the  time  of 
the  threatened  invasion  of  Ohio  by  the  forces  under  Kirby  Smith. 

A  joint  resolution,  passed  in  March,  authorizing  the  Governor  to  procure  lithographed  dis- 
charges for  the  "  Squirrel  Hunters." 

,  TTAJTire8olution'  Passed  in  March.  tendering  thanks  to  Captain  Abner  Read,  commander 
of  United  States  gunboat  "New  London,"  for  his  patriotism,  gallantry,  and  distinguished  serv- 
ices  against  the  enemies  of  his  country. 


Military  Legislation   of  the  State.  241 

[Captain  Head  captured  fourteen,  and  aided  in  the  captbre  of  nine  more  vessels  of  the  enemy, 
and  also  captured  two  Rebel  forts,  Wood  and  Pike.] 

The  trustees  of  Green  Lawn  Cemetery,  which  is  located  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  having  pre- 
sented a  lot  in  their  cemetery  grounds  for  the  burial  of  Union  soldiers  who  died  in  the  camps  in 
the  vicinity  of  Columbus,  the  General  Assembly,  by  joint  resolution,  authorized  the  Governor  to 
contribute  a  sum  not  exceeding  five  hundred  dollars  out  of  his  military  contingent  fund  for  the 
removal  of  the  dead  bodies  of  those  brave  men,  and  their  proper  interment  in  the  grounds  thus 
given  for  this  purpose. 

LEGISLATION  OF  1864. 

Mr.  Odlin,  member  from  Montgomery  County,  introduced  into  the  House,  in  March,  1864,  a 
bill  to  enable  the  qualified  voters  of  any  city  in  this  State,  who  may  be  in  the  military  service  of 
this  State  or  of  the  United  States,  to  exercise  the  right  of  suffrage  when  absent  in  such  service 
of  the  United  States  or  of  this  State,  on  the  days  provided  by  law  for  electing  the  municipal 
officers  thereof,  the  same  as  if  present  at  their  respective  places  of  voting  in  said  cities.  The 
elections  under  this  act  were  to  be  conducted  in  the  same  manner  as  provided  in  the  act  of  April, 
1863.     The  bill  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assembly. 

Mr.  Odlin,  from  the  House  Committee  on  Finance,  reported  a  bill  to  provide  more  effectually 
for  the  defense  of  the  State  against  invasion.  This  bill  authorizes  the  procurement  of  arms,  field 
batteries,  equipments,  camp  equipage,  subsistence,  munitions  of  war,  and  all  other  means  and 
appliances  an  may  be  necessary  to  provide  the  State  against  invasion,  riot,  insurrection,  or  danger 
thereof,  and  making  an  appropriation  of  one  million  dollars  to  pay  the  expenses  incurrred  by 
the  Governor  under  authority  of  this  act.  The  bill  passed  both  branches  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly.    Under  it  four  batteries  were  equipped. 

Mr.  Gunckle,  Senator  from  the  Montgomery  District,  introduced  into  the  Senate,  in  Febru- 
ary, 1864,  a  bill  to  provide  relief  for  the  families  of  soldiers  and  marines.  The  act  authorizes  a 
levy  of  two  mills  on  the  dollar  valuation  of  the  grand  list  of  taxable  property  of  the  State,  and 
in  counties,  where  the  State  levy  shall  be  insufficient,  grants  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
power  to  levy  and  assess  an  additional  amount,  not  exceeding  one  mill  on  the  dollar  valuation  on 
the  grand  list  of  taxable  property  of  such  county ;  also  city  councils  the  power  to  levy  and  assess 
an  additional  amount,  not  exceeding  one-half  mill  on  the  dollar  valuation  of  the  grand  list  of 
taxable  property  of  such  city,  for  the  purpose  of  affording  the  relief  contemplated  by  this  act. 

The  benefits  of  this  act  extend  to  the  families  of  colored  soldiers  and  marines  actually  in  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  or  who  have  died  or  been  disabled  therein. 

In  cases  of  refusal  or  neglect  of  township  and  county  officers  to  discharge  the  duties  required 
by  this  act,  the  Governor  was  empowered  to  appoint  suitable  persons,  citizens  of  such  counties,  to 
perform  said  duties. 

Mr.  Stevenson,  Senator  from  the  Ross  District,  introduced  a  bill  to  authorize  county  commis- 
sioners, trustees  of  townships,  and  city  councils  to  levy  a  tax  for  the  payment  of  bounties  to  vol- 
unteers, and  to  refund  subscriptions  made  for  that  purpose.  The  act  authorizes  the  commissioners 
of  the  several  counties,  the  city  council  of  the  several  cities,  and  the  trustees  of  each  township  in 
this  State  (if  they  deem  the  same  expedient),  in  1864,  to  levy  a  tax  upon  the  taxable  property 
within  their  respective  jurisdictions  for  the  purpose  of  raising  a  fund  to  pay  bounties  to  volun- 
teers, and  fixing  the  amount  of  bounty  to  be  paid  each  volunteer  at  one  hundred  dollars. 

In  order  to  anticipate  the  proceeds  of  the  tax  authorized  by  this  law,  the  county  commis- 
sioners, township  trustees,  and  city  councils  were  allowed  to  borrow  moneys  or  transfer  money 
from  certain  other  funds  in  the  county,  township,  or  city  treasuries. 

This  act  also  authorizes  the  payment  of  bounty  to  each  veteran  volunteer  not  having  previ- 
ously received  a  local  bounty.     Said  bounty  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  dollars. 

This  act  also  authorizes,  upon  proper  evidence  shown  to  the  county  commissioners,  township 
trustees,  or  president  of  the  proper  city  council,  the  payment  of  all  moneys  advanced  by  indi- 
viduals for  the  purposes  named  in  this  act. 

Mr.  Sinnet,  a  Senator  from  the  Licking  District,  introduced  into  the  Senate,  in  February, 
1863,  a  bill  to  organize  and  discipline  the  militia  of  the  State.     This  bill  was  passed  by  both 
branches  of  the  General  Assembly.     See  ante,  Chap. ""  Organization  of  the  National  Guard." 
Vol.  I.— 16. 


242 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


Colonel  John  M.  Connell,  Senator  from  the  Fairfield  District,  introduced,  in  March,  1864,  a 
bill  for  the  same  purpose,  and  repealing  the  act  of  1863.  It  differed  therefrom  mainly  in  being 
better  arranged  and  more  clearly  expressed,  in  changing  the  name  "Volunteer  Ohio  State  Mili- 
tia" to  -  N  iti-.nal  Guard,"  in  giving  a  more  satisfactory  system  of  exemptions,  in  abandoning 
the  effort  to  keep  up  an  official  organization  of  the  common  militia  until  it  shall  be  called  out, 
and  in  perfecting  the  organization  and  arrangements  for  drilling  the  National  Guard.  The 
Adjutant-  General,  in  his  report  for  1864,  stated  that  the  original  draft  for  this  bill  was  prepared 
by  Hon.  Len.  A.  Harris,  then  Mayor  of  Cincinnati. 

On  the  passage  of  the  bill  four  Senators  voted  in  the  negative :  Messrs.  Converse,  Lang, 
O'Connor,  and  Willett,  all  Democrats. 

Mr.  Lang  moved  to  amend  the  title  as  follows  : 

"  A  bill  establishing  an  expensive  and  oppressive  standing  army  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and 
to  tramp  out  of  existence  the  few  last  vestiges  of  civil  liberty  still  remaining  with  the  people." 

The  same  Senators  who  voted  negatively  on  the  passage  of  the  bill,  voted  affirmatively  on 
the  motion  of  Mr.  Lang  to  amend  the  title. 

An  act  was  passed  in  March,  1864,  authorizing  and  requiring  the  Governor  to  appoint  a  com- 
mission of  three  persons,  whose  duty  it  was  to  examine  claims  growing  out  of  the  Morgan  raid. 
The  eommissioners  were  required  to  appoint  times  and  places  for  the  examination  of  claims 
within  the  counties  through  which  said  raid  passed,  and  to  give  notice  by  publication  in  a  news- 
paper. The  commissioners  had  power  to  call  and  examine  witnesses.  All  claims  examined  by 
the  commissioners  to  be  reported  to  the  Governor,  separated  into  the  following  classes: 

1.  Claims  for  property  taken,  destroyed,  or  injured  by  the  Rebels. 

2.  Claims  for  property  taken,  destroyed,  or  injured  by  the  Union  forces  under  command  of 
United  States  officers. 

3.  Claims  for  property  taken,  destroyed,  or  injured  by  Union  forces  not  under  the  command 
of  United  States  officers,  with  a  statement  showing  specifically  in  each  case  under  what  circum- 
stances, and  by  what  authority  such  property  was  so  taken,  injured,  or  destroyed.* 

An  act  was  passed  in  February,  1864,  to  prevent  enlistments  of  residents  of  this  State,  by 
unauthorized  persons,  in  or  for  military  organizations  of  other  States,  and  to  punish  any  citizen 
of  the  State  who,  by  offers  of  bounties  or  otherwise,  should  attempt  to  induce  such  enlistments. 

An  act  was  passed  in  March,  1864,  to  establish  in  the  office  of  the  Adjutant-General  a  bureau 
of  military  statistics,  for  the  purpose  of  perpetuating  the  names  and  memories  of  the  gallant  and 
patriotic  men  of  this  State  who  volunteered  as  privates  in  the  service  of  the  United  States,  which 
was  to  be  done  by  preserving  lists  of  their  names,  and  sketches  of  the  organizations  to  which  they 
belonged.! 

An  act  was  passed  in  March,  1864,  for  the  relief  of  debtors  in  the  military  service  of  the 
United  States,  providing  that  any  party  in  a  suit  against  whom  judgment  had  been  entered  with- 
out defense  made,  while  the  said  party  was  in  the  service,  should  have  the  privilege  of  re-opening 
judgment  or  order  in  his  case  at  any  time  within  one  year  after  his  discharge,  for  presentation 
of  his  defense. 

LEGISLATION  OF  1865. 

An  act  was  passed  in  February,  1865,  creating  a  bureau  of  soldiers'  claims,  and  providing  for 
the  appointment  by  the  Governor  of  a  commissioner,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  furnish  and  give 
all  necessary  instructions,  information,  and  advice,  free  of  charge,  to  the  soldiers  and  marines  of 
Ohio,  or  their  heirs  or  legal  representatives,  respecting  any  claims  which  may  be  due  them  from 
this  State  or  the  United  States,  t 


Raid 


*  The  results  of  the  investigation  under  this  law  have  been  given,  ante,  Chap.  "The  Morgan 


t  Repeated  efforts  were  subsequently  made  to  secure  an  appropriation  for  publishing  this 
matter,  but  it  would  have  made  a  cart-load  of  volumes,  and  the  Legislature  always  refused. 

X  An  attempt  to  make  this  bureau  amount  to  something  led  to  serious  complications  with  the 
State  Military  Agent  at  Washington. 


Military  Legislation  of  the  State.  243 

A  supplementary  act  to  the  act  of  March,  1864,  enabling  qualified  voters  of  cities,  etc.,  who 
may  be  in  the  military  service  of  the  State,  or  of  this  United  States,  to  exercise  the  right  of  suf- 
frage, was  passed  March  31,  1865.  It  gave  the  privilege  of  voting  for  all  township  officers  save 
assessors,  and  adapted  other  provisions  of  the  existing  law  to  correspond  with  this. 

A  relief  bill  for  the  families  of  soldiers  and  marines  in  the  State  and  United  States  service 
was  passed  in  April,  1865,  providing  for  a  State  levy  of  two  mills  on  the  dollar  valuation  of  the 
grand  list  of  taxable  property  of  the  State,  and  should  the  fund  so  raised  be  insufficient,  author- 
izing the  county  commissioners  to  make  an  additional  levy  of  two  mills,  and  city  councils  an 
additional  levy  of  one  mill. 

An  act  was  passed  in  April,  1865,  for  the  relief  of  discharged  soldiers  and  marines,  being 
merely  a  modification  of  the  State  Agency  system  for  their  benefit. 

An  act  supplementary  to  an  act  entitled  "an  act  to  provide  a  board  of  commissioners  to 
examine  certain  military  claims,"  and  making  an  appropriation  for  their  payment,  was  passed 
in  April,  1865.  It  gave  system  to  previous  legislative  action  looking  to  the  payment  of  tha 
irregular  claims  arising  out  of  the  necessity  for  haste  and  vigor  in  the  early  part  of  Governor 
Dennison's  military  administration. 

A  considerable  number  of  new  amendments  to  the  National  Guard  law  were  passed. 

An  act  to  provide  bounty  for  veteran  volunteers,  who  had  not  previously  received  local 
bounty,  was  passed  in  April,  1865,  authorizing  the  trustees  of  the  several  townships  of  this  State 
to  issue  to  each  re-enlisted  veteran  volunteer  a  bond  for  the  sum  of  one  hundred  dollars,  bearing 
six  per  cent,  interest,  redeemable  at  the  pleasure  of  the  trustees,  one  year  after  the  date  thereof. 

An  act  was  passed  in  April,  1865,  to  authorize  the  trustees  of  townships,  councils  of  cities, 
and  commissioners  of  counties  in  this  State,  to  levy  a  tax  to  refund  money  borrowed  or  pledged 
for  local  bounties.     Bounty  under  this  act  limited  to  one  hundred  dollars. 

A  bill  was  introduced  into  the  Senate  in  March,  1865,  to  establish  a  soldiers'  home.  The 
home  so  established  to  be  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  State,  for  the  care  and  support  of 
such  soldiers  of  the  State  as  have  been  disabled  in  the  war. 

The  bill  provided  for  the  purchase  of  Ohio  White  Sulphur  Springs  Farm  and  buildings,  at 
a  cost  not  to  exceed  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

For  the  management  and  control  of  said  home  the  Governor  was  authorized  to  appoint  six 
trustees,  who  shall  hold  their  office  for  one,  two,  and  three  years.  Their  successors  for  three 
years  each. 

The  board  of  trustees  were  empowered  to  appoint  a  superintendent  and  other  necessary 
officers  for  the  home.  The  home  to  be  governed  by  such  rules  and  regulations  as  shall  be  made 
by  the  board,  and  approved  by  the  Governor. 

The  board  shall  admit  as  many  disabled  soldiers  as  the  home  will  comfortably  contain, 
having  due  reference  to  a  just  and  equitable  distribution  of  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  several 
counties  of  the  State. 

All  soldiers  admitted  to  the  home  were  required  to  transfer  to  the  board  all  incomes  which 
they  are  entitled  to  receive  from  the  State,  United  States,  or  other  sources,  except  the  amount 
of  two  dollars  per  month. 

The  board  was  authorized  to  receive  and  accept  in  trust  for  said  home  any  donations  of 
land,  money,  or  other  property,  and  to  hold  or  dispose  of  the  game  for  the  benefit  of  the  home, 
as  they  deemed  most  advisable. 

The  commissioners  of  the  several  counties  of  the  State  were  authorized  and  required  to 
appropriate  out  of  the  fund  raised  for  the  relief  of  soldiers'  families,  a  sufficient  amount  to  sup- 
port indigent  and  disabled  soldiers  within  their  respective  counties,  until  such  dependent  soldiers 
shall  be  transferred  to  the  home  established  by  this  act. 

Fifty  thousand  dollars  were  to  be  appropriated  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  pro- 
visions of  this  act. 

The  bill  did  not  pass.  The  General  Assembly  of  1866  passed  a  law  establishing  a  home, 
which,  is  now  in  successful  operation  near  Dayton. 

At  the  session  of  the  General  Assembly  in  1867   a  memorial  from  Major-General  Eaton  and 


244  Ohio  in  the  War. 

others,  was  presented  to  the  Senate,  asking  an  appropriation  by  the  State  to  aid  in  erecting  a 
monument  to  the  memory  of  Major-General  James  B.  McPherson,  at  Clyde,  Ohio. 

The  memorial  was  referred  to  a  select  committee  of  one — General  Warner,  Senator  from  the 
Licking  District — who,  in  his  report  upon  the  prayer  of  the  memorialists,  recommended  the 
adoption  of  the  following  joint  resolution: 

"Resolved,  by  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  That  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars 
is  hereby  directed  to  be  appropriated  out  of  any  funds  in  the  treasury,  not  otherwise  appro- 
priat. •(!,  to  aid  in  the  erection  of  a  monument  at  Clyde,  Ohio,  to  the  memory  of  Major-General 
James  B.  McPherson." 

The  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Senate  by  a  strict  party  vote,  every  Democrat  voting 
against  it. 

The  resolution  was  then  transmitted  to  the  House,  by  which  body  it  was  indefinitely  post- 
poned. 


Ohio  Surgeons  in  the  War.  245 


CHAPTER    XXI 


OHIO   SURGEONS   IN   THE   WAR. 


"jiTOTHHSTG  in  the  general  management  of  Ohio  military  affairs  through- 
\\    out  the  war  did  more  to  raise  the  character  of  the  State  than  the  care 
■^-  "    with  which  medical  officers  were  selected,  and  the  unusually  high  class 
of  officers  thus  obtained. 

Among  the  many  excellent  acts  for  which  ex-Governor  Dennison  has  never 
received  proper  credit,  was  his  determination,  in  the  very  climax  of  the  confu- 
sion that  followed  the  first  call  to  arms,  that  no  Ohio  regiment  should  enter  the 
field  without  a  surgeon  whom  the  best  judgment  of  the  profession  in  the  State 
would  pronounce  fitted  for  the  place.  It  was  the  time  of  crudities  in  every 
branch  of  military  organization — when  troops  were  electing  their  officers,  and 
regiments  were  demanding  thirty  wagons  each  for  transportation,  and  recruits 
were  receiving  quarters  at  first-class  hotels  at  Government  expense.  To  have 
perceived,  in  the  midst  of  this  rawness  and  ignorance,  the  necessity  for  rigid 
examinations  of  medical  officers  was  a  piece  of  sagacity  that  was  to  inure  to  the 
benefit  of  every  soldier  sent  out,  and  to  secure  for  the  State  pre-eminence  in  the 
surgical  and  medical  history  of  the  war. 

Within  a  few  days  after  the  organization  of  troops  began,  Governor  Denni- 
son appointed  George  C.  Blackman,  M.  D.,  of  Cincinnati;  J.  W.  Hamilton,  M. 
D.,  of  Columbus ;  and  L.  M.  Whiting,  M.  D.,  of  Canton,  a  board  to  examine  all 
applicants  for  appointments  as  surgeons  or  assistant-surgeons  for  Ohio  regi- 
ments. No  one  was  to  be  eligible  who  had  not  been  regularly  educated,  had  not 
been  a  practitioner  in  good  standing  for  ten  years,  and  could  not  pass  a  rigid 
examination  before  this  board;  while  for  even  the  assistant-surgeons,  five  years 
of  previous  practice  were  required. 

The  system  thus  begun  was  kept  up  through  the  succeeding  administra- 
tions. As  the  business  of  the  war  became  more  systematized,  the  State  Surgeon - 
General  assumed  charge  of  such  matters,  and  saw  to  it  that  the  standard 
required  by  the  examining  board  should  be  raised  rather  than  lowered.  During 
the  summer  of  1861,  Drs.  Blackman  and  Whiting  retired,  and  S.  M.  Smith,  M. 
D.,  and  William  M.  Awl,  M.  D.,  of  Columbus,  took  their  places.  These  gentle- 
men discharged  the  delicate  duties  of  the  board  throughout  the  administration 
of  Governor  Dennison.     Governor  Tod,  on  his  entrance  into  office,  appointed  C. 


246  Ohio   in  the  War. 

C.  Cook,  It  D,  of  Youngstown ;  John  W.  Russell,  M  D.,  of  Mount  Vernon ; 
and  John  A.  Murphy,  M.  D.f  of  Cincinnati.  Afterward,  on  the  death  of  Dr. 
Cook  Gustav.  C.  F,  Weber,  M.  D.,  of  Cleveland,  took  his  place  Through  the 
administration  of  Governor  Brough  these  gentlemen  were  retained ;  but  during 
the  absence  of  Dr.  Weber  in  Europe,  and  the  illness  of  Dr.  Murphy,  Drs.  S  M. 
Smith  and  Starling  Loving,  of  Columbus,  acted  in  their  places.  Before  these 
gentlemen-all  commanding  the  confidence  of  the  profession  throughout  the 
State-every  surgeon  or  assistant-surgeon  for  an  Ohio  regiment  was  compelled 
to  pass  The  examination  was  exhaustive,  and  moral  habits  in  the  appli- 
cant, temperance,  and  fair  standing  in  the  profession,  were  required  as  rigor- 
ously as  satisfactory  answers  to  the  professional  questions* 

When,  having  appointed  General  McClellan  in  the  hope  of  having  him  as 
military  adviser,  Governor  Dennison  asked  of  him  who  should  be  made  Sur- 
geon-General, a  prompt  recommendation  was  given  to  George  H.  Shumard,  of 
Cincinnati,  and  an  appointment  was  as  promptly  made.  The  profession,  par- 
ticularly in  Cincinnati,  manifested  some  astonishment,  and  began  to  inquire  who 
Dr.  Shumard  was.  Presently  it  came  to  be  known  that  he  was  really  a  repu- 
table physician,  though  long  absent  from  Cincinnati,  engaged  in  geological 
surveys  in  Texas  when  the  war  broke  out,  and  for  years  previously  a  resident 
of  Arkansas.  He  had  avowed  his  Union  sentiments  in  spite  of  the  terriblo 
pressure  of  public  opinion  against  him,  and  when  he  was  finally  forced  to  flee, 
General  McClellan,  in  introducing  him  to  Governor  Dennison's  attention,  had 
spoken  of  him  as  "the  last  Union  man  of  Arkansas."  These  facts  tended  to 
mollify  the  first  harsh  judgment  of  the  profession  ;  but  they  never  quite  recon- 
ciled themselves  to  his  appointment  as  Surgeon-General  of  Ohio ;  and  he  was 
never  popular. 

He  nevertheless  did  some  valuable,  though  fragmentary  service.  The 
troops  first  hurried  into  the  field  were  ignorant  of  everything  necessary  to  com- 
fort or  health  in  camp  life ;  the  camps  were  filthy,  the  hospitals  crowded,  ill- 
ventilated,  and.  worse  attended,  the  medical  supplies  insufficient.  To  the  correc- 
tion of  these  evils  Dr.  Shumard  addressed  himself  with  industry  and  zeal.  He 
visited  the  camps  of  the  State  troops,  helped  to  organize  their  medical  depart- 
ments, and  did  what  in  him  lajr  to  inaugurate  system  in  medical  matters.  But 
he  was  made  to  feel  so  keenly  the  opinion  of  the  profession  that  he  was  an 
interloper,  enjoying  undeserved  promotion  over  Ohio  physicians,  that  he  was 
very  glad  to  embrace  the  opportunity  of  entering  the  United  States  service  as  a 
brigade  surgeon. 

He  was  succeeded  by  William  L.  McMillen,  M.  D.,  of  Columbus,  who  had 
enjoyed  opportunities  of  becoming  familiar  with  army  surgery  in  Russian  hos- 

*The  following  is  a  summary  of  medical  officers  appointed,  resigned,  promoted,  dismissed, 
and  deceased  during  the  rebellion  : 

"Appointed— Surgeons,  287;  Assistant-Surgeons,  694.  Resigned— Surgeons,  122;  Assist- 
ant-Surgeons, 171.  Promotions— Assistant-Surgeons  to  Surgeons,  165 ;  Surgeons  and  Assistants 
to  Surgeons  and  Assistants  U.  S.  V.,  45.  Dismissed— Surgeons,  2 ;  Assistant-Surgeons,  12. 
Deceased—Surgeons,  18 ;  Assistant-Surgeons,  24." 


Ohio  Surgeons  in  the  War.  247 

pitals  during  the  Crimean  war.     He  served  as  Surgeon-General  during  the  few 
remaining  months  of  Governor  Dennison's  administration. 

Governor  Tod  appointed  Gustav.  C.  E.  Weber,  M.  D.,  Professor  of  Surgery 
in  the  Cleveland  Medical  College,  as  Surgeon -General  on  his  staff.  This  gentle- 
man was  of  German  birth  and  education,  and  was  a  physician  of  high  repute 
in  Cleveland  and  throughout  the  State.  He  began  the  s}Tstem  of  hospital  boats, 
of  which  we  have  already  had  occasion  to  speak  at  length;  visited  the  field  of 
Pittsburg  Landing  and  labored  faithfully  among  the  wounded,  till  he  was 
himself  prostrated  by  disease ;  visited  hospitals  where  Ohio  soldiers  were 
congregated  elsewhere,  and  particularly  those  in  Washington;  had  repeated  con- 
ferences with  the  Surgeon-General  of  the  United  States  army  and  co-operated 
zealously  with  him  in  promoting  the  good  of  the  service;  perfected  the  system 
of  examination  for  applicants  for  appointment  as  regimental  surgeons,  and  made 
it  more  stringent  and  systematic. 

When  Dr.  Weber's  health  gave  way  he  was  succeeded  by  Samuel  M.  Smith, 
M.  D.,  Professor  of  Theory  and  Practice  of  Medicine  in  Starling  Medical  Col- 
lege, and  long  a  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  practitioner  in  Columbus. 
Dr.  Smith  had  completed  his  medical  studies  in  Paris,  and  had  long  been  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  foremost  men  in  the  profession  in  the  State.  He  continued 
the  system  of  hospital  boats,  and  gave  the  closest  personal  attention  to  its  work- 
ings. He  was  a  man  of  peculiarly  warm  temperament,  and  his  whole  heart 
was  in  the  work  to  which  he  now  devoted  himself.  He  made  repeated  personal 
visits  to  the  great  battle-fields;  was  always  prepared  to  forward  corps  of  select 
surgeons  and  nurses  wherever  needed;  was  active  in  seeking  occasions  for  ren- 
xdering  aid  to  the  medical  officers  in  the  field,  and  watchful  as  to  the  conduct  of 
those  whom  he  sent  out.  He  maintained  the  high  standard  of  appointments  to 
the  medical  service. 

When  Governor  Brough  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  he  selected 
his  personal  friend,  R.  N,  Barr,  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Cleveland,  and  a  man  of  excellent  standing  in  the  profession,  as  his  Surgeon- 
General.  There  was  now  less  necessity  for  attention  to  the  wants  of  the  troops 
in  the  field,  or  special  efforts  to  render  assistance  after  great  battles,  since  the 
more  perfect  organization  of  the  medical  strength  of  the  army  and  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions  left  less  for  the  medical 
authorities  of  the  several  States  to  do.  The  Government  now  had  its  own 
hospital  boats,  hospital  cars,  and  abundant  medical  supplies ;  while,  for  special 
wants,  the  thorough  organization  of  the  charitable  commissions  might  be 
safely  trusted.  Dr.  Barr's  duties  were,  therefore,  more  closely  confined  to  the 
routine  of  office  work  than  had  been  those  of  his  predecessors.  It  is  high 
praise  to  say  that  he  kept  up  the  standard  they  had  fixed. 

Under  the  administrations  of  these  several  gentlemen  the  State  expended, 
on  her  own  account,  in  bringing  home  her  wounded  or  in  sending  additional 
surgeons  and  supplies  to  them  on  the  battle-fields  where  they  fell,  nearly  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Professor  J.  II.  Salisbury,  of  Cleveland,  under  an  appointment  from  Gov- 


248 


Ohio  in  the   War. 


ernor  Tod  vi8ited  a  number  of  hospitals  in  the  different  theaters  of  military 
Operations,  looking  after  the  condition  of  the  Ohio  sick  and  wounded,  and 
making  known  their  wants.  He  gave,  however,  the  larger  share  of  his  time  to 
experiments  and  investigations  bearing  on  the  great  epidemics  that  invade  the 
army  and  specially  on  chronic  diarrhea,  malarial  fevers,  and  camp  measles,  as 
well  as  on  the  army  ration  as  largely  entering  into  the  causation  of  many  army 
Bee.  He  made  meritorious  experiments  looking  to  the  proof  of  the  theory 
that  some  of  these  diseases  have  a  cryptogamic  origin,  and  presented  an  elab- 
orate report,  which  was  given  to  the  profession  as  an  appendix  in  successive 
reports  of  the  several  Surgeon-Generals. 

Besides  the  regimental  surgeons,*  who  embraced  a  representation  of  the 
professional  talent  of  the  State,  a  number  of  the  leading  physicians  entered 
the  United  States  service  as  "United  States  Volunteer  Surgeons,"  with  the 
rank  of  Major,  or  as  assistants,  with  the  rank  of  First-Lieutenant,  after  an 
exhaustive  examination  under  authority  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  before  a 
board  of  regular  army  surgeons  at  Washington.!  They  were  assigned  to  duty 
M  BUtgeOM  in  charge  of  hospitals,  division  or  corps  surgeons,  and  in  more  than 
one  instance  as  medical  directors  of  great  departments. 

One  of  these,  Dr.  Wm.  H.  Mussey,  of  Cincinnati,  was  subsequently  pro- 
moted to  be  one  of  the  small  board  of  medical   inspectors,  who  stood  next  to 

*  Whose  names  appear,  together  with  the  important  facts  of  their  military  history,  in  the 
rosters  of  their  respective  regiments,  in  Vol.  II. 

t  SURGEONS  OF  VOLUNTEERS,  WITH  RANK. 


DATE  OF  COM. 


RESIDENCE. 


Major 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

Do. 
Do. 
Do 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

K, 

| 

Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


1st  Lieutenant 
Do. 
Do. 
Do. 

n«. 

Do. 

Do. 
Do. 
Do. 


Chas.  O'Leabt 

Wm.  Clendenin 

J  AS.    D.    ROBINSON 

QtO.   II.    Mil    MAUD 

F.  N.  Burke 

I).  W.  Hartshorn... 
Geo.  C.  Blackman  .. 

Wm.  H.  Mussey 

Norman  Cay 

Rufus  H.  Johnston  , 

Fredk.  Seymour 

Wm.  W.  Holmes 

A.  J.   I'm: i. is 

Clarke  McDermott. 


Howard  Culbertson 
Fhancis  Salter 

JNO'.     It.    ROBINSON.... 

Geo.  R.  Week* 

>\M   I.    1).   TUKNEY...... 

Klmore  Y.  Chase.... 
\.  g,  swart/.welder 
Robert  Fletcher.... 

Samuel  Hart 

J.  Y.  Cantwei.l 

W.  ('.  Daniels 

Henry  Z.  Gili 

Th..s.  B.  Hood 

("has.  H.  Hood 

m.  c.  woodworth  ... 
Woodward 


A  us. 

Sort. 
Oct. 
Dec. 

April 


Feb. 

M  arch 

May 

July 

Nov. 

Jan. 

May 


Nov. 


Ireland  , 

Penn , 

Ohio 

N.J 

Ireland  . 
Mass ..... 

N.  Y 

N.  H 

Vt 

Mass 

England 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ireland  . 


Ohio 

England 
Ohio 


Cincinnati. 
Cincinnati. 


Cincinnati. 
Cincinnati. 


Cincinnati.... 
Cincinnati.... 
Columbus 


.Cincinnati... 

Athens 

Portsmouth 
Dayton 


Ohio 

)hio 

Penn 

England 

Ohio 

Ohio 

N.  Y 

Penn 

Ohio 

Ohio 

N.  Y 

Ohio 


ASS'T  SURGEONS. 
KnwiN  Freeman 

•I.    W      Al'IM.EiiATE 

M.  K..  Moxf.kv 

Gerhard  Saai 

Henry  M.  Kirk 

Samuel  Kitchen  .... 

John  McOoRDi  

J.  tfTKKI  Ely 

J"hn  s.  HoOkkw 


Feb. 


Sept. 

Nov. 
•Ian. 


April 
Inlv 


7,  isr, 
19,  is., 

19,  •' 
9,  " 
7,  " 
ft,  I8fi 
s,    M 

20,  »• 
2ii,     " 


N.  S 

Ohio  ...... 

Germ'io 

Penn , 

Canada  . 
Ireland  . 

Ohio  . 
Ohio  . 


Delaware 


Circleville. 
Cincinnati. 
Toledo  7.7.7.'. 


Warren 
Warren 


Cincinnati... 
Cincinnati... 


Division  Surgeon. 

Ass't  Med.  Dir.  Dept.  Cumberland. 

Superintendent  Hospitals,  Louisville. 


Division  Surgeon.  [Insp's  of  Army. 

Prom,  to  Lt.  Col.  and  member  Board  Med. 
Corps  Medical  Director. 

Hospital  Surgeon,  Nashville. 
Division  Surgeon. 

Med.  Director,  Department  Kentucky. 
Med.  Purveyor  and  Surg,  in  charge,  Cum- 
berland Hospital,  Nashville. 

Corps  Medical  Director. 

Hospital  Surgeon. 

Hospital  Surgeon. 

Div.  and  Post  Med.  Dir.,  Murfreesboro'. 

Division  Surgeon. 

Medical  Purveyor,  Army  Cumberland. 

Hospital  Surgeon. 

Division  Surgeon. 

Division  Surgeon. 


Youngstown 
Cincinnati... 


Hospital  Surgeon. 
Division  Surgeon. 


Hospital  Surgeon,  Cincinnati. 
Hospital  Surgeon. 


Division  Medical  Director. 


Ohio  Surgeons  in  the  War.  249 

the  Surgeon-General  and  his  Assistant  as  the  ranking  officers  of  the  medical 
service  in  the  army.  In  this  capacity  lie  proved  singularly  industrious  in  his 
search  for  mismanagement  or  abuses,  and  unshrinking,  to  a  degree  rarely  wit- 
nessed, in  exposing  them  and  applying  the  necessary  correctives.  He  was  spe- 
cially watchful  as  to  the  character  of  the  medicines  and  supplies  furnished  the 
hospitals,  the  rations  issued  to  soldiers  in  the  field,  and  the  quality  of  clothing 
furnished  to  the  troops.  On  the  battle-fields  his  authority  was  interposed  to 
save  the  wounded  from  unscrupulous  operators.  In  all  respects,  he  was  an  un- 
tiring and  faithful  public  servant. 

Dr.  Wra.  Clendenin,  of  the  same  corps,  aside  from  his  professional  serv- 
ices, was  esteemed  for  the  thorough  system  of  registration  of  sick  and  wounded 
which  he  introduced,  first  into  some  hospitals  under  his  own  care,  and  after- 
ward into  the  entire  medical  service  of  the  army.  Under  the  old  regulations  it 
was  impossible  to  trace,  from  the  hospital  records,  the  successive  stages  of  any 
particular  case,  where  the  patient  had  either  been  transferred  to  another  hos- 
pital or  granted  a  furlough.  Under  the  system  introduced  by  Clendenin's 
blanks  the  hospitals  of  the  entire  service  could  be  explored,  the  case  could  bo 
followed  anywhere,  its  ultimate  result  was  always  discoverable,  and  the  entire 
multiform  experience  of  the  war  thus  became  available  for  the  instruction  and 
advancement  of  the  profession.  Dr.  Clendenin  filled  various  posts  of  enlarged 
usefulness,  and  finally  became  Assistant  Medical  Director  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland.  His  chief,  the  honored  director  in  this  army  through  a  large 
part  of  its  bloody  experience  (Dr.  Glover  Perrin),  though  an  old  officer  of  the 
regular  army,  may,  nevertheless,  be  properly  reclaimed  by  his  native  State  in 
a  record  like  this.  In  establishing  the  chain  of  hospitals  from  Louisville  to 
Kenesaw,  and  in  organizing  the  medical  and  surgical  wrork  after  the  great  bat- 
tles that  mark  this  historic  route,  he  did  a  work  second  to  none  in  importance, 
and  ever  worthy  to  be  gratefully  cherished,  not  only  by  his  State,  but  the  Na- 
tion  whose  soldiers  he  served  and  saved. 

Another  of  the  brigade  surgeons,  Dr.  Fletcher,  rose  to  distinction  in  the 
same  field,  as  Medical  Purveyor  at  Nashville  for  the  great  armies  that,  step  by 
step,  won  Stone  Eiver  and  Chickamauga,  Mission  Kidge,  and  Atlanta,  and 
swept  thence  to  the  sea  and  back  through  the  Carolinas.  He  was  pronounced 
by  the  Surgeon -General  among  the  best,  if  not  the  best,  of  the  purveyors  in 
the  service,  and  the  grateful  testimony  of  Kosecrans,  Thomas,  and  Sherman 
more  than  confirms  the  encomium.  Dr.  McDermott  of  Dayton  did  a  similar 
work  as  Medical  Purveyor  at  Murfreesboro'  for  a  time,  and  afterward  took  charge 
of  the  noted  Cumberland  hospital  at  Nashville,  the  largest  in  the  department. 

Dr.  A.  J.  Phelps,  at  first  a  regimental  surgeon,  and  then  "surgeon  of 
volunteers,"  became  Medical  Director  of  one  of  the  army  corps  under  Thomas, 
and  afterward  Medical  Director  of  the  Department  of  Kentucky.  Dr.  Francis 
Salter  passed  through  the  same  promotions  and  became  the  chief  medical  officer 
of  the  cavalry  of  the  whole  army.  Dr.  W.  "W.  Holmes  became  Medical  Director 
in  the  command  of  General  Cox,  and  gave  up  his  life  in  the  service.  Dr.  Nor- 
man Gay  of  Columbus  became  a  Corps  Medical  Director. 


250 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


The  high  standing  which  these  examples  may  illustrate,  extended  through- 
out  the  long  rolls  of  regimental  surgeons  as  well.  They  can  appear  on  the  rolls 
only  in  connection  with  their  respective  regiments;  but  they  were  constantly 
called  to  other  and  important  fields  of  duty.  Thus  Dr.  James,  of  the  Fourth 
Ohio  Cavalry,  became  the  chief  medical  officer  of  the  entire  cavalry  of  the 
army,  and  held  this  place  till  the  end  of  his  service— making  his  administration 
notable  for  improvements  in  the  ambulance  system  specially  adapted  to  the 
peculiar  wants  of  the  cavalry  service,  a  new  form  of  haversack  for  cavalry  use, 
and  other  reforms.  Dr.  Muscroft  of  the  Tenth  Ohio  became  a  division  surgeon, 
and  performed  a  great  variety  of  service  on  army  boards,  medical  inspections, 
and  the  like.  Dr.  Brelsford  of  Bellbrook  had  charge  of  the  important  hospitals 
at  Cumberland.  The  list  might  be  indefinitely  extended.  They  made  large 
and  valuable  contributions  to  the  Army  Museum  of  Surgery  and  Surgical  and 
Medical  Pathology  at  Washington ;  in  reports  and  office  labors  they  did  their 
full  share  toward  the  advancement  of  the  profession  which  the  war  brought 
about;  most  of  all,  with  a  faithfulness  more  nearly  uniform  than  could  reasona- 
bly have  been  expected,  they  devoted  themselves  to  the  relief  of  those  ready  to 
perish  on  the  ghastly  battle  fields,  and  in  the  more  ghastly  hospitals  that  over 
half  the  continent  marked  the  last  sacrifices  of  the  loyal  people  for  the  life  of 
the  Nation.  In  this  work  some  of  them  fell  on  the  battle-fields,  more  breathed 
their  last  in  the  hospitals,  where  they  had  so  often  ministered  to  the  wants  of 
others*  more  still  carried  back  to  civil  life  constitutions  broken  down  by  the 
exposures  they  had  courted  in  the  service  of  our  braves. 

•DEATHS  OF  MEDICAL  OFFICERS  DURING  THE  REBELLION. 


Surgeon 

Ass't  Surg. 
Surgeon 

Ass't  Surg . 


Surgeon 
An  t  Surg. 
Surgeon 
AwTtBurg. 


Burgeon 
Ass't  Surg! 


Surgeon 
Ass  [t  Surg . 

Surgeon 


Aw't  Surg , 

S»n?eon 

Ain't  Surg. 
Surgeon 

Am'j  Surg. 
8ur%eon 


R.  R.  McMeans 

II.  II.  McAbee 

James  Davenport 

W.  W.  Holmes 

Henry  Spelliuan 

J.  11.  Biteman 

John  G.  Purple.. 

William  Y.  Bean 

(i.  S.  Uuthrie 

John  A.Soliday 

FraucisD.  Morris 

John  N.  Minor 

W.  W.  Bridge 

Gre-nleaf  C.  Norton. 

•I.  K.  Lewis , 

A.J.  Rosa , 

Samuel  Ma  there 

N.  H.  rkher 

John  P.  Haggett , 

William  I).  Carlin 


Bruno  Laukriet. 

William  S.  Moore 

Moses  B.  Haines 

K.  W.  Steele 

Charles  H.  Pierce 

Robert  P.  Muensclior 

Pardon  Cook 

L.  Q.  Brown 

A.  Longwell '" 

Alfred  Taylor 

F.  W.  Marseilles 

g.  W.  Sayrei 

F.  M.  Andrews 

Charles  A.  Hartnian 

D.  H.  Silver 

A.  R.  Gilkey .'.'..;.' 

Thomas  J.  Shannon 

Martin  Doty 

Z.  Northway 

r.  H.  Tuiiius : 

James  W.  Thompson 

William  F.  Brown 


3d 

4th 

9th 
12th 
1.0th 
19th 
20th 
25th 
32d 
32d 
3.0th 
42d 
46th 
46th 
48th 
•r)2d 
53d 
50th 
57th 
57th 
58th 
61st 
69th 
74th 
76th 
76th 
77th 
85th 
8»th 
89  th 
98th 
102.1 
103d 
107th 
lllth 
116th 
116th 
174th 
6th      0 
7th 
10th 
136th  0. 


0.  V.  I. 


V.  C. 

N.  G. 


Oct.  30, 
Sept.  — , 
Mar.  29, 
April  28, 


Sept.  25, 
May  13, 
Sept.  17, 
Feb.  20, 
Mar.  26, 
Sept.  23, 
Dec.  13, 
Aug.  6, 
Aug.  10, 
Oct.  11, 
Feb.  2(1, 
May  23, 
Jan.  25, 
April  30, 
Dec.  26, 
Oct.  27, 
July     3, 


Jan. 
Oct. 
Sept. 
Nov. 
3lar. 
May 
May 
Sept. 
Oct. 
31  ay 
June 
June 
Oct. 
Dec. 
Nov. 
Sept. 
Nov. 
June 


29,  1863 

2,  1861' 
23,  1863 
— ,  1862 
18,  18*5 
23,  1863 

1.  186 


9,  1863 
27,  1864 

4,  1863 
19,  1864 
10,     " 
10,     H 


25, 


Killed  by  railroad  accident. 

Died  of  disease  contracted  in  service. 

Died  of  consumption. 

Died  at  Evansville,  Indiana. 

Died  in  Texas. 

Died  of  disease  contracted  in  service. 

Died  of  disease  contracted  in  service. 

Died  at  Chattanooga. 

Died  at  Goldsboro',  North  Carolina. 

Died  at  Hamilton,  Ohio. 

Died  at  Marietta,  Georgia. 


Died  at  Lookout  Mountain. 

Died  at  Seminary  Hospital,  Columbus,  0. 

Died  at  Memphis,  Tennessee. 
Killed  at  Gettysburg. 

Died  at  Vicksburg,  Mississippi. 


Died  at  Camp  Chase,  Ohio. 

Drowned  in  Ohio  River. 

Died  at  Chattanooga. 

Died  at  home. 

Died  at  Atlanta. 

Killed  at  rhe  battle  of  Fredericksburg. 

Died  at  Knoxville,  Tennessee. 

Died  at  Winchester,  Virginia. 

Killed  in  battle 


Died  at  home. 

Died  at  Ripley,  Ohio. 

Died  at  home. 


Relief  Work;  Aid  Societies,  Etc,  261 

In  all  this  it  can  at  least  be  claimed  that  Ohio  stood  second  to  no  State  in 
the  Union.  Certainly,  in  the  care  with  which  her  medical  officers  were  selected, 
and  in  their  uniformly  high  professional  character,  she  was  in  advance  of  the 
most;  and  in  the  early  period  in  the  war  at  which  the  rigid  system  of  examina- 
tions before  appointment  was  instituted,  she  was  in  advance  of  all. 


CHAPTER  XXII 


THE  RELIEF  WORK;  AID  SOCIETIES,  ETC. 


OF  the  position  of  the  great  State  throughout  the  war,  of  its  support  of 
the  National  armies,  of  its  support  of  the  National  purpose,  of  its 
official  care  for  its  stricken  ones,  we  have  now  some  hope  of  having 
spoken — if  not  satisfactorily,  at  least  suggestively.  But  of  that  great  popular, 
movement  which  made  care  for  the  soldiers  and  their  families  the  business  of 
life  for  our  tenderest  and  best  at  home  while  the  war  lasted,  no  man  may  speak. 
Charity  is  not  puffed  up,  Charity  vaunteth  not  itself;  and  the  myriad  works  of 
love  and  kindness  to  which  the  best  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages  devoted  them- 
selves, fell  like  the  gentle  dew  and  like  it  disappeared — leaving  no  sign  and 
having  a  memory  only  in  the  immortality  of  their  beneficent  results. 

In  closing,  therefore,  this  sketch  of  the  home  history  of  the  State  during 
the  war,  with  a  reference  to  the  unofficial  efforts  of  the  whole  people  in  behalf  of 
their  soldiers,  we  may  gather  up  some  records  of  their  organized  action  through 
the  medium  of  Aid  Societies,  and  Sanitary  Commissions,  and  Christian  Com- 
missions, and  Soldiers'  Fairs;  some  names  of  the  fortunate  ones  whose  privilege 
it  was  to  work  as  the  almoners  of  the  people's  bounty;  some  traces  of  the  more 
public  demonstrations.  But  the  real  history  of  the  work  will  never  bo 
written,  never  can  be  written,  perhaps  never  ought  to  be  written.  Wh(? 
shall  intrude  to  measure  the  love  of  the  Mothers,  and  Sisters,  and  Wives,  at 
home  for  the  Soldiers  in  the  field? — who  shall  chronicle  the  prayers  and  the 
labors  to  shield  them  from  death  and  disease? — who  shall  speak  worthily  of 
that  religious  fervor  which  counted  loss,  and  suffering,  and  life  as  nothing,  so 
that  by  any  means  God's  work  might  be  done  in  the  battle  for  Liberty  and 
Eight? 

Some  of  the  mere  tangible  results,  the  organizations  and  visible  work  and 
dollars  and  cents  of  the  great  movement,  that  gathered  into  one  common  effort 
as  they  had  never  been  gathered  before,  all  the  elements  of  a  vast  community, 
we  may  here  set  down;  and,  with  that,  rest. 


252  Ohio  in  the  War 

The  largest  and  most  noted  organization  in  Ohio  for  the  relief  of  soldiers 
was,  of  course,  the  "Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commis- 
sion." This  body  throughout  its  history  pursued  a  policy  little  calculated  to 
advance  its  own  fame— admirably  adapted  to  advance  the  interests  of  the  sol- 
n  for  whom  it  labored.  It  had  but  one  salaried  officer,  and  it  gave  him  but 
a  meager  support  for  the  devotion  of  his  whole  time.  It  spent  no  large  funds 
in  prewiring  statistics,  and  multiplying  reports  of  its  good  works.  It  entered 
Into  no  elaborate  scientific  investigations  concerning  theories  as  to  the  best  san- 
itary conditions  for  large  armies.  It  left  no  bulky  volumes  of  tracts,  discus- 
sions, statistics,  eulogies,  and  defenses.  Indeed,  it  scarcely  left  a  report  that 
might  satifactorily  exhibit  the  barest  outline  of  its  work.  But  it  collected  and 
used  great  sums  of  money  and  supplies  for  the  soldiers.  First  of  any  consider- 
able bodies  in  the  United  States  it  sent  relief  to  battle-fields  on  a  scale  com- 
mensurate with  the  wants  of  the  wounded.  It  was  the  first  to  equip  hospital 
boats,  and  it  led  in  the  patient  faithful  work  among  the  armies,  particularly  in 
the  West,  throughout  the  war.  Its  guardianship  of  the  funds  committed  to  its 
care  was  held  a  sacred  trust  for  the  relief  of  needy  soldiers;  the  incidental 
expenses  were  kept  down  to  the  lowest  possible  figure,  and  were  all  defrayed 
out  of  the  interest  on  moneys  in  its  hands  before  they  were  needed  in  the  field, 
bo  that  every  dollar  that  was  committed  to  it  went  at  some  time  or  other  directly 
to  a  soldier,  in  some  needed  form.  In  short,  it  was  business  skill  and  Christian 
integrity  in  charge  of  the  people's  contributions  for  their  men  in  the  ranks. 

In  some  of  these  features  it  differed  from  other  organizations  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission.  We  mean  here  to  utter  no  word  in  condemnation  of  the 
policy  which  they  thought  it  -wisest  to  pursue;  we  only  speak  of  these  features 
as  peculiar  and  noteworthy.  And  with  this  introduction  we  can  give  no  fitter 
record  of  a  great  work,  faithfully  done  and  modestly  told,  than  in  a  synopsis 
of  the  operations  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  under- 
stood to  have  been  prepared  under  the  eye  of  its  executive  officers:  * 

"Soon  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Sumter,  the  President  and  Secretary  of  War  were  induced 
by  certain  gentlemen  to  issue  an  order  authorizing  them  and  their  associates  to  co-operate  with  the 
Government  in  the  relief  of  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and  to  prosecute  such  inquiries  of  a  sanitary 
character  as  might  further  the  same  end.  Under  this  authority  these  parties  organized  the 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  and  have  since  elected  to  that  body  a  few  others  not  origin- 
ally acting  with  them.  They  also  construed  their  powers  as  enabling  them  to  create  a  class  of 
associate  members,  several  hundred  in  number,  residing,  respectively,  in  almost  every  loyal  State 
and  Territory.  The  duties  of  these  associates,  and  the  extent  to  which  they  share  the  power  com- 
mitted to  the  original  members,  have  never  been  preciselv  denned. 

"  Appointments  were  made  as  early  as  May,  1861,  of  several  such  associate  members,  resident 

at  Cincinnati ;  but  no  organization  of  a  Branch  Commission  was  effected  until  the  succeeding  fall. 

Through  the  instrumentality  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Mussey,  the  use  of  the  United  States  Marine 

Hospital,  an  unfurnished  building,  originally  intended  for  Western  boatmen,  was  procured  from 

Secretary  Cha^e,  a  board  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  organized  for  its  management,  and  the  house 

n  M       i  «ri    %K°naU°nS  °f  dtiZenS'  and  °pened  f0r  the  recePtion  of  «ck  and  wounded  soldiers 
May,  1861.    This  institution  was  carried  on  without  cost  to  the  Government,  all  necessary 

xxiiUoxTx.the  Hi8t0f7  °f  tUe  °reat  We8tGrn  Sanitary  Fair  (C*  F'  Vent  &  Co'>  Cincinnati),  pp. 


Relief  Work;   Aid  Societies,  Etc.  253 

services  of  surgeons  and  nurses,  and  all  supplies,  having  been  provided  gratuitously  until  August 
1861,  when  the  success  of  the  enterprise  induced  the  Government  to  adopt  it,  and  it  was  taken 
charge  of  by  the  Medical  Director  of  the  Department.* 

"The  Western  Secretary  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  having  given  notice  to  the  associate 
members  resident  in  Cincinnati  of  their  appointment,  the  Cincinnati  Branch  was  formally 
organized  at  a  meeting  at  the  residence  of  Dr.  W.  H.  Mussey.  November  27,  1861.  Robert  W. 
Burnet  was  elected  President,  George  Hoadly  Vice-President,  Charles  R.  Fosdick  Corresponding 
Secretary,  B.  P.  Baker  Recording  Secretary,  and  Henry  Pearce  Treasurer. 

"The  body  thus  created  was  left  almost  wholly  without  instructions  or  specification  of  powers. 
It  had  no  other  charge  than  to  do  the  best  it  could  with  what  it  could  get.  It  was  permitted  to 
work  out  its  own  fate  by  the  light  of  the  patriotism  and  intelligence  of  its  members.  If  any 
authority  was  claimed  over  it,  or  power  to  direct  or  limit  its  action,  it  was  not  known  to  the 
members  for  nearly  two  years  from  the  date  of  its  organization. 

"The  steps  actually  taken  were,  however,  from  time  to  time,  communicated  to  the  United 
Slates  Sanitary  Commission  at  Washington,  and  by  them  approved.  Delegates  more  than  once 
attended  the  sessions  of  that  body,  and  were  permitted  to  participate  in  its  action.  The  Branch 
were  requested  to  print,  as  one  of  the  series  (No.  44)  of  the  publications  of  the  Commission, 
their  report  of  their  doings  to  date  of  March  1, 1862,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  copies  of  the 
edition  were  sent  to  Washington  for  distribution  from  that  point. 

"Previous  to  the  organization  of  this  Branch,  an  address  had  been  issued  by  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission  to  the  loyal  women  of  America,  in  which  the  name  of  Dr.  Mussey 
was  mentioned  as  a  proper  party  to  whom  supplies  might  be  sent.  A  small  stock  had  been 
received  by  him,  which  was  transferred  to  the  Branch,  and  circulars  were  at  once  prepared  and 
issued,  appealing  for  the  means  of  such  useful  action  as  might  seem  open.  A  Central  Ladies' 
Soidiers'  Aid  Society  for  Cincinnati  and  vicinity  was  organized,!  and  the  co-operation  of- more 
than  forty  societies  of  ladies  in  Hamilton  County  thus  secured.  This  Society,  it  is  pkoper  to 
add,  continued  its  beneficial  connection  with  the  Branch  in  vigorous  activity,  furnishing  large 
quantities  of  supplies  of  every  description,  for  nearly  two  years,  and  until  the  dispiriting  effect 
of  the  change  hereafter  to  be  noticed,  in  the  relations  of  the  Branch  to  the  work  of  distribution, 
paralyzed  its  efforts,  and  resulted,  finally,  in  a  practical  transfer  of  the  labors  of  the  ladies  to 
other  fields  of  no  less  patriotic  service. 

"The  camps  and  hospitals  near  Cincinnati  were  subjected  to  inspection,  and  all  necessary 
relief  was  furnished.  Concert  of  action  was  established  with  the  Volunteer  Aid  Committee, 
appointed  at  a  public  meeting  of  citizens  in  October,  1861,  of  whom  Messrs.  C.  F.  Wilstach,  E. 
C.  Baldwin,  and  M.  E.  Reeves  were  elected  members  of  the  Branch.  Their  rooms,  kindly  fur- 
nished, free  of  expense,  by  the  School  Board,  became  its  office  and  depot,  and  finally,  in  the 
spring  of  1862,  a  complete  transfer  was  made  of  all  the  stock  in  the  hands  of  that  Committee  to 
the  Cincinnati  Branch,  and  the  former  body  was  merged  in  this. 

"Under  the  stimulus  of  constant  appeals  to  the  public,  and  by  the  wise  use  of  the  means 
received,  the  confidence  of  the  community  having  been  gained,  large  quantities  of  hospital  and 
camp  supplies,  and  some  money,  were  received,  and  the  members  entered  with  zeal  upon  the 
duty  of  distribution.  The  force  which  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission  then  had  in  the 
West  consisted  of  the  Western  Secretary  and  a  few  inspectors,  who  were  engaged  in  traveling 
from  camp  to  camp,  without  any  fixed  head-quarters.  That  body  was  not  prepared  and  did  not 
profess  to  undertake  this  duty. 

"  A  serious  question  soon  presented  itself  to  the  mind  of  every  active  member  of  the  Branch — 
whether  to  prosecute  the  work  of  distribution  mainly  through  paid  agents,  or  by  means  of  volun- 
tary service.  At  times  there  have  been  differences  of  opinion  upon  the  subject,  and  some  of  the 
members  have  had  occasion,  with  enlarged  experience,  to  revise  their  views.  The  result  of  this 
experience  is  to  confirm  the  judgment  that  the  use  of  paid  agents  by  such  an  organization,  in 
such  a  crisis,  is,  except  to  a  limited  extent,  inexpedient.     It  has  been  clearly  proved  that  volun- 

*  Mrs.  Cad  well  became  its  matron.  Her  name  is  a  sacred  one  with  thousands  of  soldiers 
throughout  the  West. 

t  Of  which  Mrs.  George  Carlisle  was  President,  and  Mrs.  Judge  Hoadly  Secretary.  All  its 
members  were  devoted  workers. 


25  I 


Ohio  m   the    War 


tarv  service  can  be  had  to  a  sufficient  extent,  and  such  service  connects  the  army  and  the  people 
bv  a  eOMUatlf  renewing  chain  of  gratuitous,  valuable,  and  tender  labors,  which  many  who  can 
the  field  esteem  it  a  privilege  to  be  permitted  to  perform  in  the  sick-room  and  the 


not  nerve  in 


"The  members  of  this  Branch  felt  at  liberty  to  pledge  publicly,  in  their  appeals  for  contribu- 
that  the  work  of  distribution  should  be  done  under  their  personal  supervision,  subject,  of 
course,  to  the  control  of  the  proper  medical  officers  of  the  army;  and,  until  late  in  the  autumn 
of  1862,  they  faithfully  kept  this  pledge,  and  were  able  to  effect,  as  they  all  believe,  a  maximum 
of  benefit  with  a  minimum  of  complaint.  Fault-finding  never  ceases  while  the  seasons  change; 
but  the  finding  of  fault  with  the  gratuitous  services  of  men  well  known  in  a  community  has  no 

power  to  injure. 

"While  their  labors  were  prosecuted  under  this  plan,  nearly  every  member  of  the  Branch 
was  brought  into  personal  contact  with  the  work  of  distribution.  They  were  present  on  the  battle- 
field of  Shiloh.  They  were  first  at  Perryville  and  Fort  Donelson,  at  which  point  they  inaugurated 
the  system  of  hospital  steamers.  They  called  to  their  aid  successfully  the  services  of  the  most 
eminent  surgeons  and  physicians,  and  the  first  citizens  of  Cincinnati.  They  gained  the  confidence 
of  the  Legislature  of  Ohio,  which  made  them  an  appropriation  of  three  thousand  dollars,  and  of 
the  City  Council  of  Cincinnati,  who  paid  them  in  like  manner  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
and  of  the  Secretary  of  War  and  Quartermaster-General,  who  placed  at  their  control,  at  Govern- 
ment expense,  a  steamer,  which  for  months  navigated  the  Western  waters  in  the  transportation 
of  supplies  and  of  the  sick  and  wounded.  They  fitted  out,  in  whole  or  part,  thirty-two  such 
steamers,  some  running  under  their  own  management,  others  under  that  of  the  Governor  of  Ohio, 
the  Mayor  of  Cincinnati,  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  and  the  War  Department. 

"The  relief  furnished  at  Fort  Donelson  by  this  Branch  constituted  a  marked,  and  at  the  same 
time,  novel  instance  of  their  mode  of  management,  which  may  properly  receive  more  specific  men- 
tion here,  as  it  elicited  high  praise  from  the  Western  Secretary  and  the  compliment  of  a  vote  of 
encouragement  from  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission.  In  this  case  a  handsome  sum  was  at 
once  raised  by  subscription  among  the  citizens,  and  the  steamer  'Allen  Collier'  was  chartered, 
loaded  with  hospital  supplies  and  medicines,  placed  under  the  charge  of  five  members  of  the 
Branch,  with  ten  volunteer  surgeons  and  thirty-six  nurses,  and  dispatched  to  the  Cumberland 
River.  At  Louisville  the  Western  Secretary  accepted  an  invitation  to  join  the  party.  It  was 
also  found  practicable  to  accommodate  on  board  one  delegate  from  the  Columbus,  and  another 
from  the  Indianapolis  Branch  Commission,  with  a  further  stock  of  supplies  from  the  latter.  The 
steamer  reached  Donelson  in  advance  of  any  other  relief  agency.  Great  destitution  was  found 
to  exist— on  the  field  no  chloroform  at  all,  and  but  little  morphia,  and  on  the  floating  hospital 
'Fanny  Bullitt,'  occupied  by  three  hundred  wounded,  only  two  ounces  of  cerate,  no  meat  for  soup, 
no  wood  for  cooking,  and  the  only  bread,  hard  bread— not  a  spoon  or  a  candlestick.  The  suffer- 
ing was  corresponding.  Happily  the  'Collier'  bore  an  ample  stock,  and  with  other  parties  on  a 
like  errand,  who  soon  arrived,  the  surgeon's  task  was  speedily  made  lighter,  and  his  patients 
gained  in  comfort.  The  'Collier'  returned  after  a  short  delay,  bringing  a  load  of  wounded  to 
occupy  hospitals  at  Cincinnati,  which  this  Branch  had  meanwhile,  under  the  authority  of  General 
Halleck,  and  with  the  aid  of  that  efficient  and  able  officer,  Dr.  John  Moore,  then  Post-Surgeon  at 
Cincinnati,  procured  and  furnished. 

"This  was  but  the  beginning  of  very  arduous  and  extensive  services  personally  and  gratuit- 
ously rendered  by  members  of  this  Branch.  They  traveled  thousands  of  miles  on  hospital 
steamers  on  their  errands  of  mercy,  and  spent  weeks  and  months  in  laborious  service  on  battle- 
fields and  in  camps  and  hospitals.  They  aided  the  Government  in  the  establishment  of  eight 
hospital*  in  Cincinnati  and  Covington,  and  suggested  and  assisted  the  work  of  preparing  Camp 
Dennison,  seventeen  miles  distant,  as  a  general  hospital,  for  the  reception  of  thousands  of  patients. 
They  bought  furniture,  became  responsible  for  rent  and  the  pay  of  nurses,  provided  material  for 
he  supply  table,  hired  physicians,  and  in  numberless  ways  secured  that  full  and  careful  attention 
to  the  care  and  comfort  of  the  soldier,  which,  from  inexperience,  want  of  means,  or  the  fear  of 
responsibility,  would  otherwise,  during  the  first  and  second  years  of  the  war,  have  been  wanting. 
During  the  period  to  which  allusion  has  been  made,  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission 
had  few  resources,  and  those  mostly  employed  in  proper  service  at  the  East,  where  the  members 
principally  reside.    This  Branch  was  called  on  to  aid  that  body,  and  to  the  extent  of  its  means, 


Relief  Work,-  Aid   Societies,  Etc.  255 

responded.  At  one  time  (early  in  1862)  it  was  supposed  impossible  to  sustain  that  organization, 
except  by  a  monthly  contribution  from  each  of  the  several  branches,  continued  for  six  months; 
and  this  Branch  was  assessed  to  pay  to  that  end  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per 
month  for  the  time  specified,  which  call  was  met  by  an  advance  of  the  entire  sum  required,  viz.: 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-five  dollars.  This  sum,  small  as  it  now  seems  in  com- 
parison with  the  enormous  contributions  of  a  later  date,  was  then  considered  no  mean  subsidy  by 
either  of  the  parties  to  it. 

"In  May,  1862,  the  Soldiers'  Home  of  the  branch  was  established,  an  institution  which,  since 
its  opening,  has  entertained  with  a  degree  of  comfort  scarcely  surpassed  by  the  best  hotels  of  the 
city,  over  eighty  thousand  soldiers— furnishing  them  three  hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand 
meals.  It  has  recently  been  furnished  with  one  hundred  new  iron  bedsteads  at  a  cost  of  five 
hundred  dollars.  The  establishment  and  maintenance  of  the  Home  the  members  of  the  Cincin- 
nati Branch  look  upon  as  one  of  their  most  valuable  works,  second  in  importance  only  to  the 
relief  furnished  by  the  'sanitary  steamers'  dispatched  promptly  to  the  battle-fields,  with  surgeons, 
nurses,  and  stores,  and  with  beds  to  bring  away  the  wounded  and  the  sick,  and  they  may,  per- 
haps, be  permitted  with  some  pride  to  point  to  these  two  important  systems  of  relief  inaugurated 
by  them.  The  necessity  for  the  last-mentioned  method  of  relief  has  nearly  passed  away;  we 
hope  it  may  soon  pass  away  entirely,  never  to  return.  The  Home  long  stood,  under  the  efficient 
superintendence  of  G.  W.  J).  Andrews,  offering  food  and  rest  to  the  hungry  and  way-worn  sol- 
dier, and  reminding  us  of  the  kind  hearts  and  loyal  hands  whose  patriotic  contributions  and 
patient  toil,  supplementing  the  aid  furnished  by  the  Government  through  the  quartermaster  and 
commissary  departments  of  the  army,  enabled  them  to  establish  it.  To  this  aid  of  a  generous 
and  benign  Government,  dispensed  with  kindness  and  alacrity  by  the  officers  who  have  been  at 
the  heads  of  these  departments  in  this  city,  this  institution  is  indebted,  in  great  measure,  for  its 
existence  and  usefulness. 

"  The  importance  of  perpetuating  the  names  of  all  soldiers  whose  lives  had  been  or  might  be 
sacrificed  in  the  defense  of  our  Government,  being  an  anxious  concern  of  many  of  the  members 
of  our  Commission,  and  regarded  by  them  as  of  so  much  importance,  they  early  resolved  that,  so 
far  as  they  could  control  this  matter,  not  only  should  this  be  done,  but  that  their  last  resting-place 
should  be  in  our  beautiful  city  of  the  dead,  Spring  Grove  Cemetery.  An  early  interview  was 
had  with  the  trustees,  who  promptly  responded  to  the  wishes  of  the  Commission,  and  gratuitously 
donated  for  that  purpose  a  conspicuous  lot,  near  the  charming  lake,  of  a  circular  shape,  and  in 
size  sufficient  to  contain  three  hundred  bodies.  In  addition  thereto,  this  generous  association 
have  interred,  free  of  expense  for  interment,  all  the  soldiers  buried  there.  This  lot  having  be- 
come occupied,  the  Commission  arranged  for  another  of  similar  size  and  shape  near  by,  for  the 
sum  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars.  The  subject  of  the  payment  of  the  same  having  been  presented 
to  the  Legislature  of  Ohio,  the  members  unanimously  agreed  that,  as  a  large  proportion  of  those 
who  were  to  occupy  this  ground  as  their  last  home  were  the  sons  of  Ohio,  it  was  the  proper  duty 
of  the  State  to  contribute  thereto.  In  accordance  therewith,  an  appropriation  of  three  thousand 
dollars  was  made  for  the  purpose,  subject  to  the  approval  of  his  Excellency,  Governor  Tod.  A 
third  circle,  of  the  same  size  and  shape,  adjacent  to  the  others,  was  therefore  secured  at  the  same 
price.  The  propriety  of  this  expenditure  was  approved  of  by  the  Governor,  after  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  ground  and  its  value.  Two  of  these  lots  have  been  filled,  and  the  third  is  in 
readiness  for  occupancy,  should  it  become  necessary.  A  record  is  carefully  made  on  the  books 
of  the  cemetery,  of  the  name,  age,  company,  and  regiment  of  each  soldier  interred  there,  that 
relatives,  friends,  and  strangers  may  know,  in  all  time  to  come,  that  we,  for  whom  their  lives 
were  given,  were  not  unmindful  of  the  sacrifice  they  had  made,  and  that  we  properly  appreciate 
the  obligations  we  are  under  to  them  for  their  efforts  in  aiding  to  secure  to  us  and  future  genera- 
tions the  blessings  of  a  redeemed  and  regenerated  country. 

"  In  view  of  the  work  of  this  Branch  from  the  commencement,  we  can  not  but  express  our 
heartfelt  gratitude  to  that  kind  Providence  which  has  so  signally  blessed  its  efforts,  and  made 
the  Commission  instrumental  in  the  distribution  of  the  large  amount  of  donations  which  have 
been  poured  into  their  hands  by  full  and  free  hearts,  for  the  benefit  of  sufferers  who  are  bravely 
defending  our  country  and  our  homes. 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  one  and  a  half  per  cent,  on  the  cash  receipts,  from  the  commencement, 
will  cover  all  expenses  for  clerk-hire,  labor,  freight,  drayage,  and  other  incidental  matters ;  and 


256  Ohio  is  the  War. 

.     ,  ,  n,eaSi,re,  owing  to  the  extreme  liberality,  which 

thi*  tmtm**  ™«1    expense  .«    U.  gr»  t  P-i      ^  «  free  car_ 

shou.d  here  be  grateful.y  **~*<^ J*££^  compa„if,,  railroads  and  steamboats.* 

r  ~>.  .nUipM  had  not  the  sagacity  and  enterprise  of  a  num- 

,„ *.,,„„,  k  *ss the wonderful  """ of    rssssssrasr 

a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars. 

BO.  Hoadly,  Larz  Anderson,  Vice-Presidents. 
"J.  J.  Broadwell,  Recording  Secretary. 
«B    W.  Burnet,  Thomas  G.  Odiorne,  Charles  F.  Wilstach  Executive  Committee 

"Geo.  K.  Shoenberger,  A.  Aub,  M.  Bailey,  Eli  C.  Baldwin,  Joshua  H.  Bates,  E.  S  Brooks  A.  E. 
Chamberlain,  Rev.  B.  W.  Chidlaw,  Charles  E.  Cist,  C.  G.  Comegys,  M.  D. ;  Geo.  F.Davis, 
Charles  R  Fosdick,  L.  B.  Harrison,  James  M.  Johnston,  B.  F.  Baker,  David  Judkins,  M. 
D-  Edward  Mead,  M.  D. ;  George  Mendenhall,  M.  D. ;  W.  H.  Mussey,  M.  D. ;  Henry 
Pearce  Elliott  H  Pendleton,  Chas.  Thomas,  Mark  E.  Reeves,  E.  Y.  Robbins,  all  of  Cincin- 
nati- Charles  Butler,  of  Franklin;  James  McDaniel,  J.  D.  Phillips,  R.  W.  Steele,  of  Day- 
ton ; '  David  S.  Brooks,  of  Zanesville.  J.  B.  Heich,  General  Secretary." 

To  this  sketch  it  need  only  be  added  that  the  Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  San- 
itary Commission  continued  to  devote  its  moneys  sacredly  to  the  precise  pur- 
pose for  which  they  were  contributed.  At  the  close  of  the  war  many  thousands 
of  dollars  were  in  its  treasury.  These  it  kept  invested  in  United  States  bonds, 
using  the  interest  and  drawing  on  the  principal  from  time  to  time  as  it  was 
needed  for  the  relief  of  destitute  soldiers,  and  specially  for  their  transportation 
to  their  homes,  in  cases  where  other  provision  was  not  made  for  them.  Three 
years  after  the  close  of  the  war  it  still  had  a  remnant  of  the  sacred  sum,  and 
was  still  charging  itself  as  carefully  as  ever  with  its  disbursement. 

Incomparably  the  greatest  and  most  efficient  organization  of  this  kind  for 
the  aid  of  soldiers,  outside  of  the  leading  city  of  the  State,  was  that  first 

•The  following  statement  shows  fully  the  receipts  and  disbursements  of  money  from  tho  treasury  to  August  11, 
1864.  A  detailed  account  of  tho  variety  of  stores  and  supplies  which  has  passed  through  the  storeroom  of  the  Branch 
wonld  cover  many  pages.  The  value  can  not  be  accurately  estimated,  but  the  donations  alone  exceed  one  million  of 
dollars. 

RECEIPTS. 

From  the  State  of  Ohio  (part  of  $3,000  appropriated) $1,000  00 

"      city  of  Cincinnati-donation 2,000  00 

M      citizens  of  Cincinnati— donations 38,265  73 

"      citizens  of  other  parts  of  Ohio 14,423  43 

"      sale  of  unconsumed  rations  at  Soldiers'  Home 2,175  52 

M      Sanitary  P'air  (per  committee) 235,406  62 

"      citizens  of  California,  through  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission 15,000  00 

M      interest  and  premium  on  securities 5,655  00 

Total $313,926  30 

DISBURSEMENTS. 

For  purchase  of  medicines $1,412  37 

"    three  Bets  of  hospital-car  trucks 3,108  00 

"    expenses  at  rooms  (fur  salaries  of  clerks,  porters,  laborers,  freights  on  receipts,  shipments,  etc.)  16,402  IS 

"    Ladies'  Central  Soldiers  Aid  Society  3,104  65 

"    charter  of  hospital  steamboats  13,272  31 

"    disbursements  on  account  of  Soldiers'  Home 5,502  49 

"    supplies  for  distribution  to  hospitals,  camps,  etc.../ 146,215  40 

"    remittance  to  United  States  Sanitary  Commission 2,003  75 

Balance  on  hand,  eighty  five-twenty  bonds $80,000  00 

Thirty-eight  one-year  certificates 37,184  45 

Cash  iu  bank , .    ..  5,720  70 

122,905  15 

Total $313,926  30 

After  this  date  the  receipts  were  mainly  from  the  interest  on  the  investments  in  United  States 


Relief  Wokk:  Aid  Societies,  Etc. 


257 


known  as  the  "Soldiers'  Aid  Societ}'  of  Northern  Ohio,"  and  afterwurd  us  the 
Cleveland  Branch  of  the  Sanitary  Commission.  Indeed  it  may  be  questioned 
if,  considering  its  location  and  opportunities,  it  was  not  the  first  in  efficiency  in 
the  West. 

On  another  account  it  deserves  honorable  distinction  and  a  cheerful  award 
of  pre-eminence.  It  was  the  first  general  organization  in  the  United  States  for  the 
relief  of  soldiers  in  this  war.  The  "  Woman's  Central  Association  of  New  York." 
which  has  been  generally  regarded  the  first,  was  organized  on  the  25th  of  April. 
1861.  The  Cleveland  association  was  organized  on  the  20th  of  April,  1861,  five 
days  earlier  than  that  in  New  York,  and  only  five  days  after  the  first  call  for 
troops.  For  the  quick  charity  of  her  generous  women  let  Cleveland  bear  the 
palm  she  fairly  merits,  and  Ohio — proud  in  so  many  great  achievements — be 
proud  also  of  this. 

Of  the  spirit  with  which  the  women  of  Cleveland  entered  upon  the  work 

bonds.  The  following  summary  was  afterward  published  of  aggregate  receipts  of  Sanitary  stores 
from  December  1,  1861,  to  March  28,  1865,  by  the  Cincinnnati  Branch : 


Arm-slings,  3068. 
Alum,  pulv.  3  pounds. 
Arrow  Root,  3  pounds. 
Ale,  10  bis.,  14  hlf.  bis., 

12  kgs.,  2,592  bottles. 
Apples,  green,  1547  bus. 
Apple  Butter,  34  bis., 

48  hlf.  bis.,  115  kegs, 

9  boxes,  116  cans  and 

jars 
Agricultural     Imple- 
ments, 25. 
Artichokes,  1  bushel. 
Blankets,  5,976. 
Bedticks,  9,106. 
Bed  Gowns,  369. 
Boots  and  Shoes,  1,285 

pairs. 
Bags,  995. 
Basters,  61. 
Bedste'ds,Cots,etc.732. 
Iron  Bedsteads,  100. 
Bed  Pans,  244. 
Bowls,  drinking,  3019. 
Brushes,  305. 
Beets,  91  bush. 
Beans,  2,'ili  bush. 
Butter,  10,233  pounds. 
Bread,  2,043  loaves. 
Barley,  Pearl, 2,690  lbs. 
Buckets,  360. 
Bowls,  wash,  516. 
Beef,  dried,ll,05l34 lbs. 
Blacking,  15  boxes. 
Brooms,  83. 
Blackberry  Root,   137 

pounds. 
Blackberry    Syrup,    7 

bis.,  4  hlf.  bis,  and  13 

kegs. 
Beef, Extract  of,  6  c'ns. 
Comfo>-t«,  r,*92. 
Cushions,  21,953. 
Coats,  2,914. 
Crutches,  1,250. 
Combs  7,830. 
Carrots,  734  bush. 
Cabbage, green, 6  hhds, 
I     II  bis.,  181  bush.,  and 

522  heads. 
Candles,  lis  pounds. 
Crackers,  137,488  lbs. 
Codfish,  5,460. 
Cups  and  Saucers,  270. 
Canteens,  28. 
Cinnamon,  25  pounds. 
Cocoa.,  407  pounds. 
Chocolate,  312  pounds. 
Coffins,  72. 
Chambers,  344. 
Colozn«,  77  bottles  and 

1  gallon. 
Chairs,  341. 
Coffee,  1,133  pounds. 
Chickens,  dressed  and 

live,  2,659. 
Citric  Acid,  20  bottles. 


Corn-meal,  10,553  lbs. 
Coffee  Mugs,  402. 
Cheese,  1,606  pounds. 
Corn,  parched,  503  lbs. 
Corn,  dried,  78334  lbs. 
Cigars,  3  boxes. 
Candlesticks,  72. 
Cakes,  2,639  pounds. 
Corn  Starch,  7,177  lbs. 
Collars,  53. 
Coffee  Pots,  87. 
Condensed  Milk,61,761. 
Cranberries,     fresh,    1 

barrel. 
Catsup,    3  bis.,   4   hlf. 

brl.,  3  kegs,  9  jugs, 

1,181  bottles. 
Cabbage  in  curry,  176 

bis.  and  386  hlf.  bis. 
Checker  Board,  31. 
Currant  Wine,   2  kegs 

and  1  jug. 
Compound  Tincture  of 

Gentian,  10  gallons. 
Drawers,  47,312  pairs. 
Dressing-gowns,  3,789. 
Dried    Fruits,    250,743 

pounds. 
Dishes,  90. 
Dippers,  49. 
Desks,  3. 

Drinking  tubes,  108. 
Dandelion  Boot,  2  lbs. 
Eggs,  15,319  dozen. 
Esg-beaters,  4. 
Envelopes  73,800. 
Eye-shades,  1,949. 
Fruits,  75,079  caus  and 

jars. 
Flour,  2  bis. 
Fish,  white,  7  bis.  and 

I  ke*.cr. 
Flaxseed,  209  pounds. 
Faucets,  24. 
Fans,  10,214. 
Feeders,  180. 
Flat-irons,  6. 
Finger-stalls,  626. 
Foot-warmers,  6. 
Farina,  13,139  pounds. 
Fruit  Saucers,  288. 
Funnels,  2. 
Fly-brushes,  171. 
Flannel,  1,466  yards. 
Groceries,  Sundries, 2,- 

700  pounds. 
Green  Corn,  3  sacks. 
Groats,  100  pounds. 
Gastrions,  3  pounds. 
Grapes,  130  boxes  and  2 
•  half  boxes. 
Ginger,  dry,  2,239 pkgs. 

and  4  cans. 
Ginger,  Essence  of  Ja- 

niaca,  16  bottles. 
Gooseberries,    ripe,     6 

bushels, 


Graters,  23. 

Garden  Seeds,  20 boxes. 

Gridirons,  4. 

Hospital  Car-trucks,  3 
sets. 

Handkerchiefs,  64,345. 

Hats  and  Caps,  1,156. 

Housewives,  3,<7S. 

Hams,  686. 

Haversacks,  18. 

Hops,  56134  pounds. 

Herbs,  5534  pounds  and 
227  packages. 

Hatchets,  16. 

Herrings,  22  boxes. 

Hominy,  1,955  pounds. 

Honey,  9 cans  2 bottles. 

Havelocks,  319. 

Horseradish,  1  keg,  1 
sack,  63  jars,  228  bot- 
tles. 

Head  Covers,  13. 

Ice,  81  tons. 

Ice-cream  Freezers,  2. 

Ink.  432  bottles. 

Knives  and  Forks, 1,208 

Kettles,  13. 

Lard  Oil,  2  kegs  and  1 
can. 

Lanterns,  128. 

Lumber,  14,500  feet. 

Lemons,  131  boxes  and 
83  dozen. 

Liquorice,  6  pounds. 

Lemon,  extract  of,  120 
jars. 

Lemon  Syrup  141  bot- 
tles. 

Linseed  Oil,  1  keg. 

Lobsters,  26  cans. 

Lard,  41  pounds. 

Lad'«s,  2. 

Lead  Pencils,  209  doz. 

Meats,  4,165. 

Mittens,  11,174  pairs. 

McLean's  Pills,  6bxs. 

Miner' 1  P 1  ants,  250  bxs. 

Milk,  129  gallons. 

Mattresses,  472. 

Mellons.  7. 

Mustard,  ground,  1434 
pounds.  102  bottles, 
and  898  boxes. 

Mops,  78. 

Macaroni,  3  boxes. 

Molasses,4  hlf.  bis.  and 
8  kgs,  15  cans,  15  jugs, 
15  bottles,  and  78  gal- 
lons. 

Mugs,  200. 

Mosquito'Bars,  1,753. 

Mess  Pans,  28. 

MuttonTallow,123  c'ns 
and  534  pounds. 

Mustard  Seed,  21  lbs. 

Neck-ties,  914. 

Napkins,  1,359. 


Nuts,  Hickory,  19  bush. 

Nuts, Walnuts,  6  bush. 

Nails,  1,350  pounds. 

Night-caps,  153. 

Nutmegs,  13  pounds. 

Needles,  7,000. 

Oat-meal,  495  pounds. 

Oranges,  2334  boxes. 

Oysters,  1,310  cans. 

Oakum,  6  packages. 

Onions,  10,908  bushels. 

Pillows,  26,234. 

Pillow-cases,  71,671. 

Pants,  2,993  pairs. 

Pin-cushions,  8,963. 

Pig's  Feet,  29  kegs. 

Pepper,  ground,  6034 
lbs.  and  1,587  papers. 

Parsnips,  1734  bushels. 

Pretzels,  282. 

Prunes  280  pounds. 

Porter.  36  doz  -n. 

Pen-holders,  84  dozen. 

Pins,  15  packs. 

Pwppers,  6  bottles  and 
6  jars. 

Potatoes,  29,592  bush. 

Peaches,  ripe,  24  bush. 

Pie  Plant,  56  pounds. 

Pepper-sauce,  113  bot- 
tles. 

Puzzles,  7. 

Pickles,  911  bis.,  355 
hlf.  bis.,  501  kegs,  6 
firkins,  14  crocks,  77 
bottles,  752  cans  aud 
jars. 

Portable  Lemonade,300 
cans. 

Paper,Writing,288  rms 

Bice,  921  pounds. 

Baisins,  19  boxes. 

Bags,  Lint,  and  Band- 
ages, 55,01  S  pouuds. 

Shawls,  54. 

Spit-cups,  1,125. 

Slippers,  6, 590 pairs. 

Sheets,  37,777. 

Socks,  50,774  pairs. 

Shirts,  104,199. 

Strainers,  20. 

Slippery-elm  Flour,  2 
packages. 

Shoulders,  Pork,  556 
pounds. 

Strawberries,  24  boxes. 

Sardines,  23  boxes. 

Sausages,  375  pounds. 

Spittons,  292. 

Straw,  79  bales. 

Sponges,  15  packages. 

Scissors,  24  pairs. 

Stretchers,  16. 

Stone  Jugs,  612. 

Soap,  3,68934  pounds 
1,017  cakes,  163  bars 
and  6  boxes. 


Sago,  1,032  pounds. 
SpoMis,  Table  and  Tea, 

2,028. 
Sugar,  5,79734  pounds. 
Shovels,  6. 

Spices,  6  boxes,67  pack- 
ages, and  15  pounds. 
Skimmers,  14. 
Suspenders,  547  pairs. 
Salt,  401  pounds  and  2 

barrels. 
Sticking  salve,  6  boxes 

and  11  rolls 
Saucepans,  60. 
Sour-krout,  1,174  bis.. 

193  hlf.  bis.,  17  kugtf, 

and  5  jars. 
Starch,  7,732  pounds. 
Solitaire  Boards,  25. 
Steel  pens,  5  groan. 
Towels,  62,126. 
Tin  Cups,  21,341. 
Tincture  of  Blackb'ry 

Root,  5 gallons. 
Turnips,  99  bushels. 
Tamarinds.  6  jars. 
Thumb- stalls,  22. 
Tin  Plates,  1,062. 
Tinware,    assorted,     2 

boxes. 
Tongues,  dried,  717. 
Toast,  dry,  26  bis.  and 

1,680  pounds. 
Tumbler-,  762. 
Tea.  1,57034  pounds. 
Tables,  34. 
Tea  Pots,  33. 
Tapioca,  76  pounds. 
Tobacco,  3,088  paperB, 

834  boxes,  1,051   lbs., 

and  3  barrels, 
Thread,  Bat"nt,l?s  1>>h. 
Tomatoi'8!,ripe,3M  bush 
Turkeys, live  and  dr'sd, 

29. 
Tomatoes,  canned,  2,- 

765  pounds. 
Urinals,  125. 
Vests,  538. 

Vermicelli,  70  pounds. 
Vinegar,  19bls.,3k<srs, 

4  juirs,  and  10  bottles. 
White-wash    brushes, 

24. 
Wines,    Liquors,    and 

Cordials,  28,269  bot- 
tles. 
Wash-stands,  100. 
White  Lead,  1  keg. 
Whisky,  10  gallons. 
Yeast  Powders,  20  lbs. 
Yeast  Cakes,  28  lbs. 
Yeast,  7  sack3. 


Vol.  I.— 17. 


258 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


that  was  to  be  so  Ion*,  so  sad,  and  so  honorable,  no  better  illustration  can  be 
^ven  than  this  extract  from  the  (unpublished)  "History  of  the  Cleveland 
Branch  Sanitary  Commission,"  by  Miss  Mary  Clark  Brayton  : 

"Two  divs  later  (April  23,  1861),  while  busy  but  unskillful  hands  were  plying  the  sad  task 
„f  bandage-rolling,  a  gentleman  from  the  camp  of  instruction  just  opened  near  the  city  begged 
to  interrupt,  Mounting  the  platform,  he  announced  that  one  thousand  men,  from  towns  adjoin- 
teg  a-en  at  thai  moment  marching  into  camp,  and  that,  expecting  (with  the  pardonable  igno- 
Of  our  citucn-aoldicry  at  that  early  day)  to  be  fully  equipped  on  reaching  this  rendezvous, 
nan*  had  brought  no  blankets,  and  had  now  the  prospect  of  passing  a  sharp  April  night  nncov- 
...  the  ground.  This  unexpected  occasion  for  benevolence  was  eagerly  seized.  Two  h.dies 
■ic-d  to  engage  carriages;  others  rapidly  districted  the  city.  In  a  few  minutes  eight  hacks 
were  at  the  door,  two  young  ladies  in  each,  their  course  marked  out,  and  they  dispatched  to  rep- 
resent to  the  matrons  of  the  towns  this  desperate  case.  At  three  o'clock  this  novel  expedition 
net  off;  all  the  afternoon  the  carriages  rolled  rapidly  through  the  streets;  bright  faces  glowed 
with  excitement;  grave  eyes  gave  back  an  answering  gleam  of  generous  sympathy.  A  word  of 
explanation  sufficed  to  bring  out  delicate  rose  blankets,  chintz  quilts,  thick  counterpanes,  and 
by  nightfall  seven  hundred  and  twenty-nine  blankets  were  carried  into  camp. 

"Next  morning  the  work  was  resumed,  and  before  another  night  every  volunteer  in  Gamp 
Taylor  had  been  provided  for. 

"While  yet  this  '  blanket  raid'  was  going  on  the  ladies  at  the  meeting,  startled  by  sound  of 
fife  and  drum,  hurried  to  the  door  just  in  time  to  see  a  company  of  recruits,  mostly  farmer  lads, 
march  down  the  street  toward  the  new  camp.  These  had  'left  the  plow  in  the  furrow,'  and, 
imagining  that  the  enlistment-roll  would  transform  them  at  once  into  Uncle  Sam's  blue-coated 
soldier-boys,  they  had  marched  away  in  the  clothes  that  they  were  wearing  when  the  call  first 
reached  them.  Before  they  turned  the  corner  motherly  watchfulness  had  discovered  that  some 
had  no  coats,  that  others  wore  their  linen  blouses,  and  that  the  clothing  of  all  was  insufficient  for 
the  exposure  of  the  scarcely-inclosed  camp.  On  this  discovery  the  bandage  meeting  broke  up, 
and  the  ladies  hurried  home  to  gather  up  the  clothing  of  their  own  boys  for  the  comfort  of  these 
young  patriots.     Two  carriages  heaped  with  half-worn  clothing  drove  into  camp  at  sundown." 

Of  the  results  to  which  this  spirit  ultimately  led,  the  barest  outlines  may 
be  read  in  these  suggestive  figures  : 

Estimated  value  of  stores  disbursed $1,000,000  00 

Total  cash  disbursed  to  November,  1867 $162,956  09 

Number  registered  at  Soldiers'  Home > 56,645 

Number  lodgings  given  at  Soldiers' Home 30,000 

Number  meals  given  at  Soldiers'  Home 112,000 

Number  of  soldiers  supplied  with  employment 206 

Number  of  claims  received  at  the  Free  Agency ! 1,900 

Receipts  (net)  of  Cleveland  sanitary  fair $78,000 

Number  of  Aid  Societies  enrolled  as  branches 525 

Office  of  the  Society  still  open  (November,  1867)  for  settlement  of  remaining  claims— about 
three  hundred. 

And  of  the  general  history  of  their  work  we  can  give  no  better  outline  than 
in  this  summary  by  one  of  the  members  :  , 

"The  officers,  at  organization,  were:  Mrs.  B.  Rouse,  President;  Mrs.  John  Shelley,  Mrs. 
Wm.  Melhinch,  Vice  Presidents;  Mary  Clark  Brayton,  Secretary;  Ellen  F.  Terry,  Treasurer. 

"No  changes  occurred,  except  the  resignation  of  Mrs.  Shelley,  on  removal  from  the  city  in 
1S63,  when  Mrs.  Lewis  Burton  was  elected  to  her  place.  She  soon  resigned  and  Mrs.  J.  A.  Har- 
ris was  chosen  to  succeed  her.  The  list  as  given  below  best  expresses  the  working  force  of  the 
Bociety  throughout  its  whole  existence : 

"Mrs.  B.  Rouse,  President;  Mrs.  Wm.  Melhinch,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Harris,  Vice  Presidents;  Mary 
Clark  Brayton,  Secretary;  Ellen  F.  Terry,  Treasurer;  Carrie  P.  Younglove,  Document  Clerk. 


Relief  Work;    Aid  Societies,  Etc.  259 

"  The  society  was  the  outgrowth  of  an  earnest  purpose  to  do  with  a  might  whatsoever  a 
woman's  hand  should  find  to  do.  In  the  eagerness  to  work,  no  form  of  constitution  or  by-laws  was 
ever  thought  or  spoken  of.  Beyond  a  membership  fee  of  twenty-five  cents  monthly,  and  a  verbal 
pledge  to  work  while  the  war  should  last,  no  form  of  association  was  ever  adopted  ;  no  written 
word  held  the  society  together  even  to  its  latest  day. 

"The  entire  business  of  influencing,  receiving,  and  disbursing  money  and  stores — the  prac- 
tical details  of  invoicing,  shipping,  and  purchasing— were  done  by  the  officers  of  the  society. 
There  was  no  finance,  advisory,  or  auditing  committee  of  gentlemen,  as  was  usual  elsewhere  in 
such  institutions.  The  services  of  officers  and  managers  were  entirely  gratuitous,  no  salary  was 
ever  asked  or  received  by  any  one  of  them.  Several  of  the  officers  made  repeated  trips  to  the 
front;  to  head-quarters  Sanitary  Commission  at  Louisville  and  Washington;  to  hospitals  of 
Wheeling,  Louisville,  Nashville,  and  minor  points;  to  the  battle-fields  of  Pittsburg  Landing, 
Perry  ville,  Stone  River,  and  Chattanooga,  These  trips  were  undertaken  with  a  view  to  stimu- 
late the  benevolence  of  the  people  of  Northern  Ohio,  by  informing  them  of  the  real  needs  of  the 
sick  and  wounded.  The  officers  were  happily  able  to  bear  their  own  charges,  and  not  one  cent 
was  ever  drawn  from  the  treasury  of  the  society  for  traveling  or  other  expenses. 

"  The  teritory  from  which  supplies  were  drawn  was  extremely  limited,  being  embraced  in 
eighteen  counties  in  the  north-eastern  part  of  Ohio.  A  few  towns  in  Southern  Michigan  and 
North-western  Pennsylvania  were,  during  the  first  years,  tributary  to  the  Cleveland  Society,  but 
later  these  were  naturally  withdrawn  and  associated  with  the  agencies  established  at  Detroit  and 
Pittsburg.  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  was  the  only  considerable  town  outside  of  the  State  of  Ohio 
that  remained  to  the  end  a  branch  of  the  Cleveland  Commission.  The  north-western  part  of 
Ohio  having  more  direct  railroad  communication  with  Cincinnati,  sent  its  gifts  generally  to  that 
supply  center.  Columbus  had  its  own  agency.*  The  geographical  position  of  Cleveland  limited 
the  territory  influenced  by  its  society,  since  it  could  not  be  expected  that  towns  in  the  central  part 
of  the  State  would  send  their  stores  northward,  knowing  they  would  be  at  once  reshipped  south 
toward  the  army.  The  small  field  was  carefully  and  thoroughly  cultivated,  and  from  it  a  con- 
stituency was  built  up  of  branch  societies  numbering,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  five  hundred  and 
twenty-five. 

*  The  officers  of  this  Columbus  society  were:  "  Dr.  W.  M.  Awl,  President;  Dr.  J.  B.  Thompson,  Vice-President ; 
John  W.  Andrews,  Secretary  ;  Prof.  T.  G.  Wormly,  Treasurer  ;  Dr.  J.  B.  Thompson,  Peter  Ambos,  and  F.  6.  Sessions, 
Executive  Committee.  Mr.  Andrews,  though  continuing  a  zealous  worker  when  in  the  city,  was  compelled  to  resign 
the  secretaryship,  when  F.  C.  Sessions  took  his  place.  The  society  was  organize  1  in  the  summer  of  1861.  A  brief  out- 
line of  its  workings  is  furnished  in  the  following  extract  from  a  letter  from  one  of  its  members  : 

"  The  Soldier  s  Home  was  started  at  the  depot,  April  22,  1.S62.  und  >r  the  charge  of  Isaac  Dalton.  A  two-story  build- 
ing, twenty-four  by  sixty,  near  the  depot,  was  commenced  in  the  spring  of  18i>3,  and  occupied  in  October  following, 
erected  by  Columbus  Branch  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  at  a  cost  of  about  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred dollars.  It  was  finished  so  as  to  appear  as  home-like,  comfortable,  and  attractive  as  possible  to  the  soldiers.  It 
was  plastered  and  painted,  and  we  were  often  told  by  the  soldiers  that  it  was  the  most  attractive  Home  that  they  had 
ever  visited  in  any  place.  Soon  after  we  erected  an  addition,  t«enty-six  by  eighty  teet,  at  a  cost  of  about  two  thou- 
sand dollars,  making  the  whole  building  twenty-four  by  one  hundred  an  1  forty.  Afterward  another  small  building 
was  erected,  eleven  by  twenty-five.  The  whole  cost  about  five  thousand  dollars.  It  was  furnished  mostly  by  the  cit- 
izens of  Columbus.  T.  E.Botsford  and  Isaac  Dalton  were  superintendents.  Mr.  Dalton  was  superintendent  from 
the  first,  and  proved  a  faithful  and  self-sacrificing  officer.  The  same  could  be  said  of  Mr.  Botsford.  It  was  their  duty 
to  care  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  to  furnish  soldiers  with  meals  and  lodging,  to  assist  them  to  and  from  the  depot, 
one  or  both  to  be  present  at  the  arrival  and  departure  of  every  train,  procuring  transportation,  and  in  every  way 
assisting  the  soldiers  who  came  to  the  city  on  business,  or  were  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  front.  One  hundred  and 
thirty-six  thousand  meals  were  furnished,  and  about  fifty  thousand  with  bed*.  Several  of  the  members  of  our  Com- 
mission visited  the  battle-fields  to  take  supplies  to  our  sick  and  wounded,  and  assist  in  various  ways,  as  their  .services 
were  needed.  Dr.  S.  M.  Smith,  Dr.  Loving,  and  F.  C.  Sessions  at  different  times,  the  latter  spending  most  of  bin 
time  without  pay  for  nearly  two  years,  visiting  Kentucky,  Fort  Donelsou,  Pittsburg  Landing,  Murfreesboro',  Nash- 
ville, Antietam,  Fremont's  and  Grant's  armies  on  the  Potomac  several  times. 

"The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  was  indefatigable  and  self-sacrificin?  in  their  labors  in  providing  clothing  and  delica- 
cies for  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  sending  them  to  the  hospitals  by  som  ;  member  of  the  Commission,  or  as  they 
might  learn  where  they  were  most  needed,  without  reference  to  what  State  the  soldiers  were  from.  The  amount  sent 
is  valued  by  those  most  familiar  with  its  work  at  about  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  It  is  difficult  to  sin-le  out  any 
lo  name  as  most  active  in  the  work  during  the  war,  when  so  many  were  so  faithful,  but  I  will  venture  to  name  Mrs. 
Governor  Dennison,  who  was  the  first  President,  and  Mrs.  W.  E.  Ide,  w  ho  succeeded  Mrs.  Dennison,  and  acted  until 
nearly  the  close  of  the  war,  and  by  whose  sympathy  and  enthusiasm  others  were  aroused  to  duty.  Also  Mrs.  S.  J. 
Haver,  Mrs.  George  Heyl,  Mrs.  Lewis  Heyl,  Miss  M.  L.  Swayne,  Mrs.  S.  M.  Smith,  Miss  Pamelia  Sullivan t,  Mrs.  II. 
C.  Noble,  Mrs.  Harvey  Coit,  Mrs.  Alex.  Housten,  Mrs.  Joseph  Geiger,  Mrs.  Isaac  Castor.Mrs.  James  Beebe,  Mrs.  John 
S.  Hall,  Mrs.  Win.  G.  Deshler,  Mrs.  Walter  Brown,  Mrs.  E.  T.  Morgan,  Mrs.  Sessions,  and  Mrs.  John  W.  Andrews 
were  among  its  officers  and  active  members. 

"Our  Sanitary  Commission  visited  the  camps  and  hospitals  In  the  city  and  vicinity,  and  suggested  such  changes 
in  sewerage,  food,  and  location  as  they  deemed  best.  We  employed  a  police  force  at  the  depot,  to  see  that  the  soldiers 
were  not  swindled." 


260 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


"ItHboli.-vcdtliatnootlierarmof  the  Sanitary  Commission  had  so  intimate  communica- 
tion With  its  tributary  societies,  or  drew  from  so  small  a  district  such  large  results  The  stores 
contributed  run  very  close  to  the  receipts  of  Cincinnati  and  Chicago,  and  in  some  leading  arti- 
cle* ontrun  their  tables.  No  attempt  was  ever  made  to  divert  contributions  out  of  the  direct 
Channel  toward  the  army.     Towns  were  always  advised  to  send  to  the  sanitary  agency  nearest  the 

point  of  demand.  -       "  .    _-  .  , 

to  lines  were  ever  scrupulously  ignored  ;  the  only  passport  to  aid  was  the  suffering  need 
of  a   Onion  soldier,  without  a  question  whether  his  enlistment  roll  was  signed  in  Maine  or 

M'"11'  ~,    .  ,.         i  i.  mi  i 

"  It  is  believed  that  the  Aid  Societies  of  Northern  Ohio  were  a  power  for  loyalty.  The  work 
at  first  undertaken  for  sweet  charity  only,  soon  became  an  exponent  of  political  sentiment.  The 
,  '  or  'Union'  proclivities  of  a  man  was  surely  indicated  by  his  generosity  and  good  will 
toward  '  the  Sanitary,'  or  his  open  or  covert  attacks  upon  it.  The  Union  sentiment  of  a  town  was 
sure  to  crystallize  around  its  Aid  Society.  The  hands  of  Union  men  at  home  were  as  certainly 
hold  op  by  this  little  band  of  workers  in  every  town  and  village,  as  were  the  hearts  of  the  sol- 
diers in  the  field  cheered  and  strengthened  by  knowledge  of  the  agencies  employed  at  home  for 
their  comfort.  This  was  sharply  brought  out  in  the  Brough-Tallandigham  campaign.  Thou- 
tandl  of  loyal  documents  were  scattered  both  at  home  and  in  the  army  by  the  Aid  Societies;  mass 
conventions  and  Union  leagues  recognized  the  power  and  value  of  these  organizations,  and  showed 
their  appreciation  by  liberal  contributions  to  them. 

'•  For  the  first  six  or  eight  months  the  Cleveland  society  had  a  hard  struggle  for  life.  So 
much  desultory  work  was  done  by  the  people  directly  to  their  friends  in  the  army  that  it  was 
only  by  much  persistence  that  sanitary  labors  were  centralized.  The  society  does  not  claim  to 
have  engrossed  all  the  relief  work  of  its  territory,  but  to  have  gathered  it  into  form,  and  have 
given  it  wise  direction  and  made  it  more  effective. 

"The  supply  work  was  strictly  confined  to  issues  of  hospital  stores,  except  during  the  sum- 
mers of  1863  and  1864,  when  the  campaign  against  scurvy  began,  and  the  Sanitary  Commission 
called  upon  its  branches  to  furnish  the  regiments  in  the  field  the  vegetables  that  became  the 
ounce  of  prevention  which  proverbially  outweighs  even  the  pound  of  cure.  Through  these  sea- 
sons four  and  five  car-loads  of  vegetables  per  week,  on  an  average,  were  sent  down  to  the  army 
from  the  Cleveland  rooms,  exclusive  of  the  usual  shipments  of  hospital  stores  in  the  same 
direction. 

"The  stores  disbursed  were  the  clothing,  bedding,  surgeons'  supplies,  light  groceries,  stimu- 
lants, dairy  stores,  fruits,  vegetables,  and  articles  of  hospital  furniture,  common  to  all  sanitary 
supply  stations.    The  estimated  value  of  stores  disbursed  is  over  one  million  of  dollars. 

"A  great  deal  was  done  in  Northern  Ohio  in  sending  boxes  to  individuals  in  the  armf ;  pro- 
visions, Christmas  and  thanksgiving  boxes  to  camps,  presentations  of  socks  and  mittens  to  regi- 
ments marching  away ;  sending  messengers  loaded  with  good  things  down  to  the  front.  (See 
1  Samuel,  xviii :  17, 18.)  This  outside  work  enters  into  no  records  of  sanitary  effort,  but  it  is  cer-  * 
tain  that  the  Aid  Societies  were  the  'head  centers  '  of  all  communication  between  the  home  and 
the  army,  and  that  their  being  kept  in  so  healthy  and  vigorous  condition  gave  an  impetus  to  all 
«uch  work,  whether  done  strictly  within  their  limits  or  not. 

"The  agencies  used  for  stimulating  supplies  were  the  frequent  issues  of  circulars,  containing 
appeals  and  instructions;  publications  in  newspapers;  the  circulation  of  sanitary  documents 
from  the  General  Commission  (about  seventy  thousand  copies) ;  the  employment  of  canvassers 
among  farmers  in  the  home-field ;  and  constant  personal  correspondence  with  the  officers  of 
branch  societies.  As  a  ready  means  of  communicating  with  branches,  a  small  printing  office  was 
added  to  the  rooms,  and  its  frequent  bulletins  sensibly  increased  the  receipts  by  giving  prompt 
information  of  the  ever  varying  demand ;  while  the  cheering  letters  that  we  received  from  the 
army  were  thus  made  to  stimulate  and  strengthen  the  hands  of  many  who  waited  only  to  be 
directed  and  encouraged.  For  more  than  two  years  the  ladies  of  the  Cleveland  Society  were 
allowed  a  space  in  the  Cleveland  Leader  of  two  columns  weekly.  This  was  devoted  to  the  inter- 
ests of  sanitary  work,  and  was  edited  at  the  aid  rooms. 

"After  the  establishment  of  head-quarters  of  Sanitary  Commission  at  Louisville,  most  of 
the  shipments  went  down  from  Cleveland  by  car-load,  in  locked  cars,  to  the  Ohio  River;  thence 
transferred  to  steamers  and  shipped  to  Louisville,  there  to  be  forwarded  to  the  army  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  Dr.  S.  S.  Newberry,  General  Secretary  for  the  West.     The  books  of  the  society,  how- 


Relief  Wokk;   Aid  Societies,  Etc.  261 

ever,  show  that  so  early  as  the  close  of  the  year  1862  its  stores  had  reached  fifty-seven  camps, 
regimental  hospitals,  and  recruiting  stations;  forty  general  and  post  hospitals;  eighteen  estab- 
lished or  temporary  depots  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  besides  supplies  to  floating  hospitals  and 
storeboats.  These  issues  had  been  made  to  points  in  Maryland,  Virginia,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Ten- 
nessee, Illinois,  Missouri,  and  Kansas,  besides  small  supplies  to  the  army  of  the  Potomac. 

"  The  money  shown  in  the  summary  of  operations  was  obtained  by  contributions  and  by 
entertainments  given  under  management  of  the  society.  It  also  includes  ten  thousand  dollars 
given  by  California,  a  part  of  the  one  hundred  thousand^  dollars  divided  among  the  Western 
branches  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  in  the  winter  of  1862-3,  and  money  received  at  various 
times  from  the  General  Commission  for  purchase  of  vegetables,  krout,  etc.,  in  the  war  against 
scurvy.  Personal  solicitation  of  money  by  the  officers  of  the  Cleveland  Society  was  scrupulously 
avoided,  and  never  resorted  to  save  in  raising  means  for  building  a  Soldiers'  Home,  in  August 
and  September,  1863,  when  one  thousand  seven  hundred  dollars  were  obtained  from  citizens  of 
Cleveland  for  that  specific  object. 

"  The  Cleveland  Soldiers'  Home  was  built  upon  land  adjoining  the  Union  Depot.  It  was 
sustained  and  conducted  by  the  Aid  Society,  and  large  additions  were  subsequently  made  for  the 
ci  tertainment  of  returning  regiments.     The  records  of  this  Home  show : 

•'Number  registered 56,645 

Number  of  lodgings  given 30,000 

Number  of  meals  given 112,000 

"  No  Government  support  was  received,  and  no  rations  drawn  from  the  commissary  stores, 
as  was  usual  in  institutions  of  this  kind.  Below  is  a  short  report  which  illustrates  the  character 
of  the  Home: 

"  It  is  scarcely  a  year  since  the  building  now  used  as  our  Soldiers'  Home  was  opened,  and  as  its  walls  rose  many 
had  been  the  doubts  expressed  of  its  usefulness.  Time  has  proved  us  not  unwise  in  thus  extending  our  means  for 
entertaining  the  sick  and  friendless  soldier  while  passing  through  our  city.  The  number  of  men  admitted  into  the 
Home  in  the  last  six  months  is  greater  than  the  whole  number  previously  receiving  our  care  since  the  opening  of  the 
war.  The  Home  was  soon  found  too  small,  and  in  August  last  repairs  and  additions  were  made.  The  house,  now  two 
hundred  feet  long,  with  sixty  beds,  two  small  wards  for  the  very  sick,  reading  room,  bathing  room,  and  good  dining 
and  kitchen  arrangements,  is  but  barely  sufficient  to  receive  those  who  have  a  right  to  claim  its  shelter. 

"The  Home  stands  near  the  Union  Depot,  and  each  railroad  train  that  enters  our  city,  day  or  night,  brings  its 
freight  of  worn  and  weary  travelers  to  its  door.  The  sick,  wounded,  or  destitute  discharged  man,  who  can  no  longer 
draw  help  from  the  Government— the  soldier  on  his  sick  furlough,  or  painfully  bearing  homeward  his  honorable 
wounds— the  released  prisoner  or  the  homeless  refugee,  all  have  in  their  need  of  kindness  and  aid,  a  passport  to  this 
way-side  inn,  where  a  hospitable  welcome,  good  cheer,  and  a  comfortable  bed  are  freely  given  in  the  name  of  the 
Sanitary  Commission. 

"  A  few  hours  generally  finds  the  soldier  on  his  way  again,  rested  and  refreshed  ;  but  there  are  often  cases  of  severe 
and  lingering  illness  to  watch  and  tend,  aud  seven  times  within  the  period  embraced  in  this  report  has  the  angel  of 
death  thrown  the  shadow  of  his  sable  wing  across  the  threshold  of  our  Home. 

"  We  have  often  begged  for  the  Home  the  notice  and  the  charities  of  our  friends,  and  no  one  enters  its  doors  with- 
out acknowledging  its  claims  upon  the  benevolent ;  yet  its  good  Samaritan  work  can  never  be  fully  known  to  any  but 
a  constant  visitor.  Though  conducted  on  an  average  of  only  twelve  cents  to  each  meal  and  lodging,  the  expenses  of  so 
large  a  household  are  a  serious  draft  upon  our  treasury,  and  we  gratefully  acknowledge  all  gifts  of  money,  provisions, 
and  coal;  also  the  gratuitous  medical  and  surgical  attendance,  and  medicines  and  dressings  furnished.  Several  of 
our  Branch  Societies  have  sent  bread,  cake,  apple-butter,  poultry,  apples,  and  spring  vegetables  to  the  Home,  and  one 
small  township  has  lately  given  one  hundred  pounds  of  butter.  The  amount  due  for  milk  left  daily  during  the  month 
of  December  was  given  as  a  '  Christmas  present,'  and  many  similar  tokens  have  come  from  those  who  sympathize  with 
its  charitable  mission. 

"  We  again  beg  from  the  abundance  of  our  citizens  and  friends  in  the  country  anything  that  will  furnish  the 
tables  and  make  the  soldier  feel  that  the  '  Home '  to  which  he  is  directed  is  not  unworthy  of  its  name.  All  who  are 
interested  in  learning  more  of  its  objects  and  management  are  cordially  invited  to  visit  it  when  in  the  city,  and  we 
hope  that  iu  the  coming  year  our  Home  may  find  many  new  friends." 

"  In  the  autumn  of  1863  the  Cleveland  Society,  catching  the  enthusiasm  and  the  spirit  of 
sanitary  fairs,  from  a  visit  to  the  fair  of  Chicago,  resolved  to  launch  its  own  little  boat  upon  the 
the  wave  of  prosperity,  and  projected  a  fair,  which  opened  February  22,  1864,  running  sixteen 
days,  with  net  results  of  seventy-eight  thousand  dollars ;  a  brilliant  success  for  Cleveland.  The 
fair,  though  not  as  large  as  many  others,  was  considered  extremely  attractive.  It  was  held  in  a 
building  erected  for  the  purpose  on  the  public  square,  and  on  an  area  of  sixty-four  thousand 
square  feet.  The  structure  was  in  form  of  a  Greek  cross,  the  four  arms  being  respectively,  a 
bazaar,  bright  and  bewildering  in  its  gay  ornamentation  and  profusion  of  costly,  ingenious,  fan- 
ciful, and  useful  wares;  a  mechanics'  or  power  hall,  filled  with  inventions  of  machinery  or  fab- 
rics of  their  manufacture;    a  vast  dining-hall,  where  scores   of  pretty   girls,  in   bewitching 


262 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


cap  and  coquettish  apron,  served  the  visitors  to  a  « feast  of  fat  things ;  a  grand  audience  room,  with, 
seats  for  three  thousand  persons,  where  evening  entertainments  of  varied  character  were  given. 
The  centra]  huilding-lbrming  a  junction  of  all  these  halls-was  an  octagon,  seventy-six  feet  in 
diameter  rising  in  ■  dome,  and  inclosing  the  Perry  Statue.  This  building  was  decorated  as  a  Floral 
Hall  and  ras  the  crowning  beauty  and  attraction  of  the  fair-a  marvel  of  taste  and  skill,  where 
'  well-skilled  art  taking  its  text  from  nature,  formed  grottoes  that  might  have  been  fairy  homes— 
,  fit  for  the  garden  of  a  king-cascades,  rocky  hillsides,  and  tangled  copses  that  vie  with 
Baton  itself.'  In  connection  with  the  fair  there  was  also  a  museum  of  heaped-up  wonders,  and  a 
picture  gallerj,  where  the  art  treasures  loaned  by  citizens,  or  given  by  artists,  were  exhibited. 

"The  unexpectedly  successful  results  of  the  Sanitary  Fair  placed  the  Cleveland  Society  in  a 
state  of  financial  security  to  the  end  of  its  existence.     Its  plans  were  enlarged,  and  were  thor- 
oughly carried  out.      Until  the  close  of  the  war  money  was  freely  used  in  purchasing  vegetables, 
and  material  for  hospital  clothing,  and  in  sustaining  the  branch  societies,  by  furnishing  to  them 
l.il  to  make  up  for  the  hospitals.     When  the  close  of  hostilities  diminished  the  work  of  the 
Supply  department,  and  regiments  began  to  return,  the  Soldiers'  Home  was  much  enlarged,  and 
lial  welcome  was  extended  to  every  returning  regiment  or  squad.     Day  after  day,  and  night 
after  night,  the  long  dining  tables  were  spread  with  an  abundance  of  home  dainties,  such  as  tfye 
soldier  had  long  been  a  stranger  to.     The  ladies  of  the  Society  were  always  at  the  Home  to  wel- 
/eome  the  regiments,  and  to  serve  at  the  tables. 

"After  the  troops  were  disbanded,  an  employment  agency  was  opened,  and  continued  for 
eight  months. 

"Out  of  four  hundred  and  eleven  applicants  two  hundred  and  six  were  supplied  with  situa- 
tions. A  considerable  number  failed  to  report  a  second  time,  and  were  discharged  from  the  books, 
so  that  only  ninety-seven  remained  unsupplied  with  business.  Most  of  these  were  disabled  men, 
unfit  for  any  duty,  and  these  were  admitted  into  the  Home,  or  became  regular  pensioners  of  the 
Society  in  their  own  homes. 

"The  Society  could  not  consider  its  duties  over  till  the  last  soldier  had  been  supplied.  The 
following  bulletin  shows  how  the  supply  department  was  kept  up  for  months  after  the  war  closed: 

"  '  Soldiers'  Aid  Society  or  Northern  Ohio,        % 
" '  Central  Office,  No.  89  Bank  Street,  Cleveland,  July  10,  1S65.  J 
"  '  IH:ar  Madam  :    We  are  convinced  that  the  closing  of  your  Society  is  premature,  and  it  is  certain  that  lor  three 
months  longer  your  work  should  continue.    Will  you  not  at  once  call  together  your  faithful  members  and  reorganize? 
"'Until  you  can  raise  means  to  purchase  material  we  will  continue  to  furnish  cut  garments  as  heretofore,  and 
would  b.'g  you  to  have  these  made  and  returned  as  soon  as  possible. 

"  '  Our  returned  soldieiB,  without  money,  and  with  clothing  worn  and  travel-stained,  are  daily  besieging  our  doors 
for  articles  of  comfort,  which  we,  for  lack  of  your  help,  have  not  to  give  them!  These  men,  now  disowned  by 
Government,  are  properly  our  care  uutil  they  assume  their  citizen's  duties,  and  can  provide  themselves  with  citizen's 

arm. 

"  '  We  are  daily  purchasing  and  giving  out  cotton  socks,  suspenders,  combs,  soap,  writing  material,  etc.  We  ask 
your  help  in  supplying  shirts,  drawers,  towels,  and  handkerchiefs.  You  have  nobly  followed  our  soldiers  into  camp 
anil  fitlil  with  your  gifts— do  not  let  them  ask  in  vain  when  they  return  to  this  land  of  plenty. 

"  '  It  is  no  time  to  stop  now,  and  it  will  bring  discredit  upon  all  that  has  been  done  should  we  close  our  doors  in  the 
face  of  any  demand.  One  day  in  our  rooms  would  satisfy  any  one  that  Sanitary  work  is  by  no  means  over.  Let  us  go 
on  until  ho  can  all  close,  knowing  that  our  work  has  been  well  and  thoroughly  done. 

"  '  Be»S  for  a  package  of  garments  to  make  up.  MAltY  C.  BRAYTON,  Secretary.' 

"  In  October,  1865,  when  the  Ohio  State  Soldiers'  Home  was  opened,  the  Cleveland  society 
appropriated  from  the  treasury  five  thousand  dollars  to  support  that  institution  until  the  State 
appropriation  should  be  received. 

"On  January  1,  1865,  a  free  claim  agency  was  established  under  the  auspices  of  the  Cleve- 
land society .  This  agency  has  received  about  nineteen  hundred  claims,  and  in  November,  1867, 
was  vtill  open  for  prosecution  of  the  unsettled  claims.  It  ceased  to  take  new  claims  January  1, 
1867.  The  claim  agency  was  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  Secretary  and  Treasurer 
of  the  society,  who  employed  clerical  assistance  in  the  business." 

To  these  outline  sketches  of  the  work  accomplished,  at  the  two  great  dis- 
tributing centers  of  the  relief  associations  of  the  State,  may  here  be  fitly  added 
a  synopsis,  prepared  by  a  member,  of  the  facts  in  the  history  of  the  Ohio  Be- 
lief Association  at  Washington,  of  some  of  the  operations  of  which  we  have,  in 
preceding  chapters,  had  occasion  to  make  mention  : 


Relief  Work;   Aid   Societies,  Etc.  263 

"Early  in  June,  1862,  it  was  found  necessary  to  establish  a  large  number  of  hospitals  in 
and  near  Washington,  D.  C,  for  the  care  and  shelter  of  the  numerous  sick  and  wounded  soldiers 
who  required  attention.  The  Government  at  this  time  was,  in  a  great  measure,  without  suitable 
buildings  and  necessary  supplies  for  them.  In  the  emergency,  churches  were  seized  by  military 
authority  and  occupied,  and  medical  officers  placed  in  charge  of  them.  Some  of  these  latter 
took  delight  in  showing  their  ( little  brief  authority,'  by  snubbing  individual  visitors  who  called 
to  see  that  our  suffering  soldiers  were  made  as  comfortable  as  possible.  On  the  12th  of  June  a 
number  of  ladies  and  gentlemen  from  Ohio,  temporarily  residing  in  Washington,  met  at  the 
residence  of  A.  M.  Gangewer,  No.  537  H  street,  and  organized  the  'Ohio  Relief  Association,'  by 
electing  Hon.  S.  T.  Worcester  President,  Major  G.  P.  Williamson  Vice-President,  David  Beet 
Treasurer,  and  A.  M.  Gangewer  Secretary.  Committees  were  appointed  to  visit  the  various  hos- 
pitals and  report  the  names  and  condition  of  Ohio  soldiers  in  them,  with  the  companies  and 
regiments  to  which  they  belonged,  in  order  that  a  record  might  be  made  of  them,  their  friends 
advised  of  their  condition,  and  their  wants  supplied,  so  far  as  the  means  of  the  society  would 
enable  them  to  supply  them.  As  there  were  nearly  fifty  hospitals  established  in  and  near  the 
city,  it  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  work  to  be  done  was  one  of  some  magnitude.  Weekly 
meetings  were  held  at  No.  537  H  street,  'Ohio  Head-quarters,'  to  hear  reports  of  committees 
and  devise  means  to  relieve  the  wants  of  the  suffering  soldiers.  A  committee  of  three  (Messrs. 
U.  H.  Hutchins,  John  R.  French,  and  D.  Rees)  was  appointed  to  solicit  funds  and  procure  del- 
icacies for  the  soldiers.  Governors  Dennison  and  Tod,  and  the  Senators  and  members  of  Con- 
gress from  Ohio  gave  the  society  their  confidence  and  favor.  From  this  time  until  near  the  close 
of  the  war  these  weekly  meetings  were  kept  up,  and  much  good  was  done  in  an  unobtrusive  way 
to  our  disabled  soldiers. 

"  In  April,  1863,  Mrs.  S.  T.  Worcester  wrote  as  follows  to  the  Norwalk  Reflector  respecting 
the  operations  of  the  association  : 

44  4  The  operations  of  this  association  are  well  known  to  me,  having  heen  an  attendant  upon  their  weekly  meetings 
during  the  past  winter;  and  I  take  this  opportunity  to  ask  the  friends  of  the  sick  soldier,  especially  those  who  have 
sons,  brothers,  cousins,  or  acquaintances  in  Eastern  Virginia,  to  send  money  or  hospital  stores  to  it.  Its  committees 
go  to  the  bedside  of  every  sick  Ohio  soldier  within  their  reach,  converse  freely  with  them,  ascertain  in  what  manner 
they  can  assist  them,  and  then  do  the  best  possible  thing  for  them.  Government  allows  the  association  the  use  of  an 
ambulance,  two  mules,  and  a  driver,  so  that  they  are  able  to  reach  the  hospitals  within  seven  miles  of  the  city.  In 
many  cases  these  sick  men  need  something  that  can  be  better  purchased  in  Washington  than  sent  from  here.  Such, 
for  instance,  as  apples,  oranges,  lemons,  wine,  a  baker's  biscuit,  a  custard  (for  which  eggs,  milk,  and  sugar  must  be 
bought),  newspapers,  both  English  and  German,  a  Testament,  a  hymn-book,  a  towel  of  their  own,  a  piece  of  soap, 
strawberries  in  their  season,  etc.  The  visits  of  these  ladies  and  gentlemen,  from  their  own  State,  with  their  little 
comforts,  the  men  tell  me,  do  them  more  good  than  medicine.  Let  me  mention  a  single  case  from  fifty  which  I  could 
enumerate.  Last  week  I  received  a  letter  from  a  young  German,  to  whose  wants  I  attended  while  in  Washington.  In 
it  he  says  :  4 1  suppose  my  poor  heart  would  have  bursted  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  German  hymn-book  you  gave  me. 
There  I  found  my  hopes  when  near  dying.  1  shall  take  good  care  of  it  in  remembrance  of  you,  and  try  to  keep  its 
words  holy.  It  used  to  be  hard  for  me  to  shed  tears,  but  since  I  have  been  sick  it  has  often  been  the  case.'  For  this 
young  man  I  provided  while  I  staid  in  Washington,  and  Mrs.  Gangewer  attended  to  him  afterward.  He  is  now  fast 
recovering.  He  had  lost  all  his  clothing,  had  not  a  cent  of  money,  and  had  a  4  cry  '  every  day  because  4  no  one  from 
Ohio  came  to  see  him.'  The  German  hymn-book  (Lutheran")  alluded  to  came  from  the  Belgian  legation,  and  was  sent, 
with  many  other  publications  in  the  same  language,  to  us  for  distribution. 

44 'I  can  testify  to  the  excellent  character  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  Ohio  Belief  Association.  I  know 
what  they  receive  goes  directly  to  the  sick  soldier,  and  is  the  answer  to  his  own  requests.  All  the  other  loyal  States, 
except  the  border  States,  have  similar  organizations.    Each  looks  after  its  own  men  tenderly.' 

"  The  names  of  those  who  were  most  active  in  the  association  were  Messrs.  J.  C.  Wetmore, 
D.  Rees,  Rev.  B.  F.  Morris,  G.  P.  Williamson,  J.  Van  Offenbacher,  W.  G.  Finney,  J.  R. 
French.  J.  W.  Dvvyer,  Henry  Beard,  L.  H.  Ranney,  C.  S.  Mattoon,  L.  A.  Lyons,  J.  C.  Winn,  U. 
H.  Hutchins,  J.  C.  Brand,  J.  W.  Schuckers,  J.  D.  Patton,  J.  R.  Dodge,  J.  H.  Wilkinson,  D. 
Chambers,  L.  D.  Reynolds,  J.  R.  Fitch,  O.  B.  Olmstead,  and  a  few  ladies — Mrs.  D.  Rees,  Mrs. 
A.  M.  Gangewer,  Mrs.  Gunckel,  Mrs.  Staats,  Miss  Maggie  Rees,  Miss  Sue  Helmick,  Miss  J.  H. 
Gangewer,  Miss  Julia  Baldwin,  and  others.  Quite  a  number  of  ladies  in  Ohio  co-operated  with 
the  society  in  furthering  its  objects,  among  the  more  prominent  of  whom  were  Mrs.  T.  L.  Jew- 
ett,  of  Steuben ville ;  Mrs.  Annie  P.  Trimble,  of  Chillicothe ;  Mrs.  J.  R.  Osborn,  of  Toledo; 
Mrs.  S.  T.  Worcester,  of  Norwalk,  and  various  ladies  connected  with  local  ladies'  soldiers'  aid 
societies  in  Ohio,  all  of  whom  contributed  generously  to  sustain  its  operations. 

"  In  December,  1862,  the  Secretary  of  the  association,  A.  M.  Gangewer,  published  the  fol- 
lowing statement  of  the  articles  distributed  by  the  society  to  that  date,  viz. : 

44  4  Clothing,  Etc.— 195  wool  shirts,  131  wool  drawers,  403 prs  wool  socks,  1,05-1  prs  cotton  socks,  700  prs  cotton  drawers, 


264  Ohio  in  the  War. 

1  147  cotton  shirts,  43  coats,  65  prs  pants,  117  prs  slippers,  47  prs  shoes,  16'  vests,  43  hats,  36  caps,  31  dressing-gounds,  1,257 
hamlk-rcl.iefs,  1,101  towds.  36  prs  suspenders,  hair-brushes,  looking-glasses,  combs,  fans,  pins,  needles,  thread,  pin- 
<  unions,  tobacco,  lett.r-paper,  envelopes,  books,  magazines,  newspapers,  etc. 

"  '  Bedding,  Etc. -116  sheets,  1C5  pillows,  253  pillow-cases,  59  bedticks,  155  blankets,  37  quilts  and  comforts. 

\nit\ky  BtoUI,  Etc -397  cans  fruit,  997  bottles  wines  and  cordials,  14  bottles  shrub,  64  bottles  brandy,  2  jars 

beef  essence  5  jars  pickles,  15  jars  apple-butter,  1  keg  do.,  1  tub  kale  slau,  2  boxes  onions,  209  cans  jellies,  2  brls  toast 

4  brls  green  apples,  53  sacks,  7  bushels,  and  5  boxes  dried  fruit,  corn  starch,  grapes,  lemons,  dried  beef,  honey, 

ua,  sago,  dried  corn,  cornmeal,  crackers,  cheese,  peppers,  4  tubs  butter,  farina,  sugar,  hams,  tomatoes,  peach-butter, 

n,  chickens,  lint,  bandages,  pads,  soap,  crutches,  18  rocking-chairs,  etc. 

». .  r,  -.-its,  Etc-2  coffee  boilers,  3  tin  pans,  20  knives  and  forks,  24  table-spoons,  50  tin  cups,  24  plates, 

rooking  lamps,  cups  and  saucers,  etc. 

•  •  1  It  number  of  names  of  Ohio  soldiers  entered  on  the  register  as  visited  hy  their  committees,  is  3,766,  but  the 
wants  of  ■  mu.  h  larger  number  have  been  supplied  wfiose  names  have  not  been  reported,  and  the  urgent  needs  of 
Many  soldiers  from  other  States  have  been  met,  when  made  known  to  their  visiting  committees. 

••'Tin-  amount  of  money  collected,  principally  from  Ohio  residents  in  this  city,  was  $1,296  67;  amount  expended 
•1,240  92,  leaving  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer  $55  75.' 

"About  this  time  a  committee  was  appointed  to  represent  to  the  State  authorities  the  necessity 
of  having  an  agent  in  Washington,  to  especially  look  after  sick  soldiers  who  are  unable  to  reach 
home  without  assistance,  and  to  see  that  they  obtain  their  pay  promptly.  The  Association  recom- 
mended the  appointment  of  Mr.  J.  C.  Wet  more,  who  had  been  active  and  untiring  in  his  efforts 
to  aid  our  weak  and  suffering  soldiers.  Newspaper  representations  having  inforced  the  same 
policy,  he  was  accordingly  appointed. 

"  The  Association  did  not  confine  its  operations  to  Washington,  but  sent  visitors  to  hospitals 
at  Fredericksburg,  Alexandria,  and  camps  in  Virginia;  to  Baltimore,  Annapolis,  and  Frederick, 
Maryland,  and  to  Gettysburg. 

"On  the  24th  of  February,  1863,  a  special  meeting  was  held  to  present  a  service  of  silver  to 
Mrs.  A.  M.  Gangewer,  for  her  exertions  in  behalf  of  the  soldiers.  The  meeting  was  attended  by 
Hon.  S.  P.  Chase,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury;  Judge  Johnson  of  Cincinnati,  and  a  crowd  of  Ohio 
people  then  in  Washington. 

"On  the  5th  of  August,  1863,  the  Association  rented  a  room  near  the  City  Hall  for  a  store- 
room. By  this  time  the  Government  was  enabled  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  inmates  of  the  hos- 
pitals, which  were  generally  efficiently  managed;  but  still  there  were  occasional  isolated  cases  of 
MiHering  which  needed  attention,  and  relief  was  freely  bestowed.  Those  who  are  acquainted 
with  the  operations  of  the  society  know  well  that  it  has  done  a  work  of  which  none  who  partici- 
pated in  it  need  be  ashamed.  Governor  Brough  made  appeals  to  the  people  of  Ohio  to  support 
it,  and  its  work  was  constantly  performed  in  harmony  with  the  State  Agency  system." 

The  general  work  in  the  more  active  of  the  home  organizations  through  the 
State  may  be  best  illustrated,  on  a  large  scale,  by  this  graphic  picture  of  the 
Cleveland  Aid  Eooms,  from  the  forthcoming  history  of  that  association,  by  Miss 
Mary  Clark  Bray  ton  : 

"  At  eight  o'clock,  or  even  earlier,  the  rooms  are  open  for  the  business  of  the  day.  The 
boxes  unloaded  from  the  dray  upon  the  sidewalk  are  trundled  through  the  wide  doors,  and  the 
lids  skillfully  removed  by  the  porter,  or  energetically  pried  off  by  some  impatient  member  of  the 
unpacking  committee,  whose  duties  now  begin. 

"  Cautiously  she  peeps  under  the  layers,  not  without  fear  that  some  mischievous  cork,  false 
to  its  trust,  may  have  spread  liquid  ruin  among  the  soft  folds.  Shirts,  drawers,  and  gowns,  as 
they  are  drawn  forth,  are  duly  counted,  examined,  and  noted.  If  zealous  haste  has  dispatched 
them  minus  a  button  or  a  string,  the  deficiency  is  supplied  by  some  careful  matron  who  sits  near. 
The  garment  is  then  thrown  with  the  others  upon  a  high  counter,  behind  which  is  enthroned  a 
third  committee  woman  with  stencil-plate  and  brush.  The  labels  and  mottoes  that  she  mav  find 
nestling  in  the  pocket  of  a  dressing-gown,  or  hidden  in  the  soldier's  thread-case  are  not  removed, 
but  steadily  she  works  there,  affixing  the  indelible  stamp,  'Soldiers'  Aid  Society  of  Northern 
Ohio  and  each  article  passes  from  her  hand  into  its  appointed  place  in  one  or  another  of  tho 
great  hinged  receiving  cases  that  form  a  row  down  the  long  wall. 

"Books  and  pamphlets,  too,  are  stamped  and  piled  upon  their  allotted  shelf,  where  some 
choose'  CUy  CamPS  may  °ften  ^  66en  tU1'ning  °Ver  their  leaVeS'  With  free  Pe™issi™  *° 

"  Bags  of  dried  fruit  are  tumbled  in  a  heap  upon  the  scales     Bottles  and  jars,  as  they  appear, 


Relief  Work;  Aid  Societies,  Etc.  265 

are  closely  inspected ;  the  sound  to  be  carefully  repacked  in  saw-dust,  and  the  defective 
cemented  anew,  or,  if  too  far  gone  for  that,  they  are  set  aside  for  the  '  Home,'  the  city  hospital, 
or  the  sick  soldier  not  many  squares  off. 

"At  a  table  in  the  center  of  the  room  a  bandage  machine  is  whirling  under  a  hand  grown 
dexterous  by  much  practice  in  these  sad  days ;  and  at  the  old-linen  box  stands  an  embodiment  of 
patience,  vainly  toiling  to  bring  order  out  of  the  ever-uprising  mass. 

"Just  behind  is  the  busy  packing  committee,  upon  whose  skillfulness  rests  the  good  name 
of  the  society  with  the  army.  Bending  over  their  work,  they  fold  and  smooth  and  crowd  down 
each  article  with  its  kind,  until  there  is  space  only  for  the  invoice  sheet  at  top,  and  the  box  awaits 
the  porter's  hammer  and  its  tally  number  before  being  consigned  to  the  store-house. 

"  The  long  table  at  the  end  of  the  room  is  occupied  by  the  work  committee.  Here  bed- 
sacks  and  sheets  are  torn  off  with  an  electrifying  report,  and  two  pairs  of  savage  shears  are  cut- 
ting their  vigorous  way  through  a  bolt  of  army-blue  flannel.  The  cut  garments,  rolled  and 
ticketed,  are  stowed  away  in  the  great  work-box  till  given  out  to  ladies  of  the  city,  or  sent  in 
packages  to  bridge  over  a  financial  gap  in  some  country  Aid  Society. 

"  Two  or  three  ladies,  delegates  from  neighboring  branches,  are  narrowly  watching  this  busy 
scene,  while  receiving  from  highest  official  sources  suggestions  and  sympathy,  if  need  be,  and 
under  the  same  hospitable  guidance  are  making  a  tour  of  inspection  through  the  room  and  into 
the  little  office  in  the  rear,  which  is  separated  from  the  main  apartment  only  by  a  glazed  partition. 
Here  some  tokens  of  femininity  have  crept  in,  despite  the  evident  determination  to  give  it  a 
severe  business  air.  A  modest  carpet  covers  the  floor;  the  big  box  of  documents  in  the  corner, 
cunningly  cushioned,  takes  ambitious  rank  as  a  sofa;  some  kind  body  has  sent  in  a  rocking- 
chair  ;  occasionally  a  bouquet  graces  the  table ;  two  or  three  pictures  have  found  their  way  upon 
the  walls,  among  railroad  time-tables  and  shipping  guides.  But  the  latest  war  bulletin  hangs 
with  them  there,  and  all  these  amenities  fail  to  disguise  the  character  of  the  room,  or  to  draw 
attention  from  the  duties  of  the  hour. 

"Here  at  her  desk  sits  one  whom  fate  and  the  responsibilities  of  office  have  called  to  'carry 
the  bag,'  and  to  make  the  neatest  of  figures  in  the  largest  of  ledgers.  There  stands  another, 
knitting  her  brows  over  the  complications  of  a  country  invoice  or  a  '  short  shipping  bill.'  A 
third  is  perpetually  flitting  between  the  entry  desk  in  the  main  room  and  the  bright-eyed  girls 
who  are  folding  circulars  at  the  office  table ;  and  a  fourth  drops  her  plethoric  file  of  '  letters  unan- 
swered '  to  read  proof  for  the  printer's  boy  waiting  at  her  elbow,  or  to  note  down  for  future  use 
the  sanitary  news  as  it  falls  fresh  from  the  lips  of  an  agent  who  has  called  in  en  route  from  the 
'front,'  to  give  a  cordial  hand  to  the  ladies." 

In  October,  1863,  the  patriotic  citizens  of  Chicago  held  a  great  fair,  an  ex- 
pansion of  the  common  church  festivals  given  by  ladies  in  the  interest  of  the 
Sanitary  Commission.  As  the  reports  of  its  success  came  to  attract  attention, 
the  gentlemen  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  and  the  National  Union  Association 
in  Cincinnati  began  to  discuss  the  policy  of  undertaking  a  similar  enterprise 
on  a  larger  scale.  For  some  days  the  matter  was  confined  to  private  discus- 
sions. Meantime,  as  happened  so  often  through  the  war,  a  woman  stepped  for- 
ward to  lead  in  the  movement  for  good  works  for  the  soldiers.  On  the  after- 
noon of  the  31st  of  October  this  communication,  the  first  public  appeal  for  a 
Sanitary  Fair  in  Cincinnati,  appeared  in  the  Evening  Times: 

"  Editor  Times  :  I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  the  patriotic  ladies  of  Cincinnati  to  the 
fair  that  is  now  progressing  in  Chicago  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers,  and  which  is  realizing  a 
handsome  sum  of  money.  Taking  into  consideration  the  fact  that  the  winter  is  fast  approach- 
ing, and  that  the  soldiers  will  stand  in  need  of  much  assistance,  would  it  not  be  well  for  our  Cin- 
cinnati ladies  to  get  aroused  up  in  the  same  cause,  and  in  the  same  way  ?  We  should  not  let 
Chicago,  or  any  other  place,  be  in  advance  of  us  in  our  efforts.  I  know  we  have  ladies  here  who 
are  devoted  friends  of  the  soldiers,  and  now  is  the  time  for  them  to  be  up  and  doing.  Please 
call  public  attention  to  this  subject,  and  oblige.  A  LADY. ' 


266  Ohio  in  the  Wae.  , 

This  appeal*  was  copied  in  the  morning  papers,  bnt  no  public  action  was 
token  till  on  November  7th,  in  response  to  an  article  on  the  subject  in  the 
Gazette  "Who  speaks  for  Cincinnati?"  Mr.  Jno.  D.  Caldwell  inserted  in  the 
papers  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  the  executive  and  finance  committees  of  the 
National  Union  Association,  "  to  initiate  movements  toward  a  grand  fair  in  Cin- 
cinnati, in  aid  of  the  cause  of  families  of  Union  soldiers."  At  this  meeting  a 
committee  of  public-spirited  citizens  was  appointed  to  hold  a  conference  with 
committees  of  existing  organizations  on  the  11th  of  November.  Circulars  and 
pabttc  notices  followed;  the  attention  of  the  entire  community  was  arrested; 
the  enterprise  rapidly  took  shape;  Mr.  Edgar  Conkling  reported  a  plan  of  oper- 
ations involving  an  undertaking  incomparably  more  extensive  than  any  previ- 
ous, our  in  the  same  direction;  and  presently  the  whole  city  was  alive  with  the 
enthusiasm  of  a  common  generous  effort.  Those  who  best  know  the  usually 
staid  and  undemonstrative  Queen  City  unite  in  the  testimony  that  she  was 
never  before  so  stirred  through  all  the  strata  of  her  society,  never  before  so 
warm  and  glowing  for  any  cause  or  on  any  occasion.  .Churches,  citizens'  asso- 
ciations, business  men,  mechanics  took  hold  of  the  work.  Committees  were 
appointed,  embracing  the  leading  men  and  the  best  workers  in  every  walk  of 
life  throughout  the  city;  meetings  of  ladies  were  held  ;  circulars  were  distrib- 
uted ;  public  appeals  filled  the  newspapers.  General  Eosecrans,  then  fresh  from 
the  Tullahoma  and  Chickamauga  campaigns,  and  the  more  popular  in  the  city 
of  his  residence  in  proportion  to  his  loss  of  favor  with  the  War  Department, 
was  made  President  of  the  fair,  and  his  name  evoked  fresh  enthusiasm  for  the 
effort. 

On  the  25th  of  November  the  organization  had  been  completed,  and  the 
following  general  address  to  the  public  was  issued  : 

"This  fair,  in  aid  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  will 
be  opened,  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  on  Monday,  the  21st  day  of  December  next,  and  con- 
tinue through  the  holidays.  Arrangements  have  been  made  on  an  extensive  scale  for  collecting 
and  disposing  of  every  article  of  a  salable  nature  that  may  be  contributed.  Nothing  will  be 
amiss  that  can  aid  the  Sanitary  Commission,  either  in  funds  or  in  any  of  the  stores  so  well  known 
to  be  wanted  in  the  camp  and  hospital. 

"  This  branch  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  extends  relief  throughout  the  armies  of  the  Union 
operating  in  the  West  and'  South-west.  It  supplies,  without  distinction,  all  who  are  in  those 
armies,  no  matter  whence  they  come.  Therefore,  the  far  East  and  the  Central  States  will  see  and 
feel,  as  well  as  the  West,  the  grand  object  to  be  accomplished  by  this  fair,  and  may  well  join  and 
share  with  us  in  this  grateful  effort,  before  the  rigors  of  winter  beset  them,  to  provide  for  the 
wants  and  cheer  the  hearts  of  their  sons  who  are  with  ours  in  these  fields.  Each  congregation  or 
society,  of  whatever  name,  in  all  the  loyal  States,  is  invited  to  elect  a  lady  delegate  or  corres- 
ponding member,  who  will  be  registered  as  such,  and,  if  an  active  contributor,  will  be  entitled  to 
a  handsomely-engraved  certificate,  commemorative  of  the  occasion,  bearing  her  name  and 
residents. 

"Contributions  from  far  and  wide  will  be  thankfully  received  ;  contributions  in  money  ;  con- 
tributions of  every  production  of  the  farmers,  manufacturers,  machinists,  mechanics,  merchants, 
clothiers,  jewelers,  milliners,  gardeners;  contributions  of  music,  decorations,  fruits,  flowers,  and 
refreshments ;  contributions  or  loans  for  exhibition  in  the  fine  arts  and  sciences  ;  relics,  memo- 


*  Written  by  Mrs.  Dr.  Mendenhall,  who  afterward  became  the  ladies'  Vice-President  of  the 
fair. 


Relief  Work;   Aid  Societies,  Etc.  267 

rials,  and  curiosities  of  every  sort ;  contributions  of  lectures,  concerts,  and  dramatic  or  other  ben- 
efits ;  and,  to  give  efficiency  to  all,  a  general  contribution  of  the  influence  of  the"  press  in  fur- 
thering our  efforts.  Every  offering,  in  short,  which  can  add  beauty,  interest,  or  profit,  to  any 
department  of  the  fair,  or  be  used  as  material  in  the  work  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  will  be 
acceptable.  In  order,  moreover,  that  nothing,  however  small,  which  even  our  youth  can  con- 
tribute, may  be  lost  to  the  general  offering,  it  is  requested  that  directors  and  teachers  of  schools, 
public  and  private,  everywhere,  invite  their  pupils  to  prepare  articles  of  their  own  handiwork, 
which  will  form  a  special  department  of  the  fair.  And,  above  all,  we  invoke  the  aid  and  influ- 
ence of  the  women  of  the  land,  as  individuals,  in  their  home  and  social  circles,  and  as  classes, 
in  their  churches,  aid  societies,  and  other  organizations. 

"  The  whole  arrangements  of  the  fair  have  been  assigned  to  committees  on  finance,  buildings, 
machinery  and  mechanical  exhibitions,  public  conveyances  and  transportation,  merchandise  and 
donations,  refreshments,  art  hall,  gallery  of  paintings,  music  and  decorations,  floricultural  exhi- 
bitions, relics,  curiosities  and  war  memorials,  lectures,  concerts,  and  benefits,  each  having  duties 
corresponding  to  their  titles.  The  character  of  the  parties  comprising  these  committees  is  suffi- 
cient evidence  of  their  ability  to  provide  extraordinary  attractions  and  accommodations  for  out 
visitors  and  patrons,  no  matter  how  large  their  number. 

"  One  of  the  chief  attractions  of  the  fair  will  consist  of  an  immense  bazaar,  four  hundred 
feet  long  by  sixty  feet  wide,  under  charge  of  the  ladies,  and  devoted  to  the  sale  of  fancy  and 
useful  merchandise.  Similar  buildings,  for  use  as  refreshment  hall  and  exhibition  and  saleroom 
of  heavier  articles  of  merchandise,  machinery,  etc. 

11  Mozart  Hall  and  its  anterooms  have  been  secured  for  the  purposes  of  lectures,  concerts, 
exhibitions,  etc. 

"  The  most  liberal  terms  that  could  be  desired  are  proffered  to  our  transportation  committee 
by  all  the  express,  railroad,  and  steamboat  lines  centering  at  this  city. 

"  The  dining  hall  will  be  in  charge  of  a  committee  of  ladies,  and  will  be  able  to  accommo- 
date, in  space  and  variety,  all  who  may  come. 

"  A  plan  is  under  consideration  for  the  publication  of  a  complete  history  of  the  fair,  from 
its  inception  to  its  close.  This  is  intended  to  embrace  a  list  of  the  officers,  committees,  managers, 
and  corresponding  members,  the  name  of  every  contributor,,  a  list  of  the  articles  donated,  and 
such  other  matters  of  interest  as  may  occur,  and  will  serve  to  give  permanency  in  history  to  this 
evidence  that  the  people  of  the  Union  never  forget  their  brave  defenders. 

"  All  contributions  of  money  should  be  remitted  to  Robert  W.  Burnet,  Esq.,  Treasurer.  All 
the  express,  railroad,  and  steamboat  lines  centering  in  this  city  have  offered  to  carry  freight  for 
the  fair  free  op  charge.  Heavy  goods  should  be  sent  by  railroad;  light  and  valuable  pack- 
ages by  express.  All  articles  should  be  carefully  packed,  and  marked  'Sanitary  Fair,  Cincin- 
nati, Ohio.' 

"  When  articles  are  donated  a  list  of  the  articles,  their  estimated  value,  and  the  donor's 
name  and  residence,  should  be  sent  by  mail  to  John  D.  Caldwell,  Corresponding  Secretary,  to 
whom  all  correspondence  may  be  addressed.  Articles  for  exhibition  should  be  accompanied  by 
directions  for  their  return,  similarly  addressed. 

"  Special  information  as  to  any  department  may  be  obtained  by  addressing  the  chairman  of 
the  proper  committee,  whose  name  appears  in  the  annexed  list. 

"  No  further  appeal  is  needed ;  all  hearts  will  feel  and  respond  to  this  call.  Let  no  one  sup- 
pose that  enough  is  or  ever  will  be  done  in  this  direction.  The  Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  Sani- 
tary Commission  has  distributed  to  the  army  nearly  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of 
supplies  generously  furnished ;   but  it  has  never  yet  reached  the  maximum  of  demands  upon  it. 

"  Present  movements  indicate  a  winter  campaign  of  unusual  activity  and  hardship.  Let 
every  one  do  his  part,  that  there  may  be  no  want  or  suffering  among  our  brave  soldiers. 

"  Major-General  W.  S.  ROSECRANS,  President.* 

"  John  D.  Caldwell,  Corresponding  Secretary." 

*  The  organization  of  the  working  force  of  the  fair  w  as  large  and  complicated.  We  append  the  names  of  the  lead- 
ing officers,  and  of  the  chairmen  of  committees : 

OFFICERS. 

Major-General  Rosecrans,  President;  Mayor  L.  A.  Harris,  First  Vice-President;  Mrs.  Dr.  G.  Mendenhau, 
Second  Vice-President;  B.  W.  Burnet,  Treasurer;  Joseph  0.  Bxjtler,  Assistant  Treasurer;  John  D.  Caldwell,  Cor- 
responding Secretary. 


268  Ohio  in  the  War. 

The  committees  and  the  whole  community  now  pressed  forward  their  labors, 
and  for  the'time  the  "cause  of  sweet  charity"  for  the  sold.ers  was  the  engross- 

lnS  tJte0llin0gUoftthe  21st  of  December  the  fair  was  opened  with  an 
,,,,,,-s  ,Vo,n  Genera.  Rosecrans  at  Mozart  Hall.  That  evening  the  var.ons 
3ta  were  crowded  with  a  curious  and  liberal  throng;  and  for  weeks  thereafter 
IE  ,„,l„wed  such  a  lavish  expenditure  of  money  as  the  City  had  never  before 

dreamed  of.  .    M ,.  .  „ 

The  treat  salesroom  of  the  l.adies-the  *  Bazaar  "-was  in  a  building  specially 
,,,,,,,,  for  the  purpose  on  the  Fifth  Street  Market-Space,  four  hundred  feet  long 
Mid  sixty  feet  broad.  On  the  Sixth  Street  Market-Space  was  another  building 
Of  the  same  dimensions-" Produce  Hall  "-used  for  the  display  of  agricultural 
productions.  In  Mozart  Hall  were  the  relics,  war  memorials,  art  gallery,  etc. 
Greenwood  Hall  was  devoted  to  the  horticultural  department;  and  the  Palace 
Garden  was  made  a  refreshment  hall. 

To  describe  the  display  in  these  various  departments  were  an  endless  task. 
The  bewildering  exhibition  in  the  Ladies'  Bazaar  was,  of  course,  the  center  of 
attraction,  and  its  appearance  was  the  result  of  a  degree  of  faithful  and  varied 
labor  on  the  part  of  thousands  of  ladies  not  easily  expressed.  From  every 
quarter  came  the  gifts  that  filled  the  attractive  tables— from  aged  fingers  which 
could  scarcely  direct  the  needle,  but  must  needs  make  something  for  the  fair 
that  was  to  help  the  grandson  soldier— from  children  eager  to  do  something  for 
the  cause  to  which  their  fathers  were  offering  their  lives— from  the  wealthiest 
and  most  fash  ion  able— from  the  humblest  poverty-stricken  homes  that  were 
still  not  too  poor  to  help  the  soldiers— from  even  the  Lunatic  Asylums  and  the 
Home  of  the  Friendless.  Ladies  presided  behind  the  counters,  fair  prices  were 
charged,  and  the  sales  were  enormous .* 

In  the  other  halls  were  collected  such  displays  as  the  city  had  never  before 

HONORARY  OFFICERS. 
His  Excellency  Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States;  Hon.  Hannibal  Hamlin,  Vice-President;  the 
Honorable  the  Governors  or  the  Loyal  States. 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 
Gentlemen—  Edgar  Conklin,  Chairman ;  David  T.  Woodrow,  Charles  Reakirt,  Benjamin  Bruce,  Charles  F.  Wilstach, 
L.  C.  Hopkins,  James  Dalton,  Charles  E.  Cist. 

Lad»«.-Mrs.  8.  B.  Williams,  Mrs.  W.  F.  Nelson,  Mrs.  R.  M.  W.  Taylor,  Mrs.  Robert  Hosea,  Mrs.  Joseph  Tilney, 
Mrs.  Joseph  Guild,  Mrs.  C.  W.  Starbuck,  Mrs.  John  Kebler,  Mrs.  Dr.  C.  A.  Schneider. 

COMMITTEES. 
Circular*  and  Printing.— John  D.  Caldwell,  Chairman.  Finance.— S.  S.  Davis,  Chairman.  Buildings.— Philip  Hinkle, 
Chairman.  Merchandise  and  Donations.—  W.  T.  Perkins,  Chairman.  Country  Produce.— Adolph  Wood,  Chairman.  Ma- 
chinery and  Mechanical  Exhibitions.— E.  M.  Shield,  Chairman.  On  Agricultural  Machinery.— J.  M.  McCullough,  Chair- 
man. Refreshments.—  J.  W.  Garrison,  Chairman.  Art  Hall,  Gallery  of  Paintings,  Music,  and  Decorations.— Wm.  Wiswell, 
Chairman.  War  Memorials,  Relics,  and  Curiosities.—  George  Graham,  Chairman.  Circulars  and  Correspondence.— Rev .  E. 
T.  Collins,  Chairman.  War  Memorials.— Colonel  A.  W.  Gilbert,  Chairman.  Coins  and  Autographs— T.  C.  Day,  Chairman. 
Horticultural  and  Pomological  Department.— Gentlemen :  D.  B.  Pierson,  Chairman;  Ladies:  Mrs.  W.  S.  Groesbeck,  Chair- 
man. Fruits  and  Flowers.— tin.  D.  T.  Woodrow,  Chairman.  Cliristmas  Trees.— Miss  Rebecca  Groesbeck,  Chairman. 
ft<-/re*Amente.— Mrs.  W.  H.  Dominick,  Chairman.  Evergreen  Decorations.— Mrs.  Wm.  Proctor,  Chairman.  Telegraph  and 
Pont-Qffice.— Miss.  E.  C.  Smith,  Chairman.  Lecttires,  Concerts,  Dramatic,  and  other  Entertainments.- W '.  C.  Peters,  Chair- 
man. Lectures—  S.  S.  Smith,  Chairman.  Concerts.— 8.  Davis,  jr.,  Chairman.  Dramatic  and  Operatic  Entertainments.— W . 
dough,  Chairman.  School  Exhibitions- M.  Glenn,  Chairman.  On  Tableaux— J.  B.  Enneking,  Chairman.  Halls  and 
Theaters.- L.  C.  Hopkins,  Chairman.  Military  Organizations.— J .  J.  Dobmeyer,  Chairman.  Orchestral  Music-Carl 
Barus,  Chairman.  Vocal  Music.-Y.  Williams,  Chairman.  Public  Conveyance  and  Transportation —Hugh  McBirney. 
Chairman.    Employees. -J times  11.  Walker,  Chairman.    Children's  Department.— Lyman  Harding,  Chairman. 

*  L.  C.  Hopkins,  the  well-known  dry  goods  merchant,  was  the  Superintendent  of  the  Bazaar. 


Relief  Worr;  Aid   Societies,  Etc.  269 

gathered — an  accumulation  of  autographs  immense  and  unique;  a  vast  number 
of  relics  and  mementos  of  the  war;  cabinets  of  shells  and  scientific  specimens; 
a  gallery  of  paintings  that  included  some  works  of  European  masters,  and  a  fine 
representation  of  American,  and  particularly  of  Western  artists;  "a  glimp«e 
of  Fairy  Land  "  in  the  luxuriant  profusion  of  the  Horticultural  Department; 
machinery,  agricultural  implements — something  to  interest  and  attract  from 
every  walk  of  life.  The  great  Mozart  Hall  was  night  after  night  filled  with 
audiences  that  congregated  to  hear  readings  from  Jas.  E.  Murdoch  or  Buchanan 
Eead,  or  lectures  from  others  who  patriotically  gave  their  services  to  the  cause; 
ami  the  refreshment  saloon  was  filled  with  the  first  ladies  of  the  city,  who  served 
like  waiters  in  some  mammoth  restaurant. 

The  net  result  of  all  this  labor  and  display  was  the  payment  of  $235,406  to 
the  Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  Sanitary  Commission.*  The  indirect  result  was 
the  quickening  of  the  sympathies  of  a  vast  community  for  the  soldiers,  a  warmer 
flame  of  loyalty  throughout  the  State,  invigoration  in  the  purpose  that  upheld 
the  war,  and  an  example  that  was  to  stir  up  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Pittsburg, 
and  St.  Louis,  to  yet  more  splendid  exhibitions  of  the  munificent  generosity 
of  the  people. 

The  suggestion  of  these  fairs  came  from  Chicago.  Cincinnati  showed  the 
Nation  what  a  large  plan  and  liberal  purpose  could  make  out  of  'them,f  and 
may  well  cherish  her  record  in  this  particular  as  one  of  the  brightest  pages  in 
her  history  through  the  war. 

In  the  story  of  noble  deeds  at  home,  which  we  must  now  end,  we  have 
reserved  the  noblest  feature  for  the  last.  From  the  outbreak  of  the  war  till 
the  hour  of  its  close,  the  hands  of  the  Government  and  of  the  army  were  held  up 
by  the  warm  hearty  zeal  of  the  churches  and  the  clergy.  They  led  in  the 
demand  for  the  maintenance  of  the  National  supremacy.  They  inspired  the 
moral  purpose  of  the  war  and  made  it  a  thing  of  more  than  territorial  signifi- 
cance. They  furnished  the  nucleus  for  home  organizations  for  the  relief  of  the 
soldiers.  They  followed  with  their  ministrations  to  the  camps  and  the  battle- 
fields. They  pierced  the  disguises  of  the  false  pretense  of  Humanity  and 
Christianity  that  clamored  for  peace  without  Liberty  and  Union.  The  sun  did 
stand  on  the  mountains  of  Gilboa  at  their  prayer— the  most  excitable  and 
unstable  people  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race  were  held  true  to  a  fixed  purpose, 
through  rivers  of  blood,  and  mourning  by  every  hearth-stone,  and  the  countless 
cost  of  a  four  years'  fearful  struggle,  till  the  battle  between  Freedom  and 
Slavery  should  be  manfully  fought  out. 

Among  the  earliest  volunteers  were  clergymen.     The  pulpits  of  the  various 

*The  outlay  for  expenses  amounted  to  eight  and  one-fifth  per  cent,  on  this  amount,  which 
added  thereto  gives  the  gross  receipts.  • 

t  The  receipts  of  the  Cincinnati  Fair  were  larger  in  proportion  to  population  than  those  held 
in  any  other  cities,  excepting  Pittshurg  and  St.  Louis,  which,  coming  later,  had  the  advantage 
and  stimulus  of  the  experience  and  success  elsewhere.  The  net  result  of  the  series  of«6anitary 
Fairs  which  this  in  Cincinnati  fairly  opened,  was  over  four  million  dollars,  given  in  aid  of  sol- 
diers and  their  families. 


270  Ohio  in  the   War. 

• 

churches  became  the  foremost  stimulants  to  recruiting.  As  early  as  the  3d  of 
June,  1861,  the  association  of  Evangelical  ministers  of  Cincinnati  adopted  a 
deliverance,*  whereof  these  sentences  should  noL  pass  out  of  men's  memories  in 
the  State  they  inspired: 

"  Deeply  grateful  to  Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  for  his  past  mercies  to  this  Nation, 
and  particularly  noting  at  this  time  His  gracious  goodness  in  leading  our  fathers  to  establish  and 
preserve  for  ns  a  Constitutional  Government  unequalled  among  the  governments  of  the  earth  in 
guarding  the  rights  and  promoting  the  entire  welfare  of  a  great  people — we,  the  Evangelical 
niinistrv  of  Cincinnati,  have  been  lead  by  a  constrained  sense  of  accountability  to  Him,  the 
author  of  all  our  good,  and  by  unfeigned  love  for  our  country,  to  adopt  the  following  statement: 

•  We  are  compelled  to  regard  the  rebellion  which  now  afflicts  our  land  and  jeopardizes  some 
of  the  most  precious  hopes  of  mankind,  as  to  the  result  of  a  long-contemplated  and  wide-spread 
>:icv  against  the  principles  of  liberty,  justice,  mercy,  and  righteousness  proclaimed  in  the 
Word  of  God,  sustained  by  our  Constitutional  Government,  and  lying  at  the  foundation  of  all 
public  and  private  welfare.  In  the  present  conflict,  therefore,  our  Government  stands  before  us  as 
rt  presenting  the  cause  of  God  and  man  against  a  rebellion  threatening  the  Nation  with  ruin,  in 
order  to  perpetuate  and  spread  a  system  of  unrighteous  oppression.  In  this  emergency,  as  min- 
isters of  God,  we  can  not  hesitate  to  support,  by  every  legitimate  method,  the  Government 
in  maintaining  its  authority  unimpaired  throughout  the  whole  country,  and  over  this  whole 
people." 

The  sentiments  thus  expressed  were  echoed  by  almost  every  religious  body 
throughout'  the  State.  Among  others,  was  this  declaration  from  the  venerable 
Bishop  Mcllvaine,  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Convention  at  Cleveland,  in  June, 
1861:  "Our  duty  in  this  emergenc}^  is  bravely,  earnestly,  to  sustain  our  Govern- 
ment in  its  administration  in  the  use  of  all  lawful  means  to  preserve  the  integrity 
of  the  Union."  Not  less  emphatic  and  early  were  the  expressions  of  Archbishop 
Pun-ell,  who  caused  the  American  flag  to  be  raised  over  the  Cathedral  at  Cin- 
einnati,  and  the  churches  in  every  part  of  his  diocese,  and  whose  great  influence 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  was  thrown  throughout  in  favor  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  this  holy  war. 

As  the  struggle  progressed,  the  efforts  for  the  relief  of  soldiers  clustered 
around  the  prayer-meetings,  Sunday-school  associations,  and  ladies'  mite  socie- 
ties of  the  church  congregations  throughout  the  State.  To  trace  the  history  of 
thtee  societies  here  would  be  impossible— they  were  in  every  village  and  hamlet— 
but  the  good  works  they  wrought  are  faithfully  set  down  in  therecord  of  Him 
who  rewardeth  openty. 

As  the  Sanitary  Commission  grew  up,  the  stream  of  church  contributions 
was  turned  into  this  channel.  After  a  time  the  good  men  who  had  followed 
the  :.n„y  witli  the  Bible  and  the  sermon  felt  the  need  of  an  organization  for 
specific  religious  effort  for  the  soldiers,  combined  with  relief  labor,  and  the 
Christian  Commission  began  its  noble  work.f 

*  Imported  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Granville  Moody,  H.  M.  Storrs,  C.  B.  Bovnton,  E. 
I.  hohmson,  and  Joseph  White.  ' . 

gfcj.1"  tlie  1U8t  amiUal  rep°rt0f  this  Commission  the  following  list  of  the  Ohio  membership  in 

A    I    r„„IB~R    "NpIN?,ATI  ?RANCn   UNITED  STATES  CHRISTIAN   COMMISSION. 
CtaDLAw,  <.V„,ral  Ay,/t.  "t;  H-  T"ANE  M,LLEa<  Vice-President;  Rev.  J.  F.  Maklay,  Secretary;  Rev.  B.  W. 

™-Wil„aul  T.  Perkins,  Tho,as  F.  Shaw,  George  II.  Warner,  E.  Sargent,  W.  W.  Scarborough,  Hon. 


Relief  Work;  Aid   Societies,  Etc.  271 

The  reports  give  the  cash  receipts  of  the  brandies  in  Ohio  as: 

Cincinnati  Branch  up  to  1864 $70,493 

Cincinnati  Branch  up  to  1805 38  396 

Cleveland  Branch — total 8,144 

Total $117,033 

Besides,  stores  were  received  in  Cincinnati  amounting  in  value  to  the 
splendid  sum  of  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  thousand  six  hundred  and  two 
dollars,  and  publications  for  distribution  among  the  soldiers,  valued  at  three 
thousand  and  twenty-four  dollars.  In  Cleveland  the  gifts  of  stores  amounted  to 
five  thousand  five  hundred* dollars,  and  of  publications  to  twelve  hundred  dollars.* 

Some  further  facts  as  to  the  operations  of  this  unobtrusive  but  most  effi- 
cient organization  may  be  presented  in  the  condensed  closing  report  of  the 
Cincinnati  Branch: 

"  From  the  1st  of  January,  1865,  the  date  of  the  last  annual  report,  until  the  office  was 
closed,  about  the  middle  of  August,  the  work  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch  continued  to  prosper.  It 
was  understood,  soon  after  the  fall  of  Richmond,  that  the  business  of  the  Commission  would  be 
closed  up  as  speedily  as  possible.  Notwithstanding  a  public  statement  to  this  effect,  the  people 
of  Ohio  continued  to  furnish  the  means  necessary  to  carry  on  our  operations  creditably  and  suc- 
cessfully, until  supplies  were  no  longer  needed.  Some  of  the  most  prominent  items  of  receipts 
and  distributions  are  given  in  the  following  table  : 

Number  of  boxes,  etc.,  of  stores  sent  to  the  field,  or  distributed  at  Home,  exclusive  of  those  sent  to,  or 

received  from  the  Central  or  Branch  offices 3,446 

Number  of  boxes,  etc.,  of  publications  sent  to  the  field,  or  distributed  at  Home,  exclusive  of  those  sent  to, 

or  received  from  Central  or  Branch  offices 161 

Number  of  boxes  of  stores  donated  directly  to  this  Branch 3,114 

Number  of  boxes  of  publications  donated  directly  to  this  Branch 27 

Estimated  value  of  these  donated  stores «..: $289,602  74 

Estimated  value  of  these  donated  publications $3,024  00 

Number  of  copies  of  .Scriptures,  or  portions  of  them  distributed 9,940 

Number  of  hymn  and  psalm-books ! ..„ 65,091 

Number  of  soldiers'  and  sailors'  knapsack  books,  in  paper  or  flexible  covers 458,063 

Number  of  bound  volumes  of  library  and  other  books . 8,678 

Number  of  magazines  and  pamphlets „ 18,117 

Aggregate  number  of  weekly  and  monthly  religions  newspapers 803,236 

Number  of  pages  of  tracts 101,653 

"In  making  up  this  final  statement  of  our  Branch  of  the  United  States  Christian  Commis- 
sion, it  is  due  the  generous  people  who  have  so  freely  contributed  to  sustain  it,  to  make  a  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  their  untiring  liberality.  From  the  opening  of  the  office,  at  No.  51  Vine 
Street,  until  it  was  closed,  an  uninterrupted  stream  of  money  and  stores  poured  in  upon  us  from 
the  patriotic  men  and  women  of  the  West,  and  especially  of  the  State  of  Ohio.     Soldiers'  Aid 

Bellamy  Storer,  Phillip  Phillips,  T.  G.  Odiorne,  B.  Homans,  jr.,  George  F.  Davis,  Wm,  J.  Breed,  Eli  Johnson,  Benja- 
min Frankiand,  H.  Wilson  Brown,  Thomas  Frankland,  J.  M.  Johnston,  Hugh  Stewart,  M.  B.  Hagaus,  Matthew 
Addy,  R.  A.  Holden.    Gambikr— Rev.  Archibald  M.  Morrison. 

CLEVELAND   COMMITTEE   UNITED   STATES   CHRISTIAN   COMMISSION. 

Executive  Committee— Hon.  Stillmaji  Witt,  President;  Joseph  Perkins,  Vice-President;  L.  F.  ItKUBK,  Sec- 
retary; S.  H.  Mather,  Treasurer;  George  Mygatt,  Receiver  of  Supplies;  lion.  William  Castle,  Rev.  T.  11.  Hawks, 
D.  D.;  T.  P.  Handy,  Dr.  H.  K.  Cushing,  Rev.  J.  M.  Hoyt,  D  inb  1  P.  Eels,  Horace  B  nton. 

Committee— Hon.  William  A.  Otis,  Rev.  Samuel  Wolcott,  D.  D.;  Rev.  Dr.  W.  H.  Goodrich,  Ansel  Boberts,  J.  E. 
Ingersoll,  Rev.  J.  Montieth,  jr.;  Rev.  S.  B.  Page,  Georjre  W.  Whitney,  Hon.  John  A.  Foote,  Rev.  Charles  Hammer,  Dr. 
Alleyne  Maynard,  Jay  Odell,  Hon.  J.  P.  Bishop,  Rev.  William  A.  i!oge,  Dr.  E  '.ward  Taylor,  Rev.  C.  Butt-nick,  E.  R. 
Perkins,  J.  H.  Dewitt,  Rev.  J.  A.  Thome,  Rev.  Moses  Hill,  Rev.  Bishop  C.  Kingsley. 

NORTH-WESTERN   BRANCH    UNITED   STATES   CHRISTIAN    COMMISSION,    TOLEDO. 
W.  Baker,  President;  Rev.  C.  T.  Wales,  Recording  Secretary;  Rev.  H.  W.  Pikbson,  D.  D.,  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary ;  D.  B.  Smith,  Treasurer. 

•  The  Toledo  collections  seem,  in  the  reports  of  the  Christian  Commission,  to  have  gone  to 
Bwell  the  sums  credited  to  Chicago. 


272 


Ohio  in  the  Wab. 


Societies  and  Ladies'  Christian  Commissions,  by  scores  and  hundreds,  kept  us  supplied  with  the 
means  to  minister  largely  to  the  comfort  and  temporal  wants  of  our  noble  boys  in  blue !  We  held 
DO  large  Mm  of  money  in  our  treasury,  believing  that  Providence  would  furnish  us  the  means  to 
do  OUT  u-rk.  3od  honored  the  faith  of  his  servants-since,  although  our  funds  were  often  low, 
we  never  were  without  the  means  to  meet  our  obligations. 

"Tin-  removal  of  Rev.  E.  P.  Smith,  the  efficient  and  successful  Field  Agent  of  our  depart- 
ment to  the  Eastern  work,  was  felt  to  be  a  severe  loss.  From  the  beginning  he  had  superin- 
tend..1  the  work  in  the  West  with  a  sagacity,  discrimination  and  zeal  worthy  of  the  highest 
praiM  His  self-denying  labors,  amid  suffering  and  personal  dangers,  in  behalf  of  his  country, 
in  all  the  dark  days  and  months  of  the  great  rebellion,  should  endear  him  to  the  hearts  of  his 

countrymen. 

•  Hi.  place  at  Nashville  was  well  filled  by  Mr.  T.  R.  Ewing,  an  earnest  Christian  gentleman, 
and  a  most  genial,  kind-hearted  man  and  efficient  administrator.  Mrs.  E.  P.  Smith  remained  in 
charge  of  the  'home'  at  Nashville,  performing  a  service  for  which  few  women  could  have  been 
found  equally  qualified,  with  a  cheerfulness  and  hearty  enthusiasm  worthy  of  all  honor.  Hun- 
dreds and  thousands  of  soldiers,  who  have  been  in  the  hospitals  of  Nashville,  will  remember 
Mrs.  Smith  to  their  dying  day.  Not  a  few  will  join  in  gratitude  with  an  Illinois  soldier,  who 
said  to  the  friend  at  his  cot,  taking  his  dying  message,  'Tell  Mrs.  Smith  I  shall  thank  her  in 
heaven  for  the  ice.' 

"The  transfer  of  Rev.  J.  F.  Loyd  to  the  Louisville  agency  was  an  important  and  satisfactory 
change.  Under  his  wise  and  faithful  administration,  and  by  the  transfer  of  General  Sherman  to 
L..uisville,  this  became  one  of  our  most  interesting  fields.  We  believe  that  the  Christian  Com- 
mission has  had  few  workers  more  reliable,  faithful,  and  competent  than  Mr.  Loyd.  The  statis- 
tical tables  published  in  this  report  will  exhibit  the  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  year. 
Daring  the  last  year  of  our  work  our  financial  records  were  kept  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Breed,  of  the 
Commission,  who  rendered  thus,  gratuitously,  a  service  of  great  magnitude  and  importance,  in 
addition  to  his  very  liberal  cash  contributions. 

"A.  E.  Chamberlain  &  Co.,  have  given  us  office  and  store-room  without  charge. 

"Our  President,  Mr.  Chamberlain,  continued  to  serve  the  cause  with  unabated  zeal  and  suc- 
cess until  the  last.  For  more  than  two  years  all  his  time  was  consecrated  to  his  suffering  country. 
By  public  addresses,  all  over  Ohio,  he  aroused  the  zeal  of  others,  and  contributed  more  largely 
than  any  other  person  to  make  the  Christian  Commission  the  people's  favorite  channel  of  com- 
munication with  the  army.  In  this  work  of  appeal  to  the  people  at  home,  we  have,  also,  been 
very  largely  aided  by  services  most  cheerfully  and  efficiently  rendered  by  Hon.  Bellamy  Storer 
and  Rev.  B.  W.  Chidlaw.  The  volume  which  records  the  closing  labors  of  so  beneficent  an 
institution  would  be  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory  if  it  did  not  make  special  mention  of  these 
noble  men,  who  rendered  such  unselfish  and  signal  service  to  the  best  Government  God  ever  gave 
to  man,  in  the  darkest  hour  of  its  whole  history.  JOHN  F.  MARLAY,  Secretary." 

With  this  we  close.  No  effort  bus  been  made  to  present  in  detail  this  great 
Relief  Work,  in  which,  through  various  organizations  and  in  many  ways  for  all 
the  weary  years  of  the  war,  those  at  home  strove  in  labors,  privations,  and 
prayers,  to  emulate  the  sacrifices  and  the  achievements  of  the  men  in  the  field.  To 
do  that  were  impossible.  But  we  hope  to  have  left  some  traces,  however  imper- 
fect, which  may  show  to  those  who  come  after  us  that  the  people  of  Ohio  were 
worthy  of  their  Soldiers.     And  so  we  turn  from  the  work  at  home  to  the  front. 


•      •   •    • 


IRAIOT    II. 


THE  LIVES  OF  OHIO  GENERALS, 


/ 

WITH  SKETCHES  OF  THE 


WAR  GOVERNORS  AND  OTHER  PUBLIC  MEN, 


INCIDENTS,  ETC. 


Vol.  I.— 18. 


George  B.  McClellan.  275 


MAJOR-GENERAL  GEORGE  B.  McCLELLAN. 


"  The  uncertain  future,  O  king,  has  yet  to  come,  with  every  possible  variety  of  fortune ;  and 
him  only  to  whom  the  gods  have  continued  happiness  unto  the  end,  we  call  happy.  To  salute  as 
happy,  one  still  in  the  midst  of  life  and  hazard,  we  think  as  little  safe  and  conclusive  as  to  crown 
and  proclaim  victorious  the  wrestler  that  is  yet  in  the  ring."* 

IT  was  the  peculiar  misfortune  of  the  first  General  whom  Ohio  gave  to 
the  War  for  the  Union,  that  his  friends,  not  even  satisfied  with  proclaim- 
ing victorious  the  wrestler  yet  in  the  ring,  insisted  upon  crowning  him 
at  the  very  moment  of  his  entrance.  Christened  "Young  Napoleon  "  before  he 
had  ever  commanded  a  regiment  under  fire,f  and  accepted  by  the  Nation,  in  its 
piteous  want  of  a  Leader,  at  his  ostensible  valuation,  it  was  not  wonderful  that 
when  summer  had  ripened  into  fall  around  his  motionless  battalions,  and  winter 
had  snowed  them  in,  and  spring  had  found  them  motionless  still,  he  discovered  the 
patient  people  begin  to  demand  some  sign  of  Napoleonic  deeds.  Thenceforward 
he  was  forever  judged  by  the  false  standard  which  his  own  friends  had  set  up. 

And  when  he  failed  to  reach  this  standard,  whether  through  lack  of  sup- 
port or  in  spite  of  it,  in  the  eyes  of  the  Government  that  had  accepted  him  in 
implicit  faith,  and  in  the  eyes  of  the  People  that  had  crowned  him  Leader  in 
advance  and  on  trust,  his  failure  was  absolute.  No  excuses  were  heard ;  no 
just  and  proper  pleas  of  youth  and  inexperience  were  admitted  in  abatement. 
He  had  not  been  taken  from  the  obscurity  of  his  Cincinnati  home,  and  his 
resigned  Captaincy  to  a  Major-Generalship  above  Harney  and  Wool,  and  the 
whole  hierarchy  of  our  body  of  regulars ;  from  the  theater  of  insignificant 
mountain  skirmishes  to  the  command  of  the  grandest  army  ever  assembled 
on  the  continent,  and  thence  to  the  still  giddier  height  of  the  command  of  all 
our  armies,  because  he  had  been  an  industrious  military-  student,  and  had 
written  pains-taking  accounts  of  the  various  organizations  of  European  troops. 
So  much  was  true  of  him,  and  with  this  basis  for  his  starting-point,  he  might 
have  run  a  creditable  career.  But  this  would  not  satisfy  the  vaulting  ambition 
of  his  quick-witted  and  influential  friends.  The  Country  must  take  him — the 
Country  did  take  him  through  their  solicitation,  and,  (alas  that  it  must  be  writ- 
ten !)  through  his  own  connivance — as  a  very  god  of  War,  leaping  in  full  panoply, 
as  from  the  brain  of  Jove  himself,  out  of  the  smoke  and  coal-dust  of  the  Ohio  and 
Mississippi  Eailroad  Office.  Fifteen  months  of  trial  brought  forth,  perhaps 
respectable,  but  certainly  neither  god-like  nor  Napoleonic  achievements  ;  and 
so  it  came  to  pass,  through  an  inevitable  law  of  the  human  mind,  that  when, 

•  Plutarch,  Life  of  Croesus. 

tFor  his  achievements  in  West  Virginia  rose  to  no  such  dignity. 


276  Ohio    in  the  Wae. 

after  this  time,  men  spoke  of  him  they  gave  no  credit  for  what  he  really  did, 
but  recited  what  he  had  promised  to  do  ;  treated  him  as  men  treat  those  who 
obtained  valuables  of  them  under  false  pretenses;  stigmatized  the  friends 
who  had  borne  him  forward  as  the  utterers  of  false  coin. 

But  those  friends  were  blinder  than  the  Bourbons.  On  the  platform  of 
military  failure  they  conceived  the  project  of  erecting  a  fabric  of  political 
ss.  An  elegant  writer  has  very  justly  said,  that  "the  outposts  of  an  army 
mark  the  line  where  the  sphere  of  party  politics  ends."*  But  in  this  case  the 
very  head-quarters  of  the  army  marked  the  spot  where  the  sphere  of  party 
politics  began.  For  more  than  a  year  the  utterances  of  those  head-quarters 
were  addressed  scarcely  more  to  soldiers  than  to  voters — were  meant  to  inspire 
ballots  quite  as  much  as  bayonets.  From  such  command  of  the  army,  the 
General  passed  into  the  heat  of  a  fervid  Presidential  campaign ;  and  from  that 
time  whatever  ill  he  had  done  was  magnified  and  distorted  by  his  opponents, 
whatever  good  he  had  done  was  magnified  and  distorted  by  his  partisans,  till 
the  atmosphere  about  the  man  being  thus  perpetually  disturbed,  a  clear,  honest 
view  of  him  was  impossible. 

If  now,  the  war  being  over,  and  the  political  campaign  which  he  led  being 
no  less  definitely  closed,  we  find,  in  reviewing  his  character  and  career,  some- 
what to  praise,  for  which  due  praise  has  not  been  given,  some  blame  to  lift  to 
other  shoulders  which  his  have  thus  far  borne,  it  will  be  none  the  less  satisfac- 
tory that  at  last  an  impartial  judgment  of  the  man  and  his  doings  seems 
possible. 

George  Brinton  McClellan,  the  first  General  appointed  in  Ohio  after  the 
outbreak  of  the  War  for  the  Union,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  December  3d, 
1826.  His  father,  who  was  of  Scottish  descent,  was  a  physician  of  high  repute,  and 
had  been  graduated  from  Yale  College.  Young  McClellan  spent  his  school- 
boy days,  under  careful  training,  in  Philadelphia ;  first  in  Mr.  Walker's  select 
school,  then  in  Mr.  Schipper's,  then  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
came  to  be  known  as  a  solid,  pains-taking  scholar,  not  at  all  precocious,  rather 
slow  than  otherwise  in  mastering  his  tasks,  but  likely  to  be  thorough  in  any- 
thing which  he  professed  to  know. 

When  not  quite  sixteen  years  of  age  an  appointment  was  procured  for  him 
at  West  Point,  whither  some  hints  of  a  military  taste  seemed  to  indicate  that 
he  should  be  sent,  In  the  military  academy  he  was  guilty  of  no  escapades,  was 
involved  in  no  combinations  against  the  discipline  of  the  institution.  Youth 
and  elasticity  of  spirits  were  happily  bent  to  the  duties  of  his  class,  and  at  the 
end  of  his  four  years  he  came  out  just  what  might  have  been  expected  from  the 
promise  of  the  preparatory  schools,  a  good,  plodding,  industrious,  well-read 
military  scholar.  One  of  his  classmates  has  since  made  immortal  the  name  of 
Stonewall  Jackson.  Among  others  were  such  names  as  John  G.  Foster,  Jesse 
L.  Reno,  Darius  N.  Couch,  George  Stoneman,  Dabney  H.  Maury,  George  II. 
Gordon,  and  George  E.  Pickett.  Among  these  men  Stonewall  Jackson  ranked 
♦Life  of  McClellan,  by  George  S.  Hillard,  page  139. 


George   B.    McClellan.  277 

seventeenth,  George  B.  McClellan  second,  and  Charles  G.  Stewart  (now  a  Major 
of  Engineers),  the  first.  So  worthless  are  academy  standards  as  an  indication 
of  standing  in  life  and  in  history ! 

Young  McClellan,  a  well-educated,  well-featured,  well-mannered,  strong- 
limhed  boy  of  twenty,  came  out  from  the  academy  with  the  golden  opinions  of 
his  professors,  just  as  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  War  gave  special  meaning 
to  the  uniform  he  wore.  He  was  at  once  assigned  to  the  duty  of  organizing  a 
company  of  sappers  and  miners,  and,  in  September,  he  sailed  with  his  command 
for  the  seat  of  war.  Presently  we  find  him  a  brevet  Second  Lieutenant,  tracing 
lines  of  investment  before  Vera  Cruz,  under  such  immediate  superiors  as  Cap- 
tain R,  E.  Lee,  First  Lieutenant  P.  Gr.  T.  Beauregard,  and  Second  Lieutenant 
G-.  W.  Smith.  Good  old  Colonel  Totten  thanked  them  all  in  a  lot  for  their 
work,  and  reported  them  to  Winfield  Scott  as  having  rendered  engineering 
services  whose  value  could  not  be  overestimated. 

Thenceforward  we  catch  occasional  glimpses  of  Lieutenant  McClellan,  in 
lists  of  official  reports,  in  notes  of  recommendation  to  superior  officers,  in  orders 
of  thanks.  At  Cerro  Gordo  his  command  cleared  away  the  obstacles  in  front 
of  Pillow's  assaulting  columns ;  at  Puebla,  while  reconnoitering,  he  captured  a 
Mexican  cavalryman ;  at  Mexicalcingo  he  made  another  reconnoissance,  .and 
Lieutenant  Beauregard  saved  him  from  capture;  at  Contreras,  while  posting 
batteries,  he  had  two  horses  killed  under  him,  and  finally  was  himself  knocked 
down  by  a  spent  grape  shot,  which  struck  the  hilt  of  his  sword.  At  last  the 
City  of  Mexico  was  assaulted,  and  we  get  a  fresh  glimpse  of  Lieutenant  McClel- 
lan at  the  San  Cosme  gate,  burrowing  with  his  miners  through  the  walls  of  a 
block  of  adobe  houses,  to  emerge  in  the  street  at  the  rear  of  a  Mexican  battery 
which  held  the  gate,  and,  in  his  eagerness,  falling  full  length  into  a  ditch  of 
dirty  water  that  had  nearly  been  the  death  of  him.  And  so  his  services  in 
Mexico  ended. 

Our  boy  of  twenty  was  now  a  little  more  than  a  year  older.  He  had  seen 
some  active  campaigning ;  had  behaved  as  any  lad  of  spirit  would  ;  and  had 
come  out  with  praise  and  brevets,  some  of  which  he  deserved,  and  some  of 
which,  to  his  credit,  he  refused.* 

He  returned  with  his  company  to  West  Point;  and,  for  a  time,  was  engaged 
in  drilling  them,  (does  it  not  sound  characteristic  that,  writing  to  his  sister-in- 
law  of  this  formidable  work,  he  should  say,  "  I've  enough  to  do  to  occupy  half 
a  dozen  persons;  but  I  rather  think  I  can  get  through  with  it?")  in  writing 
military  papers  to  be  read  before  his  club,  and,  finally,  in  translating  from  the 
French  a  manual  of  bayonet  exercise  for  the  use  of  our  little  army.  Then 
followed  a  short  service  under  Captain  Marcy,  in  explorations  on  the  Indian 
frontier;  and  a  longer  task  of  coast-soundings  and  harbor-surVeys  along  the 
coast  of  Texas.     A   brief,  business-like  report  to  Colonel  Totten,  suggesting 

*  It  is  curiously  illustrative  of  the  value  of  these  Mexican  honors,  and  of  the  miscellaneous 
manner  in  which  they  were  dealt  out,  that  Lieutenant  McClellan  was  brevetted  Captain  for 
"gallant  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Molino  delRey."  He  declined  the  honor,  for  the  very  satis- 
factory reason  that  he  had  not  been  present  at  the  battle. 


278 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


improvements    in    the   harbors   and    giving    estimates,    closed   this    labor,    in 

April,  1853. 

Captain  McClellan*  was  now  given  charge  of  an  exploring  expedition  of 
his  own  among  the  Cascade  Mountains  of  Oregon  and  Washington— being  one 
of  the  general  series  of  Pacific  Eailroad  Explorations  about  this  time  ordered. 
The  summer  and  fall  were  spent  in  the  duties  of  this  exploration— the  result 
being,  in  brief,  the  report  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  that  through  the  region 
explored  ho  had  found  but  two  practicable  passes  for  a  railroad,  the  best  of 
which,  that  of  the  Columbia  Eiver,  was  quite  easy. 

On  his  return  to  Washington  Captain  McClellan  was  given  the  duty  of 
visiting  the  West  Indies  secretly,  and  selecting  a  desirable  coaling-station  for 
the  United  States  navy.  He  chose  the  harbor  and  peninsula  of  Samana,  in 
Hayti,  a  point  which  the  United  States  has  thus  far  failed  to  secure. 

In  these  various  services  Captain  McClellan  had  shown  industry  and  com- 
mendable skill.  The  Secretary  of  War,  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis,  now  selected  him 
as  the  third  of  a  commission  charged  with  the  duty  of  visiting  Europe,  during 
the  progress  of  the  Crimean  War,  to  take  note  of  the  military  organizations 
and  improvements  there  displayed.  A  year  thus  spent,  with  only  average 
facilities  for  observation,  resulted  in  an  elaborate  report  to  Secretary  Davis  on 
the  organization  of  European  armies — a  work  well  but  not  brilliantly  written, 
furnishing  much  that  had  been  dug  out  of  books  and  reports,  and  a  little  that 
was  derived  from  personal  observation,  the  whole  giving  a  disproportionate 
prominence  to  the  cavalry  arm,  to  which  the  author  had  been  recently  trans- 
ferred. 

Shortly  after  his  return,  in  January,  1857,  Captain  McClellan  tendered 
his  resignation  as  an  officer  of  the  army.  He  had  been  in  it  from  boyhood;  he 
was  now  thirty  years  of  age  and  still  a  Captain.  Other  pursuits,  for  which  his 
military  education  fitted  him,  offered  ^pleasanter  life  and  far  more  lucrative 
returns.  He  was  soon  selected  as  Engineer  of  the  Illinois  Central  Eailroad, 
and,  shortly  afterward,  as  its  Yice-President.  Here  he  continued  for  three 
years,  winning  little  outside  fame,  but  making  such  an  impression  upon  rail- 
road men,  that  in  1860  he  was  elected  as  the  President  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi. 
He  accepted  the  situation,  and  removed  to  Cincinnati,  where  he  continued  to 
reside  till  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 

In  May,  1860,  in  his  thirty-third  year,  he  married  Miss  Ellen  Marcy,  the 
daughter  of  Captain  E.  B.  Marcy,  of  the  army,  under  whom  he  had  served  in 
his  first  frontier  exploration. 

Such  was  the  entire  public  career  of  the  man  whom  the  Government  was 
about  to  advance  to  its  highest  trusts.  He  had  behaved  well  as  a  Second  Lieu- 
tenant through  the  Mexican  War;  had,  as  an  Engineer,  made  some  good  coast- 
soundings  and  a  couple  of  minor  frontier  explorations,  and  had  written  a  highly 
respectable  work  about  European  armies.  But,  beyond  this,  he  had  made  such 
an  impression  upon  the  small  body  of  men  giving  attention  to  the  affairs  of  our 

V^nthe  PePartment  had  Allowed  up  its  brevet  for  Molino  del  Key  by  the  better-deserved 
one  of     Captain  for  meritorious  services  in  the  assault  on  the  City  of  Mexico." 


George  B.   McClellan.  279 

army,  that  they  thought  of  him  as  among  the  most  promising  of  its  younger 
officers.  His  experience  in  civil  life  was  practically  nothing,  save  as  connected 
with  railroading.  Of  politics  he  knew  nothing,  and  was  careless.  He  had 
voted  but  once  in  his  life;  then  it  was  in  Illinois,  against  Mr.  Lincoln  and  in 
favor  of  Mr.  Douglas. 

When  the  whirlwind  of  military  enthusiasm,  that  followed  the  assault  on 
Fort  Sumter,  sw^ept  over  Ohio,  Governor  Dennison,  overrun  with  military 
questions  of  which  he  felt  himself  ignorant,  and  with  military  applicants  for 
offices  the  very  duties  of  which  he  did  not  understand,  felt  at  once  the  necessity 
of  advice  from  experts,  and  cast  about  him  for  West  Point  officers.  He  had 
been  largely  in  the  railroad  business  himself,  and  thus  happened  to  know  that 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  road  was  managed  by  a  Captain  McClellan,  of  whom 
army  men  had  spoken  highly.  He  telegraphed  for  the  Captain  at  once,  asked 
his  aid  in  the  organization  of  the  Ohio  volunteers,  and,  at  the  request  of  the 
Captain  himself,  sent  to  Washington,  asking  his  re-instatement  in  the  regular 
army,  in  some  position  commensurate  with  the  wants  of  the  service.  No  im- 
mediate reply  was  received.  Meantime,  Captain  McClellan  two  or  three  times 
visited  the  Governor's  office,  and  spent  an  hour  or  two  answering  questions  and 
making  suggestions.  Presently,  under  authority  of  a  law  hurried  through  the 
Legislature,  Captain  McClellan  was  appointed  Major-General,  and  Messrs. 
Schleich,  Cox,  and  Bates,  Brigadier-Generals  of  Ohio  Militia  Yolunteers.  Three 
weeks  later,  on  the  14th  of  May,  1861,  the  War  Department,  on  the  suggestion 
of  General  Scott,  commissioned  Captain.  McClellan  a  Major-General  of  the  regu- 
lar army ;  John  C.  Fremont  being,  on  the  same  day,  re-appointed  to  the  army 
and  promoted  to  the  same  rank.  At  the  same  time  the  new  Major-General  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  a  department,  embracing  the  States  of  Ohio, 
Indiana,  and  Illinois — so  that  Governor  Dennison  lost  almost  at  the  moment  of 
receiving  the  aid  he  had  sought  in  the  organization  of  Ohio  troops. 

But  he  was  soon  to  experience  an  unexpected  result  of  the  promotion  he 
had  suggested.  A  camp  of  instruction  was  formed  near  Cincinnati,  known  as 
Camp  Dennison,  where,  as  fast  as  they  were  raised,  troops  were  rendezvoused 
and  turned  over  to  General  McClellan  and  the  other  United  States  author- 
ities. For  months  the  people  of  the  State  were  besieged  with  complaints 
as  to  the  mismanagement  of  this  camp,  to  the  great  injury  of  the  recruiting 
service,  not  less  than  to  the  demoralization  of  the  troops  already  raised.  The 
whole  burden  of  the  complaint — for  lack  of  proper  food,  insufficient  arms,  tents, 
clothing,  everything — wTas  laid  upon  Governor  Dennison.  General  McClellan 
never  uttered  a  word  to  relieve  him  of  this  obloquy,  though  the  entire  matter 
was  all  the  time  entirely  in  his  own  hands !  Much  of  the  complaint  was  unjust 
and  unreasonable ;  but  it  would  at  least  have  been  considerate,  as  well  as  a  del- 
icate courtesy  to  the  man  who  had  first  appointed  him,  to  have  simply  borne 
his  own  burdens. 

One  of  General  McClellan's  earliest  actions  as  department  commander  was 
to  enter  into  negotiation  with  General  Buckner,  then  Inspector-General  of  Ken- 


280 


Ohio  in  the  War, 


tacky  on  the  subject  of  the  -neutrality"  of  that  State.  He  went  so  far  as  to 
'•'that  "the  territory  of  Kentucky  should  be. respected  on  the  part  of  the 

United  States,  even  though  the  Southern  States  should  occupy  it,"  only  exact- 
B  promise  that,  in  this  last  case,  Kentucky  should  try  to  drive  them  out, 

and,  in  event  of  her  failure,  McClellan  should  then  have  permission  to  do  it,  on 

condition  of  straightway  retiring  again  to  the  north  side  of  the  Ohio  River.* 

*  General  McClellan  having  subsequently  disputed  General  Buckner's  statements  concerning 
this  agreement,  and  the  matter  having  formed  the  subject  of  some  acrimonious  political  discus- 
sion, I  subjoin'  the  correspondence  of  different  parties  concerned,  throwing  light  upon  it.  Gen- 
eral McClellan's  denial  is  first  given  : 

"  Grafton,  Virginia,  June  26,  1861. 
"  Captain  TV.  Wilson,  United  States  Navy  : 

"  My  interview  with  General  Buckner  was  personal,  not  official.  It  was  solicited  by  him 
more  than  once.  I  made  no  stipulation  on  the  part  of  the  General  Government,  and  regarded 
his  voluntary  promise  to  drive  out  the  Confederate  troops  as  the  only  result  of  the  interview. 
His  letter  gives  his  own  views,  not  mine.  G.  B.  McCLELLAN." 

"  Head-Quarters  Kentucky  State  Guard,  ") 
Louisville,  June  10,  1861.         J 

"  Sir  :  On  the  8th  instant,  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  I  entered  into  an  arrangement  with  Major- 
General  George  B.  McClellan,  commander  of  the  United  States  troops  in  the  States  north  of  the 
Ohio  River,  to  the  following  effect : 

"The  authorities  of  the  State  of  Kentucky  are  to  protect  the  United  States  property  within 
the  limits  of  the  State,  to  enforce  the  laws  of  the  United  States  in  accordance  with  the  interpreta- 
tions of  the  United  States  Courts,  as  far  as  those  laws  may  be  applicable  to  Kentucky,  and  to 
enforce,  with  all  the  power  of  the  State,  our  obligations  of  neutrality  as  against  the  Southern 
States,  as  long  as  the  position  we  have  assumed  shall  be  respected  by  the  United  States. 

"General  McClellan  stipulates  that  the  territory  of  Kentucky  shall  be  respected  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States,  even  though  the  Southern  States  should  occupy  it ;  but  in  the  latter  case  he 
will  call  upon  the  authorities  of  Kentucky  to  remove  the  Southern  forces  from  our  territory. 
Should  Kentucky  fail  to  accomplish  this  object  in  a  reasonable  time,  General  McClellan  claims 
the  right  of  occupancy  given  the  Southern  forces.  I  have  stipulated,  in  that  case,  to  advise  him 
of  the  inability  of  Kentucky  to  comply  with  her  obligations,  and  to  invite  him  to  dislodge  the 
Southern  forces.  He  stipulates  that,  if  successful  in  so  doing,  he  will  withdraw  his  forces  from 
the  territory  of  the  State  as  soon  as  the  Southern  forces  shall  be  removed. 

"  This,  he  assures  me,  is  the  policy  he  will  adopt  toward  Kentucky. 

"  Should  the  Administration  hereafter  adopt  a  different  policy,  he  is  to  give  me  timely  notice 
of  the  fact. 

"  The  well-known  character  of  General  McClellan  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  the  fulfillment 
of  every  stipulation  on  his  part. 

"  I  am,  Sir,  very  respectfully, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 

"S.  B.  BUCKNER,  Inspector-General." 

"  Cincinnati,  June  7,  1861. 
"  To  lion.  J.  J.  Crittenden,  Franl-fort,  Kentucky  : 

"  The  papers  of  this  morning  state  that  General  Prentiss,  commander  United  States  forces  at 
Cairo,  has  sent  troops  across  the  Ohio  River  into  Kentucky.  I  have  no  official  notice  of  such  a 
movement ;  but  I  at  once  telegraphed  General  Prentiss  for  the  facts,  and  stated  to  him  that  if  the 
report  were  true,  I  disapproved  his  course,  and  ordered  him  to  make  no  more  such  movements 
without  my  sanction  previously  obtained.  GEO.  B.  McCLELLAN,  Major-General." 

"  Cincinnati,  June  11,  1861. 
"  Governor  B.  Magoffin  : 

"I  have  received  information  that  Tennessee  troops  are  under  orders  to  occupy  Island  No.  1, 
six  miles  below  Cairo.    In  accordance  with  my  understanding  with  General  Buckner  I  call  upon 


George  B.   McClellan.  281 

And  General  Buckner  was  good  enough  to  assure  Governor  Magoffin  that  "the 
well-known  character  of  General  McClellan  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  the  ful- 
fillment of  every  stipulation  on  his  part."  It  is  not  known  that  there  was  any 
Government  sanction  for  this  extraordinary  action;  but,  so  anomalous  and  un- 
settled were  the  times,  it  was  never  noticed,  and  soon,  of  course,  became  a  dead 
letter. 

Meanwhile  a  few  regiments  of  Ohio  State  troops  had  been  hurried  across 
the  West  Yirginia  border;  they  had  been  followed  by  Indiana  n -enforce- 
ments, under  General  Thomas  A.  Morris,  to  whom  General  McClellan  addressed 
a  sagacious  and  comprehensive  letter  of  instructions ;  and  proclamations  had 
been  issued  to  the  soldiers  on  taking  the  field,  and  to  the  West  Virginians  on 
entering  their  territory.  This  last  assured  the  people  that  there  would  be  no 
interference  with  their  slaves  ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  "  we  will,  with  an  iron 
hand,  crush  any  attempt  at  insurrection  on  their  part."  The  equipment  of 
troops  was  hastened  ;  most  of  all,  efforts  were  made  to  secure  adequate  trans- 
portation, by  which,  at  that  early  period,  was  meant  not  less  than  fifteen  to 
eighteen  wagons  for  a  regiment*  At  last,  on  the  20th  of  June,  1861,  General 
McClellan  himself  started  for  the  field. 

The  army  now  under  the  command  of  General  McClellan  at  Grafton  and 
Clarksburg,  West  Virginia,  was  about  eighteen  thousand  strong.  The  Rebel 
force,  under  General  Garnett,  probably  reached  six  thousand — fifteen  hundred, 
under  Colonel  Pegram,  in  fortifications  at  Eich  Mountain,  the  remaining  forty- 
five  hundred,  under  Garnett  himself,  in  a  fortified  camp  on  Laurel  Hill.  The 
troops  were  equally  raw  on  either  side,  and  whatever  advantage  there  was  from 
the  sympathy  of  the  inhabitants  inured  to  the  benefit  of  the  Xational  forces. 

The  plan  for  the  campaign,  as  elaborated  during  the  few  days  spent  by 
General  McClellan  at  Grafton,  was  simple.  Colonel  Pegram's  force  at  Rich 
Mountain  was  a  mere  outpost,  protecting  Garnett's  flank  and  rear.  If  that 
could  be  suddenly  overpowered,  the  victors  would  be  planted  upon  Pegram's 
line  of  retreat.  He  was,  therefore,  to  be  amused  by  the  demonstrations  of  a 
considerable  force  in  his  front  while  the  outpost  was  being  carried.  Then, 
from  front  and  rear,  a  simultaneous  advance  upon  him  was  to  end  in  his  surren- 
der of  his  whole  command.  To  General  Morris,  with  a  force  little  if  any  supe- 
rior to  Garnett's,  was  assigned  the  task  of  moving  upon  his  front  and  keeping 
him  occupied  on  Laurel  Hill,  while  General  McClellan  himself,  at  the  head  of 
the  bulk  of  the  army,  was  to  move  hastily  from  Clarksburg  across  the  country 

you  to  prevent  this  step.  Do  you  regard  the  islands  in  the  Mississippi  River  above  the  Tennes- 
see line  as  within  your  jurisdiction  ?  and  if  so,  what  ones  ? 

"Respectfully,  GEO.  B.  McCLELLAN, 

M  Major-General  United  States  Army." 

"  Frankfort,  June  11,  1861. 
"  General  Geo.  B.  McClellan,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

"  General  Buckner  has  gone  to  Paducah  and  Columbus ;  has  orders  to  carry  out  his  under-* 
standing  with  you  ;  am  investigating  the  questions  of  jurisdiction  over  the  islands  to  which  you 
allude  ;  will  answer  further  probably  to-morrow.  B.  MAGOFFIN." 

*  Some  of  the  troops  moving  on  Philippi  complained  bitterly  of  having  only  twelve  I 


282  Ohio  in  the  War. 

to  Rich  Mountain,  capture  Pegram,  and  reach  Garnett's  rear.  McClellan's 
march  was  about  four  times  as  long  as  that  of  Morris.  The  latter  officer  made 
his  movement  on  the  night  the  order  was  received,  reaching  Laurel  Hill  a  little 
daybreak  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  July. 

General  McClellan,  however,  found  difficulties  in  getting  up  supplies-so 
early  did  this  chronic  complaint  make  its  appearance— and  was  not  ready  for 

: ve  movements  at  Rich  Mountain  until  the  10th.  General  Kosecrans,  com- 
manding one  of  his  brigades,  then  asked  permission  to  make  a  detour  and' 
attack  Pegram  in  the  rear,  to  which  General  McClellan  assented.  Kosecrans 
fought  and  drove  the  enemy,  bitterly  complaining  that  McClellan  utterly  failed 
to  second  him  by  an  attack  in  front.  McClellan  explains  that  he  meant  to  do 
this— next  morning !  and  that  he  was  prevented  from  doing  it  then,  up  to  the 
time  when  the  news  of  Kosecrans's  success  arrived,  by  accidents  to  the  artillery.* 
Pegram,  however,  beaten  by  Kosecrans,  and  with  McClellan  in  his  front,  was 
compelled  to  take  to  the  mountains,  where,  in  a  day  or  two,  he  surrendered  the 
shattered  remnants  of  his  command.  Garnett,  hearing  of  this  disaster,  retreated, 
and  McClellan  having  failed  to  move  promptly  forward  in  his  rear,f  the  bulk  of 
the  Rebel  army  escaped  in  a  demoralized  condition,  and  with  the  loss  of  bag- 
gage and  artillery — the  latter  secured  by  Morris's  pursuit  and  engagement  with 
the  rear-guard. 

Of  this  brief  little  campaign,  afterward  so  loudly  lauded  and  so  little  under- 
stood, it  may  be  said  that  the  conception  was  excellent  and  the  execution  indif- 
ferent. It  was  undertaken  without  orders  from  Washington  and  carried  forward 
solely  on  the  General's  own  responsibility.  Up  to  the  time  when,  having 
ordered  Morris  to  Garnett's  front  at  Laurel  Hill,  General  McClellan  put  him- 
self at  the  head  of  the  main  column,  moving  against  Pegram,  and  so  to  Gar- 
nett's rear,  he  had  controlled  the  various  movements  with  good  judgment. 
Once,  however,  in  the  field  in  person,  he  delayed  needlessly,  lost  the  advantage 
of  a  surprise,  handled  his  force  irresolutely  and  without  nerve.  In  the  excite- 
ment over  Rosecrans's  victory  he  seems  to  have  forgotten  that,  in  his  original 
plan,  this  had  been  but  a  preliminary  movement,  and  failed  to  move  rapidly 
forward  upon  Garnett's  rear.  He  thus  lost  the  ultimate  object  of  the  whole 
campaign,  in  failing  to  secure  the  surrender  of  the  main  Rebel  force.  He  had 
still  seen  no  actual  fighting,  having  at  no  time  during  the  movement  been  so 
near  troops  in  action  as  when,  from  his  head-quarters  tent,  he  listened  to  the 
Bound  of  Rosecrans's  guns,  three  miles  away. 

*  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  series  of  1865,  Vol.  I.  Rosecrans's  Campaigns,  p.  6.  McClellan's 
Report,  preliminary  chapter.— It  is  even  true  that  McClellan,  instead  of  attacking  when  he  heard 
the  sound  of  Rosecrans's  guns,  fearing,  on  account  of  the  Rebel  cheers,  for  the  safety  of  his  own 
camp,  sent  back  orders  to  arm  the  teamsters,  so  as  to  be  prepared  for  any  emergency  !  Yet  the 
force  then  about  him  (aside  from  Rosecrans's  brigade)  was  more  than  double  Pegram's  entire 
command. 

t  It  was  not  till  the  second  day  after  Rich  Mountain  that  McClellan  reached  Beverly.  Gar- 
nett indeed  supposed  him  tor  be  there,  and  did  not  retreat  that  way;  but  had  McClellan  moved 
only  a  few  miles  toward  himi  he  would  have  shut  up  the  St.  George  Road,  and  prevented  the 
possibility  of  retreat  in  any  direction. 


George  B.   McClellan.  283 

But  Fortune,  whom  most  soldiers  at  first  find  very  like  a  step-mother  in  her 
regards,  seemed  determined  to  exhaust  all  means  of  forcing  greatness  upon  this 
favorite  young  son.  Four  months  ago  a  retired  Captain,  three  months  ago  an 
officer  of  Ohio  militia,  he  was  already  commander  of  a  great  department  and 
the  popular  hero  of  a  successful  campaign.  The  Country,  recovering  from  the 
stupefaction  of  Bull  Run,  read  with  delight  the  story  of  the  marches  and  skir- 
mishes that  had  liberated  West  Virginia.  The  newspapers,  quick  to  furnish 
what  was  pleasing,  dilated  on  the  glories  of  the  achievement,  and  compared  it 
to  Napoleon's  liberation  of  Italy.  General  Scott,  broken  down  under  the  failure 
before  Washington,  telegraphed  G-eneral  McClellan  to  come  on  and  take  com- 
mand of  the  Potomac  army,  and  the  people  hailed  him  as  a  victor,  come  from 
the  mountains,  to  secure,  by  another  campaign  not  less  brief,  results  as  much 
more  brilliant  as  the  field  was  more  extensive. 

Never  was  a  General  more  completely  master  of  the  situation.  The  Gov- 
ernment received  him  with  unlimited  confidence,  and  practically  gave  him 
unlimited  power.  The  people,  humiliated  and  chastened  by  Bull  Eun,  hastened 
to  support  and  re-enforce  the  new  General.  The  soldiers,  led  to  look  upon  him 
as  a  veritable  "  organizer  of  victory,"  became  his  enthusiastic  champions. 
Arms,  artillery,  ammunition,  horses,  supplies  were  demanded  for  the  reorgan- 
izing army  on  a  scale  rarely  witnessed  in  the  history  of  modern  war,  but  there 
was  no  question  of  anything — it  was  McClellan  who  asked  it.  From  every 
State  the  stream  of  new  regiments  set  steadily  to  Washington,  for  McClellan 
had  said  that  his  army  must  be  quadrupled. 

When  he  took  the  command,  he  found  the  remnants  of  McDowell's  Bull 
Run  army,  fifty  thousand  infantry,  one  thousand  cavalry,  and  less  than  a  thou- 
sand artillery  with  thirty  guns.  These  men  were  dispirited  by  defeat  and  bad 
management.  Their  commissariat  and  quartermasters'  arrangements  were 
defective,  and  the  vicious  system  of  electing  their  own  officers  had  effectually 
prevented  any  respectable  discipline.  McClellan  at  once  addressed  himself  to 
the  work  of  reorganization  with  a  skill  to  be  expected  from  one  who  had,  under 
Government  support,  made  the  organization  of  armies  a  special  study,  and  with 
a  vigor  which  deserves  the  highest  praise.  A  Provost-Marshal  speedily  thinned 
the  streets  of  the  stragglers  and  deserters,  who  were  still  retailing  their  stories 
of  how  they  had  performed  prodigies  of  valor  till  the  "Black  Horse  Cavalry" 
swept  down  at  the  very  moment  a  "masked  battery"  had  opened  and  was  cut- 
ting them  to  pieces.  A  Board  weeded  out  the  incompetent  officers.  Thorough 
inspections,  drill,  and  reviews  reduced  the  regiments  to  discipline. 

An  accomplished  tactician  (General  Casey)  was  assigned  to  the  task  of 
brigading  the  new  troops  as  they  came  in.  As  they  began  to  acquire  some  skill 
in  the  evolutions,  and  the  qualifications  of  their  commanders  began  to  be  ascer- 
tained, the  brigades  were  formed  into  divisions. 

A  skillful  artillerist  (General  Barry)  was  instructed  to  form  an  artillery 
establishment  for  the  army,  and  a  body  of  trained  officers  of  the  regular  service 
were  assigned  to  duty  under  him.  Field  batteries,  composed  of  guns  of  uniform 
caliber,  were  assigned  to  divisions,  in  the  proportion  of  at  least  five  pieces  to 


284  Ohio    I  N    1  B  I     W 

two  tl.on-n.d  :.m  t,  :  ta  n  •  bundled 

' ii,,M'"  ta 

artillerinf 

Major- 

,,.»•     ti. .  workl  on  ')'"  Virginia  i 

!     til)    a    iliiim    ot    ■  lid    Of)  l 

pets  spanning  every    vail-  t    thirty -throe 

J,,  Mid  Coil  I 

i " ; i r m  <  officers  W4  nf'  'i  j  the  wkok 

/.  «i 

lr»  all  thin  it  in  t:  v..  i.    BOtOi   Qon<  '  l<  -linn's  ori^ina- 

ahmitted  m  i  iiini  of  the  i  i  li  the 

iii-tillt-i-y  ihotlld    b<  oiy;un/,.<!  ,    Oncra!    iJarnnrd    irn«.d    ih<    I 

'  it  a  Dtielent  of  fiii-  |  led  and 

dlrltioaed;  General  Oaaey  book  change  of  the  bow  l< 
•ral  n  of  tbo  tSaey     IFof  were  the  plana  now  phms 

Will  but    tO  follow  Mm  beater,  pith  whiei.  th< 

bundrod  v'-'M-M.    lint  it  wai  Ifodojira  who  informed  the  Dei 

'«r<l  tl.«  r  tl.cir  n  '  Who   |""<  ur-  d    6  V 

lli«-    Iiifltfl-iulM   tlii-y    'I'riuir,.:  ;  ■  r  \  . Hi  <\    tlnir    Operation    .and    after    due 

I  all  the  MflttiOB  Of  l.iK  author:* 

Of  highTt  >•< dit  for  all  thin,  no  fair  criticism  can  deprive  General  M< iCl<  I 
H  mm  not  p*ed  woii,  itaanplig  ft*  author  as  a  man  of  the  higheat  geniti 

exactly  in  tin   tkt<   of  his  studies,  loading  him 

'"I.  ii  the  whole  loope  at  the  kxi  of  War,  with  which  bo  was 

iter,  aftd  ha  eUd  it  faithfully  wioaly,  and  weft 

MoGh  li.'n..  urro  able  to  *  hit  ft  inore  deeiafoo  i'  -uh 

'"  >»o  Hmall  i  -  .,,i  the  parfeel  in  1"  bad 

taped  fco  woffh  w it Iim!  mj 

Bttl    now    the  anny    had    ^rown   i()  trij,j,.   i(H  orjgina1   ,  \yi.        '[  ' 

"..,..1  i„  giving  it  lo,,,.  and  canaistency;  whii. .  meantiia^  a  foe 
d  ii  oioae  m.d.  r  »i, 
r:,i,i,al     Tl"'  People  had  bv  no  |ign  or  word  diminished  the  fulin< 
'"  wl  '  Umohing  patience,  they  awaited  their  <; 

b1  blade,    Th  |  ,|.. 

anderwjiieh,  ,t  placed  th.  tr„  t,d  GencraJ 

B"i  i'l'<:i«lv  had   begun  |]  ,,i   of  t|,;, 

p,  fnd, 

tBtrntrdV  l:,, ,,  VL 


ok     T>.     M  M'nii.w. 

which  vm  to  prove  among  the  fbremo  r  the  downfall  of  the  popular 

idol;  that  worse  than  near  sightednoss  which  hoi  only  diminished  tenfold  whai 
ever  obstacles  were  a1  ad  t  in  other  departments,  but  no  1  ted 

§HCh  ns  were   iicnr  :i(    hand,  the    Ith  of  A  u  «•  ti   t    (.Yneral    McClcllan 

had,  in  an  elaborate  memorandum,  assured  (ho  President  thai  no  large  additions 
to  the  Broopa  In  I  were  needed,  thai  (unity  thousand  would  form  an 

amply  strong  column  mr  Kontuckj  and  Tennessee,  and  thai  for  his  own  army 
he  would  aeed  two  hundred  arid  seveirty*three  thousand  men!  Toward  the 
close  of  October,  having  then  an  armj  of  one  hundred  and  i  h't  thouaanl, 

ho  informed    tl).«  Secretary  of  War  that  ho  considered  al    least  tWO  hundred   and 

.ml  requisite  to  enable  him  to  advance!    Ami  hi  ad 

in--  this  colossal  army  wan,   that    u tho  enemy  have  a    force  on  the   I1 

ISM  (han  one  hundred  ;unl  I'u'ty  thousand  Strong,  well  drilled  and  equipped,  ably 

oomiuanded,   and    strongly    intrenched!"     Outside    the    head-quattOrt    lew    then 

believed  the  enemy's  foros  to  be  more  than  half  this  number]  we  now  know 

from  (General  Jus.  Iv  Johnson's  oilicial  report,  and  from  the  actual  consolidated 
morning  retuma'ofrhis  armyythat  tit*-  entire  Rebel  strength1^  Northern  \ 
giniaon  81  t  6f  Ootober,  1861,  was  slaty  b1s  thousand  (wo  hundred  and  for 
three,  of  which  only  forty  tear  thdusand  dne  hundred  and    thirtj  one  were 
present  for  duty.    General  MEeClellan',  while  olpherin  o  army  down  to 

its  lows  \\  p""nd,  deproeiat  ami  complaining  df  its  rawness,  had  ms 

nitied  the  raw  levies  of  the  enemy  nearly  fdUTfold,  and   had  ascribed  to  them 

equipment  and  discipline  which,  according  to  (he  confessions  of  their  own 
commanders,  they  neither  had  then,  nor  eve-  iu bsoqueritly  acquired !  Bui  ho 
Bill]  thought  he  mfghl  move  by  the  25th  of  November! 

Meantime,  .  hints  of  the1  conceptions  of  (he  eneihj 

and  these  taormons  demand*  percolated  ofHuial  circles,  a  feeling  of  uii< 

iu  to  appear.     The  ftobol  columns,  in  a  spirit  of  tauntll  cio,  had 

been  advanced  till  (heir  (lags  bould  be  seen  from  the  president's  windbwt, 
Rebel  batteries  lined  the  Potfemac  till,  -with  an  enormous  arm]  lying  idlj  abotit 
ii,  and  a  sufficient  navy  within  call,  tbe  Capital  6f  the  Ntttldn  was  actualljji 

blockaded.      Foreign    nations   cons(rue<l    the   endurance  bf  I  h'OI  6  things  as  si 

of  odnscibtts  weakness;  and  statesmen  regarded  the  danger  of  European  Inter 
vontion,  or  at  least  of  Butopean  recognition  of  the  Southern  Cbtifeder 

imminent..      A    strum  happened    at    Ball's    Blli  BP,  «»n  the  l"  pper    Potomac, 

not  indoed  by  General   >.!«■(  lleflan'B  direct  orders,  bu1  cert&inly  with  his  Implied 

■,  tion,  in  which  ih.rc  l  waste  of  life,  without  appn 

under  the  grossest  mismanagement;  and  the  flail  In  it  of  a  highly  esteei 
Senator  of  the  United  Stales  intensified  the  public  nbtrof  ai  the  details     But 
when  met asked  why  ou*  imm'ens*  force  did  uoi  nu^>\\ 

they   Were  pointed,  for  answer,  to  (he  ^litlerin<C  Ntaff  stirroundin-    the  handsome 

young  Napoleon  wepl  fipwn,  the  Avenue  fndaoroasth  ©to 

,,.  „..w  review,  to  tbe  sight  of  jifelcb,  as  to  a  holiday  parade,  the  whr<  i  and 
daughters  of  Congressmen  had  been  invited. 

Still,  though  (he  whispers  Bwelled  to  muttering,  then  itle  open 


286  Ohio   in   the   War. 

content,  and  when,  at  the  close  of  October,  the  President  was  called  to  appoint 
a  successor  to  General  Scott,  he  was  subsequently  able  to  say,  "neither  in  council 
nor  country  was  there,  so  far  as  I  know,  any  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
proper  person  to  be  selected."*  It  was  indeed  known,  even  then,  to  a  few,  that 
the-  retiring  chieftain  had  bitterly  complained  of  lack  of  respect  and  even  of 
actual  insubordination  on  the  part  of  General  McClellan;  but  Scott  was  old  and 
testy,  and  little  importance  was  attached  to  these  complaints.f 

By  the  middle  of  November,  however,  the  patience  of  the  public  became 
pretty  thoroughly  wearied,  and  frequent  demands  were  made  as  to  why  nothing 
could  be  done  with  the  grand  Army  of  the  Potomac.  But  there  had  now 
pprung  up  about  the  General  commanding  a  knot  of  parasites  and  flatterers, 
who  deemed  such  inquiries  from  those  whose  sons  and  brothers  constituted  this 
army  a  great  impertinence.  The  General  was  maturing  his  plans;  they  would 
in  due  time  be  found  to  cover  every  point  and  satisfy  every  expectation;  and 
till  he  chose,  in  his  own  good  time,  to  develop  them  in  action,  it  only  became 
the  public  to  be  thankful  for  his  genius  and  to  admire  such  fruits  of  it  as  were 
already  apparent.  Talk  like  this  from  the  head-quarters  was  taken  up  and 
amplified  by  the  newspapers,  and  for  months  the  public  heard  little  but  eulogies 
upon  the  matchless  General  and  his  mysterious  plans;  glowing  descriptions  of 
his  martial  appearance  on  a  review;  and  sanguine  accounts  of  the  havoc  he 
would  work  upon  the  Bebel  hordes,  when  once  his  strategy  dictated  the  time  for 
placing  himself  at  the  head  of  his  heroic  battalions  and  leading  them  to  glory. 
Meanwhile,  sword  presentations,  addresses  of  admiring  delegations,  and  the  like 
filled  up  the  time,  and  still  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  lay  motionless  before 
Washington,  while  Eebel  guns  by  river  and  by  land  still  besieged  it. 

It  would  seem — so  absolute  was  the  deference  with  our  young  favorite  of 
Fortune  yet  commanded — that  even  now  the  President  failed  to  require  of  him 
his  reasons  for  continued  inaction.  He  himself  informs  us  J  that,  "had  the 
discipline,  organization,  and  equipment  of  the  army  been  as  complete,  at  the 
close  of  the  fall  as  was  necessary,  the  unprecedented  condition  of  the  roads  and 
Virginia  soil  would  have  delayed  an  advance  till  February."  Here,  again,  we 
have  the  strange  visual  defect.  The  unprecedented  condition  of  the  roads  con- 
sisted in  this,  as  described  by  a  Southern  annalist:  "A  long,  lingering  Indian 
summer,  with  roads  more  hard  and  skies  more  beautiful  than  Virginia  had  seen 
for  many  a  year,  invited  the  enemy  (i.  e.,  the  United  States  forces),  to  advance. 
Ho  steadily  refused  the  invitation  to  a  general  action;  the  advance  of  our  lines 
to  Munson's  Hill  was  tolerated,  and  opportunities  were  sought  in  vain  by  the 
Confederates,  in  heavy  skirmishing,  to  engage  the  lines  of  the  two  armies.  The 
young  Napoleon  was  twitted  as  a  dastard  in  the  Southern  newspapers."  || 

With  an  army  nearly  four  times  the  size  of  that  which  confronted  it,  the 

♦President's  Annual  Message,  December,  1861. 
^  t  The  letter  on  which  these  statements  are  based  was  written  by  General  Scott  before  his 
resignation,  and  was  read  by  Mr.  Thaddeus  Stevens,  in  the  course  of  debate  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  nearly  two  years  later. 

t  McClellan's  Report,  Government  edition,  p.  35.        ||  Pollard's  History,  Vol.  I,  p.  184. 


Geokge    B.    McClellan.  287 

daily  increasing  demand  of  the  public,  who,  after  all,  controlled  the  war,  for  a 
movement  that  should  at  least  clear  away  the  Eebels  from  the  front  of  the 
Capital,  was  reasonable.  As  General-in-Chief,  McClellan  naturally  desired  that 
the  movements  of  the  Potomac  army  should  be  simultaneous  with  those  of  the 
Western  armies,  whose  "total  unpreparedness"  he  makes  a  plea  for  still  further 
delay.  But  a  special  movement  upon  Manassas  would  not  have  interfered  with 
such  subsequent  co-operation,  while  its  moral  effect  would  have  been  invaluable. 
Here  was  the  grave  error  General  McClellan  now  committed.  Accepting  the 
confidence  with  which  he  had  been  received  as  an  unreserved  tribute  to  his 
merits,  he  forgot  that  the  stress  under  which  he  was  placing  popular  expecta- 
tion must  within  a  reasonable  time  be  relieved;  that  he  could  not  be  forever 
taken  upon  trust,  while,  in  the  absence  of  actual  performance,  he  called  for  such 
supplies  as  were  unheard  of  in  this  country,  and  almost  unparalleled  among  the 
most  warlike  nations  of  Europe.  But  to  the  complaints  which  indignant  Con- 
gressmen soon  began  to  make,  the  only  reply  from  head -quarters  came  from 
the  glittering  young  staff-officers,  who  roundly  denounced  the  interference  of 
civilians,  and  especially  of  politicians,  in  military  affairs,  which  they  could  not 
be  expected  to  understand. 

The  winter  passed  in  profound  inactivity.  General  letters  of  instruction 
were  addressed  to  the  commanders  of  the  various  departments,  all  good,  and  in 
one  case  (that  of  the  letter  to  General  Butler,  giving  directions  for  the  move- 
ment against  New  Orleans),  exceptionally  clear-sighted  and  explicit.  No  new 
operations,  however,  were  planned ;  the  General-in-Chief  seemed  satisfied  either 
with  countermanding  or  permitting  the  completion  of  the  operations  already  in 
progress. 

The  stress  of  the  public  demand,  that  something  should  be  shown  in  return 
for  the  vast  resources  bestowed  upon  the  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, became  greater;  the  danger  of  foreign  recognition  was  now  known  to  be 
imminent;  and  Mr.  Lincoln  grew  very  uneasy.  "If  General  McClellan  does 
not  want  to  use  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,"  he  said,  quaintly  and  almost  patheti- 
cally, to  some  officers  with  whom  he  was  consulting,  "I  should  like  very  much 
to  borrow  it  of  him;"  and,  "if  something  is  not  done  soon,  the  bottom  will  be 
out  of  the  whole  affair."*  Just  at  this  time  McClellan  became  ill;  and,  in  his 
distress,  the  President,  failing  several  times  to  secure  interviews  with  his  Gen- 
eral-in-Chief, sent  for  other  officers,  and  sought,  by  their  aid,  to  find  out  how 
"something  could  be  done."  Before  the  last  of  these  consultations,  General 
McClellan  recovered.  He  scarcely  concealed  his  chagrin  at  what  had  been 
going  on,  and  with  great  reluctance  imparted  even  to  the  President,  the  pur- 
poses he  had  been  nourishing  so  long.  These,  it  proved,  were  to  transfer  the 
army  by  water  to  the  Lower  Chesapeake,  and  move  thence  from  some  such  base 
as  Urbana  on  the  Eappahannock,  against  Eichmond,  leaving  at  Washington 
only  a  sufficient  body  of  the  newest  troops  to  garrison  the  forts. 

But,  on  the  13th  of  January,  before  the  President,  members  of  the  Cabinet, 

•  McDowell's  Memorandum  of  Interviews  with  President  Lincoln.     Swinton's  History  Army 
Potomac,  p.  80. 


2gg  Ohio  in  the  War 

and   army  officers,  whom   the  President   had   called    in   consultation,   General 

AM 'Minn,  after  evading  a  direct  answer  to  the  question  what  he  intended  to 

-I,  the  an.iv,  had  finally  protested  against  developing  his  plans,  unless 

ini,!(.r  peninptorv  orders,  but  had  given  assurance  that  he  had  a  time  fixed  for 

BiBg  ..^rations.     Two   weeks  later,   the   President   having   received    no 

lul.t!u.r  inM-malion,  had  lost  all  patience  and  issued  a  peremptory  order,  fixing 

a  date,  about  a  month  in  advance,  for  the  movement  of  all  the  armies  of  the 

,1  Statis.     After  this,  McClellan  came  forward  with  his  plan  for  taking 

sail  to  Fortress  Monroe.     There  was  manifestly  not  time  to  accomplish  this  and 

be  ready  for  offensive  operations  within  the  time  already  fixed  by  the  President. 

Partly  for  this  reason,  partly  also,  without  doubt,  because  of  a  sincere  conviction 

of  the  injudicious  nature  of  the  plan,  Mr.  Lincoln  promptly  disapproved  it,  and 

ordered  instead  a  turning  movement  against  Manassas. 

McClellan,  instead  of  obeying,  inquired  if  this  order  was  final,  or  if  he 
might  present  his  objections  to  it  in  writing.  Leave  was  granted,  his  objections 
were  set  forth,  and  finally,  less  because  the  President  was  convinced  than  be- 
cause he  liared  that  he  could  look  for  no  hearty  execution  of  any  other  plan,  he 
yielded  to  McClellan's  urgency,  and  ordered  the  water  transportation  to  be  pre- 
pared for  the  execution  of  McClellan's  plan,  requiring,  however,  that  it  should 
be  approved  by  his  corps  commanders,  that  the  Eebel  blockade  of  the  Potomac 
should  be  broken,  and  that  an  ample  force  should  be  left  for  the  security  of 
Washington. 

While  these  preparations  were  in  progress,  the  enemy  quietly  evacuated 
Manassas,  in  pursuance  of  measures  begun  three  weeks  before,  for  moving 
nearer  their  base  of  supplies.  The  troops  of  the  grand  Army  of  the  Potomac 
were  now  marched  out,  over  the  roads  which  up  to  this  time  had  been  gazetted 
as  "impassable,"  and  then,  there  being  nothing  for  them  to  do,  were  marched 
back  again.  The  movement  intensified  the  popular  discontent,  and  led  to  innu- 
merable pasquinades. 

At  last  the  preparations  for  the  long-expected  movement  were  complete. 
Eighteen  thousand  men  only  were  left  in  garrison  at  Washington,  but  General 
McClellan  reckoned,  as  also  available  for  its  defense,  the  thirty-five  thousand  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  those  at  Warrenton  and  Manassas.  One  hundred 
and  twenty-one  thousand  (besides  Blenker's  division,  withdrawn  at  the  start, 
and  McDowell's  corps,  subsequently  withheld),  were  left  for  the  movement  from 
Fortress  Monroe.  - 

The  temper  of  the  Administration,  by  this  time,  may  be  inferred  from  the 
closing  sentence  of  an  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War:  "  Move  the  remainder 
of  the  force  down  the  Potomac,  choosing  a  new  base  at  Fortress  Monroe,  or  any- 
where  between  here  and  there,  or  at  all  events,  move  such  remainder  of  the 
army  at  once  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy  by  some  route! "*  Under  such  pressure, 
the  movement  finally  began.  By  the  2d  of  April—  eight  months  after  receiving 
the  command— General  McClellan  was  at  Fortress  Monroe,  ready  to  begin  his 
campaign.  He  had,  in  the  meantime,  possessed  the  unlimited  confidence  of  the 
*  McClellan's  Report,  Government  edition,  p.  60. 


Geokge    B.    McClellan.  28(j 

Government  and  the  country,  and  had  measurably  lost  that  of  both;  be  had 
received  the  baton  of  General-in-Chief,  and  had  lost  it  again ;  had  at  first  been 
so  absolute  that  not  even  the  President  thought  of  inquiring  as  to  his  plane ; 
and  had  at  last  been  fairly  ordered  out  of  Washington  in  words  that,  scarcely 
veiled  in  polite  phraseology,  meant  "go  anywhere,  move  anywhere  you  please, 
only  let  us  have  an  end  of  excuses — do  something.'"  He  still  possessed,  how- 
ever, in  a  remarkable  degree,  the  admiration  of  his  untried  soldiers. 

General  McClellan's  original  plan  had  been  to  land  at  Urbana  on  the  Eap- 
pahannoek,  and  move  thence  on  Eichmond.  The  retreat  of  Johnston  from 
Manassas,  placing  the  Eebel  army  behind  the  line  of  the  Eappahannock,  had 
prevented  this.  He  had  then  proposed  to  move  up  the  James.  The  presence 
of  the  dreaded  Eebel  iron -clad  Merrimac  prevented  this.  And  so  it  was  now 
determined  to  move  up  the  York  Eiver. 

The  second  day's  march  brought  the  army  to  a  halt.  It  was  discovered 
that  the  Eebels  had  earthworks  at  Yorktown  as  well  as  at  Manassas.  These 
works  were  manned  by  General  Magruder,  (an  officer  who  in  the  old  army  had 
ranked  chiefly  as  a  coxcomb),  with  a  force,  in  all,  of  not  quite  eleven  thousand 
men.*  Here,  at  the  very  outset  of  his  campaign,  where  if  ever  vigor  and  dash 
were  required,  that  the  objective  might  be  reached  before  the  enemy  had  time 
to  concentrate  his  troops  on  the  new  line  of  operations,  General  McClellan's 
evil  genius  overcame  him.  All  his  troops  not  yet  having  arrived,  he  only  had 
about  five  times  as  large  an  army  as  that  which  confronted  him,  and  so  he 
deliberately  sat  down  to  besiege  them!  His  information,  he  said,  "placed  Gen- 
eral Magruder's  command  at  from  fifteen  thousand  to  twenty  thousand  men, 
independently  of  General  Huger's  force  at  Norfolk,  estimated  at  about  fifteen 
thousand  men!f  Huger's  real  force  at  Norfolk  is  now  known  to  have  been 
eight  thousand,  so  that  the  whole  force  possible  to  be  combined  against  General 
McClellan  at  Yorktown  was  nineteen  thousand,  instead  of  the  thirty-five  thou- 
sand which  he  thus,  estimates.  It  was  the  painful  story  of  "one  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  behind  the  intrenchments  of  Manassas"  over  again. 

Then  General  Johnston  had  arrived  with  part  of  the  Manassas  army,  and 
he  felt  sure  that  he  "should  have  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy,  not  less  than 
one  hundred  thousand,"  on  his  hands!  "In  consequence  of  the  loss  of  Blenker's 
division  and  McDowell's  corps,"  his  force  was  already  "possibly  less  than  that 
of  the  enemy."  %-  And  one  of  his  corps  Generals  confidentially  wrote,  with  his 
approval,  that  "the  line  in  front  of  us  is  one  of  the  strongest  ever  opposed  to  an 
invading  force  in  any  country."  ||  In  point  of  fact,  General  Johnston  had  then 
brought  down  no  re-enforcements  at  all,  had  only  come  to  inspect  the  defenses, 

•  This  seems  to  be  the  largest  number  that  any  of  the  authorities  will  allow.  It  is  proper, 
however,  to  say  that  Pollard  (Southern  History  of  the  War,  p.  293)  says  that  Magruder  had  only 
seven  thousand  five  hundred.  Magruder  himself  reports  his  strength,  exclusive  of  the  garrisons 
at  Gloucester  Point  and  elsewhere,  at  five  thousand. 

t  McClellan's  Keport,  Government  edition,  p.  74. 

X  McClellan's  Keport,  Government  edition,  p.  79.  II  Ibid,  p.  81. 

Yol.  1.-^19. 


290 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


had  pronounced  them  faulty  in  construction,  and  untenable,  (in  which  opinion 
he  was  fully  sustained  by  General  Eobert  E.  Lee,  then  chief-of- staff  to  Mr. 
Davis),  and  had  therefore  strongly  recommended  the  entire  evacuation  of  the 

Peninsula* 

That  the  Rebel  works  at  Yorktown  could  and  should  have  been  taken  by 
assault,  without  one  day's  delay,  is  therefore  a  verdict  which  no  informed  mill- 
tary  critic,  in  the  light  of  facts  now  known,  will  presume  to  question.  But, 
while  nothing  can  excuse  the  General,  who,  at  the  outset  of  a  great  campaign, 
planned  by  himself,  suffers  a  force  only  one-tenth  as  great  as  his  own  to  para- 
lyze his  army  and  destroy  his  plans,  there  are  still  some  circumstances  which 
tend  to  place  General  McClellan's  conduct  in  a  more  favorable  light.  He  had 
desired  to  turn  Yorktown  by  a  movement  on  Gloucester,  but  the  navy  was 
unwilling  to  undertake  its  share  of  such  an  enterprise,  and  .McDowell's  corps, 
to  which  he  had  assigned  the  task,  failed  to  reach  him.  His  mind,  always  mor- 
bid on  the  subject  of  the  numbers  of  his  army,  was  thus  greatly  depressed;  he 
never  formed  new  plans  with  rapidity,  and  his  old  ones  for  the  disposition  of 
his  troops  were  thus  shattered.  And  to  this  it  should  be  added,  that  the  opinion 
of  his  engineer  was  decidedly  against  assault,  f 

It  may  further  be  remarked,  that  while  nothing  can  excuse  General  McClel- 
lan's failure  to  use  the  abundant  forces  he  had,  in  sweeping  over  Yorktown  and 
on  up  the  peninsula,  there  is  likewise  no  sufficient  excuse  for  the  vexations  to  which 
the  Administration  uow  subjected  him.  He  had  been  given  the  command  of 
Fortress  Monroe  and  the  forces  there,  that  he  might  thus  control  his  own  base 
of  operations.  Alarmed  at  finding  how  nearly  he  had  stripped  Washington  of 
effective  troops,  and  fearing  a  similar  performance  at  Fortress  Monroe,  this  com- 
mand was  taken  from  him,  almost  before  he  had  begun  to  exercise  it — a  humilia- 
tion, under  all  the  circumstances,  which  it  was  unwise  to  inflict  upon  a  General 
left  at  the  head  of  an  army.  If  he  could  not  be  trusted  with  the  troops  at  his 
own  base,  he  could  not  be  trusted  with  troops  anywhere,  and  the  Administra 
tion  should  have  promptly  superseded  him.    Equally  unwise  wTas  the  withdrawal 

*The  above  facts  have  been  repeatedly  stated  by  both  the  Confederate  Generals  named. 
They  may  be  found  as  given  by  General  Johnston  to  the  author,  in  Swinton's  History  Army 
Potomac,  pp.  102,  103. 

1 1  make  no  account  whatever  of  the  two  excuses  urged  by  General  McClellan  himself  in 
his  report,  and  continued,  in  the  form  of  charges,  against  the  Administration,  with  such  perti- 
nacity by  his  friends ;  viz.,  that  there  had  been  just  ground  to  expect  the  co-operation  of  the 
navy,  and  that  there  was  just  cause  of  complaint  for  the  withholding  of  McDowell's  corps. 

It  was  General  McClellan's  business,  before  he  set  out  on  a  campaign  to  which  the  Govern- 
ment had  been  steadily  opposed  from  the  beginning,  and  which  was  only  tolerated  in  deference 
to  his  persistent  advocacy  of  it,  and  virtual  unwillingness  to  undertake  any  other,  to  know 
whether  or  not  he  could  count  on  the  support  of  the  navy.  His  Council  of  Corps  Commanders 
had  made  this  a  peremptory  sine  qua  non,  (McClellan's  Keport,  p.  60),  and  he  had  given  the 
Pnrideftt  assurance  that  the  conditions  imposed  by  that  Council  had  been  complied  with. 

The  disposition  made  of  McDowell's  corps  by  Mr.  Lincoln  was,  of  course,  unniilitary,  and 
the  consequent  disappointment  great,  but  the  force  left  General  McClellan  was  still  overwhelm- 
ingly superior  to  that  of  the  enemy,  or  to  any  force  which,  for  the  next  three  weeks,  the  enemy 
could,  by  any  possibility,  have  concentrated  against  him.  And,  furthermore,  eleven  thousand  of 
McDowell's  corps  did  reach  him  before  he  left  Yorktown. 


George  B.   McClellan.  291 

of  McDowell's  corps.  It  was  not  needed  for  the  defense  of  Washington;  and 
although  it  was  true  that  McClellan  still  had  an  ample  force  for  his  work,  yet 
he  had  been  fairly  led  to  rely  upon  more,  and  should  not  have  been  dis- 
appointed. 

The  siege  went  on — to  the  infinite  mortification  of  the  President,  who  wrote, 
"  the  country  will  not  fail  to  note,  is  noting  now,  that  the  present  hesitation  to 
move  upon  an  intrenched  enemy  is  but  the  story  of  Manassas  repeated."*  But 
the  General's  requisitions  were  all  promptly  filled;  an  enormous  siege-train, 
comprising  one  and  two  hundred-pounder  rifled  guns,  was  gathered  about  the 
handful  of  Eebels  under  Magruder;  rope  mantlets  were  constructed  in  New 
York  for  the  batteries;  shells  were  forwarded,  charged  with  Greek  fire;  the 
whole  army  was  delayed  from  the  4th  of  April  to  the  4th  of  May;  and  then — 
let  poor  General  Barry,  of  the  artillery,  finish  the  story:  "It  will  always  be  a 
source  of  great  professional  disappointment  to  me,  that  the  enemy,  by  his  pre- 
mature abandonment  of  his  defensive  line,  deprived  the  artillery  of  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  of  the  opportunity  of  exhibiting  the  superior  power  and  effi- 
ciency of  the  unusually  heavy  metal  used  in  this  siege  !"f  That  was  all !  The 
enemy  had  waited  till  the  siege-train  was  ready  to  open,  and  then  had  quietly 
retreated,  leaving  their  empty  works  and  the  heavy  guns  (taken  from  the  Nor- 
folk Navy -yard)  which  they  had  been  unable  to  carry  with  them. 

Sumner's  corps  was  at  Once  pushed  forward  in  pursuit.  Resistance  might 
well  be  expected,  for  the  existence  of  considerable  defensive  works  at  Williams- 
burg, twelve  miles  up  the  peninsula  from  Yorktown,  was  well  known  at  head- 
quarters.! If  the  pursuit  was  of  any  use  at  all,  it  was  likely  to  reach  the  trains 
near  this  point;  and,  with  fortifications  ready  to  his  hand,  the  Rebel  com- 
mander would  be  sure  to  make  a  stand  till  his  trains  were  saved.  But,  either 
these  considerations  did  not  occur  to  General  McClellan,  or  the  disappointment 
of  the  unexpected  retreat  had  so  destroyed  his  poise  of  mind  that  he  was  inca- 
pable of  perceiving  the  import  of  such  facts,  or  he  did  not  consider  that,  a  battle 
being  imminent,  his  presence  was  necessary. 

In  any  event  this  was  what  he  did :  Eemaining  at  Yorktown  to  superin- 
tend the  starting  of  Franklin's  division,  which  he  had  decided  to  send  up  the 
York  River  on  transports,  he  permitted  the  eager  troops  to  push  forward,  with- 
out reconnoissance,  upon  the  batteries  of  Williamsburg.  What  followed  may  be 
easily  inferred.  The  cavalry  advance  had  warned  General  Johnston  of  the  pur- 
suit, and  he  had  hastily  sent  back  Longstreet  to  man  the  deserted  works.  Be- 
fore our  infantry  arrived,  night  had  fallen,  a  heavy  rain  came  on,  the  troops 
bivouacked  in  confusion  in  the  woods.  Next  morning  Hooker  found  himself, 
with  his  division,  confronting  the  Rebel  intrenchments.  He  immediately 
cleared  his  front  and  opened  fire  with  a  couple  of  batteries.  Longstreet 
responded  by  a  series  of  efforts  to  turn  his  flank.     Hooker  was  left  completely 

•  McClellan's  Report,  Government  edition,  p.  84. 

t  Engineer  and  Artillery  Operations  Army  Potomac :  Barry's  Report,  p.  134. 

t  Ibid,  Barnard's  Report,  p.  63. 


2Q2  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

unsupported,  suffered  heavily,  and  about  four  o'clock  was  running  out  of  ammu- 
nition When  the  opportune  arrival,  of  Kearney  enabled  him  to  re-form  his  lines 
.nilj  n^intain  his  position.  Meantime,  about  noon,  Hancock's  brigade,  almost  by 
accident,  as  it  would  seem,  stumbled  into  the  extreme  flank  of  the  enemy's 
works  i  which  had  been  neglected  in  the  heat  of  the  contest  with  Hooker),  and 
thus  held  a  position  commanding  his  flank  and  rear.  But,  instead  of  being  re- 
enibreed,  be  was  now  ordered  to  fall  back.  Night  came  on  again,  the  wet  and 
hungry  troops  threw  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  the  battle  was  over.  Next 
morning  it  was  found  that  Longstreet,  having  secured  the  desired  delay,  had 
continued  the  retreat.  Hooker  had  lost  two  thousand  men  in  a  needless  conflict, 
which  lie  was  left  to  bear  alone,  while  thirty  thousand  soldiers  were  within 
sound  of  his  firing  .and  almost  within  sight  of  his  colors;  and  the  General  of  the 
army  was  twelve  miles  in  the  rear,  supervising  the  departure  of  transports. 

There  was  now  open  to  General  McClellan  the  route  which  he  had  pre- 
viously characterized  as  "promising  the  most  brilliant  results."  The  enemy 
had  destroyed  the  Merrimac,  on  the  evacuation  of  Yorktown,  and  there  was  no 
longer  anything  to  prevent  a  combined  land  and  naval  advance  up  the  James 
River,  which,  in  ten  days,  as  it  would  now  seem,  might  have  planted  the  Na- 
tional flag  on  the  Confederate  capitol  at  Richmond.  But,  whether  through  the 
same  disturbance  of  mind  that  led  to  loading  transports  instead  of  supervising 
the  advance  of  the  army  upon  fortified  positions,  or  whether  the  General's 
attention  had  become  so  morbidly  fixed  upon  the  possibility  of  still  having 
McDowell's  corps  march  overland  to  re-enforce  him,  that  he  could  see  nothing 
else,  it  is  certain  that  no  further  thought  was  given  to  the  James,  and  the  move- 
ment of  troops  up  the  York  River  went  deliberately  on.  By  the  16th  of  May, 
twelve  days  after  the  evacuation  of  Yorktown,  the  head  of  navigation  on  the 
Pamunkey  River  (a  continuation  of  the  York)  had  been  reached ;  and  in  two 
weeks  more  the  troops  had  crossed  the  intervening  twenty  or  thirty  miles,  and 
reached  the  Chickahominy.  These  movements  were  greatly  hindered  by  the 
difficult  nature  of  the  roads.  But  while  admitting  this  as  sufficient  explanation 
of  much  of  the  delay,  we  can  not  omit  to  add  that  General  McClellan  had  him- 
self foreclosed  the  admission  of  such  excuses  in  his  behalf  at  as  early  a  day  as 
the  3d  of  February,  when,  in  the  course  of  a  communication  protesting  against 
having  to  execute  Mr.  Lincoln's  order  to  move  against  Manassas,  and  setting 
forth  the  superior  advantages  of  his  own  plan,  he  had  particularly  urged  that, 
on  the  Peninsula,  "th*  roads  are  passable  at  all  seasons  of  the  year."* 

By  this  time,  however,  owing  to  the  delays  which  had  filled  up  the  season 
from  the  17th  of  March  to  the  30th  of  May  in  moving  the  SVmy  from  Washing- 
ton to  the  Chickahominy,  the  enemy  had  been  given  ample  time  to  concentrate 
his  forces.  So  consummate  a  strategist  as  General  Jos.  E.  Johnston  was  not 
likely  to  leave  unimproved  so  signal  an  advantage.  The  interval  was  employed 
in  gathering  the  whole  army  of  Northern  Virginia,  as  well  as  that  of  the 
Peninsula,  into  the  defenses  of  Richmond,  with  the  passage  and  enforcement  of 

♦McClellan's  Report,  Government  edition,  p.  47. 


George   B.   McClellan.  293 

the  conscription  bill,  and  with  the  most  vigorous  and  successful  efforts  to  put 
the  army  in  thorough  fighting  trim.  So  now,  when  at  last  the  army  of  the  Poto- 
mac began  really  to  confront  the  enemy  it  was  to  encounter,  the  mind  of  its  com- 
mander was  already  weighed  down  again  by  the  chronic  fear  of  numerical  inferi- 
ority. Even  from  Williamsburg,  whence  he  had  exultantly  telegraphed  that  he 
"was  pursuing  hard,  and  should  push  the  enemy  to  the  wall,"  he  had,  within  a 
day  or  two,  written  that,  if  not  re-enforced,  he  would  be  "  obliged  to  fight  nearly 
double  his  numbers,  strongly  intrenched."  Four  days  later  he  assured  the 
President  that  he  would  have  to  attack  an  intrenched  foe,  "  much  larger,  per- 
haps double  his  numbers."  He  did  not  think  "it  would  be  at  all  possible"  for 
him  "  to  bring  more  than  seventy  thousand  men  upon  the  field  of  battle."  Yet 
at  this  time  his  own  reports  show  his  strength  to  have  been  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven,  of  whom  he  had  given 
eleven  thousand  leave  of  absence;  but,  deducting  all  absentees,  sick,  deserters, 
and  men  under  arrest,  he  had  actually  present  for  duty,  one  hundred  and  four 
thousand  six  hundred  and  ten. 

But  so  strenuous  were  his  representations,  and  so  continuous  his  calls  for 
re-enforcements,  that,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  18th  of  May,  twenty-four  hours 
before  the  army  reached  the  Chickahominy,  the  President  ordered  the  portion 
of  McDowell's  corps,  which*  had  still  been  withheld,  to  march  overland  to  join 
him.  Six  days  later — that  is  to  say,  four  days  after  McClellan's  arrival  at  the 
Chickahominy — he  was  notified  that  McDowell  must  be  again  withheld,  Stone- 
wall Jackson  having  broken  loose  in  the  Yalley.  Thenceforward  General 
McClellan  understood  that  whatever  he  did  at  Richmond  he  must  do  with  the 
forces  he  had ;  and  he  was  further  notified  by  the  weary  and  alarmed  President 
that  "  the  time  is  near  when  you  must  either  attack  Eichmond  or  give  up  the 
job  and  come  to  the  defense  of  "Washington." 

There  is  no  need  here  to  add  anything  to  the  disputes  of  which  this  dispo- 
sition of  McDowell's  corps  has  been  the  prolific  theme.  Two  points,  however, 
are  worthy  of  notice.  There  was  no  wisdom  in  the  President's  use  of  McDow- 
ell ;  in  so  far  McClellan  was  right.  The  corps  was  sent  on  a  fool's  errand  (a 
"  stern-chase  "  after  Stonewall  Jackson),  at  a  time  and  by  a  route  that  rendered 
success  physically  impossible.  But  McClellan  was  not  forced  (as  he  claims  in 
his  report),  by  the  promise  of  this  corps,  and  by  the  subsequent  uncertainty 
concerning  it,  to  attack  Eichmond  from  the  north,  instead  of  seeking  the  line 
of  the  James.  Eight  days  before  he  learned  that  McDowell  was  ordered  to  him, 
at  Eoper's  Church,  on  the  11th  of  May,  the  decision  was  made  not  to  move  to  the 
James,  but  to  continue  on  the  Williamsburg  Eoad  to  Eichmond* 

•  Furthermore,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  he  subse- 
quently stated  that  "  the  navy  was  not  at  that  time  in  a  condition  to  make  the  James  Kiver  per- 
fectly sure  for  our  supplies.  I  remember  that  the  idea  of  moving  on  the  James  Kiver  was 
seriously  discussed  at  that  time.  But  the  conclusion  was  arrived  at  that,  under  the  circumstances 
then  existing,  the  route  actually  followed  was  the  best."  So  that  General  McClellan  became  en- 
tangled in  the  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy,  not  because  he  expected  re-enforcements  to  reach  him 
there  from  Fredericksburg,  but  because  he  had  previously  decided  that,  under  the  circumstances, 
that  was  the  best  route. 


294  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

Replying  to  the  President's  remark  that  he  must  soon  attack  Richmond  or 

come  to   the   defense   of   Washington,   General    McClellan   telegraphed    (25th 

May)  that  "the  time  is  very  near  when  I  shall  attack  Richmond."     The  next 

day  he  "hoped  soon  to  be  within  shelling  distance."     And  later  in  the  day: 

\\\-  aiv  quietly  closing  in  upon  the  enemy,  preparatory  to  the  last  struggle." 

Yet  all  thistfme,  and  for  five  days  longer,  he  allowed  his  army  to  lie  along 
the  Chickahominy,  one-third  on  the  Richmond  side,  the  remainder  on  the 
northern  side,  with  bridges  only  for  the  one  wing,  and  with  a  march  of  near 
twenty  miles  to  be  made  by  the  remainder  of  the  army  before,  in  case  of  attack, 
the  bridges  could  be  reached  over  which  to  re-enforce  it.  The  position  was 
most  unfortunate— necessary,  possibly,  for  a  day  or  two;  but  all  the  more 
potent,  therefore,  as  a  reason  for  hastening  such  operations  as  should  reunite  the 
army,  now  perilously  divided  in  the  face  of  the  "  enemy  of  double  its  numbers." 

General  Johnston  perceived  the  exposure,  and  instantly  gave  orders  to 
profit  by  it.  A  heavy  storm  the  same  night  swelled  the  Chickahominy,  flood- 
ing the  lowlands;  and,  while  it  rendered  the  attack  more  difficult,  it  likewise 
increased  the  danger  of  the  isolated  wing  and  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  re- 
enforcing  it.  By  ten  o'clock  Johnston  struck  the  front  of  Casey's  division,  and 
speedily  crumbled  it  up.  The  troops  were  rallied  at  General  Couch's  position 
at  Seven  Pines.  Presently  this  division  was  likewise  repulsed  and  broken  in 
two ;  and  Kearney,  advancing  on  the  left,  was  hurled  back  into  the  swamp. 
The  whole  corps  seemed  about  to  be  annihilated,  when  the  fortune  of  the  day 
was  changed  by  the  entrance  of  a  column  from  the  north  side  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy. Sumner,  with  the  soldierly  instinct  that  led  him  toward  the  sound  of 
a  battle,  had  called  out  his  troops  as  soon  as  the  firing  began ;  and  when  he 
learned  that  re-enforcements  were  needed,  not  daring  to  delay  by  marching  to 
the  bridges  in  rear  of  the  imperiled  corps,  adventured  across  the  swollen 
stream  on  an  imperfect  bridge,  which  he  had  himself  been  building,  that  was 
all  afloat,  and  swung  taut  against  the  ropes  which  tied  it  to  stumps  on  the  bank, 
and  alone  prevented  it  from  floating  off.  By  great  good  fortune  it  bore  the  corps 
across  ;  a  few  hours  later  it  was  impassable. 

This,  then,  was  the  column  that  saved  the  day.  General  Johnston  was 
wounded;  his  forces  retreated  before  Sumner's  splendid  charge;  and,  in  the 
opinion  of  many  of  the  best  officers  of  the  army,  this  defeat  of  Fair  Oaks,  thus 
suddenly  converted  into  a  victory,  might  have  been  followed  by  a  successful 
advance  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac  into  Richmond*    But,  only  too  well  con- 

*William  Henry  Hurlbert,  a  partisan  of  McClellan's,  then  in  Richmond,  says  of  the  effect 
of  this  defeat  in  the  Rebel  capital:  "The  roads  into  Richmond  were  literally  crowded  with 
stragglers,  some  throwing  away  their  guns,  some  breaking  them  on  the  trees — all  with  the  same 
story,  that  their  regiments  had  been  cut  to  pieces,  that  the  Yankees  were  swarming  on  the  Chick- 
ahominy like  bees,  and  fighting  like  devils.  In  two  days  of  the  succeeding  week  the  Provost- 
marshal's  guard  collected  between  four  thousand  and  five  thousand  stragglers,  and  sent  them  into 
camp.  What  had  become  of  the  command  no  one  knew."  If  to  these  five  thousand  stragglers  be 
added  the  seven  thousand  Rebel  loss  in  the  battle,  we  have  an  aggregate  of  twelve  thousand  taken 
out  of  a  force  which  at  best  did  not  yet  exceed  sixty-five  thousand  around  Richmond.  Under 
the  circumstances  would  not  McClellan's  one  hundred  thousand  have  had  a  fair  chance  for  van- 
quishing the  remainder? 


Geoege  B.  McClellan. 


295 


SOME   OF   THE   ROUTES   TO,   AND    BATTLE-FIELDS   AROUND,   RICHMOND. 


G-eokge  B.   McClellan.  297 

tent  at  having  so  narrowly  escaped  the  destruction  of  one-third  of  his  army, 
General  McClellan  recalled  Sumner  from  the  pursuit,  when  within  four  miles  of 
Eichmond,  and  sent  his  troops  to  resume  their  old  positions.  He  was  not  on 
the  field  during  the  fighting,  and  his  only  share  in  bringing  about  the  barren 
victory  consisted  in  directing  Sumner  to  cross,  after  that  old  hero  had  'for  hours 
been  awaiting  such  orders. 

And  now  began  a  change,  of  ill-omen  to  the  procrastinating  General  on  the 
Chickahominy,  and  to  the  brave  army  he  was  keeping  out  of  action.  General 
Johnston,  who  had  hitherto  controlled  the  Eebel  movements  around  Eichmond, 
had  never  been  a  favorite  with  their  Government,  and  his  representations  of  the 
necessity  of  concentration  to  oppose  McClellan's  advance  had  fallen  upon  unwill- 
ing ears.  At  the  very  time  when  this  latter  officer  was  telegraphing,  from  day 
to  day,  that  the  enemy  was  double  his  numbers,  that  enemy  was  vainly  striving 
to  secure  re-enforcements  from  the  Valley  of  Virginia  and  from  the  sea-coast, 
that  should  bring  his  numbers  up  to  even  two-thirds  of  those  ofhis  assailant. 
But  it  was  now  seen  that  General  Johnston's  wound  was  likely  to  keep  him  long 
out  of  the  field,  and  Mr.  Davis  was  nowise  loth  to  improve  the  opportunity  by 
filling  his  place  with  his  own  Chief-of-Staff  and  particular  favorite,  General 
Eobert  E.  Lee.  The  change  was  fatal  to  McClellan.  For,  such  was  General 
Lee's  influence  with  his  Government,  that  the  troops  for  which  his  predecessor 
had  vainly  applied,  were  freely  given  him,  and  the  long-talked -of  Eebel  con- 
centration about  Eichmond  really  began.  The  army  of  Beauregard  was  broken 
up  and  transferred  to  Lee  ;  troops  were  brought  in  from  other  points  on  the 
sea-coast ;  the  conscription,  now  beginning  to  work  effectively,  was  made  to 
yield  its  best  fruits  to  the  Eichmond  army.  Worst  of  all,  General  Lee  took 
measures  for  the  secret  and  speedy  return  of  Stonewall  Jackson's  tried  troops 
from  the  Yalley. 

Thus  the  danger  which  McClellan  had  discounted,  to  borrow  a  figure  from 
the  stock-brokers,  so  long  in  advance,  was  now  actually  upon  him.  There  was 
yet  time  to  escape  it ;  but  the  crisis,  which  from  the  moment  of  his  landing  on 
the  Peninsula,  had  demanded  speedy  and  vigorous  movements,  now  more  than 
ever,  and  more  imperatively,  demanded  them.  But  a  strange  stupor  seemed  to 
settle  down  upon  his  army.  Its  perilous  position,  astride  the  Chickahominy, 
with  the  boggy  lowlands  intervening  to  retard  the  movements. of  either  wing  to 
the  support  of  the  other,  was  continued,  and  the  line  was  even  extended ;  while 
no  effort  was  made  to  secure  the  base  of  supplies,  which  lay  almost  as  accessible 
to  Lee's  army  as  to  his  own.  And  here,  in  this  anomalous  position,  he  contin- 
ued building  bridges  and  constructing  great  lines  of  fortifications,  as  if,  with  the 
Rebel  army  daily  swelling  before  him,  he  meant  to  enter  upon  another  siege. 

And  yet  it  would  seem  that  he  was  fully  sensible  of  the  dangers  of  his 
position  and  the  necessity  of  assuming  the  offensive.  On  the  2d  of  June,  two 
days  after  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks,  he  telegraphed  that  he  hoped  almost  imme- 
diately "to  cross  the  right,"  which  still  lay  north  of  the  Chickahominy,  and 
thus  reunite   his  army.     On  the  4th,  as  if  expecting  an  immediate  battle,  he 


298  Ohio  in  the  Wak, 

beiOWd  to  know  what  re-enforcements  he  could  receive  -within  the  next  three 
chys  "  On  the  7th:  "  I  shall  be  in  perfect  readiness  to  move  forward  and  take 
Richmond  the  moment  McCall  reaches  here,  and  the  ground  will  admit  the  pas- 
df  artillery."  On  the  10th:  "I  shall  attack  as  soon  as  the  weather  and 
mu .«1  will  permit.  *  *  I  wish  to  be  distinctly  understood,  that  whenever 
the  weather  permits  I  shall  attack  with  whatever  force  I  may  have."  On  the 
12th  General  McCall  arrived,  and  on  the  14th  McClellan  telegraphed,  "weather 
now  vn-y  favorable."  These  were  the  conditions  that  were  to  place  him  in 
••  perfect  reftdineea  to  move  forward  and  take  Eichmond,"  but  now  "the  indica- 
tions are,  from  our  balloon  reconnoissances  and  from  all  other  sources,  that  the 
enemy  are  intrenching,  daily  increasing  in  numbers,  and  determined  to  fight 
desperately."  That  was  all!  No  word  of  moving  forward  and  taking  Eich- 
mond, (although  on  the  18th  he  did  say  "a  general  engagement  may  take  place 
any  hour");  but,  six  days  later,  on  the  20th,  this:  "I  would  be  glad  to  have 
permission  to  lay  before  your  Excellency,  by  letter  or  telegraph,  my  views  as 
to  the  present  state  of  military  affairs  throughout  the  whole  country.  In  the 
meantime  I  would  be  pleased  to  learn  the  disposition,  as  to  numbers  and  posi- 
tion, of  the  troops  not  under  my  command,  in  Yirginia  and  elsewhere."  This 
remarkable  proposition,  that  the  General  of  an  invading  army,  in  a  perilous  posi- 
tion, with  one  wing  isolated  from  the  rest  of  the  army,  with  a  daily  increasing 
enemy,  and  the  necessity  of  doing  something  hourly  more  and  more  urgent, 
should  stop  to  furnish  his  government  a  volunteer  essay  on  the  general  aspects 
of  a  war  that  covered  half  a  continent ;  meantime  requesting,  as  preparatory 
thereto,  a  detailed  statement  of  the  positions  and  numbers  of  all  the  troops  in 
the  country,  seemed,  for  a  time,  to  exhaust  his  energies.  It  was  not  till  five  days 
later — eleven  days  after  he  was  "in  perfect  readiness  to  take  Eichmond" — that, 
on  the  25th,  "  an  advance  of  our  picket-line  of  the  left  was  ordered,  prepara- 
tory to  a  general  forward  movement."  Precisely  three  hours  later,  "several 
contrabands  came  in,"  giving  such  information  that  the  General  abandoning,  it 
would  seem,  all  thought  of  his  "forward  movement,"  telegraphed,  "I  shall  have 
to  contend  against  vastly, superior  odds;  but  this  army  will  do  all  in  the  power 
of  men  to — hold  their  position  and  repulse  any  attack  !"* 

It  is  the  strangest,  and,  were  it  not  so  tragic,  it  would  be  the  most  ludicrous 
chapter  of  the  whole  sad  story.  One  day  just  about  to  advance  and  take  Eich- 
mond; the  next  just  ready  to  move;  the  next  likely  to  have  a  battle  any  hour; 
the  next  desirous  of  furnishing  the  Government  his  views  on  the  war  at  large ; 
the  next  heroically  resolved  to— hold  his  position  and  repulse  any  attack.  The 
perpetually  recurring  mystery  is  how  the  Government  persuaded  itself  to  leave 
such  Unreadiness  and  Uncertainty  incarnate  in  command  of  its  finest  army. 

Even  at  this  late  day  it  was  still  possible  to  move  successfully  against  Eich- 
mond, or  at  least  to  deliver  general  battle  in  front  of  Eichmond,  with  fair  pros- 
pects of  success,  and  with  elaborate  fortifications  for  refuge  in  case  of  defeat. 
Forty-eight  hours  afterward  it  was  too  late. 

♦McClellan's  Keport,  Government  edition,  pages  113  to  121. 


Geokge   B.   McClellan.  299 

For  now  General  Lee  had  gathered  his  forces,  had  recalled  Jackson,  was 
ready  for  the  onset.  A  preliminary  cavalry  raid  had  circled  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  shown  him  how  exposed  was  McClellan's  base,  and  laid  bare  the 
danger  of  the  isolated  right  wing,  which  still  held  the  north  bank  of  the 
Chickahominy.  Leaving,  therefore,  Magruder  with  twenty-five  thousand  men 
to  occupy  the  bulk  of  McClellan's  army  on  the  south  side  of  the  Chickahominy, 
facing  Richmond,  Lee  massed  the  remainder  of  his  forces,*  and,  moving  away 
to  the  north-westward  from  Richmond,  crossed  the  Chickahominy  at  Meadow 
Bridge  with  his  advance,  then,  turning  down  the  north  side  of  the  stream, 
confronted  Fitz  John  Porter's  isolated  corps.  A  sharp  fight  ensued,  in  which 
Porter  held  his  ground  and  inflicted  severe  punishment  upon  the  enemy.  Jack- 
son had  not  yet  arrived,  but  it  was  known  that  another  day  must  bring  him 
within  co-operating  distance  of  the  rest  of  Lee's  army. 

General  McClellan  was  promptly  advised  of  the  appearance  of  the  Rebel 
column  that  afternoon  on  his  isolated  right.  Now,  therefore,  having,  by  a 
month's  delay  astride  the  Chickahominy,  lost  the  initiative,  it  behooved  him 
forthwith  to  decide  where  and  how  he  would  meet  the  attack  which  the  enemy 
was  about  to  deliver.  He  had  on  that  day  present  for  duty  one  hundred  and 
fifteen  thousand  one  hundred  and  two  men.f  His  antagonist  had  an  aggregate 
of  about  ninety-five  thousand;  but  General  McClellan  believed  him  to  have  one 
hundred  and  eighty  thousand.  Acting  under  this  belief,  it  would  seem  that  the 
moment  he  found  himself  about  to  be  attacked  he  resolved  to  retreat.  He  had 
definitely  rejected  the  idea  of  adopting  the  James  River  route  two  months 
before,  at  Roper's  Church,  and,  indeed,  even  before  that,  at  Williamsburg. 
Knowing  for  weeks  that  he  had  no  longer  a  hope  of  being  joined  by  McDowell's 
corps,  marching  overland,  he  was  free,  if  he  had  now  seen  occasion  to  revise 
that  previous  judgment,  to  transfer  his  base  to  the  James  River.  But,  having 
adhered  to  his  position  on  the  Chickahominy,  and  continued  his  promises  to 
take  Richmond  from  that  point,  up  to  the  hour  of  Lee's  appearance  on  his  right, 
he  now,  within  a  few  hours,  decided  to  abandon  his  base  and  accumulation  of 
supplies  and  retreat  to  the  James  River.  For,  Porter's  affair  with  the  advanc- 
ing Rebels  having  first  developed  Lee's  design  on  the  afternoon  of  the  26th, 
before  the  morning  of  the  27th  Porter's  baggage  and  the  great  siege-train  had 
been  moved  to  the  south  side  of  the  Chickahominy,  orders  liad  been  sent  to  the 
White  House  to  move  off  what  supplies  could  be  saved  and  to  burn  the  rest, 
and  the  water  transportation  had  been  ordered  around  to  the  James. 

It  can  not  be  disguised  that,  under  the  circumstances,  this  decision  was  as 
unwise  as  it  was  hasty.  If  General  McClellan  had  determined  at  last  to  adopt 
the  James  River  route,  he  should  have  done  so  before  the  attack  of  the  enemy 
converted  his  movement  into  a  retreat.     That  attack,  rightly  considered,  might 

*  About  seventy  thousand  men,  including  Jackson's  corps,  which  joined  him  the  next  day, 
as  appears  from  their  official  reports. 

t  The  official  records  of  the  Adjutant-General's  office  in  the  War  Department  show  the  fol- 
lowing figures  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  on  June  26,  1862:  Present  for  duty,  115,102;  on 
Bpecial  duty,  sick,  etc.,  12,225 ;  absent,  29,511.     Total  aggregate  McClellan's  army,  156,838. 


300  Ohio  in  the   Wae. 

]i:iv,  proved  the  very  opportunity  for  decisive  battle  under  favorable  circum- 
stance's, for  which  he  had  been  seeking.  Hastily  withdrawing  Porter  on  the 
rfight  of  the  L'<;th,  it  was  possible  for  him  to  have  hurled  his  united  army  upon 
the  fr*gmefct  of  the  enemy's  force  that  now  alone  intervened  between  him  and 
the  Refoel  capital*  This  would  have  conformed  to  one  of  the  elementary  prin- 
ciples of  war;  it  would  have  been— the  enemy  having  divided  his  force— to  beat 
him  in  detail.  Or,  if  he  had  believed  that  the  main  army  still  lay  between  him 
and  Richmond,  he  could  have  manned  the  defensive  works— the  very  emergency 
fat  which,  as  he  often  said,  he  had  constructed  them — and  could  then  have 
led  the  bulk  of  his  army  on  the  north  side  of  the  Chickahominy,  at  Porter's 
position,  and  there  delivered  decisive  battle.  Or,  finally,  if  either  of  these 
operations  seemed  to  him  too  daring,  he  might  still  have  withdrawn  Porter's 
corps,  and  at  once  started  for  the  James  Eiver  with  his  entire  force,  thus  avoid- 
ing that  evil  fate  by  which,  on  the  next  day,  he  left  this  devoted  body  of  twenty- 
seven  thousand  men  to  bear  up  against  the  attack  of  Lee's  massed  army. 

But  General  McClellan  either  really  believed  himself  confronted  by  an 
army  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  men,  notwithstanding  his  certainty 
of  "taking  Eichmond"  a  week  ago;  or,  under  the  alarm  created  by  suddenly 
finding  himself  attacked  instead  of  the  attacker,  he  lost  that  well-poised  bal- 
ance of  mind  essential  to  the  decision  of  purely  military  questions.  One  way 
or  the  other  it  came  about  that,  after  all  his  intrenching,  he  now  left  a  single 
corps  without  intrenchments  to  fight  the  bulk  of  the  Eebel  army  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Chickahominy  before  he  began  his  retreat.  He  did,  indeed,  ask  the 
Generals  on  the  south  side  if  they  could  spare  any  troops  for  Porter's  relief; 
but,  as  is  usual,  (and  following  the  example  which  McClellan  himself,-on  a  larger 
scale,  had  set  them),  each  General  magnified  his  own  dangers  and  held  on  to 
his  troops.  For  there  was  opposed  to  these  Generals,  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Chickahominy,  the  same  skillful  braggart,  wTho  had  succeeded  with  eleven 
thousand  men  in  stopping  the  whole  National  army  before  his  lines  at  York- 
town.  Adopting  the  same  tactics,  marching  his  few  regiments  to  and  fro,  keep- 
ing up  a  tremendous  cannonade  and  dreadful  pother,  he  convinced  not  only  the 
Corps  Generals  but  even  McClellan  himself,  that  a  mighty  force  was  about  to  bo 
hurled  against  their  intrenched  lines.  With  twenty-five  thousand  men  he  thus 
actually  held  seventy -five  thousand  National  soldiers  inside  their  works  ;  while 
across  the  river  their  brethren,  only  twenty-seven  thousand  strong,  were  fight- 
ing the  decisive  battle  that  had  been  so  long  expected,  without  intrenchments, 

♦The  Rebel  commander  subsequently  said:  "I  considered  the  situation  of  our  army  as 
extremely  critical  and  perilous.  The  larger  part  of  it  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy, the  bridges  had  been  all  destroyed,  but  one  was  rebuilt,  and  there  were  but  twenty-five 
thousand  men  between  McClellan's  army  of  one  hundred  thousand  and  Richmond.  Had  McClel- 
lan massed  his  whole  force  in  column,  and  advanced  it  against  any  point  of  our  line  of  battle,  as 
was  done  at  Austerlitz,  under  similar  circumstances,  though  the  head  of  his  column  would  have 
suttered  greatly,  its  momentum  would  have  insured  him  success  and  the  occupation  of  our  works 
ibout  Richmond.  His  failure  to  do  so  is  the  best  evidence  that  our  wise  commander  fully  under- 
stood the  character  of  his  opponent.»-Magruder.  Official  Reports  Army  Northern  Virginia. 
-Kebel  Government  edition,  vol.  I,  pp.  191,  192. 


George  B.   McClellan.  301 

i 

and  against  nearly  treble  their  numbers.    It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  any  theory 
of  military  science  on  which  such  generalship  could  be  justified. 

The  battle  of  Gaines's  Mill,  thus  fought,  was  necessarily  a  defeat.  Porter 
did  his  best,  and  sacrificed  near  ten  thousand  men ;  but  when  night  fell,  his 
routed  columns,  having  left  their  dead  and  wounded  with  much  of  their  artil- 
lery on  the  field,  were  huddling  about  the  bridge  that  led  to  the  main  army  on 
the  south  side,  and  were  only  saved  from  total  destruction  by  the  arrival  of  a 
couple  of  brigades  from  Sumner's  corps,  and  by  the  friendly  darkness,  under 
whose  cover  they  crossed  the  bridge  and  destroyed  it  behind  them. 

It  remained  to  seek  the  James  Eiver.  General  Lee  was  still  uncertain  what 
course  McClellan  would  pursue,  and  lost  the  next  day  moving  on  the  late  base 
of  supplies.  While  he  looked  upon  the  smouldering  piles  of  flour  and  meat, 
that  told  him  of  the  abandonment,  the  trains  and  material  of  the  army  were 
already  swiftly  moving  among  the  silent  woods,  far  on  their  way  to  the  James. 

At  this  moment,  with  Porter's  loss  of  ten  thousand  men,  by  a  needless 
battle  still  staring  him  in  the  face,  General  McClellan  brought  himself  to  say  to 
the  Secretary  of  War:  "I  have  lost  this  battle  because  my  force  was  too  small. 
Had  I  ten  thousand  fresh  troops  to  use  to-morrow,  I  could  take  Eichmond.  I 
know  that  a  few  thousand  more  men  would  have  changed  this  battle  from  a 
defeat  to  a  victory.  If,  at  this  instant,  I  could  dispose  of  ten  thousand  fresh 
men,  I  could  gain  the  victory  to-morrow.  If  I  save  this  army  now,  I  tell  you 
plainly  that  I  owe  no  thanks  to  you  or  to  any  other  persons  in  Washington. 
You  have  done  your  best  to  sacrifice  this  army."*. 

Of  the  tone  of  such  language  to  his  superior  we  say  nothing.  But  what 
could  present  a  stranger  picture  of  a  mind  chaotic,  revengeful,  and  without  dis- 
tinct ideas?  He  believes  the  enemy  to  be  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand 
strong;  yet,  with  ten  thousand  fresh  men  (£.  e.,  if  he  stood  now  precisely  where 
he  stood  twenty-four  hours  ago),  he  could  take  Eichmond  !  With  ten  thousand 
fresh  troops  he  could  to-morrow  win  the  victory — speaking  as  if  fresh  battles 
were  still  in  his  mind,  when,  in  fact,  his  retreat  was  in  progress! 

Beginning  his  movement  in  such  temper,  it  is  not  strange  that  we  find  him 
still,  with  persistent  ill-luck,  contriving,  through  the  rest  of  the  movement,  to 
be  in  the  last  places  a  Commanding  General  would  be  expected  to  occupy;  until 
one  of  his  corps  commanders  was  warranted  in  testifying  before  the  Committee 
on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  :  "  We  fought  the  troops  according  to  our  own  ideas. 
We  helped  each  other.  If  anybody  asked  for  re-enforcements,  I  sent  them.  If 
I  wanted  re-enforcements  I  sent  to  others.  *****  He  (McClellan)  was 
the  most  extraordinary  man  I  ever  saw.  I  do  not  see  how  any  man  could  leave 
so  much  to  others,  and  be  so  confident  that  everything  would  go  just  right "f 

*  McClellan's  Report,  Government  edition,  p.  132. 

t  General  Heintzleman's  Testimony,  Rep.,Com.  Con.  War,  series  of  1863,  vol.  I,  pp.  358,  359. 
It  should  be  added,  in  justice  to  General  McClellan,  that  he  had  found  grave  fault  with  one  por- 
tion of  General  Heintzleman's  conduct  during  the  retreat— a  fact  which  may  unconsciously  have 
given  a  tinge  to  the  above  evidence. 

/ 


302  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Yet  things  did,  after  a  fashion,  «  go  right,"  The  vast  baggage-train  coiled 
its  way  through  the  woods  till  it  emerged  upon  the  James  in  safety.  Lee  was 
delayed  a  day  by  his  doubt  as  to  where  McClellan  had  gone,  and  by  the  skillful 
manner  in  which  the  old  front  on  the  south  of  the  Chickahominy  was  kept  up 
till  the  last  moment.  On  the  29th  he  fell,  with  Magruder's  corps,  on  Sumner, 
Who  -warded  the  rear  at  Savage's  Station,  but  was  held  at  bay  till  dark.  By 
daylight  the  advance  of  the  army  with  the  artillery  was  emerging  upon  the 
James,  and  Sumner  was  safe  through  the  White  Oak  Swamp.  Of  McClellan 
himself  we  catch  but  a  passing  glimpse.  He  gave  careful  and  well-considered 
orders  to  Sumner,  Heintzleman,  and  Franklin,  for  guarding  the  passage  through 
the  White  Oak  Swamp,  and  the  road  leading  down  from  the  Eichmond  side 
u] .mi  the  route  of  the  army  beyond  the  swamp,  and  then  rode  off  to  the  front 
of  the  column  to  see  to  the  trains  and  select  other  positions  for  defense. 

The  intersection  of  these  roads  was  the  key  to  the  whole  retreat.  If  the 
enemy  secured  it,  he  had  planted  himself  upon  the  rear  of  one-half  the  retreat- 
ing army  and  isolated  it  from  the  rest.  If  he  failed  to  secure  it,  the  change  of 
base  was  accomplished.  McClellan's  fortunate  dispositions,  and  the  splendid 
tenacit}^  of  the  troops  held  the  ground,  and  made  the  battle  of  New  Market 
Cross  Eoads  a  success.  Stonewall  Jackson,  pursuing  through  the  swamp,  was 
stopped  at  the  bridge  by  General  Franklin  and  held  powerless.  Longstreet 
swept  down  from  the  open  country  toward  Eichmond,  but,  within  a  mile  of  the 
point  where  his  junction  with  Jackson  was  to  be  effected,  Sumner  and  Heintzle- 
man held  Mm.  The  attack  was  furiously  delivered,  but  every  assault  was 
repulsed  till  night  again  closed  the  scene.  There  were  no  orders  to  retreat;  the 
rest  of  Lee's  army  was  rapidly  advancing;  by  morning  the  whole  of  it  would 
be  upon  them.  McClellan  was  off  at  James  Eiver ;  before  there  could  be  time 
to  communicate  with  him  the  opportunity  would  be  lost.  Thus  reasoning, 
General  Franklin  abandoned  his  hold  on  the  swamp  bridge,  on  Stonewall  Jack- 
son's front,  and,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  rapidly  retreated  without  orders. 
Discovering  this,  Sumner  and  Heintzleman  hastily  abandoned  their  positions 
and  likewise  retreated. 

They  thus  saved  the  army.  At  daybreak  Lee's  whole  army  stood  on  the 
battle-field  of  the  previous  evening,  but  its  opportunity  of  dividing  or  attacking 
in  flank  the  retreating  column  was  gone.  Continuing  the  pursuit,  however, 
General  Lee,  in  a  few  hours,  overtook  his  antagonist,  only  to  find  him  securely 
posted  on  Malvern  Hill.  This  point  General  McClellan  had  selected  during  the 
progress  of  the  fight  of  the  day  before  at  New  Market  Cross  Eoads;  it  com- 
manded the  entire  region  along  the  James,  and  was  admirably  adapted  to  the 
most  liberal  use  of  artillery.  Under  any  circumstances  the  National  army  must 
have  received  attack  here  with  advantage,  but  the  superiority  of  the  position 
was  greatly  enhanced  by  the  confused,  blundering,  and  isolated  assaults  made 
by  Lee's  successive  corps  as  they  arrived.  The  repulse  was  finally  complete, 
and  the  pursuer  recoiled  with  heavy  loss  from  the  last  stand  of  the  retreating 
army.     The  retreat  was  ended,  and  "  this  army  saved." 

If,  by  an  infirmity  of  purpose  and  a  timidity  of  execution  amounting  to 


George    B.    McClellan.  303 

crimes,  General  McClellan  had  frittered  away  his  opportunities,  from  the  time  he 
had  landed  his  invading  army  on  the  Peninsula  up  to  the  time  when  he  was 
thus  driven  from  his  fortifications  on  the  Chickahominy,  it  was  now  equally 
true  that  he  had  skillfully  extricated  this  army  from  the  thick-gathering  dan- 
gers that  did  so  beset  it,  and  had  foiled  a  victorious  enemy,  who  already 
regarded  his  destruction  as  assured.  He  owed  much  of  this  to  the  nature 
of  the  country,  which  protected  his  flanks,  concealed  his  movements,  and 
delayed  the  pursuit;  much  he  owed  to  the  splendid  tenacity  with  which  his 
corps  commanders  guarded  his  rear;  and  for  the  actual  control  of  the  fighting 
he  can  claim  less  credit  than  ever  attached  before  to  General  commanding  such 
an  army  in  such  a  plight.  But,  if  his  absence  in  the  rear,  selecting  lines  of 
retreat  and  points  for  defense,  was  without  precedent,  it  may  be  said  that  the 
work  which  he  thus  chose  to  do  was  admirably  well-done;  and  if  his  Generals 
were  forced  to  fight  through  the  day  on  the  orders  of  the  morning  alone,  and 
thenceforward  by  hap-hazard  and  without  unity  of  action,  it  so  fell  out  that  this 
plan  of  conducting  battles  under  such  circumstances  proved  successful;  and  in 
War,  Success  is  the  absolute  test. 

The  movement  by  the  Peninsula  against  Eichmond  was  palpably  ended. 
General  McClellan  indeed  clung  to  the  idea  that  he  might  still  be  re-enforced 
and  permitted  to  renew  his  attempt;  and  he  had  conceived  the  bold  and  saga- 
cious plan  of  crossing  to  the  south  side  of  the  James  and  moving  against 
Richmond  by  the  way  of  Petersburg.*  But  there  were  no  re-enforcements  for 
him;  his  campaign  was  regarded  as  an  utter  failure;  he  had  lost  the  confidence 
of  the  Government f  and  measurably  of  the  country;  there  was  a  general  shock 
at  the  sight  of  an  invading  army,  of  which  such  hopes  had  been  entertained, 
fleeing  for  seven  days  before  an  enemy  not  even  then  believed  to  be  his  equal  in 
numbers.  Furthermore,  General  Lee,  having  as  it  seemed,  effectually  disposed 
of  the  immediate  danger  to  Eichmond,  had  already  detached  Jackson,  with 
large  re-enforcements,  to  renew  his  operations  in  the  Yalley;  and  the  alarm 
which  that  brilliant  officer  speedily  succeeded  in  renewing,  added  to  the  pre- 
vious considerations,  decided  the  Government  to  recall  McClellan's  army  in 
all  haste  to  be  united  with  the  forces  in  front  of  Washington.  There  was  some- 
thing piteous  in  the  tone  of  McClellan's  remonstrances  and  petitions  to  remain; 
but,  in  the  existing  temper  of  the  Government,  they  only  served  to  confirm  the 
impression  that  he  would  be  insubordinate,  if  he  dared. 

Then  followed  a  painful  delay.  The  first  order  for  the  withdrawal  was 
sent  on  30th  July.  It  was  not  till  15th  August  that  General  McClellan  was 
able  to  telegraph  that  his  advance  was  started;  and  not  until  24th  August 
that,  preceding  the  bulk  of  his  command,   he  was  able  personally  to  report 

*  Precisely  the  plan  to  which  General  Grant  found  himself  ultimately  forced. 

t  There  is  sufficient  evidence  for  the  assertion  that,  at  this  time,  the  Government  suffered 
under  the  greatest  apprehensions  that  McClellan  might  yet  surrender  his  entire  army!  This  may 
also  help  to  explain  the  subsequent  reluctance  to  explain  plans  to  him,  or  even,  when  he  was 
ordered  to  send  back  his  sick,  to  disclose  to  him  the  real  intention  of  withdrawing  the  army, 
which  prompted  that  order. 


304  Ohio  in  the    War. 

for  orders  at  Aquia  Creek.  The  interval  had  been  occupied  with  blunders  and 
delays  about  transportation,  and  with  a  telegraphic  correspondence  with  Gen- 
eral  Halleck  (now  made  General-in-Chief)  which,  on  the  part  of  the  latter, 
grow  daily  more  and  more  curt  and  peremptory  as  the  delays  continued.  It  is 
doubtless  true  that  the  Quartermasters  insisted  upon  their  inability  to  move 
thr  army  back  faster  than  they  did;  but  it  is  equally  true  that,  if  McClellan's 
heari  had  been  in  the  matter,  he  could  have  controlled  Quartermasters  and 
their  transportation,  and  if  he  did  not  fully  satisfy  the  unreasonable  expecta- 
tions that  were  entertained,  could  at  least  have  lessened  the  delay. 

As  it  was,  so  thoroughly  was  the  patience  of  the  Government  exhausted  that, 
on  his  arrival  at  Alexandria  his  troops  were  taken  from  him,  and  his  own  peti- 
tions for  active  service,  or  at  least  for  permission  to  be  present  with  his  men, 
could  gain  no  audience. 

But  affairs  now  reached  a  very  critical  posture.  Lee  had  thrown  his  whole 
force  to  the  support  of  Jackson ;  Pope's  army,  confronting  it,  had  come  back  in 
a  jumble;  the  divisions  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  began  to  re-enforce  him 
only  as  he  neared  the  fatal  ground  of  Manassas.  McClellan  was  accused — with 
questionable  cause — o'f  delaying  these  re-enforcements,  through  a  malicious  desire 
to  "leave  Pope  to  get  out  of  his  scrape,"  as  he  was  unfortunate  enough  to  ex- 
press himself  in  a  dispatch  to  the  President;  and  this  only  tended  to  increase  the 
acerbity  of  his  relations  to  the  War  Department  and  the  General-in-Chief. 

Presently,  however,  Pope's  army  came  streaming  back,  broken  up  and 
demoralized  by  much  fighting  and  some  bad  handling.  The  enemy  was  at  the 
gates.  In  this  crisis,  whatever  it  thought  of  him  as  a  General,  the  Administra- 
tion was  glad  to  use  McClellan  as  an  organizer.  Furthermore,  it  was  believed 
that  there  was  no  other  name  that  still  had  such  magic  for  the  rank  and  file 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  And  so  it  proved.  Taking  up  the  demoralized 
fragments  of  two  armies,  as  they  poured  back  from  the  second  Bull  Eun,  Gen- 
eral McClellan  moved  them  across  the  Potomac  and  out  on  the  Seventh  Street 
and  Tenallytown  Eoads,  a  compact,  orderly  organization,  ready  for  fresh  con- 
flicts, and  actually  in  better  fighting  trim  than  they  had  been  for  months. 

Still  he  moved  slowly,  less  than  six  miles  a  day;  primarily,  doubtless, 
because  of  his  inherently  cautious  and  circumspect  nature,  but  likewise,  it  must 
be  remembered,  under  perpetual  injunctions  to  caution  from  the  General-in- 
Chief.  Lee- had  crossed  the  Upper  Potomac  into  Maryland.  Covering  Wash- 
ington and  Baltimore,'  McClellan  felt  his  way  forward  to  meet  him  ;  till  on  the 
13th  of  September,  at  Frederick  City,  by  great  good  fortune,  there  fell  into  his 
hands  an  order  issued  by  Lee  on  the  9th,  fully  detailing  the  movements  then  in 
execution.  Thus  informed  of  his  adversary's  designs,  McClellan  threw  forward 
his  army  toward  the  passes  of  the  South  Mountain,  threatening  the  isolated 
corps  with  which  Lee  was  trying  to  reduce  Harper's  Ferry.  A  brilliant  action 
here,  handsomely  managed  by  McClellan,  carried  the  pass,  but  too  late  to  succor 
the  small  force  at  the  Ferry.  Lee,  with  a  master-hand,  now  began  to  gather 
together  his  scattered  forces,  and,  flushed  with  the  victory  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
they  opposed  their  front  to  the  pursuing  army  along  the  bank  of  Antietam  Creek. 


George    B.   McClellan.  305 

McCIellan  came  in  sight  of  their  ostentatiously  displayed  lines  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  day  following  the  action  at  South  Mountain,  and  spent  the  remain- 
ing hours  of  daylight  in  reeonnoissances.  The  next  day  was  similarly  occupied.; 
a  delay  precious  to  Lee,  for  before  its  close  his  scattered  divisions  all  arrived, 
(save  the  two  at  Harper's  Ferry),  and  stood  compact  again  to  face  their  old  antag- 
onist. Late  in  the  afternoon  Hooker  was  thrown  across  the  creek  to  turn  Lee's 
left,  but  no  decisive  result  followed,  save  the  consequent  premature  revelation 
of  McClellan's  plan,  for  which  Lee  through  the  night  quietly  prepared. 

Next  morning  Hooker  opened  the  battle,  advancing  against  Lee's  left.  At 
first  successful,  he  was  subsequently  repulsed,  as  *the  inaction  along  the  rest  of 
the  line  showed  Lee  that  he  could  transfer  fresh  troops  to  the  left  with  impunity. 
Hooker  was  wounded  and  carried  off  the  field  ;  and  as  brave  old  Sumner  came 
up  with  his  corps  he  "  found  that  Hooker's  corps  had  been  dispersed  and  routed, 
and  saw  nothing  of  the  corps  at  all."*  Pushing  forward  he  too  became  hotly 
engaged  and  soon  had  occasion  to  regret  that  "General  McClellan  should  send 
these  troops  into  action  in  driblets,"  and  to  find  that  "at  the  points  of  attack  the 
enemy  was  superior."y  With  varying  fortunes,  however,  he  at  last  succeeded, 
with  heavy  losses,  in  pushing  back  the  Eebel  left  till  he  had  almost  reached 
their  center.  Re-enforcing  again  from  the  rest  of  the  idle  line,  Lee  was  about 
to  throw  fresh  battalions  upon  Sumner's  exhausted  front  when  another  "driblet" 
arrived,  in  the  form  of  Franklin's  corps.  Sumner  might  then  have  advanced 
again,  but  four  out  of  the  six  corps  of  the  army  "were  now  drawn  into  this 
seething  vortex  of  the  fight  "  on  the  enemy's  left ;  and  he,  not  unwisely,  judged 
it  inexpedient,  three  of  them  being  already  much  shattered,  to  expose  the  whole 
right  of  the  army  to  destruction,  by  crippling  the  fourth,  while  still  uncertain  as 
to  the  plans  or  possibilities  on  other  parts  of  the  field.  He  accordingly  con- 
tented himself  with  holding  his  ground. 

It  was  now  one  o'clock,  and  as  yet  nothing  had  been  done  elsewhere. 
McClellan  indeed  was  not  ignorant  that,  through  this  inaction,  Lee  was  being 
enabled  to  mass  his  forces  to  resist  the  attack  on  his  left;  and  as  early  as  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  he  had  ordered  Burnside  to  take  the  bridge  over  the 
Antietam  Creek,  on  the  enemy's  extreme  right,  and  advance  against  him.  But 
Burnside,  though  directly  under  McClellan's  eye,  was  permitted  to  consume  the 
time  in  frivolous  skirmishing,  till  it  was  now  one  o'clock,  and  the  whole  action 
on  the  enemy's  left  was  over,  before  he  carried  the  bridge.  Two  hours  more 
delay  here  ensued,  when,  advancing  up  the  hill,  he  swept  the  enemy's  right 
from  its  crest.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  Sumner  was  charging  the 
enemy's  left,  this  success  would  have  gained  the  day,  but  now  at  three,  Sumner, 
with  four  corps  under  him,  lay  exhausted,  and  the  two  Rebel  divisions  from  Har- 
per's Ferry  were  just  arriving  upon  the  field.  This  last  re-en forceraent  settled 
the  question.  Burnside  was  driven  back  to  the  bridge  by  night-fall,  and  the 
action  was  over.  McClellan  had  lost  twelve  thousand  five  hundred  men.  Lee's 
loss  reached  eight  thousand. 

*  General  Sumner's  evidence,  Eep.  Cora.  Con.  War,  series  of  1863,  Vol.  I,  p.  368. 
tlbid. 
Vol.  I.— 20. 


306  Ohio  in  the  War. 

The  next  day  General  McClellan  did  not  feel  able  to  renew  the  attack,  but 
he  proposed  to  do  so,  if  his  re-enforcements  (to  the  number  of  fourteen  thousand, 
then  marching  from  Washington),  should  arrive  on  the  day  following.  But  by 
that  time  Lee,  having  kept  up  a  bold  front  during  the  day  on  Antietam  Creek, 
was  safi.-ly  across  the  Potomac  and  back  into  Virginia  again,  with  all  his  trains 

and  material. 

This  was  the  first  and  only  battle  of  importance  in  which,  during  his  whole 
career,  General  McClellan  commanded  in  person.  Viewing  it  in  the  light  of 
facts  now  known  it  is  easy  to  see  its  mistakes.  It  was  on  the  13th  that,  by  the 
singular  good  fortune  of  capturing  Lee's  field  order  to  his  Corps  Generals, 
General  McClellan  was  put  in  possession  of  all  his  adversary's  positions  and 
plans.  It  was  quite  jiossible  for  him,  acting  with  the  dash  which  such  knowl- 
edge warranted,  and  which  Stonewall  Jackson  again  and  qgain  exhibited,  to 
have  carried  the  South  Mountain  pass  that  evening,  when  it  could  have  been- 
done  almost  without  resistance,  and  to  have  thrown  himself  upon  the  rear  of 
McLaws's  Rebel  division  then  beleaguering  Harper's  Ferry.  This  would  have 
enabled  him  to  beat  Lee's  scattered  troops  in  detail.  But,  passing  this  by,  when 
the  armies  fairly  met  at  Antietam  he  had  double  the  numbers  that  his  weak- 
ened antagonist  was  able  to  muster.  We  now  know,  from  Eebel  official  reports, 
that  Lee's  whole  force  barely  reached  forty  thousand ;  that  of  McClellan  was 
over  eighty  thousand.  Yet,  holding  his  force  feebly,  he  delivered  isolated 
attacks,  from  hour  to  hour,  on  different  parts  of  the  field,  enabling  the  wary 
enemy  so  to  muster  his  thin  battalions,  as  at  each  point  of  attack  to  oppose  to 
the  onset  a  stronger  force.  The  tactical  management  of  the  battle  thus  admits 
of  no  defense. 

Of  the  failure  to  renew  the  attack  on  the  next  day  more  may  be  said. 
General  McClellan  did  not  know  how  completely  the  enemy  was  exhausted  by 
lack  of  supplies,  straggling,  and  actual  loss  in  battle.  He  only  knew  that  in 
front  of  him  still  stood  that  indomitable  line  against  which,  the  day  before,  he 
had  vainly  sacrificed  twelve  thousand  men ;  that  his  Corps  Generals  felt  their 
commands  unfit  for  immediate  renewal  of  the  attack ;  that  a  few  hours  would 
bring  him  fourteen  thousand  fresh  men ;  that  he  held  in  his  hands  the  safety 
of  the  capital,  and,  under  continual  monitions  of  caution  from  the  General-in- 
Chief,  alone  stood  between  the  enemy  and  the  defenseless  North.  He  might 
indeed  have  reflected  that  this  enemy  must  be  exhausted;  that  he  lay  in  a  dan- 
gerous position,  with  his  back  to  a  large  river,  and  at  an  immense  distance  from 
his  base  of  supplies.  But,  remembering  what  he  did,  and  the  difficulties  that 
beset  him,  we  may  well  conclude  that  if  his  conduct  was  not  that  of  a  great 
General,  it  was  still  in  that  safe  line  by  which  a  prudent  General  seeks  to  guard 
the  interests  committed  to  his  keeping. 

General  McClellan,  however,  had  largely  contributed  to  such  a  state  of  feel- 
ing between  himself  and  the  Adminstration  that  he  could  expect  no  lenient 
judgment  on  mistakes  or  delays.  He  had  claimed  Antietam  as  a  great  victory. 
ine  Government,  therefore,  demanded  that  he  should  promptly  follow  it  up. 


Gteokge   B.    McClellan.  307 

Instead,  it  saw  the  beaten  enemy  quietly  extricate  himself  from  his  perilous 
position,  and,  in  the  face  of  the  victorious  army,  march  unmolested  away. 
Then  it  demanded  prompt  pursuit.  Instead,  General  McClellan  telegraphed  for 
shoes  and  blankets.  The  Government  thought  the  crisis  demanded  some  sacri- 
fice, even  to  the  extent  of  calling  upon  the  troops  for  such  hard  service  as  the 
enemy  was  performing.  If  the  shoeless  Eebels  could  beat  a  great  army  and 
invade  Maryland,  it  was  even  willing  that  our  troops  should,  shoeless,  drivi- 
them  back.  Not  so  General  McClellan.  His  methodical  genius  would  permit 
no  such  irregularities ;  and  strong  in  the  recollection  that,  after  trying  to  dis- 
place him,  the  Government  had  been  forced  to  recall  him,  and,  doubtless,  de- 
termined as  well  to  teach  the  Government  something  of  his  importance  and 
power,  he  suffered  the  splendid  fall  weather  to  go  by,  while,  for  over  a  wjiole 
month,  he  lay  on  the  Potomac,  reorganizing  and  reclothing  his  army. 

At  last  he  moved,  but  he  had  already  presumed  too  far ;  and,  on  the  5th  of 
November,  1862,  when  his  advance-guard  was  about  reaching  the  new  positions 
which  General  Lee  had  assumed,  the  outraged  Government  relieved  him  of  his 
command,  and  thus  put  an  end  to  his  military  career  in  its  service.  He  contin- 
ued to  hold  his  commission  for  two  years  longer,  until  after  his  defeat  for  the 
Presidency,  but  he  was  never  put  on  duty,  and,  for  the  most  part,  he  lived  in 
retiracy  with  his  family  in  New  Jersey. 

Thus  passes  from  the  field  a  General  in  whose  favor  Fortune  seemed  at  first 
to  have  exhausted  her  resources.  He  was  still  popular  with  his  army,  for  whose 
comfort  he  sedulously  exerted  himself,  and  for  whose  good-will  he  skillfully 
strove.  That  he  had  disappointed  public  expectation  was  not  wonderful,  for, 
greatly  through  the  folly  of  his  own  friends,  public  expectation  had  been  raised 
to  dizzy  heights,  which  genius  of  the  first  order  could  scarcely  have  reached. 
In  that  he  had  disappointed  the  Government  he  was  more  blameworthy.  If  he 
had  been  willing  to  place  himself  at  the  outset  on  the  footing  of  a  trained  the- 
orist, confessedly  ignorant  of  the  practice  of  war,  many  of  his  mistakes  might 
have  been  forgiven.  But  it  was  precisely  here  that  the  complaint  rested.  Ig- 
noring all  the  national  considerations  which  constrained  action ;  narrowing  his 
vision  till  he  saw  for  his  whole  duty  the  task  of  building  up  on  the  banks  of 
the  Potomac  a  colossal  army,  which  should  equal,  in  all  the  perfection  of  dis- 
cipline and  equipment,  the  finest  of  those  he  had  seen  in  Europe,  he  then  arro- 
gated to  himself  the  privileges  of  an  acknowledged  Expert  in  a  recondite  Sci- 
ence; claimed  the  exclusive  power  of  planning  and  deciding,  while  the  sorely  - 
beset  Government  must,  in  blind  faith,  await  his  own  good  time  for  defeating 
the  enemy;  and  encouraged  the  talk  of  the  brainless  upstarts  around  him,  who 
declaimed  against  the  impertinent  interference  of  mere  civilians— the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, to-wit,  and  his  constitutional  advisers.  When,  after  all  this, 
it  was  found  that  his  Generalship  exhausted  itself  in  preparations,  that  in  the 
field  he  handled  his  great  forces  irresolutely,  and,  perpetually  debating  between 
brilliant  alternatives,  perpetually  suffered  each  to  escape  him,  the  disappoint- 
ment was  as  great  as  the  promises  had  been  high.     It  was,  perhaps,  more  his 


308  Ohio  in  the  Wab. 

misfortune  than  his  fault  that  thenceforward  (to  repeat  what  we  have  already 
Baid  at  the  outset  of  this  sketch)  he  was  forever  judged,  and  severely  judged, 
by  the  false  standard  which  his  friends  had  set  up. 

Worse  than  all,  when  it  happened  that  his  military  career  was  about  to 
become  one  of  the  vexed  points  in  a  Presidential  canvass,  he  brought  himself 
to  disingenuous  subterfuges  and  adroit  after-thoughts,  by  which  he  sought  to 
Bhift  the^blame  of  his  errors  upon  other  shoulders  * 

Still  these  circumstances,  which  so  powerfully  affected  the  immediate  judg- 
ment of  his  countrymen,  will  not  entirely  control  the  place  in  history  to  which 
a  calm  review  of  his  career  must  assign  him.  He  never  made  good  his  claim 
to  the  character  of  a  great  General.  His  conduct  showed  no  flashes  of  genius, 
and  never  exhibited  that  inspiration  of  battle  which,  in  the  moment  of  action, 
lights  up  the  minds  of  truly  warlike  men.  He  was  singularly  deficient  in  that 
epecie8  of  executive  capacity  which  controls  the  tactics  of  an  army  in  the  face 
of  an  enemy,  and  he  never  gave  evidence  of  his  ability  to  handle  skillfully  even 
fifty  thousand  men  in  battle.  But  he  thoroughly  understood  the  theory  of 
war,  and  especially  the  organization  of  armies.  "  Too  military  to  be  warlike,' 
there  was  much  in  his  conduct  to  suggest  a  comparison  to  that  Grand  Duke 
Constantine,  of  Kussia,  who  had  so  perfected  the  drill  and  equipment  of  the 
army  that,  in  his  love  for  its  splendid  appearance,  he  protested  against  war, 
because  it  would  ruin  his  soldiers.  In  the  field  his  professional  and  tech- 
nical knowledge  overburdened  him  till  he  was  incapable  of  skillfully  using 
it;  in  the  solitude  of  his  head-quarters,  and  freed  from  his  absorbing  attention 
to  personal  considerations,  it  made  him  an  excellent  strategist.  It  was  his 
misfortune  that  he  overrated  his  own  capacity,  and  set  himself  tasks  to  which 
he  was  unequal.  But  he  was  always  able  to  oppose  a  front  of  opposition  to  the 
enemy,  and  to  maintain  the  morale  of  his  army.  Twice  he  was  fortunate  enough 
to  have  a  field  for  the  display  of  his  peculiar  abilities;  and  on  those  occasions, 
once  in  the  restoration  of  confidence  after  Bull  Eun  and  the  organization  of  the 
army,  and  again  in  the  reorganization  of  the  demoralized  fragments  that  drifted 
back  in  disorder  from  the  second  Bull  Bun,  he  so  served  the  imperiled  Country 
that  his  name  must  forever  find  a  place  in  the  list  of  those  who  have  helped  to 
save  the  Bepublic. 

From  the  date  of  General  McClellan's  first  taking  the  field  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, he  had  been  accompanied  by  a  staff  officer  from  Cincinnati,  who  was  a 
sagacious  politician,  and  quick  to  perceive  those  currents  of  popular  favor  along 
which  politicians  may  guide  their  barks  to  official  harbors.  The  whirlwind  of 
popular  applause  had  no  sooner  set  in  around  the  "  Young  Napoleon  "  from  West 
Virginia  than  this  astute  officerf  recognized  his  opportunity.  Thenceforward  it 
was  sedulously  cared  for  that  in  whatever  McClellan  said  or  did,  his  sayings 
and  actions  should  be  so  shaped  as  not  to  unfit  him  for  the  candidacy  of  the 

♦Throughout  the  labored  self-vindication,  misnamed  "Report." 

t  Who  has  the  credit  of  the  revision  of  the  most  and  the  authorship  of  the  most  important  of 
McClellan's  proclamations  and  other  papers  having  political  bearings. 


George    B.    McClellan.  309 

party  with  which  he  affiliated — the  party  opposed  to  the  Administration  whoso 
officer  he  was — in  the  next  Presidential  election.  The  policy  was  shrewdly 
planned  and  carried  out.  Had  military  success  re-enforced  it,  its  author  might 
have  seen  it  successful. 

But  when  the  Democratic  party  assembled  in  convention  at  Chicago,  they 
were  compelled  by  the  pressure  of  their  peace  wing  to  resolve  that  the  War  for 
the  Union  was  a  failure.  Upon  this  platform,  and  that  of  his  own  military 
failure,  they  placed  General  McClellan.  The  combination  defeated  him  in  ad- 
vance. He  still  polled  a  respectable  vote  in  each  of  the  States,  but  he  only 
carried  three  of  them,  Kentucky,  New  Jersey,  and  Delaware. 

The  heat  of  the  canvass,  and  his  anomalous  position  as  a  Soldier  on  a  Peace 
Platform,  opposing  the  cause  which  the  Country  regarded  as  peculiarly  the 
cause  of  his  fellow-soldiers,  led  to  his  being  assailed  with  unusual  and  often  with 
unjust  bitterness.  ISTow  that  political  passions  have  cooled,  there  are  few  who 
will  not  regret  that  the  loyalty,  and  even  the  personal  courage  of  General 
McClellan  were  once  slanderously  called  in  question. 

Eesigning  his  commission  as  a  Major-General  in  the  regular  army,  after 
Ins  popular  defeat,  General  McClellan  sailed  for  Europe,  where  he  remained  in 
retirement  with  his  family  till  long  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  person  General  McClellan  is  below  the  middle  height,  compact  and 
muscular,  with  unusually  large  chest,  and  well-shaped  head.  His  features  are 
regular,  and,  in  conversation,  light  up  with  a  pleasing  smile.  His  manners  are 
singularly  charming  and  graceful;  and  the  magnetism  of  his  personal  presence 
and  his  gracious  ways  is  always  sure  to  fill  his  private  life  with  friends,  as  it 
bound  to  him  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  array  of  the  Potomac,  with  an 
affectionate  regard  which  no  subsequent  commander  was  able  to  inspire. 


William  S.  Rosecrans.  311 


MAJOR-GENERAL  WILLIAM  S.  ROSECRANS. 


TH  E  greatest  of  modern  strategists  never  rose  beyond  the  rank  of  a  Briga- 
dier-General. Napoleon  was  once  on  the  point  of  making  him  a  Marshal 
of  France ;  he  repeatedly  rendered  such  services  as,  in  the  case  of  his 
compeers,  were  wont  to  command  high  praise  and  the  largest  promotion ;  but, 
do  what  he  would,  General  Jomini  could  never  "get  on."  His  hot  temper  and 
his  open  contempt  for  the  blunders,  or  the  foibles  of  his  superiors,  for  ever 
barred  his  promotion  and  embittered  his  daily  life,  till  at  last,  insulted  in  Gene- 
ral Orders,  he  revenged  himself  by  going  over  to  the  enemy. 

When  Ohio  was  called  on  for  her  men  best  fitted  for  the  instant  emergencies 
of  a  sudden  war,  two  were  at  once  presented.  At  a  stroke  of  the  pen,  one  was 
made  a  Major-General,  the  other  a  Brigadier  in  the  Eegular  Army ;  though  the 
one,  when  he  had  retired  to  civil  life,  had  been  a  simple  Captain,  and  the  other 
but  a  First  Lieutenant.  Yet  the  Army  vindicated  the  wisdom  of  both  promo- 
tions. Both  came  to  fill  large  space  in  the  attention  of  the  Nation,  and  the 
records  of  the  war ;  both  wielded  great  armies  and  fought  great  battles ;  but  both 
passed  from  a  brief  season  of  the  highest  favor  with  the  Government,  and  with 
those  who  controlled  the  business  of  the  war,  by  steady  progression,  from  cool- 
ness to  open  hostility,  and  both  were  stranded  long  before  the  peaceful  port  was 
reached. 

If  we  have  found  the  one  so  far  blinded  by  his  resentments  and  his  ambi- 
tion as  to  suffer  himself  to  be  affiliated  (at  least)  with  friends  of  the  enemy,  it 
will  now  be  our  pleasanter  task  to  trace  the  career  of  that  other,  hot-tempered 
and  indiscreet  as  Jomini  himself,  who  yet  permitted  no  recollection  of  private 
wrongs  to  warp  his  discharge  of  public  duty ;  who  through  many  discourage- 
ments and  buffets  of  fortune  bore  bravely  up  and  made  a  good  fight;  who  was, 
throughout  the  war,  as  unwise  for  himself  as  he  was  wise  in  controlling  the 
interests  of  the  Country,  committed  to  his  care ;  and  of  whom  at  last  it  must 
be  said  that  for  his  Country's  sake  he  made  greater  sacrifices  than  his  haughty 
temper  could  brook  to  make  for  his  own,  and,  faithful  ever  to  his  Comrades  and 
the  Cause,  was  ever  his  own  worst  enemy. 

William  Starke  Eosecrans*  was  born  in  Kingston  Township,  Delaware 
County,  Ohio,  6th  September,  3819.  His  parents  were  Crandall  Rosecrans, 
whose  ancestors  came  from  Amsterdam,  and  Jemima  Hopkins,  of  the  family  of 

•  The  name  is  Dutch,  and  signifies  "  a  wreath  of  roses." 


312  Ohio  in  the  War. 

that  Timothy  Hopkins,  whose  name  lias  passed  into  history  as  one  of  the  signers 
Of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Wyoming  Val- 
ley, Pennsylvania,  who  had  emigrated  to  Ohio  in  1808.  His  mother  was  reared 
in  the  same  beautiful  valley,  and  was  a  daughter  of  a  soldier  of  the  Eevolution. 

Youn<*  Rosecrans  was  a  close  student,  and  at  fifteen  was  master  of  all  that 
the  schools  of  his  native  place  could  teach.  He  already  evinced  the  strong 
religious  tendency  which  has  continued  to  characterize  him  through  life,  and 
noted,  among  all  the  hoys  of  his  neighborhood,  for  his  disposition  to  study 
the  Bible,  and  to  engage  preachers  and  others  on  religious  topics.  Not  less 
characteristic  is  another  glimpse  that  we  get  of  his  boy  life.  His  proficiency  in 
such  mathematical  and  scientific  studies  as  he  had  been  able  to  pursue,  led  him 
to  look  longingly  upon  the  treasures  of  a  West  Point  education.  Consulting  no 
one,  not  even  his  father,  he  wrote  directly  to  Hon.  Joel  E.  Poinsett,  Secretary  of 
War  under  President  Yan  Euren,  asking  for  an  appointment  as  Cadet.  It  was 
not  strange  that  such  an  application  failed  to  receive  an  instant  response;  but 
young  Rosecrans  thought  it  was,  and  presently  applied  to  his  father  for  some 
plan  to  re-enforce  his  request.  A  petition  for  the  cadetship  was  prepared 
and  largely  signed,  and,  as  he  was  depositing  the  bulky  document  in  the  post- 
office,  he  received  the  letter  informing  him  of  his  appointment. 

At  West  Point  Cadet  Eosecrans  was  known  as  a  hard  student,  something 
of  a  recluse  and  a  religious  enthusiast.  His  class — that  of  1842 — numbered 
fifty-six,  and  among  them  the  reader  of  the  histories  of  those  times  will  not  fail 
to  recognise  such  names  as  James  Longstreet,  Earl  Yan  Dorn,  John  Pope,  Abner 
Doublcday,  Lafayette  McLaws,  E.  H.  Anderson,  Mansfield  Lovell,  G.  W.  Smith, 
John  Newton,  and  George  Eains.  Among  these  men  Cadet  Eosecrans  stood 
third  in  mathematics  and  fifth  in  general  merit,  while  Pope  was  seventeenth, 
Doublcday  twenty-fourth,  and  Longstreet  fifty-fourth. 

^Entering  the  elite  of  the  Eegular  Army,  the  Engineer  Corps,  as  a  Brevet 
Second  Lieutenant,  young  Eosecrans  was  now,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  ordered 
to  duty  at  Fortress  Monroe,  under  Colonel  De  Russey.  A  year  later  he  was 
returned  to  West  Point  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Engineering,  and  about  this 
time  was  married  to  Miss  Hegeman,  only  daughter  of  Adrian  Hegeman,  then  a 
well-known  lawyer  of  New  York. 

From  1843  to  1847  Jjieutenant  Eosecrans  was  kept  at  West  Point;  first,  as 
wo  have  seen,  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Engineering,  then  as  Assistant  Professor 
of  Natural  and  Experimental  Philosophy;  then,  again,  in  charge  of  the  depart- 
ment  of  Practical  Engineering,  and  finally  as  Post  Quartermaster.  In  1847  he 
was  ordered  to  Newport,  Ehode  Island,  where  he  took  charge  of  the  fortifica- 
tions, and  the  reconstruction  at  Fort  Adams  of  a  large  permanent  wharf.  He 
was  thus  continued  on  engineering  duty  till,  in  1852,  we  find  him  in  charge  of 
the  survey  of  New  Bedford  and  Providence  harbors  and  Taunton  river,  under 
the  Act  of  Congress  requiring  their  improvement,  In  April,  1853,  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  having  asked  for  the  services  of  a  competent  Engineer  from  the 
War  Department,  Lieutenant  Eosecrans,  now  promoted  to  a  First  Lieutenancy, 
was  ordered  to  report  to  him  for  duty,  and  was  assigned  to  service,  under  the 


William  S.  Rosecrans.  313 

Bureau  of  Docks  and  Yards,  as  Constructing  Engineer  at  the  Washington  Navy 
Yard.  He  continued  on  service  here  until  November,  1853,  when  his  health 
broke  down. 

Lieutenant  Eosecrans  was  now  thirty-four  years  of  age;  he  was  an  ackowl- 
edged  master  in  the  profession  of  Engineering,  and  had  given,  in  its  practice, 
eleven  of  the  best  years  of  his  life  to  the  Government  without  yet  having 
reached  the  dignity  of  a  Captain's  commission,  or  the  meager  emoluments  of  a 
Captain's  salary.  In  the  army,  where,  "'few  dying  and  none  resigning,"  pro- 
motion in  peaceful  times  seemed  hopelessly  remote,  he  could  see  nothing  more 
brilliant  in  the  future,  and  was  already  growing  discouraged,  when  his  illness 
now  gave  additional  force  to  these  considerations  and  determined  him  to  tender 
his  resignation.  The  Secretary  of  War,  (Jefferson  Davis),  expressed  his  unwill- 
ingness to  lose  so  valuable  an  officer  from  the  service,  and  proposed,  instead,  to 
give  him  a  year's  leave  of  absence,  with  the  understanding  that  if  he  should 
then  insist  upon  it,  he  would  be  permitted  to  resign.  In  April,  1854,  his  resig- 
nation was  accordingly  accepted,  General  Totten,  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  for- 
warding the  acceptance  accompanied  with  a  complimentary  letter,  referring  to 
the  ''services  rendered  the  Government  by  Lieutenant  Eosecrans,"  and  his 
"regret  that  the  country  was  about  to  lose  so  able  and  valuable  an  officer." 

The  next  seven  years  were  to  Lieutenant  Eosecrans  years  of  more  varied 
than  profitable  activity.  At  first  we  find  him  in  a  modest  office  in  Cincinnati, 
on  the  door  of  which  appeared  the  inscription,  "William  S.  Eosecrans,  Consult- 
ing Engineer  and  Architect."  Next,  a  little  more  than  a  year  later,  he  figures  as 
Suj)erintendent,  and  then  as  President  of  the  Cannel  Coal  Company,  striving,  by 
locks  and  dams,  on  the  little  Coal  Eiver  in  West  Virginia,  to  secure  slack-water 
navigation  there,  and  thus  make  available  the  vast  wealth  that  lay  emboweled  in 
the  banks  of  that  stream.  From  this  position  he  passed  to  a  somewhat  similar 
one,  that  seemed  to  offer  larger  returns,  in  charge  of  the  interests  of  the  Cincinnati 
Coal  Oil  Company. 

In  all  these  positions  he  displayed  such  ability  as  to  command  the  confi- 
dence of  capitalists;  yet,  after  all,  his  ventures  ended  in  pecuniary  failures. 
His  restless  mind  was  constantly  bent  on  making  improvements  and  substituting 
better  methods ;  his  ingenuity  left  everywhere  its  traces  in  new  inventions,  and 
others  have  since  largely  profited  by  his  researches  and  experiments ;  but  it  is 
possible  that  the  stockholders  in  his  Companies  might  have  received  better  divi- 
dends if  he  had  been  content  to  plod  steadily  in  the  old  paths.  It  is  only  the 
usual  fate  of  inventors  to  hew  out  the  new  roads  by  which  others  and  not  them- 
selves may  advance  to  fortune. 

And  so,  in  the  Spring  of  1861,  we  find  the  future  General,  now  in  his  forty- 
second  year,  not  very  much  better  situated  than  when,  seven  years  before,  he 
had  resigned  his  First  Lieutenancy;  but  matured,  broadened,  in  the  prime  of 
vio-orous  manhood,  become  a  man  of  affairs,  and  possessing,  both  by  virtue 
of  his  professional  abilities  and  of  his  religious  affiliations,  marked  influence  in 
the  great  city  which  he  had  made  his  home.     For  it  is  now  the  time  to  observe 


314  Ohio   in   the  War. 

that  Rosecrans  was  a  devout  Roman  Catholic,  implicitly  believing  in  the  infal- 
libility of  his  Church,  and  reverently  striving  to  conform  his  life  to  her  pre- 
oepte.  His  brother  was  Bishop  of  the  Diocese,  and  his  own  relations  to  the 
Church  were  such  that  his  example  was  likely  to  have  large  weight  with  the 
gr.-at  mass  of  voters  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  whom  that  Church  held  within 
her  folds,  and  who  might  be  said,  by  virtue  of  the  balance  of  power  which  they 
often  possessed,  to  control  the  attitude  of  the  city  toward  the  Government  and 
toward  the  war.  In  the  first  frenzy  of  the  rush  to  arms  after  the  attack  on 
Fort  Sumter,  these  considerations  seem  to  have  had  no  weight;  but  we  shall 
have  occasion  to  see  how  signally,  in  more  than  one  critical  period,  they  enabled 
the  Roman  Catholic  General  more  effectively  to  serve  the  country  to  whose 
service  ho  had  again  devoted  himself. 

From  the  moment  that  the  war  had  declared  itself,  Rosecrans  gave  thought 
and  time  to  no  other  subject.  The  city,  it  was  supposed,  might  be  in  some 
danger  from  a  sudden  rush  over  the  border,  and  citizens  hastened  to  enroll 
themselves  as  Home  Guards,  Rosecrans's  military  education  at  once  came  into 
play,  and  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  task  of  organizing  and  drilling  these  Home 
Guards,  till,  on  the  19th  of  April,  General  McClellan,  just  appointed  Major- 
General  of  Ohio  Militia,  requested  him  to  act  as  Engineer  on  his  Staff,  and  to 
select  a  site  for  a  camp  of  instruction  for  the  volunteers  now  pouring  in.  He 
selected  the  little  stretch  of  level  land,  walled  in  by  surrounding  hills,  a  few 
miles  out  of  Cincinnati,  which  has  since  been  known  as  Camp  Dennison  ;#  and, 
for  the  next  three  weeks,  he  was  here  occupied  by  General  McClellan  in  encamp- 
ing and  caring  for  the  inchoate  regiments  as  they  arrived. 

Governor  Dennison  next  claimed  his  services,  sending  him  first  to  Phila- 
delphia to  look  after  arms,  next  to  Washington  to  make  such  representations  to 
the  Government  as  would  secure  proper  clothing  and  equipment  for  Ohio  troops, 
and  particularly  for  the  extra  regiments,  mustered  into  the  State  service,  but 
not  coming  into  the  quota  of  Ohio  under  the  first  call  for  troops.  On  these 
missions  he  was  fully  successful,  and,  by  June  9th,  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  to 
find  himself  commissioned  Chief  Engineer  for'  the  State,  under  a  special  law. 
A  day  or  two  later  he  was  made  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Third  Ohio,  and  assigned 
to  the  command  of  Camp  Chase,  at  Columbus.  Four  days  afterward  the  com- 
mission as  Brigadier-General  in  the  United  States  army,  which  had  been  issued 
to  him  on  16th  of  May,f  (on  the  recommendation  of  General  Scott,  backed  by 
such  names  as  those  of  Secretary  Chase  and  his  old  chief,'  General  Totten,  of  the 
Engineers),  reached  him,  and,  almost  immediately  afterward,  General  McClellan 
summoned  him  to  active  service  in  West  Virginia. 

Of  the  mode  in  which  the  General  entered  upon  his  new  duties  we  catch 

*  This  selection  was  made  with  reference  to  the  fears,  then  prevalent,  of  a  sudden  descent 
upon  Cincinnati.  It  was  thought  especially  desirable,  in  view  of  the  doubtful  position  of  Ken- 
tucky, to  keep  whatever  available  troops  the  State  might  have  within  call.  The  name  was 
chosen  by  General  McClellan,  in  compliment  to  Governor  Dennison,  by  whom  he  had  just  been 
appointed. 

t  Two  days  after  McClellan's  appointment  to  a  Major-Generalship  of  Kegulars. 


William    S.   Roseceans.  315 

many  pleasant  little  pictures  like  this  one,  from  the  pen  of  an  eye-witness  at 
Parkersburg :  "  Our  General  is  an  incessant  worker.  He  is  in  his  saddle  almost 
constantly.  He  has  not  had  a  full  night's  sleep  since  he  has  been  in  Virginia, 
and  he  takes  his  meals  as  often  on  horseback  as  at  his  table.  His  geniality  and 
affability  endear  him  to  all  who  come  in  contact  with  him;  and  his  soldiers 
recognize  in  him  a  competent  commander." 

These  soldiers  were  those  of  the  Seventeenth  and  Nineteenth  Ohio,  and 
Eighth  and  Tenth  Indiana — the  first  troops  whom  General  Rosecrans  ever  com- 
manded in  the  field.  Within  two  weeks  after  he  assumed  command,  they  had 
fought  a  battle  under  him  and  won  the  victory  that  decided  the  first  campaign 
of  the  war. 

Moving  as  the  advance  of  McClellan's  column,  Eosecrans's  brigade  had 
been  brought  to  a  halt  before  the  intrenched  position  on  the  western  slope  of 
Rich  Mountain,  held  by  Colonel  Pegram  as  defense  for  the  flank  and  rear  of 
the  main  Rebel  force  under  General  Garnett,  then  lying  at  Laurel  Hill.  Within 
an  hour  or  two  the  restless  General  had  gained  an  idea  of  the  enemy's  position — 
"  his  right  covered  by  an  almost  impenetrable  laurel  thicket,  his  left  resting  high 
up  on  the  spur  of  the  mountain,  and  his  front  defended  by  a  log  breastwork  and 
abatis" — and  had  heard  of  a  loyal  guide  who  could  tell  how  to  turn  it.  He 
reported  the  facts  to  an  officer  of  McClellan's  staff,  but  no  notice  was  taken  of 
the  communication,  and  the  next  day  an  extended  reconnoissance  was  ordered 
which  only  developed  the  strength  of  the  position  more  fully.  General 
McClellan,  as  it  appears,  had  now  decided  upon  an  assault  on  the  front  of  the 
enemy's  works,  and  had,  in  fact,  assigned  to  Eosecrans's  brigade  the  advance  in 
the  movement,  when  that  officer,  having  found  his  loyal  guide,  took  him  to 
McClellan.  "Now,  General,"  said  he,*  "if  you  will  allow  me  to  take  my 
brigade,  I  will,  by  a  night-march,  surprise  the  enemy  at  the  gap,  gain  posses- 
sion of  it,  and  thus  hold  his  only  line  of  retreat.  You  can  then  take  him  on 
the  front.  If  he  give  way  we  shall  have  him ;  if  he  fight  obstinately,  I  will 
leave  a  portion  of  my  force  at  the  gap,  and,  with  the  remainder,  fall  upon  his 
rear."  General  McClellan,  "  after  an  hour's  deliberation,  assented ;"  it  being 
finally  agreed  that  Eosecrans  should  enter  the  forest  at  daylight,  and  report 
progress  by  couriers  as  he  advanced,  and  that  the  sound  of  his  firing  should  be 
the  signal  for  McClellan's  attack  in  front. 

A  drenching  rain-storm  poured  down  upon  the  raw  troops  as  they  entered 
the  forest,  and  it  was  found  necessary  to  deflect  the  line  of  march,  far  to  the 
right,  to  avoid  discovery  by  the  enemy.  Marching  with  the  awkwardness  of 
perfectly  raw  troops,  and  under  peculiarly  dispiriting  circumstances,  it  was  one 
o'clock  before  the  column  reached  the  crest ;  and,  about  half-past  two,  when, 
after  another  toilsome  march  through  the  woods  and  a  hasty  reconnoissance, 
the  brigade  came  out  upon  the  enemy's  line.  The  last  courier  had  been  sent  at 
eleven,  with  the  message  that  the  growing'  difficulty  of  communication  would 
prevent  another  dispatch  until  something  decisive  had  occurred. 

•  The  details  of  this  interview  are  given  in  Eosecrans's  testimony  before  the  Committee  on 
the  Conduct  of  the  War,  Report,  series  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  2. 


3iG  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

Forming  his  line  as  hastily  as  the  rawness  of  the  troops  and  the  repeated 
misconceptions  of  orders  by  some  of  the  equally  raw  Colonels  would  permit— 
the  enemy  meanwhile  keeping  up  a  sharpmuskctry  fire  and  a  fusilade  from  two 
s  of  artillery— General  Rosecrans,  comprehending  that,  with  troops  who 
had  never  before  been  under  fire,  instant  action  was  the  only  safe  course,  ordered 
a  rharge,  and,  at  the  head  of  the  Thirteenth  Indiana,  led  it  in  person.  The  one 
or  two  volleys  previously  fired  had  shaken  the  Eebel  line,  and,  as  the  attacking 
\e  now  leaped  the  log  breastworks  with  a  ringing  cheer,  the  enemy  broke 
and  fled,  abandoning  the  two  pieces  of  artillery.  The  excited  troops  rushed 
pell-mell  after  them  through  the  woods,  and  the  next  two  hours  were  consumed 
in  getting  our  men  together  again. 

Meantime  there  had  been  no  attack  in  the  front.  General  McClellan  had 
6tated  to  General  Rosecrans  that  the  enemy  was  from  five  to  six  thousand 
strong*  The  little  brigade,  thus  left  isolated  and  unsupported,  lay  between 
this  force  and  one  of  unknown  size  at  the  town  of  Beverly,  on  the  other  slope 
of  the  mountain.  The  situation  appeared  critical,  and  the  main  column,  still 
lying  on  the  enemy's  front,  seemed  to  have  abandoned  them;  but  they  biv- 
ouacked in  good  order,  turned  out  half  a  dozen  times  through  the  night  on  false 
alarms  caused  by  indiscriminate  picket  firing,  and  in  the  morning  marched 
down  on  the  camp  to  find  that  part  of  the  enemy  had  escaped  to  the  mountains 
and  the  rest  had  hoisted  the  white  flag.  Those  who  escaped,  finding  themselves 
hemmed  in  on  the  mountains,  soon  sent  in  their  surrender.  Garnett,  at  Laurel 
Hill,  perceiving  his  line  of  retreat  imperilled,  hastily  retreated,  and  the  cam- 
paign was  ended. 

General  Rosecrans's  conduct  in  this  affair  merited  the  praise  which  it 
instantly  and  everywhere  received.  The  plan,  as  has  been  seen,  was  entirely 
his  own ;  and  though  it  was  his  first  action,  as  well  as  the  first  for  the  troops  he 
commanded,  his  conduct  showed  a  thorough  comprehension  of  the  true  method 
of  handling  raw  volunteers,  not  less  than  that  disposition  to  "go  wherever  he 
asked  his  soldiers  to  go,"  which  always  made  him  a  favorite  with  the  men  in  the 
ranks.  But  he  already  exhibited  symptoms  of  the  personal  imprudence  which 
was  to  form  so  signal  a  feature  in  his  character,  by  casual  hints  as  to  his  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  conduct  of  his  superior  officer— a  dissatisfaction  which  he 
afterward  expressed  officially,  by  complaining  that  "General  McClellan,  con- 
trary to  agreement  and  military  prudence,  did  not  attack"  the  enemy  in  front.f 
We  shall  soon  see  how  this  began  to  affect  his  subsequent  career. 

The  affair  of  Rich  Mountain— it  scarcely  deserves  the  name  of  a  battle,  for 
our  loss  was  but  twelve  killed  and  forty-nine  wounded,  and  the  enemy  left  but 
twenty  wounded  on  the  field— raised  Roseerans  from  the  head  of  a  brigade  to 
the  command  of  the  department.  The  force  at  his  disposal,  with  which  to  retain 
and  secure  the  fruits  of  the  Rich  Mountain  victory,  was  but  eleven  thousand 

*  Rosecrans's  testimony  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  series  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  5. 

nn  J  MS-  S,ke|ch  °^  military  career>  furnished  in  obedience  to  War  Department  Circular,  and 
on  file  in  Adjutant-General's  office. 


William    S.    Rosecrans.  317 

men  ;  for  it  was  one  of  that  peculiar  combination  of  circumstances  which  tended 
to  deepen  the  horror  of  the  first  Bull  RutJ,  that  the  disaster  befell  us  just  as  the 
time  of  service  of  most  of  our  troops  was  expiring.  The  very  train  which  bore 
General  McClellan  out  of  the  Department,  on  his  way  to  Washington,  took  out 
of  it  also  the  first  of  a  long  succession  of  three-months'  regiments,  embracing 
almost  the  entire  army  that  had  won  the  campaign  just  ended.  Thanks  how- 
ever, to  the  forecast  of  Governor  Dennison,  of  Ohio,  a  few  more  regiments  of 
raw  troops  were  hastily  forwarded  to  General  Eosecrans. 

They  were  not  sent  a  day  too  soon,  for  now  it  became  known  that,  lying  on 
the  defensive  in  front  of  Washington,  the  enemy  had  resolved  to  wrest  the 
ern  portion  of  the  State,  that  had  become  the  battle-field  of  the  war,  from  the 
hands  of  the  invader;  and  that  there  had  been  delegated  to  this  task  the  officer 
of  largest  reputation  withimthe  Confederate  army.  Presently  General  Robert 
E.  Lee  appeared  in  front  of  the  works  which  Rosecrans  had  already  erected  at 
Cheat  Mountain  pass,  and  proposed  an  exchange  of  prisoners. 

At  the  outset  the  "  Dutch  General,"  as  the  Rebel  newspapers  were  con- 
temptuously naming  him,  seized  the  advantage  which  he  did  not  once  fail  to  the 
end  to  retain.  "I  can  not  exchange  prisoners  as  you  propose.  You  ask  me  for 
the  men  captured  here,  hardy  mountaineers,  familiar  with  every  pass  and  bridle- 
path, who  would  at  once  go  to  re-enforce  your  army  operatirig  against  me.  You 
propose  to  give  me,  in  return,  men  captured  at  Bull  Run,  who  know  nothing  of 
service  here,  and  whom  I  should  have,  at  any  rate,  to  send  East  to  their  old 
commands.  I  can  not  consent.  But  if  you  can  remedy  this  inequality,  I  shall 
be  very  glad  to  make  an  exchange."* 

But  the  presence  of  the  Yirginia  officer,  who  had  stood  so  high  in  the  esti- 
mation of  General  Scott,  and  had  been  popularly  regarded  as  the  ablest  officer 
in  the  old  army,  created  general  alarm.  The  Unionists  of  West  Yirginia  were 
profoundly  disturbed  ;  the  Secessionists  exulted  in  the  thought  that  they  should 
speedily  gain  the  control ;  and  friendly  warnings  from  Washington  began  to 
admonish  General  Rosecrans  of  the  widely-prevailing  fear  that  he  was  about  to 
be  outgeneraled.  "Don't  you  think  Lee  likely  to  prove  a  troublesome  antag- 
onist?" asked  one  about  this  time  at  the  General's  head-quarters.  "Not  at  all," 
was  Rosecrans's  reply ;  "  I  know  all  about  Lee.  He  will  make  a  splendid  plan 
of  a  campaign  ;  but  I  '11  fight  the  campaign  before  he  gets  through  with  plan- 
ning it."f 

The  General's  confidence  was  not  unsustained  by  rapidly-following  events. 
General  Lee  brought  to  bear  upon  his  front  at  Cheat  Mountain  a  force  of  six- 
teen thousand  men,  to  meet  which  General  Reynolds,  the  officer  in  immediate 
command,  had  less  than  half  as  large  a  number.     Meantime  General  Cox,  to 

*  Report  Com.  Con.  War,  series  of  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  Rosecrans's  testimony,  page  13. 

1 1  was  myself  present  at  this  conversation.  It  is  a  curious  confirmation  of  this  estimate  to 
find  the  Rebel  annalist  Pollard  (vol.  I,  p.  177)  recording  the  failure  of  Lee's  plan  of  campaign, 
and  then  adding:  "General  Lee's  plan,  finished  drawings  of  which  were  sent  to  the  War  Depart- 
ment at  Richmond,  was  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  best  laid  plans  that  ever  illustrated  the 
consummation  of  the  rules  of  strategy,  or  ever  went  awry  on  account  of  practical  failures  in  ito 
execution."  < 


318  Ohio  in  the  War. 

whom  had  been  confided  the  task  of  holding  the  Kanawha  Valley,  found  him- 
self  about  to  be  overwhelmed  by  the  co-operation  of  the  columns  of  "Wise  and 
■!,  the  former  holding  his  front,  the  latter  advancing  so  as  to  menace  his 
communications,  and  having  already  overwhelmed  and  scattered  to  the  four 
wind*  a  considerable  outpost,  under  Colonel  Tyler,  at  Cross  Lanes. 

General  Eosecrans  promptly  met  the  emergency.  Calling  in  outposts  and 
detachments  everywhere,  he  did  what  he  could  to  strengthen  General  Eeynolds; 
and  then,  trusting  to  that  officer's  sagacity  not  less  than  to  his  admirably  forti- 
fied position,  he  left  him  to  cope  with  Lee's  threatened  attack,  collected  such 
raw  regiments  as  were  within  his  reach,  and,  at  the  head  of  a  column  of  seven 
and  a  half  regiments,  three  of  which  had  just  received  their  arms,  marched 
southward  from  the  line  of  the  North- Western  Virginia  road  toward  the 
Kanawha,  to  the  relief  of  General  Cox.  By  the  10th  September  he  had  reached 
Somervillc,  a  few  miles  from  the  Gauley*  where  he  was  duly  informed  by  the 
frightened  citizens  and  scouts  that  Floyd  lay  a  few  miles  ahead  of  him, 
intrenched  near  Cross  Lanes,  with  a  force  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand 
men.  "We  can  not  stop  to  count  numbers,"  was  his  remark  to  the  staff;  "we 
must  fight  and  whip  him,  or  pass  him  to  join  Cox."  The  column  pressed 
onward.  By  two  o'clock,  after  a  march  of  sixteen  miles  that  day,  the  advance 
brigade  engaged  the  enemy's  outposts.  Now  it  so  happened  that,  in  the  scarcity 
of  experienced  officers,  this  brigade  had  been  intrusted  to  a  newly -made  Brig- 
adier, recommended  not  only  by  the  warm  indorsement  of  General  McClellan,f 
but  by  that  lion's  skin,  so  often  used  in  the  early  days  of  the  war  to  cover  the 
ass's  shoulders,  "service  in  Mexico."  The  Brigadier  had  the  misfortune  of 
always  seeing  causes  for  staying  out  of  reach  of  the  enemy  when  he  was  sober, 
and  of  being  too  drunk  to  understand  his  surroundings  whenever  he  was  likely 
to  have  to  fight.  The  Eebel  outpost  having  retreated,  this  obfuscated  officer 
conceived  the  idea  that  he  had  won  a  great  victory,  and  plunged  ahead  pell-mell 
with  his  brigade  through  the  woods,  contrary  to  his  explicit  orders,  and  without 
even  a  line  of  skirmishers  deployed  to  the  front,  till  suddenly  they  found  them.- 
selves  before  a  formidable  earth-work  which  barred  further  progress,  and  in  a 
moment  were  exposed  to  a  withering  fire  from  seven  or  eight  pieces  of  artillery 
and  the  musketry  of  Floyd's  whole  command,  at  a  distance  of  scarcely  more 
than  fifty  yards. 

The  General  commanding  had  now  either  to  order  up  re-enforcements  for 
this  attack  upon  a  fortified  position,  concerning  every  detail  of  which  he  was  in 
absolute  ignorance,  or  withdraw  the  young  troops,  under  the  enemy's  fire,  at 
the  imminent  risk  of  creating  a  stampede.  He  ordered  up  the  re-enforcements, 
hastened  in  person  to  form  the  line  as  well  under  cover  of  the  woods  as  possible, 
and  then  sought,  by  various  demonstrations,  to  discover  a  weak  point  in  the 
enemy's  position.  The  troops  thus  placed  kept  up  a  tremendous  fusilade  against 
the  earth-works,  which  had  no  particular  effect  except  to  cause  the  enemy 
to  lie  close,  although  it  did  not  prevent  a  tolerably  rapid  and  skillful  return-fire 

♦One  of  the  streams  which,  by  their  junction,  form  the  Kanawha, 
t  First  official  dispatch  concerning  affair  at  Carrick's  Ford. 


William   S.    Rosecrans.  319 

from  musketry  and  artillery.  It  was  soon  found  that  the  Rebel  intrenchments 
stretched  across  a  bend  in  the  Gauley,  with  both  flanks  protected  by  the  pre- 
cipitous banks  of  that  stream,  here  rising  to  a  perpendicular  height  of  from  four 
to  five  hundred  feet,  while  at  his  rear  was  Carnii'rx  Perry,  the  only  point  at 
which,  for  a  distance  of  twenty-five  miles,  a  passage  could  be  effected.  Arrange- 
ments were  therefore  begun  for  an  assault,  but  night  fell  upon  the  combatants 
before  they  were  completed.  Anticipating  a  sortie  during  the  night,  General 
Rosecrans  drew  his  command  back  through  the  woods,  from  the  immediate 
front  of  the  enemy's  works,  to  some  cleared  fields,  where  they  were  bivouacked 
in  line  of  battle,  with  skirmishers  well  to  the  front.  In  the  confusion  two  of 
the  rawr  regiments  in  the  woods  mistook  each  other  for  the  enemy,  and  inter- 
changed several  volleys  before  the  sad  mistake  was  discovered.  Through  the 
night  the  rumbling  of  artillery  was  heard,  and  by  daylight  it  was  discovered 
that  the  enemy  was  gone.  He  had  crossed  the  ferry,  and  destroyed  the  boat 
behind  him. 

This  action,  in  which  we  lost  about  one  hundred  and  twenty,  killed  and 
wounded,  was  neither  so  wrell  judged  nor  so  well  delivered  as  the  first  in  which 
General  Rosecrans  had  commanded.  The  advance  was  intrusted  to  an  incom- 
petent, of  whom  some  little  previous  knowledge  might  have  taught  him  to 
beware*  The  subsequent  movements  were  too  vigorous  for  a  reconnoissance  and 
too  feeble  for  an  attack ;  and  at  least  one  good  opportunity  for  an  assault,  that 
on  the  enemy's  right,  was  overcautiously  delayed  till  darkness  prevented  its 
execution.  On  the  other  hand,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  movement  had 
been  seriously  imperiled  by  the  blunders  of  the .  Brigadier  commanding  the 
advance,  and  that  the  troops  were  thus  thrown  into  a  confusion  which,  under  the 
circumstances,  it  took  long  to  rectify.  But  Floyd,  who  really  had  only  seven- 
teen hundred  and  forty  men,f  was  frightened  into  retreating;  the  chance  for 
cutting  off  Cox  was  prevented.  Wise,  thus  left  alone,  speedily  retreated  from 
Cox's  front;  and  so  the  substantial  fruits  of  victory  remained  with  General 
Rosecrans,  although  tactically  the  affair  could  not  be  called  by  so  brilliant  a 
name. 

Meantime  the  sagacity  of  his  judgment  concerning  affairs  at  Cheat  Mount- 
ain had  been  vindicated.  Lee  had  made  a  partial  attack  and  had  been  repulsed; 
his  able  strategic  plan  for  a  combined  movement  that  was  to  maneuver  the  Na- 
tional commander  out  of  his  intrenchments  had  failed  through  want  of  cohe- 
sion in  the  different  parts ;  and,  abandoning  the  effort,  Lee  had  hastily  marched 
southward,  apparently  with  a  view  of  concentrating  Floyd's  and  Wise's  com- 
mands with  his  own,  and  overwhelming  Rosecrans.  He  soon  had  Floyd's  army, 
and,  at  the   head  of  twenty  thousand  men,  awaited   Rosecrans's  advance  at 

Mount  Sewell. 

Uniting  with  Cox,  General  Rosecrans  was  now  able  to  muster  only  about 

*  And  whom  he  still  failed  to  expose,  till  further  blunders  had  entailed  greater  losses.  It 
is  scarcely  necessary  to  explain  that  the  officer  here  referred  to  is  Henry  W.  Benhara,  subse- 
quently dismissed  from  the  volunteer  service. 

t  Pollard's  Southern  Plistory  of  the  War,  Vol.  I,  p.  171. 


320  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

ten  thousand.-  but  he  nevertheless  pressed  hard  on  the  enemy's  front,  till  a  ter- 
rible storm  intercepted  his  communications,  and  he  judged  it  prudent  to  retire 

ie  junction  of  the  Gauley  and  New  Rivers.f 

One  more  act  closes  the  West  Virginia  campaign.     General  Lee  now  pro- 

I  to  cut  off  Rosecrans's  communications  by  throwing  a  column  to  his  rear 

■.ha.  and  then  to  attack  him  with  superior  forces,  simultaneously 

in  front  and  rear.     Knowing  the  country  better  than  Lee,  General  Eosecrans 

argued  that  such  a  column  could  only  come  out  over  Cotton  Mountain,  striking 

v.r  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Gauley,  where  his  rear-guard  was  placed; 

and  In-  forthwith  took  measures  to  surround  instead  of  being  surrounded. 

Stationing  a  small  force,  sufficient  to  delay  the  enemy  at  least  twenty-four 
hours,  at  a  "*ap  through  which  Lee's  main  column  must  advance,  he  awaited  the 
appearance  of  Floyd  on  Cotton  Mountain  with  the  column  that  was  to  cut  his 
c  .'iinnuiications.  He  had  so  arranged  it  that  General  Benham,  with  one  brig- 
ad.-,  was  to  cross  the  Kanawha  secretly,  six  miles  below,  and  by  a  sudden 
march  throw  himself  upon  Floyd's  rear ;  while  General  Schenck  was  to  cross 
above,  at  a  hastily  improvised  ferry,  and  General  Cox,  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Gauley,  was  to  attack  in  front.     A  heavy  rain  destroyed  the  ferry  above,  but 

•  •nil  Schenck  crossed  promptly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gauley.  All  worked 
well  till  it  was  discovered  that  General  Benham,  passing  from  the  extreme  of 
rashness  to  the  extreme  of  either  negligence  or  timidity,  wasted  his  time  and 
opportunity  in  needless  halts,  till  the  enemy  was  gone.  The  obedience  of  his 
instructions  by  this  incompetent  could  scarcely  have  failed  to  result  in  the  cap- 
ture of  Floyd's  whole  force. 

General  Lee  was  now  recalled  and  sent  to  the  coast;  the  Rebel  forces  "were 
all  retired,  and  General  Rosecrans  was  enabled  to  put  his  troops  in  -winter- 
quarters,  with  scarcely  a  Rebel  bayonet  to  be  found  in  the  Department  of  West 
Virginia.  No  further  comment  on  the  campaign  is  needed  than  that  which  the 
enemy  himself  supplied.  The  Rebel  annalist,  Pollard,  says  :];  "  The  campaign, 
*  *  *  after  its  plain  failure,  *  #  *  was  virtually  abandoned  by  the  Govern- 
ment. Rosecrans  was  esteemed  at  the  South  one  of  the  best  Generals  the  North 
had  in  the  field.  He  was  declared  by  military  critics,  who  could  not  be  accused 
of  partiality,  to  have  clearly  outgeneraled  Lee,  who  made  it  the  entire  object 
of  his  campaign  to 'surround  the  Dutch  General;'  and  his  popular  manners 
and  amiable  deportment  toward  our  prisoners,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  pro- 
cured him  the  respect  of  his  enemy." 

The  Ohio  Legislature,  by  unanimous  vote,  thanked  General  Rosecrans  and  his 
army  for  their  achievements;  and,  so  satisfactory  was  the  General's  civil  admin- 
istration to  the  people  of  West  Virginia,  that  the  Legislature  of  that  State,  by 

*  He  himself  places  his  force  at  eight  thousand  five  hundred  "  effectives."  Rep.  Com.  Con. 
War,  series  of  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  Rosecrans's  testimony,  p.  10. 

tit  subsequently  appeared  that  he  had  not  retired  a  day  too  soon.  Lee  had  arranged  for  a 
combined  movement  on  his  front  and  rear,  and  it  was  actually  to  have  been  executed  the  night 
before  Rosecrans  fell  back;  but  some  delay  in  the  starting  of  the  flanking  column  led  Lee  to 
postpone  the  movement  till  the  next  night.    The  next  night  Rosecrans  was  gone. 

tVol.  I,  pp.  175,  179. 


William    S.   Rosecrans.  321 

unanimous  vote,  passed  a  similar  resolution  of  thanks  for  his  conduct  of  civil  as 
well  as  of  military  affairs.  He  sought,  during  a  visit  to  Washington,  to  procure 
leave  to  mass  his  troops  and  throw  them  suddenly  upon  Winchester ;  but  he 
already  found  that  his  free  criticisms  of  the  General-in-Chief  had  borne  their 
natural  fruits,  and  he  was  condemned  to  see  the  task  which  he  sought  commit- 
ted to  his  own  troops  under  other  leadership.  In  April,  1862,  under  the  press- 
ure which  demanded  of  Mr.  Lincoln  that  John  C.  Fremont  should  not  be 
banished  the  public  service  for  declaring  the  principles  of  the  Emancipation 
Proclamation  earlier  than  himself,  General  Rosecrans  was  relieved  to  make 
room  for  Fremont,  and  ordered  to  Washington.  Then  followed  some  work  in 
the  immediate  service  of  the  Secretary  of  AVar — hunting  up  Blenker's  division, 
which  had  incomprehensibly  disappeared,  consulting  with  General  Banks  as  to 
the  amazing  blunders  by  which  Stonewall  Jackson  was  permitted  to  paralyze 
three  armies  in  the  Valley,  and  at  the  same  time  threaten  Washington,  laying 
plans  before  the  War  Department,  and  the  like.  By  the  middle  of  May  he  was 
ordered  to  General  Halleck,  before  Corinth. 

For  a  General  who  has  commanded  a  department  and  planned  his  own 
campaigns,  to  be  reduced  not  merely  to  the  position  of  a  subordinate,  but  to 
that  of  a  subordinate's  subordinate,  as  General  Rosecrans  now  (was  by  his 
assignment  to  the  command  of  some  divisions  in  General  Pope's  column,  consti- 
tuting the  left  wing  of  Halleck's  army,  is  never  a  grateful  change ;  but  the 
General  bore  it  handsomely ;  was  alert  enough  to  be  among  the  very  first  in 
discovering  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  and  getting  off  troops  in  pursuit  -T  kept 
his  place  in  the  advance  till  the  enemy  were  found  in  new  positions;  held  this 
front  till  ordered  back  to  assume  command  of  the  Army  of  Mississippi  on  the 
departure  of  General  Pope  for  the  East. 

The  departure  of  General  Halleck,  a  little  earlier,  to  assume  the  position 
of  General-in-Chief  at  Washington,  left  General  Grant  in  chief  command  at 
the  South-West,  and  thus,  for  the  first  time,  brought  General  Rosecrans  into 
relations  with  that  officer,  whose  subsequent  ilf-Will  was  to  prove  so  baleful. 
Mr.  Jefferson  Davis,  about  the  same  time,  in  a  fit  of  passion,  displaced  General 
Beauregard  from  the  command  of  the  opposing  forces,  to  make  room  for  his 
subordinate,  General  Braxton  Bragg.  The  change  was  to  prove  an  auspi- 
cious one. 

Whether  it  was  through  his  own  engrossment  with  the  civil  cares  of  his 
great  department,  or  through  the  chilling  influence  of  General  Halleck's  excess 
of  caution,  General  Grant  suffered  the  Rebels  quietly  to  recuperate  from  the 
demoralization  into  which  they  had  been  thrown  by  the  retreat  from  Corinth, 
the  fall  of  Memphis,  New  Orleans,  and  Natchez,  and  in  their  own  good  time  to 
assume  the  offensive. 

On  the  10th  of  September  General  Sterling  Price,  with  a  force  of  about 

twelve  thousand,  marching  northward,  took  Jacinto,  and  moved  upon  Iuka,  a 

point  on  the  railroad  between  Tuscumbia  and  Memphis.    Rosecrans,  sending  out  a 

reconnoissance,  under  Colonel  (since  General)  Mower,  determined  that  Iuka  was 

Vol.  I.— 21. 


322  Ohio  in  the  War. 

occupied  in  force,  and  so  advised  General  Grant.  Meantime  it  had  been  ascer- 
tained that  Earl  Van  Dora,  with  another  Eebel  column,  was  rapidly  advancing 
in  the  direction  of  Corinth.  By  rapid  movements  there  was  time  to  concentrate 
and  overwhelm  Price  before  Van  Dorn's  arrival,  and  on  this  course  Grant  at 
once  resolved.  On  the  recommendation  of  Eosecrans,  he  determined  to  attack 
Price  at   Iuk:i,  with  General  Ord's  command,  moving  eastward  upon  him  from 

lii-cetion  of  Memphis,  while  Eosecrans,  coming  up  from  his  camps  below 
Corinth,  should  seize  his  lines  of  retreat.  Ord  was  able  to  muster  about  six 
thousand  five  hundred,  Eosecrans  nearly  nine  thousand.  Price,  with  his  twelve 
thousand,  might  be  expected  to  defeat  either  of  these  forces  alone;  the  only 
lalvation  for  either  seemed  to  be  in  a  nearly  simultaneous  attack. 

On  the  evening  of  the  18th  Eosecrans's  column  was  concentrated  at  Jacinto, 
nearly  south  of  Iuka.  Ord  lay  on  the  railroad  to  Memphis,  seven  and  a  half 
miles  west  of  Iuka,  and  Grant  was  with  him.  Eosecrans  dispatched  a  courier, 
informing  Grant  of  his  position,  saying  that  he  should  move  in  the  morning  at 
three,  and  hoped  to  reach  Iuka  not  later  than  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  adding 
that  he  should  send  couriers  from  points  every  two  or  three  miles  along  the 
route.  But  General  Grant,  resting,  as  it  would  seem,  on  the  single  idea  that 
Eosecrans's  troops  had  not  all  reached  Jacinto  till  nine  o'clock  at  night,  ordered 
Ord  next  morning  to  delay  his  attack.  Again,  at  four  o'clock  in  the-  afternoon, 
the  very  hour  fixed  by  Eosecrans  for  his  arrival,  Grant  again  cautioned  Ord 
against  attack,  but  directed  him  to  move  forward  to  within  four  miles  of  Iuka. 
and  there  await  the  sound  of  Eosecrans's  guns  from  the  opposite  side.  Now  it 
so  happened  that  the  wind  was  blowing  fresh  in  the  face  of  Eosecrans's  column, 
It  might  have  been  remembered  that  this  would  prevent  the  guns  from  being 
heard,  but  it  was  not.  Finally,  at  five,  the  advance  of  Ord's  command  reported 
a  dense  smoke  seen  rising  from  Iuka.  Even  this,  coupled  with  Eosecrans's  dis- 
patch announcing  that  he  should  be  on  hand  at  four,  was  not  enough  to  arouse 
cither  Grant  or  Ord  himself,  and  the  column  lay  idly  watching  the  smoke,  and 
listening  for  the  sounds  that  the  wind  was  blowing  away  from  them* 

Meantime  Eosecrans  ha'd  kept  his  promise.  Within  ten  minutes  of  the 
time  he  had  fixed,  his  skirmishers  were  driving  in  the  enemy's  pickets ;  and  a 
few  moments  later  Price  opened  upon  him  with  grape  and  canister.  He  list- 
ened in  vain  for  the  guns  from  the  opposite  side,  and  soon  had  the  mortification 
to  see  Eebel  troops  marching  from  that  direction  to  co-operate  in  a  charge  upon 
his  weak  and  exposed  lines.  Till  dark  the  battle  raged.  At  sunset  a  heavy 
assault  on  Eosecrans's  right  was  made.  It  was  repulsed,  and  a  heavier  one 
came.  Half  an  hour's  conflict  ensued ;  the  Eebel  line  at  last  drifted  back  in 
disorder,  and  the  soldiers  discovered,  in  the  moment  of  success,  that  they  had 
fired  their  last  cartridge. 

Bivouacking  his  men  in  line  of  battle,  Eosecrans  now  sent  a  last  message  to 
General  Grant,  reciting  the  events  of  the  afternoon,  saying  he  was  fighting 
superior  forces  unsupported,  and  begging  that  Ord  might  be  hurried  up.  Then, 
making  his  dispositions  to  seize  some  adjacent  heights  at  daybreak  for  his  artil- 

*For  all  above  statements  concerning  Grant's  orders,  see  Ord's  Official  Keport. 


William    S.    Rosecrans.  323 

levy,  and  replenishing  his  ammunition,  he  had  the  men  called  at  three  o'clock, 
and  at  daylight  was  moving.  But  meantime  Price  had  learned  of  the  prox- 
imity of  Ord's  column,  and  had  hastily  evacuated.  General  Rosecrans  pushed 
the  pursuit  as  far  as  was  prudent;  then,  under  orders,  hastened  back  to  Corinth. 

The  enemy's  loss  in  this  engagement  was  one  thousand  and  seventy-eight, 
prisoners,  dead,  and  wounded,  left  on  the  field,  with  three  hundred  and  fifty 
more  wounded  estimated  to  have  been  carried  away.  Our  loss  was  seven  hun- 
dred and  eighty-two  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  General  Rosecrans's  con- 
duct was  energetic,  courageous,  and  hopeful.  General  Grant  said,  in  his  official 
dispatch  :  "  I  can  not  speak  too  highly  of  the  energy  and  skill  displayed  by 
General  Rosecrans  in  the  attack."  General  Grant's  own  course  might  be  crit- 
icised as  unduly  cautious.  Rosecrans's  dispatch,  naming  his  hour  for  attack, 
the  smoke  from  his  guns,  and  the  adverse  wind,  plainly  explaining  the  failure 
to  hear  the  sound  of  firing,  might  have  been  sufficient  warrant  for  moving  Ord's 
column.  But  it  is  to  be  said  that  Ord's  command  was  the  weaker  of  the  two, 
that  it  therefore  behooved  to  take  special  care  not  to  suffer  it  to  be  overwhelmed 
by  engaging  too  soon,  and  that  Rosecrans's  distance,  the  night  before,  from  the 
field  of  battle — nineteen  miles — might  well  be  held  a  sufficient  cause  for  Grant's 
doubt  about  his  getting  up  in  time  for  action  that  day. 

Of  course,  however,  Rosecrans  could  not  omit  the  opportunity  to  do  him- 
self an  injury,  and  so,  even  in  his  official  report  to  General  Grant,  he  curtly 
expressed  his  disappointment  at  Ord's  failure,  and  elsewhere  was  even  more 
explicit. 

But,  at  Washington,  the  McClellan  opposition  being  neutralized  by  that 
officer's  own  failure,  he  was  now  rising  rapidly  in  the  favor  of  the  "War  Depart- 
ment, and  events  in  the  near  future  were  to  give  him  still  further  advancement. 
The  day  after  Iuka  he  received  notice  of  his  appointment  as  Major-General  of 
Volunteers,  and  General  Grant  assigned  him  to  the  command  of  the  District 
of  Corinth. 

Twelve  days  after  the  battle  of  Iuka  *  Rosecrans  became  convinced  that 
Van  Dorn's  column,  moving  northward,  had  been  re-enforced  by  Price's  defeated 
army,  and  by  the  commands  of  Lovell  and  Villepigue,  and  was  likely  either  to 
attack  or  pass  him  within  a  day  or  two.  He  had  already  been  vigorously 
engaged  in  fortifying  an  inner  line,  which  he  claims  to  have  urged  upon  Gene- 
ral Grant  all  through  the  summer,  and  which  he  now  pressed  forward  by  organ- 
izing from  the  slaves  of  the  neighborhood  a  strong  force  of  negro  engineers,  the 
first  used  in  the  war. 

Meantime  his  cavalry  had  been  everywhere.  His  hope  was  that  Yan  Dorn 
and  Price,  dreading  the  fortifications  of  Corinth,  would  pass  him  to  attack 
Jackson  or  Bolivar,  in  which  case  he  would  have  an  opportunity  to  fall  upon 
their  rear.  But  on  the  2d  September  his  vigilance  in  reconnoitering  was 
rewarded  with  the  conviction  that  they  were  about  to  attempt  the  recapture  of 
Corinth,  and  his  dispositions  were  accordingly  made,  so  as  to  be  ready  to  repel 

•  That  is,  2d  September,  1862. 


324  Ohio  in  the  War. 

* 

an  attack  from  any  direction.  His  force  was  fifteen  thousand  seven  hundred 
infantry  and  artillery,  and  two  thousand  five  hundred  cavalry.  His  estimate 
of  the  combined  strength  of  the  enemy  was  thirty-five  thousand,  in  which  he 
subsequently  felt  himself  fully  warranted  by  the  fact  that  he  had  taken  pris- 
oners  from  fifty-three  regiments  of  Eebel  infantry,  eighteen  of  cavalry,  and 

sixteen  batteries. 

By  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  3d  September  the  enemy  began  to  press 
his  advance.  His  orders  were  to  "hold  positions  pretty  firmly  to  develop  the 
enemy's  force."  General  Davies,  under  these  orders,  held  a  slight  hill  on  which 
ho  was  posted  with  such  tenacity  as  to  concentrate  the  Eebel  attack,  induce  him 
to  send  for  re-enforcements,  and  to  cause  the  contest  here  to  develop  almost  into 
the  proportions  of  a  battle.  But  by  one  o'clock  he  had  fallen  back.  The  enemy 
now  renewed  the  vigor  of  their  attack.  Eosecrans  gradually  withdrew  his  lino 
till  it  rested  on  the  intrench ments,  and  meantime  swung  Hamilton's  division  in 
across  the  Columbus  Eailroad  on  the  enemy's  flank.  This  began  sensibly  to 
diminish  the  fierceness  of  the  assault  in  front,  and  darkness  now  closed  opera- 
tions for  the  day. 

Eosecrans  spent  the  night  re-forming  the  lines  on  his  batteries,  so  as  to  bring 
the  enemy's  next  attack  within  converging  artillery  fire,  reassuring  the  men, 
and  giving  detailed  instructions  to  his  division  commanders.  It  was  three 
o'clock  before  his  work  was  done.  The  feeling  in  Corinth,  under  the  retreat  of 
the  army  into  the  town,  was  a  nervous  one;  but,  as  an  eye-witness  described  it, 
"Eosecrans  was  in  magnificent  humor.  He  encouraged  the  lads  by  quoting 
Barkis,  assuring  them  that  'things  is  workin'."  Before  daybreak  the  Ohio 
Brigade  heard  the  enemy  placing  a  battery  in  front,  not  over  six  hundred  yards 
from  Fort  Eobinett.  "Let  'em  plant  it,"  said  Eosecrans*  The  officers,  and 
through  them  the  men,  were  inspired  with  his  confidence.  Not  all  could  seo 
how  well  the  preparations  for  resisting  the  attack  promised;  but  those  who  saw 
no  meaning  in  the  massing  of  artillery  for  raking  fires  from  right  and  left  into 
charging  columns,  could  interpret  more  readily  the  meaning  of  the  glad  smile 
on  their  General's  face,  better  than  re-enforcements  to  the  beleaguered  and  bleed- 
ing but  courageous  garrison. 

Before  daylight  the  Eebel  battery  planted  so  near  Fort  Eobinett  opened ; 
but  it  was  speedily  silenced,  and  by  seven  o'clock  all  was  quiet  again.  Eose- 
orans  improved  the  lull  to  gallop  along  the  lines,  and  encourage  the  men.  But 
by  nino  the  crackling  of  the  skirmishers'  fire  gave  warning  of  a  hostile  advance, 
and  presently  the  Eebel  columns,  emerging  from  the  woods,  swept  grandly  up 
to  the  National  lines.  The  batteries  poured  in  their  double  charges;  the  crash- 
ing volleys  of  musketry  told  of  sturdy  resistance;  but,  "riddled  and  scattered, 

*  From  the  graphic  account  of  the  battle  furnished  the  Cincinnati  Commercial  by  W.  D. 
Bickham,  Esq.,  Rebellion  Record,  Vol.  I,  Doc,  p.  501.  The  account  adds:  "Captain  Williams 
opened  at  daylight  his  thirty-pounder  Parrotts  in  Fort  Williams,  on  the  battery  which  the  enemy 
had  so  slyly  posted  in  darkness,  and  in  about  three  minutes  it  was  silenced.  This  was  why  Gen- 
eral Rosecrans  had  said  4  Let  'em  plant  it.'  The  enemy  dragged  off  two  pieces,  but  were  unable 
to  take  the  other.  Part  of  the  Sixty-Third  Ohio  and  a  squad  of  the  First  United  States  Artillery 
went  out  and  brought  the  deserted  gun  within  our  lines." 


.  William    S.    Rosecrans.  325 

the  ragged  head  of  Price's  storming  columns  advanced"— breaking  the  thin 
National  line,  and  pushing  on  to  the  center  of  the  town. 

Of  what  followed  Eosecrans  himself,  in  his  report,  modestly  says  only  this: 
that  he  had  the  personal  mortification  of  witnessing  the  untoward  and  untimely 
stampede.  But  it  lives  in  the  memory  of  every  soldier  who  fought  that  day, 
how  his  General  plunged  into  the  thickest  of  the  conflict,  fought  like  a  private 
soldier,  dealt  sturdy  blows  with  the  flat  of  his  sabre  on  runaways,  and  fairly 
drove  them  to  stand.  Then  came  a  quick  rally  which  his  magnificent  bearing 
inspired,  a  storm  of  grape  from  the  batteries  tore  its  way  through  the  Rebel 
ranks,  re-enforcements  which  Eosecrans  sent  flying  up,  gave  impetus  to  the 
National  advance,  and  the  charging  column  was  speedily  swept  back  outside 
the  intrenchments.  Let  us  hear  again  from  the  contemporaneous  description 
of  this  battle,  the  splendid  story  of  the  charge  and  the  repulse.  "  A  prodigious 
mass,  with  gleaming  bayonets,  suddenly  loomed  out,  dark  and;  threatening,  on 
the  east  of  the  railroad,  moving  sternly  up  the  Bolivar  road  in  column  by  divis- 
ions. Directly  it  opened  out  in  the  shape  of  a  monstrous  wedge,  and  drove 
forward  impetuously  toward  the  heart  of  Corinth.  Hideous  gaps  were  rent  in 
it,  but  those  massive  lines  were  closed  almost  as  soon  as  they  were  torn  open. 
Our  shells  swept  through  the  mass  with  awful  effect,  but  the  brave  Rebels 
pressed  onward  inflexibly.  Directly  the  wedge  opened  and  spread  out  magnifi- 
cently, right  and  left,  like  great  wings,  seeming  to  swoop  over  the  whole  field 
before  them.  But  there  was  a  fearful  march  in  front.  A  broad,  turfy  glacis, 
sloping  upward  at  an  angle  of  thirty  degrees,  to  a  crest  fringed  with  determined, 
disciplined  soldiers,  and  clad  with  terrible"  batteries,  frowned  upon  them.  There 
were  a  few  obstructions— fallen  timber — which  disordered  their  lines  a  little. 
But  every  break  was  instantly  welded.  Our  whole  line  opened  fire;  but  the 
enemy  bent  their  necks  downward  and  marched  steadily  to  death,  with  their 
faces  averted,  like  men  striving  to  protect  themselves  against  a  driving  storm 
of  hail.  At  last  they  reached  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and  General  Davies's  division 
began  to  fall  back  in  disorder,  General  Eosecrans,  who  had  been  "watching 
the  conflict  with  eagle  eye,  and  wTho  is  described  as  having  expressed  his  delight 
at  the  trap  into  which  Price  was  blindly  plunging,  discovered  the  break,  and 
dashed  to  the  front,  inflamed  with  indignation.  He  rallied  the  men,  by  his 
splendid  example,  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight.  The  men,  brave  when  bravely 
led,  fought  again."*  But  before  that  wild  charge  was  repelled,  General  Eose- 
crans's  own  head -quarters  were  captured !  Seven  corpses,  wearing  Eebel  gray, 
were  found  lying  in  his  door-yard  when  the  line  fell  back. 

Meanwhile,  not  less  violent  had  been  the  charge  led  by  Yan  Dorn.  It 
swept  up  in  four  columns,  under  storms  of  grape  and  canister,  to  within  fifty 
yards  of  Fort  Eobinett,  when  the  Ohio  Brigade  f  delivered  a  murderous  volley, 
before  which  it  reeled  and  retreated.  Again  they  advanced,  steadier,  swifter 
than  before,  till  they  were  pouring  over  the  edge  of  the  very  ditch  around  the 

*  Rebellion  Record,  Vol.  I,  Doc,  p.  501. 

t  Composed  of  the  Twenty-Seventh,  Thirty-Ninth,  Forty-Third,  and  Sixty-Third  Ohio,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Fuller. 


326  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

fort  when  this  deadly  musketry  fire  of  the  Ohio  Brigade  broke  their  formation. 
A  moment  later,  and,  at  the  word,  the  Twenty-Seventh  Ohio  and  Eleventh 
Missouri  sprang  over  the  intrenehments,  charged  the  disordered  foe,  and  drove 
them  again  to  the  woods.     The  battle  was  over. 

Fourteen  hundred  and  twenty-three  Eebel  dead  were  left  upon  the  field. 
They  lay  at  Rosecrans's  head-quarters— within  the  forts— on  the  parapets— in 
the  ditches,  in  short,  everywhere  over  the  field.  With  these  Van  Dorn  and 
Price  left  twenty-two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  prisoners,  fourteen  stand  of 
colors,  two  pieces  of  artillery,  thirty-three  hundred  stand  of  small  arms,  forty- 
five  thousand  rounds  of  ammunition.  On  the  National  side  three  hundred 
and  fifteen  were  killed,  eighteen  hundred  and  twelve  wounded,  and  two  hundred 
and  thirty-two  prisoners  and  missing.  Yet  the  contest  was  eighteen  thousand 
against  thirty-five  thousand.  It  has  been  well  said  that  such  fighting  was 
Homeric.  To  the  losing  side  the  magnitude  of  the  defeat  may  be  estimated 
from  the  words  of  the  Rebel  annalist,  who  describes  it  as  "the  great  disaster 
which  was  to  react  on  other  theaters  of  the  war,  and  cast  the  long  shadow  of 
misfortune  upon  the  country  of  the  West."* 

Knowing  the  exhausted  condition  of  his  troops  and  their  inferior  numbers, 
the  General,  as  prudent  amid  the  delirium  of  victory  as  he  was  heroic  under 
the  crush  of  disaster,  cautiously  felt  the  retiring  foe  with  his  skirmishers.  Then, 
convinced  that  the  defeat  was  assured,  he  ordered  pursuit.  Soldierly  McPher- 
son  arrived,  in  the  nick  of  time,  with  five  fresh  regiments,  and  was  given  the 
advance.  The  enemy  tried  to  delay  pursuit  by  a  flag  of  truce  with  a  burial 
party.  It  was  ordered  to  stand  aside.  Van  Dorn  wTas  informed  that  his  old 
class-mate  knew  the  rules  of  war  well  enough  to  bury  the  dead  on  the  field  he 
had  won,  and  the  column  pressed  onward  in  pursuit.  Bridges  were  destroyed; 
the  pursuers  rebuilt  them.  The  enemy  had  eighteen  regiments  of  cavalry;  the 
four  National  regiments  everywhere  drove  them.  Rations  were  hurried  for- 
ward; for  three  days  the  troops  that  had  fought  through  the  preceding  two 
pushed  on,  capturing  deserters  and  stragglers,  forcing  the  enemy's  baggage- 
train  to  abandon  half  its  loads,  occasionally  engaging  the  enemy's  rear-guard, 
till,  on  midnight  of  7th  of  October,  Rosecrans  proudly  exclaimed  that  "Missis- 
sippi is  in  our  hands." 

At  this  inauspicious  moment  he  was  notified  by  General  Grant  that  no  aid 
could  be  sent;  that  he  did  not  regard  the  column  strong  enough  for  pursuit. 
Rosecrans,  of  course,  remonstrated.  His  long  dispatch  closed :  "  I  beseech  you  to 
bend  everything  to  push  them  while  they  are  broken,  weary,  hungry,  and  ill- 
supplied.  Draw  everything  from  Memphis  to  help  move  on  Holly  Springs. 
Let  us  concentrate  *  *  *  and  we  can  make  a  triumph  of  our  start."  In 
reply,  Grant  ordered  him  to  stop  the  pursuit  and  return  to  Corinth.  Rosecrans 
promptly  obeyed,  but,  true  to  his  argumentative  and  indiscreet  nature,  added 
that  he  most  deeply  dissented  from  the  policy. 

And  now  began  to  be  seen  the  first  developments  of  a  feeling  that,  growing 
with  age,  was  to  draw  after  it  an  expanding  train  of  evil.     There  is  some  rea- 

*  Pollard's  Southern  History,  Vol.  I,  p.  516. 


William    S.    Rosecrans.  327 

son  to  believe  that  Grant  had  been  nettled  at  the  complaints,  partly  official  from 
Rosecrans  himself,  far  more  unofficial  from  thoughtless  staff-officers  who  "knew 
all  their  General  knew,"*  about  the  failure  to  support  him  at  Iuka.  Tho 
order  to  stop  the  pursuit  renewed  this  indiscreet  chatter,  and  whispering 
tongues  were  soon  poisoning  truth,  by  the  reports  they  made  at  Grant's  head- 
quarters. Grant  congratulated  the  army  on  its  victory  in  General  Orders,  but, 
passing  by  the  brilliant  battle  at  Corinth  with  a  single  clause,  devoted  the  most 
of  the  order  to  extravagant  praise  of  Hurlbut,  for  the  brief  onslaught  he  had 
made  upon  the  enemy  during  their  retreat,  f  There  was  subsequently  an  effort  at 
explaining  away  misunderstandings;  both  Grant  and  Rosecrans  professed  them- 
selves satisfied,  and  they  parted  promising  friendly  intercourse  in  the  future;! 
but  it  is  doubtful  if  the  scars  were  ever  fully  effaced  from  the  memory  of  either, 
till  later  events  came  to  brand  them  deeper  and  broader  with  both. 

But  in  the  War  Department,  where  Grant's  hostility,  even  if  existing  and 
exerted,  could  as  yet  avail  little,  the  star  of  Rosecrans  was  now  rapidly  rising 
to  its  zenith.  Nine  days  after  his  return  to  Corinth  he  was  ordered  to  Cincin- 
nati, where  fresh  orders  instructed  him  to  relieve  General  Buell  and  assume 
command  of  the  great  but  demoralized  army,  which,  retiring  steadily  through 
the  early  fall,  to  keep  pace  with  Bragg's  advance  into  Kentucky,  had  fallen 
from  North  Alabama  to  the  Ohio  River.  The  Country  and  the  Army,  remem- 
bering his  heroism  and  his  victories,  gave  implicit  confidence  to  the  new  Gen- 
eral commanding;  and  he  entered  upon  the  duty  of  pushing  back  the  war 
from  his  native  State,  and  holding  the  center  of  that  great  line  which  stretched 
from  the  Potomac  to  the  Arkansas,  under  outward  auspices  the  most  cheering. 
But  he  found  the  troops  dispirited,  discipline  lax,  unsoldierly  complaints  gen- 
eral. Winter  was  approaching;  the  railroad  lines  were  a  wreck,  and  even  if 
the  army  had  been  pushed  forward  through  the  country  which  Bragg  had 
exhausted,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  supply  it. 

In  the  midst  of  the  first  comprehension  of  these  unexpected  difficulties  came 
an  order  from  the  General-in-Chief  at  Washington,  to  undertake  a  march  after 
Bragg,  to  East  Tennessee,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  forty  miles,  at  a  time 
when  the  army  had  transportation  enough  to  supply  it  less  than  fifty  miles  from 
its  depots,  while  the  cavalry  was  utterly  unable,  over  even  so  short  a  route,  to 
protect  the  trains.  Briefly  replying  that  such  a  march  was  impossible,  Rose- 
crans hastened  the  work  of  supply  and  reorganization,  and  at  the  earliest 
moment  concentrated  his  troops  at  Nashville.  Here  speedily  came  Bragg  with 
his  army  from  the  mountains,  thus  vindicating  the  judgment  of  Rosecrans  in 
refusing  to  be  drawn  after  him  into  an  impracticable  country. 

Yet,  already  irritated  at  the  ignoring  of  his  first  order,  and  the  subsequent 
vindication  of  such  policy,  Halleck  soon  found  fresh  cause  of  complaint.  Before 
the  first  train  could  get  through  from  Louisville  to  Nashville,  over  the  destroyed 

•  Bickham's  Rosecrans's  Campaign  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  p.  145. 

t  Grant  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  131. 

t  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  series  of  1865.     Rosecrans's  Testimony,  p.  56. 


328  Ohio  in  the  War. 

railroad,  and  before  it  had  been  possible  to  accumulate  five  days'  supplies  for 
the  army  at  Xashville,  the  General-in-Chief  again  urgently  demanded  a  forward 

ment;  and  Eosecrans  having  again  represented  its  impossibility,  as  well  as 
the  needlessness  of  marching  into  a  rough  country  to  meet  Bragg,  when  Bragg 
W*a  already  coining  far  away  from  his  base  of  supplies  to  meet  him,  General 
Halleck  once  more  required  the  movement,  "for  urgent  political  reasons,"  and 
Hignificantly  added  that  "he  had  been  requested  by  the  President  to  designate 
a  successor  for  General  Kosecrans."*  The  reply  to  this  was  manly  and  testy, 
as  might  have  been  expected:  "My  appointment  to  tbe  command  having  been 
made  without  any  solicitation  from  me  or  my  friends,  if  the  President  continues 
to  have  confidence  in  the  propriety  of  the  selection,  he  must  permit  me  to  uso 
my  judgment  and  be  responsible  for  the  results;  but  if  he  entertains  doubts  ho 
ought  at  once  to  appoint  a  commander  in  whom  he  can  confide,  for  the  good  of 
the  service  and  of  the  country."  f 

This  seemed  to  be  sufficient,  and  Eosecrans  was  molested  no  furthei.  He 
bent  every  energy  toward  hurrying  forward  supplies,  kept  his  cavalry  vigor- 
ously at  work,  handling  them  so  skillfully  that  they  were  generally  successful, 
and  soon  became  animated  with  the  prestige  of  victory;  skirmished  all  along 
his  lino  of  outposts  with  the  enemy.  Bragg  having  persisted  in  robbing  pris- 
oners of  their  overcoats  and  blankets,  and  having  on  one  or  two  occasions 
taken  unwarrantable  advantage  of  flags  of  truce,  Eosecrans,  after  energetic 
remonstrances,  finally  notified  him  that — "I  shall  not,  therefore,  be  able  to  hold 
any  further  official  intercourse  with  you.  Indeed,  you  render  it  impracticable, 
because  I  can  not  trust  your  messengers,  or  the  statements  made  by  them  of 
occurrences  patent  as  the  sun.  No  flag  will;  therefore,  be  received  from  you 
excepting  one  conveying  reparation  for  your  outrages."  J 

Within  less  than  a  month  after  the  re-opening  of  the  railroad  between  Lou- 
isville and  Nashville,  a  sufficient  store  of  supplies  had  been  accumulated  at  the 
latter  place  to  warrant  the  undertaking  of  an  offensive  campaign,  with  it  as  the 
immediate  base.  Meantime  the  enemy  had  been  skillfully  led  to  believe  that 
the  army  wTould  be  able  to  accomplish  nothing  during  the  winter;  and  resting 
secure  in  this  belief,  he  had  sent  away  a  large  force  to  operate  in  Kentucky,  and 
another  of  cavalry  to  harass  Grant  in  West  Tennessee.  Now,  therefore,  had 
come  the  fitting  moment  for  the  attack.  It  was  two  months,  lacking  one  day, 
since  Eosecrans  had  assumed  command  of  the  army.  He  had  found  it  so  weak- 
ened that,  as  shown  by  the  rolls  in  the  office  of  tbe  Adjutant-General,  there 
were  absent  thirty-two  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty-six  men,  whom  the 
Government  and  the  country  supposed  to  be  in  the  ranks.  ||  Even  now  he  wTas 
only  able  to  muster  an  effective  offensive  force  of  forty-six  thousand  nine  hun- 
dre.d  and  ten  men  of  all  arms. 

On  the  2Gth  December,  1862,  the  advance  upon  Murfreesboro',  where  Bragg 

*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  series  of  1865,  Vol.  III.     Rosecrans's  Testimony,  p.  25.         t  Ibid. 
*  Rosecrans's  Campaign  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  by  W.  D.  Bickham,  p.  105. 
^  I  Of  whom  six  thousand  four  hundred  and  eighty-four  were  deserters,  through  the  demorali- 
sation consequent  upon  Buell's  retreat. 


William    S.   Rosecrans.  329 

had  thrown  up  slight  intrench  merits  and  gone  into  winter-quarters,  began. 
Already  men  not  unskilled  in  war,  and  not  wishing  defeat  to  the  National  army, 
were  predicting  it.  For  Eoseerans,  with  the  lamentable  ignorance  of  human 
nature  which  we  have  before  had  occasion  to  notice,  had  confided  the  command 
of  the  two  wings  of  his  army  to  two  soldiers  scarcely  equal  to  the  command  of 
divisions.*  Moving  his  troops  in  three  columns,  and  handling  them  skillfully, 
the  General  was  soon  able  to  develop  the  Eebel  positions.  Hardee  he  found 
holding  the  enemy's  left,  in  intrenchments  west  of  Murfreesboro'  and  north  of 
Stone  Eiver.  -  Bragg  himself  was  in  the  town  with  Polk,  and  the  right  was  held 
by  Breckinridge,  who  lay  behind  Stone  Eiver,  and  not  far  from  the  most  avail- 
able fords.  Their  outposts  contested  the  advance  stubbornly,  and  on  the  29th 
there  was  sharp  skirmishing  all  along  the  line,  but  particularly  on  Hardee's 
front.  That  evening,  however,  found  the  line  well  up,  and  its  left  in  sight  of 
Murfreesboro'. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  corps  commanders  assembled,  and  the  General  explained 
to  them  his  plan  for  the  ensuing  day.  McCook,  on  his  right,  (opposite  Hardee) 
was  to  hold  the  enemy;  Thomas,  in  the  center,  was  to  push  straight  to  the  river; 
while  Crittenden,  on  the  left,  crossing  the  river  at  the  fords,  was  to  take  Breckin- 
ridge in  flank  and  rear,  when  Thomas,  now  up  to  the  river,  was  to  assail  him  at 
the  same  time  in  front.  With  this  preponderance  of  force  there  could  be  no 
doubt  of  Breckinridge's  defeat.  Then  the  left  and  center,  (Crittenden  and 
Thomas),  sweeping  through  Murfreesboro',  were  to  fall  upon  the  rear  of  Hardee 
and  whatever  forces  might  be  united  with  him  against  McCook.  Manifestly  this 
plan  pivoted  on  one  single  point:  Could  McCook  hold  the  right  while  center 
and  left  were  thus  hurled  upon  the  enemy's  rear?  The  General  asked  him: 
"You  know  the  ground — you  have  fought  over  its  difficulties.  Can  you  hold 
your  present  position  for  three  hours?"  "Yes;  I  think  I  can."  Thereupon  ho 
was  admonished  that  his  present  formation  of  his  line  was  faulty ;  that  his 
extreme  right  was  too  much  in  the  air,  and  therefore  in  imminent  danger  of 
being  turned.  Great  fires  were  to  be  built  along  three  or  four  times  the  extent 
of  his  line,  to  lead  the  enemy  to  the  belief  that  he  was  massing  troops  there. 
And  so  the  corps  commanders  rode  back  to  their  places. f 

Early  next  morning  Crittenden  began  his  movement  against  the  enemy's 
flank  and  rear.  But,  away  off  to  the  right,  the  enemy  had  been  quicker,  and 
before  Crittenden's  men  had  moved  to  the  fords,  already  the  mass  of  the  Eebel 
army  was  advancing  in  columns  of  assault  upon  McCook.  That  officer  had 
failed  to  correct  the  faulty  formation  of  his  line— indeed,  considered  that  "a 
better  disposition  of  his  troops,  under  the  circumstances,  could  not  be  made."  J 
The  result  was  inevitable. 

:::  Excepting  when  under  the  eye  of  a  superior  officer,  who  could  do  their  thinking  for  them. 

t  Bosecrans's  Official  Keport  Stone  River,  Gov't.  Edition.  In  opposition  to  all  this,  however, 
Shank's  "Personal  Recollections  of  Distinguished  Generals,"  (Harper  &  Bros.,  18C6,  pp.  148, 
149i,  says:  "The  official  reports  tell  very  elaborately  of  a  grand  plan,  but  that  plan  was 
arranged  after  the  battle  was  tinished.  The  soldiers  fought  the  battle  on  our  part,  not  the  Gen- 
eral commanding."     No  evidence,  however,  is  given  for  so  grave  a  statement. 

JMcCook's  Official  Report  of  action  of  right  wing  in  battle  of  Stone  River. 


330  Ohio   in    the  War. 

Presently  a  tide  of  fugitives  began  to  sweep  back  out  of  the  cedars  on  the 
right.     "McCook's  corps  was  beaten;"  "Sill  was  killed;  "  "two  batteries  were 

.red  ; "  « the  Eebel  cavalry  was  charging  the  rear."  Close  upon  their  track 
a  staff-officer  from  McCook,  confirming  the  evil  news,  but  giving  no  par- 
ticulars. "  Tell  General  McCook  to  contest  every  inch  of  the  ground,"  exclaimed 
Eosecrans;  "if  he  holds  them  it  will  all  work  right."  But  he  did  not  hold 
them.     The  tide  of  disaster  swept  on;  it  was  soon   seen  that  McCook's  corps 

coming  back  bodily ;  that  the  battle  was  spreading  to  the  center.  And  yet 
the  attack  had  lasted  less  than  an  hour;  it  was  scarcely  half  an  hour  since 
Crittenden's  advance  had  begun  to  cross  the  river  for  the  movement  in  flank 
and  rear.  McCook  was  not  checking  the  enemy  "three  hours,"  nor  one,  nor  a 
moment.  The  instant  of  attack  had  been  the  instant  when  his  ill-formed  lino 
began  to  crumble. 

It  was  now,  therefore,  fallen  upon  the  General  commanding  to  decide  at 
once  whether  to  abandon  the  attack  on  the  left,  and  narrow  his  efforts  to  a 
struggle  for  the  safety  of  his  own  army,  or  whether  he  could  still  trust  this 
routed  corps,  of  which  parts  might  retain  their  solidity,  till  he  could  attack  the 
enemy's  rear,  according  to  the  original  plan. 

The  last  course  was  already  perilous  in  the  extreme ;  half  an  hour  later  it 
was  impossible.  Yet  it  must  have  been  with  a  pang  that  the  General  sent 
orders  withdrawing  Crittenden's  advance,  and  forwarding  re-enforcemente 
instead  into  the  cedar  brakes  on  the  right.  Thenceforward  it  was  technically  a 
defensive  battle. 

"The  history  of  the  combat  in  those  dark  cedars  will  never  be  known.  No 
man  could  see  even  the  whole  of  his  own  regiment,  and  no  one  will  ever  be  able 
to  tell  who  they  were  that  fought  bravest,  or  they  who  proved  recreant  to  their 
trust.  It  was  left  to  Sheridan  to  stay  the  successful  onset  of  the  foe.  Never 
did  a  man  labor  more  faithfully  than  he  to  perform  his  task,  and  never  was 
leader  seconded  by  more  gallant  soldiers.  His  division  formed  a  pivot  on  which 
the  broken  right  wing  turned  in  its  flight,  and  its  perilous  condition  can  easily 
be  imagined,  when  the  flight  of  Davis's  division  left  it  without  any  protection 
from  the  triumphant  enemy,  who  now  swarmed  upon  its  front  and  right  flank; 
but  it  fought  until  one-fourth  its  number  lay  upon  the  field,  and  till  all  its 
brigade  commanders  were  gone."* 

As  Sheridan  came  out  of  the  cedars,  with  his  riddled  but  still  compact 
division,  he  rode  up  to  Eosecrans,  pointing  to  his  men :  "  Here  is  all  that  is  left 
of  us,  General.     Our  cartridge-boxes  are  empty,  and  so  are  our  guns." 

Meantime  Eosecrans  had  been  busy  re-forming  the  line,  grouping  batteries 
on  the  crest  of  the  knoll  near  the  turnpike,  once  or  twice  heading  charges  to 
repel  advancing  Eebel  columns.  With  the  lines  re-formed,  the  rest  of  the  battle 
was  simple.  By  eleven  o'clock  the  rout  of  McCook's  corps  was  over,  the  new 
formation  was  complete,  and  a  lull  had  come.  Then  followed  assault  after 
assault,  mainly  upon  the  left.     All  were  handsomely  repulsed ;  and  in  all  the 

*From  the  admirable  account  of  the  battle  furnished  by  Mr.  W.  S.  Furay  to  the  Cincinnati 
Gazette. 


William  S.  Roseceans. 


331 


William    S.    Rosecrans.  333 

presence  of  Eosecrans  himself  was  the  inspiring  feature.  Garesche's  head  was 
blown  from  his  body  as  he  galloped  by  the  side  of  the  General*  in  one  of  theso 
movements.  Eichmond  and  Porter,  of  the  staff,  were  shot.  Kirby  was  shot. 
Two  or  three  orderlies  were  shot;  and  nearly  a  dozen  of  the  staff  lost  their 
horses.  To  every  remonstrance  about  this  personal  exposure,  the  General  only 
replied:  "This  battle  must  be  won."  When  Garesche  fell,  his  most  intimate 
and  trusted  friend,  the  General  made  no  sign.  But,  a  moment  later,  he  thun- 
dered up  to  a  regiment  and  ordered  it  to  charge. 

So,  with  unretrieved  disaster  in  the  morning,  and  with  handsome  defense 
through  the  afternoon,  the  day  ebbed  out  with  the  ebbing  fire.  Twenty-eight 
pieces  of  artillery  had  been  lost;  seven  thousand  men  lay  dead  and  wounded  on 
the  field.  The  General  galloped  back  and  selected  ground,  a  few  miles  in  the 
rear,  to  which,  in  case  of  necessity,  the  retreat  could  be  conducted;  then 
returned  to  his  corps  commanders,  and,  with  few  orders,  simply  said  :  "  Gentle- 
men, we  fight  it  out  here."  The  rear  was  swarming  with  the  enenvy's  cavalry  ; 
communication  with  Nashville  was  nearly  or  quite  cut  off;  in  front  lay  an  army 
that  had  already  driven  one  wing  in  confusion,  broken  up  the  whole  plan  of 
battle,  and  thrown  the  attacking  column  into  an  attitude  purely  defensive. 
But,  "  Gentlemen,  we  fight  it  out  here."  "  Most  men  in  that  army  were 
whipped,"  it  was  afterward  well  said,  "excepting  the  General  who  com- 
manded it." 

The  next  day  passed  quietly,  till,  in  the  afternoon,  the  enemy  made  one  or 
two  partial  demonstrations,  which  were  easily  repulsed.  It  began  to  be  seen 
that,  in  spite  of  his  seeming  success,  Bragg  had  been  severely  punished.  The 
next  forenoon  likewise  passed  inactively;  but  in  the  afternoon  the  enemy  con- 
centrated his  strength  for  a  final  effort.  Eosecrans,  finding  his  position  appar- 
ently secure,  had  extended  his  left  across  Stone  Eiver,  at  the  .point  where  he 
had  originally  intended  that  his  main  attack  on  the  enemy's  flank  and  rear 
should  begin.  On  this  isolated  force f  the  enemy  now  poured  down,  driving  it 
in  hot  haste  back  across  the  river  again,  and  crossing  himself  in  pursuit.  But 
here  he  came  under  the  fire  of  a  great  collection  of  batteries  skillfully  placed 
on  the  north  bank.  The  slaughter  was  terrible ;  and,  as  a  couple  of  brigades 
advanced  upon  him,  the  enemy  in  turn  fled  in  confusion.  His  loss  in  less  than 
forty  minutes  was  two  thousand  men.  Excepting  Malvern  Hill,  it  was,  per- 
haps, the  handsomest  artillery  fight  of  the  war. 

This  was  the  last  sullen  effort  of  the  enemy,  and  ended  the  battle  of  Stone 
Eiver.  Next  day,  under  cover  of  heavy  rains,  and  a  vigorous  maintenance  of 
skirmishing  on  the  front,  Bragg  was  in  full  retreat.     No  pursuit  was  attempted. 

The  battle  thus  inauspiciously  begun  and  happily  ended,  electrified  the 
Nation.  At  the  capital,  men  waited,  day  by  day,  during  the  continuance  of  the 
fighting,  for  dispatches  from  Eosecrans,  as  if  he  held  in  his  hands  the  fate  of 
the  Government.  General  Halleck,  lately  so  dissatisfied,  and  about,  "  at  the 
President's  request,"  to  name  General  Eosecrans's  successor,  could  scarcely  say 

*  To  whom  he  was  Chief  of  Staff!  t  Van  Cleve's  division. 


334  Ohio  in  the  War. 

too  much.  "The  victory  was  well  earned,  and  one  of  the  most -brilliant  of  the 
You  and  your  brave  army  have  won  the  gratitude  of  your  country  and 
bh€  admiration  of  the  world.  The  field  of  Murfreesboro'  is  made  historical,  and 
future  generation!  will  point  out  the  place  where  so  many  heroes  fell  gloriously 
in  defense  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union.  All  honor  to  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland!  Thanks  to  the  living,  and  tears  for  the  lamented  dead  ! "  Scarcely 
less  enthusiastic  was  the  President :  "  God  bless  you,  and  all  with  you  !  Please 
tender  to  all,  and  accept  for  yourself,  the  Nation's  gratitude  for  your  and  their 
Rkill,  endurance,  and  dauntless  courage."  The  Country  re-echoed  the  words. 
Admiring  journals  dwelt  upon  the  details  of  the  General's  personal  movements 
through  the  battle.  Men  compared  him  to  that  Marshal  of  France  to  whom, 
when  Napoleon  had  said:  "I  give  you  sixty  thousand  soldiers,"  and  he  had 
replied:  "Sire,  Your  Majesty  mistakes ;  I  have  but  forty  thousand,"  the  great 
Master  of  War  rejoined:  "No,  sir,  I  do  not  mistake;  I  count  you  for  twenty 
thousand." 

Yet  now,  on  a  calm  review  of  all  the  facts,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the 
battle  is  open  to  criticisms.  It  was  a  fatal  mistake  to  intrust  a  forlorn  hope 
(such  as  Rosecrans  proposed  to  make  the  right  while  he  pushed  the  left  and 
center  upon  the  enemy's  flank  and  rear)  to  an  officer  like  McCook.  Most  of  all 
was  it  a  mistake  to  do  this  in  an  army  which  then  numbered  among  its  Gen- 
erals, George  H.  Thomas  and  Philip  H.  Sheridan.  The  man  that  could  do  this 
was  hopelessly  ignorant  of  human  nature ;  hopelessly  deficient  in  that  foremost 
quality  of  a  General  wrhich  teaches  how  to  select  the  right  men  for  the  right 
places.  Had  the  original  plan  not  been  ruined  at  the  outset  by  this  blunder, 
it  would  have  been  exposed  to  similar  danger  further  on,  from  its  counterpart, 
for  Crittenden,  though  abler  than  McCook,  was  still  unfit  for  such  responsible 
positions.  Furthermore,  in  a  case  like  this,  where  everything  depended  upon 
this  right  wing,  while  he  was  convinced  that  its  position  was  faulty,  and  knew 
that  the  enemy  was  massed  upon  it,  the  General  commanding  was  not  absolved 
from  responsibility  by  a  simple  statement  that,  as  his  corps  General*  "knew 
the  ground  best,  he  must  leave  it  to  his  judgment." f 

But  when  the  diaster  had  enveloped  half  the  army,  and  from  that  time  to 
the  end,  Rosecrans  was  magnificent.  Rising  superior  to  the  disaster  that,  in  a 
moment,  had  annihilated  his  carefully -prepared  plans,  he  grasped  in  his  single 
hands  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  He  stemmed  the  tide  of  retreat,  hurried  brig- 
ades and  divisions  to  the  points  of  danger,  massed  the  artillery,  handled  his 
troops  as  Morphy  might  his  chess-men,  infused  into  them  his  own  dauntless 
spirit,  and  out  of  defeat  itself  fashioned  the  weapons  of  victory.  As  at  Rich 
Mountain,  Iuka,  Corinth,  it  was  his  personal  presence  that  magnetized  his  plans 
into  success. 

♦Throughout  the  above,  the  Generals  of  the  center  and  wings  have,  for  the  sake  of  conve- 
nience been  designated  as  corps  Generals,  though  in  reality  they  held  no  such  rank.  Rosecrans 
himself  wan,  as  yet,  only  a  corps  General,  and  his  army  was  known  at  the  War  Department  as 
the  Fourteenth  Corps. 

tRosecrans's  own  explanation  in  his  official  report. 


William    8.    Rosecrans.  335 

,  Of  his  forty-six  thousand  men,  Eosecrans  lost  fifteen  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  killed,  and  seven  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty -five  wounded,  besides 
nearly  three  thousand  prisoners.  In  other  words,  his  killed  and  wounded  alone 
constituted  one-fifth  of  his  entire  command.  He  took  prisoners  from  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-two  regiments  of  Eebel  infantry.  On  this  basis  he  estimated 
the  strength  of  his  antagonist  at  sixty-two  thousand  five  hundred  and  twenty, 
which  was  unquestionably  an  exaggeration.  Bragg,  in  his  official  report,  said 
he  had  but  thirty-five  thousand  men  in  the  field  when  the  battle  commenced. 
Out  of  these  he  admits  a  loss  of  nine  thousand  killed  and  wounded  and  ono 
thousand  prisoners;  but  he  consoled  himself  and  the  Eebel  Government  by 
estimating  Eosecrans's  loss  at  twenty-four  thousand  killed  and  wounded. 

And  now  there  followed  the  most  unfortunate  six  months  of  Eosecrans's 
career.  He  kept  up  a  series  of  skirmishes  and  affairs  of  more  or  less  import- 
ance with  isolated  bodies  of  the  enemy;  sent  General  Carter  on  a  raid  into  East 
Tennessee;  resisted  raids  upon  his  communications  by  Forrest  and  Morgan; 
sent  Jeff.  C.  Davis  and  Sheridan  on  movements  to  the  southward  against  small 
Eebel  forces;  engaged  Morgan,  Van  Dorn,  and  others,  at  points  near  Murfrees- 
boro' ;  dispatched  Colonel  Straight,  with  eighteen  hundred  cavalry  to  the  rear 
of  Bragg's  army,  to  cut  the  Eebel  railroad  communications  and  destroy  their 
depots  of  supplies.  Most  of  these  movements  were  successes ;  the  last,  by 
unskillfulness,  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  entire  command. 

But  these  were  trifling  matters.  General  Eosecrans  had  a  great  army, 
which  had  won  a  great  victory.  He  was  expected  to  improve  it.  The  winter 
was  given  him  to  recruit  and  reorganize.  With  spring  came  an  impatience  for 
his  advance,  which  every  delay  intensified,  till  at  last  the  dissatisfaction  of  the 
Government  culminated  in  such  orders  as  it  never  in  any  other  case  brought 
itself  to  address  to  a  General  to  whose  hands  it  still  intrusted  an  army. 

From  4th  January  to  23d  June,  1863,  the  army  lay  at  Murfreesboro'.  In 
his  testimony  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  General  Eose- 
crans explains  this  delay  by  the  weakness  of  his  cavalry  force,  the  scarcity  of 
forage,  the  nature  of  the  roads,  and  the  policy  of  holding  Bragg  on  his  front 
rather  than  driving  him  out  of  Tennessee,  only  that  he  might  unite  with  Jos. 
E.  Johnston  and  fall  upon  Grant,  who  was  still  ineffectually  struggling  before 
Vicksburg.  In  his  sketch  of  his  military  career,  officially  furnished  to  the  War 
Department  *  he  says  :  "  The  detachment  of  General  Burnside's  troops  to  Vicks- 
burg, the  uncertainty  of  the  issue  of  our  operations  there,  and  the  necessity  of 
1  nursing' — so  to  speak — General  Bragg  on  my  front,  to  keep  him  from  retiring 
behind  the  mountain  and  the  Tennessee,  whence  he  could  and  would  have  been 
obliged  to  send  heavy  re-enforcements  to  Johnston,  delayed  the  advance  of  my 
army  until  the  23d  of  June,  when,  the  circumstances  at  Vicksburg  and  the 
arrival  of  all  our  cavalry  horses  warranting  it,  we  began  the  campaign."  And 
in   his  correspondence   with    the   General-in-Chief,   he    said   that  to   fight   in 

*  Manuscript  on  file  in  rolls  of  Adjutant-General's  office  at  Washington. 


336  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Tennessee  while  Grant  was  about  fighting  at  Yicksburg,  would  violate  one  of 
the  fundamental  maxims  of  war,  the  proper  application  of  which  would  "for- 
bid  this  Nation  from  engaging  all  its  forces  in  the  great  West  at  the  same  time, 
so  as  to  leave   it  without  a  single  reserve  to  stem  the  current  of  possible 

disaster."* 

Some  of  these  considerations  are  of  undoubted  weight;  but  on  the  whole 
tbey  will  hardly- seem  now  to  have  afforded  sufficient  cause  for  the  delay.  In 
point  of  fact,  Bragg  profited  by  it  to  detach  a  considerable  portion  of  his  troops 
to  the  Rebel  lines  of  the  South-West,  the  very  result  which  Eosecrans  imagined 
himself  to  be  hindering.f  There  are  no  traces  of  complaint  from  Grant  him- 
self on  the  subject,  but  his  friends  were  not  silent;  and  there  is  some  reason  to 
think  that  their  importunity  served  still  further  to  exasperate  the  already  dis- 
satisfied feelings  of  the  General-in-Chief. 

Presently  there  sprang  up  an  extraordinary  state  of  affairs  between  that 
offior  and  General  Eosecrans.  The  latter  asked  for  cavalry.  General  Halleck 
replied  as  if  he  thought  it  a  complaint.  Eosecrans  telegraphed  the  Secretary 
of  War.  In  reply  came  fresh  hints  from  Halleck  about  the  tendency  of  his 
subordinate  to  complain  of  his  means  instead  of  using  them.  Eosecrans  begged 
for  revolving  rifles,  adding  almost  piteously :  "  Do  n't  be  weary  at  my  impor- 
tunity. No  economy  can  compare  with  that  of  furnishing  revolving  arms;  no 
mode  of  recruiting  will  so  promptly  and  efficaciously  strengthen  us.J"  But  the 
Prussian  war  not  yet  having  been  fought,  the  practical  General-in-Chief  con- 
sidered such  applications  the  extravagant  whims  of  a  dreaming  theorist. 

The  dispatches  for  "cavalry,"  "cavalry,"  "cavalry,"  continued.  On  20th 
March  General  Eosecrans  said  :  "  Duty  compels  me  to  recall  the  attention  of  the 
War  Department  to  the  necessity  of  more  cavalry  here.  Let  it  be  clearly  under- 
stood that  the  enemy  have  five  to  our  one,  and  can,  therefore,  command  the 
resources  of  the  country  and  the  services  of  the  inhabitants."  On  29th  March 
again:  "General  Eousseau  would  undertake  to  raise  eight  or  ten  thousand 
mounted  infantry.  I  think  the  time  very  propitious."  On  24th  April,  still  the 
same :  "  Cavalry  horses  are  indispensable  to  our  success  here.  This  has  been 
stated  and  reiterated  to  tho  Department;  but  horses  have  not  been  obtained." 
Again,  on  10th  May,  in  reply  to  a  letter  of  General  Halleck,  proving  to  him 
that  he  had  cavalry  enough :  "  We  have  at  no  time  been  able  to  turn  out  more 
than  five  thousand  for  actual  duty.  I  am  not  mistaken  in  saying  that  this  great 
army  would  gain  more  from  ten  thousand  effective  cavalry  than  from  twenty 
thousand  infantry."  On  2Gth  July:  "I  have  sent  General  Eousseau  to  Wash- 
ington, directed  to  lay  before  you  his  plan  for  obtaining  from  the  disciplined 
troops  recently  mustered  out  in  the  East,  such  a  mounted  force  as  would  enable 
us  to  command  the  country  south  of  us."  ||  This  last  application  ended  the  list. 
General  Eousseau  returned,  telling  Eosecrans  that  he  "  was  satisfied  his  official 
destruction  was  but  a  question  of  time  and  opportunity;  the  will  to  accomplish 

*Rq>.  Cora.  Con.  War,  series  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  Eosecrans's  Campaigns,  p.  41. 

t  Pollard's  Southern  History,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  114. 

X  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  ubi  supra,  p.  38.  ||  Ibid.,  pp.  37,  38,  39,  40,  and  41. 


William   S.    Rosecrans.  337 

it  existed,  and  there  was  no  use  to  hope  for  any  assistance  from  the  War  De- 
partment." The  Secretary  of  War  had  "even  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  he 
would  be  damned  if  he  would  give  Rosecrans  another  man."* 

For,  meantime,  the  high  spirit  and  utter  lack  of  caution  in  personal  mut- 
ters which  so  distinguished  G-eneral  Rosecrans  had  led  to  two  other  breaches 
with  the  Department.  Either  of  them  would  have  served  to  make  his  position 
as  a  successful  General,  vigorously  prosecuting  a  triumphant  campaign,  suf- 
ficiently unpleasant.  As  a  delaying  General,  furnishing  excuses  for  not  under- 
taking the  campaign  on  which  the  Government,  with  all  its  power,  was  urging 
him,  they  were  enough  to  work  his  ruin.  Yet  who  can  check  a  thrill  of  honest 
pride  as  he  reads  that  an  Ohio  General,  in  such  a  plight,  had  still  sturdy  man- 
hood enough  left  to  send  a  dispatch  like  this  to  the  all-powerful  General-in- 
Chief: 

"  Murfreesboro',  6th  March,  1863. 

"  G-eneral:  Yours  of  the  1st  instant,  announcing  the  offer  of  a  vacant  Major- 
Generalship  in  the  regular  army  to  the  General  in  the  field  who  first  wins  an 
important  and  decisive  victory,  is  at  hand.  As  an  officer  and  a  citizen  I  feel 
degraded  at  such  an  auctioneering  of  honors.  Have  we  a  General  who  would  fight 
for  his  own  personal  benefit  when  he  would  not  for  honor  and  his  country?  He 
would  come  by  his  commission  basely  in  that  case,  and  deserve  to  be  despised 
by  men  of  honor.  But  are  all  the  brave  and  honorable  Generals  on  an  equality 
as  to  chances  ?     If  not,  it  is  unjust  to  those  who  probably  deserve  most. 

"  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  Major-General. 

"  To  Major-General  H.  W.  Halleck,  General-in-Chief."    . 

Under  the  merited  sting  of  this  incautious  but  unanswerable  rebuke,  Gen- 
eral Halleck  renewed  his  complaints,  found  fault  with  Rosecrans's  reports,  and 
his  failures  to  report,  and  even  criticised  the  expenses  of  his  telegraphing !  At 
last  Rosecrans,  chafing  under  one  of  these  dispatches,  with  absolutely  character- 
istic lack  of  prudence,  was  stung  into  saying :  "  That  I  am  very  careful  to 
inform  the  Department  of  my  successes,  and  of  all  captures  from  the  enemy,  is 
not  true,  as  the  records  of  our  office  will  show  ;  that  I  have  failed  to  inform  the 
Government  of  my  defeats  and  losses  is  equally  untrue,  both  in  letter  and  in 
spirit.  I  regard  the  statement  of  these  two  propositions  of  the  War  Department 
as  a  profound,  grievous,  cruel,  and  ungenerous  official  and  personal  wrong." 
Was  it  wonderful  now— human  nature  being,  after  all,  only  human  nature— 
that  Rosecrans's  "  official  destruction  was  but  a  question  of  time  and  oppor- 
tunity?" 

At  last,f  thirteen  days  after  every  one  of  his  corps  and  division  Generals 
had  in  writing  expressed  his  opposition  to  an  effort  to  advance,  General  Rose- 
crans began  his  movement.  Bragg  lay  heavily  intrenched  at  Tullahoma,  with 
advance  positions  at  Shelbyville  and  Wartrace.  By  a  series  of  combined  move- 
ments which  even  General  Halleck  was  forced  officially  to  pronounce  "admira- 
ble," %  Bragg's  attention  was  completely  taken  up  by  Gordon  Granger's  dashing 

*  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  ubi  supra.  1 24th  June,  1863. 

%  Halleck's  Official  Report.     Report  Sec.  War,  First  Sess.  Thirty-Eighth  Congress. 
Yol.  I.— 22. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

advance  on  Shelbyville,  while  the  bulk  of  the  army,  hastily  moving  far  to  the 
OBrfrayVi  right,  seized  the  mountain  gaps  which  covered  his  flank.     Bragg  per- 

!.  too  late,  the  extent  of  his  loss,  and  made  haste  to  expedite  his  retreat. 

rans  pushed  .forward  for  a  similar  flanking  movement  on  Tullahoma,  but 
|  ,  foreeeoiog  that  Eosecrans's  success  would  cut  off  his  hope  of  retreat, 
made  haste  to  get  out  of  Tullahoma  while  he  could,  and  precipitately  retired 

behind  the  Tennessee  Eiver. 

I  had  again  justified  General  Eosecrans;  but,  brilliant  as  were  these 
18,  they  lacked  the  element  of  bloodshed  which  goes  so  far  toward  fixing 
opular  standard  of  appreciation.  The  very  day  on  which  he  had  begun 
the  campaign  had  unfortunately  proved  the  beginning  of  an  unprecedented 
rain  storm  which  lasted  for  seventeen  successive  days.  Through  this  the  cam- 
paign was  carried  on;  but  for  the  delays  which  it  compelled,  Tullahoma  would 
have  been  turned  so  speedily  that  Bragg  would  have  found  himself  forced  to 
battle  on  disadvantageous  ground,  and  the  history  of  the  war  in  the  South-West 
might  have  been  changed.  As  it  was,  Eosecrans  was  fully  warranted  in  his 
proud  summing  up:  "Thus  ended  a  nine  days'  campaign  which  drove  the 
enemy  from  two  fortified  positions,  and  gave  us  possession  of  Middle  Tennessee, 
conducted  in  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  rains  ever  known  in  Tennessee  at 
that  period  of  the  year,  over  a  soil  that  became  almost  a  quicksand.  These 
results  were  far  more  successful  than  was  anticipated,  and  could  only  have  been 
obtained  by  a  surprise  as  to  the  direction  and  force  of  our  movements."*  His 
loss  was  five  hundred  and  sixty.  He  took  sixteen  hundred  and  thirty-four 
prisoners,  six  pieces  of  artillery,  and  large  quantities  of  stores. 

General  Eosecrans  at  once  set  about  repairing  the  railroads  in  his  rear,  and 
hurrying  forward  supplies.  By  25th  of  July  the  first  supply  train  was  pushed 
through  to  the  Tennessee  Eiver.  But  already  "the  General-in-Chief  began  to 
manifest  great  impatience  at  the  delay  in  the  movement  forward  to  Chatta- 
nooga." So  Eosecrans  mildly  states  it.  The  nature  of  these  manifestations 
may  be  inferred  from  the  correspondence.  On  3d  July  General  Halleck  tele- 
graphed positive  orders  to  advance  at  once,  and  report  daily  the  movement  of 
each  corps  until  the  Tennessee  Eiver  was  crossed!  Eosecrans,  in  astonishment, 
replied  that  he  was  trying  to  prepare  for  crossing,  and  inquired  if  this  order 
was  intended  to  take  away  his  discretion  as  to  the  time  and  manner  of  moving 
his  troops.  Halleck's  response  was  such  as  was  never  given  under  similar  cir- 
cumstances to  any  other  General  during  the  war:  "The  orders  for  the  advance 
of  your  army,  and  that  its  progress  be  reported  daily,  are  peremptory!"  The 
War  Department  has  not  favored  us  with  General  Eosecrans's  reply  to  this  extra- 
ordinary order,  but  we  are  not  without  the  means  for  determining  its  nature. 
He  stated  his  plans,f  showed  the  necessity  of  deceiving  the  enemy  as  to  the 
intended  point  for  crossing  the  Tennessee,  insisted  on  not  moving  till  he  was 
ready,  and  requested  that,  in  the  event  of  the  disapproval  of  these  views,  he 

*  Rosecrans's  Official  Eeport  Tullahoma  Campaign. 

t  Eosecrans's  MS.  Sketch  of  his  Military  Career,  furnished  under  orders  of  War  Depart- 
ment, in  files  of  the  Adjutant-General's  office. 


William    S.    Roseckans.  33.() 

should  be  relieved  from  the  command  of  the  army!  This  seems  to  have  freed 
him  from  further  molestation;  but  it  needed  no  prophetic  sagacity  now  to  see 
that  only  "time  and  opportunity"  were  waited  for  at  the  War  Department. 

It  was  on  5th  August  that  General  Halleck  telegraphed  his  peremptory 
orders  to  move,  and  received  in  reply  the  tender  of  the  command.  General 
Eosecrans  quietly  waited  till  the  dispositions  along  his  extended  line  were  com- 
pleted, till  stores  were  accumulated,  and  the  corn  had  ripened  so  that  his  horses 
could  be  made  to  live  off  the  country.     On  the  15th  he  was  ready. 

The  problem  now  before  General  Eosecrans  was  to  cross  the  Tenm- 
Eiver  and  gain  possession  of  Chattanooga,  the  key  to  the  entire  mountain  ranges 
of  Eastern  Tennessee  and  Northern  Georgia,  in  the  face  of  an  enemy  of  equal 
strength,  whose  business  it  was  to  oppose  him.  Two  courses  were  open.  Forc- 
ing a  passage  over  the  river  above  Chattanooga,  he  might  have  essayed  a  direct 
attack  upon  the  town.  If  not  repulsed  in  the  dangerous  preliminary  move- 
ments, he  would  still  have  had  upon  his  hands  a  siege  not  less  formidable  than 
that  of  Yicksburg,  with  difficulties  incomparably  greater  in  supplying  his  army. 
But,  if  this  plan  was  not  adopted,  it  then  behooved  him  to  convince  the  enemy 
that  he  had  adopted  it ;  while,  crossing  below,  he  hastened  southward  over  the 
ruggedest  roads,  to  seize  the  mountain  gaps  whence  he  could  debouch  upon  the 
enemy's  line  of  supplies.  More  briefly,  he  could  either  attempt  to  fight  the 
enemy  out  of  Chattanooga,  or  to  flank  him  out.     He  chose  the  latter. 

By  the  28th  the  singular  activity  of  the  National  forces  along  a  front  of  a 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  had  blinded  and  bewildered  Bragg  as  to  his  antago- 
nist's actual  intentions.  Four  brigades  suddenly  began  demonstrating  furiously 
against  his  lines  above  Chattanooga,  and  the  plan  was  thought  to  be  revealed! 
Eosecrans  must  be  about  attempting  to  force  a  passage  there,  and  straightway 
began  a  concentration  to  oppose  him.  Meantime,  bridges  having  been  secretly 
prepared  were  hastily  thrown  across,  thirty  miles  further  down  the  river  at 
different  points,  and  before  Bragg  had  finished  preparing  to  resist  a  crossing 
above,  Eosecrans,  handling  with  rare  skill  his  various  corps  and  divisions,  had 
securely  planted  his  army  south  of  the  Tennessee,  and,  cutting  completely  loose 
from  his  base  of  supplies,  was  already  pushing  southward,  his  flank  next  the 
enemy  being  admirably  protected  by  impassable  mountains. 

For  Bragg,  but  one  thing  was  left.  As  he  had  been  forced  out  of  Shelby- 
ville,  out  of  Wartrace,  out  of  Tullahoma,  precisely  so  had  the  same  stress  been 
placed  upon  him  by  the  same  hand  in  his  still  stronger  position;  and  in  all 
haste  he  evacuated  Chattanooga,  leaving  it  to  the  nearest  corps  of  Eosecrans's 
army  to  march  quietly  in  and  take. possession.  The  very  ease  of  this  occupa- 
tion was  to  prove  its  strongest  element  of  danger.  For  men,  seeing  the  objective 
point  of  the  campaign  in  our  hands,  forgot  the  columns  toiling  through  moun- 
tains away  to  the  southward,  whose  presence  there  alone  compelled  the  Eebel 
evacuation.  But  for  them  the  isolated  troops  at  Chattanooga  would  have  been 
overwhelmed.  Thenceforward  there  was  need  of  still  greater  Generalship 
to  reunite  the  scattered  corps.  They  could  not  return  by  the  way  they  had 
gone,  for  the  moment  they  began  such  a  movement  Bragg,  holding  the  shorter 


340  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

line,  and  already  re-enforced  by  Longstreet's  veteran  corps  of  the  Army  of 
Northern  Virginia,  could  sweep  back  over  the  route  of  his  late  retreat.  Plainly 
they  imi>t  pass  through  the  gaps,  and  place  themselves  between  Bragg  and 
Chattanooga,  before  the  stronghold— beyond  a  mere  tentative  possession— could 
be  within  our  grasp.  And  so  it  came  about  that  a  battle — the  bloody  one  of 
Cliickaniauga— was  fought  to  enable  our  army  to  concentrate  in  the  position 
which  one  of  its  corps  had  already  occupied  for  days  without  firing  a  shot. 

Unfortunately  the  concentration  was  not  speedy  enough.  Indeed,  there  are 
some  plausible  reasons  for  believing  that  Eosecrans  was  for  a  few  days  deceived 
by  his  easy  success  into  a  belief  that  Bragg  was  still  in  full  retreat.  Certainly 
the  General-in-Chief  and  the  War  Department  did  all  they  could  to  encourage 
such  an  idea;  and  even  after  Eosecrans,  (every  nerve  tense  with  the  struggle  to 
concentrate  his  corps),  was  striving  to  prepare  for  the  onset  of  the  re-enforced 
Eebel  army,  General  Halleek  informed  him  of  reports  that  Bragg's  army  was 
re-enforcing  Lee,  and  pleasantly  added  that,  after  he  had  occupied  Dal  ton  it 
would  be  decided  whether  he  should  move  still  further  southward! 

But  now  Bragg  had  gathered  in  every  available  re-enforcement;  Longstreet 
from  the  East,  Buckner  from  Knoxville,  Walker  from  the  army  of  Jos.  E.  John- 
ston, militia  from  Georgia,*  and,  waiting  near  Lafayette,  hoped  to  receive  the 
isolated  corps  of  Eosecrans's  army  as  they  debouched  through  the  gaps,  and 
annihilate  them  in  detail.  For  a  day  or  two  it  looked  as  if  he  would  be  suc- 
cessful ;  Eebel  critics  insist  that  he  might  have  been,  and  he  himself  seems  dis- 
posed to  blame  his  subordinates.  One  way  or  another,  however,  he  failed. 
Eosecrans  gathered  together  his  army,  repelling  whatever  assaults  sought  to 
hinder  the  concentration,  yielding  part  of  the  line  of  the  Chickamauga,  and 
marching  one  of  the  corps  all  through  the  night  before  the  battle.  On  19th 
September  Bragg  made  his  onset — with  certainly  not  less  than  seventy  thou- 
sand men.     Eosecrans  had  fifty-five  thousand. 

Bragg's  plan  was  to  turn  his  antagonist's  left,  and  thus  clear  the  way  into 
Chattanooga.  But,  most  fortunately,  the  left  was  held  by  George  H.  Thomas. 
Shortly  after  the  attack  began,  Eosecrans,  divining  the  danger,  strengthened 
Thomas's  corps  with  one  or  two  divisions.  Disaster  overtook  us  at  first,  artil- 
lery was  lost,  and  ground  yielded,  but  Thomas  re-formed  and  advanced  his 
lines,  regained  all  that  had  been  lost,  sustained  every  shock  of  the  enemy,  and 
at  night  held  his  positions  firmly.  Meanwhile  the  contest  on  other  parts  of  our 
line  had  been  less  severe,  and  had  ended  decidedly  to  our  advantage.  But  it 
was  seen  that  we  were  outnumbered,  and  as  they  came  to  think  how  every 
brigade  in  the  whole  army,  two  only  excepted,  had  been  drawn  into  the  fight, 
the  soldiers  began  to  realize  the  dispiriting  nature  of  the  situation. 

Through  the  night  the  last  of  Longstreet's  corps  came  up,  led  by  himself,  and 
Bragg  prepared  for  a  more  vigorous  onset  on  the  National  left.  Eosecrans  trans- 
ferred another  division  (Negley's)  to  Thomas,  and  placed  two  more  in  reserve, 
to  be  hurried  to  Thomas's  aid  if  needed.     At  daybreakf  he  galloped  along  the 

♦Raising  Bragg's  force,  according  to  Eosecrans's  estimate,  to  ninety-two  thousand  men. 
T  20th  September.  18G3. 


William  S.  Rosecrans. 


341 


tS5  ye  ^n 

POUTOOH.'BR, 


ZWS1  \^' 


CHICKAMAUCA    AND    CHATTANOOGA. 


William  S.  Rosecrans.  343 

front,  to  find  McCook's  line,  as  usual,  ill-formed,  and  also  to  learn  that  Negley  had 
not  yet  been  forwarded  to  Thomas.  The  errors  were  corrected  as  well  as  possible : 
but  long  before  Thomas's  needed  re-enforcements  had  come,  the  battle  was  raging 
on  his  front  and  flank.  Profoundly  conscious  of  the  danger,  Eosecrans  sought 
to  render  still  further  aid,  and  ordered  over  Van  Clove's  division  from  the  right, 
directing  the  several  division  commanders  and  the  corps  General  to  close  up  the 
line  on  the  left.  In  the  heat  of  the  battle,  which  by  this  time  was  broken  out 
along  the  right  also,  one  of  these  division  commanders*  misunderstood  his  orders; 
and,  though  he  has  subsequently  stated  that  he  knew  the  consequences  of  his 
action  must  be  fatal,  he  chose  to  consider  himself  bound  by  the  order  to  break 
the  line  of  battle  and  march  to  the.  rear  of  another  division.  Longstreet  per- 
ceived the  gap  and  hurled  Hood  into  it.  The  battle  on  the  right  was  lost.  The 
whole  wing  crumbled;  the  enemy  poured  forward,  and  all  that  was  left  of 
McCook's  corps,  a  broken  rabble,  streamed  back  to  Chattanooga. 

General  Eosecrans  himself  was  caught  in  this  rout  and  borne  along,  vainly 
striving  to  stem  its  tide.  Finally,  conceiving  that  if  the  wing  least  pressed  was 
thus  destroyed,  Thomas,  upon  whom  he  knew  the  main  efforts  of  the  enemy 
were  concentrated,  could  not  hold  out  beyond  nightfall,  he  hastened  to  Chatta- 
nooga to  make  dispositions  for  the  retreat  and  defense,  which  he  already  regarded 
as  inevitable.  Meantime  his  chief  of  staff,  General  Garfield,  was  sent  to  Thomas 
to  convey  to  him  information  of  what  had  happened  and  of  the  plans  for  the  future. 

This  ended  Eosecrans's  connection  with  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  The 
troops  under  Thomas  stood  their  ground  superbly,  and  their  defense  saved  the 
routed  right  from  destruction.  When  they  fell  back,  Eosecrans  had  perfected  his 
dispositions  at  Chattanooga,  and  Bragg  found  that,  beyond  possession  of  the  battle- 
field, his  victory  had  gained  him  nothing.  He  confessed  to  a  loss  of  two-fifths  of  hig 
army!  Eosecrans's  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  ten  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  six,  somewhat  less  than  that  of  Bragg,  though  his  loss  in  prisoners  was  greater. 

The  battle  of  Chickamauga  was  the  "opportunity"  for  which,  according  to 
Eousseau,  the  War  Department  had  been  waiting,  and  Eosecrans  was  removed 
from  the  command  as  soon  thereafter  as  circumstances  permitted.  The  Country 
seemed  to  acquiesce  in  this  displacement  of  a  popular  favorite.  Journals  in  the 
interest  of  the  War  Department  circulated  atrocious  calumnies  concerning  him, 
which  for  a  time  found  ready  believers.  He  was  a  drunkard.  He  was  a  con- 
firmed opium-eater.  He  had  been  on  the  point  of  surrendering  his  army  at 
Chattanooga.  He  was  worse  "stampeded "  during  the  battle  than  the  worst  of 
his  troops.  He  was  not  under  fire,  or  near  enough  the  battle  to  have  any  intel- 
ligible idea  about  it.  Even  the  Secretary  of  War  so  far  forgot  himself,  and  out- 
raged all  decency,  as  to  speak  of  the  hero  of  Iuka,  Corinth,  and  Stone  Erver,  as 
a  coward !     In  short, 

"  The  painful  warrior,  famoused  for  fight, 
After  a  thousand  victories,  once  foiled, 
Is  from  the  books  of  honor  razed  quite, 
And  all  the  rest  forgot  for  which  he  toiled."! 

*  Thomas  J.  Wood  of  Kentucky.  t  Shakspeare's  Sonnets,  XXV. 


344  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Impartial  criticism  can  not  indeed  wholly  acquit  General  Kosecrans  of  blame 
for  Chickamauga.  The  idle  clamor  of  the  War  Department  about  his  fighting  the 
battle  at  all,  when  he  had  possession  of  Chattanooga  without  it,  may  be  passed 
by  as  the  talk  of  those  who  know  nothing  of  what  they  discuss.  But  it  is  not 
so  clear  that  it  was  impossible  to  concentrate  the  army  one  or  two  days  earlier 
in  time  to  assume  strong  defensive  positions.  With  a  competent  commander  for 
his  right  wing— and  after  Stone  Eiver  it  was  criminal  to  retain  McCook— his 
orders  for  re-enforcing  Thomas  on  the  night  of  the  19th  might  have  been  executed 
before  ten  o'clock  of  the  20th,  and  the  dangerous  closing  up  on  the  left  under  fire, 
in  the  midst  of  which  the  disaster  occurred,  might  have  been  avoided.  The  fatal 
order  to  Wood  might  have  been  more  explicitly  worded.  It  was  curious  wrong- 
headed  ness  to  misconstrue  it,  but  there  was  left  the  possibility  of  misconstruction. 
And  finally,  the  man  who  saved  Stone  Eiver  might  have  done  something  to 
check  the  retreat  of  the  broken  right,  and  rally  it  on  new  positions  for  fresh 
defense,  but  for  the  error  of  judgment  which  led  to  the  conclusion  that  all  was 
lost  because  one  wing  was  sacrificed.  It  is  not  always  given  to  men  to  come  up 
to  their  highest  capacities.  At  Corinth  and  at  Stone  Eiver  Eosecrans  had  risen 
superior  to  disasters,  that,  as  it  seemed,  must  overwhelm  him.  It  must  be 
regretfully  set  down  that  at  Chickamauga  he  did  not.  Yet,  what  a  good  General 
in  the  midst  of  sore  difficulties  might  do,  he  did.  He  saved  the  army,  gained  the 
objective  point  of  his  campaign,  and  held  the  gates  through  which  it  was  fated 
that  other  leaders  should  conduct  the  swelling  hosts  that  were  soon  to  debouch 
upon  Georgia  and  the  vitals  of  the  Confederacy. 

When  the  order  relieving  him  came,  he  never  uttered  a  murmur.  Turning 
over  the  command  to  his  most  trusted  and  loved  General,*  he  dictated  a  touching 
and  manly  farewell;  and,  before  his  army  knew  that  it  was  to  lose  him,  he  was 
on  his  way,  under  orders,  to  his  home  in  Cincinnati.  It  was  just  a  year  since  he 
had  assumed  command  of  the  Department. 

For  the  next  three  months  General  Eosecrans  remained  quietly  in  Cincin- 
nati; serving  as  President  of  the  great  Sanitary  Fair,  and  in  every  way  striving 
to  cast  his  influence  on  the  side  of  the  soldiers  and  of  the  Government.  The 
value  of  this  influence,  particularly  among  the  Eoman  Catholic  voters  of  Cincin- 
nati, was" incalculable.  The  people  of  his  native  State  had  never  sympathized 
in  the  hue  and  cry  raised  against  him,  because  after  so  many  victories  he  had 
lost  a  battle;  and  the  public  journals  continued  to  demand  his  restoration  to 
command,  with  such  persistency  that  he  was  finallyf  ordered  to  relieve  General 
Schofield  in  command  of  the  Department  of  Missouri. 

He  found  that  State  harassed  by  the  worst  evils  of  civil  war.  The  militia 
in  the  north-western  counties,  though  nominally  raised  to  preserve  order  in  the 
community,  was  more  than  suspected  of  active  sympathy  with  the  rebellion. 
Murders  and  robberies  were  of  constant  occurrence;  no  man  knew  whether  to 

*  George  H.  Thomas,  between  whom  and  Eosecrans  the  relations  were  always  of  the  most 
cordial  and  confidential  nature. 

t  28th  January,  1864. 


William  S.  Roseckans.  345 

trust  his  neighbor,  and  the  whole  country  was  in  confusion ;  while,  to  add  to  the 
general  alarm,  the  secessionists  were  all  confident  that  Price  would  speedily 
invade  the  State.  His  attention  being  attracted  to  the  large  shipments  of  arms 
into  North -Western  Missouri,  General  Eosecrans  began,  through  his  secret  ser- 
vice, to  explore  the  machinations  of  the  secessionists,  and  was  speedily  convinced 
that  they  were  well  organized  in  a  secret  "Order  of  American  Knights."  which 
promised  to  be  dangerous.  The  matter  was  thoroughly  investigated,  a  large 
mass  of  testimony  was  taken,  going  to  show  a  design  to  invade  Missouri,  Ohio, 
and  Pennsylvania  simultaneously,  and  efforts  were  made  to  warn  and  arouse  the 
Government. 

But  Eosecrans  was  in  no  better  favor  at  Washington;  and  Grant,  with 
whom  the  old  affairs  at  Iuka  and  Corinth  were  scarcely  forgotten,  was  now 
Lieutenant-General.  When  Eosecrans  sent  a  staff-officer  to  Washington  to  rep- 
resent his  need  for  more  troops,  the  officer  was  arrested.  When  he  sent  the 
President  word  of  his  discoveries  concerning  the  secret  society,  and  asked 
leave  to  send  on  an  officer  to  explain  them,  he  was  told  to  write  out  and  send  by 
mail  whatever  he  might  have  to  communicate.  General  Grant  caused  an  officer 
to  make  an  inspection  of  affairs  in  the  department,  who  reported  that  Eosecrans 
already  had  far  more  troops  than  he  needed.  And  so  matters  drifted  on  till,  with 
the  State  stripped  of  nearly  all  troops  save  her  own  uncertain  militia,  the  long- 
expected  invasion  came. 

Price  entered  South-Eastern  Missouri,  and  the  guerrillas,  Eebel-sympa- 
thizing  militia,  and  secession  outlaws  over  the  whole  State  suddenly  broke  out 
into  more  daring  outrages.  Securing  A.  J.  Smith's  command,  which  happened 
to  be  passing  Cairo  at  the  time,  prevailing  upon  some  Illinois  hundred-days' 
men  to  come  over  to  St.  Louis  and  help  defend  the  city,  although  their  time  of 
service  had  expired,  and  concentrating  his  troops  on  his  main  depots,  General  ' 
Eosecrans  strove  to  preserve  the  points  of  importance  while  he  developed  the 
strength  and  intentions  of  the  enemy. 

Then  followed  a  curious  medley  of  isolated  engagements,  attacks,  pursuits, 
retreats,  marches,  and  counter-marches.  Price,  with  a  mounted  command, 
came  within  striking  distance  of  St.  Louis  ;  then  beginning  to  comprehend  the 
nature  of  the  combinations  against  him,  speedily  retired.  By  this  time  Mower 
and  Pleasanton  had  come  to  Eosecrans's  relief.  There  was  some  marching  at 
cross-purposes  in  attempting  to  come  up  with  Price,  and  one  or  two  oppor- 
tunities to  strike  him  were  lost,  but  he  was  severely  punished  at  the  Big  Blue, 
at  the  Marais-des-Cygnes,  the  Little  Osage,  and  Newtonia,  and  so  driven,  shat- 
tered, reduced  one-half  in  numbers,  and  with  the  loss  of  nearly  all  his  materiel, 
into  Arkansas  again. 

General  Eosecrans  estimates  Price's  force  in  this  campaign  at  from  fifteen 
to  twenty-six  thousand.  He  took  from  him  ten  guns,  two  thousand  prisoners, 
many  small  arms,  and  most  of  his  baggage-train.  He  remained  himself  in  St. 
Louis,  at  one  time  the  point  of  greatest  danger,  and  the  place  from  which,  as  it 
seemed,  he  could  best  overlook  the  confused  and  desultory  struggle*     The  cam- 

*  General  Grant,  in  his  official  report,  censured  Eosecrans's  conduct  of  this  campaign  very 


346  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

paign  over,  General  Rosecrans  hastened  to  forward  such  of  his  troops  as  were 
no  longer  needed,  to  re-enforce  General  Sherman  at  Atlanta. 

In  the  preservation  of  order  at  the  State  election  which  now  ensued,  and 
in  his  general  management  of  the  political  interests  of  his  department,  Eose- 
orans  so  acted  as  to  receive  the  general,  though  qualified,  approval  of  the  "  Eacl- 

"  and  to  confirm  the  reputation  he  had  early  acquired  in  "West  Virginia 
for  sagacity  and  fair-mindedness  in  civil  affairs. 

He  IkkI  been  appointed  to  the  command  in  Missouri  in  opposition  to  the 
personal  hostility  of  the  General-in-Chief,  and  of  most  of  those  who  conducted 
the  business  of  the  war— a  hostility  largely  incurred,  as  we  have  sought  to 
Show  in  the  preceding  pages,  by  indiscretions  and  hot-tempered  sayings  of  his 
own.  A  political  necessity  had  dictated  his  restoration;  the  necessity  was 
thought  to  be  over;  the  number  of  his  enemies  at  the  head  of  affairs  was 
increased  by  the  promotion  of  General  Grant.  He  was  relieved  of  his  com- 
mand, without  explanation  or  warning,  on  9th  December,  1864,  and  so  took  his 
final  leave  of  active  service.  He  made  no  public  complaints,  and  was  more 
than  ever  scrupulous  that  his  influence  among  the  Eoman  Catholics  should  bind 
them  more  firmly  to  the  cause  of  the  Government. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  having  been  left  by  General  Grant  without  assign- 
ment to  duty,  he  applied  for  a  year's  leave  of  absence,  during  which  he  visited 
the  silver  mines  of  Nevada,  and  made  scientific  observations  as  to  the  richness 
of  the  mineral  deposits  in  that  and  our  other  Western  Territories.  At  the  end 
of  his  leave  he  tendered  the  resignation  of  his  high  rank  in  the  regular  army, 
which  was  promptly  accepted,  and  he  was  thus  left,  at  the  a.ge  of  forty-eight, 
to  begin  the  world  anew,  and  almost  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  again. 

The  officer  thus  ungraciously  suffered  to  retire  from  the  service  he  adorned, 
must  forever  stand  one  of  the  central  figures  in  the  history  of  the  War  for  the 
Union.  He  can  not  be  placed  in  that  small  category  of  commanders  who  were 
always  successful ;  but  who  of  our  Generals  can  ?  Few  of  his  battles  or  cam- 
paigns are  entirely  free  from  criticism,  for  "  whoever  has  committed  no  faults 
has  not  made  war."  But  as  a  strategist  he  stands  among  the  foremost,  if  not 
himself  the  foremost,  of  all  our  Generals.  In  West  Yirginia  he  outmaneuvered 
Lee.  At  Corinth  he  beguiled  Van  Dorn  and  Price  to  destruction.  In  his  Tul- 
lahoma  and  Chattanooga  campaigns  his  skillfully-combined  movements  devel- 
oped the  highest  strategic  ability,  and  set  the  model,  which  was  afterward 
followed  with  varying  success,  in  the  famed  advance  on  Atlanta.  But  responsi- 
bility weighed  upon  him  and  made  him  sometimes  hesitating.  For,  as  a  great 
writer  has  said,  "war  is  so  anxious  and  complex  a  business  that  against  every 
vigorous  movement  heaps  of  reasons  can  forever  be  found ;  and  if  a  man  is  so 
cold  a  lover  of  battle  as  to  have  no  stronger  guide  than  the  poor  balance  of  the 

severely,  saying  it  showed  "to  how  little  purpose  a  superior  force  might  be  used,"  and  that 
'there  was  no  reason  why  he  should  not  have  concentrated  his  forces  and  beaten  Price  before 
the  latter  reached  Pilot  Knob."  He  forgot  that  this  concentration  would,  even  if  possible,  have 
left  the  other  portions  of  the  State  exposed  to  the  risings  to  which  the  oath-bound  Kebels  of  the 
secret  societies  stood  pledged. 


William    S.    Rosecrans.  347 

arguments  and  counter-arguments,  his  mind  will  oscillate  or  even  revolve, 
making  no  movement  straightforward."  Rosecrans's  mind  did  not  revolve, 
but  more  than  once  it  oscillated  painfully  back  and  forth,  when  he  should  have 
been  on  the  verge  of  action.  When  he  did  move  his  tactical  ability  shone  as 
conspicuously  as  his  strategy.  He  handled  troops  with  rare  facility  and  Judg- 
ment under  the  stress  of  battle.  More  than  all,  there  came  upon  him  in  the 
hour  of  conflict  the  inspiration  of  war,  so  that  men  were  magnetized  by  his 
presence  into  heroes.  Stone  River  under  Rosecrans,  and  Cedar  Creek  under 
Sheridan,  are  the  sole  examples  in  the  war  of  defeats  converted  into  victories 
by  the  re-enforcement  of  a  single  man.  He  was  singularly  nervous,  but  in 
battle  this  quality  was  generally  developed  in  a  nervous  exaltation  which 
seemed  to  clear  his  faculties  and  intensify  his  vigor.  Once,  perhaps,*  it  led  to 
an  opposite  result. f 

•At  Chickamauga. 

t  Some  personal  characteristics  of  General  Rosecrans  are  happily  described  by  Mr.  Bickham 
in  the  following  extracts  from  the  "  Campaign  with  the  Fourteenth  Army  Corps  :" 

"  Industry  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  qualities  of  General  Rosecrans.  Labor  was  a  con- 
stitutional necessity  with  him.  And  he  enjoyed  a  fine  faculty  for  the  disposition  of  military 
business — a  faculty  which  rapidly  improved  with  experience.  He  neither  spared  himself  nor 
his  subordinates.  He  insisted  upon  being  surrounded  by  active  rapid  workers.  He  liked  '  sandy 
fellows,'  because  they  were  so  'quick  and  sharp.'  He  rarely  found  staff-officers  who  could 
endure  with  him.  Ambition  prompted  all  of  them  to  remain  steadfastly  with  him  until  nature 
would  sustain  no  more.  Often  they  confessed,  with  some  exhibition  of  selfish  reluctance,  that 
he  was  endowed  with  extraordinary  vital  force,  and  a  persistency  which  defied  fatigue.  Those 
who  served  upon  his  staff  in  Western  Virginia  or  Mississippi  predicted  a  severe  future.  They 
were  not  deceived.  He  was  habitually  prepared  for  labor  in  quarters  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. On  Sundays  and  Wednesdays  he  rose  early  and  attended  mass.  He  never  retired  before 
two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  very  often  not  until  four,  and  sometimes  not  until  broad  daylight. 
He  often  mounted  in  the  afternoons  and  rode  out  to  inspect  or  review  the  troops.  It  was  not 
extraordinary  that  his  Aids  sometimes  dropped  asleep  in  their  chairs,  while  he  was  writing 
vehemently  or  glancing  eagerly  over  his  maps,  which  he  studied  almost  incessantly.  Sometimes 
he  glanced  at  his  '  youngsters '  compassionately,  and  pinching  their  ears  or  rubbing  their  heads 
paternally  until  he  roused  them,  would  send  them  to  bed.  • 

"During  the  few  days  he  remained  at  Bowling  Green,  he  reviewed  most  of  the  divisions 
which  had  reached  that  vicinity.  Night  labors  compensated  for  hours  thus  stolen  from  his 
maps,  reports,  and  schemes  for  the  improvement  of  the  army.  At  the  reviews  the  satisfaction 
of  the  troops  with  the  change  of  commanders  was  manifested  by  their  enthusiastic  reception  of 
him.  The  manner  of  his  inspections  at  once  engendered  a  cordiality  toward  him  which  prom- 
ised happy  results.  The  soldiers  were  satisfied  that  their  commander  took  an  interest  in  their 
welfare — a  moralizing  agency  which  no  capable  General  of  volunteers  can  safely  neglect.  He 
examined  the  equipments  of  the  men  with  exacting  scrutiny.  No  trifling  minutiae  escaped  him. 
Everything  to  which  the  soldier  was  entitled  was  important.  A  private  without  his  canteen 
instantly  evoked  a  volley  of  searching  inquiries.  'Where  is  your  canteen?'  'How  did  you 
lose  it?— when?— where?'  'Why  don't  you  get  another?'  To  others,  'You  need  shoes,  and 
you  a  knapsack.'  Soldiers  thus  addressed  were  apt  to  reply  frankly,  sometimes  a  whole  com- 
pany laughing  at  the  novelty  of  such  keen  inquisition.  'Can't  get  shoes,'  said  one;  'required  a 
canteen  and  couldn't  get  it,'  rejoined  another.  'Why?'  quoth  the  General.  'Go  to  your  Cap- 
tain and  demand  what  you  need  !  Go  to  him  every  day  till  you  get  it.  Bore  him  for  it !  Bore 
him  in  his  quarters  !  Bore  him  at  meal-time !  Bore  him  in  bed  !  Bore  him  ;  bore  him  ;  bore 
him  !  Do  n't  let  him  rest ! '  And  to  Captains,  '  You  bore  your  Colonels ;  let  Colonels  bore  their 
Brigadiers  ;  Brigadiers  bore  their  division  Generals  ;  division  commanders  bore  their  corps  com- 
manders, and  let  them  bore  me.  I'll  see,  then,  if  you  do  n't  get  what  you  want.  Bore,  boie, 
bore  !  until  you  get  everything  you  are  entitled  to  ;'  and  so  on  through  an  entire  division. 


348  Ohio  in  the  War 

His  fatal  defect  as  a  General  was  his  lack  of  knowledge  of  human  nature. 
Whatever  he  himself  did  was  well  done.  When  he  came  to  intrust  work  to 
others  he  had  no  faculty  of  seeing,  as  by  intuition,  whom  to  trust  and  whom  to 
.void       ^nd  sometimes,  when  repeated  failures  had  taught  him  the  worthless- 

Of  trusted  subordinates,  his  kindness  of  heart  withheld  him  from  the  action 
Which  «luiv  demanded.  It  may  well  be  believed  that  thus  there  came  upon  him 
that  excessive  devotion  of  his  own  time  to  minute  details,  which  was  sometimes 
instrumental  in  causing  delay.  Added  to  this  was  that  uncontrollable  spirit 
whichj  ready  to  sacrifice  everything  for  the  Cause,  would  yet  refuse  to  brook  a 
single' slight  from  a  superior.     With  his  inferiors  he  was  uniformly  kind  and 

"  '  That's  the  talk,  boys,'  quoth  a  brawny  fellow.  '  He'll  do,'  said  another  ;  and  the  soldiers 
returned  to  their  camp-fires  and  talked  about  '  Kosy,'  just  as  those  who  knew  him  best  in  Missis- 
sippi had  talked.  '  \ 

"  The  confidence  which  such  deportment  inspired  was  pregnant  with  future  good.  And  it 
was  soon  observed  that  he  was  careful  to  acknowledge  a  private's  salute— a  trifling  act  of  good 
breeding  and  military  etiquette,  costing  nothing,  but  too  frequently  neglected  by  officers  who 
have  much  rank  and  little  generous  sympathy  with  soldiers  who  win  them  glory.  This  is  a 
wise  '  regulation,'  but  it  reaches  far  deeper  than  mere  discipline. 

"Shortly  after  head-quarters  were  established  at  Bowling  Green  Major-General  George  EI, 
Thomas  reported  himself.  The  military  family  of  the  commanding  General  quickly  recognized 
the  real  Chief  of  Staff.  It  had  been  observed  that  General  Kosecrans  did  not  '  consult '  habit- 
ually upon  the  principles  and  policy  of  the  campaign  with  other  commanding  officers.  The 
keen  eyes  of  those  familiar  with  his  customs,  hpwever,  discovered  an  unusual  degree  of  respect 
and  confidence  exhibited  toward  General  Thomas.  Confidential  interviews  with  him  were  fre- 
quent and  protracted.  It  soon  got  to  be  understood  in  the  camps  that  '  Pap '  Thomas  was  chief 
counsellor  at  head-quarters,  and  confidence  in  '  Kosy '  grew  apace. 

"  Hiding  along  the  highway,  he  was  careful  to  observe  the  configuration  of  the  country  and 
its  military  characteristics,  requiring  the  inscription  upon  the  note-book  of  his  topographical 
engineer  of  intersecting  roads,  as  often  as  such  roads  rambled  off  into  the  forests  along  the  line 
of  march.  Habitually  cheerful  in  a  remarkable  degree,  on  such  expeditions  the  mercury  of  his 
spirits  rises  into  playfulness,  which  develops  itself  in  merry  familiar  quips  and  jests  with  his 
subordinates,  and  none  laugh  more  pleasantly  than  he.  Fine  scenery  excites  his  poetic  tempera- 
ment, and  he  dwells  eloquently  upon  the  picturesqueness  of  nature,  exhibiting  at  once  the  keenest 
appreciation  of  the  '  kind  mother  of  us  all/  and  the  niceties  of  landscape  art.  But  the  grandeur 
of  nature- more  frequently  carries  his  mind  into  the  realms  of  religion,  when  he  is  wont  to  burst 
into  adoration  of  his  Maker,  or  launch  into  vehement  and  impatient  rebuke  of  scoffers.  All  of 
nature  to  him  is  admonition  of  God.  Such  is  his  abhorrence  of  infidelity  that  he  would  banish 
his  best-loved  officers  from  his  military  household  should  any  presume  to  intrude  it  upon  him. 
He  is  wont  to  say  he  has  no  security  for  the  morality  of  any  man  who  refuses  to  recognize  the 
Supreme  Being.  Religion  is  his  favorite  theme,  and  Roman  Catholicism  to  him  is  infallible. 
In  his  general  discussions  of  religion  he  betrays  surprising  acquaintance  with  the  multifarious 
theologies  which  have  vexed  the  world,  and  condemns  them  all  as  corruptions  of  the  true  doc- 
trines of  the  Mother  Church.  His  social  conversations  of  this  character  are  seldom  indulged 
with  his  cherished  guest,  Rev.  Father  Tracey,  with  whom  he  is  always  en  rapport,  but  he  is  ever 
ready  to  wage  controversy  with  any  other  disputant.  But  argument  with  him  on  his  faith  had  as 
well  be  ended  with  the  beginning,  save  for  the  interest  with  which  he  invests  his  subject,  and  the 
ingenious  skill  with  which  he  supports  it.  Ambling  along  the  highway  in  a  day's  journey, 
unless  some  single  theme  of  business  absorbs  him,  he  will  range  through  science,  art,  and  litera- 
ture with  happy  freedom  and  ability.  You  do  not  listen  long  before  you  are  persuaded  that  you 
hear  one  who  aspires  ambitiously  beyond  the  mere  soldier.  The  originality  and  shrewdness  of 
his  criticisms,  the  comprehensiveness  of  his  generalizations,  and  his  erudition,  assures  you  that 
you  talk  with  no  ordinary  man." 


William    S.    Rosecrans.  349 

considerate;  to  those  above  him  he  was  always  punctilious,  often  testy,  and  at 
times  deplorably  indiscreet.  No  such  correspondence  as  his  with  General  ITal- 
leck,  which  in  the  preceding  pages  we  have  sought  to  trace,  can  be  elsewhere 
found  throughout  the  history  of  the  war.  While  he  was  in  command  at  St. 
Louis  he  arrested  a  Consul,*  and  when  ordered  by  Secretary  Stanton  to  release 
him,  peremptorily  refused.  He  afterward  said  that  he  would  have  been  relieved 
rather  than  obey  that  order.  This  sturdy  honesty,  which  led  him  to  take  upon 
himself  the  weightiest  responsibilities,  and  incur  the  gravest  displeasure  rather 
than  do  that  which,  in  his  conviction,  would  prove  injurious  to  the  Cause,  was 
at  once  one  of  the  most  striking  features  of  his  character,  and  one  of  the  potent 
reasons  for  his  constant  embarrassments. 

The  enemies  whom  he  thus  made  dealt  him  their  fatal  blow  at  the  unkind- 
est  moment.  Rosecrans  had  never  been  more  active,  more  enterprising,  more 
skillful  than  after  Chickamauga.  His  plans  for  an  advance  were  matured,  the 
preliminary  steps  were  all  taken,  the  troops  for  which  he  had  so  long  begged 
had  nearly  reached  him.  In  a  few  days  more  the  glory  of  Lookout  Mountain 
and  Mission  Ridge  might  have  been  his.  But  the  fields  he  had  sown  it  was  left 
for  others  to  reap ;  from  the  coigne  of  vantage  he  had  won  it  was  left  for  others, 
with  larger  armies  and  the  unquestioning  support  of  the  Government,  to  swoop 
down  on  Georgia  and  march  to  the  Sea.  In  his  enforced  retirement  it  may  be 
his  proudest  boast  that  no  word  or  action  of  his — however  deeply  he  writhed 
beneath  his  treatment — tended  to  injure  the  cause  of  the  country ;  so  that  now, 
in  spite  of  all  the  exceptions  we  have  made,  he  must  forever  shine  in  our  history 
as  a  brave,  able,  and  devoted  Soldier  of  the  Republic. 

General  Rosecrans  is  nearly  six  feet  high,  compact,  with  little  waste  flesh, 
nervous  and  active  in  all  his  movements,  from  the  dictation  of  a  dispatch  to 
the  tearing  and  chewing  of  his  inseparable  companion,  his  cigar.  His  brow  is 
ample;  the  eyes  are  penetrating  and  restless;  the  face  is  masked  with  well- 
trimmed  beard ;  but  the  mouth,  with  its  curious  smile,  half  of  pleasure,  half  of 
some  exquisite  nervous  feeling,  which  might  be  intense  pain,  is  the  feature 
which  will  linger  longest  in  the  mind  of  a  casual  visitor.  He  is  easy  of  access, 
utterly  destitute  of  pretense,  and  thoroughly  democratic  in  his  ways.  With 
his  staif  his  manner  was  familiar  and  almost  paternal ;  with  private  soldiers 
always  kindly.  In  the  field  he  was  capable  of  immense  labor;  he  seemed  never 
to  grow  weary,  and  never  to  need  sleep.  Few  officers  have  been  more  popular 
with  their  commands,  or  have  inspired  more  confidence  in  the  rank  and  file. 

•  For  being  concerned  in  the  Order  of  American  Knights. 


Note.— The  account  of  the  fatal  order  at  Chickamauga,  in  the  preceding  sketch,  follows 
General  Rosecrans's  own  statements.  The  subject  has  been  much  disputed,  and  General  Thomas 
J.  Wood,  the  division  commander  in  question,  has  been  permitted  by  the  War  department,  to  file 
a  reply  to  Rosecrans's  official  report.  Since  the  preceding  pages  were  stereotyped,  some  of  Gen- 
eral Wood's  friends  have  complained  that  they  do  him  injustice.  After  a  careful  review  of  the 
subject,  I  can  not  convince  myself  that  the  words  in  the  text  require  any  modification.  General 
Wood  certainly  did  misunderstand  the  order.  Its  language  was:  "The  General  commanding 
directs  that  you  close  up  on  Reynolds  as  fast  as  possible  and  support  him."     Now,  it  happened 


350  Ohio  in  the  War. 

that  Brannan's  division  lay  between  Wood's  and  Reynolds's— though  Rosecrans  had  just  been  in- 
formed that  it  did  not,  and  on  that  information  wrote.  To  execute  the  order  literally  was  impos- 
sible. General  Wood  might  "support"  Reynolds,  but  he  could  not  " close  up  upon"  him 
without  crowding  Brannan  out  of  line.  When  the  letter  of  an  order,  therefore,  was  impossible, 
would  not  any  fair  mode  of  interpretation  require  that  its  spirit  should  be  looked  at?  And,  to  a 
division  commander  in  that  wing— knowing  the  peril  in  which  Thomas  was  placed,  and  the  ten- 
dency of  all  the  morning's  effort  to  withdraw  troops  for  his  support  and  steadily  close  up  the 
remaining  troops  on  the  left  toward  him— ought  there  to  have  been  one  moment's  question  as  to 
the  real  meaning  of  an  order  to  close  up  on  somebody  on  the  left? 

Here  the  case  might  rest ;  but  the  indiscretion  of  General  Wood's  friends  in  their  discussion 
of  a  matter  for  which  they  ought  to  seek  a  speedy  forgetfulness,  warrants  a  further  step. 

Even  if  literal  execution  of  the  order  had  been  possible,  obedience  to  it  approached  crimi- 
nality. It  is  a  well-settled  principle  of  military  law  that  a  subordinate  has  the  right  to  disobey 
an  order  manifestly  given  under  a  misapprehension  of  facts,  and  sure  to  be  disastrous  in  Jits  con- 
sequences. To  do  so  involves  a  grave  responsibility,  and  (should  an  error  of  judgment  be  made 
in  the  matter)  a  grave  personal  risk.  But  there  is  another  and  graver  responsibility— the  ruin 
of  an  army,  the  loss  of  a  cause.  Between  these  responsibilities,  on  that  fateful  morning,  Gen- 
eral Wood  made  his  choice.  Whatever  may  be  his  present  feelings  about  it,  he  may  be  sure  that 
his  children,  thirty  years  hence,  will  not  point  with  pride  to  the  fact  that,  in  such  a  case,  their 
father  chose  the  risk  for  the  army  rather  than  the  risk  for  himself. 

I  append  extracts  giving  the  pith  of  the  various  official  statements  of  the  case.  General 
Halleck'8  annual  report,  in  reciting  the  facts,  says: 

.  .  .  "when,  according  to  General  Rosecrans's  order,  General  Wood,  overlooking  the  order  to  close  up  on 
Reynolds,  supposed  he  was  to  support  him  by  withdrawing  from  the  front  and  passing  in  the  rear  of  General  Brannan." 
General  Rosecrans's  report  says: 

"A  messago  from  General  Thomas  soon  followed  that  he  was  heavily  pressed.  Captain  Kellogg,  A.  D.  C,  the 
bearer,  informing  me  at  the  same  time  that  General  Brannan  was  out  of  line, .and  General  Reynolds's  right  was 
exposed.  Orders  were  dispatched  to  General  Wood  to  close  up  on  Reynolds,  and  word  was  sent  to  General  Thomas  that 
he  should  be  supported,  even  if  it  should  take  the  whole  corps  of  Crittenden  and  McCook.  .  .  .  General  Wood,  over- 
looking the  direction  to  'close  up' on  General  Reynolds,  supposed  he  was  to  support  him  by  withdrawing  from  the 
line  and  passing  to  the  rear  of  General  Brannan,  who,  it  appears,  was  not  out  of  line,  but  was  in  echelon,  and  slightly 
in  rear  of  Reynolds's  right.  By  this  unfortunate  mistake  a  gap  was  opened  in  the  line  of  battle,  of  which  the  enemy 
took  instant  advantage." 

General  Wood's  "  note,"  filed  with  Rosecrans's  official  report,  says : 
"A  few  minutes,  perhaps  five,  before  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.,  on  the  20th,  I  received  the  following  order  : 

"  '  Head-Quarters,  D.  C,  September  30—10:45. 
••'Bbioadtkr-General  Wood,  Commanding  Division,  etc.: 

"  '  The  General  commanding  directs  that  you  close  up  on  Reynolds  as  fast  as  possible,  and  support  him. 

"  '  Respectfully,  etc.,  FRANK  J.  BOND,  Major  and  A.  D.  C 

'*  This  order  was  addressed  as  follows : 

"  '  10:45  A.  M.    Gallop.  Brigadier-General  WOOD,  Commanding  Division." 

"  At  the  time  it  was  received  there  was  a  division  (Brannan's)  in  line  between  my  division  and  General  Reynolds's. 
I  was  immediately  in  rear  of  the  center  of  my  division  at  the  time.  I  immediately  dispatched  my  staff  officers  to  the 
brigade  commanders,  directing  them  to  move  by  the  left,  crossing  in  the  rear  of  General  Brannan's  division  to  close  up 
and  support  General  Reynolds ;  and  as  the  order  was  peremptory,  I  directed  the  movement  to  be  made  on  the  double- 
quick.    It  was  commenced  immediately. 

"  As  there  was  a  division  between  General  Reynolds's  and  mine,  it  was  absolutely  physically  impossible  for  me  to 
obey  the  order  by  any  other  movement  than  the  one  I  made." 

To  this  it  may  be  added  that  General  Rosecrans  afterward  said  substantially  that  he  had 
once  found  General  Wood  giving  a  liberal  interpretation  to  an  order,  when  literal  obedience 
would  have  been  better  ;  and  now  a  strained  literal  obedience,  when  he  must  have  seen  that  it 
would  be  disastrous.  The  order  in  question  was  the  only  one  from  head-quarters  through  the 
battle  not  written  by  General  Garfield,  the  Chief  of  Staff. 

I  have  preferred,  also,  to  let  the  figures  stand  as  given  in  the  text,  setting  forth  the  numbers 
of  the  opposing  armies  at  Chickamauga.  In  justice  to  Rosecrans,  however,  I  should  add  that  hie 
Chief  of  Staff  says  there  were  not  over  forty-two  thousand  five  hundred  men  on  our  side  in  the 
fight.  And  finally,  minute  verbal  criticism  may  object  to  the  sentence  which  speaks  of  the  whole 
right  wing  as  crumbling,  inasmuch  as  one  division  did  splendidly  maintain  its  coherence.  Never- 
theless, the  statement  is  correct  as  to  the  Wing,  and  besides,  that  division  was  thenceforward 
able  to  exert  no  influence  on  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  Its  course  is  described  elsewhere,  in  the 
sketch  of  its  distinguished  commander,  General  Sheridan. 


Ulysses  S.  Gkant.  351 


GENERAL  ULYSSES  S.  GRANT. 


THAT  the  son  of  a  Tanner,  poor,  unpretending,  without  influential 
friends  until  his  performance  had  won  them,  ill-used  to  the  world  and 
its  ways,  should  rise — not  suddenly,  in  that  first  blind  worship  of  helpless 
ignorance  which  made  any  one  who  understood  regimental  tactics  illustrious  in 
advance  for  what  he  was  going  to  do,  not  at  all  for  what  he  had  done — but 
slowly,  grade  by  grade,  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  constant  service  and 
mingled  blunders  and  success;  till,  at  the  end  of  a  four  years'  war,  he  stood  at 
the  head  of  our  armies,  crowned  by  popular  acclaim  our  greatest  Soldier,  is  a 
satisfactory  answer  to  criticism  and  a  sufficient  vindication  of  greatness.  Suc- 
cess succeeds. 

We  may  reason  on  the  man's  career.  We  may  prove  that  at  few  stages  has 
he  shown  personal  evidences  of  marked  ability.  We  may  demonstrate  his  mis- 
takes. We  may  swell  the  praises  of  his  subordinates.  But  after  all,  the  career 
stands — wonderful,  unique,  worthy  of  the  study  we  now  invite  to  it,  so  long  as 
the  Nation  honors  her  benefactors,  or  the  State  cherishes  the  good  fame  of  the 
sons  who  have  contributed  most  to  do  her  honor. 

Hiram  Ulysses  Grant,  since  called,  Ulysses  Simpson  Grant,  was  born  on  the 
27th  of  April,  1822,  in  a  little,  one-story  house  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  at  the 
village  of  Point  Pleasant,  in  Clermont  County.  His  parents  were  poor,  respect- 
able young  laborers,  who  had  been  married  only  ten  months  before.  His  father 
when  a  boy,  had  been  brought  with  the  family  from  Pennsylvania  to  Colum- 
biana County,  near  the  Western  Eeserve.  Five  years  later,  then  an  orphan  of 
eleven,  he  was  apprenticed  to  a  tanner.  During  the  war  of  1812  he  went  with 
his  mother  to  Maysville,  Kentucky,  xlt  its  close,  in  his  21st  year,  he  returned 
to  the  Eeserve  and  established  a  tannery  of  his  own  at  Eavenna.  After  five 
years'  experiment  he  went  back,  still  poor,  to  the  Ohio  Eiver.  Here  he  met 
with  and  married  Miss  Hannah  Simpson.  The  mother  of  the  future  General 
belonged  to  the  same  walks  of  life  with  the  father.  She  was  a  native  of  Mont- 
gomery County,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  come  West  with  her  father's  family 
only  three  years  before.* 

*  Those  curious  in  such  matters  have  traced  back  the  lineage  of  General  Grant,  on  the  fath- 
er's side,  to  Matthew  Grant,  one  of  the  Scotch  emigrants,  by  the  "Mary  and  John,"  to  Dorches- 
ter, Massachusetts,  in  1630.  Among  the  collateral  branches  they  have  also  found  connections  of 
Hon.  Columbus  Delano  and  General  Don  Carlos  Buell,  the  one  related  by  blood  to  General 


352  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

A  year  after  the  birth  of  their  first  son  the  young  couple  removed  to  the 
next  county  eastward,  and  settled  at  Georgetown.  They  continued  poor— so 
poor  that  all  thought  of  education  for  their  boy,  beyond  the  "quarter  in  winter- 
time" at  the  village  school,  was  out  of  the  question.  The  lad  showed  spirit  and 
good  sense,  but  this  seems  to  have  suggested  nothing  more  to  the  struggling 
pair  than  what  an  excellent  tanner  he  would  make.  "Ulysses  was  industrious 
in  his  studies,"  so  writes  his  father*  "but  at  that  time  I  had  little  means  and 
needed  his  assistance;  so  that,  except  the  three  winter  months,  he  had  but  little 
chance  for  school  after  he  was  about  eleven." 

Before  this,  indeed,  the  boy  had  begun  to  show  the  pluck  and  obstinacy 
there  were  in  him.  "I  had  left  a  three  years'  old  colt  in  the  stable," — it  is  again 
his  father  who  tells  usf— "and  was  to  be  gone  all  day.  I  had  had  the  colt  but 
a  few  days  and  it  had  never  been  worked.  Ulysses,  then  not  quite  seven  years 
old,  got  him  out,  geared,  and  hitched  him  to  a  sled,  led  and  drove  him  to  the 
woods,  loaded  up  his  sled  with  bark,  chips,  and  such  wood  as  he  could  put  on, 
mounted  the  load  and,  with  a  single  line,  drove  home."  The  passion  for  horses, 
which  no  cares  or  honors  have  been  able  to  eradicate,  seems,  in  fact,  to  have 
been  the  most  prominent  feature  of  the  boy's  life;  for  his  father,  striving  to  re- 
call his  memories  of  those  young  days,  immediately  afterwardj  gives  us  another 
anecdote  of  the  same  nature:  "I  wanted  Ulysses  to  go  about  three  miles  and 
back  on  an  errand  for  me  one  day,  before  I  could  start  on  a  trip  which  was  to 
take  the  whole  day.  He  wanted  to  ride  a  pacing  horse  I  had,  but  as  I  was  going 
to  ride  this  myself  on  his  return,  I  told  him  he  must  take  the  colt.  'Well,'  said 
he,  'if  I  do  I  will  break  him  to  pace.'  In  about  an  hour  back  he  came,  and  he 
really  had  the  young  horse  in  a  beautiful  pace." 

Already,  with  an  old  head  on  his  young  shoulders,  the  lad  assumed  responsi- 
bilities as  naturally  as  a  man.  His  schoolmates  tell  us  that,  though  never 
obtrusive,  ho  insensibly  came  to  be  the  leader  in  their  games,  and  to  direct  their 
schoolboy  exploits.  So,  too,  when  one  of  these  schoolmates  tries  to  remember 
what  he  can  recall  as  the  most  striking  thing  about  Grant's  boyhood,  he  gives 
us  this: ||  "At  the  age  of  twelve  he  aspired  to  the  management  of  his  father's 
draught  team,  and  was  intrusted  with  it  for  the  purpose  of  hauling  some  heavy 
hewed  logs.  Several  men  with  handspikes  were  to  load  them  up  for  him.  He 
came  with  his  team  and  found  the  logs  but  not  the  men.  Observing  a  fallen 
tree  with  a  gradual  upward  slope  he  unhitched  his  horses,  attached  them  to  one 
of  the  hewed  logs,  drew  it  horizontally  to  the  tree,  and  then  drew  one  end  of 
it  up  the  inclined  trunk  higher  than  the  wagon-truck,  and  so  as  to  project  a  few 

Grant's  great-grandmother,  the  other  to  his  grandfather's  first  wife.  The  following  they  give  as 
General  Grant's  direct  line  of  descent  from  the  Matthew  Grant  of  the  "Mary  and  John:" 

1.  Matthew  and  Priscilla  Grant.  2.  Samuel  and  Mary  Grant;  born  Porter.  3.  Samuel  and 
Grace  Grant;  born  Miner.  4.  Noah  and  Martha  Grant;  born  Pluntingdon.  5.  Noah  and 
Susannah  Grant;  born  Delano.  6.  Noah  and  Rachel  Grant;  born  Kellery.  7.  Jesse  Eoot  and 
Hannah  Grant;  born  Simpson.     8.  Ulysses  S.  Grant. 

♦Private  letters  from  Jesse  R.  Grant,  furnishing  details  for  this  sketch. 

tIbid-  tlbid. 

||  Letter  of  Hon.  J.  N.  Morris,  to  the  National  Intelligencer,  March  22,  1864. 


Ulysses    S.    Grant.  353 

feet  over  it.  So  he  continued  to  do  until  he  had  brought  several  to  this  position. 
Next  he  backed  the  wagon  under  the  projecting  ends;  and  finally,  one  by  one, 
hitched  and  drew  the  logs  lengthwise  across  the  fallen  trunk  on  to  his  wagon, 
hitched  up  again,  and  returned  with  his  load  to  his  astonished  father."* 

Such  glimpses  we  get  of  the  sturdy,  active,  self-reliant  boy  who  was  now 
fast  growing  up  to  the  life  of  a  tanner;  with  some  knowledge  of  reading  and 
writing,  a  little  arithmetic,  and  not  much  else  in  the  way  of  education,  save  that 
which  came  from  the  great  school  in  which  his  most  valuable  lessons  have  been 
learned,  the  school  of  self-supporting  experience.  His  parents  were  still  in  very 
limited  circumstances;  children  came  as  they  come  to  poor  families  generally; 
there  were  five  more  mouths  to  feed  and  bodies  to  clothe.  The  eldest  had  now 
spent  six  years  laboring  with  his  father;  he  was  almost  arrived  at  man's  estate. 
We  may  well  believe  that  his  good  mother,  a  grave,  matronly,  judicious  woman, 
whose  character  seems  in  many  ways  impressed  upon  her  distinguished  son,  did 
not  fail  to  encourage  the  boy's  desire  for  something  better.  But  what  should  he 
do?  Colleges  were  out  of  the  question ;  high-schools  could  scarcely  be  thought  of. 
It  was  an  era  of  bankruptcy  and  general  financial  distress.  The  future  seemed  to 
offer  no  encouragement.  Something  of  a  politician  and  a  worker,  it  was  natural 
that  Jesse  Grant  should  think  of  political  relief.  He  wrote  to  Senator  Morris 
concerning  West  Point.  The  Senator  replied  that  he  had  no  appointment,  but 
that  lion.  Thomas  L.  Hamer  (the  representative  of  the  district,  a  leading  Dem- 
crat  and  a  noted  stump  orator  of  those  days)  had.  Curiously  enough  it 
happened  that  Mr.  Hamer  had  appointed  a  young  man  named  Bailey,  who 
failed  to  pass  the  examination  for  admittance.!  The  failure  of  Cadet  Bailey 
made  the  vacancy  for  Ulysses  Grant;  and  he  was  appointed.]: 

In  his  eighteenth  year,  then,  on  the  1st  of  July,  1839,  we  find  Grant  fairly 
embarked  at  West  Point  He  had  a  hundred  classmates  at  the  outset — not  one, 
it  is  said,  with  preparation  as  deficient  as  his  for  the  academic  course.  But  be- 
fore the  four  years  were  ended  only  thirty-nine  were  left  out  of  the  hundred  to 
graduate;  and  Grant  had  worked  his  way  well  up  toward  the  middle  of  this 
smaller  number  in  the  grade  of  his  attainments.  Among  these  men  wercWm. 
B.  Franklin,  who  bore  off  the  honors  of  the  class;  Kosewell  S.  Ripley,  late  of 
the  Rebel  army;  John  J.  Peck,  Jos.  J.  Reynolds,  and  C.  C.  Augur,  three  well- 

*The  following  story  we  End  in  a  popular  Boy's  Biography  of  Grant.  His  father  has  given 
us  a  confirmation  of  it: 

"The  absence  of  fear  was  always  a  characteristic  of  Ulysses.  When  two  years  of  age, 
while  Mr.  Grant  was  carrying  Ulysses  in  his  arms  on  a  public  occasion  through  the  village,  a 
young  man  wished  to  try  the  effect  of  a  pistol  report  on  the  child.  Mr.  Grant  consented,  saying, 
'The  child  has  never  seen  a  pistol  or  gun  in  his  life.'  The  baby  hand  was  put  on  the  lock  and 
pressed  quietly  there  till  it  snapped,  and  off  went  the  charge  with  a  loud  report.  Ulysses  scarcely 
Btirred;  but  in  a  moment  pushed  away  the  pistol,  saying,  lFick  it  again!  fick  it  again  P ,  A  by- 
Btander  remarked:  'That  boy  will  make  a  general;  for  he  neither  winked  nor.dodged.'" 

TThe  examination  which  Bailey  could  not  pass,  and  which  seems  to  have  been  regarded  with 
Borne  apprehension  by  Grant,  included  simply  reading,  spelling,  writing,  and  arithmetic  to  deci- 
mal  fractions. 

%  Letter  of  J.  N.  Morris  to  National  Intelligencer. 
Vol.  I.— 23. 


354 


Ohio  in  the  War, 


known  Union  Major-Generals;  Franklin  Gardner,  who  surrendered  Port  Hud- 
son; Frederick  Steele,  and  Kufus  Ingalls.  Among  the  thirty-nine  Grant  was 
graded  the  twenty-first,  No  one  dreamed  of  his  ever  being  a  General.  He  had 
good  sense,  was  quiet,  industrious,  rather  popular  with  those  who  knew  him, 
and  withal  a  little  old-fashioned  and  peculiar,  as  was  natural  to  a  boy  of  his 
antecedents.  A  schoolmate-  says  of  him :  "I  remember  him  as  a  plain,  common- 
sense,  straightforward  youth;  quiet,  rather  of  the  old-head-on-the-young-shoul- 
der  order;  shunning  notoriety;  quite  contented  while  others  were  grumbling; 
taking  to  his  military  duties  in  a  very  business-like  manner;  not  a  prominent 
man  in  the  corps,  but  respected  by  KH  and  very  popular  with  his  friends.  His 
soubriquet  of  'Uncle  Sam't  was  given  him  there,  where  every  good  fellow  has 
a  nickname,  from  these  very  qualities;  indeed,  he  was  a  very  uncle-like  sort  of 
youth.  He  was  then  and  always  an  excellent  horseman;  and  his  picture  rises 
before  me  as  I  write,  in  the  old  torn  coat,  obsolescent  leather  gig-top,  loose  rid- 
ing pantaloons  with  spurs  buckled  over  them,  going  with  his  clanging  saber  to 
the  drill-hall.  He  exhibited  but  little  enthusiasm  in  anything;  his  best  stand- 
ing was  in  the  mathematical  branches  and  their  application  to  tactics  and  mili- 
tary engineering." 

So  the  uncle-like  youth  got  on  ;  in  quiet,  jog-trot  fashion,  making  no  show, 
certainly  indulging  no  sentiment,  but  plodding  on  in  his  own  matter-of-fact  way. 
And,  in  reality,  he  did  plod  to  some  purpose;  for  that  a  boy  who  had  lived  to 
liis  eighteenth  year  in  a  tannery,  with  no  education  beyond  "reading,  writ- 
ing, and  arithmetic  in  decimal  fractions,"  should  learn  enough  in  four  years  to 
6tand  even  twenty-first  in  a  class  that  had  traversed  the  West  Point  course,  was 
in  itself  much. 

His  standing  was  of  course  too  low  for  anything  but  the  Infantry,  and  so  he 
was  assigned  as  brevet  Second  Lieutenant  to  the  Fourth,  then  stationed  at  Jef- 
ferson Barracks,  St.  Louis.  His  residence  here  lasted  a  year,  in  the  usual 
dull  routine  of  army  life,  but  with  one  episode  that  was  to  have  its  influ- 
ence on  his  future  career.  Among  his  classmates  had  been  one  Frederick  T. 
DentJ  of  St.  Louis,  like  him  not  standing  very  high  in  the  class,  and  like  him 
assigned  to  the  Fourth  Infantry.  It  was  natural  that  Dent  should  take  him  tc 
visit  his  family;  not  very  natural,  one  would  say,  that  Grant  should  fall  in 
love.  But  he  did.  Five  years  later,  on  his  return  from  Mexico,  he  married  Miss 
Dent — the  gentle  woman  who  has  since  been  at  his  side  through  good  and 
through  evil  repute. 

But  service  in  the  regular  army  makes  small  allowance  for  the  exigencies 

♦Professor  Coppee— Grant  and  his  Campaigns,  page  22. 

t  There  seems  to  have  been  some  curious  blundering  about  a  name  that  was,  one  day,  to  rate 
so  high.  As  his  father  explains  it,  he  was  originally  named  Hiram  Ulysses,  the  last  name  being 
a  favorite  with  his  grandmother.  His  Cadet  warrant,  however,  was  made  out  for  Ulysses  Sidney. 
He  quietly  took  the  name  and  bore  it  through  West  Point.  Then,  in  honor  of  his  mother,  he 
finally  changed  Sidney  to  Simpson. 

X Still  in  the  Fourth  Infantry  where  he  has  risen  to  Major;  also  Brevet  Brigadier  and  serv- 
ing on  Grant's  staff. 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  355 

of  courtships.  Within  a  year  Grant  was  sent  away  from  St.  Louis,  with  ui« 
regiment,  to  Natchitoches,  Louisiana;  thence,  a  year  later,  to  the  Mexican 
frontier;  then,  as  the  war  broke  out,  across  the  Rio  Grande  with  Zachary  Tay- 
lor's famous  army  of  occupation.  Meantime,  after  two  years'  waiting,  he  had 
become  a  Second-Lieutenant  and,  by  special  permission,  had  been  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  Fourth  Infantry  with  his  brother-in-law  that  was  to  be,  instead 
of  being  transferred  to  the  Seventh,  for  which  his  appointment  was  originally 
made  out. 

With  his  regiment  he  participated  in  the  opening  contests  at  Palo  Alto  and 
Rcsaca  do  la  Palma — his  first  sight  of  real  war;  and  some  months  later  he 
passed  through  the  bloodier  engagement  of  Monterey.  The  regiment  was  now 
withdrawn  to  General  Scott's  column  before  Vera  Cruz;  and  presently  Grant 
was  made  the  regimental  quartermaster.  Apparently  there  was  no  thought 
that  the  man  had  better  material  in  him  than  was  needed  for  managing 
wagon-trains.  But  he  had  no  idea  of  devoting  himself  to  the  trains  when  a 
battle  was  going  on  ;  and  so  we  find  that  at  every  engagement  he  joined  his 
regiment  and  shared  its  exposure.  At  Molino  del  Hey  he  won  praise  and  a  brevet. 
At  Chapultepec  "he  behaved  with  distinguished  gallantry,"  as  the  official 
report  of  the  commanding  officer  of  his  regiment  testified;  while  the  brigade 
commander  added,  "I  must  not  omit  to  call  attention  to  Lieutenant  Grant, 
Fourth  Infantry,  who  acquitted  himself  most  nobly  upon  several  occasions 
under  my  own  observation;"  and  General  Worth  himself  felt  warranted  in 
expressing  his  obligations  to  "  Lieutenants  Lendrum  and  Grant,  Fourth  Infantry, 
especially." 

So  much  of  the  future  General-in-Chief  can  be  seen  through  the  nebulous* 
atmosphere  of  official  reports  during  the  Mexican  war — no 'more.  Doubtless 
he  behaved  as  hundreds  of  others  did — no  better — no  worse.  But  he  had  still 
made  no  impression  on  the  men  who  concerned  themselves  writh  the  rising 
officers  of  the  army;  no  one  thought  of  a  brilliant  future  for  him;  and  he  con- 
tinued to  be  the  quartermaster  of  his  regiment — first  in  New  York,  then  on  the 
Northern  frontier.  At  last  he  rose  to  the  command  of  his  company,  and  about 
the  same  time  he  was  married.  His  command  was  kept  for  a  season  at  Detroit; 
then  at  Sackett's  Harbor.  Thus,  in  quiet  garrison-duty,  three  years  of  married 
life  went  by.  Then  he  was  ordered  to  Oregon,  where  he  saw  a  little  Indian 
fighting.  Two  years  passed  on  the  Pacific  coast.  The  idleness  of  army  life, 
absence  from  his  family,  and  the  swarming  temptations  of  the  early  times  in 
California  and  Oregon,  began  to  tell  upon  our  sober-sided,  uncle-like  youth. 
His  passion  for  horses  did  not,  in  the  least,  diminish.  Billiards  were  always  fasci- 
nating. Presently  less  desirable  sources  of  exhilaration  began  to  exert  their 
power. 

The  sudden  reception  of  an  order  assigning  him  to  a  command  far  in  the 
interior  of  Oregon,  broke  the  current  on  which  our  Captain  was  embarked.  It 
eeemed  to  indicate  indefinite  separation  from  his  family;  it  promised  no  distinc- 
tion, and  certainly  no  pleasure.     He  wisely  decided  that  it  was  time  to  rejoin 


356  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

his  wife;  resigned  his  commission  just  eleven  years  and  one  month  after  enter- 
ing  the  service;*  and  went  home  to  try  his  fortune  in  civil  life.f 

'  He  first  established  himself  near  the  home  of  his  wife's  relatives  in  St. 
Louis  County,  Missouri,  as  a  farmer.  In  this  he  failed.  He  tried  to  sell  wood, 
and  failed  again.  In  his  matter-of  fact  way  he  went  to  work  with  his  own 
hands  to  earn  bread  for  his  family.  An  old  comrade  at  West  Point  says:  "I  vis- 
ited St.  Louis  at  this  time,  and  remember  with  pleasure  tha.t  Grant,  in  his  farmer 
rig,  whip  in  hand,  came  to  see  me  at  the  hotel  where  were  also  Joseph  J.  Rey- 
nolds, Don  Carlos  Buell,  and  Major  Chapman  of  the  cavalry."!  And  it  is  pleas- 
ant to  find  him  adding:  "If  Grant  had  ever  used  spirits,  as  is  not  unlikely, 
I  distinctly  remember  that,  upon  the  proposal  being  made  to  drink,  Grant  said  : 
'I  will  go  in  and  look  at  you  for  I  never  drink  anything;'  and  the  other  officers, 
who  saw  him  frequently,  afterward  told  me  that  he  drank  nothing  but  water." 

But  proper  conduct  alone  will  not  earn  bread.  Farming  and  wood- 
selling  having  proved  failures  he  moved  into  the  city.  But  in  all  that  great, 
bustling  center  of  activity  whither,  as  to  the  coming  metropolis  of  the  continent, 
adventurous  young  men  were  thronging  from  every  quarter  of  the  over-crowded 
East  to  seek  their  fortunes,  there  seemed  nothing  at  which  Captain  Grant  could 
succeed.  He  tried  auctioneering.  He  applied  to  the  city  authorities  for  a  posi- 
tion as  engineer,  which  they  "respectfully  declirfed."  He  attempted  something 
in  the  real-estate  agency  way.  He  tried  that  most  unpleasant  of  callings, 
collecting  money  for  creditors  who  had  no  time  to  pursue  their  small  debtors 
with  personal  duns.  All  this  time  he  lived  almost  from  hand  to  mouth.  He 
was  too  poor  to  rent  an  office:  but  he  found  a  fat,  good-natured  young  lawyer, 
earned  Hillyer,  whose  office  was  not  overcrowded  with  clients,  and  who  will- 
ingly gave  him  desk  room.     And  so  he  worried  through  till  1859. 

Meantime  the  canny  Scot  nature  had  shown  itself  in  his  industrious  father. 
The  old  gentleman  had  prospered  bravely  in  tanning,  and  had  become  the 
owner  of  a  harness  and  leather  store,  with  means  to  enlarge  his  business  if  he 
chose.  He  was  beginning  a  branch  of  his  establishment  at  Galena,  Illinois,  in 
which  a  younger  son  was  to  be  a  partner.  UlySSes  had  shown  so  little  capacity 
for  "getting  on,"  and  withal  seemed  so  deprived  of  the  energy  that  had  been 
noticed  in  him  during  his  boyish  days  by  the  idleness  of  army  life,  that  it 
became  necessary  to  do  something  for  him.  Mr.  Grant  thought  the  boy  ought 
to  know  something  about  the  leather  trade,  if  he  knew  anything  at  all  .in  a 
business  way,  and  so  he  had  him  remove  to  Galena  to  act  as  a  sort  of  assistant 

*  On  July  31,  1854. 

1 1  have  preferred,  in  the  foregoing  paragraph,  to  follow  the  account  sanctioned  by  Grant's 
family  and  friends  of  the  way  in  which  he  came  to  leave  the  service.  But  I  am  reminded  of 
that  wise  maxim  of  Lessing's:  "It  is  a  duty,  if  one  undertake  to  teach  the  truth,  to  teach  the 
whole  of  it  or  none  at  all."  It  would  he  dishonest  in  one  professing  to  trace  the  development  of 
Grant's  character  and  the  events  of  his  life,  to  suppress  allusion  to  the  dissipated  habits  into 
which,  at  this  stage  in  his  career,  he  had  unfortunately  fallen.  The  belief  has  been  current 
through  the  West  (and  there  are  some  reasons  for  crediting  it)  that  his  resignation  was  prompted 
by  the  significant  warning  which  the  Department,  because  of  these  habits,  now  felt  bound  to 
give  him. 

t  Professor  Coppee— Grant  and  his  Campaigns,  page  26. 


Ulysses    S.    Grant.  357 

manager  in  the  house  of  Grant  &  Son.  Citizens  knew  little  of  the  elder 
brother  at  the  new  leather  store.  But  the  few  that  came  to  be  intimate  with 
him,  in  the  two  years  that  intervened  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  while  una- 
ble, as  all  had  been  before,  to  discern  any  signs  of  coming  greatness  beneath 
his  almost  stolid  exterior,  had  not  failed  to  observe  the  good  judgment  and 
strong  common  sense,  which  commended  him  as  an  eminently  safe  man.  Who- 
ever knew  him  well,  liked  him.  Not  many  thought  him  much  of  a  business  man ; 
but  it  was  a  strong  point  that  he  was  not  above  his  business.  He  put  on  no  airs ; 
assumed  nothing  in  consequence  of  his  connection  with  that  aristocratic  affair, 
the  regular  army;  was  not  disposed  to  boast  over  his  exploits  in  Mexico.  He 
lived  modestly,  and  seemed  to  be  at  last  getting  his  head  above  water. 

Such  was  the  retired  army  Captain  on  the  12th  of  April,  1861.  After  a 
hard  struggle  he  seemed  to  have  gained  a  footing;  there  stretched  before  him  a 
quiet,  unostentatious  life — rising  to  a  partnership,  selling  good  leather  for  good 
prices,  and  gaining  in  the  end  a  modest  competence,  which,  in  Galena,  would  be 
ample  for  a  respected  and  comfortable  old  age.  The  next  day  all  was  changed. 
With  the  firing  on  Sumter  his  Destiny  came  to  him. 

Up  to  this  time  Grant  had  been  a  decided  Democrat.  He  disliked  the 
Republican  movement,  sympathized  with  the  South  in  its  recital  of  grievances, 
detested  the  Abolitionists.  But  he  had  the  soldierly  instinct  which  was  wanting 
to  so  many  of  his  old  comrades.  When  the  flag  he  had  sworn  to  maintain  was 
assailed  he  knew  no  question  of  politics.  "He  laid  down  the  paper  containing 
the  account  of  the  bombardment" — so  writes  an  admiring  intimate  in  the  family — 
"walked  around  the  counter  and  drew  on  his  coat,  saying,  'I  am  for  the  war  to 
put  down  this  wicked  Rebellion.  The  Government  educated  me  for  the  army 
and,  though  I  served  faithfully  through  one  war,  I  feel  still  a  little  in  debt  for  my 
education,  and  am  ready  to  discharge  the  obligation.'"* 

He  threw  himself  at  once  into  the  recruiting  work  which  swept  over  the 
North ;  drilled  the  company  first  raised  in  Galena,  and  went  with  them  to  the 
State  capital.  In  that  hour  of  sudden  need  men  that  knew  how  to  drill  com- 
panies, and  understood  the  organization  of  a  regiment,  were  god-sends  to  the 
officials  who  had  so  long  helped  the  popular  prejudice  against  musters  and  the 
"cornstalk  militia."  It  was  no  sooner  discovered,  at  Springfield,  that  Captain 
Grant  had  actually  been  at  West  Point,  and  had  besides  seen  real  fighting  in  Mex- 
ico, than  the  Governor  determined  to  secure  so  valuable  an  aid.  Forthwith  he 
was  made  Adjutant-General  for  the  State,  and  was  set  to  work  at  mustering  in 
troops.  The  confusion  was  intolerable;  at  first  the  rather  slow  Adjutant-General 
made  little  more  headway  in  it  than  had  the  civilians.  Perhaps,  after  all,  he  was 
not  highly  fitted  for  office  work.  Once  or  twice  it  was  hinted  that  he  might  take 
a  regiment,  if  he  chose,  and  go  into  the  field.  But  the  plan  of  electing  officers  dis- 
gusted him.  He  would  not  command,  as  soldiers,  men  who  were  his  constitu- 
ents.    In  June  he  was  absent  for  a  short  time  on  a  visit  to  his  father  at  Cincin- 

*  A  lady  friend  of  the  Grants,  in  the  Portage  County  Democrat,  March  30,  1864. 


358  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

nati.  By  this  time  regimental  elections  were  abandoned,  and,  during  his  ab- 
eence,  Governor  Yates  appointed  Grant  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-First. 

The  regiment  was  to  serve  only  three  months.  Pleased  at  having  an 
educated  soldier  for  Colonel  the  men  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  and  speedily 
became  noted  for  their  drill  and  discipline.  Presently  there  was  an  alarm  about 
Qnincy,  and  Colonel  Grant  marched  his  regiment  thither,  a  distance  of  one 
bandied  and  twenty  miles.  Then  came  orders  to  defend  railroad  lines  in 
Northern  Missouri,  which  brought  him  into  the  vicinity  of  other  regiments. 
The  .civilian  Colonels  who  outranked  him  shrank  from  giving  orders  to  a 
veritable  West  Pointer,  and  so  he  became  commander  of  the  brigade* 

*A  "Staff  Officer"  gives  currency  to  a  story  of  these  early  campaigning  days.  It  was  while 
Grant  was  leading  a  small  column  after  Jeff.  Thompson: 

"Lieutenant  Wickfield,  of  an  Indiana  cavalry  regiment,  commanded  the  advance  guard, 
consisting  of  eighty  mounted  men.  About  noon  he  came  up  to  a  small  farm-house,  from  the  out- 
ward appearance  of  which  he  judged  that  there  might  be  something  fit  to  eat  inside.  He  halted 
his  company,  dismounted,  and  with  two  Second-Lieutenants  entered  the  dwelling.  He  knew  that 
Grant's  incipient  fame  had  already  gone  out  through  all  that  country,  and  it  occurred  to  him 
that  by  representing  himself  to  be  the  General  he  might  obtain  the  best  the  house  afforded.  So, 
MHUniog  a  very  imperative  demeanor,  he  accosted  the  inmates  of  the  house,  and  told  them 
he  must  have  something  for  himself  and  staff  to  eat.  They  desired  to  know  who  he  was,  and  he 
told  them  that  he  was  Brigadier-General  Grant.  At  the  sound  of  that  name  they  flew  around  with 
alarming  alacrity  and  served  up  about  all  they  had  in  the  house,  taking  great  pains  all  the  while 
to  make  loud  professions  of  loyalty.  The  Lieutenants  ate  as  much  as  they  could  of  the  not  over- 
.snmptuous  meal,  but  which  was,  nevertheless,  good  for  that  country,  and  demanded  what  was  to 
pay.     'Nothing.'     And  they  went  on  their  way  rejoicing. 

"  In  the  meantime  General  Grant,  who  had  halted  his  army  a  few  miles  further  back  for  a 
brief  resting  spell,  came  in  sight  of,  and  was  rather  favorably  impressed  with,  the  appearance  of 
this  same  house.  Riding  up  to  the  fence  in  front  of  the  door,  he  desired  to  know  if  they  would 
cook  him  a  meal. 

"'No,'  said  a  female  in  a  gruff  voice;  'General  Grant  and  his  staff  have  just  been  here  and 
eaten  everything  in  the  house  except  one  pumpkin  pie.' 

"'Humph,'  murmured  Grant;  'what  is  your  name?' 

"'Selvidge,'  replied  the  woman. 

"Casting  a  half  dollar  in  at  the  door  he  asked  if  she  would  keep  that  pie  till  he  sent  an 
officer  for  it;  to  which  she  replied  that  she  would. 

"That  evening,  after  the  camping-ground  had  been  selected,  the  various  regiments  were  noti- 
fied that  there  would  be  a  grand  parade  at  half-past  six  for  orders.  Officers  would  see  that  their 
men  all  turned  out,  etc.  In  five  minutes  the  camp  was  in  a  perfect  uproar  and  filled  with  all 
sorts  of  rumors.  Some  thought  the  enemy  were  upon  them,  it  being  so  unusual  to  have  parades 
when  on  a  march.  At  half  past  six  the  parade  was  formed,  ten  columns  deep,  and  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  in  length.  After  the  usual  routine  of  ceremonies  the  acting  assistant  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral read  the  following  order: 

'"Head-quarters  Army  in  the  Field. 
"  'Special  Order  No. — . 

at      a  JAeutena.nt  Wickfield  of  the Indiana  Cavalry,  having  on  this  day  eaten  everything  in 

Mrs.  belvidge  s  house,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Ironton  and  Pocahontas  and  Black  Eiver  and  Cape 
i.m.nieau  Koads,  except  one  pumpkin  pie,  Lieutenant  Wickfield  is  hereby  ordered  to  return  with 
an  escort  ot  one  hundred  cavalry  and  eat  that  pie  also. 

"  'U.  S.  Grant,  Brigadier-General  Commanding.' 

"Grant's  orders  were  law,  and  no  soldier  ever  attempted  to  evade  them.  At  seven  o'clock 
the  Lieutenant  filed  out  of  camp  with  his  hundred  men,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  entire  army. 
The  escort  concurred  in  stating  that  he  devoured  the  whole  of  the  pie,  and  seemed  to  relish  it." 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  359 

Generals  were  needed  and,  since  Grant  was  doing  well  as  acting  Briga- 
dier, his  appointment  to  the  grade  was  naturally  suggested.  On  the  9th  of 
August  the  commission  was  issued,  though  it  was  made  to  bear  date  from  the 
17th  of  May.  True  to  his  old  middle-ground  he  held  about  the  middle  place 
in  the  list  of  thirty-four  appointments  to  General  rank  that  day  made.  Neither 
to  General  Scott,  however,  nor  to  any  of  the  others  who  were  searching  the 
ranks  of  the  old  army  for  promising  young  men  with  whom  to  fill  its  higher 
places,  did  his  name  once  occur.  McClellan  was  thought  of;  Bosecrans,  Fre- 
mont, McDowell,  Halleck  were  all  thought  of;  but  no  one  ever  suggested  that 
Grant  was  worthy  of  more  than  a  place  among  the  politicians  who  were  carry- 
ing off  the  Brigadier-Generalships  of  Volunteers.  In  fact  some  of  his  old  com- 
rades were  even  surprised  at  his  attaining  that  measure  of  success.  But  his 
time  was  coming. 

The  new  General  was  ordered  down  to  Cairo,  and  given  command  of  the 
small  district  around  the  confluence  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  then  known  as 
the  District  of  South -Eastern  Missouri.  Troops  were  pouring  down  the  Illinois 
Central  Eailroad  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  and  the  General  soon  found  himself 
with  an  ample  command.  Those  were  the  days  of  tho  McClellan  and  Buckner 
neutrality*  While  the  Kentuckians  were  amusing  McClellan,  their  friends 
were  seizing  Hickman,  Columbus,  and  Bowling  Green.  They  were  just  about  to 
plant  themselves  at  Paducah  (on  the  Ohio  Eiver  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee), 
a  strongly  secession  town,  the  possession  of  which  would  have  enabled  them  to 
command  the  navigation  of  the  Tennessee  and  the  lower  Ohio.  General  Grant 
comprehended  the  position  and  acted  promptly.  The  people  of  Paducah  were 
hourly  expecting  the  arrival  of  a  Eebel  force  when,  on  the  morning  of  the  6th 
of  September,  they  awoke  to  find  the  town  in  possession  of  a  brigade  of  Grant's 
troops  under  Chas.  F.  Smith.  Soon  after  he  seized  Smithland,  ten  miles  further 
up,  at  the  entrance  of  the  Cumberland,  and  thus  held  the  mouths  of  the  streams 
which  led  to  the  center  of  the  extended  line  the  Eebels  were  forming.  In  these 
operations  Grant  showed  promptness  and  good  sense;  but  he  gave  also  the  first 
display  of  another  quality,  little  suspected  as  yet,  which  was  to  prove  one  of  the 
most  important  elements  of  his  future  success.  He  selected  the  right  man  for 
the  work.  Chas.  F.  Smith  was  the  beau  ideal  of  a  soldier,  and  men  of  the  old 
army  held  him  its  ablest  and  most  accomplished  officer.  It  was  an  army  tradition 
that  he  had  incurred  the  hot  displeasure  of  General  Scott,  who  never  forgot  nor 
forgave.  But  for  this,  many  thought,  he  might  have  had  the  place  to  which 
young  McClellan  was  so  unexpectedly  raised.  With  Smith  at  Paducah  the 
Tennessee  was  safe.  But  the  ways  of  the  rigid  old  disciplinarian  were  not  the 
ways  of  the  fresh  volunteers,  and  soon  a  clamerous  storm  against  him  began  to 
blow  about  head-quarters.  The  newspapers  scolded;  their  columns  teemed  with 
communications  from  indignant  soldiers;  politicians  took  hold  of  it,  and  the 
sins  of  Paducah  Smith  were  canvassed  at  the  Capitol.  But  Grant  knew  his 
man,  and  never  faltered  in  his  support.     By-and-by  came  Fort  Donelson;  and 

•  See  ante— Life  of  McClellan. 


360 


Ohio  in   the    War. 


the  vision  of  the  white-haired  old  hero,  bare  headed,  leading  the  wild  charge 
over  the  outer  in  trench  men  ts,  shamed  into  silence  the  grumblers  and  the  slan- 
derers. 

I  Price  was  advancing  into  Missouri.  Jeff.  Thompson  was  already  roaming, 
apparently  at  will,  through  the  State.  The  Eebel  garrison  at  Columbus  was 
believed  to  be  re-enforcing  Price,  and  it  seemed  probable,  at  any  rate,  that  it 
would  interfere  with  a  small  column  sent  out  by  Grant  in  pursuit  of  Thompson. 
Fremont,  now  in  command  of  the  department,  accordingly  ordered  Grant  to 
make  a  demonstration  against  Columbus.  Grant  at  once  sent  word  to  Smith,  at 
Paducftb;  of  his  intentions,  and  requested  that  a  co-operating  movement  from 
thai  point  be  made  against  the  rear  of  Columbus.  At  the  same  time  he  ordered 
some  changes  in  the  movement  of  the  forces  in  pursuit  of  Jeff.  Thompson,  that 
might  tend  to  confuse  the  enemy  as  to  the  real  nature  of  the  operations  in  hand. 
Then,  embarking  a  force  of  three  thousand  men*  on  steamboats,  he  proceeded 
down  the  Mississippi  to  a  point  nine  miles  below  Cairo  (not  quite  half  way  to  Co- 
lumbus), where  he  rounded  to,  and  tied  up  for  the  night  on  the  Kentucky  shore. 
Up  to  this  point  it  would  seem  that  General  Grant  had  formed  no  decided 
plan  for  a  demonstration  against  the  enemy.     News  received  here  after  midnight, 

he  tells  us,f  determined  him  to  attack — 
not  Columbus — but  the  out-lying  post 
at  Belmont,  directly  across  the  river 
from  Columbus,  and  under  its  guns.  Th 
news  which  decided  this  unexpected 
movement  was  brought  by  a  "reliable 
Union  man"  to  his  small  force  at 
Charleston,  and  thence  forwarded  to  him 
by  special  messenger.  It  was  to  the 
effect  that  the  garrison  at  Columbus  had 
been  crossing  troops  into  Missouri  at 
Belmont,  for  the  purpose  of  pursuing  and 
falling  upon  the  rear  of  the  column 
which  Grant  had  sent  after  Jeff.  Thomp- 
son. It  does  not  appear  that  he  had 
any  expectation  of  pursuing  the  pur- 
suers. He  only  decided  to  attack  vigor- 
ously whatever  forces  he  might  find  at 
Belmont,  "knowing  that  in  case  of  re- 
pulse we  could  re-embark  without  diffi- 
culty.!" 

It  is  easy  enough  now  to  see  that  such  a  movement  could  have  but  one  ter- 
mination. The  troops  landed  on  the  Mississippi  shore,  just  as  near  Belmont  as 
the   steamboats   dare   approach— for   fear   of  the    Columbus   batteries.     They 

*  The  exact  number  was  three  thousand  one  hundred  and  fourteen— Grant's  Official  Keport, 
Belmont.  r      ' 


BATTLE    OF    BELMONT. 


tlbid. 


J  Ibid. 


Ulysses   S.   Grant.  361 

marched  by  the  flank,  with  skirmishers  well  in  advance,  about  a  mile  down  the 
river,  and  then  formed  in  line  of  battle;  where,  presently,  they  encountered  the 
enemy  advanced  a  mile  or  more  above  his  camp.  The  troops,  to  nearly  all  of 
whom  it  was  their  first  battle,  behaved  handsomely.  They  were  opposed  by 
three  Eebel  regiments,  nearly  or  quite  equal  in  numbers  to  their  own  force;  but 
they  steadily  advanced  their  line,  drove  the  Eebels  into  the  tangled  timber 
abattis  in  front  of  their  camp,  through  which  they  finally  charged,  sweeping 
everything  before  them,  and  driving  the  Rebels  (now  augmented  by  Pillow's 
recently  arrived  re-enforcements)  over  the  bank  down  to  their  transports. 

Grant,  meanwhile,  had  freely  exposed  himself  to  all  the  dangers  of  the  con- 
flict, his  horse  had  been  shot  under  him,  and  the  soldiers,  seeing  him  ever  in 
advance,  were  inspired  with  confidence.  \  But,  though  it  was  the  first  battle  in 
which  he  had  ever  held  a  command  (for  he  did  not  even  have  charge  of  his 
own  company  in  any  of  his  engagements  in  Mexico),  he  remained  cool  enough 
in  the  midst  of  the  enthusiasm,  to  comprehend  the  necessity  of  instant  retreat.) 
Already  the  heavy  Eebel  artillery,  from  the  opposite  bank,  was  trained  upon 
them.  Pillow  had  brought  over  three  fresh  regiments  only  in  time  to  be  caught  in 
the  impetuous  charge  of  the  Illinoisians  and  Iowans,but  now  they  were  re-form- 
ing under  the  bank,  and  General  Polk  himself  was  crossing  with  two  regiments 
more.  It  was  not  evident  that  General  Grant  yet  knew  that  three  more  regiments 
were  crossing  above  to  intercept  his  return  to  his  transports;  but  enough  was 
seen  to  convince  him  that  not  a  moment  must  be  lost  in  getting  out  of  his  cap- 
tured camp.  Everything  was  hastily  fired,  the  Eebel  artillery  was  dragged  off, 
and  the  column  started  up  the  river  for  its  boats. 

And  now  there  suddenly  rose  in  their  path  the  apparition  of  a  fresh  foe. 
The  Eebel  column  designed  to  cut  them  off  from  their  transports  had  gained  its 
position.  Four  pieces  of  the  captured  artillery  were  abandoned;  and  with  the 
others  the  line  charged  again,  successfully  cutting  its  way  through  till  it 
reached  the  steamers.  One  regiment,  however  was  missing.  It  had  gone  too 
far  from  the  river  bank  on  the  return,  had  missed  the  intercepting  Eebels,  and 
was  now  groping  its  way  at  random  down  to  the  river.  Meantime  the  Eebels 
had  formed  again  on  the  bank,  and  opened  fire  on  the  crowded  jam  of  National 
soldiers  on  the  transports.  The  gunboats  came  to  their  relief,  and  presently 
their  shells  began  to  fall  not  only  among  the  Eebels,  but  into  the  ranks  of  the 
missing  regiment.  It  hastened  down  .-to  the  river,  coming  out  through  a  little 
depression,  below  where  the  Eebels  were  engaged,  and  embarking  there  under 
cover  of  the  gunboats,  as  soon  as  a  transport  could  be  dropped  down  to  take 
them  off.  In  such  guise-Avith  Eebel  shot  still  whistling  through  their  helpless 
mass,  with  the  wounded  crowded  confusedly  among  the  throng,  with  their  dead 
and  a  hundred  and  twenty-five  wounded  left  in  the  hands  of  the  exultant 
Eebels,  as  well  as  with  the  loss  of  a  hundred  more  taken  prisoners— did  Grant 
and  his  men  steam  slowly  up  the  river  to  the  point  from  which  they  started. 

General  Grant  frankly  told  the  story  of  the  day  in  his  official  report,  but 
claimed  that  he  had  prevented  the  Columbus  garrison  from  re-enforcing  Price, 
or  sending  out  an  expedition  to  cut  off  the  column  moving  against  Jeff.  Thomp- 


362  Ohio  in  the  War. 

eon.  An  impartial  judgment  can  not  confirm  these  claims.  [Three  hours 
after  the  battle  of  Belmont  the  Columbus  garrison  was  as  free  to  re-enforce 
Price  as  it  had  been  three  days  before.  What  the  Eebels  knew  was  that  a 
small  force,  making  a  sudden  descent  upon  an  out-lying  camp,  had  been  able  to 
burn  the  tents  and  blankets,  and  carry  off  a  couple  of  guns  before  being 
driven  back  to  its  boats,  and  forced,  in  its  haste,  to  leave  its  dead,  wounded, 
and  prisoners  behind  it.  Such  performance  was  not  likely  to  so  terrify  them 
that,  under  the  possibility  of  a  similar  attack,  they  would  fail  to  re-enforce  Price 
if  they  chose. 

Whether  any  more  important  results  could  have  been  obtained  from  the 
"demonstration  against  Columbus,"  which  Fremont  had  ordered,  may  be  ques- 
tioned. But  it  is  clear  that  the  same  results  could  have  been  secured  by  an 
operation  (especially  in  conjunction  with  Smith's  Paducah  column)  against  the 
rem-  of  Columbus,  without  the  necessity  of  an  enforced  retreat  under  fire;  with- 
out leaving  dead  and  wounded  in  the  enemy's  hands;  and  without  definitely  as- 
suring the  enemy,  in  advance,  that  nothing  more  than  a  sudden,  inconsequential 
dash  was  intended,  by  delivering  the  attack  on  a  spot  that  was,  by  no  possi- 
bility, tenable  for  the  attacking  party.* 

Yet  the  action  at  Belmont,  unfortunate  as  it  seemed,  and  depressing  as  were 
its  immediate  effects  upon  the  public  mind,  did  good.  It  showed  the  raw  soldiers  » 
what  war  was;  it  gave  them  unbounded  confidence  in  their  capacity  to  take, 
care  of  themselves  against  anything  like  even  numbers  ;  and  it  taught  them  that 
their  General  was  ready  to  go  wherever  he  asked  them  to  go.  To  the  Generah 
himself  it  revealed  the  mettle  of  the  blade  he  was  privileged  to  wield,  as  wTell  as 
the  nature  of  his  work,  thus  far  known  only  in  theory.  More  than  all,  it  re-( 
vealed  to  those  controlling  the  business  of  this  war  a  General,  cool  and  brave  in 
action,  and  skillful  enough  if  he  led  his  troops  into  tight  places  to  get  them  out 
again  without  serious  loss.f  Furthermore  it  showed  to  the  country  one  General,^ 
in  the  midst  of  the  prevailing  inaction,  who  believed  that  war  meant  fighting — 
not  everlasting  preparations  and  proclamations'!  So  that,  while  with  the  un- 
thinking, Belmont  was  set  down  as  a  failure  and  its  General  as  little  better,  and 
while  the  General  himself,  and  the  staff  that  surrounded  him,  grew  restive  and 

*  "  The  same  results  could  have  been  secured."  That  is  to  say,  the  enemy  could  have  been 
kept  busy  for  a  little  while,  and  made  to  believe  that  there  was  danger  of  serious  attack. 
Keeping  him  busy  to  whatever  extent  it  might  be  carried,  to  that  extent  diminished  the  danger 
to  the  column  pursuing  Jeff.  Thompson,  or  the  probability  of  re-enforcements  being  sent  to 
Price-the  professed  objects  of  the  movement.  And  just  so  far  as  the  movement  looked  like  a  ■ 
serious  one  did  it  answer  the  purposes  of  the  demonstration  Fremont  desired.  BtnTn^  Rebel 
General  thereabouts  was  fool  enough  to  suppose  that  the  descent  upon  a  palpably  untenable 
position  like  Belmont,  could  be  anything  more  than  a  frivolous  demonstration— a  sudden  dash— 
having  no  element  of  a  serious  movement  against  Columbus  about  it.  Thev  were  simply  warned 
to  draw  in  their  troops  to  the  fortifications,  and  run  no  risks  of  such  attacks  again— that' was  all. 

tFor,  notwithstanding  the  unfavorable  circumstances,  Grant  had  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
that  the  enemy's  loss  was  heavier  than  his  own.  They  took  ninety-nine  able-bodied  prisoners;  he 
carried  off  one  hundred  and  seventy-five;  their  entire  loss-killed,  wounded,  and  missing-was 
bix  hundred  and  thirty-two  (according  to  Pollard) ;  his  was  four  hundred  and  eighty-five.  They 
lost  their  tents,  blankets,  and  two  pieces  of  artillery;  he  none. 


Ulysses   S.  Grant.  363 

soured  with   the  hick  of  popular  appreciation  of  their  work,  they  had  made 
firm  friends  they  litle  dreamed  of,  whose  friendship  was  to  prove  potential. 

Through  the  whole  summer,  and  fall,  and  winter  of  1861,  our  military 
leaders,  stupefied  by  Bull  Kim,  lay  idle  or  consumed  their  resources  in  frivolous 
reconnoissances  and  expeditions  that  came  to  nothing.  Meanwhile  the  Rebels 
had  made  the  best  use  of  their  opportunities.  By  the  1st  of  January,  18G2,  their 
laboriously-strengtened  line  stretched  from  Columbus,  on  the  Mississippi,  west- 
ward through  Missouri  to  the  plains;  eastward  through  strong  posts  on  the  Ten- 
nessee and  Cumberland  Eivers  to  Bowling  Green  in  Kentucky,  thence  to  Cum- 
berland Gap  ;  and  so  connected  with  the  head  and  front  of  their  force  in  Virginia. 
Their  garrisons  at  the  important  points  were  considerable,  their  advantage  of 
rapid  communication  by  railroads  on  interior  lines  was  well  used,  and  their 
fortifications  were  represented  to  be  scientific  and  formidable.  The  true  vital 
points  were  tersely  indicated  by  General  Buell:  "I  think  it  is  not  extravagant 
to  say  that  the  great  power  of  the  Rebellion  in  the  West  is  arranged  on  a  front, 
the  flanks  of  which  are  Columbus  and  Bowling  Green,  and  the  center  about 
where  the  railroad  between  those  points  crosses  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland 
Eivers."*  Unfortunately  the  system  of  parceling  out  the  country  by  State 
lines,  to  find  places  for  as  many  independent  Generals  as  possible,  still  prevailed. 
One-half  this  formidable  line  was  confronted  by  the  left  of  General  Halleck's 
forces;  the  rest  of  it  by  General  Buell.  With  a  single  commander  it  might  easily 
have  been  broken  almost  before  it  was  formed;  with  the  two  it  was  the  1st  of 
February,  1862,  before  any  practical  effort  to  break  it  was  commenced. 

General  Buell  had  proposed  to  General  Halleck  an  advance  up  the  Ten- 
nessee and  Cumberland  Eivers  by  a  combined  land  and  naval  force,  with  co- 
operative, simultaneous  movements  threatening  Bowling  Green  and  Columbus.f 
General  Halleck  regretted  that  his  important  operations  in  Southern  Missouri 
would  prevent  him  from  giving  any  assistance  to  such  a  plan.  But  shortly 
afterward  he  gave  orders,  in  the  most  inclement  season  of  the  year,  for  a  gen- 
eral reconnoissance  (as  it  would  seem)  through  and  around  South-Western  Ken- 
tucky. The  roads  were  very  muddy,  and  the  whole  alluvial  bottom-land 
through  which  the  columns  moved  was  sticky  mire.  General  Grant  sent  one 
column  down  the  river,  from  Cairo,  toward  Columbus,  which  wandered  about 
through  the  mud,  bivouacked  in  the  mud,  and  returned  to  fill  the  hospitals; 
having  at  no  time  gone  nearer  than  to  the  distance  of  a  mile  from  the  defenses  of 
Columbus.  General  C.  F.  Smith,  meanwhile,  with  his  force  from  Paducah,  per- 
formed a  somewhat  similar  task  a  few  miles  further  east.  At  its  close,  however, 
he  undertook  a  reconnoissance  on  his  own  account,  the  results  of  which  were 
far-reaching.  Encountering  one  of  the  new  gunboats  on  the  Tennessee,  he  went 
on  board  and  ran  up  toward  Fort  Henry.  He  approached  near  enough  to  draw 
the  fire  of  the  fort,  and  to  get  a  rough  idea  of  its  defensive  capacity.  He  hast- 
ened to  present  his  report  to  General  Grant,  in  which  he  urged  that  a  sudden 

*  General  Buell  to  General  Halleck— Official  dispatch,  January  3,  1862.  tlbid. 


364  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

movement  upon  the  fort  eould  hardly  fail  to  result  in  its  surrender.  Grant 
forwarded  the  report  to  Ilalleek  as  early  as  the  24th  of  January.  Halleck 
made  do  reply.  Four  days  later  Grant  and  Admiral  Foote,  commanding  the 
o-mil.oat  flotilla,  urged  it  upon  his  attention.  The  next  day  Grant  renewed  his 
importunities,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  next  he  received  permission  to  try. 
Bo  inueh  had  General  Ilalleek  to  do  with  the  grand  conception  of  breaking  the 
enemy's  eenter,  on  which  his  fame  has  subsequently  rested.  Don  Carlos  Buell 
was  the  first  to  make  official  suggestion  of  the  plan;*  Chas.  F.  Smith  was  the 
to  show  how  practical  it  was;  and  Grant  richly  deserves  the  honor  of 
having  at  once  comprehended  the  opportunity,  and  persisted  in  applications  till 
he  finally  secured  leave  to  embrace  it. 

On  the  morning  of  February  2d,  Admiral  Foote  started  with  his  gunboats, 
General  Grant  following  with  the  divisions  of  McClernand  and  Chas.  F.  Smith, 
about  fifteen  thousand  strong,  on  steam  transports.  Next  morning  the  gunboats 
Were  only  a  few  miles  below  the  fort.  Here,  however,  they  suffered  three  days 
to  pass,  partly  waiting  for  the  troops,  partly  fishing  up  torpedoes.  At  last  on 
the  6th,  everything  being  ready,  General  Grant  was  to  invest  the  fort  on  the 
land  side,  while  Admiral  Foote  was  to  open  the  attack. 

Meanwhile  General  Tilghman,  the  Kebel  commander,  had  gained  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  situation.  The  fort  was  indifferently  planned  and  worse  situ- 
ated; high  lands  on  the  opposite  side,  on  which  Grant  was  moving  a  couple  of 
brigades,  completely  commanded  it;  the  high  water  uplifted  the  gunboats  so 
that  they  could  pour  their  fire  almost  horizontally  into  its  midst.  He  had  two 
thousand  six  hundred  and  ten  men  of  all  arms;f  he  knew  that  he  was  threat- 
ened by  a  large  land  force  (which  he  only  estimated  at  three  thousand  too  many) 
as  well  as  by  the  gunboats;  and  he  considered  successful  defense  impractica- 
ble. He  determined,  therefore,  early  in  the  morning  to  order  a  retreat  of  the 
main  body  of  his  troops,  across  the  narrow  neck  of  land  between  the  two 
rivers,  to  Fort  Donelson,  retaining  only  the  artillerists  to  work  the  heavy  guns 
in  the  fort,  and  so  to  keep  up  a  show  of  resistance  while  the  retreat  was  being 
made  good.  And  to  aid  this  movement,  in  case  of  discovery,  he  ordered  a  small 
portion  of  the  Donelson  garrison  to  move  half-way  across  and  await  events. 

'  In  the  light  of  these  facts  it  is  very  easy  to  see  that  Grant  should  have  has- 
tened up  his  overwhelmingly  superior  numbers  in  time  to  cut  off  escape.  But 
the  woods  were  miry  and  the  country  was  unknown,  while  ignorance  of  the 
enemy's  force  or  intentions  counseled  the  greatest  caution.  Admiral  Foote 
steamed  up,  opened  the  fight  half  an  hour  after  the  time  agreed  upon  with 
Grant,  knocked  the  fort  to  pieces,  and  received  the  surrender  of  the  General 
and  his  little  band  of  artillerists  in  an  hour  and  a  half.  An  hour  later  Grant 
got  up,  but  the  escaped  garrison  was  already  far  on  its  way  to  Fort  Donelson. 

Preparations  for  attacking  Fort  Donelson  were  at  once  begun.     Six  days 
after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Henry,  Chas.  F.  Smith  and  McClernand  were  on  the 
♦Unless,  indeed,  the  prior  claim  of  Fremont  be  admitted. 

ForJltT1   TSr?'1  °ffif al   **<>*  SPec  Com.  Rep.  on  Eecent   Military  Disasters  at 
Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  published  by  authority,  Conf.  Congress,  page  184. 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  365 

march  across.  Our  forces  bad,  meantime,  been  ordered  up  the  Cumber- 
land river  from  Cairo,  to  be  landed  as  near  Donelson  as  circumstances  would 
permit,  and  to  unite  with  Smith  and  McClernand.  The  gunboats  hastened 
down  the  Tennessee,  made  such  slight  repairs  of  damages  as  were  possible,  and 
steamed  up  the  Cumberland  to  within  a  few  miles  of  Donelson.  But  Grant, 
conscious  of  having  lost  time  before  Fort  Henry,  and  now  determined  not  to 
give  the  navy  another  opportunity  to  snatch  a  victory  from  his  grasp,  began 
operations  without  waiting  for  the  gunboats,  or  for  tho  re-enforcements  that 
were  to  accompany  them. 

The  fort  now  to  be  assailed  was  the  last  defense  to  the  "center  of  the  line" 
which  Buell  had  proposed  to  break.  It  alone  stood  between  the  gunboats  and 
Nashville.  Its  fall  would  inevitably  drag  down  Bowling  Green  with  it;  while 
it  would  also  remove  the  last  serious  obstacle  to  a  movement  for  the  taking  of 
Memphis  in  the  rear.  So  much  was  known  to  Grant;  but  beyond  this  it  does 
not  appear  that,  at  head-quarters,  ideas  concerning  the  nature  and  importance 
of  the  work  to  be  undertaken  prevailed,  more  definite  than  the  utterly  vague 
notions  which  were  floating  through  the  country.  The  whole  region  was  an 
unknown  land  since  the  Rebel  occupation.  The  chatterers  who  labored  at 
the  voluntary  task  of  finding  excuses  for  all  dehoys.  had  found  a  fresh  Manassas 
at  every  earthwork  between  the  mountains  and  the  plain;  while  no  words  but 
Gibraltars  of  the  West  could  serve  to  describe  the  tremendously-fortified  posi- 
tions of  Bowling  Green  and  Columbus.  The  reaction  from  this  folly  may  pos- 
sibly have  carried  the  Generals,  as  it  did  the  people,  a  little  toward  the  other 
extreme.  But  we  now  know  that,  in  the  language  of  Albert  Sidney  Johnston, 
"We  (the  Rebels)  decided  that  we  must  fight  for  Nashville  at  Fort  Donelson." 
The  Bowling  Green  garrison  was  accordingly  weakened  to  re-enforce  Donelson, 
while  General  Buell's  magnificent  army  in  Kentucky  was  being  held  back  by  a 
paltry  force  of  ten  thousand  men.*  '  Meanwhile,  at  Fort  Donelson,  had  been 
accumulated  a  garrison  which  General  Johnston  supposed  to  number  sixteen 
thousand;  which  Chief  -  Engineer  Gilmer — apparently  the  only  nian  making 
any  report  about  the  surrender  who  seemed  willing  to  tell  the  simple 
truth — fixed  at  "fifteen  thousand  effectives;"  which  General  Pillow  pronounces 
to  have  been  less  than  thirteen  thousand,  and  which  General  Floyd  seems  in- 
clined to  rate  still  lower. f  This  garrison  received  no  very  large  re-enforcements 
in  the  persons  of  its  Generals.  On  learning  of  Tilghman's  surrender  at  Fort 
Henry,  the  Rebels  hastily  sent  General  Pillow  to  take  command.  Three  days 
later  General  Buckner  reported  to  General  Pillow.  A  few  hours  afterward  Gen- 
eral John  B.  Floyd  arrived  and  assumed  command. 

General  Pillow,  not  a  high  authority  on  fortifications  since  tho  date  of  his  en- 
gineering exploits  in  Mexico,  considered  the  works  strong  and  defensible.  Nobody 
else,  before  or  since,  has  been  known  to  entertain  so  high  an  opinion  of  them. 
Up  to  the  night  before  the  appearance  of  Grant's  troops  the  outer  line  was  unfin- 

*  Sidney  Johnston's  letter  to  Jefferson  Davis,  March  17,  18G2.     Published  by  Conf.  Gov't,  in 
Kep.  Com.  on  Surrender  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson. 
t  Official  Eeport  Surrender  Fort  Donelson. 


366  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

iflhcd  It  ran,  *****  through  the  medley  of  knolls  and  ravines,  covered  with  a 
dense  forest,  that  lay  back  of  the  river,  and  followed,  at  great  length,  the  line  of 
the  hills.  Heights  farther  to  the  rear,  however,  commanded  it,  and  the  works 
themselves  we™  slight.  But  the  water  battery  was  strong  and  well-finished, 
and  it  had  a  splendid  range  down  the  river. 

The  two  divisions  with  which  Grant  was  advancing  to  the  attack,  could  not 
have  numbered  over  fifteen  thousand.  With  their  advantage  of  fortifica- 
tions and  knowledge  of  the  country,  the  enemy  ought  to  have  routed  him  in 
confusion  (and  might  even  have  aspired  to  the  recapture  of  Fort  Henry)  before 
the  gunboats  and  re-enforcements  could  have  arrived.  But  the  panic-stricken 
infantry  that  had  run  away  from  r*ort  Henry  without  firing  a  gun,  had  infused 
their  own  terror  into  the  rest  of  the  garrison.  General  Pillow,  indeed,  tells  us 
that  on  his  arrival  (three  days  before  the  attack)  he  "found  deep  gloom  hang- 
ing over  the  command,  and  the  troops  greatly  depressed  and  demoralized  by  the 
surrender  of  Fort  Henry. "* 

On  Wednesday  morningf  Grant  marched  from  Fort  Henry.  By  twelve 
o'clock  his  column  had  crossed  the  strip  of  land  intervening  between  the  two 
rivers,  and  was  driving  in  the  Eebel  pickets.  With  astounding  lack  of  enter- 
prise, the  garrison  quietly  allowed  itself  to  be  inyested  by  an  assailant  no 
stronger  than  itself.  Nothing  but  light  skirmishing  interfered  with  the  progress 
of  the  investment,  and  the  little  force  bivouacked  in  line  of  battle  around  the 
fort.  Thursday  morning  the  Eebels  opened  with  artillery.  (General  Grant,  it 
would  seem,  had  intended  no  attack,  owing  to  the  absence  of  the  gunboats  and 
infantry  reinforcements,^  but  under  the  sting  of  this  fire,  he  was  drawn  into 
something  more  than  the  "extension  of  the  investment  on  the  flanks  of  the 
enemy"  of  which  he  speaks  in  his  report.  An  advance  upon  the  enemy's  left 
(up  the  river)  developed  into  an  action,  which  the  Eebels  dignify  by  the  name 
of  the  "Battle  of  the  Trenches,"  in  which  they  claim  to  have  repulsed  their 
assailants,  and  wen  a  clear  advantage.  Grant's  troops  were  really  compelled  to 
fall  back  from  one  or  two  positions  they  had  taken,  in  some  disorder,  and  with 
considerable  loss.  Meantime  the  weather  changed  from  the  balmy  breezes  ot 
spring  to  sleet,  cold  rain,  -and  finally  to  snow  ;  the  troops  were  without  blankets, 
without  rations,  and  without  shelter.  Furthermore,  they  began  to  comprehend 
that  they  were  fronting  intrenchments  manned  by  a  force  as  strong  as  their 
own;  and  the  arrival  of  the  gunboats  came  to  be  a  matter  of  much  anxiety* 
In  such  plight  they  passed  the  weary  watches  of  Thursday  night. 

By  Friday  morning  Grant  considered  the  situation  really  critical,  and< 
hastily  dispatched  a  messenger  to  General  Lew.  Wallace  to  bring  up  the  garri- 
son he  had  left  at  Fort  Henry.  A  little  later,  however,  the  gunboats  came  in  ! 
sight.  Even  then  Grant  did  not  feel  himself  equal  to  the  assault,  and  the  army 
lay  still,  awaiting  the  result  of  the  gunboat  attack.  Admiral  Foote  steamed! 
gallantly  up,  and  speedily  silenced  several  of  the  enemy's  guns.  But  his  vessels  f 
had  been  shattered  at  Fort  Henry,  and  the  Eebel  artillery  practice  soon  began 

*  General  Pillow's  Official  Report.  f  12th  February,  18G2. 

t  Grant's  Official  Keport. 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  367 

to  tell  upon  them.  In  ten  minutes  more  he  would  havo  been  able  to  pass  the 
fort  and  take  it  in  reverse,  when  a  shot  cut  the  rudder-chains  of  one  of  his 
boats,  his  flag-ship  had  her  pilot's  wheel  shot  away,  and  he  himself  was  wounded,  i 
The  other  two  iron-clads  were,  moreover,  seriously  damaged,  and  thus,  with  two 
vessels  helplessly  drifting,  and  the  others  injured,  he  was  forced  to  give  the  order 
for  retiring. 

To  the  watching  young  General  on  the  bank,  this  came  with  the  weight  of  ' 
a  disaster  that  enforced  a  change  of  all  his  plans.     He  at  once  decided*  to  make 
no  further  direct  attempts  upon  the  fort,  but  to  complete  his  investment,  fortify* 
his  line,  get  more  men  to  hold  it,f  and  await  the  return  of  the  gunboats.  — 

Meantime,  in  the  Eebel  councils  reigned  strange  confusion.  They  believed 
themselves  surrounded  by  "an  immense  force" — not  a  regiment  less  than  fifty- 
two  would  General  Pillow  admit — and  visions  of  batteries  above  the  fort  on  the 
river  that  should  cut  off  their  communication  with  Nashville  and  their  supplies 
began  to  float  before  them.  Floyd  dwelt  upon  the  immense  resources  against 
which  they  were  battling;  beside  the  gunboats  there  was  "a  land  force  drawn 
from  an  army  of  two  hundred  thousand  men,  all  so  stationed  as  to  be  easily  con- 
centrated on  the  banks  of  the  Cumberland  in  a  week!  "  "  With  a  less  force  than 
fifty  thousand  men  Fort  Donelson  was  untenable,"  and  even  that  garrison  ;cmust 
be  sustained  by  twenty  thousand  at  Clarksville  and  twenty-five  thousand  at 
Nashville!"J 

And  thus,  while  Grant  was  abandoning  the  idea  of  attack,  and  men- 
tally tracing  lines  of  fortification  that  should  protect  him  till  relief  had  come, 
Floyd  and  Pillow,  taking  numbers  from  their  imaginations,  and  counsels  from 
some  quality  that  looks  strikingly  like  cowardice,  were  devising  means  of 
escape  from  a  struggle  they  had  given  up  in  advance.  It  was  to  Buckner,  it 
would  seem,  that  they  owed  the  plan  finally  adopted.  A  sortie  was  to  be  made 
on  the  portion  of  the  National  line  farthest  up  the  river  toward  Nashville,  and  if 
possible  it  was  to  be  rolled  back  upon  the  center,  where  Buckner  was  then  to 
strike  it.  If  they  should  succeed  in  shattering  the  National  column,  well;  if 
not,  they  might  hope,  at  least,  so  to  break  the  lines  as  to  make  their  escape.  So 
they  have  since  explained  their  plans.  A  more  probable  explanation  appears  to 
be  that,  after  their  first  emotion  of  unmanly  terror,  they  were  shamed  by  Buck- 
ner into  the  opposite  extreme,  and  came  to  think  that  they  might  really  break 
the  National  lines  and  drive  Grant  off.  Stimulated  by  such  hopes,  they  moved 
out,  under  Pillow,  early  on  Saturda}T  morning — while  Grant  was  off  on  a  gun- 
boat consulting  with  Foote — and  commenced  an  attack.  Catching  our  pickets 
napping,  they  pushed  vigorously  forward,  drove  two  of  McClernand's  brigades 
in  confusion,  and  started  a  panic,  that  came  near  spreading  to  the  whole 
division.  Finally  new  lines  were  formed,  and  the  attack  was  temporarily 
checked.     Meanwhile,  Buckner  had  found  it  impossible  to  do  anything  with  his 

*  Grant's  Official  Report. 

t  Although  the  large  re-enforcements  that  followed  the  gunboats  up  the  river  had  now 
reached  him. 

t  Floyd's  and  Pillow's  Official  Reports. 


368  Ohio  in  the   War. 

timid  troops;  the  first  heavy  fire  they  encountered  drove  them  to  cover,  and 
their  General  was  forced  to  employ  :' persuasions"  instead  of  commands,  in  his 
efforts  to  bring  them  once  more  to  the  work.  At  last  they  advanced,  just  as 
Pillow  \v:is  again  forcing  back  McClernand's  line;  the  two  Ecbel  columns  met; 
the  National  forces  were  hurled  clear  back  from  their  positions  on  the  right;  a 
mounted  officer  galloped  among  the  troops  scattered  to  the  rear,  shouting,  "We 
arc  cut  to  pieces!"  In  fact,  the  panic  seemed  on  the  point  of  sweeping  away 
the  army,  when  General  L.  Wallace's  division,  not  yet  heavily  engaged,  came  up 
in  fine  order  and  checked  the  retreat. 

What  followed  was  curiously  confused.  Pillow  returned  to  the  fort,  and  tel- 
egraphed to  Nashville,  "on  the  honor  of  a  soldier,"  that  he  had  won  a  brilliant 
victory.  Part  of  his  troops  seem  to  have  been  retired;  the  rest  took  no  advant- 
age of  the  disorder  into  which  their  success  had  thrown  the  ranks  of  their 
antagonists.  /  At  this  critical  moment  the  inspiration  of  Grant's  imperturbable 
coolness  came  upon  him.  His  right  was  in  disorder,  amounting  almost  to  rout, 
but  Charles  F.  Smith's  division,  on  his  left,  was  unharmed.  The  enemy  had 
palpably  withdrawn  their  forces  from  that  part  of  their  line  to  aid  in  Pillow's 
attack.  "Then  charge  #/"*  Leaving  the  soldierly  Smith  to  his  work,  ho  rodo 
over  to  the  shattered  right,  and  ordered  General  Lew.  Wallace  to  advance.  By 
five  o'clock  that  officer  had  handsomely  regained  all  that  McClernand  had  lost. 
Meantime,  down  the  river  on  the  left,  the  old  soldier  to  whom  had  been  com- 
mitted the  crowning  trust,  was  marshaling  his  column.  His  skillful  dispositions, 
heroic  bearing,  fcuperb  presence,  all  inflamed  the  enthusiasm  of  his  command, 
which,  as  soon  as  the  word  was  given,  rushed  up  the  hill  with  bayonets  set  and 
the  wildest  cheering.  In  front  is  the  color-bearer  of  the  advance  brigade;  by 
his  side  rides  the  General.  The  Rebel  artillery  riddles  the  advance,  and  it 
wavers.  Smith  urges  it  on,  and  leads  the  way;  the  line  straightens,  charges, 
pours  over  the  abattis,  climbs  the  embankments,  rushes  into  the  outerwork;  and 
almost  before  its  defenders  are  out  of  the  way,  the  batteries  are  whirled  up  and 
are  opening  upon  the  lower  interior  fortifications.  Darkness  ends  the  struggle, 
but  white-haired  old  Charles  F.  Smith  has  insured  the  fall  of  Fort  Donelson. 

Within  the  fort  the  position  is  comprehended  clearly  enough.  General 
Buckner  tells  his  superiors  that,  with  Smith  inside  his  intrenchments,  an  attack 
is  sure  to  be  made,  and  that  he  can  not  hold  out  half  an  hour.  Pillow  talks  of 
his  having  at  least,  by  his  own  brilliant  victory,  cut  open  a  way  out  of  the  fort, 
and  the  command  is  actually  mustered  to  retreat,  when,  to  his  amazement,  ho 
learns  that  the  National  troops  are  in  the  way,  pressing  e>^a  more  closely  than 
before  his  victorious  battle  was  fought  Scouts  are  sent  out  to  see  if  they  can 
march  by  the  river  bank,  directly  up  along  the  brink  of  the  river.  They  report 
the  route  open,  but  waist  deep  in  mire  and  water.     Boats  arc  sought  for,  on  which 

•  7 'I/rTber  ^  anecdote  which  Gener«l  Grant  told  me  about  Donelson-that  at  a  certain 
penod  of  the  battle  he  saw  that  either  side  was  ready  to  give  way,  if  the  other  showed  a  hold 
front,  and  he  determined  to  do  that  very  thing,  to  advance  on  the  enemy,  when,  as  he  prognosti- 
cated, the  enemy  surrendered."     Sherman's  Letter  to  the  United  Service  Magazine  on  Pittsburg 


Ulysses    S.   Git  ant.  369 

to  cross  to  the  other  bank  of  the  river  and  so  escape;  but  these  have  been  sent  to 
Nashville  and  are  not  yet  returned.  So  passes  the  night  with  Floyd,  Pillow, 
and  Buckner.  The  two  ranking  officers  dread  the  Yankees  to  such  extent 
that  they  declare  they  must  be  permitted,  personally,  to  escape.  Buckner 
reminds  them  that  a  General  has  no  right  to  desert  his  men.  But  they  have 
made  up  their  minds  that  in  no  event  will  they  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Yankees — if  they  can  help  it.  And  so  Buckner  assumes  the  command,  and 
sends  a  flag  of  truce.  Floyd  seizes  on  the  steamboats,  when  they  return  about, 
daylight,  and  makes  off,  with  such  of  his  own  brigade  as  he  can  hurriedly 
embark.  Long  before  this  the  redoubtable  Pillow  has  made  his  way  across 
the  river,  "in  a  small  hand-flat" — let  us  be  true  to  history,  for  has  not 
Pillow  himself  recorded  it  for  our  benefit — "in  a  small  hand-flat,  about  four 
feet  wide  by  twelve  long.  Myself  and  staff  then  made  our  way  to  Clarksville 
by  land."* 

|  General  Buckner  solicited  an  armistice,  and  the  appointment  of  commis- 
sioners to  agree  upon  terms  of  capitulation.  General  Grant's  reply  struck 
the  key-note  of  popular  feeling,  and  has  become  historic:  "No  terms,  other 
than  an  unconditional  and  immediate  surrender  can  be  accepted.  I  propose  to 
move  immediately  upon  your  works."  Buckner  had  been  at  West  Point  with 
Grant.  He  was  there  a  showy,  chivalrous  Kentuckian.  Grant  was  the  son  of  a 
tanner,  poor  and  not  graceful.  That  this  poor  schoolmate  of  his  would  be 
flattered  by  his  offer  of  "capitulation"  he  did  not  doubt.  His  amazement  at 
the  matter-of-fact  response  stung  him  into  boyish  folly.  "Notwithstanding  the 
brilliant  success  of  the  Confederate  arms  on  yesterday,"  he  was  "compelled 
to  accept  the  ungenerous  and  unchivalrous  terms."  And  so  Grant's  army 
marched  in.f  / 

Up  to  this  time  Grant  had  secured  little  popular  recognition.  The  battle 
at  Belmont  had  been  counted  a  disaster.  Fort  Henry  had  been  taken  without 
him;  and  he  had  even  failed  to  get  up  in  time  to  intercept  the  runaway  garri- 
son. But  Fort  Donelson  was  the  first  great,  decisive  success  of  the  war.  Its 
results  were  the  capture  of  Nashville  and  the  speedily  following  fall  of  Mem- 
phis. Moreover,  the/ army  of  prisoners  was  something  hitherto  unknown  in 
wars  on  the  Continent.      The  General  who  had  accomplished  these  things  at 

*  Pillow's  Answer  to  Interrogatories  of  Conf.  Sec.  War. 

t  General  Grant  reported  a  capture  of  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  prisoners.  This  number 
was  exaggerated ;  but  the  Eebels  went  to  the  other  extreme.  Pollard  sets  down  tthe  exact  number 
of  prisoners  taken  as  five  thousand  and  seventy-nine.  He  omits,  however,  in  his  list  all  the 
wounded  left  on  the  field,  and  at  least  two  regiments — known  to  number  a  thousand  men.  On 
the  other  hand  Floyd  carried  off  between  fifteen  hundred  and  two  thousand,  including  the  strag- 
glers who  subsequently  joined  him.  Wounded,  to  the  number  of  eleven  hundred  and  thirty-four, 
had  been  sent  to  Nashville,  and  the  dead  must  have  swelled  this  to  nearly  two  thousand.  Deduct 
these  and  the  two  thousand  carried  away  by  Floyd  from  the  fifteen  thousand  originally  present, 
and  we  have  about  eleven  thousand  well  and  wounded  left  for  Grant.  No  accurate  lists  are 
known  to  have  been  made  out. 

Some  forty  pieces  of  artillery  were  captured,  with  large  store  of  muskets,  horses,  mules,  etc 
General  Grant's  estimate  of  his  own  losses  was  twelve  hundred  killed,  wounded,  and  missing, 
which  subsequently  proved  to  be  far  below  the  real  number. 

Vol.  I.— 24. 


370  Ohio  in   the    War.      , 

once  became  the  popular  idol.  A  Major-Generalship  was  bestowed  upon  him, 
and  his  command  was  extended.  People  dwelt  admiringly  on  his  curt  answer 
to  Buokner.  'His  accidental  initials  were  turned  to  new  use,  and  our  uncle  like 
youth,  whom  his  schoolmates  had  called  Uncle  Sam,  was  now  denominated 
Unconditional  Surrender  Grant.  <  The  newspapers  gave  the  new  Secretary  of 
War  some  credit  for  the  victory,  whereupon  he  announced*  that  "We  owe  our 
1-ecent  victories  to  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord,  that  moved  our  soldiers  to  dash  into 
I. at  tic.  and  filled  the  hearts  of  our  enemies  with  terror  and  dismay.  What, 
under  the  blessing  of  Providence,  I  conceive  to  be  the  true  organization  of  vic- 
tory and  military  combination  to  end  this  war,  was  declared  in  few  words  by 
General  Grant's  message  to  General  Buckner,  'I  propose  to  move  immediately 
on  your  works.'  "  Furthermore,  with  these  popular  approvals,  and  this  evidence 
of  the  admiration  of  his  official  chief,  Grant  obtained  another  advantage.  He 
acquired  the  firm,  admiring  friendship  of  the  strong-willed  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  Galena,  which  was  henceforth,  in  more  than  one  emer- 
gency, to  prove  his  protection. 

It  was  General  Grant's  high,  good  fortune  to  be  thus  at  the  head  of  a 
movement,  whose  material  and  moral  results  were  alike  inspiring  to  the  Nation. 
He  did  his  duty  in  it  simply,  courageously,  and  well.  But  if  we  look  for  signal 
displays  of  special  military  ability  in  the  operations,  we  shall  have  to  read  the 
story  over  again  under  the  spell  of  the  enthusiasm  it  first  aroused.  There  wras 
praiseworthy  energy  in  the  prompt  movement  from  Fort  Henry;  there  was  high 
courage  in  undertaking  the  investment  with  only  fifteen  thousand  men ;  but,  yet, 
these  were  qualities  which  many  undistinguished  men  are  constantly  exhibiting. 
One  striking  circumstance  brings  into  bold  relief  one  of  Grant's  strongest  men- 
tal points.  He  secured  Fort  Donelson  when,  after  the  rout  of  his  right  wing,  he 
ordered  Chas.  F.  Smith,  with  the  left,  to  charge  the  enemy's  worksr  v  He  selected 
the  right  man,  and  in  the  midst  of  disaster  he  chose  the  right  moment.  ( 

Then  followed  an  interval  of  civil  administration.  While  Grant  was  be- 
coming the  popular  hero,  he  suddenly  fell  into  disgrace  at  head-quarters.  After 
Donelson,  he  went  up  to  Nashville  with  a  division ;  taking  troops  out  of  his  own 
district  without  cause,  and  intruding  upon  the  independent  department  of  Gen- 
eral Buell,  whom,  by  his  recent  promotion,  he  outranked.  The  last  was  a  breach 
of  military  etiquette,  the  other  something  more.  General  Halleck  further  com- 
plained of  Grant's  failure  to  make  satisfactory  reports  of  the  state  of  his  com- 
mand, and  of  a  prevailing  disposition,  as  he  construed  it,  to  act  independently. 
The  result  was,  that  after  Grant  had  issued  some  orders  to  the  people  of  Tennes- 
see, forbidding  the  Rebel  officers  to  exercise  any  official  functions,  and  directing 
the  conduct  of  his  troops  in  enforcing  martial  law  over  West  Tennessee,  he 
found  himself— just  when  the  expedition  up  the  Tennessee  Eiver  came  to  be 
organized— suddenly  ordered  to  head-quarters  at  Fort  Henry,  and  forbidden  to 
take  the  field.  The  hero  of  Fort  Donelson,  Chas.  F.  Smith,  a  subordinate  of 
Grant's  from  the  outset,  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  troops,  and  Grant 

♦Secretary  Stanton's  Letter  to  New  York  Tribune,  February,  1862. 


Ulysses    S.  Grant.  371 

became  little  better  than  an  Adjutant-General.  Stung  to  the  quick,  he  sent  an 
indignant  letter  to  Halleck,  protesting  against  the  injustice,  complaining  bitterly 
of  anonymous  letters  attacking  him,  and  finally  asking  to  be  relieved  of  com- 
mand! Explanations  however  ensued,  and  ten  days  after  the  issue  of  the  order 
to  quit  the  field  he  was  again  ordered  into  it. 

The  interval  however  was  not  unfruitful.  The  Tennessee  River  Expedition 
had  been  organized;  great  fleets  of  steamboats  had  swept  up  the  stream,  crowded 
with  the  troops  of  six  divisions  and  sixty  regiments.  Sherman  had  been  sent 
to  cut  one  of  the  railroads  leading  into  Corinth,  and  had  failed.  Lew.  Wallace 
sent  to  cut  another,  had  succeeded,  but  in  a  few  days  the  damages  were  repaired. 
Then  the  army  had  been  debarked,  by  an  almost  fatal  error  of  judgment,  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  on  the  South  side  of  the  river,  and  within  easy  striking  dis- 
tance of  the  enemy's  concentration  of  forces  at  Corinth.* 

On  Grant's  arrival  he  found  the  army  scattered  through  the  woods  about 
the  Landing,  like  a  huge  militia  encampment,  preparatory  to  the  annual  mus- 
ter-day; or  like  a  great  Maying  party,  camping  out  for  a  pic-nic.  Troops  es- 
tablished themselves  here  and  there,  it  would  seem,  almost  as  the  spots  happened 
to  strike  the  fancy  of  the  Colonels;  there  was  no  definite  front;  no  relation  of 
one  part  of  the  army  to  another,  such  as  would  go  to  make  up  a  satisfactory 
defensive  line.  The  several  brigades  of  a  division  were  not  even  encamped 
together.    One  of  General  Sherman's  own  brigades  lay  more  than  two  miles  from 

^Subsequent  events  (even  if  abstract  military  principles  were  not  sufficient)  having  seemed 
to  most  men  to  condemn  the  location  of  the  army  on  that  side  the  river,  while  awaiting  BuelPs 
arrival,  General  W.  T.  Sherman  has  volunteered  a  defense  of  General  Grant  in  the  premises. 
Having  first  justified  the  landing  on  the  south  side  and  consequent  exposure  to  an  enemy  believed 
to  be  largely  superior,  with  a  swollen  river  in  the  rear  between  the  army  and  the  one  that  was 
to  re-enforce  it,  on  the  absurd  ground  that  "  it  was  not  then  a  question  of  military  skill  and  strat- 
egy, but  of  courage  and  pluck ;  that  it  was  necessary  that  a  combat,  fierce  and  bitter,  to  test  the 
manhood  of  the  two  armies  should  come  off,  and  that  was  as  good  a  place  as  any;  "  he  continues, 
after  the  pattern  of  the  famous  cracked  kettle  defense :  First,  the  kettle  was  not  returned  to  the 
lender  cracked.  Second,  it  was  cracked  when  it  was  borrowed.  First,  General  Grant  was  not 
wrong  in  locating  the  troops  on  the  enemy's  side  of  the  river.  Second,  he  didn't  locate  them  there 
at  all.  "The  battle-field  was  chosen  by  that  veteran  soldier,  Major-General  Chas.  F.  Smith.  If 
there  were  any  error  in  putting  that  army  on  that  side  the  Tennessee,  exposed  to  the  superior 
force  of  the  enemy  also  assembling  at  Corinth,  the  mistake  was  not  General  Grant's."  These 
statements  of  fact  have  been  questioned  by  officers  of  equal  rank  and  ability.  General  Grant  has 
himself  added  nothing  to  the  controversy,  nor  is  he  likely  to  do  so.  He  has  long  ago  outlived, 
(if  indeed  he  were  ever  subject  to)  the  foolish  vanity  of  thinking  it  necessary  to  prove  that  he 
never  made  a  mistake,  in  order  to  vindicate  his  title  to  greatness 

Of  the  general  issue  thus  raised,  however,  one  thing  ought  to  be  said.  It  is  ungenerous,  and 
likely  to  be  unfair,  after  public  odium  has  attached  to  a  transaction,  to  shift  it  to  a  dead  man's 
shoulders.  Chas.  F.  Smith  can  not  appear  to  tell  us  under  what  stress  of  orders  he  was  acting, 
and  the  General  of  the  schools,  who  from  his  head-quarters  in  St.  Louis  was  then  controlling  the 
campaign,  is  not  the  man  to  tell  for  him.  Furthermore,  Smith,  prostrated  by  disease  incurred  at 
Fort  Donelson,  was  capable  of  giving  active  direction  to  affairs  for  but  a  few  days  subsequent  to 
the  arrival  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  soon  after  he  was  stretched  on  his  death-bed.  Moreover, 
Grant  himself,  restored  to  command,  was  on  the  spot  weeks  before  the  battle.  If  he  had  regarded 
the  position  faulty,  he  was  bound  to  rectify  it.  If,  absorbed  in  the  duties  of  the  head-quarters 
six  miles  below,  he  intrusted  such  duties  in  the  field  to  the  responsible  General  there,  that  Gen- 
eral has  now  no  right  to  shield  himself  from  criticism,  just  or  unjust,  behind  a  hero's  corpse. 


372  Ohio  in  the  War. 

the  rest  of  his  troops,  with  two  other  independent  divisions  thrust  in  between. 
The  ground  was  well  adapted  for  defensive  works,  yet  not  a  rifle-pit  was  dug, 
nor  even  the  simplest  breastwork  of  rails  and  earth  thrown  together.     Slash- 

Of  timbers  could  have  been  made  before  every  camp;  yet  not  a  hatchet  was 
1  to  prepare  an  abattis.  Three  miles  in  advance  ran  a  stream  which  might 
uc!l  have  been  used  as  a  defensive  line;  yet  even  its  crossings  were  not  watched. 
A.fld  still  the  enemy  was  known  to  be  but  a  little  more  than  a  dozen  miles  distant, 
and  was  believed  to  be  in  superior  force.  However  the  dispute  ought  to  be 
decided  as  to  the  responsibility  for  such  errors  at  the  outset,  there  can  be  no 
question  as  to  the  responsibility  for  their  continuance.  To  his  honor,  be  it  said, 
General  Grant  has  never  sought  to  evade  it.  Let  us  gratefully  add,  that  in  all 
his  varied  career  he  has  never  repeated  such  blunders. 

The  army  thus  confronting  the  enemy  had  been  originally  expected  to  ac- 
complish more.  General  Halleck's  first  instructions  were  to  occupy  Florence,  and 
destroy  the  railroad  connections  between  Johnston's  army,  retreating  from  Nash- 
ville, and  that  of  Beauregard,  so  soon  to  retreat  from  Memphis.  Corinth,  Jackson, 
and  Humboldt  were  the  railroad  points  he  hoped  to  strike*.  We  have  seen  that 
the  first  movements  in  this  direction  under  Sherman  and  Wallace  were  abortive. 
Then  came  the  surprise  of  finding  Corinth  occupied  and  fortified,  "with  twenty 
thousand  men  under  Beauregard,"  telegraphed  General  Halleck;  and  "Smith  not 
strong  enough  to  attack."  Next  came  a  determination  to  "land  at  Savannah 
and  establish  a  depot."f  Then,  as  Johnston  fell  back  from  Murfreesboro,  Hal- 
leck, estopped  before  Corinth,  and  finding  it  impossible  to  prevent  the  junction 
of  Johnston  and  Beauregard',  arranged  with  Buell  to  gain  the  co-operation  of  the 
Army  of  the  Ohio.  While  preparing  to  move  in  accordance  with  this  arrange- 
ment, Buell  signified  his  approval  of  Halleck's  dispositions,  thus:  "The  estab- 
lishment of  your  force  on  this  side  of  the  river,  as  high  up  as  possible,  is  evi- 
dently judicious."!  But  what  must  his  astonishment  have  been  on  learning,  a 
week  later,  that  the  column  he  was  already  toiling  overland  to  join,  was  planted 
on  the  opposite  side  of  a  swollen  river,  and  almost  under  the  fortifications  of  the 
concentrating  foe!  He  refused  to  believe  it,  and  telegraphed  to  Gen.  Halleck  for 
information.  What  we  have  now  to  add  would  seem  incredible,  were  not  the 
official  dispatches  on  file.  Whether  General  Halleck  himself  knew  that  his  army 
was  thus  scattered  on  the  south  bank,  with  the  river  in  its  rear  and  the  foe  in  its 
front,  does  not  certainly  appear;  but  it  does  appear  that  if  he  did  know,  he  did 
not,  in  reply  to  this  dispatch,  notify  General  Buell  of  it.||     That  officer  moved  on 

*  "Available  force  gone  up  the  Tennessee  to  destroy  connections  at  Corinth,  Jackson  and 
Humboldt.  ...  It  is  of  vital  importance  to  separate  them  (Beauregard's  troops)  from  John- 
ston's army.  Come  over  to  Savannah  or  Florence  and  we  can  do  it."  Halleck's  dispatch  to  Buell, 
ith  March,  1862. 

"Florence  was  the  point  originally  designated,  but  on  account  of  enemy's  forces  at  Corinth 
and  Humboldt,  it  is  deemed  best  to  land  at  Savannah  and  establish  a  depot."  Halleck  to  Buell, 
10th  March,  1862. 

J  Buell  to  Halleck,  10th  March,  1862 ;  reply  to  dispatch  just  quoted. 

||  Buell's  dispatch,  18th  March,  1862,  said,  "  I  understand  that  General  Grant  is  on  the  east 
(north)  side  of  the  river ;  is  it  not  so? "     Halleck's  reply  "  did  not  inform  him  to  the  contrary." 


Ulysses    8.   Grant.  373 

as  rapidly  as  the  roads  and  bridgeless  streams  would  permit,  but  in  no  special 
haste,  ignorant  of  any  cause  for  special  haste;  actually  requested  by  General 
Halleck  to  halt  at  Waynesboro,  thirty  miles  short  of  the  junction  with  Grant 
till  he  (Halleck)  could  get  ready  to  run  up  from  St.  Louis ;  not  even  notified  by 
Grant  of  the  true  condition  of  affairs;  and  finally— strangest  of  all— he  was 
informed  by  Grant,  as  late  as  the  Saturday  night  before  the  direful  Sunday  of 
Pittsburg  Landing,  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  hasten  his  march  !  *  So  absolute 
was  the  surprise  of  that  fateful  attack. 

Meantime  the  golden  opportunity  had  been  lost.  When  the  army  under 
Chas.  F.  Smith  began  moving  up  the  Tennessee,  Corinth  (next  to  Florence— if 
not  before  it — the  great  objective  point)  could  have  been  seized  by  a  handful  oi 
troops.  When  the  army  was  blindly  striking  at  railroads,  rigjit  and  left,  Corinth 
was  still  feebly  garrisoned.  Beauregard  admits  that  it  was  only  on  the  2d  of 
March  that  he  began  the  effort  to  concentrate  there.  As  late  as  March  6th,  Gen- 
eral Halleck  himself,  .repeating  the  news  sent  "down  the  Tennessee,"  placed 
the  force  at  Corinth  at  only  twenty  thousand;  whereas  the  army  he  had  sent 
against  it  could  even  then  muster  almost  double  that  number.  But  the  chances 
were  flitting  fast.  As  early  as  25th  of  February  General  Sidney  Johnston  had 
declared,  in  a  private  letter  to  Mr.  Davis,  his  determination  to  abandon  Middle 
Tennessee,  and  move  toward  Corinth,  to  co-operate  or  unite  with  Beauregard. 
Buell  moved  from  Nashville  on  the  15th  of  March,  to  form  a  junction  with  Hal- 
leck's  forces  (under  Grant) ;  but,  three  days  afterward,  Sidney  Johnston  was  able 
to  write  Mr.  Davis  again,  "the  passage  is  almost  completed,  and  the  head  of  my 
column  is  already  with  General  Bragg  at  Corinth."  He  adds,  with  a  satisfac- 
tion warranted  by  the  apparent  success  of  his  grand  strategy,  "the  movement 
was  deemed  too  hazardous,  by  the  most  experienced  members  of  my  staff,  but  the 
object  warranted  the  risk.  The  difficulty  of  effecting  a  junction  is  not  wholly 
overcome,  but  it  approaches  completion.  Day  after  to-morrow,  unless  the  enemy 
intercepts  me,  my  force  will  be  with  Bragg."  f  The  "  enemy  "  did  not  "  intercept 
him."  The  junction  was  completed ;  fresh  re-enforcements  arrived  from  Louisiana 
and  other  States;  the  rest  of  Beauregard's  spare  forces  had  been  called  in — alto- 
gether not  less  than  forty  thousand  effective  troops  were  mustered  within  less  than 
a  day's  march  of  our  scattered,  undefended,  unguarded  camps  on  the  Tennessee. 

Moreover  there  was  an  end  to  the  management  of  Floyds  and  Pillows  and 
Tilghmans  in  the  Bebel  army.  The  ablest  soldier  then,  or  ever  espousing  their 
cause,  had  assumed  the  command  in  the  field.  He  had  patiently  borne  the  pop- 
ular clamor  that  followed  his  abandonment  of  Bowling  Green;  had  made  no 

*  Buell  to  Editor  U.  S.  Service  Magazine,  January  19th,  1865.  Halleck  proposed  to  leave 
St.  Louis,  April  7th.  The  battle  began  on  the  6th.  Buell's  words  about  Grant's  communication 
are :  "  The  day  before  his  arrival  at  Savannah,  General  Nelson,  who  commanded  my  leading 
division,  advised  General  Grant,  by  courier,  of  his  approach,  and  was  informed  in  reply,  that  it  was 
unnecessary  to  hasten  his  march,  as  he  could  not,  at  any  rate,  cross  the  river  before  the  following 
Tuesday."  It  will  be  seen  hereafter  in  these  pages  (Life  of  General  Ammen)  that  another  officer 
of  Buell's  army  received  from  Grant  more  striking  statements  to  the  same  effect. 

t  Sidney  Johnston  to  Jeff.  Davis,  March  18,  1862.  (Private  letter  communicated  to  Confed- 
erate Congress.)  -^ 


374  Ohio  in  the  War. 

answer  to  the  storm  that  beat  upon  him  when  his  subordinates  sacrificed  Fort 
Donelson  Now,  at  last,  his  army  was  in  hand;  the  unsuspecting  antagonist  lay 
before  him  inviting  the  blow;  and  on  the  third  of  April  he  announced  to  the 
"Soldiers  of  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,"  that  he  "had  put  them  in  motion  to 
offer  battle  to  the  invaders  of  their  country,"  and  to  "fight  for  all  worth  living 

or  dying  for." 

One  more  opportunity  was  left  for  that  torpid  antagonist.  The  hand  of  God 
interfered  to  work  delay.  Johnston  moved  from  Corinth  by  noon  of  April  3d ;  but 
the  heavens  opened  and  deluged  the  swampy  country  over  which  he  had  to  pass. 
Less  than  seventeen  miles  of  marching  would  bring  him  upon  our  camps;  he  did 
not  accomplish  the  distance  till  the  afternoon  of  the  5th.  One  whole  day  was  spent 
with  an  army  of  forty  thousand  men,  floundering  through  woods  within  the  line 
our  pickets  should  have  occupied.  Even  yet  it  was  not  too  late.  There,  through 
that  long  afternoon  and  evening,  lay  the  Eebel  army,  almost  within  gunshot  of 
the  camps  it  was  to  attack.  If  the  camps  were  without  pickets,  and  the  army 
without  Generals,  it  would  seem,  at  least,  that  the  men  could  scarcely  be  with- 
out ears.  And  yet  day  darkened  into  night  without  alarm;  the  commanding 
General  quietly  returned  to  his  head-quarters  in  Savannah;  the  army  sank  into 
slumber;  the  enemy  in  silent  bivouac  on  its  front  actually  listened  to  its  drums, 
and  was  guided  by  its  "taps"  and  "reveille."  "The  total  absence  of  cavalry 
pickets  from  General  Grant's  army,"  writes  an  officer  of  Beauregard's  staff,* 
"  was  a  matter  of  perfect  amazement.  There  were  absolutely  none  on  Grant's 
left,  where  Breckinridge's  division  was  meeting  him,  so  that  we  were  able  to 
come  up  within  hearing  of  their  drums  entirely  unperceived.  The  Southern 
Generals  always  kept  cavalry  pickets  out  for  miles,  even  when  no  enemy  was 
supposed  to  be  within  a  day's  march  of  them.  The  infantry  pickets  of  Grant's 
forces  were  not  above  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  his  advance  camps,  and  they 
were  too  few  to  make  any  resistance." 

And  yet  there  had  been  enough  to  alarm  any  but  the  blindly  self-confident. 
On  Friday  a  reconnoissance,  a  few  miles  out  from  camp,  had  developed  a  Bebel 
battery  in  position,  and  had  led  to  a  sharp  skirmish,  On  Saturday  there  had  been 
more  or  less  picket  firing;  more  than  one  Colonel  had  felt  it  incumbent  upon 
him  to  give  emphatic  warning  of  the  signs  of  the  enemy's  presence  in  force, 
which  he  could  perceive  on  his  front.  They  were  treated  as  alarmists,  whose 
freshness  from  civil  life  and  ignorance  of  the  noble  art  of  war  must  excuse  their 
nervous  apprehensions !  Saturday  evening,  as  he  passed  down  to  his  head-quar- 
ters at  Savannah,  General  Grant  stopped  at  Crump's  Landing  to  see  General 
Lew.  Wallace.  There  were  some  indications  of  possible  attack,  he  thought ; 
but  if  it  were  really  intended,  it  would  probably  fall  there,  and  not  at  Pittsburg 
Landing.     And  so  we  drifted  into  the  assault. 

Next  morning  it  came.  By  daylight  the  Eebel  divisions  were  in  motion. 
The  shots  of  our  pickets  had  scarcely  been  noticed,  till  such  of  them  as  were 
not  captured  rushed  into  camp.    Almost  simultaneously  crashed  the  first  volley  of 

*"An  Impressed  New  Yorker's  Thirteen  Months  in  the  Kebel  Army."  The  author  of 
this  work  is  Geo.  M.  Stevenson,  son  of  Rev.  Dr.  Stevenson  of  the  American  Tract  Society. 


Ulysses  S.  Gkant.  -  375 

the  advancing  foe  on  Prentiss's  front.  A  little  later  they  struck  Sherman.  Each 
hastened  to  form  line  of  battle.  The  latter  was  successful,  and  for  some  little 
time  held  his  ground.  Prentiss  was  scarcely  so  fortunate.  Meanwhile  the  two 
divisions  had  no  connection  ;  the  enemy  found  the  gap,  and  the  flank  of  each  was 
turned.  Sherman's  left  broke  in  disorder;  the  confusion  was  spreading  to  his 
right  when  the  whole  line  fell  back.  Away  to  the  left  the  enemy  found  another 
gap,  for  Prentiss  had  as  little  connection  with  Sherman's  solitary  brigade  on  the 
extreme  left  as  he  had  with  the  other  brigades  of  that  officer  on  the  extreme 
right.  He  was  flanked  there  also ;  three  sides  were  enfolded  ;  he  fell  back,  fight- 
ing bravely  enough  against  the  inevitable,  and  was  at  length  compelled  to  sur- 
render such  fragments  of  his  force  as  still  retained  their  coherency.  The  enemy 
rushing  in  on  his  left  flank  had  struck  the  right  of  Sherman's  isolated  brigade, 
and  it,  likewise  under  the  same  stress,  was  hurled  backward.  Never  was  there 
a  battle  where  everything  had  been  so  skillfully  arranged  to  court  such  sudden 
disaster.  The  roar  of  the  onslaught  startled  Grant  from  his  peaceful  Sunday 
morning  slumbers,  down  the  river  at  Savannah.  He  hurried  ujd,  on  the  first  steam- 
boat he  could  obtain,  to  find  Prentiss  practically  disappeared  from  the  contest ; 
Sherman's  division  in  confusion  ;  McClernand's,  which  had  hastened  to  support  it, 
crippled,  and  but  Hurlbut  and  W.  H.  L.  Wallace  left  to  save  the  day.  He  strove 
to  make  the  troops  contest  the  ground  more  obstinately,  hurried  forward  sup- 
plies of  cartridges,  and  for  a  time  did  little  more.  He  was  facing  his  superiors 
in  the  art  of  war,  and,  as  he  first  felt  the  weight  of  their  skillful  combinations 
and  resistless  assaults,  we  may  well  believe  that  for  a  moment  there  came  over  ' , 
the  mind  of  our  Infantry  Captain  and  Galena  leather-dealer — now  returned  to 
his  old  profession  to  rival  his  old  masters — a  wish  that  the  confidence  born  of 
Fort  Donelson  had  not  carried  him  so  far.  Eut  he  allowed  no  signs  of  distrust 
to  escape  him.  There  seemed  little  that  he  could  do,  but  he  could  at  least  keep 
up  his  courage.  The  troops  were  beaten  back  from  place  to  place,  with  an  ever 
narrowing  front,  and  a  steadily  swelling  stream  of  deserters  to  the  rear.  The 
bluff  was  alive  with  them.  Miles  down  the  stream  they  made  their  hurried  way 
in  scores  and  hundreds.  Still  the  army  of  forty  thousand,  surprised,  broken  in 
fragments,  driven  piecemeal,  dwindled  to  scarcely  more  than  half  its  number, 
kept  up  a  good  fight.  Never  did  Generals  strive  more  bravely  in  the  field  to 
redeem  their  irredeemable  blunders  in  the  council. 

By  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon  there  remained  for  them  scarcely  more 
than  half  a  mile  of  ground  to  stand  on.  Eebel  shells  were  dropping  among  the 
skulkers  on  the  Landing.  A  staff  officer  was  killed,  almost  at  Grant's  side,  on 
the  bluff.  The  tremendous  roar  to  the  left,  momentarily  nearer  and  nearer,  told 
of  an  effort  to  cut  him  off  from  the  river  and  from  retreat.  Grant  sat  on  his  horse, 
quiet,  thoughtful,  almost  stolid.  Said  one  to  him,  "Does  not  the  prospect  begin 
to  look  gloomy  ?"  "  Not  at  all,"  was  the  quiet  reply.  "  They  can't  force  our  lines 
around  these  batteries  to-night— it  is  too  late.  Delay  counts  everything  with  us. 
To-morrow  we  shall  attack  them  with  fresh  troops  and  drive  them,  of  course."* 

•  I  was  myself  a  listener  to  this  conversation,  and  from  it  I  date,  in  my  own  case  at  least,  the 
beginnings  of  any  belief  in  Grant's  greatness. 


376 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


For  Buell  had  already  arrived  in  person;  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the 
Ohio  was  at  Savannah ;  before  daybreak  almost  the  whole  column  would  be  up. 
There  was  no  consultation  between  the  independent  commanders  now  on  the 
field.  Grant  explained  to  Buell  the  position;  Sherman  furnished  him  with  a 
little  map  of  the  roads,  and,  by  common  consent,  it  was  understood  that  Buell 
was  to  advance  at  daybreak  with  his  fresh  troops  on  the  left,  where  his  fore- 
most division  had  already  done  some  fighting.  Grant  gathered  together  what 
he  could  of  his  army  and  prepared  to  advance  on  the  right. 


PITTSBURC    LANDING    AND    SURROUNDINGS. 

Explanations : 

ove^hLT  f^  h/Tgl?  8UCCC8S-     The  Arm>"  0f  the  0hi0  exte"<^  it"  '™nt 
*m  tluee-fourths  of  the  battle-field;  Grant's  shattered  troops  were  barely  able 


Ulysses    S.    Gtkant.  377 

to  keep  up  the  line  on  the  other  fourth;  hut  there  were  enough — the  day  was 
won.  The  troops  were  too  much  exhausted  for  pursuit,  and  halting  in  the 
camps  from  which  they  had  been  driven  the  day  before,  were  content  to  call  it 
a  victory.  Not  to  be  outdone,  Beauregard  (in  command  since  Sidney  John- 
ston's death  in  the  first  day's  battle)  telegraphed  to  Richmond  that  he  had  won 
a  great  and  glorious  victory;  and  Mr.  Davis  went  so  far  as  to  communicate  the 
glad  tidings  to  the  Confederate  Congress  in  a  special  message. 

The  losses  were  about  equal.  Beauregard  reported  his  at  ten  thousand  six 
hundred  and  ninety-nine  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  Grant  estimated  his  at 
five  thousand  killed  and  wounded,  while  two  thousand  two  hundred  prisoners 
were  known  to  be  taken  with  Prentiss.  The  incomplete  reports  of  the  subor- 
dinates, however,  subsequently  showed  a  loss  often  thousand  six  hundred  killed 
and  wounded.  Altogether  our  loss  must  have  been  fifteen  thousand,  and  Beau- 
regard's could  not  have  fallen  many  hundreds  below  the  same  figure.  On  the 
first  day  the  contending  forces  were  about  equal.  On  the  second  Beauregard 
was  largely  outnumbered. 

J  Of  General  Grant's  conduct  during  this  battle  nothing  can  be  said  but 
praise;  of  his  conduct  before  it  little  but  blame.  Flushed  with  Donelson,  and 
seeming  to  despise  his  antagonist,  he  neglected  almost  every  precaution  and 
violated  almost  every  rule  of  his  profession.  Believing  the  enemy  to  be  largely 
superior  in  numbers,  he  lay,  awaiting  Buell's  army,  in  a  position  inherently 
false  and  dangerous.*  The  order  of  his  encampments  was  worse  even  than  the 
position.  "With  an  enemy  in  front,"  says  Montecuculli,  "an  army  should 
always  encamp  in  order  of  battle."  It  is  Napoleon  himself  who  tells  us  that 
"encampments  of  the  same  army  should  always  be  formed  so  as  to  protect  each 
other;"  and  again,  that  "it  should  be  laid  down  as  a  principle  never  to  leave 
intervals  by  which  the  enemy  can  penetrate  between  corps."  The  neglect  to 
fortify  is  palliated  by  the  popular  dislike  then  existing  to  the  spade  as  a  weapon. 
But  officers  who  had  studied  war  and  knew  its  requirements  could  scarcely  have 
forgotten  the  spirit,  even  if  they  had  failed  to  recall  the  words  of  the  great  Master 
of  War,  when  he  declared  that,  in  the  presence  of  an  enemy,  "it  is  necessary  to 
intrench  every  night,  and  occupy  a  good  defensive  position."  f  The  neglect  of 
pickets  and  out-posts  approached  criminality.  That  an  enemy,  forty  thousand 
strong,  only  eighteen  miles  distant  at  the  outset,  and  hourly  approaching,  could 
spend  three  days  preparing  to  attack  and  in  leisurely  selecting  its  positions, 
without  discovery  by  the  antagonist  General,  will  seem  to  the  next  generation 
preposterous  and  incredible.  When  the  storm  which  he  thus  invited  had  burst, 
when  he  found  how  disaster  was  enveloping  his  army,  and  saw  divisions  melt- 
ing bodily  out  of  his  grasp,  Grant  rose  to  the  height  of  a  hero.  More  than  that, 
he  rose  (and  for  the  first  time  on  that  movement)  to  the  height  of  a  General. 
"For  it  is  the  first  qualification  of  a  General-in-chief,"  says  Napoleon  again,  "to 
have  a  cool  head."     The  man  who  amid  the  disasters  of  that  day  could  calmly 

-Napoleon  laid  it  down  as  a  maxim  of  war,  that  "when  the  conquest  of  a  country  is  under- 
taken by  two  or  three  armies,  having  separate  lines  until  they  arrive  at  a  point  fixed  upon  for 
their  concentration,  the  union  of  these  different  corps  should  never  take  place  near  the  enemy." 


378  Ohio  in  the   Wae. 

reason  out  the  certainty  of  success  to-morrow,  gave  proof,  in  spite  of  blunders 
that  under  most  managements  would  have  cashiered  him,  of  his  capacity  to 
lead  the  hosts  of  Freedom  in  greater  struggles  yet  to  come. 

/  The  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  added  to  Grant's  reputation  at  the  East, 
and  increased  his  already  rapidly  rising  popularity.  In  the  West,  where  it  was 
better  understood,  where  the  ghastly  losses  were  felt  and  the  causes  were  known, 
it  was  held  to  be  sufficient  reason  for  his  removal  from  command.  The  Gover- 
nors of  several  Western  States  requested  his  removal  on  the  grounds  of  inca- 
pacity and  alleged  intoxication.  The  fearful  loss  of  life  was  charged  directly  to 
his  negligence,  and  exaggerated  stories  of  his  habits  were  widely  circulated. 
Bven  the  gross  slander,  that  explained  the  disasters  of  the  first  day's  battle  by 
the  allegation  of  Grant's  absence  for  hours  in  a  state  of  intoxication  at  Savan- 
nah, found  ready  believers,  f 

In  the  midst  of  all  this,  General  Halleck  hurried  from  St.  Louis  to  take 
personal  control,  and  thus  illustrate  to  the  Nation  what  one,  who  had  gained 
such  brilliant  victories  from  his  remote  head-quarters,  could  accomplish  when 
once  his  martial  tread  shook  the  actual  field.  One  of  his  earliest  deeds  was  to 
deprive  Grant  of  all  command.  But  Halleck  had  been  lawyer  quite  as  much 
as  soldier;  and  his  explanation  to  the  victim,  of  the  high  honor  he  did  him  in 
thus  beheading  him,  was  a  masterpiece  of  lawyer-like  strategy.  General  Grant 
was  the  second  in  command;  therefore  it  was  necessary  that  he  should  have  no 
command.  For,  in  the  event,  which  his  constant  exposure  made  hourly  immi- 
nent, of  the  General-in-chief  's  being  killed  or  disabled,  it  was  necessary  that  the 
next  in  rank  should  be  ready  on  the  instant,  and  disengaged  from  other  duties. 
"  The  General  studied  a  long  while  over  that  stroke,  and  seemed  mightily  pleased 
at  the  shape  he  gave  it,"  said  an  admiring  staff  officer. 

Grant  tried  hard  to  believe  in  the  theory,  but  his  sturdy  common  sense  was 
too  much  for  it.  Indeed,  there  were  times  during  that  weary  two  months' 
"siege"  of  Corinth  when  those  who  entered  his  tent  found  him  almost  in 
tears — contemplating,  once  it  is  said,  the  tender  of  his  resignation  as  a  means 
of  escape  from  a  position  which  he  felt  to  be  humiliating.  In  these  dark  days 
he  had  a  constant  friend  in  General  Sherman— a  fact  not  without  its  influence 
in  the  later  career  of  both. 

Halleck's  summons  to  the  East  as  General-in-chief,  not  long  after  the 
evacuation  of  Corinth,  left  Grant  again  in  active  command.  For  a  time  there 
was  little  to  do.  The  campaign  that,  opening  so  bravely  amid  winter  snows 
around  Donelson  and  Henry,  had  swept  the  Eebels  from  Bowling  Green  to 
Corinth,  from  Columbus  to  Yicksburg,  frittered  itself  away  by  early  summer,  in 
inconsequential  pursuits  and  final  stagnation.  The  enemy  had  time  to  recover 
from  blows  that  had  well-nigh  proved  mortal,  to  concentrate  his  scattered  forces, 
and  to  resume  the  offensive.  For  this  it  is  not  plain  that  Grant  should  be  held 
in  any  sense  responsible.  He  had  always  advocated  vigorous  action,  to  the 
extent  indeed  of  taking  too  little  rather  than  too  much  time  for  preparation. 
Through  all  the  amazing  delays  at  Corinth  he  had  urged  advance,  and  it  may 


Ulysses    S.   (jeant.  379 

well  be  believed  that  his  natural  bent  was  not  changed  when  power  was  at  last 
lodged  again  in  his  hands. 

The  limits  of  his  command  naturally  placed  before  him  the  task  of  opening 
the  Mississippi.  It  was  not  till  27th  of  November  that  he  was  able  to  set  about 
it.  This  interval  of  six  months  after  the  fall  of  Corinth,  was  spent  in  civil 
administration,  and  in  a  couple  of  battles  directed  by  Grant  and  fought  by 
Eosecrans.  At  first  Grant  established  his  head-quarters  at  Memphis.  Presently 
it  was  discovered  that  the  resident  families  of  Eebel  officers  were  constantly 
furnishing  them  news  of  the  movements  and  numbers  of  troops.  To  prevent 
this,  such  families  were  peremptorily  ordered  beyond  the  lines.  Subsequently 
the  order  was  so  far  modified  as  to  permit  those  to  remain  who  chose  to  give 
their  word  of  honor  not  to  communicate  with  the  Eebel  army.  An  order  hold- 
ing the  communities  which  sustained  guerrilla  bands  pecuniarily  liable  for  their 
outrages,  struck  at  the  root  of  the  system.  A  disloyal  newspaper  was  sum- 
marily suppressed.  Efforts  were  made  to  keep  back  the  swarm  of  unprincipled 
speculators  who  hastened  South,  loaded  with  specie,  to  cross  the  lines  and  trade 
with  the  Eebels:  The  runaway  slaves  who  crowded  his  camps  were  organized 
into  companies  and  made  to  earn  a  living  by  being  set  to  work  picking  cotton. 
The  army  was  rigorously  forbidden  to  interfere  with  the  natural  workings  of 
the  slavery  question.  Slaves  were  neither  to  be  enticed  away  from  their  mas- 
ters nor  returned  to  them.  A  regiment  that  had  been  guilty  of  pillaging  to  a 
disgraceful  extent,  found  itself  charged  with  the  value  of  its  robberies  when  the 
paymaster  came  around.  The  Jews,  as  a  class,  were  arraigned  for  "violating 
every  regulation  of  trade  established,"  and  were  ordered  out  of  the  department 
on  twenty-four  hours'  notice,  not  to  return  under  penalty  of  imprisonment. 

Some  of  these  orders  were  perhaps  indiscreet;  the  most  were  well-judged 
and  had  a  happy  effect.  Grant's  strong  common  sense  was  conspicuous  through 
the  various  work;  but  the  chaotic  condition  of  civil  affairs  in  the  conquered 
territory,  and  the  confusion  of  trade  regulations  under  conflicting  authorities 
rendered  it  impossible  that  the  labors  of  any  one  should  be  satisfactory  or 
complete. 

The  midsummer  repose  was  broken  by  the  advance  of  the  columns  which 
the  Eebels  had  been  given  time  to  re-assemble.  Yan  Dora  and  Price  were  the 
leaders.  The  designs  were  uncertain;  but  the  first  demonstration  was  an  effort 
to  break  the  line  between  Memphis  and  Corinth.  Grant  drew  back  his  isolated 
garrisons  before  the  advance,  and  suffered  Price  to  take  quiet  possession  of  Iuka. 
Then,  learning  that  Yan  Dorn  could  not  come  up  for  four  or  five  days,  he  sud- 
denly concentrated  upon  Price.  Ord,  with  six  thousand  five  hundred  men,  was 
to  come  in  from  the  north;  Eosecrans,  with  nine  thousand,  from  the  direction  of 
Jacinto.  Grant  remained  with  Ord's  column,  which  was  to  attack  as  soon  as 
Eosecrans  could  get  up  on  the  opposite  side.  Unfortunately  a  strong  wind  was 
blowing  directly  against  this  advance,  and  the  sound  of  Eosecrans's  cannonade 
was  not  heard.  Grant,  resting  on  the  idea  that  as  his  march  was  a  long  one, 
he  could  hardly  be  expected  so  soon,  held  Ord  back,  and  thus  Eosecrans  was  left 
to  fight  the  battle  alone.     Next  morning  Price,  discovering  his  danger,  had  re- 


380  Ohio  in  the  War. 

• 

treated,  and  the  chance  of  closing  with  a  consolidated   force  of  near  sixteen 
thousand  upon  Price's  twelve  thousand,  and  crushing  it,  was  lost. 

Van  Dorn  next  advanced  upon  Corinth.  Grant  entrusted  its  defense  to 
Eosecrans,  and  disposed  his  remaining  forces  with  a  view  to  protect  other  points 
if  the  movement  on  Corinth  should  prove  only  a  feint.  Eosecrans  was  attacked 
with  a  desperation  that  made  Corinth  one  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  of  the 
war.  The  close  of  the  second  day  saw  Van  Dorn  with  his  combined  forces  in 
full  flight  Grant  had  already  forwarded  fresh  troops  to  Eosecrans  for  the  pur- 
suit; he  now  threw  in  Ord  upon  the  flank  of  the  beaten  enemy  and  inflicted  still 
further  punishment.  The  brief  little  campaign  was  admirably  managed.  The 
pursuit  might  have  been  more  energetically  pushed,  but  there  were  reasons  for 
delay  that  may  leave  Grant  free  from  blame. 

The  battle  of  Corinth  was  fought  on  the  4th  of  October.  It  was  nearly  two 
months  later  before  Grant  again  advanced.  The  enemy  was  now  posted  on  the 
Tallahatchie,  to  the  south-west  of  Grand  Junction  and  Corinth,  where  he  covered 
Vicksburg  and  Jackson.  Grant  himself  moved  down  on  his  front,  while  he  sent 
a  small  force  from  Helena,  striking  eastward  across  the  country,  to  demonstrate 
upon  his  rear  and  cut  off  his  supplies.  So  marked  was  the  effect  of  this  demon- 
stration that  the  enemy  hastily  abandoned  the  line  of  the  Tallahatchie,  and  fell 
hack  upon  the  Yallabusha.  Grant  pressed  steadily  down  into  the  interior,  leav- 
ing in  his  trail  a  long  train  of  posts  to  be  garrisoned,  the  loss  of  any  one  of 
which  would  inevitably  throw  him  back  upon  his  base.  It  was  a  hazardous 
experiment,  but  one  that  promised  brilliant  results  if  successful. 

Whether  this  movement  had  originally  been  designed  as  one  against  Vicks- 
burg does  not  appear;  but  about  this  time  General  Halleck  sent  orders  from 
Washington  that  a  direct  expedition  against  Vicksburg  should  be  started.  Gen- 
eral Sherman  was  at  once  sent  back  to  Memphis  to  organize  it,  with  orders  to 
"proceed  to  the  reduction  of  Vicksburg."  The  garrison,  it  was  hoped,  would 
be  found  weak;  and  Grant's  advance  was  relied  on  to  keep  the  Eebel  army,  then 
on  the  Yallabusha,  too  fully  occupied  to  relieve  it. 

Such  were  the  plans  when  a  single  stroke  disarranged  them  all,  and  left,  in 
place  of  the  victory  that  had  been  hoped,  a  barren  record  of  retreat  for  one 
column  and  a  bloody  repulse  for  the  other.  Grant  had  made  Holly  Springs 
the  immediate  base  of  supplies  for  his  advance,  and  had  left  it  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Murphy,  with  a  garrison  of  a  thousand  men.  Supplies  and 
transportation  had  been  accumulated  here  to  the  value  of  over  four  millions  of 
dollars.  The  Eebel  cavalry  were  suddenly  discovered  dashing  past  Grant's 
column,  with  evident  design  to  cut  his  communication.  In  alarm  for  his  sup- 
plies he  sent  word  to  Murphy  of  the  impending  danger,  and  hurried  four  regi- 
ments back  to  re-enforce  him.  The  regiments  were  delayed;  Murphy  proved 
himself  an  imbecile;  the  post  was  surrendered  without  firing  a  shot;  Van  Dorn 
destroyed  everything  in  hot  haste,  and  pushed  on  to  other  posts  in  quest  of 
further  work.  It  was  the  defeat  of  the  whole  movement.  Grant  moved  back, 
and  the  enemy  was  left  to  devote  his  attention  undisturbed  to  Vicksburg. 

Sherman,  unfortunately,  started  the  day  after  this  disaster,  and  before  he  had 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  381 

heard  of  it.  He  reached  the  northern  defenses  of  Vicksburg,  made  a  gallant 
and  bloody  assault,  was  repulsed  with  heavy  loss,  and  was  forced  to  abandon 
his  effort. 

And  so,  by  the  opening  of  1863,  Grant  found  himself  fairly  confronted  with 
the  problem  of  Yicksburg.  His  most  trusted  Lieutenant  had  essayed  it  and 
failed.  He  had  himself  essayed  a  co-operative  movement  and  failed.  The 
Administration  said:  "Take  Yicksburg."  The  people  grew  restive  under  the 
delay  in  fulfilling  the  order.  To  their  minds  the  Great  Eiver  was  the  symbol  of 
the  Union.  Till  every  obstruction  to  its  peaceful  flow  was  burst  off,  they  could 
see  no  hopeful  issue  to  the  conflict.  About  this  time,  too,  the  whole  horizon  was 
dark.  The  partisans  of  McClellan  waged  fierce  war  upon  the  Government  that 
had  removed  their  favorite;  his  enemies  shrank  appalled,  as  by  their  own  handi- 
work, from  the  ghastly  slaughter  of  our  bravest  which  his  incompetent  successor 
had  wrought  on  the  heights  of  Fredericksburg.  The  capture  of  New  Orleans 
had  led  to  none  of  the  expected  results.  Operations  on  the  sea-coast  were  frivo- 
lous and  inconsequential.  At  a  great  cost  the  old  Army  of  the  Ohio  had,  before 
Nashville,  maintained  its  ground,  without  the  ability  to  advance.  From  the  sea 
to  the  river  our  armies  seemed  paralyzed.  The  opponents  of  the  war  at  the 
North,  encouraged  by  these  indications,  ventured  upon  an  opener  course.  Their 
able  representatives  in  Congress  pointed  to  the  failures  of  two  bloody  years  as 
proof  that  the  seceded  States  could  never  be  subdued;  demanded  a  cessation  of 
hostilities;  declared  that  continuance  of  the  struggle  would  insure  the  eternal 
separation  of  the  South.  Their  eloquent  spokesman  warned  the  Government 
that,  in  such  case,  the  North-West  would  go  with  the  South.  If  war  could  not 
open  the  Father  of  Waters,  the  men  who  dwelt  on  its  tributaries  and  about  its 
sources  would  make  peace  to  accomplish  the  end.  "There  is  not  one  drop  of 
rain  that  falls  over  the  whole  vast  expanse  of  the  North-West,"  he  exclaimed 
with  threatening  emphasis,  and  with  the  instant  applause  of  his  great  party, 
"that  does  not  find  its  home  in.  the  bosom  of  the  Gulf.  We  must  and  we  will 
follow  it,  with  travel  and  trade,  not  by  treaty  but  by  right;  freely,  peaceably,  . 
and  without  restriction  or  tribute,  under  the  same  Government  and  flag."* 

Unmoved  by  the  clamor  that  thus  agitated  the  public  mind  and  gave  fever-  * 
ish  interest  to  his  operations;  unmoved  likewise  by  the  signs  of  his  own  growing 
unpopularity,  the  stories  about  his  habits,  the  comments  on  his  Mississippi  failure,  ( 
the  censures  of  his  negligence  in  leaving  Holly  Springs  with  defense  so  inade- 
quately proportioned  to  the  importance  of  the  post — moved  by  none  of  these 
things  from  his  equable  calm,  Grant,  still  with  the  fullest  support  of  the  Govern-    ? 
ment,  began  his  study  of  the  Yicksburg  problem. 

It  was  evident  that  the  conditions  were  different  from  those  under  which 
the  other  strongholds  along  the  Mississippi  had  been  successively  secured.  The 
naval  force  had  in  every  case  proved  insufficient  to  reduce  the  Rebel  batteries 
which  blocked  the  navigation,  so  long  as  their  garrisons  were  free  from  menace 

*  Yallandigham's  Speech  on  Wright's  Eesolutions,  37th  Cong.,  2d  Sess.,  Jan.,  1863.      . 


382  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

by  a  superior  land  column.  But  the  moment  that  an  army  in  the  interior 
endangered  the  communications  of  the  garrison,  the  post  had  fallen.  With  the 
establishment  of  Grant's  forces  at  Fort  Donelson,  Columbus  had  been  abandoned. 
With  Pope's  appearance  below  it,  Island  No.  10  had  been  abandoned.  With  the* 
evacuation  of  Corinth  came  the  evacuation  of  Fort  Pillow,  and  the  resulting  fall 
of  Memphis.  With  the  occupation  of  Jackson,  which  Grant  had  essayed,  might 
have  come  Sherman's  occupation  of  Vicksburg.  But  Grant  had  failed  to  keep 
open  his  communications  on  his  march  toward  Jackson;  and  whether  he 
might  have  done  better  again  or  not,  he  abandoned  the  effort,  and  committed 
himself  to  the  radically  false  movement*  of  passing  directly  down  the  river. 

He  was  not  long  indeed  in  discovering  the  error;  but  the  steps  could  not 
well  be  retraced.  Thenceforward  his  mind  was  wholly  turned  upon  efforts  to 
find  some  way  of  vaulting  from  the  river  in  the  front,  to  the  hills  in  the  rear  of 
Vicksburg.  And  here  it  was  that  the  peculiar  difficulties  of  the  problem  were 
encountered. 

This  city  of  Vicksburg  is  situated  at  the  eastern  end  of  a  great  bend  of 
the  Misssisippi,  and  on  its  eastern  bank.  Its  high  bluffs  render  direct  assault 
from  the  front  an  impracticable  thing.  It  is  now  to  be  seen  that  a  movement 
from  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi  above  it,  around  to  its  rear,  was  likewise  an 
impracticable  thing.  A  few  miles  above  Vicksburg  the  Yazoo  river  empties  into 
the  Mississippi,  on  the  eastern  side.  The  hills  which  skirt  Vicksburg  extend 
northward,  forming  a  good  defensive  line  up  to  Haines's  Bluff  on  the  Yazoo, 
twelve  miles  from  its  confluence  with  the  Mississippi.  In  front  of  these  hills  lay 
swamps,  dense  woods,  and  an  old  bed  of  the  Yazoo — an  uncertain  region,  neither 
land  nor  water,  but  presenting  the  obstacles  of  both,  and  admirably  improved  by 
the  Eebel  commander.  The  batteries  at  Haines's  Bluff  effectually  closed  the 
Yazoo  to  our  gunboats ;  the  defensive  line  thence  to  Vicksburg,  just  described, 
barred  an  advance  by  the  land  forces. 

This  then  was  the  problem  :  How  should  the  army  be  planted  in  the  rear  of 
Vicksburg  and  supplied?  The  route  overland,  via  Holly  Springs,  having  been 
definitely  abandoned,  but  two  possible  lines  of  supply  seemed  left.  If  the  Yazoo 
could  be  used,  the  army  might  reach  the  rear  of  Vicksburg  from  the  north  side. 
If  the  Mississippi  could  be  used,  it  might  reach  the  rear  from  the  south  side. 
But  we  have  seen  that  the  Yazoo  was  closed  by  the  batteries  of  Haines's  Bluff, 
the  Mississippi  by  the  batteries  of  Vicksburg  itself. 

Months  were  spent  in  efforts  to  evade  first  the  one  and  then  the  other.  All 
were  futile;  and  failure  after  failure  served  at  once  to  strengthen  the  opposition 
at  the  North,  to  embarrass  the  Government,  and  to  discourage  the  army. 

*  High  authorities  will  condemn  this  censure.  But  I  find  myself  fortified  in  it,  not  merely  by 
the  abstract  principles  of  war,  but  by  the  openly  expressed  conviction  of  so  eminent  a  soldier 
and  so  distinguished  a  friend  of  Grant's  as  General  Sherman.  In  his  speech,  July  20th,  1865,  at  a 
banquet  given  in  his  honor,  at  St.  Louis,  General  Sherman,  after  referring  to  the  canals  and  the 
drowning  on  the  levee  like  muskrate,"  said  :  "  All  that  time  the  true  movement  was  the  origi- 
nal movement,  and  everything  approximating  it  came  nearer  the  truth.  But  we  could  not  make  a 
retrograde  movement.  Why  ?  Because  you  people  of  the  North  were  too  noisy.  We  could  not 
take  any  step  backward,  and  for  that  reason  we  were  forced  to  run  the  batteries  at  Vicksburg." 


Ulysses   S.   Grant. 


383 


The  first  project  was  to  open  the  Mississippi  by  cutting  a  canal  (scarcely  a  mile 
in  length),  directly  across  the  neck  of  land  around  which  the  river  bends,  to  wash 
the  bluffs  of  the  threatened  city.     This  would  have  opened  a  line  of  supply  to 


VICKSBURC  AND  SURROUNDINGS 


the  southward— even  if  the  channel  had  not  been  permanently  changed— and 
would  thus  have  enabled  Grant  to  move  from  the  south  side  to  the  rear  of  Vicks- 
burg.  The  work  was  energetically  prosecuted,  but  before  the  canal  was  deep 
enough,  the  rising  river  swept  in  the  dam  at  its  upper  end,  flooded  the  camps 
and  drove  off.  the  workmen.  Even  then  the  undertaking  might  have  been  a 
success ;  but  the  upper  end  of  the  canal  had  been  located  exactly  at  a  powerful 
eddy  in  the  river,  which  effectually  prevented  the  current  from  entering  it. 
And— as  if  the  planners  had  predestinated  failure— even  if  the  canal  had  been 


3S4  Ohio  in  the  War. 

made  navigable,  it  must  have  been  useless,  for  it  entered  the  Mississippi  again, 
directly  under  heavy  batteries  of  the  enemy.  The  river  rose  none  too  soon  to 
prevent  further  waste  of  time  on  a  scheme  like  this. 

Still  seeking  a  route  down  the  river  by  which  he  might  supply  his  army 
below,  Grant  next  bethought  him  of  the  chain  of  lakes  and  ponds  and  stagnant 

•is  through  the  swamps  of  Louisiana,  connecting  Lake  Providence  (lying 
only  a  mile  west  of  the  Mississippi)  with  the  Tensas  Eiver,  which,  through  the 
Red,  leads  again  into  the  Mississippi  far  below  Natchez.  Chimerical,  indeed, 
must  have  been  the  visions  of  relief  from  the  remorseless  conditions  of  his  prob- 
lem that  were  swarming  before  the  mind  of  the  puzzled  General,  when  the 
project  of  opening  and  defending  a  line  like  this,  through  the  enemy's  country, 
was  seriously  entertained.  But  a  canal  from  the  Mississippi  into  Lake  Provi- 
dence was  begun,  and  for  a  time  the  troops  were  kept  busy  with  the  spade 

upon  it. 

Scarcely  less  unpromising  was  another  wild  etfort,  the  last  of  the  schemes 
for  evading  Yicksburg  and  still  descending  the  Mississippi.  Near  Milliken's 
Bend  are  certain  Louisiana  bayous,  sluggish  wastes  of  water  in  that  "half-made 
land,"  which,  during  the  spring  freshets,  swell  into  navigable  streams.  By  one 
tortuous  connection  and  another,  through  cypress  swamps  innumerable,  it  was 
just  possible  that  a  shallop  could  be  floated  along  these  bayous,  at  flood  time, 
till  it  should  strike  the  Tensas,  and  thus  again  reach  the  Mississippi,  through  the 
Red,  half  way  down  to  New  Orleans.  Along  this  circuitous  route  an  effort  was 
actually  made  to  dredge  a  channel.  Presently  the  river  fell,  the  bayous  shrank 
again  into  scum-covered  ponds,  the  connections  with  each  other  stiffened  into 
mud,  and.  mayhap,  before  the  season  ended,  cotton  stalks  were  growing  along 
the  track  the  dredge  boats  had  marked. 

With  this  ended  the  series  of  efforts  to  evade  the  Yicksburg  batteries,  and 
still  find  a  line  for  supplies  down  the  river. 

Meantime  more  promising  plans  were  projected.  We  have  seen  that  if  the 
waters  of  the  Yazoo  could  be  reached,  that  stream  would  furnish  a  line,  by  the 
aid  of  which  the  army  might  safely  essay  from  the  northward  a  movement  to 
the  rear  of  the  defenses  of  its  long-coveted  prize.  The  mouth  of  the  Yazoo 
Deing  closed  by  these  defenses  themselves,  it  became  necessary  to  seek  some 
other  and  unknown  way  of  bursting  into  that  river.  Far  up  the  Mississippi — 
well-nigh  to  Memphis  itself— lies  one  of  those  anomalous  sheets  of  water  that 
line  the  banks  of  the  Great  River, — tributaries  in  its  weakness,  parasites  in  its 
strength.  This  connects  with  a  little  lake,  this  again  with  the  head-waters  of 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  Tallahatchie,  and  through  it  with  the  Yazoo.  Such 
is  the  route  which  now  came  to  be  known  to  the  baffled,  struggling  army,  as  the 
Yazoo  Pass.  An  expedition  was  formed  to  enter  it,  and  after  incredible  labor, 
navigating  those  dark,  interminably  winding  aisles  of  cypress,  the  Tallahatchie 
was  fairly  reached,  early  in  March.  "But,"  to  take  'General  Grant's  own 
explanation,  "while  my  forces  were  opening  one  end  of  the  pass  the  enemy  was 
diligently  closing  the  other."  Just  as  the  leaders  of  the  expedition  imagined 
that  they  were  about  to  reach  the  goal  of  all  their  labors  (the  Yazoo)  and  sweep 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  385 

down  from  the  rear  upon  the  batteries  of  Haines's  Bluff,  they  were  suddenly 
stopped  by  a  fort  the  Eebels  had  been  busily  building  at  the  junction  of  the 
Tallahatchie  with  the  Yazoo.  It  proved  too  strong  for  the  gunboats;  the  high 
water  prevented  the  land  forces  from  co-operating  in  an  attack:  and  so,  by  21st 
March,  the  movement  that  had  come  so  near  success  was  abandoned,  and  the 
expedition  returned. 

But  there  yet  remained  a  roundabout  road  to  the  Y^azoo,— so  obscure  that 
perhaps  the  Eebels  had  not  obstructed  it.  Parallel  with  the  Tallahatchie,  and 
like  it,  emptying  into  the  Yazoo,  but  nearer  the  Mississippi,  with  a  more  slug- 
gish current,  a  shallower  channel  and  more  confusedly  winding  course,  ran  the 
Big  Sunflower.  It  too  could  be  reached,  through  lakes  and  bayous  and  ponds, 
from  Yazoo  Pass.  Into  this  the  gunboats  now  adventured.  The  trees  from 
either  bank  interlaced  their  branches  above;  cypress  trees  rose  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  channel ;  here  and  there  a  sturdy  cypress  stood  fair  in  the  path  the 
boats  must  take;  logs  and  brush  floated  idly  on  the  surface  of  the  dark  lagoons. 
"Every  foot  of  our  way,"  wrote  an  officer,  "was  cut  and  torn  through  a  dense 
forest  never  before  traversed  by  steamers."  Delays  were  necessary,  arising 
mainly  from  the  utter  ignorance  of  steamboatmen  and  all  others  as  to  the  nature 
of  the  waters  thus  to  be  navigated.  The  enemy  discovered  the  movement  and 
prepared  to  check  it;  and  so,  when  almost  ready  to  emerge  into  the  Yazoo,  this 
last  of  the  failures  returned. 

Three  months  had  now  been  consumed,  and  the  army  that  had  been 
expected  to  storm  Vicksburg  still  lay  on  the  Louisiana  shore,  with  the  Missis- 
sippi river  between  it  and  its  goal.  It  was  in  good  health,  for  at  that  season  the 
evils  of  the  climate  and  of  the  swamp  are  not  felt;  but  to  the  excited  appre- 
hensions of  the  people  at  home,  who  knew  their  sons  to  be  aimlessly  crowded 
on  levees  or  wading  through  dark  morasses,  to  no  successful  end,  the  condition 
of  the  troops  became  a  matter  of  keenest  apprehension.  Meantime,  all  that  the 
country  knew  wras  that  effort  after  effort  had  failed;  that  now  seven  distinct 
and  successive  undertakings  against  Yicksburg,  six  of  them  under  General 
Grant's  sole  direction,  had  fallen  impotent,  and  had  only  aroused  the  mirth  of 
the  enemy,  who  jeered  at  the  Yankee  ditch-diggers.  One  by  one,  those  wise 
men  of  the  East,  who  had  followed  the  rising  star  from  Fort  Donelson,  fell  off. 
Long  since  it  had  been  possible  to  number,  with  few  figures,  Grant's  friends  at 
the  West.  "There  was  a  time,"  said  Mr.  Lincoln,  "when  I  stood  almost  alone 
in  supporting  him."  The  clamor  for  his  removal  swelled.  Even  that  sturdiest 
of  champions  for  a  friend's  cause,  the  Congressman  from  Grant's  own  district, 
wrho  had  already  tilted  many  a  parliamentary  joust  in  his  favor,  grew  luke- 
warm. Slanders  revived.  "  The  army  was  being  ruined,"  said  the  coarsest  and 
most  reckless  of  the  newspapers,  "in  mud-turtle  expeditions,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  a  drunkard,  whose  confidential  adviser  was  a  lunatic."  It  was  the  crisis 
of  Grant's  career.  One  thing,  one  only,  stood  between  him  and  a  removal, 
which  would  have  consigned  him  to  the  purgatory  of  broken-down  Generals, 
with  a  record  that,  in  the  light  of  this  final  failure,  would  have  been  read  as  one 
of  unbroken  blunders  and  disasters,  relieved  only  by  a  victory  that  another  had 
Vol.  L— 25. 


3g6  Ohio  in   the  War. 


won 


for  him  at  Donelson.  The  confidence  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  though  sadly 
shaken,  did  not  yet  give  way;  he  would  "let  Grant  try  once  more."  And  it  is 
10  he  specially  noted  that,  in  so  resolving,  he  resolved  likewise  that  the  General 
ill  us  favored  should  be  supplied  with  every  re-enforcement  and  appliance  for 
which  he  asked.  With  such  hard  fortune  as  befell  other  Generals  in  similar 
straits,  Grant  must  inevitably  have  gone  down  like  them.  But  while  McClellan, 
in  the  midst  of  the  like  futile  attempts  against  a  Eebel  stronghold,  clamoring  for 
re-enforcements,  was  denied— while  Eosecrans,  piteously  begging  for  troops,  was 
told  to  cease  his  importunity  and  use  what  he  had— Grant,  in  greater  disfavor 
now  than  either,  was  still  supported  with  generous  and  unstinting  hand.  What- 
ever he  sought,  that  he  straightway  received. 

The  endangered  General  himself  bore  stoutly  up.  Through  all  this  flounder- 
ing for  a  plan  of  operations,  one  feature  of  his  character  shines  clear — he  did 
not  see  how  to  take  Vicksburg;  but  without  discouragement,  or  despondency  at 
failures  that  would  have  broken  down  most  men,  with  unabated  hope,  indeed,  he 
resolutely  continued  to  face  the  problem. 

"All  this  while,"  says  General  Sherman,  "the  true  movement  was  the  origi- 
nal movement," — that  is,  the  march  from  Memphis  via  Holly  Springs  upon 
Jackson — and  in  this  verdict  that  eminent  General  unquestionably  follows  the 
teachings  of  sound  military  science.  That,  at  the  time,  he  urged  upon  General 
Grant  a  return  to  Memphis  to  undertake  the  campaign  over  again  on  some  such 
route  is  well  understood  ;*  that  Grant  was  for  a  time  impressed  by  the  suggestion 
seems  probable.  But  our  "  uncle-like  youth"  had  been  growing.  Repeated 
failures  had  cleared  his  vision  and  inflamed  his  resolution;  till  now,  determined 
not  to  go  back,  he  had  wrought  himself  up  to  the  point  of  an  undertaking, 
obvious  enough  to  have  been  talked  over  among  the  privates  by  their  camp- 
fires,  but  so  hazardous  that  not  the  boldest  General  in  all  that  brave  army 
would  have  dared  it.  He  decided  to  march  his  troops  southward  on  the  Louisi- 
ana side,  to  trust  for  supplies  to  steamboats  that  might  run  the  gauntlet  of  the 
Vicksburg  batteries,  to  cross  the  Mississippi  below  the  last  post  in  the  chain  of 
defenses,  and  then,  staking  everything  upon  the  die,  and  trusting  to  the  fortune 
of  the  cast,  to  cut  loose  from  supplies,  and  strike  for  Vicksburg  or  ruin.  More- 
over, there  was  that  in  the  mind  of  this  most  audacious  of  Generals  that  never 
permitted  him  to  doubt  of  success,  or  to  admit,  in  this  wildest  flight,  the  most 
prudent  and  judicious  precautions. 

In  the  last  days  of  March,  the  troops  moved  across  the  little  peninsula 
opposite  Vicksburg,  and  came  out  on  the  Mississippi  below  New  Carthage.  Gun- 
boats and  transports  next  ran  past  the  batteries,-a  fearful  ordeal,  from  which 
they  emerged,  battered,  shattered,  some  in  flames,  while  others  had  gone  down 
beneath  the  pitiless  rain  of  shells.     Then,  with  gunboats  leading  the  way,  and 

rtate^nT™  f  r'T'  !"  ^  *"  L°Uis  Speech'  referrin*  to  an  Correct  version  of  the  above 
C<         linT        ^   y  "Td  haVhlg  Pr0t6Sted  &Sainst  Grant's  Anal  movement.     "  I  never  pro- 

above XlZClt       I   m  WHting  hi8reaSOnS  f0r  belie™S  that  his  ™  V^y>  as  ****** 
Tiherltt  li  e  *  *  "*  m™<*um  may  be  found  in  the  (following)  sketch 


Ulysses  S.  Grant.  387 

transports  bearing  down  store  of  provisions,  the  army  marched  on,  till  it  camo 
opposite  the  last  Rebel  fort,  that  at  Grand  Gulf.  Here  the  gunboats  were 
expected  to  reduce  the  hostile  works,  but  they  failed.  Grant  then  hastened 
twelve  miles  further  down;  the  gunboats  and  transports  followed. 

The  movement  had  now  consumed  a  month;  and  the  Rebels  were  still 
incredulous  or  blind  as  to  its  real  purpose.  For  Sherman  had  been  left  above, 
with  his  corps;  and,  when  Grant  was  ready  to  cross  to  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river  and  at  last  launch  his  army  upon  the  enemy's  rear,  he  had  skillfully 
arranged  that  Sherman  should  be  making  a  feint  of  attacking  them  in  force 
above.  And  so  it  came  about  that,  while,  on  the  first  of  May,  Pemberton  was 
watching  Sherman,  at  Haines's  Bluff,  Grant  was  fairly  across,  far  below  the  city, 
and  moving  rapidly  in  the  rear  of  Grand  Gulf. 

From  this  moment  there  was  in  the  mind  of  the  great  strategist,  now  at 
the  head  of  all  the  Confederate  armies  in  the  West,  no  doubt  of  the  course  to  be 
pursued.  Comprehending  instantly  the  menace,  recognizing  that  the  fate  of 
Vicksburg  was  now  to  be  settled  by  the  fate  of  this  army  that  was  so  suddenly 
rushing  without  a  base  into  the  enemy's  country,  General  Jos.  E.  Johnston 
ordered  Pemberton  out  of  Vicksburg,  to  concentrate  everything,  fall  upon  Grant 
and  crush  him.  But  not  less  clear  was  the  vision  of  the  General  with  whom 
Johnston  was  contending.  From  the  hour  that  he  set  foot  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Mississippi,  below  Vicksburg,  he  persistently  addressed  himself  to  one  clearly 
defined,  distinct  object,  from  which  no  raids  upon  his  rear,  no  question  of  com- 
munications, no  dubious  maneuvers  of  the  enemy  were  to  swerve  him.  Herein 
lay  the  great  Generalship  of  his  movement.  He  at  last  knew  precisely  what  he 
wanted.  Interposing  between  Pemberton's  forces  near  Vicksburg,  and  any 
troops  to  the  eastward  wdiich  Johnston  might  collect  for  the  emergency,  he 
struck  straight  along  the  most  eligible  route  for  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  whence 
bursting  off  instantaneously,  by  attack  in  reverse,  the  fortifications  on  the 
Yazoo,  he  might  open  communication  with  the  fleet,  and  sit  down  at  his  leisure 
to  the  siege. 

Accordingly,  no  sooner  had  the  advance  corps  landed  on  the  east  side  of  the 
river  and  drawn  four  days'  rations  than  it  was  pushed  out  on  the  road  to  Port 
Gibson — a  point,  the  possession  of  which  necessarily  menaced  the  Rebel  fortifi- 
cations at  Grand  Gulf.  The  garrison  here  understood  well  enough  the 
nature  of  such  movement,  and  four  miles  in  front  of  Port  Gibson  strove  desper- 
ately to  check  the  advance.  The  battle  raged  along  the  narrow  ridge  on  which 
ran  the  road  of  the  National  army  throughout  the  day,  and  cost  a  thousand  of 
Grant's  troops.  But  the  end  was  inevitable;  the  Rebels  were  defeated  and 
forced  back  toward  their  fortifications.  Grant  pushed  instantly  on,  and  the 
Grand  Gulf  garrison  found  itself  on  the  point  of  being  cut  off  from  Vicksburg. 
In  all  haste,  therefore,  it  evacuated  and  fled,  leaving  Grant  to  move  up  the  trans- 
ports from  Bruinsburg,  and  make  his  temporary  base  of  supplies  at  the  point 
he  had  originally  selected. 

A  little  above  Grand  Gulf,  the  Big  Black,  after  flowing  a  few  miles  to  the 
rear  of  Vicksburg,  and  thence  almost  parallel  with  the  Mississippi  southward, 


388  Ohio  in  the    War. 

empties  into  the  Great  River.  Crossing  it  at  the  bridge  which  the  Grand  Gulf 
garrison  took,  there  lay  before  the  army  a  straight  road,  only  twenty  miles  long, 
directly  to  Vieksburg.  But  it  was  no  part  of  Grant's  plan  to  move  square  in  the 
teeth  of  his  foe.  Yet  he  sent  a  column  along  this  road  to  pursue  the  flying  gar- 
rison, and  thus  creating  the  impression  that  the  whole  National  army  was  rushing 
itraight  upon  him,  held  Pemberton  near  Yicksburg.  Then,  pushing  bis  army 
alon"  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Big  Black,  he  protected  by  that  stream  his  left 
flank,  while  lie  hastened  to  plant  himself  upon  the  line  by  which  Johnston' and 
Pemberton  communicated— the  short  forty -five  mile  railroad  connecting  Vieks- 
burg with  Jackson,  the  capital  of  the  State.  Assured  by  this  skillful  interpo- 
sition of  the  Big  Black,  of  his  safety  from  Pemberton,  he  even  stretched  his 
ri<--ht,  under  McPherson,  miles  away  to  the  eastward,  to  strike  Jackson  itself, 
destroy  the  Ptebel  stores,  and  discover  what  force  Johnston  might  be  gathering 
for  Pemberton 's  relief. 

Meantime  it  was  the  fate  of  that  able  but  unfortunate  commander  to  be 
cursed  with  subordinates  who  fancied  they  knew  more  than  their  chief.  Troops 
for  the  emergency  were  collecting  at  Jackson.  He  had  already  ordered  Pem- 
berton to  concentrate  against  Grant;  now,  on  his  arrival  at  Jackson,  he  found 
Grant  pushing  by  long  strides  against  the  railroad,  midway  between  Jackson 
and  Vieksburg,  while  Pemberton,  conceiving  it  to  be  his  duty  in  any  event  to 
cover  Vieksburg,  lay  near  it  on  the  railroad.  Johnston  saw  at  once  the  false 
position  of  his  forces,  scattered  on  either  side  of  Grant's  column  and  sure  to  be 
beaten  in  detail;  and  he  peremptorily  ordered  Pemberton  to  move  north-east- 
ward, crossing  in  advance  of  Grant's  front,  and  so  reaching  Jackson.  Had  that 
brave  but  brainless  General  known  only  enough  to  obey  his  superiors,  the  issue 
might  have  been  different.  But  he  could  not  conceive  of  anything  that  could 
absolve  him  from  the  duty  of  standing  by  the  earthworks  of  his  cherished  forti- 
fication; and  so  he  took  it  upon  himself  to  disobey  Johnston's  order.  Not  merely 
this;  so  bent  was  he  upon  helping  his  adversary  that,  remembering  the  rule  in 
the  books  about  striking  an  enemy's  line  of  communications,  and  utterly  failing 
to  comprehend  the  essence  of  Grant's  movement,  which  was  an  abandonment  of 
all  lines  of  communication,  he  actually  marched  southward,  big  with  the  mighty 
purpose  of  preventing  Grant  from  drawing  supplies  from  Grand  Gulf. 

Meanwhile,  Grant,  hearing  of  Johnston's  attempted  concentration  at  Jack- 
son, bent  eastward  the  lines  of  Sherman  and  McClernand  also,  so  that  suddenly 
the  whole  army  thus  concentrated,  burst  upon  Johnston's  feeble  force.  That 
commander,  disobeyed  by  his  subordinate  on  whose  troops  he  had  confidently 
counted  for  such  an  emergency,  did  the  best  he  could ;  but  in  two  hours  his  hand- 
ful was  driven  from  Jackson,  and  the  accumulated  stores  were  in  flames.  Then, 
having  thus  cleared  away  obstructions  in  the  rear,  turning  sharp  to  the  west- 
ward, Grant  had  before  him—  Vieksburg! 

To  this  stage  had  he  reached  in  two  short  weeks!  For,  crossing  the  Missis- 
sippi on  the  first,  he  was  now,  on  the  fifteenth,  marching  straight  from  Jackson 
upon  the  doomed  city.  All  too  late,  Pemberton  discovered  his  blunder.  Four 
days  before  his  mighty  resolve  to  throw  Grant  back  by  cutting  his  communica- 


Ulysses    S.    Grant.  389 

tions,  Grant  bad  sent  word  that  "he  would  communicate  no  more  with  Grand 
Gulf."  Now,  therefore,  Pemberton  finding  that,  in  utter  contempt  of  his  threats, 
Grant  was  almost  upon  his  flank,  came  hastening  back  with  intent  to  march  north- 
eastward in  the  direction  of  Johnston's  original  order.  But  while  he  had  been 
marching  and  countermarching,  Grant  with  single  purpose,  had  been  driving 
straight  to  his  goal.  So  then,  when  Pemberton,  coming  up  from  his  futile  raid 
against  an  abandoned  line,  reached  in  his  northward  march  the  Jackson  and 
Yicksburg  railroad,  he  was  struck  by  Grant's  columns  hastening  westward.  It 
was  too  late  to  think  of  concentrating  now  with  Johnston ;  for  his  life  and  the  life 
of  his  army  he  was  forced  to  fight  on  the  ground  where  he  stood.  Thus  came 
about  the  battle  of  Champion  Hills,  at  which  the  doom  of  Vicksburg  was  sealed. 

Pemberton's  position  was  naturally  strong  and  he  had  twenty -five  thousand 
men  to  defend  it.*  Grant's  heads  of  columns  only  were  up;  one  entire  corps — 
that  of  Sherman,  was  still  near  Jackson.  By  eleven  o'clock  Hovey's  division  of 
McClernand's  corps  was  fiercely  engaged.  Once  it  was  repulsed;  but  Grant  has- 
tened to  put  in  a  division  from  McPherson's  corps  to  strengthen  it.  Meantime 
Logan  was  sent  far  to  the  right  to  feel  the  enemy's  flank.  He  found  the  road 
on  which  he  moved  suddenly  bend  down  so  as  to  bring  him  fairly  upon  the 
enemy's  rear.  Hovey  was  being  once  more  repulsed,  in  spite  of  supports,  when 
Pemberton  discovered  this  new  source  of  danger  and  hastily  drew  off.  Then 
Hovey  and  the  rest  pressed  forward;  Logan's  flanking  column  joined  in;  the 
retreat  of  the  Kebds  became  a  rout ;  one  whole  division  was  cut  off  from  their 
army,  and  the  rest  were  driven  to  the  Big  Black — almost  within  hearing  of  the 
bells  of  Yicksburg — before  nightfall. 

Here  came  the  last  flickering  effort  of  the  bewildered  and  blindly  struggling 
Eebel  commander.  Crossing  most  of  his  troops,  he  left  on  the  east  side  enough 
to  hold  the  strong  work  defending  the  approaches  to  the  river,  while  on  the 
heights  of  the  western  bank  he  posted  his  artillery.  Here,  next  morning,  the 
advance  corps  of  Grant's  army,  after  some  skirmishing,  made  an  impetuous 
charge.  The  demoralized  Bebel  force  broke  at  once.  Pemberton  vainly  strove 
to  rally  them.  Threats,  persuasion,  force  were  all  in  vain;  disordered,  terror- 
stricken,  a  mob,  not  an  army,  they  poured  back  to  Vicksburg.  f  There  were 
still  left  them  a  few  hours  in  which  to  escape,  for  Grant  was  delayed  half  a  day 
bridging  the  Big  Black.  Johnston's  peremptory  order  once  more  came  to  save 
them,  but  not  even  as  by  fire  was  this  Pemberton  to  be  saved.  He  could  still  see 
nothing  but  Yicksburg,  and  while  he  debated  with  his  officers  about  Johnston's 
strange  order  to  evacuate  and  hasten  north-eastward,  Grant's  columns  came 
sweeping  up  in  rapid  deployment  around  the  city,  and  thenceforward  there  was 
no  evacuation  for  the  caged  army.  It  was  only  the  18th  of  May;  the  movement^ 
had  begun  on  the  1st.     Into  such  brief  limits  was  crowded  the  most  brilliant  cam-j 

*Some  Eebel  authorities  say  only  seventeen  thousand  five  hundred. 

t  Eighteen  guns  were  captured  here  and  fifteen  hundred  prisoners.  Grant's  total  loss  was  but 
two  hundred  and  seventy-one.  At  Champion  Hills,  however,  the  day  before,  he  lost  two  thousand 
four  hundred  and  fifty -seven.  The  Eebel  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  was  nearly  as  great;  while 
it  was  swelled  by  two  thousand  prisoners,  fifteen  guns,  and  the  death  of  Lloyd  Tilghnian,  of  Fort 
Henry  memory. 


390 


Ohio   in  the  Wak. 


paign  of  the  General  whose  star,  bursting  at  last  from  all  clouds  and  conceal- 
ment, soared  thenceforward  steadily  to  the  zenith.  J 

Here  Grant  might  well  have  rested,  for  his  right  had  already  carried  the 
Yazoo,  and  communications  with  the  fleet  were  once  more  restored,  and  the  issue 
Of  a  siege  could  not  be  doubted.  But  as  Johnston  was  known  to  be  in  the  rear 
With  a  force  which  he  would  doubtless  strive  to  increase  for  the  purpose  of  rais- 
in- the  siege,  and  as  the  Eebel  garrison  was  known  to  be  greatly  demoralized,  it 
irafi  thought  best  to  try  the  effect  of  an  immediate  assault.  Accordingly  the 
day  after  the  investment,  this  was  ordered,  but  resulted  only  in  carrying  the 
lines  forward  upon  the  very  verge  of  the  enemy's  works.  Two  days  later,  after 
ample  preparations,  a  grand  simultaneous  assault  along  the  whole  line  was  made. 
Twenty-five  hundred  men  were  lost  in  the  attempt,  and  Grant  then  concluded, 
to  use  his  own  words,  "that  the  enemy's  position  was  too  strong,  both  naturally 
And  artificially,  to  be  taken  in  that  way." 

Then  followed  the  regular  details  of  a  siege.  The  utmost  activity  was  main- 
tained; Grant  himself  exercised  the  closest  supervision  of  all  the  bombardments, 
mines,  parallels,  and  siege  approaches.  By  and  by  Johnston  was  reported  to  be 
moving  upon  him.  Straightway  Sherman  was  detached  to  face  the  new  danger. 
"The  Rebels,"  wrote  Grant,  referring  to  the  intercepted  letters  on  which  he 
based  this  movement,  "seem  to  put  a  great  deal  of  faith  in  the  Lord  and  Joe 
Johnston;  but  you  must  whip  Johnston  at  least  fifteen  miles  from  here." 

With  all  his  efforts  Johnston  was  too  late.  By  the  7th  of  July,  as  he  finally 
wrote  Pemberton,  he  would  be  able  to  make  an  effective  diversion.  But  Pem- 
berton  never  received  the  letter;  it  went,  like  so  many  more,  to  swell  the  well- 
grounded  confidence  of  the  taciturn  commander  who  now  pressed  his  lines  hard 
against  every  point  of  the  beleaguered  defenses.  The  garrison  had  long  been  on 
half  rations;  hope  was  exhausted;  on  the  3d  of  July  Pemberton  sought  to 
"capitulate"  on  terms  which  "commissioners"  might  arrange.  Grant  knew  his 
advantages  and  replied  that  commissioners  were  useless,  since  he  had  no  terms 
but  unconditional  surrender  to  offer.  Still  he  was  willing  to  have  an  interview 
on  the  subject.  Pemberton  gladly  assented.  They  met  between  the  lines  under 
a  clump  of  trees,  at  a  spot  since  marked  by  a  monument.  Pemberton  insisted 
upon  commissioners.  Grant,  between  the  puffs  of  his  cigar,  replied  that  it  was 
impossible.  They  sat  down  on  the  grass — tens  of  thousands  of  eager  troops 
from  the  lines  on  either  hand  devouring  their  every  movement — and  talked  it 
over.  Pemberton  still  stood  out  for  better  terms.  Perhaps,  as  the  Eebel  com- 
mander has  since  hinted,  some  trace  of  the  melo-dramatic  tinged  Grant's  wish 
that  the  next  day,  the  Fourth  of  July,  should  witness  the  surrender  which  he 
knew  to  be  inevitable.  At  any  rate,  that  night  he  receded  from  his  demand  of 
unconditional  surrender,  agreed  to  parole  the  entire  Rebel  army,  and  permit  it 
to  carry  off  such  provisions  as  it  wanted.  Pemberton  still  higgled,  with  skill, 
commonly  attributed  in  his  section  only  to  Yankee  bargainers,  and  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  Fourth  he  gained  the  further  privilege  of  marching  out  with  colors 
and  arms,  and  stacking  them  in  front  of  his  limits.  This  done  the  conqueror 
rode  in.     McPherson  and  Logan  were  by  his  side;  a  division  of  the  army  that 


Ulysses    S.    Grant.  391 

had  followed  him  from  his  movement  on  Jackson  six  months  before,  through  all 
the  buffets  and  reverses  that  fortune  had  given  him,  up  to  this  crowning  moment, 
followed  him  now.  As  he  rode,  the  "uncle-like  youth  "  placidly  smoked  his 
cigar ! 

This  triumphant  ending  of  the  six  months'  efforts  against  Yicksbu rg  was 
slightly  marred,  in  the  popular  estimation,  by  undue  lenity.  It  was  generallv 
believed  that  the  paroles  of  an  army  of  thirty-seven  thousand  men  were  not  likely 
to  be  too  scrupulously  regarded  in  such  straits  as  those  upon  which  the  Confed- 
eracy was  now  fallen,  and  Grant  was  blamed  for  not  having  sent  his  prisoners  to 
the  North.  In  reply,  it  was  said  that,  under  all  the  circumstances,  this  wTas 
impossible.  But  the  subject  never  affected  the  instant  outburst  of  enthusiasm 
that  bore  Grant  to  the  first  rank  among  all  the  Generals  in  the  service  of  the 
country.  From  the  day  that  Vicksburg  fell,  he  was,  in  the  eyes  of  the  men  who 
made  up  the  army,  and  of  the  men  who  sustained  it,  the  central  figure  of  the  war. 

President  Lincoln  addressed  him  a  characteristic  letter — "in  grateful 
acknowledgment  for  the  almost  inestimable  service  you  have  done  the  country. 
I  wish,"  he  continued,  "to  say  a  word  further.  When  3^011  first  reached  the 
vicinity  of  Vicksburg,  I  thought  you  should  do  what  you  finally  did — march  the 
troops  across  the  neck,  run  the  batteries  with  the  transports,  and  thus  go  below, 
and  I  never  had  any  faith,  except  a  general  hope  that  you  knew  better  than  I, 
that  the  Yazoo  Pass  expedition  and  the  like  could  succeed.  When  you  got  below, 
and  took  Port  Gibson,  Grand  Gulf  and  vicinity,  I  thought  you  should  go  down 
the  river  and  join  General  Banks;  and  when  }'ou  turned  northward,  east  of  the 
Big  Black,  I  feared  it  was  a  mistake.  I  now  wish  to  make  a  personal  acknowl- 
edgment that  you  were  right  and  I  was  wrong."  Rarely  as  such  words  have 
reached  a  General  from  the  head  of  a  great  Government,  it  has  been  more  rarely 
still  that  the  high  honor  they  confer  has  been  so  meekly  borne.  While  the  army 
was  wild,  while  the  North  was  ringing  bells  and  building  bonfires,  while  the 
politicians  were  nominating  him  for  the  Presidency,  and  the  President  was  thus 
wreathing  his  name  with  the  praises  of  the  Nation,  General  Grant,  scarcely 
pausing  to  look  at  his  conquest,  was  hastening  to  make  head  against  Johnston's 
army  in  his  rear.  Sherman's  division  was  not  even  allowed  to  enter  the  city 
before  which  it  had  so  long  suffered  and  fought.  W^hile  the  streets  of  Vicksburg 
resounded  with  the  shouts  of  such  troops  as  had  entered,  it  was  toiling  far  to 
the  eastward  again,  to  press  Johnston  into  position  at  Jackson,  and  soon  there- 
after to  force  him  to  retreat.  At  the  same  time  General  Frank  J.  Herron  was 
sent  to  capture  Yazoo  City;  that  handsomely  accomplished,  he  was  ordered  to 
re-enforce  Sherman. 

Throughout  these  operations,  thus  happily  ended,  three  great  traits  of 
character  shone  conspicuously.  Grant  rarely  mistook  his  men,  or  failed  to 
choose  for  every  task,  leaders  amply  qualified  to  execute  it.  He  was  uniformly 
calm  and  sensible,  even  in  his  moods  of  most  audacious  undertaking.  And  his 
determination  to  conquer,  at  whatever  cost,  was  invincible— not  to  be  daunted  by 
any  risk,  not  to  be  turned  back  by  any  slaughter. 


392  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

There  followed  an  interval  of  comparative  leisure,  ^extending  to  the  middle 
of  October.  Expeditions  were  sent  to  prevent  the  passage  of  supplies  from  the 
Trans-Mississippi  to  Johnston;  re-enforcements  were  dispatched  to  Banks  and 
Schoficld;  civil  affairs  were  measurably  adjusted  in  the  conquered  territory  and 
alono-  the  Great  River  that  at  last  "went  unvexed  to  the  sea."  Grant  care- 
f ally  regulated  the  issue  of  rations  to  the  destitute  inhabitants  and  to  the  swarm- 
ing contrabands.  He  opposed  the  policy,  enunciated  in  the  expression  attributed 
to  Secretary  Chase,  that  "  trade  follows  the  flag,"  declaring  that  any  trade  what- 
ever with  the  rebellious  States  was  equivalent  to  a  weakening  of  the  National 
forces  thirty-three  and  a  third  per  cent.  He  observed  the  extortions  practiced  by 
the  greedy  steamboat  men  who  first  followed  the  re-opened  river,  regulated  the 
fares  they  were  permitted  to  charge  soldiers;  and  ordered  that,  if  a  private 
soldier  chose  to  travel  as  a  cabin  passenger,  and  had  the  money  to  pay  for  the 
privilege,  no  boat  officer  should  have  the  power  to  hinder  him. 
/  For  the  first  time  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  saw  his  wife.  She  now 
visited  him  at  his  head-quarters.  The  good  woman's  uneasiness  about  a  liveli- 
hood for  the  future,  from  the  man  who  had  been  forced  to  peddle  wood  through 
the  streets  of  St.  Louis  to  earn  a  living  for  her,  were  at  last  at  an  end ;  for  hav- 
ing resigned  his  place  many  years  ago,  in  the  regular  army,  he  was  now 
re-appointed.  But  what  a  leap  was  there!  He  had  resigned  a  Captaincy  with 
the  pay  of  an  ordinary  clerk;  he  was  appointed  to  a  Major-Generalship  with 
a  salary  for  life  larger  than  that  of  a  cabinet  officer  or  of  the  Chief-Justice 
of  the  United  States!  Soon  after,  he  was  entertained  at  a  costly  banquet  given 
to  him  in  Memphis.  The  honors  and  attentions  showered  upon  him  wrought 
no  change.  He  was  the  same  quiet,  undemonstrative,  plain-looking,  plain- 
spoken  man  that  had  been  at  his  wit's  ends,  digging  ditches  through  weary 
months  of  vain  experiment  above  Yicksburg.  Some  one  sought  to  draw  out  his 
political  opinions.  He  had  none,  he  said.  He  didn't  understand  politics.  But 
there  was  one  subject  he  did  understand,  and,  if  they  chose,  was  ready  enough 
to  discuss.     He  thought  he  knew  all  about  the  right  way  for  tanning  leather!     ) 

In  September  he  went  to  New  Orleans,  for  a  little  rest.  General  Banks  had  a 
grand  review  in  his  honor.  Grant  was  given  a  very  fiery  horse  to  ride.  Even  in 
the  review  he  proved  unmanageable,  and  the  guest,  unable  to  control  his  steed, 
went  thundering  along  the  lines  as  if  he  rode  a  break-neck  race.  The  attendant 
Generals  and  their  staffs  did  their  best  to  keep  up,  and  the  horses  all  became 
wild  with  the  excitement.  As  Grant  turned  back  to  the  city,  the  sudden  shriek 
of  a  locomotive  startled  his  horse  ;  it  plunged  against  a  carriage  that  was  meet- 
ing him,  and  threw  Grant  heavily  to  the  ground.  He  was  carried  insensible  to 
an  adjacent  house;  his  hip  was  paralyzed;  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  that  he 
was  permanently  disabled.  More  than  two  months  passed  before  he  could 
walk  without  the  aid  of  a  crutch. 

While  Grant  was  resting  after  the  completion  of  his  task,  Eosecrans  had 
been  busied  with  his.  Sweeping  down  from  Murfreesboro',  with  the  movements 
of  a  consummate  strategist,  he  had  maneuvered  Bragg  beyond  the  Tennessee; 
then,  gathering  all  his  resources,  with  muscles  tense  and  every  nerve  on  the 


Ulysses   S.   Grant.  393 

rack,  he  had  leaped  to  clutch  the  end  of  his  campaign — the  Hawk's  Nest*  that 
looks  down  to  Georgia  and  the  Sea.  At  the  cost,  of  a  bloody  battle  he  had 
won  it,  and  Chattanooga  was  ours.  But  the  conquest  cost  the  conqueror  his 
command. 

Startled  by  their  loss  the  Eebels  hastened  to  concentrate  upon  the  devoted 
army  that,  perching  there  among  the  mountain  fastnesses,  held  firm  in  its  bloody 
grasp  the  key  to  all  their  land.  It  was  well-nigh  too  late  when  the  War  De- 
partment perceived  the  danger  to  be  real.  Then,  detaching  from  the  Potomac 
a  column  under  Hooker,  it  ordered  Sherman  across  from  the  Mississippi,  and 
made  haste  to  concentrate  the  great  armies  of  the  West  upon  the  spot  whence  it 
saw  that,  henceforth,  the  West  must  be  defended  and  the  South  subdued. 
Inasmuch  as  it  had  decided  to  remove  Eosecrans,  there  was  but  one  man  left  to 
command  these  converging  columns.  The  hero  of  Vicksburg  was  spontaneously 
suggested.  On  his  arrival,  under  orders,  at  Indianapolis,  he  was  met  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  in  person,  and  was  given  command  of  the  whole  country 
between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Alleghanies.  At  last,  then,  victory  was  indeed 
organizing.  Eosecrans  had  been  left  with  the  depleted  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land, with  restricted  command,  and  no  possibility  of  re-enforcements,  to  take 
the  strategic  point  and  hold  it  against  Bragg  and  Longstreet.  It  was  the  rare 
good  fortune  of  his  successor  that,  thanks  partly  to  the  awakened  apprehen- 
sions of  the  Government,  but  more  to  its  present  unlimited  confidence  in  the 
man,  he  was  able  to  bring  to  the  continuation  of  this  same  work  the  colossal 
re-enforcement  of  two  armies. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1863,  General  Grant  arrived  at  Chattanooga.  He 
found  the  men  on  half  rations  and  likely,  within  a  week  or  two,  to  be  starved 
out.  But  he  found,  also,  the  plans  elaborated  by  which  they  could  be  relieved 
the  proper  officers  apprised  of  their  nature,  and  the  troops  in  position  to  execute 
them.  Furthermore,  he  found  the  plans  elaborated  for  the  army's  resuming  the 
offensive.  With  his  usual  good  sense  he  at  once  adopted  these  arrangements  of 
his  predecessor,  and,  with  larger  forces  and  unquestioning  support  from  the 
Government,  proceeded  to  their  execution.  We  may  now,  therefore,  look  back 
to  the  weeks  intervening  between  the  disastrous  day  of  Chickamauga  and 
Grant's  appointment  to  his  new  command,  to  trace  the  origin  and  development 
of  the  brief  but  brilliant  campaign  that  was  to  carry  our  sturdy  hero  one  step 
higher,  and  bring  him  the  only  promotion  that  remained  for.him  to  win. 

When,  crushed  beneath  the  Eebel  concentration  which  the  War  Department 
had  refused  to  believe  possible,  Eosecrans  drew  back  his  shattered  columns  to 
Chattanooga,  that  astute  strategist  realized,  more  fully,  perhaps,  than  when  a 
wing  of  his  army  first  entered  it,  that  there  was  the  top  and  crown  of  his 
rounded  campaign — not  to  be  lost  under  any  circumstances — not  to  be  yielded 
to  any  superiority  of  attack.  Knowing  how  largely  he  was  outnumbered  he 
first  sought  to  form  a  defensive  line,  sufficiently  concentrated  to  defy  the  enemy 
in  any  strength.     To  this  end  he  abandoned  Lookout  Mountain  and  his  line  of 

*The  Indian  word  Chattanooga  means  "Hawk's  Nest." 


394  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

supplies  south  of  the  Tennessee,  trusting  that  the  re-enforcements,  at  last  so 
vigorously  forwarded  after  the  battle  was  over,  might  arrive  in  time  to  re-open 
the  line  before  its  loss  should  be  seriously  felt.     Meanwhile  steamboats  were 
building  at  Bridgeport  for  supplies,  and  bridge  materials  were  earnestly  sought. 
Now  the  position  in  which  the  army  that  had  wrested  Chattanooga  from 
the  enemy  stood,  was  this:    Lying  on  the  south  side  of  the  Tennessee,  closely 
shut   up  within   its  fortifications,  it  Avas   forced  to  bring  its  supplies  far  over 
rough  mountain  roads  to  the  northward.     In  front  of  it  lay  its  victorious  enemy, 
looking  down  into  its  camps  from  the  fastnesses  of  Mission  Eidge,  with  out- 
lying divisions  down  the  river  to  its  right,  holding  the  point  of  Lookout  Moun- 
tain which  abuts  on  the  river,  and  the  ferries  below  it.     But  to  the  left,  above 
Chattanooga,  it  was  possible  for  a  force  operating  from  the  north  side  of  the 
Stream  to  cross  to  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  who  there  bent  his  flank  down  around 
the  beleaguered  garrison.     Likewise  to  the  right,  below  Chattanooga,  it  was 
possible  again  for  a  force,  operating  from  the  north  side  of  the  river,  to  plant 
itself  on  the  enemy's  flank.     For  the  river  bends  southward  below  the  city,  and 
then  returns,  making  a  huge  XJ,  with  the  curved  end  toward  the  south.     JS"ow 
against  this  curved  end  abuts  Lookout  Mountain.     But  beyond  this,  along  the 
returning  side  of  the  U,  runs  Lookout  Valley.     The  force  holding  Chattanooga, 
by  passing  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  behind  the  city,  and  marching  across 
the  little  peninsula   inclosed  within  the  two  sides  of  the  U,  wTould  strike  the 
river  again  below  and  beyond  Lookout,  and,  by  gaining  a  passage  there,  w^ould 
find   itself  directly  on  the  flank  of  the  troops   that   held  Lookout  Mountain. 
Moreover,  it  would  still  be  practically  nearer  to  its  main  body  than  wTould  any 
force  which  the  enemy  could  then  send  to  attack  it.     For,  from  Lookout,  no 
artillery  could  be  moved  to  this  lower  point,  save  by  a  long  march  twenty-six 
miles  to  the  southward,  to  the  nearest  practicable  gap.     But  from  Chattanooga 
there  was  only  the  short  march,  on  the  north   side,  across  the  little  peninsula. 
Thus,  when  this  ferry  on  the  further  side  of  the  peninsula  was  once  gained,  its 
possession  was  secure;  for  if  it  were  disputed  tjie  army  from  Chattanooga  could 
concentrate  there  in  two  hours,  the  enemy  scarcely  in  two  days. 

If  we  have  at  all  succeeded  in  explaining  these  peculiar  topographical  fea- 
tures, we  have  made  the  plans  of  General  Bosecrans  clear.  As  soon  as  Hooker's 
re-enforcements  began  to  approach,  they  were  ordered  to  Bridgeport,  the  place 
where  the  railroad  strikes  the  Tennessee,  and  the  nearest  point  on  the  river  in 
our  possession.  Hooker  was  to  cross  here;  troops  from  Chattanooga  were  sud- 
denly to  seize  the  ferry  on  the  lower  side  of  the  peninsula  we  have  described, 
leading  into  Lookout  Valley ;  Hooker  was  then  to  sweep  up  to  it  along  the  south 
side  road  from  Bridgeport,  and  the  direct  line  of  supplies  would  be  once  more 
opened;  while  the  enemy's  flank  down  the  river  would  be  compromised.  Then 
another  force  was  to  be  crossed  above  Chattanooga,  at  the  point  already  men- 
tioned, and  planted  upon  the  other  flank. 

Further  than  this  it  does  not  appear  that  the  plans  of  Eosecrans  had  taken 
consistent  shape;  when,  on  the  very  day  of  his  return  from  the  final  reconnois- 
eance  of  the  ferry,  by  which  h-e  meant   to  open  communication  with  Hooker, 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  305 

then  about  ready  to  march,  he  found  orders  -relieving  him  from  command  of  the 
army.  * 

Four  days  later  General  Grant  arrived.  He  found  these  elements  of  a 
campaign  ready  to  his  hand,  and  competent  subordinates  to  explain  them.  In 
three  days,  in  precise  conformity  to  Eosecrans's  arrangements,  he  had  Hooker 
orossing  at  Bridgeport.  Meantime  General  W.  F.  Smith,  one  of  the  officers  to 
whom  Rosecrans  had  developed  the  plans,  was  sent  down  the  river  with  u  small 
force,  in  pontoon  boats,  to  float  silently  past  the  enemy  at  Lookout,  and  seize 
the  ferry  at  Lookout  Valley.  No  sooner  had  they  landed  and  driven  off  the 
Eebel  pickets,  than  they  were  re-enforced  by  a  column  that  had  been  marched 
across  the  peninsula.  It  only  remained  to  fortify  and  await  Hooker's  advance. 
That  officer  pushed  vigorously  forward,  suffering  a  terrible  night  attack  from 
the  now  thoroughly  aroused  enemy;  but  repulsing  it  and  effecting  the  connection 
on  the  29th  of  October.  Supplies  could  then  come  forward  freely,  by  rail  to 
Bridgeport,  thence  by  river  to  the  posts  in  Lookout  Valley;  and  thence  it  was 
but  a  two  hours'  march,  over  the  pontoon  bridge  and  across  the  peninsula,  to 
Chattanooga. 

Favored  as  he  had  been  by  great  re-enforcements  and  wise  dispositions  for 
the  execution  of  a  skillful  plan,  there  was  now  reserved  for  Grant  a  crowning 
piece  of  good  fortune.  The  Rebel  commander,  seeing  that  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  starve  out  the  army  in  Chattanooga,  and  little  dreaming  that  his 

•  The  above  account  differs  widely  from  those  currently  received,  which  attribute  to  Bose- 
crans  the  intention  of  abandoning  Chattanooga,  and  to  Grant  the  elaboration  of  the  brilliant 
campaign  that  raised  the  siege  after  his  arrival  on  the  spot.  But  Grant's  fame  is  too  solidly 
established  to  need  such  poor  inventions  for  building  it  up  by  detraction  of  others.  General 
Rosecrans,  in  testimony  under  oath  before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War,  specifically 
stated  that  he  had  formed  these  plans,  had  made  reconnoissances  preliminary  to  carrying  them 
out,,  and  had  explained  them  (fifteen  days,  in  fact,  before  his  removal)  to  Generals  Thomas  and 
Garfield,  and,  some  time  later,  to  General  William  F.  Smith.  Grant  afterward  acknowledged,  in 
terms,  his  indebtedness  to  General  William  F.  Smith  for  the  crossing  below  Chattanooga,  and 
the  connection  with  Hooker ;  and  Sherman  took  pains  to  emphasize  his  obligations  to  Smith  for 
aid  in  all  the  details  of  the  crossing  above. 

In  the  course  of  his  testimony,  just  referred  to,  General  Eosecrans  said :  "As  early  as  the 
4th  of  October,  I  called  the  attention  of  Generals  Thomas  and  Garfield  to  the  map  of  Chattanooga 
and  vicinity,  and,  pointing  out  to  them  the  positions,  stating  that,  as  soon  as  I  could  possibly  get 
the  bridge  materials  for  that  purpose,  I  would  take  possession  of  Lookout  Valley  (the  point  on 
the  south  side,  reached  by  the  march  across  the  jDeninsula)  and  fortify  it,  thus  completely  cover- 
ing the  road  from  there  to  Bridgeport To  effect  this  General  Hooker  was  directed  to 

concentrate  his  troops  at  Stevenson  and  Bridgeport,  and  advised  that,  as  soon  as  his  train  should 
arrive,  or  enough  of  it  to  subsist  his  army,  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  his  depot,  he  would  be 

directed  to  move  into  Lookout  Valley On  the  19th  I  directed  General  William  F. 

Smith  to  reconnoiter  the  shore  above  Chattanooga,  with  a  view  to  that  very  movement  on  the 
enemy's  right  flank  which  was  afterward  made  by  General  Sherman." 

These  words  of  Eosecrans,  it  will  be  seen,  are  the  only  direct  evidence  I  have  cited  to  show 
who  planned  the  Chattanooga  and  Mission  Eidge  campaign.  No  other  evidence  will  be  needed 
till  it  can  be  established,  first,  that  General  Eosecrans  is  at  once  knave  and  fool  enough  to  be 
guilty  of  the  perjury,  with  circumstance  of  falsely  swearing  to  these  statements,  and  naming  the  Gen- 
erals who  must  know  them  to  be  true  or  false;  and  second,  that  these  Generals,  all  honorable  and 
highly  esteemed  gentlemen  and  soldiers,  are  guilty  of  silently  suffering  themselves  to  be  thus 
quoted,  in  matters  of  high  moment,  as  authorities  for  statements  which  they  know  to  be  untrue^ 


396 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


own  mountain-girt  eyrie  could  be  assailed,  bethought  him  of  the  plan  of  crush- 
ing  Burnside's  weak  column  in  East  Tennessee,  which  should  have  been  sent, 
months  ago,  to  Rosecrans.  General  Longstreet,  with  his  tried  division  of 
incomparable  soldiers  from. the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  was  accordingly 
detached  to  East  Tennessee.  It  was  Grant's  opportunity.  He  was  already 
re-enforced  by  Hooker;  Sherman,  with  the  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  was  march- 
ing to  join  him;  and  thus,  while  the  force  that  held  Chattanooga  was  being 
well-nigh  trebled,  its  unwary  antagonist  was  being  weakened  by  almost  one- 
half  of  his  fighting  capacity.  Manifestly,  Sherman's  arrival  must  be  the  signal 
for  attack.  The  outlines  of  the  plan  were  already  drawn.  Hooker  lay  below 
menacing  the  enemy's  flank  on  Lookout.  Thomas,  in  Chattanooga,  faced  his 
center.  It  remained  to  put  in  Sherman  on  the  upper  flank;  and  the  means  for 
doing  this  secretly,  from  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  had  already  been  devised 
by  Smith,  in  the  reconnoissance  on  which  Rosecrans  had  sent  him.  On  Sher- 
man's arrival,  Smith,  at  once,  became  his  guide. 

It  was  only  left  to  deceive  the  enemy  as  to  the  destination  of  this  new 
arm)',  now  marching  in  from  the  westward.  A  happy  accident  directed  one  of 
its  divisions  to  Hooker;  behind  this,  and  unknown  to  the  enemy,  the  rest  of  the 
army  passed  to  the  north  side,  behind  Chattanooga  and  up  to  the  points  already 
selected  for  its  recrossing  to  the  eastward  of  the  enemy's  strongest  position  on 
Mission  Ridge. 

Thus  positioned,  the  troops  awaited  the  signal  of  the  quiet  soldier  now 
limping  about  the  streets  of  Chattanooga  on  his  crutch.  They  were  seventy-five 
thousand  strong;  their  recently  weakened  antagonist  could  only  muster  forty 
thousand.  Grant  had  been  impatient  to  attack  from  the  moment  he  had  heard 
of  the  detachment  of  Longstreet's  corps;  the  importunities  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment concerning  the  danger  to  Burnside  made  him  more  eager;  and  he  had 
once  resolved  not  to  wait  for  the  arrival  of  Sherman.  In  that  case  he  would 
have  been  carrying  out  Rosecrans's  plan  with  Rosecrans's  means.  But  fortune 
meant  better  for  him.  Now,  on  the  evening  of  the  23d,  Sherman's  army  lay  con- 
cealed above  Chattanooga,  on  the  north  bank,  and  ready  for  the  crossing.  There- 
fore, it  was  time  that  the  movement  should  begin  by  attracting  the  enemy's  atten- 
tion somewhere  else.  Thomas  was  accordingly  moved  out  on  the  center — that 
superb  soldier  so  handling  the  finely-tempered  force  that  had  won  its  way  from 
Stone  River  to  the  ground  it  stood  on,  that  the  enemy,  looking  down  from 
the  heights  of  Mission  Ridge,  thought  it  was  a  grand  review,  till,  with  compact 
lines,  the  column  suddenly  swept  out  upon  his  pickets  and  on  over  his  advance 
posts,  and  crowned  the  "review"  with  the  capture  of  Orchard  Knob.  The 
new  positions  were  at  once  intrenched  and  strengthened  with  heavy  artillery. 

Six  hours  later  Sherman's  men  were  crossing.  By  daylight  a  column,  eight 
thousand  strong,  stood  ready  for  the  march  on  Mission  Ridge;  by  noon  tho 
bridges  were  all  built,  and  the  whole  Army  of  the  Mississippi  was  crowding 
across;  by  half-past  three  the  north  end  of  Mission  Ridge  had  been  carried, 
and,  in  strongly  intrenched  positions,  Sherman  awaited  the  hour  for  pressing 
hard  upon  the  enemy  at  this  vital  point,  while,  by  sweeping  down  the  river  from 


Ulysses    S.   Gkant.  397 

the  newly-gained  heights,  communieation  was  opened  again  on  the  south  side 
with  the  army  in  Chattanooga. 

Simultaneous  with  these  operations  were  those  grander  ones  down  the  river, 
which,  through  all  our  history,  are  to  be  known  as  Hooker's  battle  above  the 
clouds.  While  the  enemy,  suddenly  called  off  frorfi  contemplating  the  capture 
on  his  center,  in  which  Thomas's  grand  review  had  ended,  was  now  striving  to 
make  head  against  the  new  danger  up  the  river,  where  Sherman  was  pushing 
into  the  very  fastness  of  his  strength,  and  while  Grant  knew,  by  the  necessitv  of 
his  weakened  ranks,  that  his  forces  below  on  Lookout  could  not  be  large,  Hooker 
was  ordered  to  advance  and  take  it.  He  charged  up  the  slopes  of  the  mountain, 
carried  the  works,  took  two  thousand  prisoners,  and,  emerging  on  the  side  of 
Lookout  up  the  river,  kindled  his  camp-fires  at  night  in  safety  among  the  clouds, 
in  full  view  of  the  patient  commander  in  Chattanooga,  who  now  saw  his  several 
lines  converging  to  their  focus,  and  his  preparations  complete. 

Next  morning*  Sherman  and  Hooker  both  advanced — the  latter  carrying 
every  thing  before  him  as  he  marched  down  Lookout  and  across  the  interven- 
ing valley,  toward  Mission  Eidge ;  while  Sherman  moved  vigorously  from  the 
heights  of  that  Eidge  next  the  river,  across  some  intervening  depressions,  till 
Bragg,  concentrating  upon  his  front,  held  him  stoutly  at  bay,  and  for  a  brief 
time  drove  one  or  two  of  his  divisions.  In  thus  strengthening  his  exposed  flank 
the  Eebel  commander  had  weakened  his  center.  Now,  therefore,  was  the  op- 
portune moment.  Hooker,  delayed  for  a  time  by  the  stream  that  runs  through 
the  valley  between  Lookout  and  Mission  Eidge,  was  now  advancing  again. 
Thomas  lay  ready.  Grant,  watching  the  panorama  from  Orchard  Knob,  gave 
the  signal.  Six  guns,  fired  at  intervals  of  two  seconds,  from  head-quarters, 
sounded  the  order  to  charge  along  the  lines.  In  an  instant  the  old  Army  of  the 
Cumberland  was  up,  Hooker  was  up,  the  last  reserves  were  up,  every  man  that 
could  bear  a  musket  was  thrown  forward.  The  plain  was  swept;  the  rifle-pits 
were  carried.  And  then  the  spectator  on  Orchard  Knob  saw  that  the  troops  no 
longer  waited  for  his  orders.  They  were  climbing  the  mountain.  "  They  dash 
out  a  little  way  and  then  slacken;  they  creep  up,  hand  over  hand,  loading  and 
firing,  and  wavering  and  halting,  from  the  first  line  of  works  to  the  second; 
they  burst  into  a  charge,  with  a  cheer,  and  go  over  it.  Sheets  of  flame  baptize 
them;  plunging  shot  tear  away  comrades  on  right  and  left;  it  is  no  longer 
shoulder  to  shoulder;  it  is  God  for  us  all.  Under  tree  trunks,  among  rocks, 
stumbling  over  the  dead,  struggling  with  the  living,  facing  the  steady  fire  of 
eight  thousand  infantry,  poured  down  upon  their  heads  as  if  it  were  the  old 
historic  curse  from  heaven,  they  wrestle  with  the  Eidge.  Ten,  fifteen,  twenty 
minutes  go  by  like  a  reluctant  century.  The  hill  sways  up  like  a  wall  before 
them,  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees;  but  our  brave  mountaineers  are  clam- 
bering steadily  on.  They  seem  to  be  spurning  the  dull  earth  under  their  feet, 
and  going  up  to  do  Homeric  battle  with  the  greater  gods.  If  you  look  you 
shall  see,  too,  that  these  thirteen  thousand  are  not  a  rushing  herd  of  human 
creatures;   that  along  the  Gothic  roof  of  the  Eidge  a  row  of  inverted  Y's  is 

*  Wednesday,  25th  Noveniber. 


398  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

slowly  moving  up,  almost  in  line.     At  the  angles  is  something  that  glitters  like 
a  wing— the  regimental  flag— and  glancing  along  the  front  you  count  fifteen  of 
those  colors  that  were  borne  at  Pea  Eidge,  waved  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  glori- 
fied at   Stone  Eiver,  riddled  at  Chickamauga.     Up  move  the  banners,  now  flut- 
tering like  a  wounded   bird,  now  faltering,  now  sinking  out  of  sight.     Three 
timet  the  flag  of  one  regiment  goes  down.    You  know  why.    Just  there  lie  three 
dead  color-sergeants.     But  the  flag,  thank  God!  is  immortal,  and  up  it  comes 
again,  and  the  V's  move  on.     The  sun  is  not  more  than  a  hand's  breadth  from 
the  edge  of  the  mountain;  its  level  rays  bridge  the  valley  from  Chattanooga  to 
the  Ridge  with  beams  of  gold;  it  shines  in  the  Eebel  faces;  it  brings  out  the 
National  blue;  it  touches  up  the  flags.    Oh,  for  the  voice  that  could  bid  that  sun 
to  stand  still.     Swarms  of  bullets  sweep  the  hill;  you  can  count  twenty-eight 
bullets  in  one  little  tree.     The  Eebels  tumble  rocks  upon  the  rising  line;  they 
light  the  fuzes  and  roll  shells  down  the  steep;  they  load  the  guns  with  handfuls 
of  cartridges  in  their  haste.     Just  as  the  sun,  weary  of  the  scene,  was  sinking 
out  of  sight,  the  advance  surged  over  the  crest,  with  magnificent  bursts  all  along 
the  line,  exactly  as  you  have  seen  the  crested  waves  leap  up  at  the  breakwrater. 
In  a  minute,  those  flags  fluttered  along  the  fringe  where  fifty  Eebel  guns  were 
kenneled.     What  colors  were  first  upon  the  mountain  battlement  one  dare  not 
try  to  say;  bright  honor  itself  might  be  proud  to  bear,  nay,  to  follow  the  hind- 
most.    Foot  by  foot  they  had  fought  up  the  steep,  slippery  with  much  blood; 
let  them   go   to  glory  together!"*     At  the  same  time  Hooker  was  charging 
through  the  Eossville  Gap,  on  the  enemy's  left  flank.     The  battle  was  over;  the 
Eebels  retreated  in  wild  disorder.     Bragg  himself  narrowly  escaped  capture. 
The  Hawk's  Nest  was  secure,  and  the  army  stood  ready  to  be  launched  on  At- 
lanta and  the  sea.     First,  however,  Burnside  was  to  be  saved,  and  Sherman  was 
hastily  detached   to  that  end;  while  a  brief  pursuit   harassed  the  enemy  to 
Tunnel  Hill. 

Grant  modestly  announced  his  success.  Quartermaster  General  Meigs  sent 
an  elaborate  dispatch,  describing  it,  in  which  he  declared  that  "perhaps  not  so 
well-directed,  well-ordered  a  battle  had  taken  place  during  the  war;"  and  the 
fame  of  the  General  now  rose  to  its  culmination,  while  with  the  War  Depart- 
ment, with  the  President,  and  with  the  people,  his  word  became  law.  The  Leg- 
islature of  his  native  State  voted 'him  its  thanks.  That  of  the  Empire  State 
followed  its  example.  Congress  voted  him  a  gold  medal,  bearing  his  laurel- 
W*e»tfeed  profile  and  the  image  of  Fame,  with  the  scroll  of  his  victories,  Pres- 
ents were  showered  upon  him.  Honorary  memberships  in  societies  of  all  sorts 
were  conferred.  And  most  significant  of  all,  his  sturdy  friend,  Mr.  Washburne, 
now  introduced  his  resolution  reviving,  for  Grant's  sake,  the  grade  of  Lieutenant- 
General,  never  filled  in  our  armies  save  by  Washington  and  (with  brevet  appoint- 
ment only)  by  Winfield  Scott.  While  it  was  pending,  Grant  visited  different 
points  of  his  Department,  received  the  banquet  and  municipal  honors  of  the 
city  in  which  he  had  hauled  wood  to  the  kitchen-doors  of  its  citizens,  for  a 
livelihood,  and  so  passed  away  the  winter.     Men  talked  to  him  about  the  Pres- 

*From  the  stining  account  of  the  battle  written  by  B.  F.  Taylor,  Esq.,  an  eye-witness. 


Ulysses  S.  Grant.  399 

idency,  for  it  was  now  within  a  few  months  of  the  time  for  a  nomination,  ana 
great  journals,  discerning  that  he  was  the  most  popular  man  on  the  continent 
were  urging  his  name.  Grant's  common  sense  and  caution  stood  him  in  gooc 
stead.  His  Commander-in-Chief  was  a  candidate  for  re-election  ;  and  hesi 
we  may  well  believe,  he  could  see  that  just  then  his  greatest  glory  was  to  be 
won  in  the  field.  So,  when  approached  on  the  subject,  he  replied  that  there  was 
but  one  political  office  that  he  desired — after  the  war  was  over  he  wanted  to  bo 
elected  Mayor  of  Galena.  If  successful,  he  meant  to  see  to  it  that  the  sidewalk 
between  his  house  and  the  depot  was  put  in  better  order! 

On  the  2d  of  March,  1864,  the  leather-dealer  of  Galena,  who  had  raised  a 
company  and  marched  with  it  to  the  State  capital  to  gain  an  entry  into  the  ser- 
vice, became  Lieutenant-General  of  the  United  States  Army.  He  repaired  at 
once  to  Washington,  to  accept  the  position  and  study  its  requirements.  The 
diners  at  the  fashionable  hotel  scarcely  noticed  the  quiet,  rather  rough-looking 
little  man,  who,  with  an  air  of  embarrassment,  came  down  the  private  stair- 
case, leading  a  little  boy,  and  was  shown  to  a  seat  at  the  head  of  one  of  the 
cross-tables.  But  presently  a  buzz  ran  along  the  great  dining-hall,  fair  ladies 
turned  with  feminine  impetuosity  to  gaze  at  the  man  who  had  taken  Yicksburg, 
and  scaled  Missionary  Ridge  ;  the  inevitable  Congressman  sprang  to  his  feet  to  an- 
nounce that  "We  have  the  honor  of  being  in  the  presence  of  Lieutenant-General 
Ulysses  S.  Grant ;"  and  the  fashionable  proprieties  were  startled  by  three  cheers 
that  rang  from  end  to  end  of  the  hotel,  while  the  mob  of  Washington  greatness 
and  beauty  bore  down  upon  the  General's  devoted  hand.  In  the  evening  our 
quiet  officer  thought  it  his  duty  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  President,  who  had 
just  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  army,  and  so  he  went  up  to  the  levee.  He 
met  Abraham  Lincoln  for  the  first  time  in  his  life.  But  there  was  little  oppor- 
tunity for  acquaintance.  The  mob  again  besieged  the  conqueror  from  the  West, 
and  the  evening  was  devoted  to  hero-worship,  in  its  coarser  forms  of  staring  and 
crowding  and  forcing  on  exhibition.  The  next  day,  in  the  presence  of  the  Cabi- 
net and  the  retiring  General-in-Chief,  he  received  his  commission,  with  the  gentle 
admonition  that,  with  the  high  honor  devolved  a  corresponding  responsibility, 
and  a  few  days  later  a  Presidential  order  gave  him  the  actual  control  over  the 
armies  which  his  rank  implied. 

The  man  into  whose  hands  were  thus  committed  the  issues  of  the  war  was 
now  in  his  forty-third  year.  His  rapid  rise  had  in  no  wise  changed  his  appear- 
ance or  bearing.  He  was  still  the  same  taciturn,  undemonstrative,  unpreten- 
tious person,  in  well-worn  uniform,  with  perpetual  cigar,  and  withal  not  a  little 
embarrassed  by  the  attentions  of  the  fine  people  with  whom  he  now  found  him- 
self surrounded.  Experience  had  taught  him  much  in  the  details  of  his  profes- 
sion. There  was  no  chance  for  another  Belmont  in  his  career,  no  possibility  of 
another  Pittsburg  Landing.  But  this  experience  had  not  altered  the  essential 
characteristics  of  the  man's  mental  organization.  There  were  no  flights  of 
genius  about  him;  no  strokes  of  brilliant  generalship;  there  were  "the  genius 
of  common  sense  "  and  an  unconquerable  pertinacity. 


400  Ohio  in  the   War. 

The  position,  as  the  Lieutenant-General  saw  it,  was  this  :  At  the  North  was 
a  great  people,  weary,  perhaps,  of  reverses  and  delays,  but  not  yet  touched  by 
the  exhaustion  of  war.  Its  resources,  instead  of  being  drained,  were,  in  fact, 
scan-cly  comprehended.  Its  spirit  was  invincible ;  the  troops  it  could  command 
were  innumerable.  Against  it  stood  up  a  brave,  skillful  antagonist,  driven  to 
the  last  straits,  with  limited  resources  and  inferior  numerical  strength.  The 
Genera]  shall  himself  tell  us  what  resolution  the  sight  inspired:  "I,  therefore, 
determined  first  to  use  the  greatest  number  of  troops  practicable  against  the 
enemy;  second  to  hammer  continuously  against  the  armed  force  of  the  enemy 
and  his  resources,  until,  by  mere  attrition,  if  in  no  other  way,  there  should  be 
nothing  left  to  him."*  That  strategy  of  the  campaigns  that  followed  is  not  far 
to  seek.  There  it  is,  in  its  author's  own  words  :  "To  hammer  continuously,  till, 
by  mere  attrition,  there  should  be  nothing  left  to  him."  In  the  light  of  that 
sentence  we  may  follow  with  a  quicker  pen  all  that  follows. 

By  the  rule  of  hammering  continuously,  which  the  Lieutenant-General  thus 
prescribed  for  the  conduct  of  our  armies,  strategic  points  lost  a  large  share  of  their 
importance.  Armies,  not  strongholds,  now  became  our  objectives.  The  purpose 
in  view  was  to  kill  off  or  capture  the  Rebel  soldiery — not  specifically  to  conquer 
the  Rebel  territory.  Two  Rebel  armies  thus  became  the  objectives  of  the  great 
Eastern  and  Western  campaigns — those  under  General  Robert  E.  Lee  and  Gen- 
eral Joseph  E.  Johnston.  The  latter  Grant  committed  to  his  trusted  associate 
and  friend,  General  Sherman,  whom  he  raised  to  the  chief  command  between 
the  mountains  and  the  Mississippi.  For  himself  he  set  the  task  of  crushing  the 
great,  often-tried  and  fire-refined  army  of  Northern  Virginia.  For  the  work  he 
was  able  to  concentrate  a  column  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand,  against 
the  fifty-two  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-six  f  men,  of  all  arms,  whom 
General  Lee  was  able  to  muster.  But,  besides  this  overwhelming  preponder- 
ance, he  was  also  able  to  dispose  a  column  of  thirty  thousand  on  the  James  to 
menace  the  flank  of  Richmond,  and  another  of  seventeen  thousand  for  co-ope- 
rative movements  in  the  Shenandoah  and  Kanawha  Valleys.  Plainly  he  was 
able,  as  he  was  sometimes  credited  with  saying,  to  change  off  man  fos  man  with 
his  antagonist,  and  still  come  out,  by  long  odds,  victor  in  the  end. 

Two  months  of  preparation  intervened.  Sherman  was  visited;  particular 
instructions  were  dispatched  to  Banks,  now  engaged  in  the  ill-starred  Red  River 
expedition,  and  to  other  outlying  commanders.  Then  Grant  returned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  addressed  himself  to  his  task. 

On  the  2d  of  May,  1864,  the  long-expected  order  was  issued.  Within 
twenty-four  hours  the  army  was  crossing  the  Rapidan.  Below  it  lay  Lee,  not 
unmindful  of  its  movements.  Grant's  hope  was  to  turn  the  Rebel  right  beyond 
the  Wilderness,  then  throw  his  army  between  Leeand  Richmond.  To  the  Wil- 
derness itself,  that  dark,  tangled  "region  of  gloom  and  the  shadow  of  death," 

*  Grant's  first  Annual  Report  as  Lieutenant-General. 

T  The  exact  figure  shown  by  the  consolidated  morning  returns  of  Lee's  army  for  the  1st  of 
May,  1864.  * 


Ulysses    S.  Grant.  401 

he  trusted  for  protection  of  his  own  flank,  and  concealment  of  his  purpose,  till 
his  success  should  disclose  it.  But,  for  the  first  time  in  his  career,  since  his  dis- 
asters at  Pittsburg  Landing,  he  was  matched  against  a  first-class  General.* 
Scarcely  had  his  movement  begun  till  his  experienced  adversary  had  detected 
and  prepared  to  neutralize  it.  And  so  it  came  about  that  while  Grant  was 
marching  through  the  Wilderness,  with  eyes  and  thoughts  only  for  that  which 
should  befal  him  when  he  had  emerged  from  it,  he  was  suddenly  struck  fair  on 
the  flank  by  Lee's  veteran  divisions.  At  first  he  refused  to  believe  that  it  was 
more  than  a  light  reconnoitering  party  of  the  enemy,  to  be  hastily  brushed 
aside  by  and  by.  The  fierceness  of  the  confused  grapple  in  the  dark  woods 
taught  him  better,  and  he  made  all  haste  to  call  up  the  detached  corps  from 
their  loose  marching  order,  lest,  before  he  could  concentrate,  his  army  should  be 
fairly  cut  in  two  by  this  terrible  flank  attack.  The  battle  raged  thenceforward 
with  musketry  alone — a  huge  "  bushwhacking"  Indian  fight,  with  varying  suc- 
cess, but  perfectly  indecisive  issue,  till  nightfall.  It  was  not  at  all  what  he  had 
hoped  when  he  moved  across  the  Eapidan;  but,  undismayed  by  the  failure 
of  his  purpose,  he  issued  his  simple  order  of  battle  for  the  morrow,  to  "attack 
along  the  line  at  five  o'clock."  But  once  more  Lee  was  quicker.  At  daybreak 
his  massed  troops  fell  upon  Hancock,  and  only  the  accidental  wounding  of 
Longstreet,  the  Kebel  General  in  charge  of  the  attack,  would  seem  to  have  saved 
the  army  from  serious  disaster.  As  it  was,  the  day  wore  on  with  the  rattle  of 
musketry  in  the  gloomy  woods,  where  no  man  could  see  the  battle,  and  with 
confused  struggles  by  troops  that  had  lost  all  formation  in  the  tangled  thickets. 
Grant  seated  himself  on  the  grass,  under  tho  trees,  a  little  to  the  rear,  smoked 
his  cigar,  and  awaited  the  issue.  "  It  has  been  my  experience,"  he  said,  "  that 
though  the  Southerners  fight  desperately  at  first,  yet  when  we  hang  on  for  a  day 
or  two  we  whip  them  awfully."  f  Fresh  onslaught,  however,  broke  out  along 
his  lines,  while  his  orders  for  preparing  for  another  attack  were  being  delivered. 
Lee  had  again  precipitated  his  gray  masses  through  the  obscure  woods,  upon 
our  exposed  lines.  The  fight  raged  till  dark;  then,  exhausted  with  their  blind 
and  fruitless  wrestling,  the  antagonists  each  withdrew  a  little,  and  waited  to 
see  what  the  other  would  do. 

The  Army  of  the  Potomac,  accustomed  to  fall  back  when  failure  to  accom- 
plish its  intent  was  palpable,  awaited  the  order  to  return  across  the  Eapidan. 
But  it  was  now  commanded  by  the  man  who,  amid  the  disasters  of  Pittsburg 
Landing,  calmly  reasoned  out  the  certain  success  of  the  morrow.  As  he  found 
that  Lee's  attack  upon  his  flank  had  ended  through  exhaustion,  he  silently  drew  * 
out  his  troops  and — renewed  his  march  toward  Kichmond! 

This  opening  slaughter  certainly  displayed  no  brilliant  generalship.  It  was 
the  blind  collision  of  brute  masses  in  the  midst  of  dense  thickets.  It  cost  us 
twenty  thousand  soldiers — the  enemy  scarcely  ten  thousand.     But  our  army 

*  Johnston  indeed  sought  to  make  head  against  him  at  Vicksburg,  but  was  without  troopa, 
and  utterly  disobeyed  by  his  subordinates. 

t  Swinton's  Decisive  Battles  of  the  War,  p.  380. 
Vol.  I.— 26. 


402  Ohio  in  the  War. 

marched  onward.     It  was  to  hammer  continuously— had  not  the  Lieutenant- 

Gencral  declared  it? 

On  the  night  of  the  9th  of  May  the  advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
silently  moved&out  from  the  Wilderness,  and  marched  rapidly  toward  Spottsyl- 
vania  Court  House.  The  troops  were  somewhat  entangled  on  the  narrow  roads, 
and  several  hours  were  thus  lost.  When,  at  last,  Spottsylvania  was  approached 
a  seething  fire  of  musketry  burst  out  upon  the  column,  and  told  that  again  Leo 
had  divined  the  movement.  Only  his  advance  was  yet  up,  and  a  vigorous 
attack  might  have  gained  the  point;  but  one  untoward  event  and  another  hin- 
dered; Lee  gained  time  to  form  his  lines,  and  when,  on  the  morning  of  the  10th, 
Grant  renewed  his  assault,  he  was  everywhere  met  by  a  compact,  well-ordered 
resistance.  Hancock  was  sent  across  the  Kiver  Po,  to  the  north-west  of  Lee's 
position,  without  any  very  distinctly  defined  object.  Presently  he. was  ordered 
back  to  aid  in  an  assault.  In  retiring  his  troops  were  vehemently  assailed,  the 
woods  behind  him  were  fired,  and,  after  appalling  suffering  and  heavy  loss,  his 
corps  rejoined  the  army.  Meanwhile  there  had  been  two  successive  assaults 
upon  a  hill  crowned  by  the  enemy's  works,  and  approachable  only  through  a 
thicket  of  dead  cedars.  The  failures  taught  no  lesson  ;  with  the  rc-enforccment 
of  Hancock's  corps  two  more  charges  were  made  upon  the  same  position  ;  five 
or  six  thousand  men  were  lost,  and,  at  last,  the  effort  was  abandoned.  All  this 
was  hammering  continuously,  but  the  process  was  proving  fatal  to  the  hammer. 

At  daybreak  on  the  12th  a  better  devised  attack  began.  A  point  in  Lee's 
center  was  selected  as  likely  to  be  more  easily  carried.  The  troops,  unable  to 
see  it  after  they  entered  the  woods,  were  guided  to  it  by  the  compass.  A  bril- 
liant charge  carried  a  salient  of  the  Eebel  work;  an  effort  to  penetrate  further 
met  a  bloody  repulse ;  the  troops,  however,  kept  the  salient,  and  there,  heavily 
re-enforced,  barely  held  up  against  Lee's  tremendous  efforts  to  regain  it.  An 
effort  was,  thereupon,  made  to  break  another  point  in  Lee's  line,  which  it  was 
supposed  must  be  weakened  by  his  concentration  to  regain  the  salient.  The 
supposition  proved  erroneous,  and  another  bloody  repulse  followed.  Then 
ensued  fresh  struggles  around  the  salient,  till  at  night  the  Rebel  dead  were  act- 
ually piled  in  veritable  heaps  on  the  slopes  of  the  intrenchments.  Eight  thou- 
sand more  were  added  to  the  frightful  lists  of  the  National  lost. 

It  was  the  day  before  these  bloody  repulses  that  Grant  had  sent  his  roseate 
dispatch  to  the  Secretary  of  War,  announcing  that  the  result,  up  to  this  time, 
was  much  in  his  favor,  that  he  believed  the  enemy's  loss  to  be  greater  than  his 
own,  and  that  he  "proposed  to  fight  it  out  on  this  line  if  it  took  all  summer." 
Only,  indeed,  on  this  groundless  opinion  that  the  enemy  was  losing  as  much  as 
himself,  can  we  comprehend  Grant's  persistent  attacks  fair  on  the  front  of  a 
position  he  could  so  easily  have  turned.  Man  for  man  he  was  willing  to  kill  off, 
till  the  list  on  the  Eebel  side  should  be  exhausted.  No  higher  generalship  con- 
trolled the  contests  around  Spottsylvania:  Seven  days  more  of  blind  attacks  or 
essays  to  attack  followed.  Everywhere  the  attacking  column— mayhap  marched 
weaniy  for  miles  along  the  extended  front,  to  catch  the  enemy  unawares  -was  met 
by  the  vigilant  antagonist  with  ample  force.   The  troops  were  worn  out.    At  last, 


Ulysses    S.    Grant.  403 

on  the  night  of  the  20th,  fairly  baffled,  Grant  drew  back  once  more,  and,  in 
secret  silence,  renewed  the  march  past  Lee  toward  Richmond. 

Since  crossing  the  Rapidan  he  had  lost,  in  his  hammering,  forty  thousand 
soldiers — four-fifths  as  many  as  the  entire  army  which,  at  the  outset,  confronted 
him!  The  difference  between  the  generalship  which  only  proposes  to  hammer 
continuously  and  that  which  seeks  to  accomplish  ends,  with  all  the  saving  of 
life  that  may  result  from  the  most  skillful  applications  of  military  science,  could 
find  no  more  impressive  illustration.  Lee — on  the  offensive  quite  as  much  thus 
far  as  Grant — lost  through  this  series  of  battles  less  than  half  as  many! 
Already  Grant's  army  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  going  out  to  do 
battle  against  fifty  thousand,  was  calling  lustily  for  re-enforcements ! 

Meanwhile  Grant  had  signalized  his  assumption  of  personal  command  at 
the  East,  by  the  opportune  display  of  one  of  his  strong  points.  At  Mission 
Ridge  he  had  noticed  a  fiery  little  division  General.  He  remembered  the  man  ; 
and  now  Philip  II.  Sheridan  was  placed  tit  the  head  of  the  cavalry,  and  sent 
sweeping  around  Lee's  rear  to  Richmond.  The  expedition  took  much  spoil  and 
brought  back  much  information.  At  the  same  time  Butler  had  been  demon- 
strating against  Richmond  along  the  James.  That  he  accomplished  little  was 
mainly  due  to  the  orders  under  which  he  acted. 

The  movement  away  from  Spottsylvania  was  hazardous;  but  it  was  skill- 
fully accomplished;  and  the  army,  once  more  with  a  clear  road  before  it,  struck 
out  Richmond  wards.  Not  less  active,  however,  was  its  wary  antagonist.  The 
columns  headed  for  the  North  Anna;  on  the  morning  of  the  23d  they  ap- 
proached it,  only  to  behold,  on  the  opposite  side,  the  advance  of  Lee's  army 
ready  to  receive  them.  A  passage  was  forced;  there  was  some  heavy  fighting 
by  detached  corps;  in  the  end  the  army  found  itself  pushed  out  southward,  from 
the  river  on  each  wing,  with  Lee  clinging  firmly  to  it  in  the  center,  and  thus 
ready  to  cut  the  column  in  two,  and  beat  it  in  detail.  Discovering  his  dangerous 
predicament  Grant  drew  carefully  back  again,  abandoned  the  route  upon  which 
he  had  essayed  to  enter,  and  turned  the  heads  of  his  corps  away  toward  the 
Pamunkey.  The  army  was  skillfully  handled  on  the  route;  it  reached  the  Pa- 
munkey  and  crossed  it  in  safety,  connecting  thus  with  its  new  base  of  supplies 
from  the  Chesapeake;*  and  then  the  march  turned  toward  the  Chickahominy. 
But  once  more  Lee,  having  the  shorter  route,  was  found  in  advance,  planted 
across  the  paths  by  which  the  army  moved.  His  real  positions  were  skillfully 
masked;  but  at  last  he  was  found  near  Cold  Harbor,  covering  the  approaches  to 
the  Chickahominy.  It  was  the  old  battle-field  of  Gaines's  Mills,  whence  McClel- 
lan's  retreat  to  the  James  began  ;  but  with  this  difference,  that  Lee  now  occupied 
MeClellan's,  and  Grant,  Lee*s  old  ground.  Preliminary  contests  for  position,  on 
June  1st,  cost  two  thousand  men. 

On  the  3rd  Grant  decided  upon  attack,  not  upon  any  special  point,  but  along 
the  whole  line.     It  was  executed  at  daybreak  next  morning,  and  resulted  in 

•  A  striking  feature  of  Grant's  overland  march  was  that  the  peculiar  topography  of  the  coun- 
try enabled  him  to  dispense  with  long  supply  trains.  Each  new  movement  brought  him  to  a 
new  river  which  floated  his  supplies. 


404  Ohio  in  the  War. 

bloody  failure.  The  men  swept  up  to  the  works,  found  them  impregnable  (save 
at  one  point  where  a  footing  was  actually  gained  in  the  intrenchments,  but,  being 
utterly  unsupported,  was  lost  again),  then  sullenly  fell  back,  and,  thenceforth, 
refilled  to  advance— having  no  further  faith  in  orders  to  pour  out  their  blood 
for  nothing.  The  battle  scarcely  lasted  a  quarter  of  an  hour:  it  cost  eleven 
thousand  men!  When  an  order  was  sent  to  each  corps  commander  to  renew 
the  assault,  independently  of  any  other  part  of  the  line,  it  was  duly  delivered, 
and  tho  men,  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other,  simply  refused  to  stir! 
There  were  brains  in  those  ranks;  and  they  did  not  reckon  self-murder  to  bo 
the  best  method  of  making  war.  A  few  days  of  fruitless  siege  operations  followed ; 
then  came  a  total  change  in  all  the  plans  of  the  campaign. 

Up  to  this  point  Grant,  starting  with  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand 
men,  had  lost  the  appalling  number  of  sixty  thousand  in  a  month's  campaign. 
The  losses  inflicted  on  his  adversary  scarcely  reached  twenty  thousand.  If  the 
object  of  the  campaign  had  been  to  reach  the  positions  on  which,  at  its  end,  the 
army  stood,  one-half  the  loss  might  have  been  saved.  For  it  is  to  be  observed 
that  the  heavy  casualties  occurred  in  the  hopeless,  direct  assaults  on  the  enemy's 
fortified  positions,  after  the  failure  of  which  they  were,  in  each  case,  success- 
fully flanked.  But  if  the  object  had  been  to  wear  out  the  Eebel  army  by  the 
"attrition  of  continuous  hammering,"  it  was  most  unfortunate  that  the  process 
should  be  so  managed  as  to  cost  us  three  to  the  enemy's  one.  And  in  these  words 
there  seems  to  be  summed  up  all  the  criticism  the  campaign  requires. 

But  we  have  now  to  see  that,  after  such  ghastly  experience,  the  mind  of  tho 
General  who  conducted  this  campaign,  far  from  depression,  was  actually  rising 
to  the  height  of  a  moral  courage,  capable  of  steps  most  distasteful  to  the  Gov- 
ernment whose  favor  had  made  him,  and  to  whose  favor,  after  this  costly  expe- 
rience, he  still  looked  for  support.  General  Grant  determined  to  abandon  the 
overland  route  against  Eichmond ,*  to  abandon  the  work  of  furnishing  direct 
cover  to  Washington  by  his  army,  and,  marching  away  from  the  Eebel  intrench- 
ments at  Cald  Harbor,  to  plant  himself  on  the  south  side  of  the  James  Eiver. 
Lee's  army  ceased  to  be  his  objective;  he  now  made  it — Eichmond. 

Warren  was  instructed  to  seize  certain  crossings  of  the  Chickahominy, 
spread  his  front  to  cover  all  the  roads  by  which  Lee  could  attack  the  retiring 
army,  and  create  the  impression  that  he  was  about  to  assume  a  vigorous  offen- 
sive. The  plan  was  admirably  carried  out;  the  army  crossed  the  James  undis- 
turbed, and  Lee,  when  he  discovered  the  movement,  retired  into  Eichmond. 
But  there  had  been  one  or  two  unfortunate  delays  in  a  plan,  the  success  of 
which  depended  upon  its  celerity.  For  General  Grant  was  now  resolved  to  cap- 
ture Petersburg,  to  the  south  of  Eichmond,  by  the  very  suddenness  with  which 
he  approached  it,  while  Lee  was  in  doubt  as  to  his  plans.  This  done,  the  Eebel 
capital  was  untenable.  But  he  had  intrusted  the  whole  work  to  W.  F.  Smith, 
and,  with  singular  lack  of  precaution,  had  even  failed  to  inform  the  advance  of 

*The  line  on  which  he  had  proposed  to  fight  it  out  if  it  took  all  summer. 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  405 

the  Army  of  the  Potomac  of  his  plans.  Smith  advanced  from  Butler's  position 
on  the  James,  reconnoitered  the  defenses  of  Petersburg,  and  finally  carried  the 
outer  works,  when,  at  nightfall,  further  operations  were  most  unfortunately  sus- 
pended, although  the  moon  shone  brightly,  and  energy  was  never  more  needed. 
In  spite  of  the  delays  Hancock  was  across  the  James  that  day,  in  ample  time  to 
have  re-enforced  Smith,  when  Petersburg  must  have  fallen  without  a  struggle. 
But  till  late  in  the  afternoon  he  was  kept  idly  awaiting  rations  at  the  river-bank, 
and  was  not  even  told  what  weighty  matters  were  in  hand  a  few  miles  out  on 
his  front.  When  at  last  he  was  moved  up  the  opportunity  was  not  yet  quite 
lost,  for  an  assault  by  moonlight  was  practicable.  But  the  auspicious  moment 
was  soon  gone.  Lee's  advance,  marching  all  night,  reached  Petersburg  in  time 
to  confront  the  old  antagonists  from  behind  its  formidable  earthworks  at  day- 
break; and  the  Cockade  City,  instead  ot  being  carried  with  a  rush  in  an  even- 
ing's attack,  was  to  be,  for  a  twelvemonth,  the  impassable  barrier  on  which 
the  great  armies  of  the  Lieutenant-General  were  to  wear  themselves  away. 

Grant  himself  was  now  up.  In  his  vexation  he  cast  the  blame  for  the  fail- 
ure to  take  the  city  upon  W.  F.  Smith,*  and  ordered  an  instant  assault.  It 
failed.  Repeated  efforts  were  made  to  find  some  weak  spot  in  Lee's  close-jointed 
armor.  All  failed.  The  army  was  swung  southward,  away  to  its  left,  to  cut  one 
of  the  railroads  supplying  Petersburg.  This,  too,  failed.  Then  at  last,  when  two 
weeks  of  such  efforts  had  cost  Grant  fifteen  thousand  more  men,  and  had  gained 
for  him  absolute^  nothing,  he  sat  down  to  that  nondescript  thing  which  was 
called  a  siege.  Widely  different,  indeed,  Were  the  conditions  here,  from  those 
which  had,  from  the  outset,  insured  his  success  at  Vicksburg.  There  the  enemy 
was  completely  cut  off  from  any  communications;  the  fleet  thundered  on  the 
front,  the  army  on  the  rear;  and  surrender  was  only  a  question  of  rations  and 
physical  endurance.  Here  Lee  was  in  no  sense  under  siege,  save  in  name.  To 
his  rear  stretched  four  great  lines  of  road,  securely  connecting  him  with  all 
that  was  left  of  the  Confederacy.  By  his  side  lay  Eichmond,  protected  by  his 
position.  His  front  was  covered  with  fortifications  which  Grants  engineers 
pronounced  too  formidable  for  assault:  he  so  guarded  his  flanks  that  all  attacks 
were  repulsed  at  heavy  cost  to  the  assailants. 

Realizing  that  his  hopes  of  speedy  results  in  the  campaign  undertaken 
with  such  superb  forces,  and  prosecuted  with  such  fearful  loss— a  loss  already 
swelling  to  seventy-five  thousand  men— were  all  blasted,  Grant  began  a  scries 
of  fortifications  to  match  those  of  his  enemy.  These  completed,  a  mine  was 
extended  under  one  of  the  enemy's  forts,  the  explosion  of  which  should  prepare 
the  way  for  a  grand  assault.  Then  a  force  was  detached  to  the  north  side  of 
the  James,  which,  demonstrating  against  Richmond,  drew  away  from  Peters- 
burg to  the  immediate  defense  of  the  imperiled  capital  a  heavy  portion  of  Lee's 
army.f  Thus  the  most  favorable  conditions  for  the  explosion  of  the  mine  and 
assault  were  happily  secured.     Unfortunately,  however,  instead  of  the  best,  it 

•  "Baldy"  Smith— the  same  who  had  figured  so  prominently  in  the  movements  at  Chatta- 
nooga and  Mission  Ridge. 

tFive  out  of  Lee's  eight  divisions. 


406  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

actually  turned  out  that  the  very  poorest  troops  in  the  army  were  selected  for 
the  assault.  Burnside's  corps— the  worst  in  the  arm}'— having  been  ordered  to 
furnish  the  assaulting  column,  it  was  reported  to  General  Grant  that  the  negro 
division  was  the  host  in  the  corps.  Grant,  however,  refused  to  permit  it  to 
make  the  assault;  the  choice  between  the  other  divisions  was  made  by  lot;  tho 
assault  was,  of  course,  badly  made,  and  inefficiently  supported.  Miserable  eon- 
fusion  and  slaughter  followed,  ending  in  total  repulse.  The  loss  was  over  four 
thousand.  General  Grant  was  not  on  the  ground  at  "this  miserable  affair,"  as 
he  has  himself  justly  styled  it,  nor  was  the  officer  whom  he  retained  as  the  titu- 
lar commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac;  and  the  military  court  of  inquiry 
subsequently  pronounced  as  one  of  the  potent  causes  of  failure,  "  the  want  of  a 
competent  common  head  at  the  scene  of  tho  assault  to  direct  affairs  as  occur- 
rences should  demand."* 

Meantime,  Lee,  as  soon  as  the  failure  of  Grant's  initial  attacks  on  the  lines 
of  Petersburg,  and  the  beginning  of  elaborate  fortifications,  had  assured  him  of 
the  comparative  safety  of  his  positions,  detached  Early  with  a  considerable  force 
to  menace  the  National  capital.  In  this  operation  the  sagacious  Rebel  com- 
mander relied  upon  a  double  reason,  which  seemed  to  render  certain  the  aban- 
donment of  Grant's  efforts  against  him.  He  remembered  how  fears  for  tho 
safety  of  "Washington  had  so  often  paralyzed  the  aggressive  operations  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  reckoned  on  similar  results  now  from  the  similar 
causes.  But,  furthermore,  he  was  convinced  that  his  present  antagonist  was  a 
General  who  relied  for  success  solely  on  overwhelming  superiority  of  numbers — - 
an  opinion  that  the  events  of  the  campaign  were,  b}r  no  means,  ill-calculated  to 
produce.  Now  he  was  well  assured  that  menace  to  the  capital  would  immedi- 
ately call  forth  from  the  Washington  authorities  orders  for  the  return  of  at  least 
a  part  of  Grant's  army.  With  such  a  reduction  of  strength  lie  believed  that  it 
would  not  accord  with  Grant's  theory  of  superior  numbers  to  continue  the  efforts 
against  Petersburg,  f 

But  our  quiet  General  was  to  surprise  Lee,  as  he  had  surprised  so  many 
others,  by  the  exhibition  of  qualities  for  which  no  one  had  given  him  credit. 
He,  indeed,  detached  a  corps  to  defend  the  capital,  and  deflected  another  to  tho 
same  end,  which  was  on  its  way  to  him  from  New  Orleans;  but  he  never  relaxed 
his  grip  on  the  positions  which  menaced  Richmond.  The  agitation  at  Wash- 
ington was  extreme,  and,  indeed,  the  peril  was  for  a  few  hours  imminent.  Under 
former  managements,  the  Army  of  tho  Potomac  would  have  come  streaming 
back;  there  was  the  more  reason  to  expect  it  now,  since,  Avhen  Grant  crossed  the 
James  in  disregard  of  the  well-known  views  of  the  Administration,  as  to  the 
necessity  of  covering  Washington,  it  was  with  the  implied  pledge  that  he  would 
keep  the  enemy  too  busy  at  home  to  leave  them  the  opportunity  for  adventures 
north  of  the  Potomac.  Through  such  action  the  capital  was  now  on  the  verge 
of  capture;  could  he  fail  to  bend  every  energy  to  its  relief?     But  there  was  that 

*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Second  Series,  Vol.  I,  page  215. 

t  The  latter  motive  for  the  movement  against  Washington  was  assigned  by  Lee's  staff  officers, 
Swmton  a  History  Army  of  the  Potomac,  p.  528. 


Ulysses  S.  Geant. 


407 


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Ulysses    S.  Grant.  409 

in  the  amazing  calm  of  Grant's  intellect  which  enabled  him  to  perceive  that 
where  he  stood,  not  where  the  capital  stood,  was  the  vital  point  to  be  held  at 
any  sacrifice  of  Government  favor  or  Northern  territory. 

Fortunately,  the  Eebel  commander  of  the  column  moving  against  Washing- 
ton was  without  enterprise,  and  while  he  stood  hesitating  before  earthworks, 
manned  by  a  corporal's  guard,  the  re-enforcements  arrived,  the  capital  was 
safe,  and  Grant  was  left  to  pursue  his  policy.  What  ensued  along  the  Potomac 
need  not  here  be  further  traced,  save  to  add  that  Grant  displayed  again  his  hap- 
piness of  selection,  in  giving  Philip  H.  Sheridan  charge  of  all  matters  in  that 
direction.  He  was  a  young  man,  in  years  and  in  experience,  for  such  a  place; 
but  the  campaign  that  followed  far  more  than  vindicated  the  choice. 

Thenceforward,  through  the  summer  and  fall  of  1864,  Grant  was  left  undis- 
turbed, to  work  out,  with  ample  support  of  every  kind,  whatever  results  against 
the  enemy's  position  the  resources  of  his  skill  and  daring  might  accomplish. 

First  of  all  came,  on  the  12th  of  August,  an  effort  against  Eichmond,  in  the 
way  of  a  surprise,  from  the  north  bank  of  the  James.  It  reached  the  enemy's 
works,  vainly  assailed  them,  and  after  four  days  of  fruitless  effort  to  find  a  weak 
place,  returned,  with  a  loss  of  fifteen  hundred  men. 

But  now  Lee  had  moved  considerable  re-enforcements  to  the  north  side  of 
the  James,  to  meet  this  attack.  Grant,  therefore,  judged  it  an  opportune  time 
to  strike  at  one  of  the  railroad  connections  of  Petersburg,  while  the  bulk  of 
Lee's  forces  were  at  the  extreme  opposite  end  of  his  extended  lines.  Warren's 
corps  was  accordingly  launched  from  the  left  upon  the  Weldon  Eailroad,  which, 
after  a  sharp  action,  it  succeeded  in  seizing.  Lee  made  desperate  efforts  to  re- 
gain it,  and  in  one  of  these  some  blundering  of  the  subordinate  Generals  led  to 
false  positions  of  Warren's  force,  and  to  the  capture  of  twenty-five  hundred  of 
them.  Ee-enforcements  came  up  in  time  and  the  railroad  was  firmly  held. 
After  some  further  efforts,  Lee  was  forced  to  submit  to  lose  this  important  line 
of  communication.  But  he  had  again  exacted  a  heavy  price.  The  losses  of 
Warren's  corps  in  these  movements  amounted  to  four  thousand  four  hundred 
and  fifty-five. 

Hancock,  having  returned  from  the  north  side  of  the  James,  was  now  ordered 
out  on  the  left,  in  rear  of  Warren,  to  another  point  on  the  Weldon  Eailroad,  four 
miles  further  south.  Here  he  was  engaged  in  destroying  the  track,  when  he 
was  heavily  attacked.  The  assaults  were  repulsed  until  nightfall,  when  Han- 
cock withdrew,  not  at  all  satisfied  at  the  failure  to  re-enforce  him.  This  affair 
cost  twenty-four  hundred  men,  and  accomplished  only  trivial  results. 

A  month's  rest  for  the  army  followed,  varied  only  by  the  fierce  picket-fight- 
ing and  artillery  practice  at  such  points  as  that  much  dreaded  one  which  the 
soldiers,  half  in  jest  half  in  earnest,  named  Fort  Hell.  Late  in  September,  act- 
ing on  the  general  theory  that  by  attacking  at  the  extremities  he  should  greatly 
weaken  and  harass  Lee's  thin  lines,  General  Grant  began  simultaneous  move- 
ments north  of  the  James,  threatening  Richmond,  and  on  the  extreme  left,  to 
the  south  of  Petersburg.  Butler's  movements  on  the  James  were  successful,  and 
the  position  which  he  gained  at  Chapin's  Farm  proved  of  high  value.     On  the 


410  Ohio   in  the  Wae. 

south  two  corps  of  infantry,  with  a  cavalry  force,  pushed  out  on  the  left,  sus- 
taming  pretty  heavy  resistance,  but  securing  their  positions.  No  considerable 
gains,  however,  resulted,  and  the  cost  was  over  twenty -five  hundred  men. 

Another  month  of  preparation  ensued;  then  another  effort  on  the  left  was 
made—  the  object  this  time  being  to  seize  the  South  Side  Railroad.  The  opera- 
tions were  complicated  and  confused;  the  enemy  struck  between  two  corps, 
shattering  the  flank  of  each;  and  finally  the  troops  returned  to  the  intrench- 
ments,  having  little  or  nothing  but  the  losses  to  show  for  their  fighting.  With 
a  few  further  slight  movements  to  the  left,  and  with  some  demonstrations  by  the 
cavalry,  the  active  work  of  the  army  for  the  season  ended. 

In  this  campaign  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  alone  had  lost  eighty-eight 
thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven  men!*  Of  the  Army  of  the  James 
we  have  not  as  precise  returns;  but  the  aggregate  losses  of  the  two  are  known 
to  have  been  largely  above  a  hundred  thousand — more  than  double  the  entire 
strength  at  the  outset  of  the  army  they  were  to  annihilate.  The  movements 
about  Petersburg  were  always  accompanied  by  hea\y  losses;  they  were  invari- 
ably made  in  such  a  way  that  the  enemy  was  able  to  strike  the  exposed  flank  of 
the  moving  column,  and  their  only  appreciable  gain  was  the  prolonged  exten- 
sion of  our  lines,  not  around,  but  away  from,  the  "  besieged  "  city.  Grant's  oper- 
ations here  will  not  compare  in  boldness  with  those  happier  strokes  of  daring 
by  which  he  planted  himself  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  The  terrible  punishment 
he  had  received  on  the  overland  march  seemed  to  have  made  him  timid  about 
cutting  loose  from  his  base;  and  besides  he  had  now  the  capital  to  observe,  as 
well  as  the  enemy.  Across  the  mountains,  his  friend  and  subordinate,  in  similar 
check  before  a  fortified  city,  had  swung  far  to  the  southward,  planted  his  army 
6quarely  upon  the  connecting  lines  of  railroad,  and  thus  taken  Atlanta.  But 
Grant  had  grown  cautious  of  positions  and  lavish  of  lives. 

The  time  had  now  come  when  influences  from  without  were  to  reach  what 
Grant's  own  continuous  hammering  had  failed  to  accomplish.  If  the  campaign 
to  which  he  had  given  his  personal  attention  had  been  less  successful  than  he 
hoped  and  the  country  had  a  right  to  expect,  those  other  movements  wThich  he 
had  discussed  in  outline  with  his  subordinates,  and  which  he  had  intrusted  to 
their  execution,  began  to  converge  in  their  influence  upon  the  hapless  little  body 
of  brave  men  in  the  trenches  of  Petersburg.  Sheridan  had  cleared  the  valley, 
put  an  end  to  fears  for  the  capital  or  the  North,  and  swept  through  the  enemy's 
country,  destroying  his  means  of  communication  and  his  stores.  The  last  port 
of  the  Confederacy  had  been  closed  by  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher.  The  power 
of  the  rebellion  in  the  West  had  been  annihilated  before  Nashville.  And  now, 
fluttering  across  half  the  continent,  came  the  banners  of  the  victorious  army  of 
Sherman  on  Lee's  line  of  retreat. 

Against  this  converging  circle  of  a  million  soldiers  stood  the  armies  of  Lee 
and  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  the  one  numbering  barely  fifty  thousand,  the  other 
scarcely  half  so  many.     The  people  of  the  South  had  lost  faith  in  the  rebellion, 
*  Grant  and  Ins  Campaigns,  p.  399. 


Ulysses   S.   Grant.  41] 

the  armies  were  not  re-enforced,  desertion  depleted  them  fur  faster  than  tho 
"continuous  hammering."  Their  commissariat  was  so  wretchedly  managed 
that  the  few  troops  remaining  were  not  half  supplied;  in  fact,  seven  pounds  of 
flour  and  a  pound  and  three-quarters  of  meat  formed  the  week's  ration  for  Lee's 
own  soldiers  through  the  winter.  The  depression  of  the  people  reacted  on  the 
army,  and  completed  the  work  its  privations  and  thinned  ranks  had  begun,  so 
that  the  effective  force  of  Lee's  troops  was  less  than  (in  the  times  of  their  old 
vigor)  their  number  would  have  indicated.  In  silence,  not  perhaps  an  mingled 
with  dread,  they  awaited  the  movements  of  the  quiet,  thoughtful  soldier,  who 
sat  in  his  log  cabin  at  City  Point,  and  studied  the  positions  of  the  forces. 

At  last  that  soldier  determined  upon  his  course.  Sherman  must  bo  left  to 
manage  Johnston,  with  whom  it  was  now  known  that  Leo  was  anxious  to  form 
a  junction.  For  himself,  he  reserved  the  work  he  had  essayed  on  the  banks  of 
the  Rapidan  a  year  ago,  that  of  crushing  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  To 
that  end  he  once  more  ordered  one  of  the  old  movements  on  the  left;  this  time 
with  larger  forces  and  without  the  diversion  north  of  the  Potomac.  The  yergo 
of  his  swinging  column  was  formed  by  Sheridan's  cavalry,  which  was  to  cut 
loose  as  soon  as  the  movement  was  developed,  and  strike  for  the  old  goal,  the 
South -Side  Railroad.  While  these  preparations  were  in  progress  Lee,  already 
striving  under  an  offensive  mask  to  prepare  the  way  for  an  evacuation,  attacked 
Grant's  lines  on  the  right.  His  troops  failed  to  fight  with  their  old  spirit;  the 
attack,  after  some  initial  successes,  was  repulsed,  and  some  two  thousand  prisoners 
were  lost.  Grant  followed  up  this  success  by  precipitating  his  movement  on  the 
left.  Moving  with  the  column  himself,  he  became  more  and  more  impressed  with 
the  signs  of  Rebel  weakness,  and  at  nightfall  he  dispatched  to  Sheridan  word 
that  he  "now  felt  like  ending  the  matter,  if  it  were  possible  to  do  so,  before 
going  back."  Sheridan's  orders  to  strike  for  the  railroads  were  accordingly 
withdrawn,  and  ho  was  directed  to  push  to  the  right  and  rear  of  the  enemy. 

To  the  sorely-beset  Rebel  commander  the  only  hope  was  to  break  this  encir- 
cling line.  He  struck  first  at  Warren,  then  at  Sheridan.  Each  bore  up  against 
the  fury  of  the  attack;  but  for  Sheridan,  who  lay  isolated  at  Dinwiddie  Court- 
Housc,  the  keenest  apprehensions  were  felt.  Grant  made  every  effort  to  get 
Warren's  corps  moved  out  to  him,  but  the  unexpected  lack  of  bridges  on  the 
road  prevented.  Next  morning  it  was  found  that  Sheridan's  front  was  clear 
again,  Lee  having  drawn  back  to  Five  Forks.  Thither  Sheridan  followed, 
Warren  now  joining,  and  coming  under  his  orders.  The  battle  that  ensued, 
brilliantly  managed  by  Sheridan,  with  happy  use  of  cavalry  to  aid  the  opera- 
tions of  the  infantry,  resulted  in  the  breaking  up  of  the  entire  force  which  Lee 
had  here  massed  on  his  right — the  painful  collection  of  all  the  available  material 
he  could  strip  from  his  extended  lines  of  works.  Fragments  of  these  troops 
fled  westward,  a  few  rejoined  the  main  body,  over  five  thousand  laid  down  their 
arms,  Lee  was  left  with  the  thin  lines  stretched  from  Hatcher's  Run  to  the 
Appomattox,  "tho  men  scarcely  close  enough  together  for  sentinels."  To  such 
straits  was  the  great  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  fallen.  But  it  was  not  yet 
without  sparks  of  its  ancient  fire. 


412  Ohio  in  the  War. 

The  next  day  *  indeed  within  a  few  hours  after  the  issue  of  Five  Fork* 
Grant  ordered  an  assault  of  the  Rebel  intrenchments,  preluded  by  a  fierce  bom- 
bardment  through  the  whole  night.  The  attack  swept  the  weak  lines  of  the 
enemy  from  the  outer  works,  and  to  the  eye  of  the  experienced  Rebel  com- 
muter  it  was  plain  that  the  end  had  come.  At  eleven  o'clock  he  announced 
to  Mr.  Davis  his  intention  of  evacuating  Richmond  and  Petersburg.  But  even 
yet  he  was  able  to  maintain  stout  resistance,  and,  indeed,  to  make  one  last 
offensive  sally.  This  over  he  drew  back  his  few  wearied,  half-starved  troops,  and 
under  cover  of  the  darkness,  moved  away  rapidly  to  the  south-westward.  Only 
twenty-five  thousand  were  left  of  them;  by  daybreak,  under  his  skillful  man- 
agement, these  were  sixteen  miles  away  from  Petersburg.  He  was  still  hopeful; 
he  looked  to  a  junction  with  Johnston,  to  unlimited  opportunities  for  falling 
upon  Grant's  detached  corps  far  away  from  their  supplies ;  to  all  the  myriad 
chances  of  war  that  may  come  to  the  General  who  takes  heart  of  hope  even  in 
the  gloomiest  conditions.  But  the  times  of  his  good  fortune  were  past,  and  fate 
now  dealt  him  her  unkindest  blow.  Thirty-eight  miles  down  his  road  of  retreat 
lay  Amelia  Court-House,  whither  he  had  ordered  supplies  from  Danville.  The 
blundering  officials  in  Richmond  ordered  the  cars  forward  for  their  own  escape; 
the  stupid  train-men  never  thought  that  they  should  first  unload  the  supplies, 
and  so  the  food  for  the  retreating  army  was  lost  at  Richmond.  The  last  hope 
here  vanished.  The  army  had  to  be  delayed  to  forage.  Grant  was  pushing  the 
pursuit  with  a  tremendous  energy  proportioned  to  the  magnitude  of  the  game 
he  had  now  in  hand.  Sheridan  soon  struck  the  baggage  trains,  next  he  dashed 
in  upon  a  train  bearing  painfully  collected  supplies  for  the  famished  troops;  at 
la8t  ho  planted  himself  squarely  across  Lee's  path,  hurled  back  his  desperate 
effort  to  cut  through,  and  was  just  ready  to  charge  down  upon  the  sorrowful 
remnants  of  the  great  army,  when  a  white  flag  appeared.  Hostilities  were  ended. 
Before  this,  indeed,  Grant  had  addressed  Lee  a  note  asking,  to  prevent  the 
useless  effusion  of  more  blood,  the  surrender  of  the  Rebel  army.  Lee  had 
replied,  doubting  if  he  were  yet  forced  to  this,  but  hinting  a  willingness  to  treat 
for  the  surrender  of  all  the  troops  of  the  Confederacy,  the  manifest  object  being 
to  gain  terms  for  all  that  could  not  be  demanded  for  these  poor  fragments  alone, 
which  he  was  now  leading.  Grant  declined  to  entertain  such  propositions, 
wisely  perhaps,  and  drove  on  the  pursuit.  Then  came  the  inevitable,  and  when 
next  Lee  discussed  the  subject  of  surrender,  it  was  at  a  deal-table  in  an  humble 
dwelling  in  Appomattox  Court-House,  with  the  remorseless  Chieftain  whose 
continuous  hammering  had  at  last  worn  him  out,  seated  opposite,  to  name  at 
pleasure  what  terms  he  would.  In  this  supreme  moment  of  his  life  Grant,  cool 
and  quiet  as  ever,  generously  sought  to  break  the  fall  of  the  antagonist  he  had 
Buch  weighty  reason  for  respecting,  and  his  conduct  throughout  was  delicate  and 
magnanimous.  The  Rebel  soldiers  were  paroled,  officers  were  allowed  to  retain 
their  side-arms  and  private  horses,  all  were  to  return  to  their  homes,  "not  to  be 
disturbed  by  United  States  authorities  so  long  as  they  observe  their  paroles  and 
the  laws  in  force  where  they  reside."  The  last  condition  was  afterward  to  prove 
♦Sunday  morning,  April  2,  1865. 


Ulysses    S.    Grant.  413 

embarrassing  to  the  Government,  and  it  would  have  been  wiser  in  Grant  to  have 
avoided  passing  beyond  the  strietest  line  of  his  military  powers.  But  in  the 
rejoicings  that  followed  the  matter  was  for  a  time  almost  wholly  overlooked. 

A  few  days'  later  Grant's  most  trusted  friend  became  involved  in  grave 
troubles,  arising  out  of  efforts  to  discharge  duties  never  committed  to  his  caro 
The  Government  felt  outraged,  a  conspicuous  Cabinet  officer*  went  so  far  as, to 
declare  that  the  least  punishment  Sherman  deserved  was  dismissal  from  the 
army,  and  there  was  danger  that  the  hero  of  the  South-West  would  retire  from 
the  service  in  disgrace  with  the  Administration.  Grant  stood  up  stoutly  for  his 
friend,  and  went  personally  to  present  the  Government's  disapproval  of  his 
negotiations  and  ease  his  fall. 

Then  came  reviews,  presentations,  felicitations  innumerable.  Whichever 
way  Grant  turned  the  grateful  people  overwhelmed  him  with  their  honors. 
Visits  to  the  leading  cities  he  could  not  escape.  Each  strove  to  out-do  the  other 
in  the  warmth  of  the  reception  it  extended.  Banquets,  levees,  speech -making 
were  forced  upon  him.  He  went  to  his  late  home  at  Galena,  and  the  half-wild 
populace  escorted  him  along  the  "  mended  pavement"  to  his  old  house,  so  reno- 
vated that  he  could  scarcely  recognize  it.  In  the  city  in  which  he  had  been  a 
wood-peddler  he  was  received  with  such  warmth  of  honors  as  no  President  since 
Washington  could  have  commanded.  More  substantial  tokens  of  approval  fol- 
lowed. An  elegant  residence  in  Philadelphia,  and  another  in  Washington  were 
presented  him.  Finally,  Congress  created  the  grade  of  full  General — till  now 
unknown  in  our  army — for  his  benefit;  and  the  tanner's  son  stood  decorated 
with  a  rank  higher  than  that  bestowed  upon  the  Father  of  his  Country. 

At  this  giddy  height  we  leave  him.  It  is  for  the  future  to  show  whether  its 
glories  intoxicate  or  its  perils  bewilder. 

We  close  as  we  began.  Such  a  career  laughs  at  criticism,  and  defies  depre- 
ciation.    Success  succeeds. 

But  when  the  philosophic  historian  comes  to  analyze  the  strange  features  of 
our  great  war,  no  anomaly  will  be  more  puzzling  than  Grant.  He  will  find  him 
guilty  of  errors  and  disasters  that  would  have  set  aside  any  other  General  in 
disgrace.  He  will  follow  him  through  a  tale  of  futile  efforts  and  heroic  devise- 
ments,  of  inexcusable  slaughter  to  no  purpose,  commingled  with  happy  triumphs 
at  little  cost.  He  will  marvel  at  the  amazing  mental  equipose  of  the  man,  cast 
down  by  no  disaster,  elated  by  no  success.  He  will  admire  his  strong  good  sense, 
his  instinctive  reading  of  men's  characters  as  of  an  open  page,  his  tremendous 
unconquerable  will.  He  will  find  him  not  brilliant  in  conception,  though  sound 
in  judgment;  not  fertile  in  expedients,  but  steadfast  in  execution  ;  terrible  in  a 
determination  that  was  stopped  by  no  question  of  cost;  stolid  as  to  slaughter  or 
famine  or  fire,  so  they  led  to  his  goal.  Yet  he  will  look  in  vain  for  such  charac- 
teristics as  should  account  for  his  being  first  in  a  Nation  of  soldiers;  and  will 
not  fail  to  observe  the  comparative  poverty  of  his  intellect  and  his  acquirements. 
Seeking  still  for  the  causes  of  his  rise,  he  will  record  the  firm  friendships  that 

*Hon.  Hugh  McCulloch,  Secretary  of  the  Treasury. 


414  Ohio  in   the  War. 

were  so  helpful;  will  allow  for  the  unexampled  profusion  in  which  soldiers  and 
munitions  were  always  furnished  at  his  call ;  will  observe  how  willingness  to 
fight,  while  others  were  fortifying,  first  gave  him  power;  how  remoteness  from 
the  Administration  long  preserved  him  from  interruptions;  how  he  came  upon 
the  broader  stage  only  when  it  was  made  easier  for  his  tread  by  the  failures  of 
his  predecessor*  and  the  prestige  of  his  own  victories,  and  how  both  combined  to 
make  him  absolute.  But  after  all  these  considerations  he  will  fail  to  find  tho 
veritable  secret  of  this  wonderful  success;  and  will  at  last  be  forced  to  set  it 
down  that  Fortune— that  happy  explainer  of  mysteries  inexplicable— did  from 
the  outset  so  attend  him,  that  in  spite  of  popular  disapproval  and  protracted  fali- 
ure,  through  clouds  and  rough  weather,  he  was  still  mysteriously  held  up  and 
borne  forward,  so  that  at  the  end  he  was  able  to  rest  in  the  highest  professional 
promotion,  "in  peace  after  so  many  troubles,  in  honor  after  so  much  obloquy." 

In  private  life,  Grant's  manners  are  as  unpretending  as  his  person.  He  re- 
ceives attentions  with  embarrassment,  and  is  best  pleased  with  simple  ways  and 
little  ostentation.  He  would  scarcely  be  held  a  good  conversationalist,  and  yet, 
on  topics  that  interest  him  or  have  come  within  the  range  of  his  observation,  ho 
converses  clearly  and  well.  His  friendships  are  strong;  so  also  are  his  preju- 
dices, though  he  rarely  seems  to  bear  malice.  Even  after  the  bitter  relations 
had  sprung  up  between  himself  and  General  Butler,  he  asked  Butler  to  a  social 
party  at  his  house,  and  seemed  a  little  surprised  at  the  indignant  refusal  of  his 
invitation.  In  his  military  judgments  he  is  generally  generous.  He  is,  indeed, 
rarely  willing  to  acknowledge  that  he  has  started  on  a  wrong  course;  and  ho 
rarely  forgives  those  who,  in  failing  to  execute  impossible  plans,  have  shown 
their  impossibility.  But  he  is  singularly  free  from  envyT  or  jealousy.  He  has 
himself  done  the  most  toward  raising  those  who  now  come  nearest  rivaling  him 
in  reputation. 

On  political  matters  he  is  ignorant  and  careless.  He  has  his  full  share  of 
the  regular  army  feeling,  which  holds  it  a  matter  of  professional  etiquette  to 
despise  the  politicians.  Before  the  war  his  sympathies  were  strongly  Southern. 
The  leading  officers  of  his  staff  were  Illinois  Democrats.  Since  the  war  his 
feelings  have  been  intensely  loyal,  but  at  the  same  time  conservative.  His  in- 
fluence has  been  effectively  given  for  the  preservation  of  strong  military  rule  at 
the  South.  With  the  advanced  positions  of  the  Eadical  Eepublican  party  he 
has  little  sympathy.  He  was  fervidly  hostile  to  the  French  effort  at  Imperial- 
ism in  Mexico,  and  he  would  have  hailed  armed  intervention  in  behalf  of  the 
Straggling  Juarists. 

His  passion  for  fast  horses  and  for  billiards  survives  the  war.  Smoking  he 
will  never  give  up.  From  other  stimulants  he  does  not  always  abstain  so  rig- 
orously as  in  the  days  of  his  poverty  in  St,  Louis. 

Through  the  war  he  deserved  great  praise  for  his  entire  freedom  from  all 
schemes  for  personal  advancement.  Wisely  or  unwisely,  on  good  plans  or  bad 
plans,  he  kept  steadily  at  work  for  the  Cause;  if  honors  came  they  were  grate- 
fully accepted;  but  the  idea  seems  never  to  have  occurred  to  hira'to  go  out  of 


Ulysses    S.   Grant.  415 

the  way  to  6eek  them.  Since  the  war  he  has  been  a  focus  for  the  attention  of 
politicians.  As  early  as  the  middle  of  18GG,  his  father  had  written,  in  a  letter 
given  to  the  newspapers:* 

"The  most  ultra  Radicals,  the  worst  Copperheads,  the  desperate  Rebels,  and  the  true 
Union  men,  all  say:  Give  us  Grant,  we  want  no  other  platform  than  that  he  has  written  with  hie 
sword.  You  know  enough  about  Ulysses  to  know  that  to  accept  the  Presidency  would  be  to  him 
a  sacrifice  of  feeling  and  personal  interest.  He  could  not  well  stand  the  trial  of  being  a  candi- 
date for  public  favor;  and  his  present  position  is  every  way  a  much  better  one  than  that  of  Pres- 
ident. But  if  there  should  seem  to  be  the  same  necessity  for  it  two  years  hence  as  now,  I  expect 
he  will  yield." 

Substantially  the  same  statement  has  been  made  by  the  General  himself,  in 
reply  to  the  inquiries  of  partisans. 

*  Letter  to  E.  A.  Collins  (by  him  published),  Covington,  Kentucky,  10th  of  July,  18G6. 

Note. — Since  these  pages  were  stereotyped  General  Grant  has  become  a  very  prominent 
candidate  for  the  Presidency — being  mainly  urged  by  the  conservative  wing  of  the  Republican 
party;  and  has  been  made  Secretary  of  War,  ad  interim,  succeeding  Mr.  Stanton,  avIio  was  removed 
by  the  President. 


William  T.  Sherman.  *« 


LIEUTENANT-GENERAL  WM.  TECUMSEH  SHERMAN. 


bbT  ^J\l  gratified  at  your  purpose  to  prepare  a  record  of  Ohio's  contri- 
butions to  the  war.  The  work,  however,  will  necessarily  be  so 
-*-  extended  that  my  own  place  in  it  must  be  very  brief.  Whatever 
facts  you  need  about  me  can  be  readily  gleaned  from  Colonel  Bowman's  book." 
So  writes — in  a  letter  now  lying  before  us — the  man  who  conquered  Atlanta,  and 
marched  down  to  the  sea.  We  do  not  agree  with  him.  That  would  be  a  very 
ill-proportioned  account  of  Ohio's  contributions  to  the  war  which  should  allow 
Mm  small  space.  Whatever  may  be  thought  of  many  parts  of  his  varied  career 
there  can  be  no  dispute  as  to  the  place  to  which  it  led.  He  rightfully  divides 
with  Grant  the  honor  of  pre-eminence  among  all  the  brilliant  commanders 
whom  the  war  educated  for  the  country's  service.  The  State  that  takes  pride 
in  having  given  birth  to  both,  does  well  to  reckon  them  foremost  on  the  long 
roll  of  her  Generals. 

Unlike  his  great  associate,  General  Sherman  comes  of  a  family  in  which 
culture  and  social  position  have  been  a  birthright  for  many  generations.  In 
1634  three  Shermans,  two  brothers  and  a  cousin,  emigrated  from  Essex  County, 
in  England,  to  the  infant  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  One  of  these,  the 
Honorable  Samuel  Sherman,  settled  in  Connecticut,  where  the  family  remained 
and  prospered,  until,  in  1815,  the  death  of  the  great-grandson  of  the  emigrant, 
a  judge  of  one  of  the  Connecticut  courts,  compelled  his  widow  to  seek  a  cheaper 
living  and  better  chances  for  her  boys  in  the  West.  Here  one  of  her  sons  rose 
in  the  practice  of  the  law,  till,  eight  years  after  their  arrival,*  he  became  one 
of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court.  But  he  married  young,f  had  a  family 
of  eleven  children,  and  spent  his  income  in  their  support.  In  1829  he  died  very 
suddenly  of  cholera. 

Of  two  out  of  the  eleven  children  thus  left  without  support  in  the  house  of 
a  bereaved  widow  at  Lancaster,  the  world  has  since  heard  something.  The 
eighth  of  them,  then  a  lad  of  six  or  seven,  was  John  Sherman,  since  Eepresen- 
tative  and  Senator  in  Congress,  and  the  sixth,  then  nine  years  of  age,  a  bright- 
eyed,  red-haired,  play-loving  urchin,  was  William  Tecumseh  Sherman. 

The  future  General  was  born  in  Lancaster,  on  the  8th  of  February,  1820. 
The  family  names  had  been  pretty  well  exhausted  in  furnishing  forth  the  five 
who  had  preceded  him,  and  there  was  great  perplexity  in  seeking  a  name  at 

•  That  is,  in  1823.  tin  his  twenty-second  year. 

Yol.  I.— 27. 


418 


Ohio  in  the  War, 


on 


ce  suitable  and  new,  for  the  infant.  The  father  finally  decided  it.  He  wanted 
one  boy  trained  for  the  army;  he  had  himself  seen  and  admired  Tecumseh,  and 
among  military  names  none  was  then  held  in  such  special  esteem  about  Lancas- 
ter a«  that  of  this  renowned  Indian  chieftain  (slain  in  battle  but  a  short  time 
before),  whose  kindness  had  more  than  once,  within  the  knowledge  of  the  pio- 
neers of  that  vicinity,  saved  the  shedding  of  innocent  blood  *  Up  to  the  death 
of  his  father,  Tecumseh  Sherman  led  the  pleasant  life  of  an  active,  mischievous, 
warm  -tempered  boy,  surrounded  by  affectionate  brothers  and  sisters,  and  watched 
over  by  a  good  mother,  f  He  was  now  to  experience  the  change  by  which  his 
subsequent  life  was  moulded. 

The  members  of  the  bar  at  Lancaster  knew  very  well  that  Judge  Sherman 
had  left  no  adequate  provision  for  his  large  family,  and  it  was  agreed  among 
them  that  some  of  the  children  should  be  educated  and  supported  by  the  legal 
brethren  of  the  deceased  parent.  In  accordance  with  this  arrangement  Hon. 
Thomas  Ewing,  then  in  the  prime  of  his  reputation  as  a  great  lawyer  and 
statesman,  decided  to  adopt  one  of  the  boys.  "I  must  have  the  smartest  of 
them,"  so  the  stories  of  the  iimesj  tell  us  that  Mr.  Ewing  said  to  the  widow; 
and  on  the  same  authority  we  have  it  that,  after  some  consultation  between  the 
mother  and  the  eldest  sister,  "Cump,"  at  that  important  period  of  his  life  at 
play  in  a  neighboring  sandbank,  was  selected. 

The  next  seven  years  passed  in  school-boy  life  in  Lancaster.  Young  Sher- 
man was  fairly  adopted  into  the  Ewing  family,  and  he  soon  made  his  way  to  all 
their  hearts.  He  was  sent  to  the  English  department  of  the  village  academy, 
where  he  stood  well  in  his  classes,  and  came  to  be  called  a  promising  boy. 
"There  was  nothing  specially  remarkable  about  him,"  so  writes  his  foster-father, 
Mr.  Ewing,||  "excepting  that  I  never  knew  so  young  a  boy  who  would  do  an 
errand  so  correctly  and  promptly  as  he  did."  And  again:  "He  was  transpa- 
rently honest,  faithful,  and  reliable.  Studious  and  correct  in  his  habits,  his 
progress  in  education  was  steady  and  substantial." 

And  so  the  boy  reached  his  seventeenth  year.  Mr.  Ewing  now  had  a 
vacancy  at  West  Point  in  his  gift,  and  he  bestowed  it  upon  the  child  of  his  eld 
friend.  Young  Sherman  was  admitted  to  the  academy  in  June,  1836,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  a  two-months'  furlough  in  the  summer  of  1838,  which  he  spent 
in  a  visit  to  his  home  at  Lancaster,  he  remained  there  continuously  until  his 
graduation,  in  June,  1840.  Starting  with  a  good  preliminary  education,  he  had 
maintained  a  fair,  though  not  first-class,  standing  to  the  close.  Mr.  Ewing 
desired  that  he  should  graduate  in  the  Engineer  Corps.  This,  as  he  himself 
wrote  some  months  before,  he  was  unable  to  do,  but  his  rank  was  such  as  to 
entitle  him  to  enter  the  artillery.     He  was  sixth  in  his  class.     Six  forms  below 

*This  is  understood  to  be  the  explanation  given  by  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing.  Headley'?  Sher- 
man, pp.  17,  18. 

t  Miss  Mary  Hoyt,  to  whom  Judge  Sherman  was  married  in  1810,  is  spoken  of  as  an  intelli- 
gent, exemplary  woman,  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  an  affectionate  wife  and 
mother. 

X  Headley's  Sherman,  p.  24.  j|  Ibid,  p.  25. 


William   T.   Sherman.  419 

him  stood  George  H.  Thomas;  next  below  Thomas  was  R.  S.  Ewell;  and  among 
other  names  borne  on  the  roll  of  that  class  of  1840,  with  which  the  country  has 
since  become  familiar,  were  Stewart  Van  Vlict,  Bushrod  R.  Johnson,  George  W. 
Getty,  William  Hays,  and  Thomas  Jordan. 

The  pleasantest  glimpses  we  get  of  these  four  years  of  cadet  life,  are  in  the 
letters  of  the  future  Lieutenant-General  to  the  fair  companion  and  playmate  of 
his  Lancaster  home,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Ewing,  for  whom  he  had  already 
formed  a  strong  attachment.  These  letters  are  sprightly,  vivacious,  and  a  trifle 
eccentric — not  at  all  unlike,  in  style,  those  graver  epistles,  which,  at  a  later 
period,  were  to  draw  from  the  uncomplimentary  Secretary  of  War  the  compli- 
ment that  "Sherman  wrote  as  well  as  he  fought."  As  might  readily  be  sus- 
pected, Cadet  Sherman  was  not  much  of  a  "society  man."  "  We  have  two  or 
three  dancing  parties  each  week,"  he  writes  in  one  letter,  "at  which  the  gray 
bobtail  is  a  sufficient  recommendation  for  an  introduction  to  any  one.  You  can 
well  conceive  how  the  cadets  have  always  had  the  reputation,  and  have  still, 
here  in  the  East,  of  being  great  gallants  and  ladies'  men.  God  only  knows  how 
I  will  sustain  that  reputation."  The  army,  as  he  grew  ready  to  enter  it,  seemed 
very  inviting.  About  a  year  before  his  graduation  he  wrote  of  himself  in  this 
characteristic  vein :  "  Bill  is  very  much  elated  at  the  idea  of  getting  free  of 
West  Point  next  June.  He  does  not  intend  remaining  in  the  army  more  than 
one  }Tear,  then  to  resign  and  study  law,  probably.  No  doubt  you  admire  his 
choice;  but  to  6peak  plainly  and  candidly,  I  would  rather  be  a  blacksmith. 
Indeed,  the  nearer  we  come  to  that  dreadful  epoch,  graduation  -day,  the  higher 
opinion  I  conceive  of  the  duties  and  life  of  an  officer  of  the  United  States  army, 
and  the  more  confirmed  in  the  wish  of  spending  my  life  in  the  service  of  my 
country.  Think  of  that!"  Nurtured  in  the  Presbyterian  teachings  of  his 
mother  till  his  tenth  year;  then  kept  under  the  influence  of  Mr.  Ewing's  Roman 
Catholic  family,  he  had  grown,  after  such  changes,  a  little  restive  under  pro- 
tracted religious  exercises  :  "  The  church  bugle  has  just  blown,  and  in  a  moment 
I  must  put  on  my  side-arms  and  march  to  church,  to  listen  to  a  two  hours' 
sermon,  with  its  twenty  divisions  and  twenty-one  subdivisions;  ....  but 
I  believe  it  is  a  general  fact  that  what  people  are  compelled  to  do  they  dislike." 

Then,  as  in  later  life,  practical  matters  and  details  were  especially  to  his 
taste:  "The  last  encampment,  taken  all  in  all,  I  think  was  the  most  pleasant 
one  I  have  ever  spent,  even  to  me,  who  did  not  participate  in  the  dances  and 
balls  given  every  week  by  the  different  classes;  besides  the  duties  were  of 
altogether  a  different  nature  from  any  of  the  previous  ones,  such  as  acting  as 
officers  upon  guard  and  at  artillery  drills,  practising  at  target-firing  with  long 
twenty-fours  and  thirty-twos,  mortars,  howitzers,  etc.,  as  also  cavalry  exercise, 
which  has  been  introduced  this  year."  He  was  not  slow  in  taking  to  the  knack 
of  command  :  "As  to  lording  it  over  the  plebs,  to  which  you  referred,  I  had 
only  one,  whom  I  made,  of  course,  'tend  to  a  pleb's  duty,  such  as  bringing  water, 
policing  the  tent,  cleaning  my  gun  and  accouterments,  and  the  like,  and  repaid 
in  the  usual  and  cheap  coin — advice;  and  since  we  have  commenced  studying, 
I  make  him  bone,  and  explain  to  him  the  difficult  parts  of  Algebra  and  tho 


420  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

French,  Grammar,  since  he  is  a  good  one  and  fine  fellow;  but  should  he  not 
carry  himself  straight,  I  should  have  him  found  in  January,  and  sent  off,  that 
being  the  usual  way  in  such  cases,  and  then  take  his  bed,  table,  and  chair,  to  pay 
for  The  Christmas  spree."  Imagine  how  greedily  these  details  of  her  heart's 
hero  were  devoured  by  the  fair  Miss  Ellen,  in  whose  eyes  West  Point,  with  all 
its  advantages,  could  scarcely  be  good  enough  for  the  wonderful  lad. 

He  did  not  fail  to  show  his  confiding  playmate  that  he  had  come  to  the 
dignity  of  doing  his  own  thinking.  How  amusingly  characteristic  is  it  to  find 
this  unfledged  stripling  of  West  Point  rebuking,  with  the  solemn  gravity  of 
one  who  had  fathomed  the  whole  case,  the  course  of  the  Whig  party,  of  which 
his  foster-father  was  then  a  conspicuous  leader,  and  the  confidence  with  which 
he  predicts  its  defeat  in  the  famous  Harrison  campaign.  "You,  no  doubt,  are 
not  only  firmly  impressed,  but  absolutely  certain  that  General  Harrison  will  be 
our  next  President.  For  my  part,  though,  of  course,  but  a  '  superficial  observer/ 
I  do  not  think  there  is  the  least  hope  of  such  a  change,  since  his  friends  have 
thought  proper  to  envelop  his  name  with  log-cabins,  gingerbread,  hard-cider, 
and  such  humbugging,  the  sole  object  of  which  plainly  is  to  deceive  and  mislead 
his  ignorant  and  prejudiced,  though  honest,  fellow-citizens;  whilst  his  qualifica- 
tions, his  honesty,  his  merits,  and  services,  are  merely  alluded  to  !  "  More  laugh- 
able still  is  the  solemn  air  with  which  the  precocious  youth  discusses,  and 
patronizingly,  yet  with  due  caution  and  reserve,  approves  the  qualifications  of 
the  Board  of  Visitors  at  the  annual  examination:  "There  is  but  little  doubt 
of  its  being  nearly  as  well  selected  as  circumstances  would  admit  of.  Party 
seems  to  have  had  no  influence  whatever,  and,  for  my  part,  I  am  very  glad  of 
it.  I  hope  that  our  army,  navy,  or  the  Military  Academy,  may  never  be  affected 
by  the  party  rancor  which  has  for  some  time  past,  and  does  now,  so  materially 
injure  other  institutions!"  The  grammar  may  be  a  little  halting,  but  is  it  not 
plain  that  here  is  a  youth  little  likely  to  be  ever  much  retarded  by  any  doubts 
as  to. the  wisdom  of  his  own  opinions,  or  as  to  his  ample  facilities  for  forming 
correct  judgments?  Nor  was  he  at  all  disposed  to  hide  his  academic  standing 
under  a  bushel:  UI  presume  you  have  seen  the  register  of  cadets  for  the  last 
year,"  he  writes  to  Miss  Ellen,  "  and  remarked  that  I  still  maintain  a  good  stand 
in  my  class;  and  if  it  were  not  for  that  column  of  demerits  it  would  be  still 
better,  for  they  are  combined  with  proficiency  in  study  to  make  out  the  standing 
in  general  merit,  In  fact,  this  year  as  well  as  the  last,  in  studies  alone,  1  have 
been  among  the  stars."  And  here,  to  close  these  extracts,  is  a  glimpse  of  the 
young  cadet's  ideas  for  his  future,  as  graduation-day  approached:  "I  fear  I 
have  a  difficult  part  to  act  for  the  next  three  years,  because  I  am  almost  confi- 
dent that  your  father's  wishes  and  intentions  will  clash  with  my  inclinations. 
In  the  first  place,  I  think  he  wishes  me  to  strive  and  graduate  in  the  Engineer 
Corps.  This  I  can't  do.  Next  to  resign  and  become  a  civil  engineer.  .  .  . 
Whilst  I  propose  and  intend  to  go  into  the  infantry,  be  stationed  in  the  Far 
West,  out  of  tho  reach  of  what  is  termed  civilization,  and  there  remain  as  long 
as  possible."  * 

*Slierman  and  his  Campaigns  (Bowman  and  Irwin),  pp.  11,  12,  13. 


William  T.  Sherman.  421 

The  assignment  of  the  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  was  not  quite  in  accord- 
ance with  these  anticipations  of  the  Cadet.  He  was  not,  indeed,  able  to  enter 
the  engineers,  but  his  standing  fully  warranted  admission  to  the  artillery,  and 
the  influence  of  his  guardian  was  such  that,  in  those  days  of  slow  promotion 
he  rose,  in  a  little  over  a  year,  to  the  rank  of  First-Lieutenant.  Until  March, 
1842,  he  served  in  Florida,  mostly  on  garrison-duty,  although  he  participated 
in  several  expeditions  against  the  Seminoles.  Even  thus  early  he  developed 
some  signs  of  the  theory  of  war  which  he  has  since  made  so  famous.  He  would 
have  no  truces  or  parleys  with  the  Indians;  he  would  exterminate  all  who 
resisted  and  drive  from  the  country  all  who  submitted;  and  so  would  end  the 
war  in  a  single  campaign.* 

lie  easily  fell,  for  a  little  while,  into  the  languid  life  of  the  region.  Writ- 
ing from  Fort  Pierce,  in  East  Florida,  in  1841,  he  says:  "Books  we  have  few; 
but  it  is  no  use — we  can  not  read  any  but  the  lightest  trash;  and  even  the 
newspapers,  which  you  would  suppose  we  would  devour,  require  a  greater 
effort  of  mind  to  search  than  we  possess.  We  attribute  it  to  the  climate, 
and  bring  up  these  lazy  native  Minorcans  as  examples,  and  are  satisfied.  Yet, 
of  course,  we  must  do  something,  however  little.  .  .  .  The  Major  and  I 
have  a  parcel  of  chickens  in  which  we  have,  by  competition,  taken  enough 
interest  to  take  up  a  few  minutes  of  the  day;  besides,  I  have  a  little  fawn  to 
play  with,  and  crows,  a  crane,  etc.,  and  if  you  were  to  enter  my  room  you 
would  doubt  whether  it  was  the  abode  of  man  or  beasts.  In  one  corner  is  a 
hen,  setting;  in  another  some  crows,  roosted  on  bushes;  the  other  is  a  little 
bed  of  bushes  for  the  little  fawn;  whilst  in  the  fourth  is  my  bucket,  wash- 
basin, glass,  etc.  So  you  see  it  is  three  to  one."  So,  again,  he  gives  us  this 
pleasant  picture:  "I've  got  more  pets  now  than  any  bachelor  in  the  country — 
innumerable  chickens,  tame  pigeons,  white  rabbits,  and  a  full-blooded  Indian 
pony — rather  small  matters  for  a  man  to  deal  with,  you  doubtless  think, 
but  it  is  far  better  to  spend  time  in  trifles,  such  as  these,  than  in  drinking  or 
gambling." 

He  still  clung  to  his  fancy  for  life  on  the  Western  frontier:  "We  hear  that 
the  new  Secretary  of  War  intends  proposing  to  the  next  Congress  to  raise  two 
rifle  regiments  for  the  Western  service.  As  you  are  at  Washington  I  presume 
you  can  learn  whether  it  is  so  or  not,  for  I  should  like  to  go  in  such  a  regiment, 
if  stationed  in  the  far  West;  not  that  I  am  in  the  least  displeased  with  my 
present  berth,  but  when  the  regiment  goes  North  it  will  in  all  likelihood  be  sta- 
tioned in  the  vicinity  of  some  city,  from  which  God  spare  me."  Already  he 
prided  himself  on  his  downright  way  of  saying  things.  "If  you  have  any 
regard  for  my  feelings,"  he  exclaims  in  one  of  his  Florida  letters,  "don't  say 
the  word  'insinuation'  again.  You  may  abuse  me  as  much  as  you  please;  but 
I'd  prefer,  of  the  two,  to  be  accused  of  telling  a  direct  falsehood  than  stating 
anything  evasively  or  underhand;  and  if  I  have  ever  been  guilty  of  such  a 
thing  it  was  unintentionally." 

The  Florida  life  ended  in  March,  1842,  when  Lieutenant  Sherman's  com- 

*  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns  (Bowman  and  Irwin),  p.  14. 


422  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

pany  was  removed  to  Fort  Morgan,  at  the  entrance  to  Mobile  Bay.  In  midsum- 
mer of  the  same  year  it  was  brought  still  nearer  the  detested  "fashionables," 
Mag  transferred  to  Fort  Moultrie,  in  Charleston  Harbor,  where  the  time  passed 
in  an  agreeable  round  of  hunting,  fishing,  and  enjoyment  of  the  hospitalities 
of  the  aristocratic  Charlestonians,  to  whose  selectest  society  the  uniform  of 
tfce  army  or  navy  was  always  an  open  sesame.  His  heart,  however,  resisted  all 
the  fascinations  to  which  it  was  here  exposed;  and,  true  to  his  early  attach- 
ment, he  procured,  in  the  fall  of  18-43,  a  four  months'  furlough  for  a  visit  to  the 
family  of  his  guardian,  during  which  he  became  formally  engaged  to  Miss  Ellen 
Ewing. 

He  was  next  assigned  to  duty  on  a  board  of  officers,  appointed  to  examine 
the  claims  of  Georgia  and  Alabama  militia  for  horses  lost  in  the  Seminole  War. 
Meanwhile  the  restless  young  officer  was  busy  studying  the  country,  from  a 
professional  stand-point.  Nothing  could  more  strikingly  exhibit  the  foundations 
of  that  wonderful  knowledge  of  the  topography  andi  resources  of  the  South 
which  was  afterward  to  prove  so  valuable,  than  this  scrap  of  a  letter  to  Phile- 
mon Ewing,  written  while  on  duty  with  the  Board  of  Claims:  "Every  day  I 
feel  more  and  more  the  need  of  an  atlas,  such  as  your  father  has  at  home;  and  as 
the  knowledge  of  geography,  in  its  minutest  details,  is  essential  to  a  true  mili- 
tary education,  the  idle  time  necessarily  spent  here  might  be  properly  devoted 
to  it.  I  wish,  therefore,  you  would  procure  for  me  the  best  geography  and  atlas 
(not  school)  extant."  Presently  we  find  him  reaching  out  after  other  matters. 
"Since  my  return,"  he  writes  from  Fort  Moultrie,  after  the  adjournment  of  the 
Board,  "I  have  not  been  running  about  in  the  city  or  the  island,  as  hereto- 
fore, but  have  endeavored  to  interest  myself  in  Blackstone.  I  have  read  all 
four  volumes,  Starkie  on  Evidence,  and  other  books,  semi-legal  and  semi-histor- 
ical, and  would  be  obliged  if  you  would  give  me  a  list  of  such  books  as  you 
were  required  to  read,  not  including  your  local  or  State  law.  I  intend  to  read 
the  second  and  third  volumes  of  Blackstone  again;  also  Kent's  Commentaries, 
which  seem,  as  far  as  I  am  capable  of  judging,  to  be  the  basis  of  the  common  law 
practice.  This  course  of  study  I  have  adopted  from  feeling  the  want  of  it  in 
the  duties  to  which  I  was  lately  assigned.  ...  I  have  no  idea  of  making 
the  law  a  profession;  but  as  an  officer  of  the  army  it  is  my  duty  and  interest 
to  be  prepared  for  any  situation  that  fortune  or  luck  may  offer.  It  is  for  this 
alone  that  I  prepare,  and  not  for  professional  practice."*  He  was  indeed  to 
prove,  in  his  after  life,  that  he  was  incapable  of  successful  "professional  prac- 
tice." 

Then  followed  the  usual  routine  of  army  life— detached  service  for  a  little 
time  at  the  Augusta  Arsenal,  court-martial  service  at  Wilmington,  and  finally, 
when  the  Mexican  war  broke  out,  recruiting  service  at  Pittsburg.  At  last  his 
repeated  requests  for  active  service  received  the  attention  of  the  War  Depart- 
ment, but  it  did  not  appear  that  the  impression  he  had  made  upon  those  con- 
trolling the  army  was  strong  enough  to  secure  an  order  to  tho  seat  of  war.  Ho 
was,  however,  sent  around  the  Cape,  and  up  the  west  coast  of  South  America, 
*  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  pp.  14,  15,  16,  17,  18. 


William   T.  Sherman.  423 

to  California,  where  presently  he  became  aid-de-camp  to  General  Pcrsifer  F. 
Smith,  and  by-and-by  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General  to  Stephen  W.  Kear- 
ney. He  saw  no  active  service  whatever,  but  he  discharged  the  clerical  duties 
of  his  position  with  such  promptness  and  accuracy  as  to  secure  the  favorable 
notice  of  his  superiors. 

In  1850  he  returned  to  "the  States,"  and  on  1st  May  his  long  engagement 
was  closed  by  his  marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  Ewing,  at  the  residence  of  her  father 
then  Secretary  of  the  Interior.  Among  the  guests  who  graced  the  wedding 
were  Daniel  Webster,  Henry  Clay,  and  Zachary  Taylor.  He  was  soon  sent  to 
garrison-duty  at  Jefferson  barracks,  Missouri,  and  shortly  afterward,  with  the 
brevet  of  Captain  "for  meritorious  services  in  California  during  the  war  with 
Mexico,"  was  made  Commissary,  and  sent,  first  to  St.  Louis,  and  then  to  New 
Orleans. 

Captain  Sherman  had  thus  been  in  the  army  thirteen  years,  and  in  all  that 
time  had  seen  no  fighting  save  some  paltry  Indian  skirmishes  in  Florida.  Pro- 
motion seemed  slow;  he  now  had  a  wife  to  support;  his  commissary's  expe- 
rience had  thrown  him  among  business  men,  and  had  given  them  an  idea  of  his 
capacity.  He  was  offered,  by  a  St.  Louis  house,  a  position  in  San  Francisco,  to 
manage  a  branch  bank  which  they  were  about  to  establish  there.  He  at  once 
accepted  the  offer;  on  the  6th  of  September,  1853,  resigned  his  commission,  and 
before  the  end  of  the  year  was  established  in  San  Francisco,  with  tho  expecta- 
tion of  making  his  home  for  life  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

From  1853  to  1857  our  retired  artillery  captain  remained  in  business  in 
San  Francisco,  struggling  hard  to  make  a  success  out  of  his  new  way  of  life. 
He  rose  into  some  esteem  among  the  Californians,  and  attained  the  empty  dig- 
nity of  a  Major-General  of  the  California  militia.*  He  was  not  esteemed  a 
great  financier,  and  some  of  his  ways  of  doing  things  exhibited  more  strongly 
the  straightforward  bluntness  of  the  camps  than  the  finesse  of  a  dextrous  finan- 
cier. But  his  business  integrity  was  unquestioned.  At  last,  however,  it  became 
necessary  to  give  up  his  banking  experiment.  Toward  the  close  of  1857  he 
essayed  a  similar  business  in  New  York  ;  but  next  spring  he  decided  that  it  was 
time  to  try  something  else.  The  young  Ewings,  his  brothers-in-law,  were  now 
establishing  themselves  in  Kansas,  and  Sherman  was  very  glad  to  fall  back  on 
his  old  Fort  Moultrie  law-reading,  and  interest  himself  in  their  professional 
practice.  For  two  years  he  strove  to  be  a  lawyerf — with  indifferent  success,  if 
the  reminiscences  of  the  Leavenworth  newspapers  may  be  trusted.  While  the 
Ewings  did  the  pleadings  and  the  outside  work,  the  restless,  nervous,  eccentric 
office-partner  did  well  enough.  If  he  was  not  particularly  valuable,  he  at  least 
did  no  harm.  Citizens  knew  little  of  him,  and  while  his  brothers-in-law  rapidly 
rose  to  stand  among  the  foremost  leaders  in  the  law  and  the  politics  of  the 
young  State,  Sherman  gained  no  influence  and  had  no  prominence.     At  last  the 

*MS.  Mem.  Military  Career,  furnished  by  Sherman  to  War  Dep't,  and  on  file  among  rolla 
of  Adjutant-General's  office.  tlbid. 


424  Ohio  in  the    War. 

play  came  to  an  end.  "It  happened  one  day"— so  a  Leavenworth  newspaper 
tells  us— "that  Sherman  was  compelled  to  appear  before  the  Probate  Judge, 
Gardner,  we  believe.  The  other  partners  were  busy ;  and  so  Sherman,  with  his 
authorities  and  his  case  all  mapped  out,  proceeded  to  court.  He  returned  in  a 
rage,  two  hours  after.  Something  had  gone  wrong.  He  had  been  pettifogged 
out  of  the  case  by  a  sharp,  petty  attorney  opposed  to  him,  in  a  way  which  was 
disgusting  to  his  intellect  and  his  convictions.  His  amour  propre  was  hurt,  and 
be  declared  that  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  law  in  Kansas.  That 
afternoon  the  business  was  closed,  partnership  dissolved,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  Sherman  was  on  his  way  to  a  more  congenial  clime  and  occupation."* 

Doubtless  disgust  with  the  unpleasant  details  of  legal  practice  in  a  frontier 
town  had  much  to  do  with  the  sudden  abandonment  of  the  law;  but  it  is  not 
improbable  that  his  decision  was  hastened  by  a  flattering  offer  which  reached 
him  at  this  opportune  season.  Louisiana  was  establishing  a  "State  Seminary  of 
Learning  and  Military  Academy."  The  professed  object  of  the  institution  was 
to  train  up  the  youth  of  the  State  to  the  knowledge  of  arms,  so  that,  in  the 
event  of  negro  insurrections,  or  of  trouble  from  the  Indians  on  the  border,  an 
instructed  body  of  officers  might  be  ready  at  once  to  place  the  community  in  a 
position  of  defense.  Sherman  had  been  stationed  at  New  Orleans  during  a  part 
of  his  army  life,  and  nearly  his  whole  term  of  service  had  been  passed  in  the 
South.  His  political  ojnnions  wrere  known  to  be  strongly  Southern;  he  wras 
regarded  as  decidedly  pro-slavery;  and  it  was  quite  natural,  therefore,  that,  in 
casting  about  for  a  Superintendent  for  their  new  institution,  the  authorities  should 
think  of  him.  He  was  tendered  the  position  of  Superintendent,  and  Professor 
of  Engineering,  Architecture,  and  Drawing,  with  an  annual  salar}r  of  five  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  promptly  accepted,  and  remained  at  this  post  through  the 
remainder  of  1859  and  until  18th  January,  1861.  A  lurking  suspicion  of  inse- 
curity, however,  accompanied  him.  The  air  was  already  alive  with  the  portents 
of  civil  strife.  Strong  as  were  Captain  Sherman's  sympathies  with  the  slave- 
holders in  their  opposition  to  the  abolition  excitement,  it  would  seem  that  from 
the  outset  he  had  foreseen  the  possibility  of  their  reaching  a  point  to  which  he 
would  not  accompany  them.  In  the  midst  of  this  uncertainty  he  decided  it  best 
not  to  remove  his  family  to  Louisiana. 

As  the  excitement  increased,  every  effort  was  made  to  win  the  able  Super- 
intendent. He  was  found  strikingly  efficient  in  the  duties  to  which  they  had 
called  him,  and  his  adhesion  to  their  cause  was,  therefore,  all  the  more  desired. 
But  he  met  all  arguments  in  favor  of  armed  resistance  to  any  decision  of  the 
National  authorities  with  the  unwavering  dictum,  that  it  was  the  duty  of  a  sol- 
dier to  fight  for,  never  against,  the  flag  and  the  government  to  which  he  had 
sworn  allegiance. 

*  Leavenworth  Conservative.  On  the  same  authority  we  have  this :  "  Prior  to  entering  upon 
the  practice  of  law  in  Leavenworth  he  lived  for  some  time  at  Topeka,  upon  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which  we  believe  he  still  owns.  His  neighbors  tell  of  his  abrupt  manner, 
reserved  yet  forcible  speech  and  character."  And  it  also  tells  us  that  "an  outlying  part  of  our 
city  plat  is  marked  on  the  maps  as  'Sherman's  Addition.'" 


William    T.   Sherman.  425 

The  progress  of  events  cut  short  the  debate.  The  South  rang  with  prepara- 
tions to  seeede  from  the  Union,  to  the  chief  executive  office  of  which  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  about  to  be  admitted.  Captain  Sherman's  course  was  clear  and 
unshrinking.  No  patriot — most  of  all,  no  Ohioan — can  read  his  letter  of  resig- 
nation without  a  thrill  of  honest  pride  in  his  sturdy  manhood  and  faithful 
loyalty : 

"To  the   Governor  of  the  State  of  Louisiana: 

"Sir — As  1  occupy  a  quasi  military  position  under  this  State,  I  deem  it  proper  to  acquaint 
you  that  I  accepted  such  a  position  when  Louisiana  was  a  State  in  the  Uniop,  and  when  the  motto 
of  the  Seminary,  inserted  in  marble  over  the  main  door,  was:  'By  the  liberality  of  the  General 
Government  of  the  United  States;  The  Union — Esto  Perpetua.' 

"Recent  events  foreshadow  a  great  change,  and  it  becomes  all  men  to  choose.  If  Louisiana 
withdraws  from  the  Federal  Union,  /prefer  to  maintain  my  allegiance  to  the  old  Constitution  as 
long  as  a  fragment  of  it  survives,  and  my  longer  stay  here  would  be  wrong  in  every  sense  of  ihe 

word I  beg  you  to  take  immediate  steps  to  relieve  me  as  Superintendent  the  moment 

the  State  determines  to  secede;  for  on  no  earthly  account  will  I  do  any  act  or  think  any  thought 
hostile  to  or  in  defiance  of  the  old  Government  of  the  United  States." 

Captain  Sherman  at  once  returned  to  St.  Louis,  and,  entering  into  street- 
railroad  speculations  in  that  city,  presently  became  President  of  the  Fifth-street 
line.  In  this  position  the  war  found  him.  He  was  now  in  his  forty-second 
year.  Thus  far  his  career  in  life  had  scarcely  been  what  one  who  should  reckon 
his  original  promise,  and  the  special  social  and  political  influences  that  were 
al\va3'8  combined  in  his  favor,  would  have  expected.  His  thirteen  years  of 
army  life  had  brought  no  distinction.  McClellan,  Fremont,  Halleck,  Hooker, 
Rosccrans,  and  a  score  of  the  other  }*oung  retired  officers  of  the  army,  were  re- 
membered as  brilliant  soldiers,  according  to  the  standard  of  those  old  army  days. 
Sherman  had  left  no  name.  The  eight  years  of  civil  life  that  followed  had 
added  little  to  his  fortune  and  nothing  to  his  fame.  He  was  a  tolerable  bank 
agent  and  unpractical  lawyer.  But  the  heart  of  the  man  was  sound  to  tho 
core;  and  his  impulsive  abandonment  of  his  position  in  Louisiana  did  more 
than  all  his  life  thus  far  to  fix  him  in  men's  minds.  He  was  soon  to  enter 
a  wider  career,  but  the  days  of  his  success  wTere  still  distant,  and  a  severe 
probation  yet  awaited  him. 

About  the  time  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  inauguration  the  President  of  the  Fifth- 
street  Railroad  went  to  Washington.  His  younger  brother,  Hon.  John  Sher- 
man, had  just  been  elected  to  represent  their  native  State  in  the  United  States 
Senate,  and  this,  coupled  with  his  prominence  in  the  Speakership  contest,  some 
years  before,  betokened  an  influence  that  might  be  beneficial.  Captain  Sher- 
man was  ready  for  almost  anything.  He  talked  freely,  drew  largely  on  his 
observations  in  the  South,  assured  the  Republicans  they  would  have  war,  and  a 
bloody  war,  went  to  Mr.  Lincoln  to  try  and  impress  him  with  the  danger,  and 
to  volunteer  his  services  in  any  capacity.  "We  shall  not  need  many  men  like 
you,"  said  the  hopeful  patriot;  "tho  affair  will  soon  blow  over."  But  the  Cap- 
tain's social  position,  as  the  son-in-law  of  so  distinguished  a  statesman  and 


426 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


lawyer  as  Mr.  Ewing,  and  the  brother  of  a  Senator,  secured  him  some  consider- 
ation. He  applied  for  the  chief  clerkship  in  the  War  Department  and  his 
influence,  political  and  military,  was  such  as  to  secure  strong  backing;  but  the 
place  was  given  to  another.  Then,  when  Jos.  E.  Johnston  resigned  the  Quar- 
Urn.astor-lieneralship  to  enter  his  career  in  the  Rebel  army,  Captain  Sherman 
sought  this  vacancy,  but  failed  again  * 

When  the  call  for  seventy-five  thousand  volunteers  for  three  months  was 
issued,  our  confident  Captain  at  once  denounced  it  as  unwise.  He  was  told  that 
if  he  would  go  home  to  Ohio  he  could  probably  get  the  command  of  one  of  the 
regiments;  but  h*  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  such  folly.  "You  might  as 
Mill  attempt  to  put  out  the  flames  of  a  burning  house  with  a  squirt-gun." 
"You  are  sleeping  on  a  volcano."  uYou  want  to  organize  the  whole  military 
power  of  the  North  at  once  for  a  desperate  struggle."  "You  don't  know  any- 
thing  about  this  people.  Why,  if  we  should  have  a  reverse  beyond  the  Po- 
tomac, the  very  women  of  this  city  would  cut  the  throats  of  our  wounded  with 
case-knives."f  Such  were  the  energetic  sayings  with  which  he  won,  for  a  time, 
the  character  of  an  alarmist.  At  last,  disgusted  with  his  failure  to  impress  his 
ideas  upon  the  authorities,  or  to  secure  a  satisfactory  position,  he  went  back  to 
his  street  railroad  in  St.  Louis. 

But  his  thoughtful  brother  did  not  neglect  his  interests.  Presently  it  was 
decided  to  add  eleven  regiments  to  the  regular  army.  Application  was  at  once 
made  for  a  position  for  Captain  Sherman  in  this  new  force,  and  so  vigorously 
and  influentially  was  the  case  presented,  that  early  in  June  the  Senator  tele- 
graphed him  to  return  to  Washington,  and  shortly  after  his  arrival  he  was 
commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Thirteenth  (new)  Eegular  Infantry.  Officers  at 
all  instructed  in  the  minutise  of  military  matters  were  just  then  greatly  needed 
to  aid  in  reducing  the  shapeless  masses  of  militia  to  consistency,  and  the  new 
Colonel  was  ordered  at  once  to  report  for  duty  at  General  Scott's  bead-quarters. 
A  few  days  later,  Scott  sent  him  out  to  take  command  of  a  fort.  Here  he 
remained  till  McDowell's  movement  on  Manassas  was  organized,  when  his  West 
Point  education  secured  him  the  command  of  a  brigade. 

The  ensuing  battle  of  Bull  Run  was  Colonel  Sherman's  first  engagement. 
His  behavior  was  cooler  than  they  would  have  imagined  who  should  judge  only 
from  his  nervous  excitability  of  character.  Coming  into  the  action  about  half- 
past  twelve,  he  found  the  enemy  retreating,  and  advanced  for  over  a  mile  with 
his  brigade  in  line  of  battle.  Then,  as  the  fire  became  severe,  he  protected 
them  a  little  along  the  line  of  a  sunken  road,  till  ordered  to  move  them  up  to 
the  attack.  One  regiment  after  another  was  then  put  in  by  itself,  only  to  be 
driven  back  in  disorder.  The  brigade  was  beaten  in  detail,  but  not  without 
considerable  loss.  Presently  the  panic  began,  and  Sherman's  command  yielded 
to  its  full  force.  He  himself  reported  their  retreat  as  "disorderly  in  the 
extreme."     But  his  own  conduct  had  been  such  as  to  mark  him  out  as  one  of 


mercial 


♦Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  24. 

t  This  last  remark  was  made  to  Murat  Halstead,  Esq.,  the  editor  of  the  Cincinnati  Com- 


William  T.  Sherman.  427 

the  raw  officers,  essaying  war  for  the  first  time,  who  might  yet  come  to  some- 
thing. Such  was  the  impression  of  the  Ohio  Congressmen  ;  and,  at  the  suggestion 
of  his  brother,  they  united  in  a  request  for  his  appointment  to  the  mttk  of 
Brigadier-General.  On  the  3d  of  August  the  commission  was  issued.*  The 
new  General  WiM  unpopular.  He  had  curtly  and  nervously  told  the  truth  about 
the  panic  in  hiS  own  command  as  well  as  among  the  rest  of  the  runaways. 
Never  at  all  basnful  about  expressing  his  opinions,  the  prevailing  excitement 
gave  him  unusual  freedom  of  utterance;  and  he  now  criticised  blunders  with 
the  absolutism  of  a  professor  and  the  zeal  of  a  novice.  But  his  political  in- 
fluence shielded  him  from  danger. 

About  the  middle  of  August  General  Robert  Anderson,  given  command 
of  the  Department  of  Kentucky  for  his  defense  of  Fort  Sumter,  asked  for  Sher- 
man, Burnside,  Thomas,  and  Buell,  to  serve  under  him;  and  toward  the  hist  of 
the  month  Sherman  was  sent.  According  to  his  testimony  to  the  Committee  on 
the  Conduct  of  the  War,  he  "expressed  to  General  Anderson  and  to  the  Presi- 
dent that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  placed  in  any  conspicuous  position,  but  would 
attempt  any  amount  of  work."f  Presently,  on  Anderson's  retiring  because  of 
ill  health,  Sherman  rose  by  seniority  to  the  control  of  the  Department — much 
against  his  own  wishes,  if  we  may  trust  the  same  testimony;  for  he  tells  us 
that  he  "remonstrated  against  being  placed  in  chief  command,  and,  consider- 
ing the  President  pledged  not  to  put  him  in  any  prominent  command,  urged  it 
with  earnestness."|  For  a  course  so  unusual  in  a  man  so  ambitious,  General 
Sherman  has  assigned  no  reasons.  We  may  well  believe,  however,  that  he  real- 
ized his  limited  knowledge  of  practical  war,  and  sagaciously  dreaded  becoming 
prominent  before  he  had  time  to  learn  in  the  school  of  experience. 

"  Paint  me  as  I  am,''  was  the  stern  command  of  a  historic  Soldier  to  the 
artist  who  sketched  his  portrait;  "put  in  every  scar  and  wrinkle."  The  great 
soldier,  whose  career  we  now  trace,  to  be  truly  great,  should  emulate  the  wis- 
dom of  the  Lord  Protector.  In  that  case  we  should  have  none  of  the  disin- 
genuous subterfuges  with  which  it  has  been  sought  to  gloze  over  Sherman's  utter 
failure  in  Kentucky. 

He  was  inexperienced  in  war.  He  was  profoundly  alive  to  the  terrible 
earnestness  of  the  South.  In  the  fervor  of  his  intelligent  opposition  to  the 
"  sixty-days"  nonsense,  he  went,  like  most  incautious  men  of  high  nervous  organ- 
izations, to  the  opposite  extreme. ||  To  his  excited  vision,  the  South  was  a  giant 
armed  cap-a-pie;  the  North,  a  stolid  mass,  trusting  to  raw  militia  for  the  conduct 
of  a  gigantic  war.  No  story  of  Southern  resources  or  reckoning  of  Rebel  armies 
was  too  gross  for  his  belief; -no  depreciation  of  his  personal   command  could 

*  Like  many  others  issued  about  this  period,  it  was  dated  back  to  17th  May. 

t  Eeport  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  4.  t  Ibid. 

||  And  from  this,  in  spite  of  the  lessons  of  the  war,  he  never  recovered.  As  late  as  25th 
October,  1864,  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  after  Grant  had  pushed  Lee  into  Petersburg,  and  had 
written  that  the  Kebels  were  then  robbing  the  cradle  and  the  grave  to  keep  up  their  armies,  and 
when  he  himself  was  about  to  launch  his  army  through  Georgia  to  the  sen,  he  wrote  to  the  Sec- 
retary of  War  (Final  Eeport  Com.  Con.  War,  Vol.  I,  p.  240)  that  "the  contest  was  but  fairly 
begun." 


428  Ohio  in   the  War. 

come  up  to  his  own  conviction  of  its  unfitness  to  cope  with  the  tremendous 
powers  of  his  antagonist.  General  Buckner  had  led  into  Kentucky  a  Eebel  force 
numbering  barely  four  thousand,  had  with  this  paltry  detachment  menaced 
Louisville,  and  had  finally  established  himself  in  fortifications  at  Bowling 
Given.  By  the  15th  of  October  he  was  able  to  increase  his  strength  to  twelve 
thousand.  At  this  average  it  remained  till  months  after  Sherman's  departure 
from  Kentucky*  But  long  before  this,  Sherman  had  at  Camp  Nevin,  facing 
Buckner,  three  brigades  of  four  full  regiments  each,  besides  a  column  of  nine 
thousand  at  Camp  Dick  Robinson  under  General  Thomas,  and  scattere  1  forces 
in  Louisville  and  along  the  line  of  the  railroad!  Yet,  with  such  resources,  he 
declared  Louisville  itself  to  be  in  danger,  burdened  the  telegraph  with  petitions 
for  re-enforcement  to  save  him  from  being  driven  across  the  Ohio,  and  at  one 
time  actually  proposed  that  the  troops  facing  Buckner  should  burn  their  bag- 
gage and  retreat  on  Louisville.  Excited  by  these  visions  of  danger,  and  worn 
out  with  the  labor  of  his  Department,  his  nervousness  increased  upon  him.  He 
talked  extravagantly,  and  made  little  secret  of  his  fears.  Eye-witnesses  spoke 
of  him  as  a  man  haggard  with  work,  and  yet  so  excited  that  he  "scarcely  knew 
what  he  was  about.'"f 

Arrangements  were  already  in  progress  for  raising  the  force  in  Kentucky 
to  an  army  of  sixty  or  seventy  thousand  strong,  but  Sherman's  exaggerated  dis- 
patches had  caused  some  apprehension  as  to  the  wisdom  of  entrusting  so  great  a 
column  to  such  a  commander.  Accordingly,  when  the  Secretary  of  War.  in  a  tour 
of  inspection  westward,  about  this  time,  reached  Louisville,  he  asked  General 
Sherman  what  his  views  really  were  as  to  the  wants  of  his  Department.  "How 
many  men  do  you  need?"  "Two  hundred  thousand!"  was  the  prompt  and 
emphatic  reply.J     To  us,  contemplating  this  strange  answer  in  the  light  of  Sid- 

*  Pollard  says:  "In  spite  of  the  victory  at  Belmont,  our  situation  in  Kentucky  was  one  of 
extreme  weakness,  and  entirely  at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy,  if  he  had  not  been  imposed  upon  by 
false  representations  of  the  number  of  our  forces  at  Bowling  Green.  About  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember General  Buckner  advanced  with  a  small  force  of  about  four  thousand  men,  which  was 
increased  by  15th  October  to  twelve  thousand;  and  though  other  accessions  of  force  were 
received,  it  continued  at  about  the  same  strength  till  the  end  of  November.  The  enemy's  force 
was  then  reported  to  the  War  Department  at  fifty  thousand."  Sidney  Johnston's  Letter  to  Jeff. 
Davis,  after  the  surrender  of  Fort  Donelson,  gives  the  same  figures. 

tMr.  F.  B.  Plympton,  one  of  the  editors  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial,  had  an  amus- 
ing experience  with  General  Sherman  during  the  height  of  his  alarm  about  the  Rebel  strength 
and  purpose.  He  waited  on  the  General  to  inform  him  that  he  had  come  down  to  write  what  was 
to  be  told  about  the  army.  The  General,  who  was  at  a  small  railroad  station  near  Muldraugh's 
Hdl,  broke  out  into  the  most  violent  and  extravagant  abase,  cursing  and  swearing  like  a  madman. 
Presently  he  commenced  oharging  up  and  down  the  platform,  his  saber  rattling  along  behind 
him.  Every  time  he  passed  Mr.  Plympton  he  discharged  at  him  a  volley  of  fresh  oaths,  each 
winding  up  with  the  renewed  order  to  get  back  to  Louisville  on  the  fust  train  if  he  had  any 
regard  for  his  personal  safety.  Plympton  bore  the  matter  philosophically.  Sherman  continued 
prancing  up  and  down  the  platform,  gesticulating,  swoaring,  and  working  himself  into  a  very 
ecstasy  of  rage.  All  of  a  sudden  he  stopped  opposite  Plympton:  "If  you  want  to  get  a  real 
good  dinner,  the  very  best  that  can  be  had  anywhere  about  here,  just  step  over  to  that  house 
which  you  see  yonder!"  This  was  said  in  the  kindest  and  most  friendly  manner  possible.  Then, 
With  a  return  to  the  old  tone:  "But  be  d d  sure  you  take  that  first  train  back  to  Louisville!" 

Jin  this  statement  I  follow  the  narrative  of  Adjutant-General  Thomas,  who  r.as  present  at 


William   T.  Sherman.  429 

ney  Johnston's  declaration  that  his  force  at  Bowling  Green  numbered  twelve 
thousand,  and  of  his  naive  statement  to  Mr.  Davis  that  ho  "magnified  his  forces 
to  the  enemy,  but  disclosed  his  true  strength  to  the  department,"*  it  is  only 
doubtful  whether  Sherman's  opinion  should  furnish  cause  more  for  amazement 
or  for  amusement.  But  to  the  Secretary  of  War  and  the  Adjutant-General  it 
was  a  very  sober  subject.  Here  was  an  untried  commander,  nervous,  palpably 
under  high  excitement,  having,  according  to  concurrent  testimony,  only  a  small 
force  opposed  to  him,  but  declaring  that  he  needed  two  hundred  thousand  men 
straightway,  when  the  entire  available  force  then  in  camps  at  the  North  did 
not  muster  half  so  many.  Either  those  controlling  the  business  of  the  war 
were  grossly  mistaken  in  their  comprehension  of  the  requirements,  or  General 
Sherman  was.  The  result  was  natural.  General  Sherman  was  relieved  from 
command  and  sent  to  Benton  Barracks,  Missouri,  to  drill  raw  recruits.  In  this 
humble  sphere  he  was  kept  at  work  until  the  spring  of  1862;  while  the  re-en- 
forcements that  had  been  designed  for  him  were  confided  to  the  leadership  of 
his  successor.  A  force  at  no  time  so  great  as  two  hundred  thousand  was  sub- 
sequently found,  under  such  efficient  handling  as  General  Sherman  himself 
largely  aided  to  give  it,  sufficient  to  drive  the  enemy  to  the  Gulf. 

Meantime,  with  the  rawness  of  our  early  essays  at  the  management  of  a 
war,  Adjutant-General  Thomas  had  rushed  into  print  with  his  sensationally- 
written  report,  embracing,  among  many  other  secrets,  an  account  of  the  strange 
demand  which  had  preceded  Sherman's  sudden  removal.  The  country  was 
indignant.  Presently  a  leading  journal  of  Cincinnati,!  in  solemn  seriousness, 
on  authority  that  it  believed  to  be  unquestionable,  and  with  a  kindly  desire  to 
do  justice  to  Sherman,  by  enabling  the  country  to  understand  the  causes  of  his 
strange  action,  came  to  the  rescue  with  an  editorial  explanation  of  the  mystery. 
In  the  light  of  subsequent  history  it  becomes  pleasant  reading: 

"The  painful  intelligence  reaches  us  in  such  form  that  we  are  not  at  liberty  to  discredit  it, 
that  General  W.  T.  Sherman,  late  commander  of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland,  is  insane  / 
It  appears  that  he  was  at  times,  when  commanding  in  Kentucky,  stark  mad.  We  learn  that  he 
at  one  time  telegraphed  to  the  War  Department  three  times  in  one  day  for  permission  to  evac- 
uate Kentucky  and  retreat  into  Indiana.  He  also,  on  several  occasions,  frightened  the  leading 
Union  men  of  Louisville  almost  out  of  their  wits  by  the  most  astounding  representations  of  the 
overwhelming  force  of  Buckner,  and  the  assertion  that  Louisville  could  not  he  defended.  The 
retreat  from  Cumberland  Gap  was  one  of  his  mad  freaks.  When  relieved  from  the  command  in 
Kentucky  he  was  sent  to  Missouri  and  placed  at  the  head  of  a  brigade  at  Sedalia,  where  the 


the  interview,  A  biography  of  General  Sherman,  prepared  under  his  eye,  has  since  explained 
that  he  said:  "Sixty  thousand  to  drive  the  enemy  out  of  Kentucky,  two  hundred  thousand  to 
finish  the  war  in  this  section."  But  inasmuch  as  sixty  thousand  would  have  been  a  very  absurd 
number  to  insist  upon  for  driving  out  Buckner's  twelve  thousand  at  Bowling  Green  and  the 
small  force  under  ZollicofTer,  which  Thomas's  little  column  subsequently  defeated  so  handsomely 
at  Mill  Springs,  the  explanation  (which  at  any  rate  looks  strikingly  like  an  after-thought)  does 
not  greatly  mend  the  matter.     See  post,  Life  of  Buell. 

*  Letter  of  General  Sidney  Johnston  to  President  Davis,  18th  March,  1862— furnished  Con- 
federate Congress,  and  published  in  Report  Spec.  Com.  on  Causes  of  Disasters  at  Forts  Henry 
and  Donelson,  pp.  171,  172. 

t  Cincinnati  Daily  Commercial,  December,  1861. 


430 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


Shocking  fact  that  he  was  a  madman  was  developed,  by  orders  that  his  subordinates  knew  to  be 
preposterous,  and  refused  to  obey.  He  has,  of  course,  been  relieved  altogether  from  command. 
The  harsh  criticisms  which  have  been  lavished  upon  this  gentleman,  provoked  by  his  strange 
conduct  will  now  give  way  to  feelings  of  the  deepest  sympathy  for  him  in  his  great  calamity.  It 
teems  providential  that  the  country  has  not  to  mourn  the  loss  of  an  army  through  the  loss  of  the 
mind  of  a  General  into  whose  hands  were  committed  the  vast  responsibilities  of  the  command  in 
Kentucky."  * 

Tho  country  at  once  accepted  the  explanation ;  and  though  General  Sher- 
man's relatives  promptly  contradicted  it,f  his  actual  insanity  was  doubted  by 
f;-w,  save  the  army  officers  who  surrounded  him,  till,  in  the  spring  of  1862, 
General  Halleck  decided  to  try  him  on  more  active  duty  than  Benton  Barracks 
afforded.  When  Grant  went  up  to  Fort  Donelson  it  was  important  that  there 
should  be  an  instructed  officer  at  Paducah  to  supervise  the  forwarding  of  troops 
and  supplies.  With  this  task  Sherman  was  intrusted.^  All  winter  he  had  been 
restless  and  chafing;  his  boundless  activity  now  found  scope,  and  he  proved  so 
energetic  and  useful  that  Halleck,  who  had  known  him  in  California,  and, 
besides,  had  a  strong  penchant  for  West  Pointers,  determined  to  try  him  further. 
The  expedition  up  the  Tennessee  was  soon  on  foot,  and  Sherman  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  a  division  in  it.  He  was  boiling  over  with  energy,  and  his 
wide  theoretical  acquaintance  with  military  matters  was  soon  found  to  be  re-en- 
forced by  a  remarkable  capacity  for  learning  from  every  day's  experience.  In 
short,  he  so  handled  his  troops  that  in  a  little  time  Chas.  F.  Smith,  having  no 
other  West  Pointer  (save  Hurlbut,  who  need  scarcely  be  counted)  among  his  Di- 
vision Generals,  came  to  rely  chiefly  on  Sherman,  and  to  give  him  the  lead.     On 

♦The  facts  on  which  this  noted  article  was  based  were  furnished  by  Mr.  Henri  Villard, 
a  well-known  and  trustworthy  journalist,  connected  with  the  Eastern  press,  and  also  with  the 
Commercial.  He  considered  them  of  so  much  importance  that  he  made  a  trip  from  Louisville 
to  Cincinnati  expressly  to  communicate  them  in  person.  He  added  that  George  D.  Prentice,  Hon. 
James  Guthrie,  Hon.  James  Speed,  and  other  prominent  Unionists  of  Louisville,  had  been  tele- 
graphing to  the  War  Department  concerning  the  danger,  before  the  removal  of  General  Sher- 
man. Mr.  Halstead  accepted  the  statement  thus  fortified  by  direct  and  circumstantial  testimony 
as  conclusive.  It  seemed  to  him  a  kindness  to  General  Sherman  that  the  country  should  be 
enabled  to  know  the  real  secret  of  his  strange  sayings  and  doings,  as  well  as  the  enormous  dan- 
ger from  which  it  has  just  escaped,  in  having  so  important  a  command  controlled  by  a  stark, 
raving  madman.  When  General  Sherman  first  saw  the  article  he  was  at  Lancaster,  on  a  visit  to 
his  family.  He  laid  down  the  paper,  and,  in  his  quick,  nervous  way,  exclaimed :  "Well,  now,  I 
should  n't  be  surprised  if  they  would  fasten  that  on  me.  It  \s  the  hardest  thing  in  the  world  for 
a  man  to  prove  himself  sane,  especially  when  many  people  think  his  ideas  wild."  His  family  and 
friends,  who  were  greatly  enraged,  at  once  attributed  the  statement  to  General  McClellan.  No 
amount  of  reasoning  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Halstead  could  convince  them  that  the  General  then 
at  the  head  of  the  army  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  origin  of  the  Commercial's  article.  Some 
other  facts  (known  or  suspected,  doubtless,  by  Sherman's  family)  will  serve  to  show  the  basis  for 
their  suspicions.  Colonel  Thomas  M.  Key,  the  well-known  Judge-Advocate  and  confidential  ad- 
viser on  General  McClellan's  staff,  was  actually  sent  to  see  Sherman's  condition.  He  returned 
with  the  report  that,  so  far  as  he  could  judge,  Sherman  was  not  sufficiently  master  of  his  judgment 
to  be  intrusted  with  the  command  of  an  army  and  a  great  department.  It  may  not  be  improper 
to  add  that  Colonel  Key  long  continued  to  entertain  the  same  opinion,  and  that  very  many  gentle- 
men who  had  seen  much  of  Sherman  duri-ng  his  stay  at  Louisville  agreed  with  him. 

t  First  contradicted  by  P.  B.  Ewing.  in  Cincinnati  Commercial,  12th  December,  1861. 

t  February  17,  1862. 


William   T.  Sherman.  431 

Grant's  arrival  to  take  command  in  Smith's  place,  he  found  Sherman  in  the 
advance  at  the  fateful  encampment  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  When  Grant,  a  raw 
uninformed  boy,  entered  West  Point,  Sherman  was  in  his  last  year  there,  was 
well  known  and  highly  ranked.  Subsequent  acquaintance  had  led  Grant  to 
keep  up  the  old  West  Point  estimate  of  his  capacity,  and  so  he  too  came  to 
repose  a  large  share  of  confidence  in  the  ardent,  energetic,  hopeful  Division 
General  on  the  front  line. 

The  Eebels  advanced,  undiscovered,  from  Corinth  on  Thursday,  3d  April. 
All  day  Friday  they  marched,  or  floundered,  through  the  rain-storm  ;  all  day 
Saturday  they  were  in  motion  on  Sherman's  front.  But,  though  there  had  been 
a  cavalry  skirmish  or  two,  the  army  lay  down  to  rest  on  Saturday  night  with- 
out a  conception  of  the  enemy  that  was  then  lying  silent  in  the  woods  at  its 
picket-line,  and  listening  to  its  tattoo.  General  Sherman  was  approached  by 
one  or  two  uneasy  officers,  who  reported  what  they  thought  signs  of  an  impend- 
ing attack,  but  he  was  incredulous,*  and  took  no  special  precautions.  On  Sun- 
day morning  the  storm  burst. 

With  three  of  his  brigades,  Hildebrand's,  Buckland's,  and  McDowell's 
(posted  in  the  order  we  have  named  them,  Hildebrand  having  the  left),  Sherman 
held  the  right  of  the  irregular,  ill-defined  line.  His  remaining  brigade  he  had 
suffered  to  remain  encamped  miles  away,  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  National 
army,  and  with  this  there  was  no  possibility  of  his  holding  any  communication. 
At  the  first  sound  of  attack  Sherman  was  prompt  in  ordering  out  his  command, 
sending  for  aid,  and  notifying  the  other  division  commanders  that  the  enemy 
was  upon  him  in  force.  The  enemy,  however,  made  that  announcement  before 
him.  Sherman's  left  soon  broke,  in  confusion,  under  the  unexpected  onset. 
Watcrhouse's  battery  was  lost.  The  flank  was  threatened,  and  presently  the 
whole  line  fell  back  to  a  new  position.  It  was  hardly  taken  till  another  battery 
was  lost.  The  flank  was  again  exposed,  and  the  division — now  reduced  to  the 
fragments  of  two  brigades — again  fell  back,  seeking  a  position  where  it  could 
support  McClernand's  right.  Here  Sherman  held  his  ground  till  some  time  in 
the  afternoon,  when  he  was  once  more  pressed  back.  This  time  he  selected  a 
line  covering  the  Snake  Creek  bridge,  by  which  Lew.  Wallace  was  expected  to 

•  Much  has  been  written,  pro  and  con,  on  the  question  whether  or  not  the  National  army  was 
surprised  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  Between  Lieutenant-Governor  Stanton,  of  Ohio,  and  General 
Sherman,  an  especially  acrimonious  discussion  sprang  up,  which  General  Sherman's  father-in- 
law  afterward  continued  with  all  his  lawyer-like  ability.  There  is  no  need  to  add  to  the  dispute, 
and  General  Sherman's  relatives  do  him  no  kindness  in  keeping  it  up.  I  do  not  cite  authorities 
to  sustain  the  view  given  in  the  text,  because  I  should  as  soon  think  of  citing  authorities  to  prove 
the  fact  that  General  McDowell  retreated  from  the  first  Bull  Run.  But,  to  show  that  General 
Sherman  himself  did  not  always  express  the  views  advanced  by  and  for  him  in  this  discussion,  I 
may  mention  that,  after  the  battle,  in  conversation  with  General  R.  W.  Johnston,  of  Bueil's  army, 
whom  he  was  entertaining  in  his  tent,  he  said:  "I  had  no  idea  of  being  attacked— did  not 
.believe  it  was  a  serious  attack  even  after  the  firing  began,  till  I  saw  the  masses  of  their  infantry 
bursting  out  of  those  woods  down  there  just  in  front  of  us."  The  Adjutant-General  on  General 
Johnston's  staff,  Lieutenant  (Rev.)  W.  C.  Turner  (of  the  N.  S.  Presbyterian  Church),  was  present 
with  his  chief  at  this  conversation,  has  a  distinct  recollection  of  it,  and  certifies  to  the  accuracy  of 
the  above  statement. 


439  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

arrive  and  here  the  shattered  remnants  of  his  division  bivouacked  in  line  of 
battle 'while  Buell's  fresh  army  was  marching  in  to  re-form  and  extend  the 
front  '  On  the  next  day  Sherman  gathered  together  what  fragments  of  his  reg- 
iments lie  could,  and  pressed  hard  upon  the  enemy,  but  his  force  was  reduced  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  no  longer  formed  a  considerable  element  in  the  contest. 

Throughout  the  battle,  but  specially  on  the  first  day,  General  Sherman  ex- 
posed himself  recklessly,  and  set  the  example— then  much  needed— of  the  closest 
supervision  by  officers  of  their  commands  in  action.  His  conduct  did  much  to 
check  tho  unseemly  panic,  and  his  unyielding  tenacity  went  largely  to  pre- 
vent an  abandonment  of  the  field  under  the  shock  of  the  first  disaster,  and  to 
brace  up  the  faltering  purpose  of  officers  and  men  through  all  the  misfortunes 
of  that  gloomy  day.  He  was  slightly  wounded  in  the  hand,  and  before  the 
action  ended  three  horses  had  been  shot  under  him.  So  much  was  his  gallant 
conduct  in  the  field  considered  to  have  aided  in  the  final  success,  that  General 
Hallcck  reported  it  to  the  Government  as  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  officers 
concerned,  that  "General  Sherman  saved  the  fortunes  of  the  day  on  the  6th 
and  contributed  largely  to  the  glorious  victory  of  tho  7th."  He  accordingly 
recommended  his  promotion  to  a  Major-Generalship  of  Volunteers,  and  the  com- 
mission was  speedily  issued. 

For  most  of  the  blunders  of  Pittsburg  Landing  Sherman  could  not  have 
been  held  responsible,  had  he  not  chosen  to  make  himself  so.  He  was  only  a 
subordinate  officer,  greatly  trusted  indeed  by  his  chief,  but  at  no  time  in  com- 
mand of  the  camp.  He  should  certainly  have  kept  his  division  together;  and  it 
must  ever  seem  inconceivable  to  those  not  actual  witnesses  to  the  fact,  that  an 
officer,  with  military  education,  and  professing  to  understand  wrar  and  war's  con- 
ditions, should  have  lain  for  weeks  in  the  vicinity  of  an  enemy  he  believed  to 
outnumber  him,  without  a  spadeful  of  earth  thrown  up  for  defense,  without 
even  an  obstruction  of  fallen  timber,  and,  finally,  without  pickets  a  mile  beyond 
his  own  tent!  These,  however,  were  matters  which  the  commanding  General 
should  have  enjoined.*  But,  with  that  disposition — born  of  the  morbid  vanity, 
which  we  shall  more  than  once  observe  in  his  future  career — to  accept  unneces- 
sary responsibilities,  and  to  deny  that  he  has  ever  made  a  blunder,  General  Sher- 
man has  since  chosen  to  vindicate  the  management  of  affairs  before  the  battle.f 
nis  true  friends  can  not  but  regret  so  unwise  a  step ;  and  no  degree  of  admira- 
tion for  the  brilliant  genius  which  he  subsequently  displayed,  can  blind  impar- 
tial observers  to  the  criminal  foolhardiness  and  blundering  which  made  the  first 
day  of  Pittsburg  Landing  a  slaughter,  and  well-nigh  an  irreparable  calamity. 

"It  was  necessary  that  a  combat,  fierce  and  bitter,  to  test  the  manhood  of 
the  two  armies,  should  come  off,  and  that  was  as  good  a  place  as  any.  It  was 
not  then  a  question  of  military  skill  and  strategy,  but  of  courage  and  pluck." 
When  the  military  student  of  another  generation  comes  to  read  such  words  from 
the  man  who  took  Atlanta,  in  apology  for  neglect  of  pickets,  lack  of  any  regu- 

*  For  a  fuller  statement  of  the  amazing  carelessness  and  neglect  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  prior 
to  the  battle,  see  ante,  Life  of  Grant. 

tin  Ins  letter  to  U.  S.  Service  Magazine  on  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  in  earlier  publications. 


William   T.   Sherman.  433 

lar  formation  of  line,  and  absence  of  the  slightest  defensive  works,  against  a  foe 
supposed  to  be  superior,  he  will  find  it  as  difficult  to  believe  that  the  Licutenant- 
General  Sherman  of  history  wrote  the  excuse  as  that  he  was  guilty  of  the 
blunders. 

Under  General'  Halleck's  personal  management  the  army  now  passed  from 
the  extreme  of  rashness  and  neglect  to  the  extreme  of  timid  overcaution.  It 
advanced  upon  Corinth  at  a  snail's  pace,  stopping  to  construct  long  lines  of  for- 
tifications after  eveiy  trivial  movement,  till  the  whole  distance  between  Corinth 
and  the  Landing  became  an  interminable  succession  of  redoubts  and  rifle-pits. 
General  Sherman,  fully  awakened  from  the  contempt  of  the  enemy  which  can 
alone  explain  the  neglect  to  prepare  for  him  before  the  fatal  Sunday  morning 
of  the  attack,  was  now  fully  ready  to  second  all  the  cautious  devices  of  the  new 
commander.  General  Halleck's  high  opinion  of  his  conduct  in  the  battle  natu- 
rally led  to  his  giving  him  an  important  position,  and  it  so  fell  out  that  on  the 
right,  to  which  Sherman  was  thus  assigned,  occurred  the  only  skirmishes  of  im- 
portance that  marred  the- peaceful  monotony  of  the  methodical  advance.*  These 
were  two  in  number.  In  each  General  Sherman's  dispositions  were  excellent, 
and  his  success  complete.  The  first  was  to  drive  the  enemy  from  Eussell's 
House,  and  the  high  hill  on  which  it  stood,  about  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  the 
outer  intrenchments  at  Corinth.  For  this  purpose  Sherman  sent  General  Mor- 
gan L.  Smith's  brigade  directly  against  the  position,  while,  on  either  hand, 
another  brigade  threatened  the  flank.  A  few  shots  from  Smith's  batteries  drove 
the  enemy,  and  Sherman  hastened  to  fortify  the  hill  thus  won.  His  entire  loss 
was  only  ten  killed  and  thirty-one  wounded.  Ten  days  later  Halleck  ordered 
another  advance,  to  drive  the  Rebels  from  a  ridge  on  Sherman's  new  front,  and 
to  demonstrate  against  Corinth.  Sherman  promptly  formed  a  line  of  his  own 
division  (now  reduced  to  three  brigades)  and  of  another  brigade  summoned 
from  the  reserve.  The  troops  advanced  silently  and  with  great  caution.  The 
artillery  demolished  a  house  from  which  the  enemy's  sharpshooters  had  given 
annoyance;  then,  at  the  signal  of  a  single  shot,  the  whole  line  dashed  across  the 
intervening  space,  carried  the  ground,  and  with  trifling  loss  established  them- 
selves, under  cover  of  a  dense  wood,  within  thirteen  hundred  yards  of  the 
enemy's  main  fortifications.  The  Rebels  presently  rallied  and  essayed  a  coun- 
ter-attack, but  they  were  repulsed  by  the  picket-line — which,  thanks  to  the 
lessons  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  was  now  amply  strong  and  well-placed.  Two 
days  later  the  enemy  evacuated  Corinth.  By  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning 
Sherman  was  in  the  town  with  the  bulk  of  his  division.  So  marked  was  the 
improvement  already  made  in  the  important  matter  of  watching  the  enemy! 

Throughout  these  siege-operations,  as  the  commanding  General  chose  to 
style  them,  General  Sherman,  though  in  a  purely  subordinate  position,  was 
active,  cautious  and  energetic,  and  his  services  were   highly  appreciated  by 

*Of  course  the  reader  will  understand  that  General  Pope's  battle  of  Farmington,  on  the 
extreme  left,  is  not  included  in  this  remark.  It  is  swelled  far  beyond  the  importance  of  a  mere 
skirmish. 

Vol.  I.— 28. 


434  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Halleck.  But  it  is  more  important  to  observe  that,  although  Grant  was  in  a 
state  of  quasi  disgrace,  Sherman  kept  up  his  old  cordial  relations  with  him,  and 
was  at  pains  to  express  his  sympathy.  He  was  not  to  wait  long  for  his  reward. 
But  the  rawness  of  our  rapidly-learning  General  was  still  as  apparent  as 
the  absolute  confidence  with  which  he  volunteered  opinions  outside  of  his  own 
sphere.  One  can  scarcely  read  now,  without  a  smile,  the  language  in  which  he 
chose  to  announce  the  result.  "The  evacuation  of  Corinth,"  ho  declares,  .  .  . 
M  was  a  clear  back-down  from  the  high  and  arrogant  tone  heretofore  assumed  by 
the  Rebels.  .  .  .  It  is  a  victory  as  brilliant  and  important  as  any  recorded  in 
history. "     This  is  not  the   language  of  a  great  General,  or  even  of  a  military 

etudent it  is  the   bombast  of  :t  college  sophomore.     School-boy  exaggeration, 

indeed,  rarely  makes  itself  so  absurd  as  to  style  such  performance  as  that  at 
Corinth  a  victory  as  brilliant  as  any  recorded  in  history.  It  was  a  victory 
without  fighting,  in  which  over  a  hundred  thousand  men  spent  two  months  in 
driving  forty-seven  thousand  out  of  works  which  Sherman  himself  pronounced 
"poor  and  indifferent!*  But  it  may  be  read \\y  inferred  that  such  extravagan- 
cies of  laudation  were  expected  to  be  highly  gratifying  to  the  hero  of  this  great 
victory,  the  redoubtable  Gencral-in-Command.  who  was  soon  to  rise  to  still 
higher  rank,  to  the  countiy's  injury. 

Sherman  was  now  ordered  westward  along  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Railroad;  and  after Halleck's  transfer  as  General-in-Chief  to  Washington,  Grant, 
on  resuming  command,  at  once  sent  him  to  Memphis  to  take  charge  of  the  dis- 
trict. Here  he  spent  (with  unimportant  exceptions)  the  remainder  of  1862, 
engrossed  in  the  civil  duties  of  his  command.  He  adopted  vigorous  measures  of 
retaliation  for  guerrilla  outrages,  and  for  firing  on  steamboats;  kept  a  vigilant 
watch  on  the  spies  with  whom  Memphis  swarmed,  and  did  his  best  to  prevent 
any  trade  beyond  the  lines,  particularly  in  cotton.  Most  of  these  measures 
originated  with  Grant,  but  Sherman  threw  great  energy  into  their  execution. 
The  Government  countermanded  his  orders  about  cotton,  to  his  great  chagrin. 
In  the  fall  he  aided  Grant's  advance  against  the  line  of  the  Tallahatchie  by-co- 
operative movements  on  flank  and  rear,  which  were  well-timed  and  entirely 
successful.  Then,  under  Grant's  orders,  he  prepared  his  expedition  "to  proceed 
to  Vicksburg  and  reduce  it,"f  whilo  Grant  himself  was  advancing  upon  the  ene- 
my's main  force  via  Holly  Springs. 

Most  unfortunately  Sherman  was  not  advised  of  the  disaster  at  Holly 
Springs,  which  ended  Giant's  movement;  and  the  very  next  day  he  started,  in 
the  full  confidence  that  he  should  find  but  an  easy  task  before  him  at  the  front 
of  Vicksburg,  while  Grant  was  thundering  on  its  rear.  His  fall  and  winter's 
campaign  upon  the  traders  had  greatly  embittered  him,  and  his  orders,  on 
setting  out,  were  mainly  directed  against  them.  No  citizens  were,  on  any  pro- 
Sherman's  Official  Report  Advance  on  Corinth.  I  have  followed  above  the  Rebel  official 
•tatement  of  their  strength.  The  estimate  made  by  our  own  officers  was  some  eighteen  thousand 
more.  * 

t  The  language  of  Grant's  order. 


William    T.    Sherman.  435 

text,  or  for  any  purpose,  to  accompany  the  expedition.  If  any  cotton  was  by 
any  body  put  on  board  the  transports,  it  was  to  be  confiscated.  If  any  mem 
bers  of  the  press  were  found  they  were  to  bo  treated  as  spies.  If  any  other 
citizens  were  found  they  were  to  be  conscripted  into  the  army,  or  forced  to  work 
without  pay  as  deck-hands  on  the  transports.*  The  fretful  and  arbitrary  tone 
of  these  orders  made  an  unfavorable  impression  at  the  time;  and  after  the  expe- 
dition was  over,  led  to  the  bitter  taunt  that  as  the  General  had  directed  his 
thoughts  mainly  to  warfare  upon  our  own  citizens,  so  he  was  more  successful 
in  that  than  in  his  efforts  against  the  enemy.  The  sneer  was  unjust,  but  he 
had  given  occasion  for  it. 

On  arriving  before  Vicksburg,  on  Christmas-Eve,  Sherman  first  proceeded 
to  break  up  the  Vicksburg  and  Texas  Railroad;  then  mov.ed  on  transports  up 
the  old  mouth  of  the  Yazoo,  and  by  noon  of  the  27th  had  his  whole  command 
of  four  divisions,  and  forty-two  thousand  men,f  disembarked  on  it«  south  side, 
near  the  mouth  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  the  boggy  stream  permeating  the  swamp 
thence  down  to  Vicksburg,  which  rendered  the  approach  to  the  flank  of  the 
enemy's  works  so  difficult.  Above  its  eastern  bank  frowned  the  Rebel  fortifica- 
tions. It  was  his  first  effort  at  directing  more  than  a  single  division  in  action; 
but  Sherman's  dispositions  soon  showed  that  in  the  last  year  he  had  been  rapidly 
learning  his  business.  He  at  first  decided  to  move  three  of  his  divisions  up  the 
bayou  by  various  routes,  under  cover  of  the  swamp  on  the  side  farthest  from 
the  enemy,  to  the  points  where  he  proposed  to  deliver  the  attack,  while  a  single 
division  should  move  in  the  same  direction  on  the  enemy's  side  of  the  bayou. 
The  heads  of  columns  soon  drove  in  the  enemy's  pickets,  and  found  ground  of 
the  utmost  difficulty  before  them.  Steele,  who  was  moving  on  the  enemy's  side 
of  the  bayou,  presently  reported  that  his  path  led  along  a  corduroy  causeway, 
raked  by  both  enfilading  and  cross-fire  from  the  enemy's  batteries;  and  Sherman 
decided  to  withdraw  him  to  the  other  side.  Meantime,  the  other  three  divisions 
had,  with  many  difficulties,  toiled  through  the  swamp  till  they  had  reached  the 
points  at  which  it  was  proposed  to  cross.  In  front  of  them  was  the  uncertain 
bayou,  with  its  boggy  banks;  above  that  rose  the  high  bluffs,  marked  from  base 
to  summit  with  the  enemy's  rifle-pits  and  parapets;  wThile  along  the  base  of  the 
bluff  ran  an  excellent  road,  by  which  the  Rebels  could  rapidly  concentrate  at 
any  threatened  point.  Their  force,  though  considerably  increased  during  the 
delay  in  Sherman's  movements  after  his  arrival,  was  still  greatly  inferior;  but 
it  occupied  a  position  well-nigh  impregnable. 

This  position,  however,  Sherman  now  decided  to  assault.  Morgan's  division, 
re-enforced  by  Blair's  and  Thayer's  brigades,  was  to  attack  on  the  left;  while 
A.  J.  Smith,  farther  up  the, bayou,  with  more  difficult  ground  before  him,  was  to 
secure  a  lodgment  with  two  divisions  on  the  steep  bluff  that  here  rose  from  the 
bank,  and  prevent  the  enemy  from  concentrating  on  Morgan. 

*  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  pp.  80,  81. 

t  A.  J.  Smith's,  Morgan  L.  Smith's,  and  George  W.  Morgan's  divisions,  numbered,  in  the 
aggregate,  thirty  thousand  and  sixty-eight.  Frederick  Steele's  numbered  twelve  thousand  three 
hundred  and  ten. 


436 


Ohio  in  the  War 


Of  Smith's  assault  the  Rebel  report  briefly  tells  the  story:  "When  within 
four  hundred  yards  our  infantry  opened— the  enemy  coming  to  within  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  yards  of  my  lines.  Here  our  fire  was  so  terrible  that  they  broke, 
but  in  a  few  minutes  rallied  again,  sending  a  force  to  my  left,  to  turn  my  lett 
flank.  This  was  soon  met  and  handsomely  repulsed.  The  force  in  my  front 
was  also  repulsed.  Our  fire  was  so  severe  that  the  enemy  laid  down  to  receive 
it.  Seeing  their  ccnfusion  the  Twenty-Sixth  Louisiana,  and  a  part  of  the  Sev- 
enteenth, were  marched  on  the  field,  and  under  their  cover,  twenty-one  commis- 
Bioned  officers  and  three  hundred  and  eleven  privates,  with  four  colors,  and  five 
hundred  stand  of  arms,  were  captured.  The  enemy  left  in  great  confusion, 
leaving  their  dead  on  the  field."* 

Meantime,  on  the  right,  two  companies  had  been  sent  over  in  advance  to 
dig  away  a  path  in  the  steep  bluff,  so  that  the  column  could  ascend.  They 
rushed  gallantly  across,  and,  under  cover  of  the  bank,  commenced  digging— so 
close  to  the  enemy  that  the  Rebels  above  reached  down  their  muskets,  firing 
vertically  at  them  from  tho  top  of  the  same  bank.  But  the  movement  had  been 
too  much  delayed ;  Morgan  was  already  repulsed  before  this  column  was  ready 
to  cross,  and  Sherman  ordered  an  abandonment  of  the  effort.  The  brave  fellows 
under  the  bayou  bluff  were  accordingly  withdrawn,  at  nightfall,  under  cover  of 
the  darkness. 

Less  than  an  hour's  fighting  had  settled  the  matter.  General  Sherman 
now  realized — at  the  fruitless  cost  of  nineteen  hundred  and  twenty-nine  sol- 
diers (against  a  Rebel  loss  of  two  hundred  and  nine) — that  the  position  was 
impregnable.  Unwilling,  however,  to  confess  the  total  failure  of  his  expedi- 
tion, he  cast  about  for  some  further  means  of  at  least  planting  his  army  in 
a  position  to  menace  the  Rebel  fortifications.  With  this  view  he  proposed  to 
Admiral  Porter,  commanding  the  accompanying  gunboat  fleet,  to  cover  the 
landing  of  a  force  of  ten  thousand  picked  troops  up  the  Yazoo,  at  the  point 
where  the  extremity  of  the  Rebel  line  touched  that  stream.  While  this  body 
should  essay  to  turn  the  line  here,  he  would  occupy  the  enemy's  attention 
at  the  old  points.  Then,  tho  works  being  turned,  he  would  hasten  up  with 
the  rest  of  his  army.  The  troops  were  sent,  but  on  the  first  night  Admiral 
Porter  found  the  fog  too  dense  to  move;  on  the  second  he  found  the  moonlight 
almost  as  bright  as  day,  and,  therefore,  decided  the  effort  too  hazardous.  Thus 
baffled  again,  there  was  nothing  left  for  Sherman  but  to  withdraw — the  ground 
on  which  he  was  encamped  being  swampy,  and  liable  to  overflow  after  any 
heavy  rain,  while  behind  him  there  were  only  more  swTamps  and  the  rising 
Mississippi,  and  in  front  tho  triumphant  enemy.  He  accordingly  decided  to 
move  up  the  river  to  Milliken's  Bend. 

The  Administration  had  not  yet  fully  returned  to  the  confidence  in  Sher- 
man which  he  had  lost  in  Kentucky,  and  at  this  juncture  it  decided  that  for  the 
effort  down  tho  Mississippi  a  more  capable  commander  was  required.  The  Pres- 
ident accordingly  selected  John  A.  McClernand,  by  whom  Sherman  was  met  as  he 
reached  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  again. 

♦Official  Report  of  Rebel  General  S.  D.  Lee. 


William    T.   Sherman.  437 

The  failure  before  Vicksburg  was  harshly  judged  by  the  public,  and  Sher- 
man remained  unpopular  and  distrusted.  Yet  it  is  now  evident,  as  Grant  him- 
gelf  soon  after  cheerfully  testified,  that  Sherman  had  done  all  that  was  possible. 
His  only  error — if  there  was  error  at  all — consisted  in  making  an  attack  on 
impregnable  positions.  Yet  his  orders,  binding  him  up  to  the  "reduction  of 
Vicksburg,"  could  hardly  have  been  considered  satisfied  without  an  effort  against 
the  enemy. 

On  the  arrival  at  Milliken's  Bend  Sherman  issued  a  farewell  order  to  the 
army,  of  which  McCiernand  now  assumed  command.  It  was  not  difficult  to  see 
that  he  was  chagrined.  "  A  new  commander,"  he  said,  "  is  now  here  to  lead  you. 
He  is  chosen  by  the  President  of  the  United  States,  who  ....  has  the 
undoubted  right  to  select  his  own  agents."*  Sherman  was  now  reduced  to  the 
command  of  two  divisions.  With  these  he  accompanied  the  rest  of  the  army 
which  he  had  lately  commanded,  on  McClernand's  expedition  up  the  Arkansas 
River  to  Arkansas  Post.  In  the  investment  he  wTas  given  the  advance.  H« 
promptly  passed  around  the  rear  of  the  fort,  and  rested  his  right  on  the  river 
above  it.  As  soon  as  the  gunboats  opened  fire  Sherman  opened  also,  and  after 
about  fifteen  minutes'  bombardment,  to  which  he  received  no  reply  from  the 
enemy,  he  gave  the  signal  for  assault.  The  troops  dashed  forward  gallantly, 
but  were  speedily  entangled  in  the  rough  ground  and  obstructions  on  the  enemy's 
front.  They  maintained  their  position  and  advanced  slowly,  till  the  enemy, 
overpowered  by  the  gunboat  fire,  raised  the  white  flag.  Ln  this  affair  Sherman 
lost  seventy-nine  killed  and  four  hundred  and  forty  wounded.  McCiernand 
officially  spoke  of  him  as  "exhibiting  his  usual  activity  and  enterprise." 

Grant  himself  having  now  gone  down  the  river,  that  remarkable  series  of 
devices  was  begun,  by  which  it  was  sought  to  evade  the  difficulties  of  the 
Vicksburg  problem.  Sherman  had  no  special  share  in  any  of  them  save  the 
effort  to  burst  into  the  Yazoo  by  means  of  the  Sunflower,  and  the  bayous  through 
which  that  stream  has  its  uncertain  connection  with  the  Mississippi.  In  this  he 
was  ordered  to  accompany  the  gunboats,  and  seize  some  point  on  the  Yazoo 
from  which  operations  could  be  directed  against  Haines's  Bluff.  He  set  out  at 
once  with  a  single  regiment  and  a  detachment  of  pioneers,  leaving  the  rest  of 
his  troops  to  follow.  They  aided  the  gunboats  to  open  the  bayous,  followed  in 
transports  as  long  as  transports  found  the  route  practicable,  then  changed  to 
coal-barges,  and  were  drawn  along  by  a  little  steam-tug,  marched  wherever 
the  boggy  roads  were  not  completely  overflowed,  and  finally,  the  gunboats, 
being  hemmed  in  by  fallen  timber,  and  attacked  by  the  enemy  with  infantry 
and  artillery,  made  forced  marches  through  the  swamps — in  one  case  even 
groping  their  uncertain  way  by  candle-light  through  a  canebrake — and  finally 
got  up  just  in  time  to  save  Admiral  Porter  from  being  surrounded.  The  energy 
with  which  the  troops  were  pushed  forward  was  admirable;  and  Porter  cheer- 
fully testified   that  "no  other  General   could   have  done   better  or  as  well   as 

*  He  went  on,  however,  to  cover  up  tins  feeling  by  urging  cheerful  obedience  to  McCiernand, 
and  saying  there  was  glory  enough  in  store  for  all. 


438  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Sherman."     But  the  movement  was  abandoned  when  almost  within  sight  of 

the  Yazoo. 

Meanwhile  the  puzzled  General  who  directed  these  various  operations  was 
at  his  wits'  end;  and  numerous  were  the  discussions  as  to  what  could  be  done  to 
plant  the  army  in  striking  distance  of  the  long-sought  stronghold.  In  these, 
Admiral  Porter  and  General  Sherman  were  his  most  frequent  and  confidential 
counselors.  Finally  General  Sherman  submitted  his  written  plan,  a  couple  of 
weeks  before  Grant's  final  policy  of  running  the  batteries  and  marching  up  from 
the  south  was  adopted.  He  regarded  the  army  as  already  far  in  advance  of  the 
other  grand  armies,  would  make  sundry  movements  in  Arkansas,  and  then 
would  "move  the  main  army  back  to  the  Tallahatchie,  secure  and  re-open  the 
road  back  to  Memphis,"  and  adopt  "the  line  of  the  Yallabusha  as  the  base  from 
which  to  operate  against  the  points  where  the  Mississippi  Central  crosses  Big 
Black  above  Canton,  and  lastly  where  the  Yicksburg  and  Jackson  Eailroad 
crosses  the  same  river.  The  capture  of  Yicksburg  would  result."  And  finally 
he  "would  leave  in  this  vicinity  (i.  e.,  on  the  river  in  front  of  or  near  Yicks- 
burg) a  force  not  to  exceed  ten  thousand  men,  with  only  enough  steamboats  to 
transport  them  to  any  desired  point.*  In  effect,  he  would  have  returned  the 
army  to  Memphis  and  started  over  again  on  substantially  the  same  route  which 
Grant  had  attempted  before,  and  from  which  the  Holly  Springs  disaster  had 
thrown  him  back.  That  this  was  sound  strategy  can  not  be  doubted ;  that  it 
was  a  bold  proposition,  coming  from  a  General  already  sufficiently  unpopular  at 
the  North,  and  to  one  already  maturing  a  totally  different  plan,  need  hardly  be 
enforced. 

All  this  while  the  people  regarded  Sherman  with  distrust,  tempered  with 
dislike.  He  was  looked  upon  as  an  unlucky  if  not  an  incapable  commander ; 
his  brusque  expressions  of  enmity  to  the  party  that  controlled  the  Government 
were  quoted  to  his  disadvantage  ;f  his  talk  against  anti-slavery  men  and  meas- 
ures gave  deep  offense;  and  in  some  quarters  slanderous  doubts  were  even 
hinted  as  to  his  fidelity  to  the  cause — mainly  originating  in  his  warm  expres- 
sions of  regard  for  old  friends  then  in  the  Confederate  service.  His  warfare 
with  the  newspaper  press,  into  which  he  had  himself  at  the  outset  infused  a 
needless  bitterness,  raised  up  enemies  for  him  where  he  should  have  had  the 
warmest  of  friends,  and  led  to  the  most  unfavorable  constructions  of  every- 
thing in  which  he  was  concerned.  But  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  Grant 
were  unshaken. 

Sherman. was  now  assigned  the  left  of  the  army  in  tho  movements  by 
which  Grant  finally  proposed  to  vault  to  the  rear  of  Yicksburg.  He  was  left 
behind  when  the  rest  of  the  army  moved  down  tc  Bruinsburg ;  and  when  the 

*  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  pp.  129,  130. 

t  One  of  the  strangest  of  these  expressions  was  made  during  the  advance  on  Corinth. 
Sherman  and  a  brother  officer  of  equal  rank  were  being  introduced.  "I  am  very  glad  to  meet 
you,"  said  the  other  General;  "I  know  Senator  Sherman  very  well,  and  I  believe  he  is  your 

brother.''     "Yes,"  replied  Sherman,  "I  have  a  brother  who  is  one  of  the  d d  Abolitionists 

that  have  been  getting  up  this  war."  Of  course  the  reader  will  understand  that  I  print  thig 
statement  only  on  the  direct  personal  authority  of  the  General  to  whom  the  remark  was  made. 


William   T.   Sherman.  439 

crossing  was  to  be  effected  he  was  ordered  to  make  a  feint  above  Yicksburg  (oa 
the  batteries  at  Haines's  Bluff),  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  suspecting  the  real 
nature  of  the  movement  below  or  concentrating  to  oppose  it.  "I  hate  to  ask 
you  to  do  it,"  said  Grant,  "  because  the  fervor  of  the  North  will  accuse  you  of 
being  rebellious  again."*  The  time,  however,  was  at  last  approaching  when 
the  fervor  of  the  North  was  likely  to  assume  a  different  direction  in  Sherman's 
behalf.  He  ran  up  to  Haines's  Bluff,  disembarked  under  cover  of  a  heavy  gun- 
boat fire,  and  so  demonstrated  as  to  keep  the  enemy  in  momentary  anticipation 
of  an  attack,  till  there  was  reason  to  suppose  that  the  crisis  below  was  passed. 
The  whole  operation  was  skillfully  and  handsomely  performed.  Then  hastening 
after  Grant,  with  his  command  he  crossed  the  Mississippi  below,  and  caught  up 
with  the  army  on  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  May,  just  in  time  to  participate  in 
the  general  advance  already  ordered.  In  this,  Sherman  (with  McClernand) 
hugged  close  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Big  Black,  while  McPherson  was  pushed 
far  out  to  the  eastward,  to  strike  Jackson,  forty-seven  miles  due  east  from 
Vicksburg.  Then,  as  McPherson  seemed  likely  to  encounter  unexpected  resist- 
ance, Sherman  and  McClernand  were  ordered  over  to  his  aid.  They  movod 
rapid  ty  and  in  concert;  and,  with  McClernand  lying  in  reserve  in  the  vicinity, 
Sherman  moved  forward  and  attacked  the  enemy  on  the  Mississippi  Springs 
Eoad,  while  McPherson,  further  to  the  southward,  was  engaging  the  bulk  of 
his  forces  on  the  road  to  Canton.  Some  sharp  skirmishing  resulted  ;  then  a  reg- 
iment, sent  out  to  feel  one  of  the  enemy's  flanks,  reported  the  works  there  de- 
serted. The  troops  were  at  once  led  into  Jackson  by  that  route,  and  the  enemy 
fled  northward.  Sherman  took  two  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners,  eighteen  guns, 
and  much  ammunition  and  public  stores. 

While  now  McClernand  and  the  other  forces  turned  their  faces  west- 
ward, and  had  straight  before  them  their  goal,  the  doomed  city  of  Yicks- 
burg, Sherman  was  left  to  destroy  railroads,  arsenals,  and  other  public  property. 
A  church  and  some  private  buildings  were  despoiled  in  the  confusion,  but 
without  Sherman's  sanction.  From  the  field  of  Champion  Hills  Grant  sent 
back  a  message  for  Sherman  to  hasten  forward,  but  the  advance  swept 
everything  before  it,  till  the  Big  Black  was  reached.  Here  Sherman  crossed 
with  a  pontoon  train,  and  pushing  rapidly  forward  on  the  right,  interposed 
between  the  enemy's  posts  on  the  Yazoo  and  the  defenses  of  Yicksburg. 
From  that  moment  the  whole  operation  was  a  success,  and  the  fall  of  Yicks- 
burg but  a  question  of  time.  The  Haines's  Bluff  defenses  were  hastily 
evacuated,  Sherman  opened  communications  with  the  fleet,  and  the  army  was 
again  supplied  with  rations. 

The  next  day  Sherman  participated  in  the  assault.  Several  of  his  regi- 
ments gained  the  exterior  slope  of  the  enemy's  works,  but  they  were  unable  to 
advance  further,  and,  under  cover  of  the  darkness,  they  were  drawn  back  a 
little.  Two  days  later  another  assault  along  the  whole  line  was  ordered.  Sher- 
man's corps,  with  its  storming  parties  marching  by  the  flank,  succeeded  again 
in  planting  colors  at  various  points  on  the  outer  slopo  of  the  parapet.     Word 

*'  Sherman's  speech  at  the  St.  Louis  banquet  in  his  honor. 


440  Ohio  in  the  War. 

being  brought  that  McClernand  had  effected  a  lodgment  within  the  works 
opposito  his  part  of  the  line,  Sherman  ordered  another  assault,  which  only  led 
to  the  planting  of  more  colors  on  the  outer  parapets,  and  the  burrowing  beside 
them  of  more  meu  in  the  earth,  to  protect  themselves  from  the  terrific  fire  of 
fee  garrison.  Under  cover  of  night  they  were  again  withdrawn— Grant  hav- 
ing by  this  time  reached  the  wise  conclusion  that  the  works  were  too  strong  for 
direct  assault.     Sherman  then  settled  down  to  the  prosecution  of  his  share  in 

the  siege. 

By  the  25th  June  the  works  were  so  strengthened  that  smaller  numbers 
served  for  the  investment,  and  Sherman  was  accordingly  detached,  with  some- 
what increased  command  to  watch  Johnston,  who  had  now  gathered  together  a 
small  force,  and  was  maneuvering  for  the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  city.  "You 
must  whip  Johnston  at  least  fifteen  miles  from  here,"  wrote  Grant.  Hardly 
had  Vicksburg  surrendered,  when,  under  Grant's  orders,  Sherman  advanced 
against  Johnston,  pushing  him  back  toward  Jackson.  The  weather  was  in- 
tensely hot,  the  roads  were  very  dusty,  and  the  troops  were  not  even  per- 
mitted before  starting  on  their  toilsome  march,  to  enter  the  stronghold  they 
had  aided  to  conquer.  "  Though  personal  curiosity,"  writes  Sherman  to  his 
friend,  Admiral  Porter,  "would  tempt  me  to  go  and  see  the  frowning  batte- 
ries and  sunken  pits  that  have  defied  us  so  long,  and  sent  to  their  silent 
graves  so  many  of  our  early  comrades  in  this  enterprise,  I  feel  that  other  tasks 
lie  before  me,  and  time  must  not  be  lost.  Without  casting  anchor,  and  in  spite 
of  the  heat  and  dust  and  the  drouth,  I  must  again  into  the  bowels  of  the  land, 
to  make  the  conquest  of  Yicksburg  fulfill  all  the  conditions  it  should  in  the 
progress  of  this  war." 

On  9th  July  Sherman  appeared  before  Jackson,  and  by  the  12th  had  all  his 
troops  up  and  in  position,  and  was  skirmishing  vigorously.  His  ammunition 
was  delayed,  and  while  he  was  waiting  for  it  Johnston  destroyed  his  stores  and 
retreated.  Our  loss  was  about  a  thousand.  Johnston's  was  about  six  hundred 
killed  and  wounded,  and  seven  hundred  and  sixty-four  prisoners.  The  retreat- 
ing force  was  harassed  for  some  distance,  all  the  railroads  centering  in  Jackson 
were  broken  up,  and  then  Sherman,  leaving  a  garrison  in  the  town,  drew  back 
to  tho  line  of  the  Big  Black. 

Grant  fitly  summed  up  Sherman's  handsome  conduct  in  this  campaign: 
"His  demonstration  at  Haines's  Bluff  in  April,  to  hold  the  enemy  about  Vicks- 
burg, while  the  army  was  securing  a  foothold  east  of  the  Mississippi ;  his  rapid 
marches  to  join  the  army  afterward;  his  management  at  Jackson  in  the  first 
attack ;  his  almost  unequaled  march  from  Jackson  to  Bridgeport  and  passage  of 
the  Black  Eiver,     ....     attest  his  great  merit  as  a  soldier."* 

The  period  of  comparative  leisure  that  followed  enabled  General  Sherman 

to  attend  to  some  minor  duties.     A  very  pleasing  evidence  of  his  admiration  for 

spirited  behavior,  and  his   sympathy  for  the  friendless,  was   exhibited    in    a 

letter  to  the  Secretary  of  War :  "  I  take  the  liberty  of  asking  that  something  bo 

*  Grant's  Official  Report,  Vicksburg. 


William   T.   Sherman.  441 

done  for  a  young  lad  named  Orion  P.- Howe,  of  Waukcgan,  Illinois.  He  is  too 
young  for  West  Point,  but  would  bo  the  very  thing  for  a  midshipman.  When 
the  assault  at  Vicksburg  was  at  its  height,  on  the  19th  of  May,  and  I  was  on 
foot,  near  the  road  which  formed  the  line  of  attack,  this  young  lad  came  up  to 
me,  wounded  and  bleeding,  with  a  good  healthy  boy's  cry:  'General  Sherman, 
send  some  cartridges  to  Colonel  Walmbourg;  the  men  arc  all  out.'  'What  is 
the  matter,  my  boy?'  'They  shot  me  in  the  leg,  but  I  can  go  to  the  hospital  ; 
send  the  cartridges  right  away.'  Even  where  we  stood  the  shot  fell  thick,  and 
I  told  him  to  go  to  the  rear  at  once,  I  would  attend  to  the  cartridges ;  and  off 
he  limped.  Just  before  he  disappeared  over  the  hill,  he  turned  and  called  as 
loud  as  he  could  :  'Caliber  fifty-four.'  .  .  .  What  arrested  my  attention  then 
was,  and  what  renews  m}r  memory  of  the  fact  now  is,  that  one  so  young,  carry- 
ing a  musket-ball  wound  through  his  leg,  should  have  found  his  way  to  me  on 
that  fatal  spot,  and  delivered  his  message,  not  forgetting  the  very  important 
part,  even,  of  the  caliber  of  the  musket,  which,  you  know,  is  an  unusual  one. 
I'll  warrant  that  the  boy  has  in  him  the  elements  of  a  man,  and  I  commend  him 
to  the  Government  as  one  worthy  the  fostering  care  of  some  one  of  its  National 
institutions." 

A  few  days  after  this  letter  was  written,  General  Sherman  received  a  com- 
mission as  Brigadier-General  in  the  regular  army.  He  was  not  mistaken  in 
attributing  his  promotion  to  the  friendly  influence  of  Grant,  to  whom  he  wrote: 
"  I  value  the  commission  far  less  than  the  fact  that  it  will  associate  my  name 
with  yours  and  McPherson's,  in  opening  the  Mississippi.  .  .  I  beg  to  assure 
you  of  my  deep  personal  attachment,  and  to  express  the  hope  that  the  chances 
of  war  will  leave  me  to  serve  near  and  under  you  till  the  dawn  of  that  peace 
for  which  we  are  contending."  It  was  not  unnatural — most  "men  having  a 
good  deal  of  human  nature  in  them" — that  such  deferential  language  to  his  supe- 
rior officer  should  increase  the  good  opinion  entertained  of  Sherman  at  head- 
quarters. 

His  restless  mind  was  never  satisfied  with  the  mere  details  of  the  business 
pressing  upon  it.  Through  the  summer  he  addressed  the  Governor  of  Ohior 
urging  a  new  plan  of  recruiting.  With  rare  foresight  he  struck  at  the  inherent 
vice  of  the  existing  system,  in  expressing  his  "earnest  hope  that  the  strength 
of  our  people  will  not  again  be  wasted  by  the  organization  of  new  regiments, 
while  we  have  in  the  field  skeleton  regiments,  with  officers,  non-commissioned 
officers  and  men,  who  only  need  numbers  to  make  a  magnificent  army.  .  .  The 
mass  of  men  called  for  should  all  be  privates,  and  sent  so  as  to  make  every  reg- 
iment in  the  field  equal  to  one  thousand  men.  .  .  Ohio  has  in  the  field  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-six  regiments,  whose  officers  noiv  are  qualified,  and  the  men  of 
which  would  give  tone  and  character  to  the  new  recruits.  To  fill  these  regi- 
ments will  require  fifty  thousand  recruits.  .  .  I  therefore  hope  and  pray  that 
you  will  use  your  influence  against  any  more  new  regiments,  and  consolidation 
of  old  ones,  but  fill  up  all  the  old  ones  to  a  full  standard."  No  wTiser  policy  of 
recruiting  was   presented  to    the    Government   through    the  war.      Fortunate 


442 


Ohio  in  the    War. 


indeed  would  it  have  been  for  the  country  had  this  recommendation  of  General 
Sherman's  been  adopted. 

In  such  discussions  of  the  general  war  policy,  in  elaborate  letters  urging 
these  views,  in  the  miscellaneous  work  of  the  corps,  and  in  a  visit  from  his  wife 
and  family  that  was  to  have  a  very  sad  ending,  the  summer  passed  away. 

At  last  the  Government  awoke  to  the  critical  position  of  Eosecrans. 
While  Grant's  great  army  was  doing  nothing  to  engage  the  enemy  in  the  West, 
while  the  army  of  the  Potomac  was  equally  inactive  at  the  East,  Eosecrans, 
with  inadequate  force,  was  penetrating  to  the  vital  and  jealously-guarded  strong- 
hold of  Chattanooga.  Unable  to  make  head  against  Grant,  Johnston's  forces 
were  at  liberty  to  hasten  against  Eosecrans;  not  occupied  in  Virginia,  Lee  was 
at  liberty  to  send  Longstreet  to  help  check  the  perilous  advance  of  the  venture- 
some "Dutch  General."  Finally,  on  the  13th  of  September,  orders  were  sent 
to  Sherman  to  forward  all  available  forces  to  Corinth  and  Tuscumbia,  to  co-op- 
erate with  Eosecrans.  For  some  reason  that  has  never  been  explained,  Sherman 
did  nothing*  At  last,  on  the  22d,  Grant  telegraphed,  requiring  one  division  for 
Eosecrans's  aid  to  be  forthwith  forwarded  to  Memphis.  Two  days  later  he  was 
ordered  to  follow  with  his  whole  corps.  It  was  not  till  the  27th  that  he  was 
able  to  procure  steamboat  transportation,  and  even  then  the  delays  were  so  great 
that  the  corps  did  not  all  arrive  at  Memphis  until  October  4th.  Thence  the 
troops  were  to  march  eastwardly  along  the  line  of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston 
Eailroad,  which  connects  Memphis  and  Chattanooga. 

"While  supervising  the  preparations  for  this  march,  Sherman  was  bowed 
down  by  the  burden  of  a  great  grief.  His  own  touching  words  to  the  com- 
manding officer  of  his  old  regiment  shall  tell  the  sad  story : 

"  I  can  not  sleep  to-night,  till  I  record  an  expression  of  the  deep  feelings  of  my  heart  to 
you,  and  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  battalion,  for  their  kind  behavior  to  my  poor  child. 
....  Consistent  with  a  sense  of  duty  to  my  profession  and  office,  I  could  not  leave  my  post, 
and  so  I  sent  for  my  family  to  come  to  me  in  that  fatal  climate,  and  in  that  sickly  period  of  the 
year;  and  behold  the  result !  The  child  that  bore  my  name,  and  in  whose  future  I  reposed  with 
more  confidence  than  I  did  in  my  own  plans  of  life,  now  floats  a  mere  corpse,  seeking  a  grave  in 
a  distant  land,  with  a  weeping  mother,  brother,  and  sisters  clustered  about  him.  .  .  .  But 
my  poor  Willy  was,  or  thought  he  was,  a  Sergeant  of  the  Thirteenth.  I  have  seen  his  eye 
brighten  and  his  heart  beat  as  he  beheld  the  battalion  under  arms,  and  asked  me  if  they  were 
not  real  soldiers.  Child  as  he  was,  he  had  the  enthusiasm,  the  pure  love  of  truth,  honor,  and 
love  of  country,  which  should  animate  all  soldiers.  God  only  knows  why  he  should  die  thus 
young.  .  .  Please  convey  to  the  battalion  my  heartfelt  thanks,  and  assure  each  and  all  that 
if,  in  after  years,  they  call  on  me  or  mine,  and  mention  that  they  were  of  the  Thirteenth  Regu- 
lars when  poor  Willy  was  a  Sergeant,  they  will  have  a  key  to  the  affections  of  my  family  that 
will  open  all  it  has— that  we  will  share  with  them  our  last  blanket,  our  last  crust." 

Unfortunately  General  Sherman  decided  to  repair  the  Memphis  and 
Charleston  Eailroad  as  he  advanced  eastwardly  along  it,  in  the  direction  of 
Eosecrans's  position.  It  would  seem  that  he  still  had  no  adequate  conception 
of  the  peril  at  Chattanooga,  or  that    he    did    not   conceive  himself  bound  to 

"For  some  reason  that  has  never  been  explained."  That  is,  unless  the  explanation  in  Gen- 
eral Halleck's  Annual  Report  to  the  Secretary  of  War  (Ex.  Doc,  Vol.  V,  1863-4)  be  considered 
sufficient.     lie  says:  "The  dispatches  of  the  13th  to  Grant  and  Sherman  did  not  reach  them 


William  T.  Sherman.  443 

strenuous  efforts  for  relief.  It  was  the  11th  of  October  beforo  he  left  Memphis 
to  obey  the  order  first  issued,  13th  of  September.  At  Colliervillc  his  train 
plunged  fairly  into  a  fight  raging  about  the  station.  The  Rebel  General  Chal- 
mers, with  three  thousand  cavalry,  was  attacking  it.  Sherman's  bodyguard, 
under  his  own  eye,  rushed  to  the  rescue,  and  the  assailants  were  driven  off.  The 
next  day  he  reached  Corinth,  and  pushed  on  his  advance  to  Iuka.  Building 
railroads  instead  of  marching  to  the  relief  of  the  beleaguered  army  in  Chatta- 
nooga, it  was  not  until  the  27th  of  October  that  he  left  Iuka,  under  orders  has- 
tily sent  by  courier  across  the  country  from  Grant,  to  drop  all  railroad  work, 
and  hurry  his  army  forward  as  fast  as  their  legs  could  carry  them.  It  was  now 
forty-four  days  since  the  first  issue  of  the  order  for  the  march,  and  the  troops 
had  yet  accomplished  scarcely  one-third  of  the  distance  between  Memphis  and 
Chattanooga.  In  eighteen  days  more  Genoral  Sherman  rode  into  Chattanooga, 
and  reported  to  Grant  for  orders.  There  had  been  some  sharp  skirmishing  with 
the  Rebel  cavalry  that  hung  upon  the  front  and  flanks,  and  much  trouble  in 
crossing  streams  from  the  destruction  of  bridges  and  lack  of  pontoons. 

The  delays  in  the  early  part  of  this  march  have  been  sharply  criticised  in 
some  quarters,  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  it  did  not  exhibit  the  celerity  that 
a  full  appreciation  of  the  crisis  and  a  cordial  desire  to  relieve  Eosccrans  would 
have  dictated.*  But  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  General  Sherman's  whole 
career  has  sufficiently  shown  that  lack  of  energy  was  never  one  of  his  failings; 
that  the  difficulties  of  the  march  were  considerable;  that  it  was  well  managed 
throughout,  and  that  the  latter  part  of  it  was  so  rapid  and  skillful  as  to  merit 
the  highest  praise. 

General  Grant  had  been  on  the  point  of  making  the  attack  without  Sher- 
man— so  great  was  his  anxiety  to  dislodge  the  enemy  from  Mission  Ridge  and 
Lookout  Mountain,  and  to  dispatch  a  force  to  raise  the  siege  of  Knoxville.  Ho 
now  explained  his  plans  to  Sherman,  who  at  once  sprang  into  a  skiff,  rowed  him- 

nntil  some  days  after  their  dates."  "  Some  days"  is  a  phrase  that  seems  scarcely  to  cover  a  delay 
of  nine  days;  nor  does  it  seem  probable  that  nine  days  could  be  spent  in  forwarding  a  dis- 
patch from  Memphis  (to  which  point  Halleck  had  telegraphic  communication)  over  the  short 
river  stretch  to  Vicksburg.  As  this  matter  has  given  rise  to  a  good  deal  of  dispute,  I  subjoin 
Ilalleck's  order: 

"Head-Quarters  of  the  Army,         \ 
"Washington,  D.  C,  13th  September,  1S63.    / 
"  Major-  General  Grant,  or  Major- General  Sherman,  Vicksburg: 

"It  is  quite  possible  that  Bragg  and  Johnston  will  move  through  Northern  Alabama  to  the 
Tennessee  Kiver,  to  turn  General  Rosecrans's  right,  and  cut  off  his  communications.  All  of 
General  Grant's  available  forces  should  be  sent  to  Memphis,  thence  to  Corinth  and  Tuscumbia, 
to  co-operate  with  Rosecrans,  should  the  Rebels  attempt  that  movement. 

"H.  W.  Halleck,  General-in-Chief." 

*  Colonel  Bowman,  after  saying  that  at  Memphis  Sherman  received  Ilalleck's  order  to 
march,  and  to  report  to  Rosecrans,  adds:  "He  was  substantially  to  follow  the  railway  eastward!/, 
repairing  it  as  he  moved,  looking  to  his  own  lines  for  supplies."  General  Halleck,  however, 
makes  no  mention  of  such  orders,  and  the  tone  of  his  report  indicates  great  anxiety  for  haste  ia 
the  movement.  No  apprehension  about  supplies  at  the  end  of  the  march  need  have  been  enter- 
tained, for  the  railroad  was  unobstructed  as  far  as  Bridgeport,  and,  as  was  afterward  proved,  waa 
capable  of  supplying  far  larger  armies  than  were  now  dependent  upon  it. 


444  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

self  down  to  Bridgeport,  where  his  columns  were  arriving,  and  hastened  them 
forward.  When  they  reached  the  ground  the  other  troops  were  all  in  position, 
the  pontoons  were  ready,  and  the  movement  was  at  once  begun.  Sherman 
patted  behind  Chattanooga  on  the  north  side,  having  been  compelled  in  the 
haste  to  leave  one  division  with  Hooker,  below,  moved  down  to  the  river  secretly 
on  the  night  of  the  23d,  by  daylight  on  the  24th  had  two  divisions  across,  and 
rifle-pits  dug  to  protect  them,  and  by  one  o'clock  was  ready  with  his  whole 
force  for  the  advance.  Moving  up  in  echelon,  with  skirmishers  well  to  the  front, 
they  reached  the  base  of  the  ridge  in  safety,  completely  protected  from  the 
enemy's  observation  by  the  mist  and  fog.  The  heads  of  columns  were  fairly  on 
the  top  before  the  enemy  discovered  the  movement  and  opened  with  artillery. 
Nothing,  however,  but  some  exchanges  of  artillery-firing  and  skirmishing 
occurred  through  the  afternoon,  and  during  the  night  the  positions  were  for- 
tified. 

In  front  of  Sherman  now  lay  a  crest  of  the  Mission  Eidge,  wooded  on  the 
eastern  side,  partially  cleared  on  the  western,  and  occupied  by  the  enemy. 
Beyond  this  was  a  higher  eminence,  whence  the  enemy's  artillery  played  over 
the  whole  field  in  dispute.  By  daylight  Sherman  was  out,  trying  to  gain  an 
idea  of  the  position,  and  by  sunrise  he  had  his  troops  in  motion.  General  Corse 
was  to  attack  from  the  center,  Morgan  L.  Smith  on  the  left,  and  Colonel  Loomis 
on  the  right.  Corse  met  heavy  resistance,  and  made  little  progress.  About  ten 
o'clock  he  was  severely  wounded  and  carried  from  the  field,  while  Colonel  Walcutt 
succeeded  to  the  command.  Smith  fared  better  on  the  left,  and  Loomis  got  far 
enough  on  the  right  to  effect  a  serious  diversion  in  favor  of  the  center  column 
of  attack.  But  the  day  was  clear,  and  across  the  heights  long  columns  of  the 
enemy  could  be  seen  streaming  toward  the  point  of  the  ridge  where  Sherman's 
attack  was  progressing.  Unsuspicious  of  the  danger  that  lay  threatening  his 
center  and  left,  the  enemy  was  concentrating  on  his  right  to  overpower  Sher- 
man. The  case  looked  critical.  Ee-enforcements  were  thrown  forward  to  aid 
"VValcutt  in  the  center;  but  the  crest  where  he  fought  was  narrow,  and  already 
thronged  with  troops.  The  new  arrivals  wore  thus  crowded  over  to  the  west 
side  of  the  ridge,  which,  as  has  been  seen,  was  cleared  of  timber.  Here  they 
soon  became  exposed  to  a  terrific  fire,  and  were  presently  hurled  back  in  much 
disorder.     But  the  key-point  on  the  crest  was  held. 

At  last  the  white  fringe  of  smoke  that  rose  from  Thomas's  line,  told  that 
the  attack  on  the  center  had  begun.  Thenceforward  Bragg  found  enough  to  do 
without  further  concentration  on  Sherman.  Darkness  soon  closed  the  carnage; 
and  after  nightfall  Sherman  had  the  satisfaction  of  learning  that,  though  he  had 
not  gained  the  objective  point  of  his  assault,  and  had  indeed  been  terribly  pun- 
ished in  holding  his  positions,  he  had  so  weakened  the  enemy's  lines  on  the 
center  that  magnificent  victory  had  come  with  the  setting  sun.  His  was  not  the 
most  brilliant,  but  it  was  far  from  being  the  least  useful  part  in  the  great  battle. 
He  pushed  forward  his  reserve  in  the  pursuit,  captured  some  stores  and  artillery, 
then  turned  to  the  eastward  to  make  room  for  Hooker's  column,  which  contin- 


William   T.   Sherman.  445 

ued  the  pursuit,  while  Sherman  broke  up  the  communications  between  Bragg 
and  Longstreet. 

Then,  Grant  having  been  dissatisfied  with  the  reception  by  another  officer 
of  his  order  to  march  to  Knoxvillo  to  Burnside's  relief,  fell  back  on  Sherman,  on 
whose  zeal  and  energy  he  knew  ho  could  safely  reckon.  "Wearied  as  the  men 
were  with  the  hurried  march  to  Chattanooga,  and  the  bloody  battle  that  had 
immediately  followed,*  Sherman  at  once  put  them  in  motion,  and  had  them 
re-enforced  by  Gordon  Granger's  command.  On  the  29th  of  November,  in 
intensely  cold  weather,  the  movement  began.  By  3d  December  Sherman  com- 
municated with  Burnside ;  by  the  5th  the  heads  of  columns,  after  much  delay 
from  difficulty  in  crossing  streams,  met  within  striking  distance  of  Knoxville. 
But  here  a  messenger  arrived  announcing  that  Longstreet,  warned  by  their 
advance,  was  already  in  full  retreat.  The  column  then  turned  southward,  and 
in  leisurely  marches  returned  to  the  Hiawassee  Valley,  Sherman  himself  keep- 
ing on  the  alert  for  possibilities  of  striking  Longstreet,  and  once  or  twice 
diverting  portions  of  his  force  in  ineffectual  attempts  to  capture  wagon-trains 
or  detachments. 

The  troops  who  had  now  been  in  constant  motion  from  the  time  they  left 
their  camps  on  the  Big  Black,  near  Yicksburg,  required  rest.  The  indefat- 
igable commander,  however,  seemed  to  need  none,  and  ho  at  once  set  out 
for  Memphis  and  Yicksburg,  to  inspect  the  department  which  had  been 
assigned  to  him  while  he  was  on  the  march  to  Chattanooga.  Some  three 
weeks  were  given  to  this  work,  and,  meanwhile,  an  important  expedition  was 
organizing.  Of  the  spirit  in  which,  through  these  busy  weeks,  the  General 
issued  instructions  as  to  their  civil  duties,  to  his  subordinates,  this,  from  his 
letter  to  the  commanding  officer  at  Huntsville,  must  serve  as  an  illustration : 
;  .  .     "If  the  people  of  Huntsville  think  differently  let  them 

persist  in  war  three  years  longer,  and  they  will  not  be  consulted.  Threo 
years  ago,  by  a  little  reflection  and  patience,  they  could  have  had  a  hundred 
years  of  peace  and  prosperity,  but  they  preferred  war.  Very  well.  Last  year 
they  could  have  saved  their  slaves,  but  now  it  is  too  late;  all  the  power  of  earth 
can  not  restore  to  them  their  slaves  any  more  than  their  dead  grandfathers. 
Next  year  their  lands  will  be  taken  —  for  in  war  we  can  take  them,  and 
rightfully,  too — and  in  another  year  they  may  beg  in  vain  for  their  lives.  A 
people  who  will  persevere  in  war  beyond  a  certain  limit  ought  to  know  the 
consequences.  Many,  many  people,  with  less  pertinacity  than  the  South,  have 
been  wiped  out  of  national  existence." 

By  the  3d  of  February  Sherman  was  ready  for  his  new  movement.  It, 
seemed  to  him  that  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  Biver  could  be 
best  guarded  by  destroying  the  lines  of  railroad  by  which  the  Bebels  were 
able  to  approach  it  at  any  point,  at  will,  and  then  by  the  establishment  of 
small  posts  in  the  interior  to  keep  the  guerrillas  away  from  the  banks. 
With  this  view,  he  proposed  to  move  out  with  a  strong  column  due  east  from 

*The  losses  of  Sherman's  corps  in  the  battle  and  brief  pursuit,  were  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  killed,  twelve  hundred  and  fifty -seven  wounded,  and  two  hundred  and  eleven  missing. 


446  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Vicksburg  across  the  State  of  Mississippi  to  the  important  railroad  center  of 
Meridian,  where  a  cavalry  force,  moving  from  Memphis  out  to  and  down 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Kailroad,  should  meet  him.  General  William  Sooy 
Smith  was  assigned  to  this  latter  duty.  Sherman  himself  took  the  field  with 
the  Vicksburg  column,  composed  of  two  divisions  from  McPherson's  corps,  and 
two  from  Hurlbut's,  with  Colonel  Winslow's  brigade  of  cavalry.  With  this 
formidable  force  he  plunged  into  the  country,  and  disappeared  from  the 
public  eye.  The  novelty  and  mystery  of  the  movement  piqued  curiosity, 
and  great  expectations  were  cherished  as  to  the  results  at  which  Sherman 
was  supposed  to  be  aiming.  When,  after  a  month's  absence,  the  missing  army 
emerged  again,  having  simply,  in  the  words  of  its  leader,  accomplished  "a 
big  raid,"  there  was  general  disappointment.  The  expedition  had,  however, 
cut  the  enemy's  communications  at  Meridian,  destroyed  long  stretches  of 
the  railroads,  depots,  arsenals,  public  stores,  and  spread  among  the  people 
of  Mississippi  a  general  sense  of  danger,  and  of  the  weakness  of  their  cause. 
More  might,  perhaps,  have  been  accomplished  but  for  the  failure  of  the  Mem- 
phis cavalry  column  to  join  the  expedition  at  Meridian.*  Meanwhile,  it  was 
noteworthy  that  throughout  the  great  march  the  General  had  handled  his  army 
with  as  much  ease  as  if  it  were  but  a  regiment,  and  had  learned  the  art  of 
subsisting  an  army  in  the  enemy's  country  without  a  base  and  without  a 
supply-train. 

Thus  far  we  have  traced  the  progress  of  General  Sherman,  through  many 
checkered  scenes,  to  the  point  from  which  his  successful  career  begins.  Hitherto 
he  has  been  mainly  in  subordinate  positions,  and  his  few  independent  commands 
have  not  enlarged  his  fame.  His  career  in  Kentucky  was  a  failure.  With  the 
same  harsh  judgment  which  the  Government  repeatedly  visited  upon  others  in 
limiliir  plight,  he  would  never  again  have  been  assigned  to  active  service.  If 
to  an}-  extent  he  was  responsible  for  the  neglect  before  the  battle  of  Pittsburg 
Landing,  his  conduct  there  was  worse  than  a  failure.  His  first  assault  on  Vicks- 
burg failed.  And  his  Meridian  expedition  w^as  not  at  the  time  accounted  a 
6uccess.  In  subordinate  positions,  and  mainly  under  the  command  of  Grant, 
he  had  achieved  great  credit,  and  the  army  and  the  public  alike  recognized  in 
him  a  competent  corps  General.  With  the  most,  this  was  believed  to  be  the 
height  of  his  capacity.  It  is  to  the  rare  sagacity  of  General  Grant  in  judging 
men  that  the  country  owes  the  brilliant  and  eventful  career  we  have  now  to 
trace. 

Between  these  two  the  friendship  that  began  almost  at  the  outbreak  of  the 
war,  cemented  as  it  was  in  many  an  hour  of  danger  and  on  many  a  hard-fought 
field,  had  grown  more  intimate  and  confidential.  When  now,  Grant  was  raised 
to  the  Lieutenant-Generalship,  in  the  fullness  of  his  heart  he  sat  down  and  wrote 
a  letter  to  "Dear  Sherman,"  giving  him  the  news,  and  adding:  "I  want  to  ex- 
press my  thanks  to  you  and  McPherson,  as  the  men  to  whom,  above  all  others, 
I  feel  indebted  for  whatever  I  have  had  of  success.     How  far  your  advice  and 

♦For  the  causes  of  this  failure  see  post,  Life  of  William  Sooy  Smith. 


William  T.    Sherman.  447 

assistance  have  been  of  help  to  me,  you  know.  How  far  your  execution  of 
whatever  has  been  given  }tou  to  do  entitles  you  to  the  reward  I  am  receiving, 
you  can  not  know  as  well  as  I."  Warm,  generous  words,  honorable  alike  to  the 
writer  and  the  one  addressed!  But  the  reply  is  something  more.  It  was 
graceful  that  General  Sherman  should  say:  "You  do  yourself  injustice  and  us 
too  much  honor  in  assigning  to  us  too  large  a  share  of  the  merits  which  have 
led  to  your  high  advancement.  .  .  .  You  are  now  Washington's  .  .  suc- 
cessor, and  occupy  a  position  of  almost  dangerous  elevation  ;  but  if  you  can 
continue,  as  heretofore,  to  be  yourself,  simple,  honest,  and  unpretending,  you 
will  enjoy  through  life  the  respect  and  love  of  friends,  and  the  homage  of  mill- 
ions of  human  beings  that  will  award  you  a  large  share  in  securing  to  them 
and  their  descendants  a  government  of  law  and  stability."  And  it  was  frank 
to  add:  "My  only  point  of  doubt  was  in  your  knowledge  of  grand  strategy 
and  of  books  of  science  and  history;  but  I  confess  your  common  sense  seems  to 
have  supplied  all  these."  So,  too,  it  was  natural  that  he  should  urge  Grant  to 
"come  West;  take  to  yourself  the  whole  Mississippi  Valley.  Let  us  make  it 
dead  sure — and  I  tell  you  the  Atlantic  slopes  and  Pacific  shores  will  follow  its 
destiny.  .  .  .  Here  lies  the  scat  of  coming  empire,  and  from  the  West,  when 
our  task  is  done  we  will  make  short  work  of  Charleston  and  Richmond,  and 
the  impoverished  coast  of  the  Atlantic."  But  it  touched  the  limits  of  extrava- 
gant admiration,  and  was  hardly  free  from  a  suspicion  of  flattery,  to  speak  of 
Grant  to  his  face  as  "Washington's  legitimate  successor,"  and  to  say,  "I  believe 
you  are  as  brave,  patriotic,  and  just,  as  the  great  prototypo  Washington — as 
unselfish,  kind-hearted,  and  honest,  as  a  man  should  be."* 

Two  days  after  this  letter  was  sent,  Sherman  was  appointed  to  the  chief 
command  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Mississippi  Eiver! 

He  was  summoned  to  meet  Grant  at  Nashville,  and  he  traveled  as  far  north 
with  him  as  Cincinnati.  In  that  visit  the  plans  were  first  outlined,  the  comple- 
tion of  which  ended  the  war.  Later,  General  Grant  sent  him  a  map,  on  which 
were  traced  the  lines  the  several  armies  were  to  take.  The  bare  possibility  of 
some  inquisitive  postmaster  having  opened  the  package  in  which  this  was  sent, 
threw  Sherman's  suspicious  mind  into  a  fever  of  apprehension. f  Finally  Grant 
wrote,  under  date  4th  April,  disclosing  his  complete  programme.  This  was 
Sherman's  share:  "You  I  propose  to  move  against  Johnston's  army,  to  break  it 
up,  and  to  get  into  the  interior  of  the  enemy's  country  as  far  as  you  can,  inflict- 
ing all  the  damage  you  can  against  their  war  resources.  I  do  not  propose  to 
lay  down  for  you  a  plan  of  campaign,  but  simply  to  lay  down  the  work  it  is 
desirable  to  have  done,  and  leave  you  free  to  execute  in  your  own  way.  Submit 
to  me,  however,  as  early  as  you  can,  your  plan  of  operations."  Sherman 
responded  promptly:  "lam  pushing  stores  to  the  front  with  all  possible  dis- 
patch.    ...     It  will  take  us  all  of  April  to  get  in  all  our  furloughed  vet- 

*  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1866,  Vol.  I,  pp.  14,  15. 

t  Ibid,  p.  25.  "I  will  cause  inquiries  to  be  made,"  writes  Sherman,  "lest  the  map  has  been 
seen  by  some  eye  intelligent  enough  to  read  the  meaning  of  the  blue  and  red  lines.  We  can  not 
be  too  careful  in  these  matters." 


448  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

erans  .  .  and  to  collect  provisions  and  cattle  to  the  line  of  the  Tennes- 
see. .  .  At  the  signal,  to  be  given  by  you,  Schofield  will  .  .  drop  down  to  Hi- 
uwassoe,  and  march  on  Johnston's  right.  .  .  Thomas  will  aim  to  have  forty- 
live  thousand  men  of  all  arms,  and  move  straight  on  Johnston,  wherever  he  may 
be,  and  fighting  him  continuously,  persistently,  and  to  the  best  advantage.  .  . 
MePherson  will  have  full  thirty  thousand  of  the  best  men  in  America.  He  will 
cross  the  Tennessee  at  Decatur,  march  toward  Home,  and  feel  for  Thomas.  .  . 
Should  Johnston  fall  behind  the  Chattahoochie  I  would  feign  to  the  right,  but 
pass  to  the  left,  and  act  on  Atlanta,  or  on  its  eastern  communications,  according 
to  developed  facts.     This  is  about  as  far  ahead  as  I  feel  disposed  to  look."* 

Such  then,  was  the  campaign  which  our  nervous,  energetic  General,  now  at 
last  in  independent  command,  and  with  ample  force,  proposed  to  himself.  He 
would  act  first  against  Johnston;  then  against  Atlanta,  or  its  communications. 
For  tho  work  he  had  three  armies,  numbering,  in  the  aggregate,  a  hundred 
thousand  men.f  He  had,  moreover,  three  Generals — a  consideration  of  no  less 
weighty  import.  If  Grant  could  trace  his  success  to  Sherman  and  MePherson, 
Sherman  might  now  w^ell  fortify  his  hopes  for  the  campaign  by  remembering 
that  he  was  privileged  to  command  George  H.  Thomas,  James  B.  MePherson, 
and  J.  M.  Schofield,]:  with  the  long  list  of  brave  officers,  educated  to  war  in  the 
war,  comprised  within  the  army  of  each. 

*  Ibid,  pp.  26,  27,  28. 

t  The  exact  number  was:  Thomas's  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  sixty  thousand  seven  hundred* 
and  seventy-three;  McPherson's  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  twenty-four  thousand  four  hundred  and 
sixty-five;  Schofield's  Army  of  the  Ohio,  thirteen  thousand  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine;  total 
ninety-eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-seven;  with  the  splendid  artillery  equipment  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty-four  guns.     The  organization  of  these  armies  was  as  follows : 


ARMY   OF  THE   CUMBERLAND    (THOMAS). 

{D.  S.  Stanley's  division. 
John  Newton's  division. 
Thomas  J.  Woods's  division. 
{Jeff.  C.  Davis's  division. 
R.  W.  Johnson's  divison. 
A.  Baird's  division. 

{A.  S.  Williams's  division. 
John  W.  Geary's  division. 
Daniel  Butterfield's  division. 

ARMY   OF  THE   TENNESSEE    (McPHERSON). 

{P.  J.  Osterhaus's  division. 
Morgan  L.  Smith's  division. 
John  E.  Smith's  division. 
Harrow's  division. 

f  T.  E.  G.  Ransom's  division, 
bixteenth  Corps— George  M.  Dodge,     -      1    John  M.  Corse's  division. 

(  T.  W.  Sweeney's  division. 

Seventeenth  Corps— Frank  P.  Blair,  Jr.,     (  S?*£*J  R  Woods's  division. 

'       '      I  M.  D.  Leggett's  division. 

ARMY   OF  THE  OHIO    (SCHOFIEED). 

Twenty-Third  Corps /  M.  S.  Hascall's  division. 

\  J.  D.  Cox's  division. 

t  The  whole  force  had  been  reorganized,  and  from  the  assignment  of  corps  commanders 
down,  the  President  had  given  Sherman  his  choice  in  everything. 


William  T.  Sherman.  449 

Against  him  stood  the  ablest  commander  remaining  to  the  Confederacy,  an 
accomplished  and  experienced  soldier.  But  it  was  General  Johnston's  misfor- 
tune to  be  in  ill  favor  at  Richmond.  He  had  but  forty-five  thousand  men  of  all 
arms,  with  some  possible  recruits.,  in  the  doubtful  shape  of  Georgia  militia,  with- 
out transportation,  and  cowed  by  the  successive  disasters  which  (under  Bragg) 
had  hurled  them  back  from  Nashville  to  Murfreesboro,  to  Tullahoma,  to  Chatta- 
nooga, to  Mission  Ridge,  and  to  Dalton.  With  this  force,  Mr.  Davis  was 
demanding  that  he  should  undertake  an  offensive  campagn  against  the  hundred 
thousand  men  that  lay  clustered  about  the  fastnesses  of  Chattanooga. 

While  they  debated  it,  Sherman's  last  preparations  were  completed.  Grant 
had  first  fixed  the  25th  of  April  for  the  simultaneous  movement  of  the  several 
grand  armies;  then,  as  he  found  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  still  unready,  the  27th; 
then  1st  May,  and  finally  5th  May.  On  the  4th  he  sent  the  final  order;  on  the 
5th  the  campaign  against  Johnston  and  Atlanta  opened. 

Sherman  hoped  to  force  Johnston  to  speedy  and  decisive  battle;*  Johnston, 
with  the  cautious  wisdom  that  distinguished  him,  saw  at  once  that,  with  his 
weak  forces,  his  policy  was  to  act  on  the  defensive,  draw  Sherman  away  from  his 
base,  weaken  his  army  at  every  step  for  guards  for  his  attenuated  line  of  sup- 
plies, and  so  finally  bring  on  the  decisive  battle  on  something  more  nearly 
approaching  equal  terms.  But  he  was  nevertheless  prepared  to  make  his 
defensive  campaign  an  obstinate  one.  His  main  defenses,  in  his  present  posi- 
tion, were  along  the  Rocky  Face  Ridge,  a  short  distance  north  of  Dalton;  at 
Tunnel  Hill  and  Buzzard's  Roost  Gaps.  Here  the  heights  were  crowned  with 
artillery,  the  approaches  were  obstructed  with  abattis,  and,  to  complete  the  work, 
these  were  finally  flooded  by  the  aid  of  dams  on  the  adjacent  streams.  Not  pro- 
posing to  sacrifice  his  soldiers  against  this  impregnable  position,  General  Sher- 
man made  it  his  aim  to  maneuver  Johnston  into  open  ground,  and  then  suddenly 
bring  him  to  battle.  To  this  end  he  sent  Thomas  to  make  a  strong  feint  directly 
against  the  works,  while  McPherson,  marching  from  his  position  on  the  west 
around  Johnston,  should  silently  sieze  the  Snake  Gap,  and  throw  himself  upon 
the  railroad  below  him  at  Resaca,  thus  forcing  him  out  of  his  craggy  fastness  to 
fight  for  his  line  of  supplies.  Thomas  carried  out  his  part  of  the  plan  admira- 
bly, and  made  so  formidable  a  demonstration  that  he  fairly  forced  himself  into 
the  gap  on  Johnston's  front.  Meantime  McPherson  hastened  around  on  his 
western  detour,  only  to  find  that  Johnston  had  seen  through  the  whole  plan 
from  the  outset,  and  had  effectually  guarded  against  it.  In  ample  time  he  had  dis- 
patched troops  to  Resaca,  and  McPherson  reported  that  he  "found  tho  place  too 
strong  to  be  taken  bjr  assault."  And  besides,  so  complete  were  Johnston's  pre- 
parations, that  he  had  not  only  fortified  Resaca,  but  had  so  strengthened  his 
tenure  of  the  line  of  railway  to  Dalton,  above,  that  McPherson  found  it  impos- 
eible  to  burst  in  upon  it  anywhere.  Yet  more,  he  had  cut  roads  through  the 
rough  country  so  as  to  be  able,  by  a  sudden  march,  to  pounce  down  from  Dalton 
upon  the  flank  of  any  adventurous  force  here  seeking  to  molest  his  rear.     Thus 

*  "  I  hope  the  enemy  will  fight  at  Dalton,"  said  Sherman  in  letter  of  instructions  to  McPher- 
Bon,  5th  May.— Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1866  Vol.  I,  p.  51. 

Vol.  I.— 29. 


450  Ohio  in  the  War. 

endangered,  McPherson  thought  it  necessary  for  his  own  safety  to  draw  back 
and  fortify  at  Snake  Gap;  and  so  the  first  step  in  the  campaign  ended  in  failure. 

The  cause  will  readily  suggest  itself  to  every  one.  The  whole  movement 
turned  upon  the  success  at  Resaca.  The  attack  at  Buzzard's  Roost  was  only  a 
feint.  But  the  feint  was  committed  to  Thomas,  with  an  army  of  sixty  thousand ; 
the  real  movement  to  McPherson,  with  an  army  of  twenty-live  thousand,  which 
proved,  in  the  judgment  of  its  skillful  commander,  too  weak  to  attack,  or  even 
to  hold  its  ground  and  run  the  risk  of  being  attacked.  But  Sherman,  with  a 
fertility  of  resource  that  was  admirable,  was  ready  at  once  for  the  contingency, 
although,  M  he  said,  "somewhat  disappointed  at  the  result."  He  at  once  pro- 
pared  to  make  the  attack  at  Resaca  with  almost  his  entire  force,  leaving  only  a 
single  corps  to  keep  up  the  feint  at  Buzzard's  Roost.  So  ended  the  first  stage 
of  the  campaign. 

But  Johnston  was  again  to  offer  a  skillful  parry.  No  sooner  had  Sherman's 
movement  commenced  than,  divining  its  object,  his  antagonist  began  to  move 
to  meet  it.  On  the  13th  Sherman's  army  began  to  arrive  before  Resaca.  On 
the  13th  Johnston  abandoned  Dalton,  and  marched  down  to  Resaca,  leaving  the 
corps  Sherman  had  left  keeping  up  the  feint,  to  march  quietly  after  him.  Next 
morning  when  Sherman  arrived,  lie  perceived  at  a  glance  that  he  was  toiled 
again. 

This  time,  however,  he  determined  to  fight;  while,  at  the  same  time,  ho 
should  again  essay  cutting  Johnston's  line  of  supplies.  From  Resaca  southward 
the  Oostenaula  interposed  its  waters  between  Sherman  and  the  railroad  to 
Atlanta.  Laying  a  pontoon  bridge  across  this  stream,  a  few  miles  below 
Resaca,  Sherman  crossed  here  a  single  division.  Behind  this,  and  much  further 
down,  he  sent  Garrard's  cavalry  division  to  cut  the  railroad  far  to  the  south- 
ward. Then,  placing Thomas  in  the  center,  McPherson  on  the  right,  and  Scho- 
field  on  the  left,  he  made  a  fierce  attack  upon  the  intrenchments  of  Resaca. 
Thomas  and  Schofield  found  the  obstructions  too  great,  and  gained  little  or 
nothing.  McPherson  fared  better,  and  succeeded  in  securing  ground  whence  his 
batteries  swept  the  Rebel  positions.  Meantime,  hearing  of  the  pontoon  bridge 
across  the  river  a  little  way  below  him,  and  of  the  threat  there  made  on  his 
rear,  Johnston  dispatched  Hood  to  guard  against  this  new  danger.  But  before 
he. could  accomplish  anything  Sherman  was  swinging  his  whole  right  across  the 
bridge.  This  settled  the  matter.  Johnston  at  once  evacuated  Resaca,  and 
retreated  southward,  burning  the  bridges  behind  him. 

Thus  ended  the  second  stage  of  the  campaign.  It  cost  between  four  and 
five  thousand  men,  while  the  Rebel  less  was  proportionately  far  less,  on  account 
of  their  intrenchments,  and  the  result  was  finally  obtained,  not  by  sanguinary 
fighting,  but  by  the  bloodless  flanking  operations  below  the  town.  Sherman 
was  again  disappointed  in  seeking  to  force  Johnston's  forty -five  thousand  to 
pitched  battle  with  his  hundred  thousand— ho  must  find  his  battle-field  yet 
further  from  his  base. 

Pursuit  was  promptly  begun.  McPherson  had  a  skirmish  at  Calhoun  ; 
there  was  a  brisker  littlo  engagement  at  Adairsville;  and  finally  Johnston  was 


William   T.   Sherman. 


451 


.RED  CLAY 


T       EiNNESSEE 


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fe\     FAVETTEV1LLE"  ^i         ^LOVEJOY 


SHERMAN'S    ATLANTA    CAMPAIGN 


William    T.    Sherman.  453 

found  intrenched  at  Cassville,  a  point  on  the  railroad  about  midway  between 
Chattanooga  and  Atlanta.  The  Rebel  army  was  now  re-enforced  by  a  fresh 
division  of  Polk's  corps,  making  it  a  little  stronger  than  at  the  outset  of 
the  campaign;  and  an  attack  was  ordered  on  Sherman's  advancing  columns. 
But  the  orders  were  misunderstood;  nothing  was  done,  and  Sherman  soon  had 
his  artillery  favorably  posted,  and  playing  upon  the  intrenchments.  Hood  and 
Polk,  at  nightfall,  waited  upon  Johnston  and  urged  a  retreat,  insisting  that  the 
National  artillery  made  their  positions  untenable.  The  Rebel  commander  dis- 
sented from  their  views;  but  the  representations  of  his  two  best  officers  had  so 
strong  an  influence  upon  him  that,  against  his  better  judgment,  he  finally  con- 
sented. Next  morning  Sherman  found  his  antagonist  gone.  So  ended  one 
more  stage  in  the  campaign. 

Already  far  down  into  the  enemy's  country,  beyond  what,  six  months 
before,  had  seemed  the  utmost  capacity  of  the  Government  to  supply  the  army, 
Sherman  did  not  hesitate.  Thus  far  he  had  wonderfully  preserved  the  thread 
of  railroad  by  which  his  supplies  passed  through  the  hostile  regions  of  Kentucky, 
Tennessee,  and  Northern  Georgia,  to  reach  him;  and,  emboldened  by  his  suc- 
cess, and  fertile  in  expedients,  he  at  once  resolved  on  yet  more  hazardous  ven- 
tures. He  was  greatly  disappointed  in  being  unable  to  bring  Johnston  to 
decisive  battle,  and  he  knew  full  well  the  aim  of  "that  astute  commander,"  as 
he  often  styled  him,  in  drawing  him  yet  further  and  further  from  his  base  of 
supplies.  But  re- enforcements  continued  to  reach  him,  and  with  bold  hearts 
his  troops  once  more  turned  their  faces  southward. 

Sherman's  thorough  study  of  the  topographical  features  of  the  country  led 
him  to  the  belief  that  Johnston's  next  stand  would  be  in  the  strong  natural 
position  of  Allatoona  Pass,  a  point  he  had  no  desire  to  attack.  Loading  his 
wagons,  therefore,  with  food  and  powder  he  made  a  long  stride  away  from  his 
railroad — marching  far  to  the  south-westward  of  Johnston's  supposed  position, 
and  hoping  to  sieze  Dallas,  toward  the  west  and  rear  of  Allatoona  Pass.  But 
"the  astute  commander"  saw  through  Sherman's  efforts  to  mask  his  real  pur- 
pose; and  when  the  heads  of  columns  appeared  near  "Dallas  they  found  John- 
ston behind  formidable  intrenchments,  ready  to  receive  them.  Here,  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  Hope  Church,  Hooker,  who  led  the  advance  of  Thomas's  army, 
had  a  fierce  engagement  as  he  came  up  on  the  25th  of  May;  and  for  the  next 
three  days  there  was  skirmishing,  sometimes  swelling  into  heavy  fighting,  all 
along  the  lines.  On  the  27th  Sherman  ordered  an  assault,  which  cost  some  three 
thousand  men,  while  the  enemy  lost  only  four  hundred  and  fifty,  and  held  his 
ground.  The  next  day,  however,  Johnston  fell  upon  McPherson's  army,  but 
found  it  already  behind  good  breastworks,  and  received  an  equally  bloody  repulse. 
Thus,  for  ten  days,  stood  the  two  skillful  antagonists,  fairly  matched,  facing 
each  other  with  thrust  and  parry.  But  Sherman  was  not  so  to  be  balked.  To 
flank  again  to  the  westward  would  throw  him,  as  he  thought,  too  far  from  the 
railroad,  with  which  it  was  vital  to  maintain  his  connection.  He  therefore 
gradually  extended  his  lines  to  the  eastward,  Johnston  closely  watching  and 
following  every  move.     Throwing  his  cavalry  out,  he  succeeded  in  siezing  Alia- 


454  Ohio  in  the  War. 

toona  Pass,  and  Acworth,  on  the  railroad;  then,  establishing  himself  there,  ho 
began  to  accumulate  supplies  and  prepare  for  a  desperate  grapple  with  the 
enemy,  who,  still  resolutely  confronting  him,  now  lay  a  little  further  down  on 
the  railroad  at  Marietta.  Between  the  hostile  armies  interposed  a  mountain 
spur— henceforth  as  bloody  and  ill-omened  a  name  in  our  history  as  Freder- 
icksburg—the  heights  of  Kenesaw.     They  were  held  by  the  enemy. 

Within  the  next  five  days  Sherman  had  the  railroad  repaired  to  his  very 
camps,  had  abundant  supplies,  and  was  ready  for  a  fresh  movement.  Weary 
of  perpetual  flanking,  which  seemed  only  to  result  in  driving  the  enemy  to 
stronger  positions,  and  knowing  very  well  what  his  antagonist  hoped  in  thus 
drawing  him  on,  he  now  determined  to  abandon  his  effort  to  bring  on  a  battlo 
on  equal  ground,  and  to  attack  Johnston  just  where  Johnston  had  prepared  for 
attack.  Yet  the  results  of  his  reconnoissances  might  well  have  given  him  pause. 
Directly  in  front  loomed  Kenesaw,  bristling  with  batteries,  scarred  with  in- 
trcnchments  and  abattjs.  To  tho  west,  securely  covering  the  flank,  was  Lost 
Mountain;  thrust  forward  between  the  two  was  Pine  Hill.  But,  with  his  quick 
eye  for  detecting  the  salient  points  of  a  position,  Sherman  saw  that  this  line 
was  too  much  extended  for  Johnston's  weak  force,  and  trusting  to  the  chances 
that  might  result  from  carrying  the  weaker  of  the  heights,  he  proceeded  to 
attack. 

From  the  9th  of  June,  on  which  the  advance  was  made,  till  the  3d  of  July, 
Sherman  lay  beating  away  his  strength  against  those  rock-bound  barriers.  Ho 
Boon,  indeed,  forced  Johnston  off  Lost  Mountain  and  Pine  Hill;  but  in  so  doing 
he  only  strengthened  his  position.  Emboldened,  however,  by  these  successes, 
as  it  would  seem,  and  doubtless  remembering  the  scaling  of  Mission  Eidge,  at 
which  all  the  world  wondered,  he  now  brought  himself,  well  knowing  the  dan- 
ger, to  order  an  attack  on  Kenesaw  itself.  Ample  time  was  given  for  prepara- 
tion. Finally,  on  the  27th,  the  batteries  swept  the  mountain  side  with  a  fearful 
Btorm  of  shell;  and  at  last  two  armies.  Thomas's  and  McPherson's,  rushed  to  the 
assault.  They  were  completely  and  bloodily  repulsed;  the  position  was  im- 
pregnable. "  Failure  it  was,  and  for  it  I  assume  the  entire  responsibility,"  said 
Sherman,  manfully. 

It  would  have  been  better  for  his  fame  if  he  had  there  rested.  But,  as  has 
already  been  seen,  it  was  a  characteristic  of  this  gifted  commander's  mind  to  be 
unwilling  ever  to  acknowledge  an  error;*  and  so  he  must  needs  prove  that 
the  failure  was  advantageous:  "I  claim  that  it  produced  good  fruits,  as  it 
demonstrated  to  General  Johnston  that  I  would  assault,  and  that  boldly." 
Novel  reason  for  battle — to  make  the  enem}^  understand  his  intentions!  As  a 
mistake,  the  first  in  a  brilliant  and  highly  successful  campaign,f  it  would  have 

*  So  warm  an  admirer  of  General  Sherman,  and  so  acute  a  military  critic  as  Mr.  Swinton,  has 
here  been  forced  to  substantially  the  same  observation:  "The  other  alternative  (from  assault), 
that  of  flanking,"  he  says,  "would,  if  now  adopted,  suggest  the  query  why  it  had  not  been  chosen 
before,  with  saving  of  time  and  troops.  Accordingly,  Sherman  felt  authorized  to  make  one  grand 
assault."— Decisive  Battles  of  the  War,  p.  403. 

t  Or,  at  most,  the  second,  if  taking  the  bulk  of  the  army  for  a  feint  at  Resaca  he  reckoned 
the  first. 


William  T.  Sherman.  455 

been  cordially  pardoned.  Who  ever  thought  the  less  for  it  of  that  Frederick 
who  wrote,  "I  have  lost  a  great  battle,  and  solely  by  my  own  fault?"  But  as  a 
wise  movement,  neither  the  Government  nor  the  Country  was  disposed  to  accept 
it.  Presently,  General  Sherman  thought  it  necessary  to  argue  the  point:  "The 
assault,"  he  writes  to  the  Chief  of  Staff  at  Washington,  "was  no  mistake.  I 
had  to  do  it.  The  enemy  and  our  own  arm}-  and  officers  had  settled  down  into 
the  conviction  that  the  assault  of  lines  formed  no  part  of  my  game,  and  the 
moment  the  enemy  was  found  behind  anything  like  a  parapet,  whv,  everybody 
would  deploy,  throw  up  counter-works,  and  take  it  easy,  leaving  it  to  the 'old 
man'  to  turn  the  position."*  There  is  more  of  it  in  this  and  many  other  letters, 
but  this  is  enough.  Proud  as  he  was  of  his  army,  he  was  yet  ready  to  slander 
it  in  seeking  defense  for  his  course.  Under  his  management,  forsooth,  its 
discipline  had  fallen  so  low  that  it  had  to  be  slaughtered  in  order  to  fit  it  for 
fighting!  And  yet,  a  few  days  later,  we  find  him  apologetically  explaining  to 
General  Grant  that  his  army  had  "lost  nothing  in  morale  in  the  assault,"f — not 
because  the  assault  had  tended  to  improve  the  morale,  as  he  has  just  been  argu- 
ing, but  because  he  prevented  its  injurious  effects  by  speedily  following  it  up 
with  other  movements. 

Here,  indeed,  was  his  great  merit.  Unshaken  by  misfortune,  he  rose  above 
it  to  fresh  brilliancy.  Instantly  recognizing,  with  that  swift  perception  that 
had  so  often  stood  him  in  good  stead,  the  utter  impossibility  of  seeking  by 
further  efforts  to  drive  Johnston  out  of  Kenesaw,  he  once  more  launched  out 
his  flanking  column  far  to  the  south-westward.  Straightway,  in  the  darkness  of 
a  single  night,  Kenesaw  fell  without  a  blow! 

Johnston  first  halted  at  Smyrna  Church,  then,  as  Sherman's  quick  maneu- 
vers threw  him  out  of  this  position,  fell  back  beyond  the  Chattahoochie.  Sher- 
man pushed  forward,  and  lo!  in  sight  rose  the  spires  of  Atlanta! 

But  between  him  and  them  lay  the  network  of  defenses,  drawn  and  held  by 
a  skillful  General,  whose  parapets  were  for  many  weary  days  to  keep  the  army 
at  bay.  Johnston  now  considered  that  the  long-awaited  favorable  moment  had 
come  for  decisive  battle.  He  had  compelled  the  powerful  antagonist,  who  mus- 
tered more  than  two  soldiers  to  his  one,  to  spend  seventy-two  days  in  marching 
a  hundred  miles;  he  had  lured  him  on  to  attack  fortified  positions,  and,  as  he 
believed,  had  inflicted  great  loss.  As  tlfe  line  lengthened,  ho  knew  that  the 
assailant  must  weaken  his  forces  at  the  front  to  protect  it,  and  he  reckoned  on 
this  as  a  cause  of  still  greater  depletion  in  the  hostile  ranks.  Meanwhile  Ins 
own  were  strengthened.  Whereas  he  had  begun  the  campaign  with  scarcely 
forty-five  thousand  men,  yet  now,  notwithstanding  the  natural  losses  of  so 
active,  a  series  of  operations,  his  re-enforcements  had  raised  his  strength  to  fifty- 
one  thousand.];     Believing,  therefore,  that  he  at  last  approached  terms  of  equal- 

*  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1866,  Vol.  I,  p.  114. 

t  Ibid,  p.  122. 

%  Johnston's  entire  losses  in  the  campaign,  thus  far,  were  ten  thousand  killed  and  wounded, 
and  four  thousand  seven  hundred  from  other  causes.  He  had  inflicted  much  greater  loss  upon 
Sherman.     He  estimates  it  at  five  times  Lib  own. 


456 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


ity  with  his  antagonist,  he  prepared  such  measures  as  seemed  to  promise  decisive 
victory.  Sherman,  remembering  his  plan  for  demonstrating  on  the  east  side  of 
Atlanta  or  its  communications,  as  announced  to  Grant  at  the  outset,  had  already 
crossed  the  Chattahoochie  to  the  eastward  of  the  railroad  and  city;  but  between 
him  and  Atlanta  there  still  lay  the  swampy  banks  of  Peachtree  Creek.  On  tho 
further  side  of  this  stream  Johnston  prepared  his  first  works.  He  proposed  that 
Sherman  should  be  permitted  to  cross;  that  then,  sallying  from  his  works,  ho 
would  fall  upon  the  adventurous  army  and  essay  to  drive  it  back  in  confusion 
into  the  stream.  Failing  in  this,  his  next  plan  would  be  to  draw  off  to  tho 
South  and  East,  deserting  these  works,  and  leaving  Sherman  to  march  fair  upon 
Atlanta.  Then,  issuing  from  his  new  positions,  he  would  fell  upon  the  flank  of 
Sherman's  passing  column,  break  it  if  possible,  and  beat  the  fragments  in  detail. 

Such  was  the  reception  preparing  for  our  army,  when  the  Kebels,  them- 
selves dealing  the  weightiest  blows  to  their  own  cause,  came  to  our  aid.  "  Such 
a  mysterious  blow  to  the  Confederacy,"  says  an  able  military  critic,*  "was  that 
by  which  General  Johnston  was  removed  from  its  Western  army,  when  he  was 
most  needful  for  its  salvation  ;  kept  from  its  command  till  an  intervening  General 
had  ruined  and  disintegrated  it,  and  then  gravely  restored  to  the  leadership  of 
its  pitiful  fragments." 

There  was  left  to  oppose  Sherman's  advance,  General  J.  B.  Hood!  It  was 
a  sorry  contrast.  The  one,  warlike  by  instinct,  trained  to  military  methods, 
and  educated  by  long  experience,  was  now  the  most  brilliant  soldier  in  the 
armies  of  his  country.  The  other  was  a  brave,  rash,  inconsiderate  fighter — noth- 
ing more.  Conscious,  as  it  would  seem,  of  his  unfitness  for  the  task  to  which 
the  blind  passions  of  the  Confederate  President  had  assigned  him,  he  appealed 
to  his  late  chief  for  assistance.  Johnston  explained  all  his  plans,  and  Hood 
adopting  them,  at  once  proceeded  to  essay  their  execution. 

So  it  happened  that,  when  Sherman,  advancing  across  the  Peachtree  Creek, 
was  coming  out  upon  the  firm  ground,  whence  he  hoped  to  march  on  Atlanta, 
he  was  suddenly  struck  with  tremendous  force  at  an  unfortunate  gap  be- 
tween Schofield  and  Thomas.  Pushing  his  advantage,  bravely  but  not  skillfully, 
General  Hood  strove  to  carry  out  Johnston's  plan,  and  drive  the  disordered 
columns  into  the  stream.  But  a  part  of  the  line  had  been  protected  by  hastily- 
erected  breastworks  of  rails;  here  the  onset  was  handsomely  resisted,  tho 
other  corps  rallied  and  werd  re-enforced,  and,  in  the  end,  Hood  was  driven 
back  to  his  intrenchments,  with  a  loss,  as  Sherman  estimated  it,  of  well-nigh 
five  thousand  men.  Sherman's  own  loss  was  but  one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  thirty-three. 

Foiled  at  the  outset,  Hood  next  faithfully  strove  to  carry  out  Johnston's 
second  plan.  In  the  night  he  abandoned  his  Peachtree  lines  and  drew  down  to 
his  fortifications  east  of  Atlanta.  Next  morning,  Sherman  was  astonished  to 
find  that  the  works  whence  had  flamed  forth  such  fierce  attack,  were  deserted. 
In  the  first  surprise,  and  with  his  natural  swiftness  of  reasoning,  he  leaped  to 
the  conclusion  that  Atlanta  itself  must  be  evacuated;  and  straightway  he  put 

*  Swinton's  Decisive  Eatlles  of  the  War,  p.  405. 


William  T.  Sherman.  457 

his  columns  in  motion  to  occupy  the  city.  It  was  nearly  noon"  when  Hood, 
lying  in  wait,  conceived  the  opportune  moment  to  have  come.  Tigging  then 
from  his  works,  far  to  the  rear  of  Sherman's  advance,  he  fell  upon  his  flank, 
where  McPherson's  army  was  marching.  The  attack  was  irresistible;  the  col- 
umn, broken  and  in  some  disorder,  was  pushed  back,  some  batteries  were  cap- 
tured, McPherson  himself — weightiest  loss  of  all — was  killed.  But  Sherman 
never  long  disconcerted  by  anything,  quickly  disposed  his  greatly  superior  force, 
hurried  up  Schofield,  and  at  last,  after  a  terrible  struggle,  continuing  from  noon 
till  night,  beat  Hood  back.  The  battle  cost  Sherman  three  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  twenty-two  men ;  he  estimated  Hood's  loss  at  eight  thousand,  which 
was  doubtless  something  of  an  exaggeration. 

Hood  now  drew  back  into  the  works  immediately  around  the  city  ;  Sherman 
dispatched  cavalry  to  attempt  cutting  the  Eebel  communications;  then  at  last,f 
convinced  that  there  was  no  hope  on  the  east  side  of  Atlanta,  swung  over  to  the 
west.  But  Hood,  discerning  the  movement,  marched  as  promptly,  and  the  next 
day  struck  the  National  lines  in  what  Sherman  himself  called  a  "magnificent 
assault."  But  it  was  timed  a  little  too  late.  No  sooner  had  Sherman's  troops 
been  halted  than  their  very  first  moments  had  been  given  to  throwing  up  rapid 
breastworks.  Behind  these,  therefore,  they  met  Hood's  onset.  It  was  fiercely 
made,  and  tor  four  hours  continued,  with  a  final  result  of  six  hundred  lost  to 
Sherman,  and,  as  he  estimated,  not  less  than  five  thousand  to  Hood. 

The  desperate  struggles  of  the  army  that  stood  savagely  at  bay  in  Atlanta 
here  ended  for  a  little — apparently  through  sheer  exhaustion.  Sherman  com- 
pleted his  works,  planted  batteries,  shelled  the  town  (frequently  setting  it  on 
fire),  and  gradually  extended  his  lines  around  to  the  southward,  toward  the  rail- 
road by  which  Hood  drew  the  bulk  of  his  supplies.  Schofield  was  ordered  to 
attempt  breaking  through  the  enemy's  southern  lines,  but  the  effort  failed. 
There  followed  a  period  of  bombardments,  of  skirmishing  along  the  line,  of 
simultaneous  extensions  of  works  on  either  hand. 

It  was  now  the  middle  of  August.  For  a  month  Sherman  had  lain  baffled 
in  sight  of  Atlanta.  His  army  was  reduced  ;  periods  of  enlistment  were  fast 
expiring;  new  levies  of  enormous  magnitude  began  to  be  contemplated  with 
alarm  at  the  North.  To  what  end,  they  asked,  all  this  waste  of  blood  and 
treasure  ?  We  gain  barren  lines  of  railroad  by  strategic  marches,  but  the  fight- 
ing is  against  us,  the  Eebel  army  confronts  us,  and  in  the  West,  as  at  the  East, 
the  fortifications  of  the  city  we  have  spent  a  whble  campaign  in  trying  to  reduce 
still  defy  us.  The  old  distrust  of  Sherman  was  not  yet  fully  allayed,  and 
even  his  warmest  admirers  grew  uneasy.  At  last  the  great  convention  of  the 
anti-war  party  assembled  at  Chicago.  In  the  height  of  their  opposition  to 
the  prosecution  of  hostilities,  they  pointed  to  Sherman's  foiled  armies  before 
Atlanta,  and,  proclaimed  that  the  war  for  the  restoration  of  the  Union  was  a 
failure. 

But,  on  the  very  day  before  that  resolution  passed,  there  began  an  eventful 
movement,  which,   a  month   afterward,  those   political   managers  would  have 

*  On  22d  July,  1864.  1  Jul?  27th. 


458  Ohio  in  the  War. 

given  untold  sums  to  have  foreseen.  General  Sherman  had  sent  Kilpatrick  to 
make  a  serious  break  on  the  railroads  south  of  Atlanta— taking  advantage  of 
the  opportune  absence  of  Hood's  cavalry  on  a  similar  errand  northward.  But 
Kilpatriek  was  not  satisfactorily  successful.  Meantime  it  would  seem  that 
Sherman  himself  had  grown  uneasy  at  the  protracted  contest,  and  would  will- 
ingly have  stayed  his  hand.  He  cast  longing  looks  to  Mobile  and  its  rivers  for 
help.  Ho  sent  dispatcpes  to  know  if  Mobile  were  likely  to  fall,  and  said  that 
if  it  Averc  he  would  quietly  await  the  event.  He  dwelt  upon  the  danger  to  his 
communications,  the  peril  of  carrying  his  flanking  operations  further.  Across 
the  mountains,  his  great  friend,  the  General-in-Chief,  lay  before  another 
beleaguered  city  in  similar  perplexity.  There  no  device  was  practiced  save  a 
steady  extension  of  the  lines.  But  at  last,  having  fully  counted  the  cost,  Sher- 
man took  his  resolution.  Filling  his  wagons  with  supplies,  and  cutting  loose 
from  his  base,  he  swung  around  to  the  south-westward  with  the  bulk  of  his 
army.  He  first  struck  the  West  Point  Railroad,  broke  and  thoroughly  destroyed 
it  for  many  miles;  and  then,  while  the  Chicago  Convention  is  proclaiming  tho 
war  a  failure,  pushes  straight  eastward,  for  the  only  remaining  railroad  con- 
necting Atlanta  with  the  Confederacy.  He  strikes  it  near  Jonesboro',  finds  a 
considerable  portion  of  Hood's  army  here,  fights  and  repulses  them,  interposes 
between  them  and  Atlanta,  and  proceeds  with  a  vigorous  destruction  of  the 
track.  Hood  now  needs  no  strategist  to  tell  him  the  effect  of  that  repulse. 
That  night*  dull  reverberations  at  the  north,  in  the  direction  of  Atlanta, 
arouse  the  sleepers.  It  is  the  end  of  tho  long  campaign.  Hood  is  evacuating 
the  city,  out  of  which  he  has  been  maneuvered. 

The  exultation  of  the  army  was  tempered  by  the  remembrance  of  tho 
graves  that  lined  the  railroad  back  to  Chattanooga,  and  of  the  fresh  perils  that 
came  with  the  victory.  But  the  rejoicing  of  the  country  knew  no  bounds. 
General  Grant  fired  a  shotted  salute  from  every  battery  bearing  on  the  enemy 
about  Richmond  in  honor  of  the  great  achievement  of  his  friend.  The  Presi- 
dent ordered  a  salute  of  a  hundred  guns  from  each  leading  city  and  military 
post  in  the  country;  and  in  special  executive  order  tendered  to  General  Sher- 
man the  thanks  of  tho  Nation  for  "the  distinguished  ability,  perseverance,  and 
courage  displayed  in  the  campaign."  Bells  rang,  flags  were  hung  out,  bonfires 
were  burnt  in  the  leading  cities.  From  the  day  that  the  capture  of  Atlanta 
was  announced,  the  party  that  had  resolved  that  tho  war  was  a  failure  was 
defeated.  The  Presidential  contest  was  settled  when  Sherman  cut  loose  from 
his  base.  The  name  and  praise  of  Sherman  were  in  every  mouth.  From 
positive  unpopularity,  or  cold  and  questioning  respect,  he  suddenly  found  him- 
self burdened  by  the  heartfelt  homage  of  an  impulsive  and  grateful  people. 

The  popular  verdict  indeed  made  amends  to  Sherman  for  previous  coldness 
by  fervid  excess  of  praise.  Of  the  remarkable  campaign  thus  happily  ended, 
it  must  bo  said  that  its  main  object  was,  after  all,  unattained.  General  Sher- 
man had  sought  to  bring  tho  Rebel  army  to  decisive  battle  at  Daiton  ;  he  had 

*  September  1,  18G4.    The  campaign  began  5th  May,  and  thus  lasted  about  four  months. 


William  T.  Sherman.  459 

sought  it  at  every  stage  of  his  advance;  but  the  army  had  at  last  escaped  him, 
shattered,  indeed,  but  still  an  effective  organization,  with  all  its  trains  and  war 
materiel  intact.  He  had  neither  crushed  it  nor  signally  defeated  it.  But,  viewed 
simply  as  an  operation  for  conquering  territory,  the  entire  campaign  was  mas- 
terly. Each  feature,  its  tactics,  its  logistics,  its  strategy,  was  equally  admirable. 
Blunders  there  undoubtedly  were.  Need  we  recall  again  that  wise  saying  of 
Marshal  Turcnne's,  "Whoever  has  committed  no  faults  has  not  made  war." 
But,  as  a  whole,  the  campaign  will  long  be  studied  as  a  brilliant  exemplification 
of  sound  military  principles  skillfully  put  in  practice.  Two  features  in  it  will 
always  attract  special  attention  :  the  marvelous  manner  in  which,  by  judicious 
accumulations  of  supplies  at  various  secondary  bases  along  the  route,  thoroughly 
protected  by  strong  garrisons  and  fortifications,  the  army  was  kept  constantly 
supplied,  in  spite  of  raids  to  the  rear,  the  hostility  of  the  inhabitants,  and  the 
inevitable  exposure  of  so  unprecedentedly  long  a  line;  and  the  no  less  marvel- 
ous manner  in  which,  moving  great  armies  over  great  spaces,  in  the  face  of  a 
waiy  antagonist,  General  Sherman  handled  them  as  deftly  and  as  precisely  as 
he  might  the  pieces  on  a  chess-board. 

But  the  fall  of  Atlanta  brought  to  General  Sherman  new  perplexities. 
He  had  advanced  beyond  it  a  little,  had  found  the  enemy  opposing  a  strong 
front  in  well-chosen  defensive  positions,  and  had  felt  unable  to  attack.  He 
dared  not  prolong  his  line  another  score  of  miles;  already  he  was  sure  that 
Hood's  force*,  if  reasonably  well-handled,  were  strong  enough  to  break  it  and 
throw  him  back  upon  Chattanooga;  at  the  farthest  lie  could  only  hope,  by  the 
vigorous  use  of  his  army,  to  defend  the  railroad  which  supplied  him,  and  main- 
tain himself  at  the  end  of  it.  To  what  purpose?  He  perplexedly  considered 
the  question,  as  he  lay  listening  to  the  thunders  of  Northern  applause,  sending 
home  the  thousands  of  troops  whose  time  of  service  had  expired,  and  refitting 
the  remainder. 

Meantime  it  was  easy  to  see  how  success  had  elated  the  man,  and  increased 
the  natural  absolutism  of  all  his  mental  processes.  Before  Atlanta,  indeed,  there 
had  thus  been  bred  a  habit  of  command  that  did  not  always,  stop  within  legiti- 
mate limits.  Opposed  from  the  outset  to  the  enlistment  of  negro  troops,  he  had 
chosen,  in  a  letter  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  army,  to  denounce  the  law  of 
Congress  for  sending  recruiting-agents  for  them  into  the  Bebcl  States  as  tho 
height  of  folly,  and  to  declare  that  he  would  not  permit  its  enforcement  within 
his  command*  Even  less  objectionable  services  were  barely  tolerated  :  u  Tho 
Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions,"  he  declared,  "are  enough  to  eradicate 
all  trace  of  Christianity  from  our  minds,  much  less  a  set  of  unscrupulous 
State  agents  in  search  of  recruits."  When  tho  agent  of  Massachusetts  applied 
for  a  pass  to  the  army,  in  accordance  with  the  law,  he  gave  him  one  instead  into 

*The  exact  language  was:  "I  must  express  my  opinion  that  it  is  the  height  of  folly.  I 
can  not  permit  it  here.  I  will  not  have  a  set  of  fellows  hanging  about  on  any  such  pretences." 
Report  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  18G6,  Vol.  I,  p.  123. 

T  Ibid. 


46q  Ohio  in  the   War. 

tho  Rebel  lines,  and  pleasantly  advised  him  to  open  recruiting-offices  in  Mobile, 
Montgomery,  Savannah,  and  similar  Rebel  posts;  while  to  help  the  matter  ho 
added  that  ''civilian  agents  about  an  army  were  a  nuisance,"— a  proposition  of 
more  palpable  truth  than  politeness,  and  not  exactly  sufficient  to  overturn  a  law  of 
Congress  *  The  Governor  of  Minnesota  wished  to  send  a  military  commissioner 
to  look  after  the  sick  and  wounded  from  his  State— a  species  of  generous  care  for 
their  soldiers  practiced  by  the  Governments  of  most  of  the  States  throughout  the 
war,  and  often  attended  with  the  happiest  results.  General  Sherman  perempto- 
rily refused  to  give  him  a  pass,  on  the  ground  that  it  would  be  loading  down  the 
cars  with  passengers,  and  excluding  provisions  for  the  soldiers  !f  To  such 
length*  had  his  imperious  temper,  and  his  hostility  to  State  or  civilian  agencies, 
carried  him.  On  another  point  his  views  were  more  alarming.  Expressing  his 
regret  that  Governor  Bramlette,  of  Kentucky,  had  not  felt  warranted  by  law  to 
carry  out  his  extraordinary  recommendation  for  "arresting  every  fellow  hang- 
ing about  the  towns,  villages,  and  cross-roads,  who  had  no  honest  calling,"  he 
declared  that,  "in  our  country  personal  liberty  has  been  so  well  secured  that 
public  safety  is  lost  sight  of  in  our  laws  and  constitutions;  and  the  fact  is  we 
are  thrown  back  a  hundred  years  in  civilization,  law,  and  everything  else,  and 
will  go  right  straight  to  anarchy  and  the  devil  if  somebody  doesn't  arrest  our 
downward  progress.  We,  the  military,  must  do  it,  and  we  have  right  and  law 
on  our  side."  J  This,  in  a  letter  of  instructions  to  a  military  commander,  as 
late  as  June,  1864,  in  defense  of  the  policy  of  arresting  by  wholesale,  without 
warrant  or  process,  unaccused  persons  throughout  an  entire  State,  not  openly  in 
rebellion,  because  their  occupations  did  not  seem  satisfactory  to  the  petty  officers 
in  command  at  the  various  posts!  It  will  not  now  seem  wonderful  that  after 
still  other  brilliant  successes  in  the  field  had  still  further  elated  our  General,  he 
should  carry  his  disposition  to  absorb  all  power  into  his  own  hands  to  an  extent 
that,  for  a  little  time,  proved  alarming  alike  to  the  Government  and  to  the  whole 
country. 

He  was  not,  indeed,  backward  at  any  time  in  traveling  to  the  verge  of  his 
own  sphere,  to  volunteer  opinions,  advice,  or  protest.  The  promotion  by  the 
President  of  General  Osterhaus  to  a  Major-Generalship  displeased  him,  and  he 
straightway  telegraphed  the  Department:  "I  wish  to  put  on  record  this,  my 
emphatic  opinion,  that  it  is  an  act  of  injustice  to  officers  who  stand  by  their 
posts  in  the  day  of  danger  to  neglect  them  and  advance  such  as  General  Ilovey 
and  General  Osterhaus,  who  left  us  in  the  midst  of  bullets  to  go  to  the  rear  in 

*  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  pp.  236,  237. 

t  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  of  1866,  Vol.  I,  pp.  146,  147.  The  language  is:  "It  seems 
that  Dr.  Luke  Miller,  a  commissioner  of  your  State,  has  been  denied  a  pass  on  the  military  rail- 
road below  Nashville,  for  the  purpose  of  ministering  to  the  wants  of  the  sick  and  wounded  sol- 
diers of  your  State  here  at  the  front.  You  will  be  amazed  when  on  this  simple  statement  I  must 
accuse  you  of  heartless  cruelty  to  your  constituents,  but  such  is  the  fact.  You  would  take  the 
very  bread  and  meat  out  of  your  soldiers'  mouths,  .  .  .  would  load  down  our  cars  with  trav- 
elers, and  limit  our  ability  to  feed  our  horses,  and  transport  the  powder  and  bail  necessary  to 
carry  on  this  war." 

t  Letter  of  instructions  to  General  Wbridge.     Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  233. 


William    T.    Sherman.  461 

search  of  personal  advancement."  In  the  midst  of  his  perplexity  before  Atlanta, 
just  after  his  failures  on  the  eastern  side,  and  while  he  was  hesitating  about 
swinging  to  the  south-westward,  ho  found  time  to  volunteer  General  Canby 
advice  as  to  the  best  way  of  taking  Mobile,*  and  Admiral  Farragut  suggestions 
as  to  the  stationing  of  his  fleet,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been  followed. 
While  at  bay  before  Dallas,  he  telegraphed  that  he  thought  Grant,  by  the  movo 
on  Hanover  C.  II.,  which  he  regarded  specially  admirable,  could  force  Lee  to 
attack  him  in  position  or  to  move  away  toward  Gordonsville  or  Lynchburg,  f 
but  Lee  failed  to  perceive  the  necessity. 

In  the  same  temper  we  now  find  him  sending  messages  through  his  lines  to 
Governor  Brown,  of  Georgia,  and  to  Alexander  II.  Stephens,  telling  them  on 
what  terms  they  could  have  peace,  and  how  Georgia  might  escape  being  ravaged 
by  his  army.  The  Govennment  had  little  fault  to  find  with  the  substance  of 
these  communications;  but  it  wras  a  startling  symptom  that  a  military  officer, 
having  certain  specific  military  duties  to  perform,  should,  without  authority, 
enter  into  peace  negotiations  with  prominent  civil  officials  of  the  Eebel  Govern- 
ment; and  even  trustful  Mr.  Lincoln — a  little  alarmed  as  it  would  seem — pro- 
posed to  himself  a  visit  to  General  Sherman's  head-quarters  to  look  into  the 
matter.  J  Yet  it  is  noteworthy  that  in  all  this  the  intention  seems  always  good. 
The  General  gradually  assumed  more  and  more  authority  to  interfere  in  all 
sorts  of  matters,  but  a  word  from  the  Government  was  always  sufficient  to  check 
him,  and  he  generally  made  full  and  frank  reports  of  his  exceptional  doings. 

Meanwhile  he  had  grown  to  be  the  idol  of  his  troops.  Their  faith  in  Sher- 
man was  boundless;  their  zeal  for  him  flaming.  Like  McClellan,  he  had  skill- 
fully cultivated  this  feeling,  though  he  displayed  far  more  art  in  concealing  his 
arts  of  popularity.  He  was  alwa}~s  jealous  of  their  privileges.  He  took  great 
pains  to  keep  them  abundantly  supplied.  The  whistle  of  the  provision-train's 
locomotive  in  their  works,  almost  before  they  had  finished  the  skirmish  that 
secured  them,  was  a  perpetual  reminder  of  the  care  of  their  General.  He  was 
never  laggard  in  extolling  their  exploits.  Even  when,  in  congratulatory  orders, 
he  said,  "The  crossing  of  the  Chattahoochee  was  most  handsomely  executed  by 
us,  and  will  be  studied  as  an  example  in  the  art  of  war,"||  the  troops,  overlook- 
ing the  egotism  for  the  sake  of  the  praise,  were  in  raptures  over  the  eulogium 
which  the  fortunate  "us"  enabled  them  to  share. 

Nor  was  he  less  careful  of  his  officers.  To  the  shirks  he  was  remorselessly 
severe;  and  sometimes  he  took  an  inexplicable  dislike  to  a  good  officer,  as  when, 
preferring  the  mediocre  HowTard  to  Hooker  for  the  command  of  a  for^e  less  than 
twenty-five  thousand  strong,  he  said  of  the  latter  that  he  "was  not  qualified  for 
or  suited  to   it,"  and  that  he  might  leave  if  he  wanted  to — he  was  "not  indis- 

*  "I  would  advise  that  a  single  gunboat  lie  above  Pilot  Cove,  and  prevent  supplies  going  to 
Fort  Morgan.  To  reduce  Mobile,  I  would  pass  a  force  up  the  Tensas  and  across  to  Old  Fort  Stod- 
dard."    Dispatch  of  17th  August  to  Canby.     Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  ubi  supra,  p.  175. 

t  Ibid,  p.  77. 

JRep.  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  of  18G6,#Vol.  I,  p.  197.  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p. 
512.  '  |  Order  on  fall  of  Atlanta. 


462  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

pensable  to  success."*  But,  save  in  a  very  few  such  instances,  he  was  kind  and 
almost  paternal  in  his  regard  for  the  welfare  of  the  officers  who  deserved  well. 
In  mentioning  to  one  of  his  army  commanders,  that  in  a  division  just  sent  him 
was  a  certain  brigade,  he  took  pains  to  say  that  it  was  commanded  "by  Charles 
K.  Woods,  whom  you  will  find  a  magnificent  officer."  His  letter  on  the  death  of 
McPherson  was  as  touching  and  tender  as  a  woman's.  When  Palmer  becamo 
involved  in  a  question  of  rank  with  Schofield,  Sherman  decided  against  him. 
Subsequently  he  heard  that  Palmer  felt  aggrieved  and  was  about  to  resign. 
Writing  at  length  to  him  at  once  he  begged  him  to  reconsider  this  determina- 
tion :  "Your  future  is  too  valuable  to  be  staked  on  a  mistake.  If  you  want  to 
resign,  wait  a  few  daj'S  and  allege  some  other  reason — one  that  will  stand  the 
test  of  time.  Do  not  disregard  the  friendly  advice  of  such  men  as  General 
Thomas  and  myself,  for  you  can  not  misconstrue  our  friendly  feelings  toward 
you."f  He  feared  that  a  corps  general  was  prejudiced  against  one  of  his 
division  commanders;  and,  in  the  midst  of  the  fighting,  ho  stopped  to  write  a 
letter  to  General  Logan  about  it.  "I  have  noticed  for  some  time  a  growing  dis- 
satisfaction on  the  part  of  General  .Dodge  with  General  Sweeney.  It  may  bo 
personal.  See  that  General  Dodge  prefers  specific  charges  and  specifications; 
and  you,  as  the  army  commander,  must  be  the  judge  of  the  sufficiency  of  the 
charges.  .  .  .  You  can  see  how  cruel  it  would  be  to  a  brave  and  sensitivo 
gentleman  and  officer  to  be  arrested  and  sent  to  the  rear  at  this  time.  I  fear 
that  General  Sweeney  will  feel  that  even  I  am  influenced  against  him  .  .  . 
but  it  is  not  so. "J  By  such  kindness,  care,  and  watchful  justice,  was  it  that 
personal  bickerings  and  jealousies  were  wonderfully  removed,  so  that  the  army 
with  which  General  Sherman  was  now  to  essay  undertakings  not  less  remarka- 
ble than  his  late  ones,  became  the  most  brotherly,  the  most  soldierly,  the  most 
harmonious  that  ever  marched  on  the  continent. 

When  Sherman  was  forecasting  the  hazards  of  the  movements  by  which 
Atlanta  fell,  he  dwelt  especially  on  the  danger  of  being  permanently  cut  off  from 
the  base  which  ho  was  temporarily  to  abandon.  "If  I  should  be,"  he  telegraphs 
to  the  Chief-of-Staff  at  Washington,  "look  out  for  me  about  St.  Marks,  Florida, 
or  Savannah,  Georgia."||  To  the  authorities  at  Washington,  this  doubtless 
seemed  chimerical  enough,  but  Sherman  kept  revolving  the  idea.  He  was  not 
yet,  however,  cut  off  from  his  base.  Then  came  the  dangers  to  his  line,  and 
the  uncertainty  about  Mobile,  to  which,  as  we  have  seen,  he  had  often  longingly 
looked.  Under  these  new  impulses,  before  he  had  entered  Atlanta,  he  had  tele- 
graphed to  Washington  his  plans  for  the  next  campaign:  4t  Canby  should  now 
proceed  with  all  energy  to  get  Montgomery,  and  the  reach  of  the  Alabama 
River  above  Selma;  that,  when  I  know  he  can  move  on  Columbus,  Georgia,  I 
move  on  La  Grange  and  West  Point,  keeping  to  the  east  of  the  Chattahoochio; 
that  we  form  a  junction,  repair  roads  to  Montgomery,  open  up  the  Appalachicola 

*Rep.  Cora.  Con.  War,  tibi  supra,  p.  142.  tlbid,  p.  155. 

J  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Series  of'lSGG,  Vol.  I,  \  p.  139,  140. 
i  Ibid,  p.  167.     Dispatch  of  date  13th  August,  1864. 


William   T.   Sherman.  463 

and  Chattahoochio  Rivers  to  Columbus,  and  move  from  it  as  a  base,  straight  on 
Macon.  This  campaign  can  be  made  in  the  winter."*  And,  in  the  same  dis- 
patch, he  added,  as  if  it  were  an  element  of  this  plan:  "I  propose  to  move  all 
the  inhabitants  of  Atlanta,  sending  those  committed  to  our  cause  to  the  rear, 
and  the  Rebel  families  to  the  front,  ...  so  that  we  will  have  the  entire  uso 
of  the  railroad  back,  and  also  such  corn  and  forage  as  may  be  reached  by  our 
troops.  If  the  people  raise  a  howl  against  my  barbarity  and  cruelty,  I  will 
answer  that  war  is  war,  and  not  popularity  seeking." 

This  last  determination  he  executed  to  the  letter.  A  small  portion  of  the 
inhabitants  were  sent  northward.  Four  hundred  and  forty-six  families,  embrac- 
ing over  two  thousand  souls,  were  sent  south — being  permitted  to  take  an  aver- 
age of  not  three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  of  personal  effects  of  all  kinds  to 
each  person. 

We  have  told  this  story  in  few  and  simple  words;  but  the  sufferings  it 
entailed  could  scarcely  be  described  in  a  volume.  The  Mayor  of  Atlanta  in  ono 
touching  paragraph,  gave  a  faint  shadowing  of  the  story:  u  It  involves  in  the 
aggregate  consequences  appalling  and  heart-rending.  Many  poor  women  aro 
in  an  advanced  state  of  pregnancy;  others  now  have  young  children,  and  their 
husbands  are  either  in  the  army,  prisoners,  or  dead.  Some  say,  'I  have  such  an 
one  sick  at  home;  who  will  wait  on  them  when  I  am  gone?'  Others  say,  'What 
are  we  to  do?  We  have  no  houses  to  go  to  and  no  means  to  buy,  build,  or  rent 
any — no  parents,  friends,  or  relatives  to  go  to.'  The  country  south  of  this  is 
already  crowded  with  refugees,  and  without  houses  to  accommodate  the  people  ; 
and  .  .  many  are  now  starving  in  churches  and. other  out-buildings.  This 
being  so,  how  is  it  possible  for  the  peoj)le  here  (mostly  women  and  children)  to 
find  any  shelter?  and  how  can  they  live  through  the  winter  in  the  w'oods — no 
shelter  nor  subsistence,  in  the  midst  of  strangers  w*ho  know  them  not,  and  with- 
out the  power  to  assist  them  if  they  wero  willing  to  do  so?" 

General  Sherman's  reply  to  this  touching  appeal  was  one  of  the  happiest 
and  most  convincing  specimens  of  the  ad  captandum  argument  that  has  ever  been 
offered:  <l  I  give  full  credit,"  he  said,  uto  your  statements  of  the  distress  that 
will  be  occasioned,  and  yet  shall  not  revoke  my  order,  simply  because  my  orders 
are  not  designed  to  meet  the  humanities  of  the  case,  but  to  prepare  for  the  future 
struggles  in  which  millions,  yea,  hundreds  of  millions  of  good  people  outside  of 
Atlanta  have  a  deep  interest.  .  .  .  The  use  of  Atlanta  for  warlike  purposes 
is  inconsistent  with  its  character  as  a  home  for  families.  ...  I  can  not  dis- 
cuss this  subject  with  you  fairly,  because  I  can  not  impart  to  3*011  what  I  proposo 
to  do,  but  I  assert  that  my  military  plans  make  it  necessary  for  the  inhabitants 
to  go  away.  .  .  .  You  can  not  qualify  war  in  harsher  terms  than  I  will. 
War  is  cruelty,  and  3*011  can  not  refine  it;  and  those  who  brought  war  on  our 
country  deserve  all  the  curses  and  maledictions  a  people  can  pour  out.  .  .  . 
You  might  as  well  appeal  against  the  thunder-storm  as  against  these  terriblo 
hardships  of  war.     .     .     .     But     .     .    when  peace  comes  you  may  call  upon  mo 

•  Report  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  of  I860,  Vol.  I,  p.  190.  Dispatch  of  date  4th  September, 
from  Lovejoy's,  sent  in  cipher. 


464  Ohio  in  the  War. 

for  any  tiling.  Then  will  I  share  with  you  the  last  cracker,  and  watch  with  you 
to  shield  yon*  home  and  families  against  danger  from  every  quarter.  Now  you 
must  go  and  take  with  you  the  old  and  feeble;  feed  and  nurse  them,  and  build 
for  them  in  more  quiet  places  proper  habitations  to  shield  them  against  the 
Weather,  until  the  mad  passions  of  men  cool  down,  and  allow  the  Union  and 
peace  once  more  to  settle  on  your  old  homes  at  Atlanta." 

The  trenchant  statement,  of  which  we  have  here  condensed  the  outlines, 
was  at  once  accepted  as  ample  excuse  for  the  sufferings  inflicted  on  the  people 
of  Atlanta.  It  was  accepted,  indeed,  for  far  more.  The  Administration  party 
reprinted  it  as  a  campaign  document,  considered  to  condense  and  elucidate  the 
heart  and  substance  of  the  struggle;  the  Secretary  of  War  brought  himself  to 
unaccustomed  words  of  eulogy  after  its  perusal;  the  newspaper  press  reproduced 
it  with  rapturous  comments,  and  the  people  considered  it  at  once  the  end  of 
argument,  and  the  evidence  of  a  breadth  of  ability  they  had  never  before  sus- 
pected in  its  author.  Now  that  the  passions  of  the  war  have  cooled  down,  we 
can  scarcely  contemplate  it  with  the  same  feelings.  General  Sherman  could  not 
explain  to  the  Mayor  of  Atlanta  his  reasons  for  the  measure,  and  therefore  his 
declaration  that  his  plans  made  it  necessary  was  sufficient.  But  we  now  have 
(in  the  dispatch  above  quoted)  his  own  statement  of  what  made  it  necessary.  It 
was  that  he  might  "have  the  entire  use  of  the  railroad  back,  as  also  such  corn 
and  forage  as  might  be  reached  by  the  troops."  General  Sherman  was  at  the  head 
of  an  army  of  a  hundred  thousand  men.  Here  was  a  community  of  women  and 
children,  the  "feeble  folk"  who  could  not  follow  or  precede  Hood's  retreat,  two 
thousand  in  number,  with,  as  the  Mayor  assured  him,  a  "respectable  number" 
who  could  subsist  for  several  months  without  assistance,  and  another  "  respecta- 
ble number"  who  would  not  need  assistance  at  anytime.  General  Sherman 
had  already  contemplated  cutting  loose  from  this  base  altogether;  his  present 
plan  was  to  unite  with  another  force,  with  Mobile  as  a  base;  and  it  will  scarcely 
be  thought  that  the  selling  of  supplies  for  a  month  or  two  to  such  portion  of 
these  two  thousand  women  and  children  as  might  need  them,  would  have  in- 
terfered with  either  of  these  plans.  Furthermore,  with  that  looseness  of  expression 
which  may  often  be  noticed  in  General  Sherman's  resort  to  the  pen  as  a  weapon, 
he  committed  himself  to  a  barbarism  which  no  officer  in  the  army  would  be 
quicker  to  repel  than  himself.  The  cruelty  of  war  can  be  refined,  and  the  army 
holds  no  greater  stickler  for  its  refinements  than  General  Sherman.  How  long 
was  it  till  he  was  declaring  (substantially)  that  if  the  truce  which  he  had  made 
with  General  Johnston,  though  disapproved,  and  to  be  void  in  a  few  hours, 
should  be  violated  by  one  hour  by  United  States  troops,  he  himself  would  unit© 
with  the  Rebel  General  to  punish  the  violators? 

It  was  presently  to  appear  that  neither  Atlanta  nor  the  railroad  that  sup- 
plied it  were  longer  of  any  importance  in  the  great  game  that  Sherman  played. 
Finding  that  Mobile  was  not  to  be  counted  on,  he  cast  about  for  some  new  plan 
of  campaign,  and  presently  fell  again  upon  his  old  idea  of  "turning  up"  "at 
St.  Marks,  Florida,  or  Savannah,  Georgia."  As  early  as  September  20th  he  had 
his  plans  somewhat  elaborated.     Not  yet,  however,  had  he  reached  the  pitch  of 


William  T.  Sherman.  465 

audacious  daring  that  the  subsequent  march  down  to  the  sea  required.  lie  still 
looked  to  co-operating  movements  for  assistance.  If  Grant  would  take  Wilming- 
ton, and  then  "fix  a  day  to  be  in  Savannah,"  he  "would  not  hesitate  to  cross  the 
State  of  Georgia  with  sixty  thousand  men,"  assured  that  "where  a  million  of 
people  find  subsistence  my  (his)  army  won't  starve."  Till  Savannah  fell,  he 
thought  it  would  be  enough  for  him  "to  keep  Hood  employed,  and  put  the  army 
in  fine  order  for  a  march  on  Augusta,  Columbus,  and  Charleston."* 

But  now  an  unexpected  counselor  was  to  aid  in  the  decision.  This  was 
none  other  than  Hood  himself;  who,  under  the  spur  of  Mr.  Davis's  visit  to  the 
"West  to  inspire  new  life  into  the  drooping  affairs  of  the  Confederacy,  determined 
upon  an  aggressive  campaign,  which,  cutting  Sherman's  line  of  supplies,  should 
throw  him  back  to  the  Tennessee,  only  to  find  his  antagonist  ahead  of  him,  once 
more  in  possession  of  the  fertile  country  about  Murfreesboro'  and  Nashville. 
The  moment  this  project  was  fairly  disclosed,  Sherman's  inspiration  came  to 
him.  "  If  Hood  will  go  to  Tennessee,"  he  exclaimed,  "  I  will  furnish  him  rations 
for  the  trip."  He  at  once  decided  on  detaching  Thomas  to  take  care  of  Hood, 
and  marching  through  to  the  Atlantic  with  the  rest  of  the  army.  He  under- 
stood precisely  what  he  was  doing.  "  The  movement,"  he  writes,  "is  not  purely 
military  or  strategic,  but  it  will  illustrate  the  vulnerability  of  the  South." 

And  now  ensued  a  month  of  measureless  activity.  Hood  threw  himself 
upon  the  railroad,  was  repulsed,  then  moved  off  in  directions  for  a  time  uncer- 
tain and  to  the  highest  degree  mystifying.  Troops  were  marched  hither  and 
thither  to  guard  against  him.  Sherman  himself  flew  back  and  forth  ;  the  tele- 
graph wras  burdened  with  messages  to  his  Generals;  couriers  were  kept  con- 
stantly on  the  run.  Hood  might  venture  to  the  Tennessee,  so  Sherman  finally 
assured  Thomas,  but  he  did  not  believe  he  would  cross  it.  As  soon  as  he  found 
the  army  sweeping  southward  from  Atlanta,  he  would  be  compelled  to  turn  and 
follow  it.f  But  "having  alternatives,  I  can  take  so  eccentric  a  course  that  no 
General  can  guess  at  my  objective."  J 

Every  preparation  was  accordingly  hastened  for  marching  southward  as 
fast  as  Hood  was  going  northward.  Thomas  was  strengthened  and  fully  in- 
structed; supplies  were  accumulated;  the  army  was  re-organized  and  re-enforced 
till,  without  Thomas,  it  numbered  sixty-six  thousand ;  Atlanta  and  the  railroad 
back  to  Dalton  were  destroyed;  last  messages  were  sent  and  instructions  re- 
ceived; the  telegraph  connecting  the  head-quarters  with  the  North  was  cut;  and 
on  the  12th  of  November  the  army,  to  which  all  eyes  had  so  long  turned,  disap- 
peared from  the  Northern  gaze.  || 

The  Government  and  the  public  alike  resorted  to  the  Eichmond  newspapers 
for  accounts  of  Sherman.  The  people  of  the  North  were  as  much  puzzled  as 
the   Eebels  themselves,  to  decide  where   he   was  going.     Charleston,   Mobile, 

*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Series  of  1866,  Vol.  1,  p.  200.     Letter  to  Grant  of  date  20th  Sep- 
tember, 1864. 

tRep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1866,  Vol.  I,  pp.  213,  226. 

t  Ibid,  p.  235. 

||  Instead  of  the  rather  stilted  designation  of  "  armies,"  the  two  organizations  remaining  in 

Vol  I.— 30. 


46e  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Savannah  St  Marks,  were  all  canvassed;  while  others,  remembering  the  Meri- 
dian raid 'predicted  that  before  long  he  would  be  heard  of  again  at  Atlanta. 
For  a  time  it  was  believed  that  his  cavalry  must  be  almost  destroyed.  Every 
day's  issue  of  the  Richmond  papers  contained  fresh  accounts  of  how  Wheeler 

Sherman's  force  after  the  withdrawal  of  Thomas  were  now  entitled  respectively  the  right  and 
left  wings.    The  following  was  their  organization : 

RIGHT  WING— MAJOR-GENERAL  HOWARD. 

{Divisions  of  Brigadier-General  Charles  R.  Wood. 
Brigadier-General  William  B.  Hazen. 
Brigadier-General  John  E.  Smith. 
Brigadier-General  John  M.  Corse. 

-r,  f  Divisions  of  Major-General  John  A.  Mower. 

Seventeenth  Corps— Major-Gen  al  Frank  1  Brigadier-General  M.  D.  Leggett. 

P.  Blair,  jr.  (^  Brigadier-General  Giles  A.  Smith. 

LEFT  WING— MAJOR-GENERAL  H.  W.  SLOCUM. 

~        (  Divisions  of  Brigadier-General  William  P.  Carlin. 
Fourteenth   Corps— Brevet   Major-Gen- J  Brigadier-General  James  D.  Morgan, 

eral  Jen".  C.  Davis.  [  Brigadier-General  A.  Baird. 

.   .    (  Divisions  of  Brigadier-General  Norman  J.  Jackson. 
Twentieth  Corps— Brigadier-General  A.  !  Brigadier-General  John  W.  Geary. 

S.  Williams.  [  Brigadier-General  William  T.  Ward. 

Besides,  there  were  two  brigades  of  cavalry  under  General  Kilpatrick. 

A  popular  biographer  of  Sherman  preserves  the  following  fugitive  sketch  of  his  appearance 
at  the  outset  of  the  Atlanta  and  Savannah  campaign :  "  While  I  was  watching  to-day  the  end- 
less line  of  troops  shifting  by,  an  officer  with  a  modest  escort  rode  up  to  the  fence  near  which  I 
was  standing,  and  dismounted.  He  was  rather  tall  and  slender,  and  his  quick  movements 
denoted  good  muscle  added  to  absolute  leanness — not  thinness.  His  uniform  was  neither  new 
nor  old,  but  bordering  on  a  hazy  mellowness  of  gloss,  while  the  elbows  and  knees  were  a  little 
accented  from  the  continuous  agitation  of  those  joints. 

"The  face  was  one  I  should  never  rest  upon  in  a  crowd,  simply  because,  to  my  eye,  there  was 
nothing  remarkable  in  it  save  the  nose,  which  organ  was  high,  thin,  and  planted  with  a  curve  as 
vehement  as  the  curl  of  a  Malay  cutlass.  The  face  and  neck  were  rough  and  covered  with  red- 
dish hair,  the  eye  light  in  color  and  animated ;  but,  though  restless  and  bounding  like  a  ball  from 
one  object  to  another,  neither  piercing  nor  brilliant;  the  mouth  well-closed  but  common,  the 
ears  large,  the  hands  and  feet  long  and  thin,  the  gait  a  little  rolling,  but  firm  and  active.  In 
dress  and  manner  there  was  not  the  slightest  trace  of  pretension.  He  spoke  rapidly,  and  gen- 
erally with  an  inquisitive  smile.  To  this  ensemble  I  must  add  a  hat  which  was  the  reverse  of 
dignified  or  distinguished — a  simple  felt  affair,  with  a  round  crown  and  drooping  brim — and  you 
have  as  fair  a  description  of  General  Sherman's  externals  as  I  can  pen. 

"Seating  himself  on  a  stick  of  cordwood  hard  by  the  fence,  he  drew  a  bit  of  pencil  from  his 
pocket,  and  spreading  a  piece  of  note  paper  on  his  knee,  he  wrote  with  great  rapidity.  Long  col- 
umns of  troops  lined  the  road  a  few  yards  in  his  front,  and  beyond  the  road,  massed  in  a  series  of 
spreading  green  fields,  a  whole  division  of  infantry  was  waiting  to  take  up  the  line  of  march,  the 
blue  ranks  clear  cut  against  the  verdant  background.  Those  who  were  near  their  General  looked 
at  him  curiously;  for  in  so  vast  an  army  the  soldier  sees  his  Commander-in-Chief  but  seldom. 
Page  after  page  was  filled  by  the  Generals  nimble  pencil,  and  dispatched. 

"For  half  an  hour  I  watched  him,  and,  though  I  looked  for  and  expected  to  find  them,  no 
nymptoms  could  I  detect  that  the  mind  of  the  great  leader  was  taxed  by  the  infinite  cares  of  a 
terribly  hazardous  military  coup  de  main.  Apparently  it  did  not  lay  upon  his  mind  the  weight 
of  a  feather.  A  mail  arrived.  He  tore  open  the  papers  and  glanced  over  them  hastily,  then 
chatted  with  some  general  officers  near  him,  then  rode  off  with  characteristic  suddenness,  but 
with  fresh  and  smiling  countenance,  filing  down  the  road  beside  many  thousand  men,  whose 
lives  were  in  his  keeping. 


William  T.    Sherman.  467 

had  cut  Kilpatrick  to  pieces.  But  presently  it  was  observed  that  after  each 
annihilation,  Kilpatrick  kept  getting  into  new  fights  on  advanced  positions,  and 
the  apprehensions  were  dispelled.  Of  the  great  bulk  of  the  army  nothing  could 
be  heard.  At  first,  the  Rebel  papers  predicted  that  it  could  not  cross  the 
Ocmulgee  without  hard  fighting.  Then  for  weeks  they  told  of  its  being  baffled 
at  every  point  in  attempting  to  cross  the  Oconee.  Finally,  they  admitted  that 
it  had  crossed  the  Oconee,  but  were  perfectly  sure  that  the  success  would  be 
fatal,  since  now  it  was  securely  shut  up  between  the  Oconee  and  the  Ogee- 
chee.  As  to  its  ultimate  destination,  their  notions  were  vague  and  contradic- 
tory. But  their  accounts  were  absolutely  all  that  the  country  could  get  from  the 
lost  army,  and  were  eagerly  sought.  Energetic  agents  were  kept  in  the  works 
before  Richmond  to  get  papers  through  the  lines;  and  whatever  they  contained 
about  Sherman  was  forthwith  telegraphed  bodily  East  and  West. 

In  this  uncertainty  with  which  General  Sherman  wonderfully  shrouded  his 
movements,  even  from  the  Rebel  cavalry  that  hung  upon  his  flanks,  and  which 
the  confusion  of  the  Richmond  newspapers  fairly  represented,  lay  his  safety. 
He  had  onty  sixty-five  thousand  men.  Had  they  but  known,  or  been  able  to 
form,  from  his  course,  any  reasonable  guess  as  to  his  destination,  the  Rebels 
might  have  concentrated  thirty  thousand  to  oppose  him.  With  an  enemy  thirty 
thousand  strong  on  his  front,  he  could  not  have  spread  out  his  columns  over  a 
breadth  of  thirty  miles,  to  gather  in  the  supplies  of  the  country;  and  as  he 
was  forced  to  concentrate,  he  would  have  found  it  impossible  to  feed.  The 
march  through  Georgia  was  possible,  only  because  General  Sherman  so  bewil- 
dered his  antagonists  that  they  were  looking  for  him  at  once  at  Augusta,  and 
Macon,  and  Milledgeville,  at  Charleston  and  Savannah;  and  the  force  that 
should  have  been  consolidated  to  resist  his  march  was  scattered  in  garrisons  for 
each  threatened  town,  and  utterly  paralyzed. 

And  so  it  came  about  that,  moving  out  from  the  smoking  ruins  of  Atlanta, 
General  Sherman  marched  over  three  hundred  miles  in  twenty-four  days,  and 
deployed  his  forces  before  Savannah  without  having  had  a  battle  by  the  way,  or 
even  a  vigorous  skirmish  (save  with  the  cavalry),  with  a  loss  (including  the 
storming  of  a  fort  at  the  end  of  his  march)  of  only  five  hundred  and  sixty-seven 
all  told,  of  whom  but  sixty-three  were  killed  and  two  hundred  and  forty-five 
wounded.  Marching  his  columns  first  on  Milledgeville,  he  nevertheless  kept 
the  garrison  of  Macon  in  daily  expectation  of  attack,  sending  the  cavalry  far 
to  his  right  to  threaten  it,  and  actually  bringing  on  a  cavalry  fight  at  its  outer 
defenses.  Thus  Milledgeville  fell.  Then,  marching  for  Millen,  where  he  hoped 
to  liberate  large  numbers  of  Union  prisoners,  he  yet  kept  Augusta  in  a  panic, 
sending  the  cavalry  to  threaten  in  that  direction.  In  this  Kilpatrick  had  a 
slight  misadventure,  and  the  prisoners  were  removed  from  Millen  before  Sher- 
man could  arrive.  But  the  success  of  the  march  was  now  assured;  the  last 
river  was  passed,  and  before  the  army  lay  the  easy  slope  down  to  Savannah  and 
the  sea.  To  the  very  last,  the  mystification  was  kept  up,  and  demonstrations  at 
Sister's  Ferry  kept  the  Charlestonians  uneasy  till  the  troops  were  actually 
deploying  before  Savannah. 


468 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


<S  A.C. )  rt.wiNG 

,__._I7  „        J  M 

LEFT 


^Tr^rATLANTA 

DECATUR 


The  army  fared  superbly.  Sherman,  indeed,  had  declared,  months  before, 
that  where  a  million  of  inhabitants  found  subsistence,  his  army  could  not 
starve-  but  even  he  had  no  conception  of  the  ease  with  which  the  question  of 
supplies  would  adjust  itself.  The  foraging  parties  provided  hams,  chickens, 
turkeys,  sweet-potatoes,  sorghum,  and  the  like,  in  abundance;  and  in  some  of 
the  corps  the  rations  with  which  the  scanty  wagon-trains  were  loaded  at  Atlanta 
were  hauled  through  to  the  sea  almost  unbroken.  The  collection  of  these  sup- 
plies was  not  always  performed  without  excess.     Pillage  and  spoliation  follow 

naturally  in  the  path  of  loose  impress- 
ments by  irresponsible  parties,  and  no 
effort  seems  to  have  been  made  to  re- 
press irregularities.  But  the  worst  did 
not  come  till  the  Georgia  campaign  was 
over.  One  other  stain  rests  upon  the 
fair  record  of  the  march.  Thousands  of 
negroes  accompanied  the  column,  by  the 
express  permission  of  General  Sherman. 
Once  or  twice  great  crowds  of  these  un- 
fortunate creatures  were  driven  back 
from  the  bridges,  when  the  army  was 
crossing  rivers,  and,  the  bridges  being 
taken  up  as  soon  as  the  army  had  cross- 
ed, were  left  to  the  cruelty  of  the  Rebel 
cavalry  and  of  the  enraged  masters 
whom  they  had  been  encouraged  to  de- 
sert. General  Jeff.  C.  Davis  seems  to 
have  been  prominent  in  this  barbarism, 
but  it  called  forth  no  rebuke  from  Gen- 
eral Sherman  himself. 

Throughout  the  march,  Sherman  was 
in  constant  communication,  with  all  the 
corps,  and  with  the  cavalry.  He  gener- 
ally accompanied  the  corps  engaged  in 
destroying  the  railroads,  and  he  person- 
ally saw  to  it  that  this  destruction  was 
accomplished  in  the  most  thorough  man- 
ner. When  Savannah  was  reached,  he 
Sherman's  march  to  the  sea.  sought  instantly  to  open  communication 
with  the  fleet.  Fort  McAllister  stood  in  the  way.  It  was  nearly  sunset;  but 
a  vessel  was  seen  in  the  distance ;  and  just  as  she  began  signalling  to  know  if 
McAllister  had  fallen,  so  that  she  could  safely  approach,  Sherman  gave  the 
order  to  Hazen  to  storm.  In  less  than  half  an  hour  the  flags  of  Hazen's  com- 
mand were  floating  from  the  fort;  and  Sherman,  after  hasty  congratulations 
on  the  gallant  deed,  was  in  a  skiff,  recklessly  pulling  over  the  torpedoes  toward 
the  vessel. 


William  T.  Sherman.  469 

He  soon  had  Savannah  almost  entirely  invested.  One  road  of  exit  to 
Hardee's  garrison  of  fifteen  thousand  men  was  left,  for  reasons  never  fully 
explained.  It  was  considered  unsafe  to  isolate  a  force  to  guard  it;  and  yet 
Sherman  thought  he  "could  command  it."  He  began  preparing  for  a  siege,  and 
about  the  time  his  heavy  guns  were  in  position  Hardee  evacuated,  leaving  all 
his  artillery  and  about  twenty-five  thousand  bales  of  cotton ;  but  carrying  off 
his  army  safe.  It  was  on  the  morning  of  21st  of  December.  Sherman  himself 
was  absent,  but  two  days  later  he  returned,  and  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  aI 
beg  to  present  you.  as  a  Christmas  gift,  the  city  of  Savannah,  with  one  hundred 
and  fifty  heavy  guns,  and  plenty  of  ammunition,  and  also  about  twenty -five 
thousand  bales  of  cotton." 

Once  more  the  North  rekindled  its  bonfires.  In  this  steady-marching  suc- 
cess of  Confederate  disasters,  in  this  "tramp,  tramp,  tramp,"  that  winter  or 
rough  weather  could  not  delay,  of  the  sixty  thousand  that  had  bisected  the 
Confederacy,  they  read  the  approaching  doom  of  the  Rebel  cause.  Grant  still 
lay  baffied  by  the  skill  of  the  wise  soldier  who  defended  Richmond  ;  but  already 
in  imagination,  "  while  the  doomed  Confederate  army,  compassed  in  fatal  toils, 
looked  southerly  for  an  outlet  of  escape,"  the  people  heard — to  use  the  words 
of  an  elegant  writer — "rolling  across  the  plains  of  the  Carolinas,  beating  nearer 
and  nearer,  the  drums  of  Champion  Hills  and  Pittsburg  Landing."* 

Other  plans  for  this  still  victorious  army  engrossed  for  a  time  the  mind  of 
the  Lieutenant-General.  He  congratulated  its  leader  most  heartily,  wanted  his 
views,  and  subscribed  himself  "more  than  ever,  if  possible,  Your  Friend. "f 
But  still  he  wanted  the  army  transferred  at  once  by  water  to  Richmond.  "Un- 
less you  see  objections  to  this  plan,  which  I  can  not  see,"  he  wrote  as  early  as 
6th  December,  "  use  every  vessel  goiug  to  you  for  the  purpose  of  transporta- 
tion.'^ General  Sherman  promptly  began  preparations  to  obey  this  order ;  at 
the  same  time  expressing  some  doubts  as  to  whether  it  would  not  be  better  to 
"  punish  South  Carolina  as  she  deserves."  "I  do  sincerely  believe,"  he  wrote,  a 
few  days  later,  "that  the  whole  United  States,  Xorth  and  South,  would  rejoice 
to  have  this  army  turned  loose  on  South  Carolina,  to  devastate  that  State  in 
the  manner  we  have  done  in  Georgia."||  General  Grant  presently  fell  in  with 
this  view,  and  before  transportation  had  been  accumulated  for  removing  the 
army  by  sea,  General  Sherman  was  ordered  to  march  northward  through  the 
interior,  all  details  being  left  to  his  own  judgment.  This  decision  reached  him 
a  day  or  two  after  his  entry  into  Savannah.  Three  weeks  were  spent  in  prepa- 
ration ;  on  15th  of  January,  1865,  the  movement  began. 

Meantime,  the  restless  temper  of  the  General  on  whom  the  cares  of  this 
still  more  dangerous  movement  might  be  supposed  to  press  with  sufficient 
weight,  kept  him  busy  with  essays  in  fresh  fields  of  responsibility.  Some  citizen 
wrote,  asking  his  advice  on  the  question  of  reorganization.     He  had  the  wis- 

*  Swinton's  Twelve  Decisive  Battles  of  the  War. 

t  Grant's  letter  to  Sherman  18th  Dec.,  1864,  Rep.  Com  Con.  War,  vbi  supra,  p.  287. 

t  Ibid,  p.  279.  il  Ibid,  p.  284. 


470  Ohio  in  the  War. 

dom  to  say  that  he  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  but  not  the  wisdom  to  stop  with 
that.  Instead,  he  went  on  at  length  to  elaborate  his  views  on  a  subject  already 
engaging  the  full  powers  of  the  best  statesmen  of  the  country,  trained  to  politi- 
cal problems,  and  not  otherwise  employed:  "Georgia  is  not  out  of  the  Union," 
lie  declared  with  some  emphasis.  "My  opinion  is  that  no  negotiations  are 
necessary,  nor  commissioners,  nor  conventions,  nor  anything  of  the  kind. 
Whenever  the  people  of  Georgia  quit  rebelling  against  their  Government,  and 
elect  members  of  Congress  and  Senators,  and  these  go  and  take  their  seats,  then 
the  State  of  Georgia  will  have  resumed  her  functions  in  the  Union."  Light, 
indeed,  must  the  crime  of  the  rebellion  have  seemed  in  the  eyes  of  the  man 
who  could  in  such  haste  propose  to  restore  Eebels  to  the  balance  of  power  in 
Congress.  Abundant  must  have  been  the  confidence  in  his  own  judgment,  on 
any  and  all  subjects,  that  could  induce  the  general  of  a  great  army,  on  the  eve 
of  most  dangerous  movements,  to  obtrude  an  opinion — tossed  off  in  a  leisure 
half  hour  like  a  family  letter — on  the  gravest  of  political  problems— unfamiliar 
to  him,  but  already  being  studied  in  the  minutest  details  by  the  first  jurists  and 
statesmen  of  the  nation  * 

He  next  essayed  a  solution  of  the  negro  problem — setting  apart  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  the  negroes  in  the  vicinity,  the  Sea  Islands  of  South  Carolina 
and  Georgia,  and  the  rice  swamps  of  the  adjacent  mainland,  each  family  to 
have  a  forty-acre  tract,  to  which  a  military  officer  was  to  give  a  possessory  title! 
It  was  the  most  remarkable  assumption  of  power  outside  his  sphere  which  Gen- 
eral Sherman  had  yet  attempted;  and  the  fact  that  the  order  was  shown  to  the 
Secretary  of  War  before  its  issue  constitutes  no  excuse  for  the  interminable 
difficulties  to  which  it  led, — difficulties  alike  for  the  poor  blacks  whom  it  pro- 
posed to  befriend,  and  for  the  Government  whose  functions  it  usurped. 

The  operations  of  the  Treasury  Department  did  not  suit  him.  He  thought 
it  "ought  not  to  bother  itself  with  the  captures  of  war,"f — in  effect  that  what- 
ever Government  property  the  military  captured  it  should  retain  under  its 
exclusive  control.  An  English  Consul  sought  to  protect  the  cotton  claims  of 
some  English  subjects.  The  General  astonished  him  by  the  notification  that  in 
no  event  would  he  "treat  an  English  subject  with  more  favor  than  one  of  our 
own  deluded  citizens,"  and  that  "  it  would  afford  him  great  pleasure  to  conduct 
his  army  to  Nassau  and  wipe  out  that  nest  of  pirates."  J  He  reverted  once  more 
to  his  chronic  rabies,  the  newspaper  subject,  solemnly  adjudicated  that  two 
newspapers  were  enough  for  Savannah,  and  no  more  should  be  published; 
ordered  that  these  be  held  to  the  strictest  accountability  "for  any  libellous  pub- 
lication, mischievous  matter,  premature  news,  exaggerated  statements,  or  any 
comment  whatever  upon  the  acts  of  the  constituted  authorities— even  for  such 
articles,  though  copied  from  other  papers."  || 

It  is  with  pleasure  that  we  turn  from  these  performances,  in  which  much 

♦This  letter  was  shown  to  Secretary  Stanton,  who  was  then  on  a  visit  to  Savannah.  His 
only  reply  was  that,  like  all  the  General's  letters,  it  was  sufficiently  emphatic  and  not  likely  to  be 
misunderstood.     Sherman  and  his  campaigns,  pp.  324,  325. 

t  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  326.         %  Ibid,  p.  326.         ||  Ibid,  p.  321. 


William   T.  Sherman.  471 

good  sense  is  so  mingled  with  eccentric  extravagances  and  ill-considered  judg- 
ments, to  the  brighter  story  of  the  march  through  the  Carolinas* 

When,  gathering  in  hand  his  various  divisions  from  Savannah  and  Beaufort 
the  Sea  Islands,  the  ferries,  and  the  important  roads  in  the  interior,  General 

*  A  pen-picture  of  General  Sherman  at  Savannah,  by  Rev.  Mr.  Alvord,  has  been  much 
admired  by  his  friends,  and  may  prove  interesting  to  those  who  would  study  his  characteristics 
more  in  detail.     The  following  extracts  embrace  its  substance: 

"Tall,  lithe,  almost  delicately  formed.  If  at  ease  stoops  slightly;  when  excited,  erect  and 
commanding.  Face  stern,  savage  almost ;  yet  smiling  as  a  boy's  when  pleased.  Every  move- 
ment, both  of  mind  and  body,  quick  and  nervous.  A  brilliant  talker,  announcing  his  plans,  but 
concealing  his  real  intention.  A  graceful  easy  rider.  When  leading  a  column  looking  as  if 
born  only  to  command.  Approachable  at  times,  almost  to  a  fault,  again  not  to  be  approached 
at  all. 

"I  saw  him  in  a  grand  review  at  Savannah.  His  position  was  in  front  of  the  Exchange  on 
Bay  street.  The  Twelfth  Corps  was  to  pass  before  him ;  he  rode  rapidly  to  the  spot,  almost 
alone,  leaped  from  his  horse,  stepped  to  the  bit  and  examined  it  a  moment,  patted  the  animal 
on  the  cheek,  then  adjusted  his  glove,  looked  around  with  an  uneasy  air  as  if  in  want  of  some- 
thing to  do;  catching  in  his  eye  the  group  of  officers  on  the  balcony  he  bowed,  and  commenced 
a  familiar  conversation,  quite  unconscious  of  observation  by  the  surrounding  and  excited  crowds. 
Presently  music  sounded  at  the  head  of  the  approaching  corps.  Quick  as  thought  he  vaulted 
to  the  saddle  and  was  in  position.  There  was  peculiar  grace  in  the  gesture  of  arm  and  head 
which  did  not  weary,  as  for  an  hour  he  returned  the  salutes  of  every  grade  of  officers.  Rev- 
erence was  added  as  the  regimental  flags  were  lowered  before  him.  The  more  blackened  and 
torn  and  riddled  with  shot  they  were,  the  higher  the  General's  hat  was  raised  and  the  lower  his 
head  was  bent  in  recognition  of  the  honored  colors.  Every  soldier,  as  he  marched  past,  showed 
that  he  loved  his  commander.     He  evidently  loved  his  soldiers. 

"  I  saw  him  in  his  princely  head-quarters  at  Charles  Green's  on  New  Year's  Day.  Many 
were  congratulating  him.  He  was  easy,  affable,  magnificent.  Presently  an  officer  with  hurried 
step  entered  the  circle  and  handed  him  a  sealed  packet.  He  tore  it  open  instantly,  but  did  not 
cease  talking.  Read  it,  still  talking  as  he  read.  Commodore  Porter  had  dispatched  a  steamer, 
announcing  the  defeat  at  Fort  Fisher. 

"'Butler's  defeated!'  he  exclaimed,  his  eye  gleaming  as  it  lifted  from  the  paper.  '  Fizzle — 
great  fizzle  I*  nervously,  'knew  'twould  be  so.  I  shall  have  to  go  up  there  and  do  that  job — eat 
'em  up  as  I  go  and  take  'em  back  side.'  Thus  the  fiery  heart  exploded,  true  to  loyalty  and 
country. 

"I  entered  the  rear  parlor  and  sat  down  at  the  glowing  grate.  He  came,  and  leaning  his 
elbow  upon  the  marble  mantel,  said :  \  My  army,  sir,  is  not  demoralized — has  improved  on  the 
march — Christian  army  I've  got — soldiers  are  Christians,  if  anybody  is — noble  fellows — God  will 
take  care  of  them — war  improves  character.     My  army,  sir,  is  growing  better  all  the  while.' 

"I  expressed  satisfaction  at  having  such  testimony,  and  the  group  of  officers  who  stood 
around  could  not  suppress  a  smile  at  the  General's  earnest  Christian  eulogium. 

"Such  is  W.  T.  Sherman.  A  genius,  with  greatness  grim  and  terrible,  yet  simple  and 
unaffected  as  a  child.     The  thunderbolt  or  sunbeam,  as  circumstances  call  him  out. 

"On  the  march  from  Atlanta  his  order  was  'No  plunder  by  the  individual  soldier;'  but  his 
daily  inquiry  as  he  rode  among  them  would  be,  'Well,  boys,  how  do  you  get  along?  like  to  see 
soldiers  enterprising;  ought  to  live  well,  boys;  you  know  I  don't  carry  any  thing  in  my  haver- 
sack, so  don't  fail  to  have  a  chicken  leg  for  me  when  I  come  along;  must  live  well,  boys,  on  such 
a  march  as  this.'  The  boys  always  took  the  hint.  The  chicken  leg  was  ready  for  the  General, 
and  there  were  very  few  courts-martial  between  Atlanta  and  Savannah  to  punish  men  for  living 
as  best  they  could. 

"When  McAllister  fell,  he  stood  with  his  stafF  and  Howard  by  his  side,  awaiting  the 
assaulting  column.  'They  are  repulsed,'  he  exclaimed,  as  the  smoke  of  bursting  torpedoes 
enveloped  the  troops;  'must  try  something  else.'  It  was  a  moment  of  agony.  The  strong  heart 
did  not  quail !     A  distant  shout  was  heard.     Again  raising  his  glass  the  colors  of  each  of  the  three 


472         •  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

Sherman  now  launched  his  columns  northward,  the  strategic  problem  presented 
to  himself  and  to  that  "astute  Kebel  commander"*  who  (soon  to  be  restored  to 
the  fragments  of  the  army  he  had  been  forced  to  leave  before  Atlanta),  strove 
to  withstand  him,  was  the  same.  General  Sherman  sought  to  secure  a  junction 
with  Grant  and  to  prevent  Johnston's  junction  with  Lee.  General  Johnston 
sought  to  secure  a  junction  with  Lee  and  to  prevent  Sherman's  junction  with 
Grant.  Neither  sought  decisive  battle  with  his  immediate  antagonist,  for  the 
eyes  of  each  were  fixed  upon  what  might  befall  after  the  desired  junction  should 
be  secured.  But  the  game  was  an  unequal  one,  and  it  needed  no  far-seeing  vis- 
ion to  perceive  the  end.  Sherman  had  sixty  thousand.  Johnston  had  twenty-five 
thousand.f  Or,  if  we  look  beyond  these  single  combatants,  Lee  had  but  fifty 
thousand ;  and  Lee  and  Johnston  stood  for  the  Confederacy.    Against  and  around 

brigades  were  seen  planting  themselves  simultaneously  on  the  parapet.  "The  fort  is  ours,'  said 
he,  calmly.  He  could  not  restrain  his  tears.  'It's  my  old  division,'  he  added,  'I  knew  they'd 
do  it.' 

"'How  long,  General,'  said  a  Southron,  'do  you  think  this  war  will  last,  we  hear  the  North- 
ern people  are  nearly  exhausted?'  'Well,  well,'  said  he,  'about  six  or  seven  years  of  this  kind 
of  war,  then  twenty  or  twenty-five  of  guerrilla,  until  you  are  all  killed  off,  then  we  will  begin 
anew.' 

"A  wealthy  planter  appealing  to  his  pity,  'Yes,  yes,'  said  he,  'war  is  a  bad  thing  very  bad, 
cruel  institution — very  cruel ;  but  you  brought  it  on  yourselves,  and  you  are  only  getting  a  taste 
of  it.' 

"The  English  ex-consul  asked  him  for  protection  and  a  pass  on  the  ground  of  his  neutrality 
and  that  of  his  country.  'Don't  talk  to  me,'  said  Sherman,  '  of  your  neutrality,  my  soldiers  have 
seen  on  a  hundred  battle-fields  the  shot  and  shell  of  England  with  your  Queen's  mark  upon  them 
all,  and  they  never  can  forget  it.  Don't  tell  me  you  couldn't  leave  before  I  came;  you  could  send 
out  your  cotton  to  pay  Confederate  bonds  and  bring  cannon  in  return — don't  tell  me  you  couldn't 
get  away  yourself.' 

"The  consul  stood  abashed,  and  awkwardly  bowed  himself  from  his  presence. 

"Such  is  his  treatment  of  Kebels.  He  receives  no  apology  nor  has  any  circumlocution.  He 
strikes  with  his  battalions ;  he  strikes  with  every  word  he  utters,  whether  from  pen  or  lips.  The 
secessionists  of  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  believe  he'll  do  what  he  threatens. 

"Said  the  Rebel  Colonel  who  had  placed  the  torpedoes  in  the  Savannah  River  when  ordered 
to  take  them  up,  'No!  I'll  be  d— d  if  I  do  any  such  drudgery.' 

iUThen  you'll  hang  to-morrow  morning;  leave  me,'  said  the  stern  commander.  The  torpedoes 
were  removed. 

"In  this  way,  by  his  words,  his  manner,  his  personal  presence,  his  threats  with  their  literal 
execution,  and  the  swift  and  utter  destruction  in  the  track  of  his  army  on  their  late  march,  he  has 
struck  terror  to  all  hearts.     Though  thoroughly  secretive,  he  is  strangely  frank. 

'"Give  me  your  pass,  General?'  said  I,  'I'll  meet  you  again  on  your  march.'  'You  don't 
know  where  I'm  going,'  said  he,  with  emphasis.  'I  think  I  do,  General,  if  I  can  catch  you.' 
'  WhereV  'At  Charleston.'  'I'm  not  going  to  Charleston.'  'Then,  at  Wilmington.'  'I'm  not 
going  to  Wilmington.'  'I'll  see  you,  I  think,  in  Richmond.'  'I'm  not  going  to  Richmond. 
You  don't  know  where  I'm  going.  Howard  don't  know.'  But  he  gave  me  the  pass;  I,  at  least, 
know  where  he  was  not  going." 

♦Sherman's  own  phrase  in  describing  Johnston. 

t  Sherman,  indeed,  estimated  the  force  opposed  to  him  at  a  much  higher  figure— at  one  time 
reckoning  it  at  not  less  than  "forty-five  thousand  effectives."  (Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  of  1867. 
•  a  P-  346')  But  the  honesty  of  General  Johnston's  official  statements  has  never  been  ques- 
tioned, and  he  says  that  he  had  (besides  militia  and  other  dead-weights  who  deserted  him  long 
before  he  had  any  chance  to  use  them)  not  over  twenty-five  thousand  effective  strength.  See,  also, 
Swinton,  Hist.  Army  Potomac,  p.  567. 


William   T.  Sherman. 


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William  T.  Sherman.  475 

them  rose,  with  fateful  gleam,  the  bayonets  of  the  converging  ranks  of  a  million 
soldiers. 

At  the  outset  of  his  movement,  Sherman  experienced  no  difficulty  save  that 
from  the  roads.  The  remnants  of  Hood's  army — making  their  way  eastward, 
over  the  route  of  the  march  from  Atlanta  to  the  sea,  that  region  where  now,  as 
the  expressive  phrase  of  the  soldiers  had  it,  a  crow  could  not  make  the  jour- 
ney without  carrying  a  haversack,— experienced  fatal  delays.  Meantime,  the 
other  Eebel  forces  were  scattered,  guarding  points  supposed  to  be  in  danger. 
Johnston  had  not  yet  assumed  command,  and  there  was  no  unity  of  action. 
Sherman  made  feints  toward  Charleston,  on  his  right,  and  Hardee  lay  waiting 
for  him;  and  sent  his  cavalry  toward  Augusta,  on  his  left,  and  the  Georgia  mili- 
tia stayed  there.  On  his  front  were  left  only  Wheeler's  and  Wade  Hampton's 
cavalry, — H  force  to  be  brushed  aside  by  his  army  like  house-flies.  Presently, 
his  columns  appeared,  unresisted,  before  Columbia.  The  capital  fell  without  a 
blow,  while  the  bulk  of  the  army  that  should  have  defended  it  had  been  sol- 
emnly guarding  the  ruins  of  Charleston.  Suddenly,  Hardee  discovered  that 
while  he  was  thus  lying  idle  at  the  useless  sea-port,  the  State  was  being  ravaged 
from  end  to  end,  his  own  flank  was  turned,  and,  unless  he  made  haste  to  rescue 
himself  from  his  false  position,  his  army  would  be  as  effectually  eliminated  from 
the  campaign  as  if  it  were  thrown  beyond  the  AJlcghanies.  Already,  Sher- 
man's position  barred  his  march  toward  the  point  of  danger — he  was  forced  to 
retreat  on  a  line  far  to  the  eastward.  Even  there  he  was  too  late  to  be  secure, 
and  he  was  soon  to  find  the  destroyer  on  his  track,  and  to  lose  more  than  two 
score  pieces  of  the  artillery  he  had  brought  with  infinite  pains  from  abandoned 
Charleston. 

When  Sherman  rode  into  Columbia,  piles  of  cotton  which  Wade  Hampton 
had  fired,  lay  smouldering  through  the  streets.  As  the  wind  rose,  locks  of  lint 
from  the  bales  which  the  fire  had  already  burned  open,  drifted  about  in  every  di- 
rection. Soldiers  extinguished  the  fires,  as  they  supposed,  but  at  nightfall  they 
broke  out  again — doubtless  in  one  or  two  places  from  the  burning  cotton.  But, 
as  if  by  concert,  there  suddenly  came  cries  of  alarm  from  a  dozen  different 
quarters.  The  city  was  on  fire  in  as  many  places.  General  Sherman  ordered 
out  a  force  to  attempt  checking  the  conflagration,  but  the  effort  was  vain. 
Before  morning  a  large  portion  of  the  city  was  in  ruins ;  thousands  of  helpless 
women  and  children  were  suddenly  made  homeless — in  an  hour — in  the  night — 
in  the  winter.  It  was  the  most  monstrous  barbarity  of  the  barbarous  march. 
There  is  no  reason  to  think  that  General  Sherman  knew  any  thing  of  the  pur- 
pose to  burn  the  city,  which  had  been  freely  talked  about  among  the  soldiers 
through  the  afternoon.  But  there  is  reason  to  think  that  he  knew  well  enough 
who  did  it,  that  he  never  rebuked  it,  and  made  no  effort  to  punish  it.  Instead, 
he  sought  indeed  to  show  that  the  enemy  himself  had  burned  his  own  city,  "not 
with  malicious  intent,  but  from  folly  and  want  of  sense."  Yet  in  the  same  par- 
agraph he  admits  everything  except  the  original  starting  of  the  first  fire:  "Offi- 
cers and  men  not  on  duty,  including  the  officers  who  had  long  been  imprisoned 
there,  may  have  assisted  in  spreading  the  fire  after  it  had  once  begun,  and  may 


47G  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

have   indulged   in   unconcealed  joy  to   see   the   ruin   of  the   capital   of  South 

Carolina."*  m        . 

Thus  far  feinting  eastward  and  westward  and  so  keeping  the  enemy  scat- 
tered Sherman  had  in  truth  marched  almost  due  northward,  till  now,  with 
scarcely  a  skirmish,  he  stood,  a  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  Savannah,  in  the 
heart  of  South  Carolina.  To  prolong  the  same  course  would  speedily  bring 
him  to  Charlotte,  North  Carolina.  Thither  went  Johnston  to  prepare  for  him. 
There  also  were  gathering  the  fragments  of  armies,  the  pitiful  remnants  of  gar- 
risons,  and  militia,  and  home-guards,  wherewith  to  eke  out  his  column.  But 
Sherman  stood  now  at  the  dividing  of  ways.  Straight  before  him,  through 
Charlotte,  stretched  a  road  by  which  he  might  reach  the  James.  To  his  right 
led  a  route,  equally  practicable,  by  which  he  might  reach  the  sea-coast.  And 
already,  on  leaving  Savannah,  he  had  ordered  his  quartermasters  around  the 
coast  to  "  Morehead  City,  there  to  stand  ready  to  forward  supplies  to  the  army 
at  Goldsboro',  about  the  15th  of  March."t  It  °nlv  remained  to  convince  John- 
ston that  he  was  going  to  Charlotte. 

Moving,  therefore,  straight  northward  from  Columbia,  he  swept  up  with  his 
wide- spread  columns  almost  half  way  to  Charlotte — then  turning  sharp  to  the 
right,  made  all  haste  for  Fayetteville  and  Goldsboro',  while  his  cavalry,  cover- 
ing his  left  as  with  an  impenetrable  screen,  kept  Johnston  in  doubt,  and  con- 
cealed the  sudden  change.  There  were  difficulties  in  the  march ;  floods  in  the 
streams,  quicksands,  swamps.  But  there  was  nothing  but  marching  to  do  ;  the 
enemy  did  not  even  discover  that  Charlotte  was  not  menaced  till  the  army  was 

♦General  Wade  Hampton  hag  made  a  very  inconsiderate  attempt  to  fasten  the  guilt  ("guilt' 
certainly  in  the  eyes  of  every  civilized  being)  of  the  burning  of  Columbia  upon  General  Sher- 
man himself.  This  is  idle.  He  did  personally  what  he  could  to  save  the  city  after  the  confla- 
gration had  begun — labored,  indeed,  with  his  own  hands  through  almost  the  entire  night,  and 
the  next  day  strove  to  mitigate  the  calamity  of  the  sufferers.  (Story  of  the  Great  March,  p.  165.) 
But  he  did  not  seek  to  ferret  out  and  punish  the  offending  parties.  He  did  not  make  his  army 
understand  that  he  regarded  this  barbarity  as  a  crime.  He  did  not  seek  to  repress  their  lawless 
course.  On  the  contrary,  they  came  to  understand  that  the  leader,  whom  they  idolized,  regarded 
their  actions  as  a  good  joke,  chuckled  over  them  in  secret,  and  winked  at  them  in  public.  Here 
was  General  Hampton's  true  cause  of  complaint.  Here,  too,  is  the  cause  for  complaint  which 
every  friend  of  humanity  throughout  the  civilized  world  must  cherish  against  General  Sherman. 
But  General  Hampton  is  not  the  man  to  throw  stones  in  this  matter.  His  action  in  firing  the 
cotton,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  on  a  windy  day,  was  criminally  reckless. 

Of  the  real  origin  of  the  conflagration  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt.  Whoever  has  seen 
fire  flash  through  a  lock  of  lint  cotton  can  understand  it.  Old  cotton  planters — particularly 
those  who  passed  through  the  cotton-burning  scenes  on  the  Mississippi  River— say  that  a  rope- 
bound  bale  of  cotton,  once  fired,  can  never  be  extinguished.  I  have  heard  them  tell  of  throwing 
such  bales  into  the  river,  and  hours  afterward  taking  them  out,  only  to  find  them  still  smoulder- 
ing. The  soldiers  thought  they  had  extinguished  the  fire  in  the  heaps  of  cotton  at*  the  street 
corners.  Toward  evening  some  of  them  blazed  out  again.  The  wind  was  high ;  the  ropes  that 
bound  the  bales  were  burnt  off,  and  the  cotton  was  loose;  some  single  lock,  carried  by  the  wind 
to  a  house-top,  began  the  ruin  of  the  city.  That  the  soldiers  not  on  duty  had  before  this  threat- 
ened to  burn  the  city,  seems  established.  That  they  rejoiced  at  and  aided  the  conflagration  when 
they  found  it  already  begun,  is  admitted  by  Sherman  himself,  in  the  extract  from  his  official 
report  given  in  the  text,  by  the  author  of  "  The  Story  of  the  Great  March,"  and  by  nearly  every 
other  reputable  eye-witness. 

t  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  335. 


William   T.    Sherman.  477 

fairly  across  the  Yadkin,  two-thirds  of  the  way  to  Fayetteville,  and  with  an 
open  path  before  it.  Then,  indeed,  Johnston,  in  spite  of  his  limited  forces,  and 
unnumbered  embarrassments,  vindicated  his  reputation.  It  was  too  late  to  stop 
Sherman's  entry  of  Fayetteville  and  communication  with  the  sea-coast,  via  the 
river  to  Wilmington;  but  he  succeeded  in  giving  the  cavalry  a  sharp  blow  that 
had  nearly  proven  disastrous,  and  in  so  planting  his  forces  as  to  arouse  in  Sher- 
man's mind  the  liveliest  apprehensions  as  to  the  short  remainder  of  his  march. 
"Every  day  now,"  he  wrote,  "is  worth  a  million  dollars.  I  can  whip  Joe  John- 
ston, provided  he  doesn't  catch  one  of  my  corps  in  flank,  and  I  will  see  that  my 
army  marches  hence  to  Goldsboro'  in  compact  form."* 

"Provided  he  doesn't  catch  one  of  my  corps  in  flank."  There  was,  indeed, 
the  rub. 

A  few  days  were  spent  at  Fayetteville,  destroying  the  arsenal  and  costly 
machinery.  "The  United  States  should  never  again  confide  such  valuable 
property  to  a  people  who  have  betrayed  a  trust ;"  wrote  the  General.f  The 
sentiment  was  unexceptionable — it  would  have  been  better,  indeed,  for  Sher- 
man if  he  had  called  it  to  mind  a  few  weeks  later,  when  he  came  to  sit  at  a  lit- 
tle writing  table  with  his  antagonists — but  the  delay  was  dangerous.  It  was 
now  the  15th  of  March — the  very  day  on  which  he  had  directed  his  Quarter- 
masters to  be  ready  for  him  at  Goldsboro'.  Johnston  was  improving  every 
hour  in  concentrating  upon  his  front.  Schofield  was  on  the  other  side  of  Golds- 
boro', coming  up;  Johnston  could  yet  interpose  between  them.  .True,  either 
army  outnumbered  him ;  but  in  case  of  such  overwhelming  superiority  (eighty- 
five  thousand  at  the  very  least  against  Johnston's  paltry  twenty-five  thousand) 
the  exposure  of  isolated  wings  to  battles,  successful  or  unsuccessful,  became 
butchery. 

On  the  15th  Sherman  started  from  Fayetteville.  The  very  next  day  his 
left  was  checked  at  Averysboro'.  The  outer  lines  of  the  Eebel  force  was  easily 
driven  in,  but  there  the  success  stopped.  All  further  assault  only  succeeded  in 
keeping  the  enemy  close  within  his  main  intrenchments.  Seventy-seven  were 
killed,  four  hundred  and  seventy-seven  wounded,  and  a  day  lost.  Next  morn- 
ing the  enemy  had  withdrawn.  It  would  seem  that  he  had  accomplished  his 
purpose. 

For  now,  while  Sherman  deflecting  his  columns  to  the  right  to  move  straight 
on  Bentonville  and  Goldsboro',  felt  sure  that  no  further  interruption  was  in- 
tended, and  went  off  to  open  communication  with  Schofield's  column  from  the  sea- 
coast,  Johnston  had  improved  the  day's  delay,  had  gathered  his  troops  together, 
had  selected  with  all  his  old  skill,  formidable  positions  of  defense,  and  had  for- 
tified them,  as  Sherman  afterward  ruefully  confessed,  "with  the  old  sort  of  par- 
apets," which  he  "didn't  like  to  assail."!  Suddenly  the  left  wing,  marching  in 
all  the  confidence  of  Sherman's  belief  that  he  was  now  past  any  danger  of 
attack,  came  fairly  upon  Johnston's  skirmishers.  A  fierce  assault  speedily  fol- 
lowed, driving  in  the  Union  advance,  with  loss  of  guns  and  provisions.     Slocum 

*  Sherman  to  Terry,  Rep.  Com.  Con  War.     Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  343. 
t  Ibid,  p.  344.  t  Ibid,  p.  362. 


478  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

hurriedly  sent  word  to  Sherman  that  he  was  confronted  by  Johnston's  whole 
army,  and  then  hastened  to  make  such  preparations  for  defense  as  the  instant 
emergency  would  permit.  Johnston's  entire  force  was  probably  about  equal  to 
this  wing.  His  hope  had  been  to  crush  it  by  a  sudden  onset,  or,  failing  in  that, 
to  secure  himself  behind  hie  fortifications.  The  attack  was  skillfully  delivered, 
and  the  Union  column  was  clearly  caught  at  fault;  but  Johnston's  army  was  no 
longer  the  disciplined  body  of  men  that,  step  by  step,  had  resisted  every 
advance  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta.  It  wTas  weakened  by  desertion,  dis- 
pirited by  an  Iliad  of  woes,  deteriorated  by  the  infusion  of  raw  and  unwilling 
recruits.  The  assault  placed  Slocum  in  great  peril;  but  after  recovering  from 
the  first  sudden  onslaught,  he  lost  no  more  ground.  It  was  hard  to  persuade 
Sherman  that  anything  serious  was  going  on,*  but  at  last  he  got  over  from  the 
other  wing,  brought  up  re-enforcements,  pushed  Johnston  into  his  works,  and 
then  lay  skirmishing  and  feeling  his  flanks.  Meanwhile  Schofield  hurried  up 
and  entered  Goldsboro'  almost  unopposed.  Johnston  found  one  flank  seriously 
compromised,  and  retreated  in  the  night  to  a  point  midway  between  Goldsboro' 
and  Raleigh.f  And  thus,  with  his  army  once  more  in  communication  with  the 
sea-coast,  and  the  enemy  brushed  away  from  his  flanks,  Sherman  ended  the 
Campaign  of  the  Carolinas. 

In  boldness  of  conception  and  skill  of  execution,  it  was  scarcely  less  won- 
derful than  the  great  campaign  which  preceded  it  and  furnished  its  model.  In 
neither  was  there  any  considerable  enemy  to  oppose  till  at  the  very  ending.  In 
both,  the  forces  which  the  Rebels  did  have  were  paralyzed  by  their  uncertainty 
as  to  the  points  of  attack.  In  both,  great  bodies  of  men  were  moved  over 
States  and  groups  of  States  with  the  accuracy  and  precision  of  mechanism.  In 
neither  was  any  effort  to  preserve  discipline  apparent,  save  only  so  far  as  was 
needful  for  keeping  up  the  march. 

Here,  indeed,  is  the  single  stain  on  the  brilliant  record.  Before  his  move- 
ment began,  General  Sherman  begged  permission  to  turn  his  army  loose  in 
South  Carolina  and  devastate  it.J  He  used  this  permission  to  the  full.  He 
protested  that  he  did  not  wage  war  on  women  and  children.  But,  under  the 
operation  of  his  orders,  the  last  morsel  of  food  was  taken  from  hundreds  of  des- 
titute families,  that  his  soldiers  might  feast  in  needless  and  riotous  abundance. 
Before  his  eyes  rose,  day  after  day,  the  mournful  clouds  of  smoke  on  every  side, 
that  told  of  old  people  and  their  grandchildren  driven,  in  mid-winter,  from  the 
only  roofs  there  were  to  shelter  them,  by  the  flames  which  the  wantonness  of 
his  soldiers  had  kindled.     With  his  full  knowledge  and  tacit  approval,  too  great  a 

*  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  pp.  357,  358. 

tThe  aggregate  loss  in  this  battle  was  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty-six,  of  which  one 
thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-seven  came  from  Slocum's  left  wing;  while  two  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  Rebel  dead  were  left  on  the  field,  and  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-five 
prisoners  were  taken.  The  Rebel  loss  was  doubtless  somewhat  greater  than  Sherman's,  since  it 
made  the  assault;  but  not  enough  to  warrant  his  glowing  statement  in  his  official*  dispatch  to 
Cxrant  that  he  "had  driven  off  Joe  Johnston  with  fearful  loss." 

JRep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  284. 


William    T.   Sherman.  479 

portion  of  his  advance  resolved  itself  into  bands  of  jewelry-thieves  and  plate- 
closet  burglars.*  Yet,  if  a  single  soldier  was  punished  for  a  single  outrage  or 
theft  during  that  entire  movement,  we  have  found  no  mention  of  it  in  all  the 
voluminous  records  of  the  march.  He  did  indeed  say  that  he  "  would  not  pro- 
tect" them  in  stealing  "women's  apparel  or  jewelry." f  But  even  this,  with 
no  whisper  of  punishment  attached,  he  said,  not  in  general  orders,  nor  in 
approval  of  the  findings  of  some  righteously-severe  court-martial,  but  incident- 
ally— in  a  letter  to  one  of  his  officers,  which  never  saw  the  light  till  two  years 
after  the  close  of  the  war.  He  rebuked  no  one  for  such  outrages;  the  soldiers 
understood  that  they  pleased  him.  Was  not  South  Carolina  to  be  properly 
punished? 

This  was  not  war.  It  was  not  even  the  revenge  of  a  wrathful  soldiery,  for 
it  was  practiced,  not  upon  the  enemy,  but  upon  the  defenseless  "feeble  folk"  he 
had  left  at  home.  There  was  indeed  one  excuse  for  it — an  excuse  which 
chivalric  soldiers  might  be  slow  to  plead.  It  injured  the  enemy — not  by  open 
fight,  where  a  million  would  have  been  thought  full  match  for  less  than  a  hun- 
dred thousand,  but  by  frightening  his  men  about  the  situation  of  their  wives 
and  children ! 

At  last  prudential   considerations  suggested  themselves.     On  the  borders 

*'The  fact  stated  above  is  so  notorious  that  authorities  seem  needless.  Yet  the  following 
naive  testimony  from  that  enthusiastic  friend  of  General  Sherman,  the  author  of  the  Story  of 
the  Great  March  (p.  207 j  has  an  interest  of  its  own:  "It  was  not  unusual  to  hear  among  the  sol- 
diers such  conversations  as  this:  'Where  did  you  get  that  splendid  meerschaum?'  or  'Did  you 
bring  that  handsome  cane  along  with  you?'  'Oh,'  was  the  repl}',  'that  was  presented  me  by  a 
lady  in  Columbia  for  saving  her  house  from  burning.'  This  style  of  answer,  which  was  very 
satisfactory,  soon  became  the  common  explanation  of  the  possession  of  all  sorts  of  property.  An 
officer  taking  his  punch  from  an  elegantly-chased  silver  cup,  was  saluted  thus:  'Halloa,  Cap- 
tain, that's  a  gem  of  a  cup!  No  mark  on  it;  why,  where  did  you  get  it?'  '  Ye-e-es!  that  cup? 
Oh,  that  was  given  me  by  a  lady  in  Columbia  for  saving  her  household  goods  from  destruction.' 
.  .  .  After  a  while  this  joke  came  to  be  repeated  so  often  that  it  was  dangerous  for  any  one  to 
exhibit  a  gold  watch,  a  tobacco-box,  any  uncommon  utensil  of  kitchen  ware,  anew  pipe,  a  guard- 
chain,  or  a  ring,  without  being  asked  if  'a  lady  at  Columbia  had  presented  that  article  to  him 
for  saving  her  house  from  burning?'  This  was  one  of  the  humors  of  the  camp."  Vastly  humor- 
ous, no  doubt,  but !     Take  from  the  same  work  (p.  112)  another  statement:  "As  rumors  of 

the  approach  of  our  army  reached  the  frightened  inhabitants,  frantic  efforts  were  made  to  con- 
ceal valuable  personal  effects — plate,  jewelry,  and  other  rich  goods.  .  .  .  The  favorite 
method  of  concealment  was  the  burial  of  the  treasures  in  the  pathways  and  gardens  adjoining 
the  dwelling-houses.  .  .  .  With  untiring  zeal  the  soldiers  hunted  for  concealed  treasures. 
Wherever  the  army  halted,  almost  every  inch  of  ground  in  the  vicinity  of  the  dwellings  was 
poked  by  ramrods,  pierced  by  sabers,  or  upturned  with  spades.  The  universal  digging  was  good 
for  the  garden  land,  but  its  results  were  distressing  to  the  Rebel  owners  of  exhumed  property, 
who  saw  it  rapidly  and  irretrievably  confiscated."  Mr.  Greeley,  in  his  cautious  and  singularly 
accurate  history,  has  been  forced  to  say  (Vol.  II,  p.  704) :  "Though  a  good  many  watches  and 
pieces  of  plate  which  were  claimed  to  have  been  'found  hidden  in  a  swamp,  a  mile  from  any 
house,'  were  in  fact  drawn  from  less  occult  sources,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  hide  a  watch 
or  goblet  where  it  would  not  have  been  discovered  and  appropriated.  And  the  business  of  for- 
aging had  been  gradually  assumed  as  a  specialty  by  the  least  scrupulous  of  the  soldiers,  .  .  . 
often  many  miles  in  advance,  gathering  as  provisions  for  the  army  anything  inviting  and  port- 
able for  themselves,  ...  but  fonder  on  the  whole  of  rifling  a  house  than  of  fighting  its 
owner,  and  constantly  intent  on  the  main  chance." 

TRep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  330. 


480  Ohio  in   the    War. 

of  North  Carolina  we  find  General  Sherman  writing:  "It  might  be  well  to 
instruct  your  brigade  commanders  that  we  are  now  out  of  South  Carolina,  and 
that  a  little  moderation  may  be  of  political  consequence  to  us."*  And  he  fur- 
thermore advised  that  "they  try  to  keep  foragers  from— insulting  families!" 
That  was  all.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  not  unusual  inconsistency  may  be  observed. 
Now  we  see  him  suffering  his  soldiers  to  rob  Southern  school -girls  of  their  finger- 
rings,  and  Southern  old  women  of  their  family  silver.  A  month  hence  we  shall 
find  him  eager  to  surrender  to  the  enemy,  rather  than  accept  their  surrender  to 
him,  in  order  that  he  may  soothe  the  excitable  Southern  people  and  promote 
harmony  and  good  feeling. 

But  this  is  an  aspect  of  the  pillage  and  license  in  Georgia  and  the  Caro- 
linas  not  then  familiar  to  the  public.  All  rejoiced  that  the  war  was  at  last 
brought  home  to  its  authors.  The  more  cruel  the  severities  of  its  coming  the 
more  was  the  fitness  of  the  retribution  enhanced.  If  the  women  and  children 
of  South  Carolina  suffered,  that  hot-bed  of  treason  was  only  experiencing  the 
horrors  of  the  war  it  had  provoked.  The  enormities  of  the  march  were  thus, 
for  the  time,  either  lightly  forgiven  or  actually  enjoyed ;  its  success  and  its 
brilliancy  were  rapturously  applauded.  The  popularity  of  Sherman  rose  even 
higher  than  when  he  reached  Savannah.  His  appearance  then  in  the  remotest 
hamlet  at  the  North  would  have  been  the  signal  for  an  ovation.  History  was 
ransacked  for  parallels  to  his  greatness  and  his  genius.  None  thought  of  com- 
paring him  with  Grant;  he  was  immeasurably  superior  to  the  dull  soldier, 
who,  after  untold  slaughter,  still  lay  baffled  before  Petersburg,  waiting  for  the 
army  and  the  General  that  had  made  him  all  he  was  to  march  up  from  Golds- 
boro'  and  save  him  now 

The  excitable  and  susceptible  nature  of  Sherman  could  not  fail  to  absorb 
this  intoxication  of  the  hour.  There  was  indeed  no  shadow  of  disloyalty  in  it 
to  his  old  friendship  for  the  Lieutenant-General.  But  he  glowed  with  uncon- 
cealed pleasure  at  the  praise  which  the  Government  and  the  public  heaped 
upon  him;  he  came  to  believe  that  to  him  and  his  army  nothing  was  impos- 
sible; he  conceived  yet  more  exalted  ideas  of  his  importance  to  the  Nation, 
and  the  right  this  gave  him  to  decide  for  himself  the  gravest  and  most  uncer- 
tain questions. 

In  this  frame  of  mind  he  returned  from  a  hasty  visit  to  Grant,  where  he 
had  met  and  received  the  thanks  of  the  President.  He  prepared  at  once  for 
his  new  march,  to  place  his  army  in  communication  with  Grant's,  north  of  the 
Roanoke,  with  Norfolk  as  its  base  of  supplies.  In  the  midst  of  his  beginnings 
came  the  news  of  Lee's  retreat.  Then  he  pushed  straight  for  Johnston's  army. 
Johnston  retreated  through  Ealeigh ;  Sherman  followed  hard  upon  the  rear- 
guard. His  activity  was  boundless;  his  plans  seemed  perfect.  In  the  midst  of 
them  came  the  news  of  Leo's  surrender;  then,  before  the  delirium  of  enthusi- 
asm into  which  this  threw  him  had  subsided,  propositions  of  surrender  from 
Johnston.  That  wary  strategist  knew  his  man,  and  skillfully  prepared  his  bait. 
*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  339. 


William    T.    Sherman.  481 

Would  not  General  Sherman  prefer,  instead  of  capturing  a  paltry  army  of 
twenty  thousand,  here  in  North  Carolina,  to  accept  the  surrender  of  all  the 
armies  of  the  Confederacj',  and  be  the  author  of  peace  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Rio  Grande? 

Nothing  could  more  admirably  have  hit  the  exact  temper  of  the  man's 
mind.  He  was  thrilling  with  exultation  over  his  performances.  Here  was 
something  that  might  well  natter  his  vanity.  He  was  panting  for  more 
achievements  that  should  win  fresh  laurels.  What  could  now  give  the  con- 
queror of  Atlanta  and  the  author  of  the  subsequent  marches  higher  praise, 
unless  it  were  his  being  thus  chosen  to  receive  the  final  surrender  of  the  entire 
Confederacy,  and  to  wipe  out  with  his  single  hand  the  gigantic  rebellion?  Was 
there  question  of  terms?  Who  so  competent  to  decide  them  as  he  who  was 
conquering  the  peace?  Was  there  doubt  as  to  his  power?  What  officer  of  the 
Government  was  likely  to  claim  precedence  of  the  Soldier  who  could  approach 
his  President  with  the  surrender  of  the  insurgent  half  of  the  Nation  in  his 
hands  ? 

We  may  well  believe  that  such  considerations  left  not  a  doubt  as  to  his 
course  in  the  mind  of  the  rightfully  exultant  victor.  We  may  even  question 
whether,  under  similar  circumstances,  they  would  not  have  seemed  equally  con- 
clusive to  many  another  man  less  excited  and  less  tempted.  General  Sherman 
unhesitatingly  entered  into  a  discussion  of  the  terms  for  a  general  peace.  He 
now  came  in  contact  with  another  wary  bargainer.  The  new  diplomatist 
appeared  indeed  under  a  military  guise ;  but  none  should  have  known  better 
than  Sherman  that  it  was  not  the  subordinate  and  inconspicuous  Major-General 
Breckinridge  with  whom  he  was  conferring,  but  the  Confederate  Secretary  of 
War,  speaking  for  the  Cabinet  of  the  Confederate  Government,  and  pleading 
for  terms  which  he  would  never  dare  to  ask  from  the  Cabinet  at  Washington.* 
I"n  the  hands  of  this  adroit,  plausible,  and  polished  publicist,  our  poor  General, 
wild  with  pride  in  his  successes,  and  already  clutching,  in  imagination,  at  the 
laurels  of  "  peace  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Rio  Grande,"  became  as  wax.  At 
the  very  outset  they  talked — not  of  the  surrender  of  the  army — ("in  the  first 
five  minutes  of  our  conversation  indeed,"  Sherman  tells  us,f  "Johnston  said 
any  further  resistance  on  his  part  would  be  an  act  of  folly,") — but  as  to  what 
form  of  government  they  were  to  have  at  the  South! J  Presently  dispatches 
arrive  from  absent  members  of  the  Rebel  Cabinet.  Sherman  sits  aside  while 
the  Rebel  General  and  the  Rebel  Secretary  of  War  discuss  them.  At  last  one 
is  handed  to  him — a  formal  preamble  and  general  terms  of  peace,  submitted  by 
the  Postmaster-General  of  the  Confederacy.  This  Sherman  rejects.  Then  they 
"discuss  matters;  talk  about  slavery;  talk  about  everything." ||  The  Rebels 
humor  the  bent  of  the  hero  they  are  capturing.     They  agree  with  him  about 

*The  appearance,  in  the  negotiations  between  the  two  Generals,  of  the  Secretary  of  War  of 
one  of  them,  was  made  presentable  to  the  public  eye  by  General  Johnston's  taking  his  own 
chief  as  a  subordinate  on  his  personal  staff!  This  was  the  explanation  given  by  Sherman  to 
Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War.— Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  494. 

t  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  15.         t  Ibid,  p.  4.         H  Ibid. 

Vol.  I.— 31. 


482  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

slavery;  laugh  with  him  at  the  folly  of  raising  negro  troops.  Sherman  tells 
them  he  does  not  know  what  the  views  of  the  Administration  are  on  the  gen- 
eral subject  of  reconstruction.  At  last  he  thinks  he  can  bring  them  to  adopt 
his  own.  And  so  he  seats  himself  at  the  table  and  writes  them  down.  The 
Rebels  hastily  agree  to  them;  they  are  formally  signed  by  both  parties,  each 
pledging  himself  promptly  to  obtain  authority  therefor ;  and  Sherman  makes 
haste  to  dispatch  them  to  Washington.  To  his  honor,  be  it  remembered,  even 
in  this  height  of  his  delirious  ambition,  he  does  not  forget  that  everything 
depends  upon  the  Executive  assent.  But  that  such  terms  as  he  should  agree  to 
would  bo  rejected  seems  now  never  to  occur  to  him,  so  nearly  has  he  reached 
the  dangerous  verge  of  mistaking  his  will  for  the  finality  !  "  The  moment  my 
action  is  approved,"  he  says,  "I  can  spare  five  corps,  ...  to  be  paid  and 
mustered  out.  ...  I  would  like  to  be  able  to  begin  the  march  north  by  May 
1st.  ...  I  urge  on  the  part  of  the  President  speedy  action."*  And,  a  few 
days  later,  remembering  the  importance  of  the  slavery  question,  which  he  had 
wholly  omitted  to  notice  in  his  basis  of  peace,  we  find  him  writing  to  General 
Johnston,  to  propose  that  they  should  settle  this  subject  also.  "I  am  honestly 
convinced,"  he  says,  "that  our  simple  declaration  of  a  result  will  be  accepted 
as  good  law  everywhere."  f 

Let  us  see  what  the  action  is  wThich  he  thus  confidently,  and,  as  it  were,  by 
authority,  volunteers  to  present  to  the  Government  and  the  people,  who  have 
for  four  years  waged  a  bloody  war  to  put  down  an  unprovoked  rebellion,  who 
have,  not  by  generalship,  but  by  the  mere  force  of  overwhelming  numbers,  in 
default  of  prevailing  generalship,  subdued  it,  and  who  now  have  a  million  men 
under  arms,  against  the  enemy's  twenty  thousand,  to  exact  what  terms  they 
choose : 

"Memorandum,  or  basis  of  agreement,  made  this,  the  18th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1865,  near 
Durham's  Station,  in  the  State  of  North  Carolina,  by  and  between  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston, 
commanding  the  Confederate  army,  and  Major-General  W.  T.  Sherman,  commanding  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  both  present. 

"I.  The  contending  armies  now  in  the  field  to  maintain  the  stahis  quo  until  notice  is  given 
by  the  Commanding  General  of  any  one  to  his  opponent,  and  reasonable  time,  say  forty-eight 
hours,  allowed. 

"II.  The  Confederate  armies  now  in  existence  to  be  disbanded  and  conducted  to  their  sev- 
eral State  capitals,  there  to  deposit  their  arms  and  public  property  in  the  State  arsenal ;  and 
each  officer  and  man  to  execute  and  file  an  agreement  to  cease  from  acts  of  war,  and  to  abide  the 
action  of  both  State  and  Federal  authorities.  The  number  of  arms  and  munitions  of  war  to  be 
reported  to  the  Chief  of  Ordnance  at  Washington  City,  subject  to  the  future  action  of  the  Con- 
gress of  the  United  States,  and  in  the  meantime  to  be  used  solely  to  maintain  peace  and  order 
within  the  borders  of  the  States  respectively. 

"  III.  The  recognition  by  the  Executive  of  the  United  States  of  the  several  State  Govern- 
ments, on  their  officers  and  Legislatures  taking  the  oath  prescribed  by  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States ;  and  where  conflicting  State  Governments  have  resulted  from  the  war,  the  legit- 
imacy of  all  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

"  IV.  The  re-establishment  of  all  Federal  courts  in  the  several  States,  with  powers  as  defined 
by  the  Coastitution  and  laws  of  Congress. 

"  V.  The  people  and  inhabitants  of  all  States  to  be  guaranteed,  so  far  as  the  Executive  can, 

*  Letter  to  Grant  and  Halleck.— Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  pp.  398,  399.        f  Ibid,  p.  429. 


William    T.   Sherman.  483 

their  political  rights  and  franchise,  as  well  as  their  rights  of  person  and  property,  as  defined  by 
the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  States  respectively. 

"  VI.  The  executive  authority  or  Government  of  the  United  States  not  to  disturb  any  of  the 
people  by  reason  of  the  late  war,  so  long  as  they  live  in  peace  and  quiet,  and  abstain  from  acta 
of  armed  hostility,  and  obey  the  laws  in  existence  at  the  place  of  their  residence. 

"  VII.  In  general  terms,  it  is  announced  that  the  war  is  to  cease ;  a  general  amnesty,  so  far 
as  the  Executive  of  the  United  States  can  command,  on  condition  of  the  disbandment  of  the 
Confederate  armies,  the  distribution  of  arms,  and  the  resumption  of  peaceful  pursuits  by  officers 
and  men  hitherto  composing  said  armies. 

"Not  being  fully  empowered  by  our  respective  principals  to  fulfill  these  terms,  we  individ- 
ually and  officially  pledge  ourselves  to  promptly  obtain  authority,  and  will  endeavor  to  carry  out 
the  above  programme." 

To  this  hour  wo  read  these  terms  with  fresh  amazement.  Every  member 
of  the  Cabinet  instantly  disapproved  them.  General  Grant  heartily  concurred 
in  this  action.  President  Johnson,  fresh  in  the  chair  which  the  mysterious 
assassination  had  made  vacant  for  him,  was  more  emphatic  than  any  of  his  sub- 
ordinates. This  dispatch,  recently  written  by  the  hand  of  the  martyred  Pres- 
ident himself,  was  brought  forward  by  the  Secretary  of  War: 

"  Washington,  March  3,  1865—12:30  P.  M. 

"Lieutenant-General  Grant: 

"The  President  directs  me  to  say  to  you  that  he  wishes  you  to  have  no  conference  with 
General  Lee,  unless  it  be  for  the  capitulation  of  General  Lee's  army,  or  some  minor  and  purely 
military  matters.  He  instructs  me  to  say  you  are  not  to  decide  or  confer  upon  any  political  ques- 
tions. Such  questions  the  President  holds  in  his  own  hands,  and  will  submit  them  to  no  mil- 
itary conference  or  conditions.  Meantime  vou  are  to  press  to  the  utmost  your  military  advan- 
tages. Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War." 

These  words  seemed  to  rise  from  the  fresh  grave  of  the  last  victim  of  the 
rebellion.  They  were  unanimously  adopted  as  the  fit  response  to  General  Sher- 
man. In  announcing  to  the  public  the  action  of  the  Cabinet,  Mr.  Stanton 
appended  a  lucid  condensation  of  the  more  striking  and  obvious  objections  to 
the  extraordinary  ''basis  of  peace:" 

"First. — It  was  an  exercise  of  authority  not  vested  in  General  Sherman,  and  on  its  face 
shows  that  both  he  and  Johnston  knew  that  General  Sherman  had  no  authority  to  enter  into  any 
such  arrangement.  ^ 

"Second. — It  was  an  acknowledgment  of  the  Rebel  Government. 

"Third. — It  is  understood  to  re-establish  Rebel  State  Governments  that  had  been  over- 
thrown at  the  sacrifice  of  many  thousands  of  loyal  lives  and  immense  treasure,  and  placed  arms 
and  munitions  of  war  in  the  hands  of  Rebels,  at  their  respective  capitals,  which  might  be  used 
as  soon  as  the  armies  of  the  United  States  were  disbanded,  and  used  to  conquer  and  subdue 
loyal  States. 

"  Fourth.— By  the  restoration  of  the  Rebel  authority  in  their  respective  States  they  would 
be  enabled  to  re-establish  slavery. 

"  Fifth. — It  might  furnish  a  ground  of  responsibility,  by  the  Federal  Government,  to  pay 
the  Rebel  debt,  and  certainly  subjects  loyal  citizens  of  the  Rebel  States  to  debts  contracted  by 
Rebels  in  the  name  of  the  States. 

"Sixth. — It  put  in  dispute  the  existence  of  loyal  State  Governments  and  the  new  State  of 
West  Virginia,  which  had  been  recognized  by  every  department  of  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment. 

"Seventh. — It  practically  abolished  the  confiscation  laws,  and  relieved  Rebels  of  every 
degree  who  had  slaughtered  our  people  from  all  pains  and  penalties  for  their  crimes. 


484  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

"Eighth— It  gave  terms  that  had  been  deliberately,  repeatedly,  and  solemnly  rejected  by 
President  Lincoln,  and  better  terms  than  the  Rebels  had  ever  asked  in  their  most  prosperous 

11  utfinth  —It  formed  no  basis  of  true  and  lasting  peace,  but  relieved  the  Rebels  from  the 
nn-ure  of  oar  victories,  and  left  them  in  condition  to  renew  their  effort  to  overthrow  the  United 
(toft*  OuwniiriBt  and  subdue  the  loyal  States,  whenever  their  strength  was  recruited  and  any 
opportunity  should  offer."* 

Tho  publicity  thus  given  to  General  Sherman's  effort  at  diplomacy  was 
understood  to  originate  in  the  fear  with  which  his  strange  effort  had  inspired 
the  Government  as  to  his  future  course.  The  times  were  revolutionary;  tho 
President  had  just  been  assassinated;  ramifications  of  the  plot  were  suspected; 
the  complicity  of  the  Rebel  leaders  was  openly  proclaimed.  It  was  but  one 
step  further  to  suspicion  of  ambitious  or  disloyal  designs  on  the  part  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman  ;  but  such  designs  could  only  succeed  by  secrecy.  The  exposure 
at  first  simply  amazed  the  Nation.  At  the  capital,  men  went  to  Cabinet 
officers  in  alarm  for  explanations.  "I  have  no  patience  to  talk  about  the  dis- 
graceful subject,"  said  one;  "  if  I  had  my  way  he  should  be  cashiered."  And 
meanwhile,  in  alarm  lest  Sherman  might  make  trouble  in  the  arrn}^,  on  learning 
of  the  disapproval  of  his  treaty,  General  Grant  was  hastily  dispatched  to 
Raleigh  "to  direct  future  operations  against  Johnston's  army;"  General  Hal- 
leck  was  instructed  to  push  forward  a  column  from  Richmond,  in  the  fear  that, 
under  Sherman's  management,  his  troops  might  not  obey  the  new  orders;  and 
similar  instructions  were  transmitted  to  Generals  Thomas  and  Wilson.  As  all 
these  facts  came  to  the  knowledge  of  the  public,  the  first  amazement  deepened 
into  alarm  and  anger.  Some  did  not  hesitate  to  denounce  Sherman  as  a  traitor. 
Many  expressed  the  greatest  apprehension  as  to  his  ambitious  personal  projects. 
The  indignation  against  him  was  almost  universal.  In  the  early  part  of  his 
career  he  had  been  simply  unpopular.     He  was  now  fast  becoming  odious. 

But  the  people  were  as  unjust  now  in  their  wholesale  censure  as  recently 
in  their  wholesale  praise.  Sincere  patriotism  (coupled  indeed  with  and  obscured 
b}r  his  vanity,  his  excitement,  and  his  ambition  for  fresh  laurels)  had  led  Gen- 

*  That  the  reader  may  see  not  only  General  Sherman's  original  position,  but  his  defense  of  it 
against  Mr.  Stanton's  reasoning,  I  copy  the  following  from  General  Sherman's  official  report  of 
Johnston's  surrender.  It  immediately  follows  his  statement  of  his  treaty  with  Johnston  :  "The 
President's  (Lincoln's)  message  of  1864;  his  amnesty  proclamation ;  General  Grant's  terms  to 
General  Lee,  substantially  extending  the  benefit  of  that  proclamation  to  all  officers  above  the 
rank  of  Colonel;  the  invitation  to  the  Virginia  Legislature  to  reassemble  in  Richmond  by  Gen- 
eral Weitzel,  with  the  supposed  approval  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  General  Grant,  then  on  the  spot; 
a  firm  belief  that  I  had  been  fighting  to  re-establish  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States ;  and 
last,  but  not  least,  the  general  and  univeral  desire  to  close  a  war  any  longer  without  organized 
resistance,  were  the  leading  facts  that  induced  me  to  pen  the  memorandum  of  April  15th,  signed 
by  myself  and  General  Johnston.  It  was  designed  to  be,  and  so  expressed  on  its  face,  as  a  mere 
basis  for  reference  to  the  President  of  the  United  States,  and  Constitutional  Commander-in- 
Chief,  to  enable  him,  if  he  chose,  at  one  blow,  to  dissipate  the  military  power  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, which  had  threatened  the  National  safety  for  years.  It  admitted  of  modification,  altera- 
tion, and  change.  It  had  no  appearance  of  an  ultimatum,  and  by  no  false  reasoning  can  it  be 
construed  into  a  usurpation  of  power  on  my  part.  I  have  my  opinion  on  the  questions  involved, 
and  will  stand  by  the  memorandum." 


William   T.  Sherman.  485 

eral  Sherman  to  his  great  folly.*  He  had  persuaded  himself  that,  unless  sueh 
concessions  to  the  Bebels  were  made,  they  would  break  up  their  remaining  forces 
into  guerrilla  bands  and  devastate  the  country  for  years  to  come.  Events  have 
proved  his  judgment  utterly  worthless ;  but  this  furnishes  no  ground  for 
impugning  his  fidelity  to  his  oath  and  to  his  soldierly  honor.  His  dispositions 
for  pushing  Johnston  to  extremities  were  perfect.  The  moment  his  peace 
arrangement  was  disapproved  he  was  able  to  move  irresistibly.  He  betrayed 
all  the  petulance  of  disappointed  vanity  at  his  great  miscarriage,  but  not  one 
symptom  of  insubordination.  Johnston  immediately  surrendered.  Sherman 
hastened  to  put  his  army  in  condition  for  muster  out;  hurried  down  to  Savan- 
nah to  make  some  final  dispositions  in  that  part  of  his  captured  department, 
and  finally  turned  toward  Washington  to  participate  in  the  u  Grand  Keview." 
Then,  for  the  first  time,  coming  here  upon  one  evidence  of  it  and  then  upon 
another,  he  began  to  comprehend  the  extent  to  which  he  had  displeased  the 
Government  and  the  people,  and  to  see  to  what  suspicions  he  had  been  sub- 
jected. The  thought  inflamed  and  maddened  him.  x\ll  his  just  pride  as  a  sol- 
dier was  aroused ;  all  the  morbid  vanity  that  had  grown  with  his  growth  was 
outraged.  He  turned  from  Mr.  Stanton's  condensation  of  the  blunders  in  his 
treaty  to  the  less  guarded  comments  of  the  public  press ;  from  Ilalleck's  orders 
for  Sheridan  and  Meade  to  push  forward  against  Johnston,  regardless  of  any 
orders  but  Grant's,  to  his  recommendation  for  instructing  Thomas,  Stoneman, 
and  Wilson  not  to  obey  Sherman's  commands.  Each  seemed  to  his  excited 
vision  a  fresh  insult.  Whichever  way  he  turned  he  was  stung  again  into  new 
fury.  In  his  frantic  rage  he  flew  to  letters  and  reports  to  give  it  vent.  He 
wrote  to  General  Grant,  denouncing  Mr.  Stanton's  publication  concerning  his 
truce,  and  demanding  the  publication  of  his  incoherent  reply — which,  on  the 
contrary,  Grant  prudently  suppressed.  He  plunged  into  the  subject  at  great 
length  in  his  official  report  of  the  surrender,  which  reads  like  the  disjointed 
speech  of  a  baffled  lawyer,  enraged  at  finding  that  he  can  not  bully  the  court 
into  agreeing  with  him.  Instead  of  reporting  he  argued,  complained,  sneered, 
threatened.  That  he  had  not  been  rebuked  for  his  Savannah  letter  to  a  private 
person,  giving  his  individual  notions  of  reconstruction,  he  adduced  as  proof 
that  he  was  warranted  in  treating  for  "peace  from  the  Potomac  to  the  Rio 
Grande."  That  his  truce  had  been  published  he  considered  proof  that  it  would 
not  be  safe  for  him  to  tell  the  Secretary  of  War  what  measures  he  had  or  had 
not  taken  for  the  capture  of  Jeff.  Davis ! .  That  his  superior  should  choose  to 
give  instructions  to  officers  whom  he  had  once  directed  to  receive  their  instruc- 
tions from  General  Sherman,  he  described  as  "  the  Secretary  of  War's  taking 
it  upon  himself  to  order  my  subordinate  Generals  to  disobey  me  !"  But  Gen- 
eral Ilalleck's  performance  was  "still  more  dangerous  and  offensive"  than  that 
of  the  Secretary  of  War!  He  (Halleck)  should  have  gone  himself  when  he 
sent  columns  to  push  against  Johnston,  "for  he  knew  I  was  bound  in  honor  to 
defend  and  maintain  my  own  truce,  even  at  the  cost  of  many  lives!" 

*  "  I  admit  my  folly  in  embracing,  in  a  military  convention,  any  civil  matter." — Sherman 
tc  Stanton,  2oth  April,  1SC5:  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  506. 


486  Ohio  in  the  War. 

All  previous  charges  of  insubordination  against  Sherman  had  been  ground- 
but  matter  like  this  in  official  reports,  to  be  finally  submitted  to  his  chief, 

very  Secretary  of  War  whom  he  abused,  was  monstrous.  The  last  threat 
was  too*  much  even  for  the  friendship  and  stolid  calm  of  Grant,  who  directed 
Sherman's  attention  to  be  called  to  it,  with  the  notification  that  in  a  case  like 
that  of  which  complaint  was  made,  where  independent  Generals  acted  against 
a  common  foe,  each  must  be  the  judge  of  his  own  duty.  Sherman  replied,  hotly 
ilguing  the  point,  and  maintaining  that  had  Halleck  attacked  Johnston,  it 
would  havo  been  his  duty  to  turn  against  his  flag,  by  uniting  with  Johnston  to 
repulse  Halleck ! 

In  such  temper  he  entered  Washington.  His  testimony  before  the  Com- 
mittee on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  was  less  violent,  but  its  tone  was  the  same; 
and  its  special  pleading  and  disingenuous  misrepresentation  are  so  glaring  that 
we  may  well  blush  to  find  such  matter  on  record  from  our  most  brilliant 
General.  A  single  example  must  suffice.  Under  all  the  solemnities  of  his  oath 
he  held  out  to  the  committee  that  his  object  in  agreeing  upon  the  treaty  had 
been  merely  to  throw  out  some  glittering  generalities,  which  would  at  onco 
delay  Johnston  and  draw  out  from  his  own  Government,  for  his  guidance,  its 
wishes  and  intentions.  To  such  inconsequential  proportions  had  shrunk  this 
great  basis  of  peace  for  a  continent,  the  instant  adoption  of  which  he  practically 
assumed  when  he  forwarded  it,  in  his  accompanying  letter,  and  indeed  pledged 
his  word,  in  the  document  itself,  to  procure! 

But  the  mercurial  people  had  suffered  their  anger  to  die  out  before  Sher- 
man had  discovered  its  existence.  With  them,  in  that  great  pentecostal  out- 
pouring of  joy,  all  was  well  that  ended  well.  Johnston  had  surrendered,  tho 
whole  insurrection  had  gone  down,  Sherman's  army  had  done  its  duty  without 
insubordination,  tho  new  President  was  abundantly  bloodthirsty  in  his  talk 
against  traitors— it  was  all  ending  well.  And  so  they  abandoned  themselves  to 
tho  enjoyment  of  the  grand  review.  As  Sherman  rode  slowly  up  the  avenuo. 
at  tho  head  of  his  troops,  he  was  amazed  to  find  himself  receiving  tho  most 
enthusiastic  of  welcomes.  He  reached  the  stand  where  the  President  and  Cab- 
inet were  stationed.  All  rose  to  greet  and  congratulate  him.  lie  shook  hands 
cordially  with  the  President,  with  Dennison,  Speed,  and  Harlan,  of  the  Cab- 
inet. His  own  immediate  superior,  the  Secretary  of  War,  approached,  smiling 
and  holding  out  his  hand.  General  Sherman  refused  to  touch  it,  and,  without 
sign  of  recognition,  turned  his  back  ! 

Even  this,  after  a  time,  the  people  forgave.  With  peace  came  a  series  of 
ovations  to  the  Generals.  Wherever  Sherman  appeared  men  ceased  to  talk  of 
his  vagaries,  and  remembered  only  the  proud  roll  of  his  achievements.  Sere- 
nades, dinners,  receptions,  were  showered  upon  him.  An  elegant  residence  in 
St.  Louis  was  presented  him,  Grant  heading  the  subscription  list  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  a  long  list  of  his  civic  admirers  following  with  generous  contributions* 

*  When  a  similar  testimonial  was  tendered  to  Geo.  H.  Thomas,  the  best  type  of  Soldier  the 
war  produced,  he  declined  it,  on  the  ground  that  to  accept  it  would  be  to  seem  to  say  that  the 
Country  had  not  already  sufficiently  rewarded  him  for  his  services; and  that,  if  the  generosity 


William   T.  Sherman.  487 

His  elastic  temper  rose  again  to  the  highest  pitch  of  nervous  exaltation.  He 
plunged  into  the  speech-making  as  he  might  into  a  campaign  ;  told  stories, 
recalled  reminiscences,  recited  to  curious  listeners  the  story  of  his  deeds,  gave 
graphic  accounts  of  the  origin  of  campaigns  and  the  strategy  of  the  war.  Men 
once  more  talked  of  him  for  the  Presidency ;  by  common  consent  he  was 
adjudged  to  share  the  honors  of  the  war  with  Grant;  and  without  question  or 
rivalry  he  succeeded  to  the  vacant  Lieutenant-Generalship  on  the  occasion  of 
Grant's  final  promotion. 

General  Sherman  was  assigned  to  the  frontier  in  the  new  arrangement  of 
military  districts.  For  a  time  he  had  little  to  do — so  little  that  he  was  sent  out 
with  the  United  States  Minister  to  Mexico  on  a  vague  mission  to  Juarez,  which 
made  much  noise  at  the  starting,  and  came  to  an  untimely  end,  accomplishing 
nothing.  Presently  Indian  difficulties  broke  out.  General  Sherman  was  not 
slow  to  repeat  the  opinions  of  his  boyhood,  as  expressed  when  a  Second-Lieu- 
tenant in  the  Seminole  war.  Now,  as  then,  his  plan  for  keeping  the  Indians 
quiet  was,  in  brief,  to  exterminate  them.*  But,  as  has  been  frequently  observed 
throughout  his  career,  his  practice  was  not  so  bloody  as  his  talk. 

Perhaps  the  briefest  expression  of  General  Sherman's  professional  char- 
acter may  be  found  in  the  reversal  of  a  well-known  apothegm  by  Kinglake. 
He  is  too  warlike  to  be  military.  Yet,  like  most  applications  of  such  sayings, 
this  is  only  partially  just.  He  is  indeed  warlike  by  nature,  and  his  ardor  often 
carries  him  beyond  mere  military  rules  —  sometimes  to  evil,  as  at  Kenesaw, 
sometimes  to  great  glory,  as  in  the  march  to  the  sea.  Yet  in  many  things  he  is 
devoted  to  the  severest  military  methods.  In  moving,  supplying,  and  maneuver- 
ing great  armies, — undertakings  in  which  rigid  adherence  to  method  is  vital — 
he  is  without  a  rival  or  an  equal.  In  the  whole  branch  of  the  logistics  of  war  he 
is  the  foremost  General  of  the  Country,  and  worthy  to  be  named  beside  the 
foremost  of  the  Century. 

As  a  strategist  he  has  displayed  inferior  but  still  brilliant  powers.  He  can 
not  here  be  declared  without  a  rival.  He  is  indeed  to  be  named  after  one  or 
two  Generals  who  have  achieved  a-  much  smaller  measure  of  success.  But  the 
single  campaign  in  which  he  was  enabled  to  make  a  worthy  display  of  his 
strategy  against  a  worthy  antagonist,  will  long  be  studied  as  a  happy  exemplifi- 
cation of  the  art  of  war.  In  the  campaigns  through  Georgia  and  the  Carolinas, 
he  was  unworthily  opposed,  and  his  superiority  of  force  was  for  the  most  part 
overwhelming;  but  he  still  carried  the  same  skill  into  the  management  of  his 

and  gratitude  of  the  people  to  their  defenders  needed  an  outlet,  it  could  be  better  found  among 
the  private  soldiers,  or  the  families  whom  their  death  had  left  desolate,  rather  than  among  Gen- 
erals already  abundantly  rewarded  in  money,  place,  power,  and  fame. 

*  Letter  to  General  Grant,  December,  1866.  "We  must  act  with  vindictive  earnestness 
against  the  Sioux,  even  to  their  extermination— men,  women,  and  children.  Nothing  else  will 
reach  the  root  of  the  case."  Before  this  he  had  proposed  to  take  possession  of  a  large  part  of 
the  Indian  territory,  restricting  certain  tribes  within  certain  limits,  while  "  any  Indians  found 
outside  these  limits,  without  a  written  pass  from  a  military  officer,  should  be  dealt  with  sum- 
marily." 


488  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

columns,  and  drew  an  impenetrable  veil  of  mystery  over  his  movements.     His 

topographical  knowledge  was  wonderful;  and  it  is  to  be  observed  that  he  never 

.(1   burdened  with  the  manifold  details  whieh   he   accumulated,  but  rising 

above  them,  took  in  their  import  with  a  coup  dceil  as  comprehensive  as  it  was 

minute. 

In  his  plans  there  was  often  a  hnppy  mingling  of  audacity  with  system  ;  of 
defiance  of  military  methods  in  the  conception  with  a  skillful  use  of  them  in 
the  execution.  It  was  unmilitary,  as  he  himself  said,  to  turn  his  back  on  Hood 
and  set  out  for  Savannah;  but  there  was  no  unmilitary  looseness  in  the  order 
of  march,  or  the  handling  of  the  cavalry.  It  was  audacious  to  project  his  army 
into  the  heart  of  Georgia,  along  a  thread  of  railroad  that  for  hundreds  of  miles 
was  vulnerable  at  almost  every  point;  but  there  was  no  unmilitary  audacity  in 
the  care  which  established  secondary  depots  along  the  route,  or  in  the  system 
which  pervaded  the  whole  railroad  management  and  made  it  a  marvel  forever. 
Into  all  these  details  too  he  personally  entered.  He  turned  from  a  study  of 
Joseph  E.  Johnston's  latest  move  to  specify  the  kinds  of  return-freight  the 
railroad  might  carry;  from  the  problem  of  what  to  do  with  Atlanta  after  ho 
got  it,  to  the  status  of  news  agents,  and  the  issue  of  a  decree  that  the  news- 
papers might  be  transported  but  not  the  newsboys.*  Through  such  minute 
matters  his  wonderful  energy  carried  him;  and  when  he  turned  to  the  larger 
problems  before  him,  not  one  trace  of  fatigue  from  the  labor  or  confusion  from 
the  details  blurred  the  clearness  of  vision  which  he  brought  to  the  determina- 
tion of  Hood's  purposes,  or  to  the  estimate  of  the  difficulties  between  him  and 
Savannah. 

There  was  an  excess  of  unconscious  egotism  in  his  beginning  a  long  letter 
to  Grant  about  his  plans  with  the  phrase:  "I  still  have  some  thoughts  in  my 
busy  brain  that  should  be  confided  to  you."f  But  it  expressed  the  embodied 
energy  and  force  of  the  man.  His  brain  was  a  bus}r  one — always  seeking 
something  new,  always  revolving  a  thousand  chances  that  might  never  occur, 
always  roving  over  the  whole  field  that  he  filled,  and  into  many  an  obscure 
quarter  besides.  Physically  and  mentally  he  was  the  most  uniformly  restless 
man  in  the  army. 

Out  of  this,  combined  with  the  intense  vanity  that  had  grown  with  his 
growth  till  his  mind  became  absolutely  diseased  with  it,  sprang  many  of  those 
hasty  opinions— dashed  off  on  the  spur  of  the  moment,  and  expressed  with  his 
usual  looseness  of  language  and  habit  of  exaggerating  for  the  sake  of  empha- 
sis—to which,  in  their  literal  meanings  it  would  be  so  hard  to  hold  him.  No 
man  at  the  close  of  the  war  was  probably  more  opposed  at  heart  to  the  policy 
of  confiscation;  but,  in  the  heat  of  an  argument  with  the  people  of  Hunts- 
ville,  in  the  first  days  of  1864,  he  declared  himself  in  favor  of  confiscation  if  tho 
war  should  last  another  year.J    No  man  probably  knew  better  than  he  how 

*  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  153. 
t  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     ISeries  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  259. 

tSherman  and  His  Campaigns,  p.  156.  "Next  year  their  lands  will  be  taken,  for  in  war  we 
can  take  them,  and  right/ally  too,  and  in  another  year  they  may  beg  in  vain  for  their  lives." 


William   T.   Sherman.  489 

hollow  was  the  shell  of  the  Confederacy,  and  how  near  its  collapse ;  but  in  the 
heat  of  an  argument  with  the  Secretary  of  War  against  negro  recruiting  ho 
declared,  late  in  the  fall  of  1864,  that  the  war  was  but  fairly  begun.*  No  man 
was  more  committed  to  the  theory  of  overwhelmingly  large  armies,  and  for 
himself  he  demanded  at  least  a  hundred  thousand  on  starting  for  Atlanta;  but 
in  arguing  with  Hal  leek  against  a  concentration  with  Grant,  ho  declared  that 
no  General  could  handle  more  than  sixty  thousand  men  in  battle. f 

Truth  is  many-sided;  but  so  vehement  was  the  intensity  of  this  man's 
nature  that  he  was,  in  fact,  incapable  of  seeing  more  than  the  one  side.  He 
would  have  fought  to  the  last  gasp  on  the  silver  side  of  the  shield,  before  admit- 
ting that  by  possibility  there  might  be  another  side  that  was  golden.  He  could 
see  very  clearly  that  ignorant  plantation  negroes  were  not  so  good  recruits  as 
the  average  product  of  New  England  common  schools.  There  were  other  sides 
to  the  question  of  negro  recruiting,  but  to  these  he  resolutely  shut  his  eyes — 
rather,  these  he  was  constitutionally  incapable  of  taking  in  with  his  piercing 
but  contracted  vision — and  he  fought  negro  recruiting  to  the  end. 

He  was  liable,  too,  to  amazing  twists  of  logic  in  defense  of  positions  to 
which  he  had  once  committed  himself.  Before  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct 
of  the  War  he  solemnly  swore  to  his  knowledge  that  if  President  Lincoln  had 
lived  he  would  have  sanctioned  the  treaty  with  Johns.ton.J  Yet  when  he  took 
this  oath  he  had  seen  Mr.  Lincoln's  dispatch  to  Grant  peremptorily  forbidding 
him  to  meddle  in  civil  affairs.  He  considered  himself  fully  authorized  by  the 
President  to  undertake  civil  negotiations. ||  Yet  when  he  was  asked  to  produce 
his  authority,  the  most  tangible  thing  he  could  show  was  this:  "I  feel  great 
interest  in  the  subjects  of  your  dispatch  mentioning  corn  and  sorghum,  and 
contemplate  a  visit  to  you. — A.  Lincoln."  And  the  only  feature  in  the  dispatch 
to  which  this  cautious  and  non-committal  reply  was  sent,  that  referred  to  civil 
negotiations  was  as  follows:  "Governor  Brown  has  disbanded  his  militia  to 
gather  the  corn  and  sorghum  of  the  State.  I  have  reason  to  believe  that  he  and 
Stephens  want  to  visit  me,  and  I  have  sent  them  a  hearty  invitation. "§  Such, 
on  the  oath  of  General  Sherman,  was  complete  authority  for  making  peace  with 
General  Johnston  and  the  Eebel  Secretary  of  War,  "from  the  Potomac  to  the 
Bio  Grande."  Nay,  it  was  even  more.  It  was  a  ground  for  the  arraignment 
of  the  new  administration  because  of  the  neglect  to  explain  its  civil  policy  to 
him.  "It  is  not  fair,"  he  exclaimed,  "to  withhold  plans  and  policy  from  me  (if 
any  there  be)  and  expect  me  to  guess  at  them."** 

*Kep.  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  240.  "Those who  hold  the  swords  and  mus- 
kets at  the  end  of  this  war  (which  is  but  fairly  begun)  will  have  something  to  say."  Letter  from 
Gaylesville,  Alabama,  25th  October,  1864. 

t  Ibid,  p.  290.  "  I  don't  believe  that  any  one  General  can  handle  over  sixty  thousand  men 
in  battle." 

J  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  of  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  6.  "Had  President  Lincoln  lived  I 
know  he  would  have  sustained  me." 

||  Ibid,  p.  15.  "Q.  By  Mr.  Loan.  In  your  examination  by  the  chair,  you  stated  that  you  were 
acting  in  pursuance  of  intructions  from  Mr.  Lincoln,  derived  from  his  letters  and  telegrams  at 
different  times?     A.  Yes,  sir."  §  Sherman  and  His  Campaigns,  p.  512. 

•«  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Series  of  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  19. 


49Q  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Surpassing  Grant  in  almost  all  the  more  brilliant  intellectual  qualities,  he 
was  still  inferior  to  him  in  the  capacity  for  judging  men.  Yet  even  here  ho 
was  purely  deceived  a  second  time.  He  was  suspicious  rather  than  penetrating 
in  his  personal  estimates.  Let  his  suspicions  be  once  aroused,  and  there  was  an 
end  to  any  danger  of  his  being  overreached.  Sometimes  he  was  unjust  to 
officers— particularly  to  those  against  whom  he  might  happen  to  have  a  dislike. 
But  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  strove  with  himself  to  be  just,  and  that  to  the 
most  ho  was  also  generous.  To  his  soldiers  he  was  uniformly  kind.  Indeed, 
he  sought  popularity  with  them  at  any  cost— sacrificed  discipline  for  it,  gave 
extravagant  praises  for  it,  tolerated  pillage  for  it.  As  to  popularity  with  tho 
public  ho  professed  himself  reckless.  In  reality  he  was  very  fond  of  it,  and 
stung  and  soured  whenever  he  failed  to  secure  it. 

But  his  keen  perceptions  taught  him  that  it  was  good  standing  with  his 
superiors  that  it  behooved  him  most  to  cultivate.  If  he  maintained  himself  with 
these,  the  applause  of  the  crowd  would  come.  To  these,  therefore,  he  paid 
assiduous  court.  He  was  as  diplomatic  and  as  skillful  as  a  veteran  office- 
hunter  in  keeping  on  the  good  side  of  the  powers  that  bo.  He  ingratiated 
himself  with  Grant  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  defended  his  course.  When 
Hal  leek  reversed  the  polic}^,  he  ingratiated  himself  with  him  and  defended  his 
course.  When  Grant  was  restoi^d  to  power,  he  was  in  as  high  favor  as  ever. 
When  his  savage  complaints  about  the  promotion  of  Osterhaus  and  Hove3T,  and 
his  declaration  that  it  looked  a3  if  the  army  had  better  change  front  on  Wash- 
ington, provoked  a  gentle  rebuke  from  Mr.  Lincoln,  he  hastened  to  apologize. 
He  did  not  suppose  that  his  dispatch  would  go  outside  of  the  War  Department. 
He  begged  not  to  be  regarded  as  fault-finding,  declared  that  he  had  been  well 
sustained  in  every  respect,  assured  the  President  of  his  admiration  for  the 
marked  skill  displayed  in  his  military  appointments  *  When  his  declaration 
that  he  would  not  permit  the  enforcement  of  the  negro  recruiting  law  in  his 
commandf  provoked  another  gentle  admonition,  he  hastened  to  telegraph  to  tho 
President  his  retraction  :  "I  have  the  highest  veneration  for  the  law,  and  will 
respect  it  always."!  When  Grant  became  Lieutenant-Gencral  he  told  him  he 
was  the  legitimate  successor  of  Washington  ;||  and  at  a  later  period  of  the  inde- 
cisive operations  against  Eichmond,  as  if  resolved  to  flatter  to  the  top  of  his 
bent,  declared:  "Lee  has  lost  in  one  day  the  reputation  of  three  years;  and  you 
have  established  a  reputation  that  would  make  Wellington  jump  out  of  his 
coffin.'g 

We  have  spoken  of  his  vanity.  Toward  the  close  it  was  skillfully  fed  by 
adroit  staff  officers,  who  learned  to  begin  the  orders,  "The  General-in-Chief 
directs."**  Its  culmination  was  reached  when,  at  the  close  of  his  treaty 
with  Johnston,  his  conviction  of  his  own  importance  had  become  so  absolute 

*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.   Series  of  18G7,  Vol.  I,  p.  143. 

1  rbM,  p  123.  tlbid,  p.  131.  ||  Ibid,  p.  15.  §Ibid,  p.  378.  This,  it  is  to  be  noted,  was  not 
said  about  any  great  success  of  Grant's,  but  about  the  beginning  of  those  tedious  and  co»tly 
movements  by  the  left  that  kept  the  army  almost  a  year  before  Petersburg. 

♦♦Ibid,  Georgia  and  Carolina  campaigns,  passim. 


William  T.  Sherman.  491 

that  he  believed  "our  simple  declaration  of  a  result  will  be  accepted  as  good  law 
everywhere."*  The  question  concerning  which  he  thus  imagined  that  the 
simple  declaration  of  two  Major-Generals  of  dissolving  armies  would  prove  a 
settlement  and  a  finality,  was  the  question  of  American  Slavery. 

Extreme  in  all  things,  he  asserted  the  military  power  to  the  denial  of  civil 
rights;  f  he  threatened  confiscation  if  the  war  lasted  through  1864,  and  the 
lives  of  the  Rebels  if  it  extended  into  1865;  J  he  declared  that  Sanitary  and 
Christian  Commissions  were  enough  to  eradicate  all  trace  of  Christianity  ;  || 
he  attacked  the  Governors  of  States,  for  wanting  to  rob  the  >bread  from  his  sol- 
diers' mouths  and  for  displaying  heartless  cruelty,  when  the}r  sought  to  send 
down  their  agents  with  supplies  for  the  wounded  ;§  he  pronounced  the  blood- 
less occupation  of  Corinth,  when  Beauregard  got  ready  to  leave  it,  after  the  two 
months  of  siege  approaches,  "  a  victory  as  brilliant  and  important  as  any 
recorded  in  history;"  he  demanded  two  hundred  thousand  men  to  face  Suckner's 
twelve  thousand  at  Bowling  Green  ;**  he  spoke  of   the  brother  to  whom  he 

owed  promotion  as  "  one  of  the  d d  Abolitionists  who  have  been  getting  up 

this  war. "ff  Reckless  of  money  where  economy  stood  in  his  way,  he  told 
Dahlgren  that  ships  were  made  to  be  lost;JJ  and  Wheeler,  that  whatever  cotton 
the  Rebel  army  spared  from  the  torch  his  own  would  burn.|||  Less  excusa- 
bly reckless  in  his  greed  for  destruction,  he  told  Gillmore  that  he  would  not 
hesitate  to  burn  Savannah,  or  Charleston,  or  Wilmington,  if  the  garrisons  were 
needed  ;§§  he  gloated  over  the  prospects  for  further  ravages,  and  told  Terry 
that  if  Sheridan  only  reached  him  he  would  make  all  North  Carolina  howl — 
would  make  him  a  deed  of  gift  of  every  horse  in  the  State,  and  let  him  settle 
at  the  day  of  judgment.*** 

Inconsistent  as  these  extravagancies  necessarily  made  him,  he  was  still 
always  right  in  his  own  eyes.  He  was  right  when  ho  depreciated  defensive 
works  before  Pittsburg  Landing.  He  was  right  when  he  eulogized  Halleck's 
refusal  to  move  without  defensive  works  every  half  mile  of  his  advance  upon 
Corinth.  He  was  right  when  he  assaulted  Kcnesaw.  He  was  right  when  ho 
paused  before  "the  old  style  of  parapets,"  which  he  "didn't  like  to  assault,"  at 
Bentonville.  He  was  right  when  he  pronounced  Hooker  unfit  for  a  command  of 
scarcely  twenty -five  thousandftt— Hooker,  of  whom  Horace  Walpole's  saying 
might  well  be  repeated,  that  nothing  but  such  parts  could  buoy  up  such  a  char- 
acter, and  that  nothing  but  such  a  character  could  drag  down  such  parts.  He 
was  right  when  ho  eulogized  and  advanced  Frank  Blair.  He  was  right  when 
he  declared  that  war  was  a  cruelty  which  could  not  be  refined.  He  was  right 
when  he  threatened  to  fight  against  his  flag  rather  than  suffer  the  violation  of 
one  of  its  refinements.  He  was  right  when  he  burnt  valuable  arsenals  which 
he  might  have  preserved,  declaring  that  "  the  United  States  should  never  again 

♦Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  429. 

t  Ibid,  p.  233.     Letter  of  instructions  to  General  Burbridge  in  Kentucky. 

t  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns.  |  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  ubi  supra,  p.  123. 

I  Ibid,  p.  14G.     **  See  note  ante,  p.  428.    tt  See  note  ante,  p.  438.     XX  Ibid,  p.  309. 

UP  Ibid,  p.  323.    £2 ibid,  p.  352.     ***lbid,  p.  354.     ttt  Ibid,  p.  171. 


492  Ohio  in  the  War 

confide  such  valuable  property  to  a  people  who  have  betrayed  a  trust."*  He 
was  right  when  he  sought  to  confer  upon  the  people,  who  had  betrayed  a  trust 
through  the  confines  of  every  Eebel  State,  the  privilege  of  retaining  all  their 
arms,  artillery,  and  munitions  of  war. 

He  said  nothing  about  slavery  in  his  treaty  with  Johnston,  because  the 
question  was  settled,  and  he  had  no  control  over  it.f  He  proposed  to  Johnston 
that  they  should  unite  in  settling  the  slavery  question  by  a  simple  declaration 
which  would  be  accepted  as  good  law  every  where.  J  He  held  everything,  save 
the  maintenance  of  the  Union,  as  beneath  a  soldier's  notice,  and  enjoined  his 
subordinates  to  leave  details  to  the  lawyers.] |  He  was  presently  negotiating  on 
such  details  himself— striving  to  settle  questions  of  the  legality  of  new  State 
Governments,  of  political  rights,  of  amnesty,  of  rights  of  person  and  property. 
He  scorned  the  press,  and  asked  it  to  publish  his  letters  and  particularize  his 
whereabouts;  he  loathed  flattery,  and  paid  the  most  assiduous  court  to  whoever 
was  in  power;  he  denied  responsibility  to  the  public,  and  rushed  into  explana- 
tions to  the  public  of  his  grievances  against  Secretary  Stanton,  and  into  dis- 
cussions before  the  public  of  the  management  of  such  battles  as  Pittsburg 
Landing.§ 

Like  Eosecrans,  he  was  an  intellectual  absolutist.  In  his  logical  processes 
there  was  no  stopping  place  between  absolute  disbelief  or  absolute  conviction. 
By  consequence  he  was  sure  to  be  cither  vehemently  right  or  vehemently 
wrong — in  any  event,  vehement  in  all  things.  If  he  agreed  with  the  Govern- 
ment, well.  If  he  disagreed  with  it,  the  Government  was  wrong!  That  this 
dangerous  quality  did  not  lead  to  irreparable  mischief  was  due  partly  to  for- 
tunate circumstances,  but  largely  also  to  that  instinctive  loyalty  that  led  the 
pro-slavery  principal  of  the  Louisiana  Military  Institute  to  abandon  his  conge- 
nial position  rather  than  "raise  a  hand  against  the  Union  of  these  States." 

He  was  himself  a  signal  example  of  the  little  purpose  to  which  a  mere 
West  Point  education  may  serve  one  in  the  trials  of  real  war.  He  professed 
himself  a  soldier;  stood  published  to  the  world  as  one  by  his  criticisms  and  as- 
sumptions; and  yet  in  1862  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  held  no  General,  who, 
joined  to  equal  opportunities,  rawness  in  war  equal  to  his  own.  He  was  guilty 
of  conduct  of  which  his  orderly  sergeants,  four  years  later,  would  have  been 
ashamed.  But  he  was  as  prompt  to  learn  from  his  mistakes  as  he  was  to  deny 
that  he  had  made  mistakes.  He  learned  indeed  with  a  rapidity  that  showed 
not  only  the  extent  of  his  theoretical  knowledge,  but  his  remarkable  natural 
capacity  for  war.  He  made  many  mistakes  after  Pittsburg  Landing,  but  he 
rarely  repeated  old  ones.  With  every  campaign  he  learned  and  rose.  When 
Grant,  turning  eastward,  left  him  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi  for  his  Depart- 
ment he  was  equal  to  it.  When,  before  Savannah,  he  turned  northward  to  bear 
Ins  part  in  the  colossal  campaign  that  ended  the  war,  he  was  not  indeed  the 
safest,  but  beyond  question  the  most  brilliant  General  in  the  army.     Incom- 

*  Ibid,  p.  344.        tlbid.    Series  of  1865,  Vol.  HI,  p.  14 

t  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  429.     ||Rep.  Com.  Con.  War,  Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  340. 

t  as,  inter  aim,  his  vigorous  pamphlet  warfare  with  Lieutenant-Governor  Ben.  Stanton. 


William   T.   Sherman.  493 

parably  more  than  Grant,  more,  perhaps,  than  any  of  the  less  noted  Generals 
who  might  be  named  beside  him,  he  had  displayed  not  merely  military  talent 
but  military  genius.*  It  would  be  an  evil  day  for  the  Country  when  the  talent, 
the  staid  common  sense,  and  phlegm  of  Grant  should  be  replaced  at  the  head  of 
the  army  by  the.  erratic  genius  of  Sherman.  But  where  he  is  he  rightfully 
belongs.  What  others  might  have  done  had  Sherman's  opportunities  been 
theirs,  it  is  useless  to  inquire.  It  is  enough  that  the  brilliancy  he  displayed, 
and  the  success  he  won,  abundantly  entitle  him  to  the  rank  next  to  the  first  in 
the  armies  of  his  Country. 

General  Sherman  is  above  the  middle  height,  spare,  thin,  and  (especially  in 
the  field)  a  trifle  rough  in  dress  and  appearance.  His  head  is  long,  and  the 
forehead  capacious.  In  repose  there  is  little  about  him  to  attract  attention.  In 
conversation  he  brightens  up,  and  appears  (as  he  has  been  well  described)  "the 
embodiment  of  nervous  and  intellectual  force."  He  talks  well — always  fluently 
and  often  brilliantly.  Unlike  most  of  our  leading  Generals,  he  has  no  hesitation 
about  speech-making,  but  he  will  never  be  mistaken  for  a  popular  orator. 

He  was  born  a  Presbyterian  and  educated  a  Eoman  Catholic ;  and  he  seems 
to  regard  the  creeds  of  both  with  impartial  charity.  His  wife  is  a  Eoman 
Catholic,  and  his  children  are  nurtured  in  that  faith.  His  political  views  are 
decided  and  very  conservative.  Before  the  war  he  was  a  pro-slavery  Whig. 
During  the  war  he  committed  himself  to  t,he  theory  of  reorganization,  which 
President  Johnson  has  since  adopted.  He  was  at  first  very  doubtful  about 
emancipation  ;  and  he  never  gave  up  his  hostility  to  negro  troops.  In  1864  he 
objected  to  changing  the  status  of  the  free  negroes,  and  declared  that  he  much 
preferred  to  keep  them  for  some  time  to  come  in  a  subordinate  state. f  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  insisted  "that  the  United  States  can  not  make  negroes  vote 
in  the  South,  anymore  than  they  can  in  the  North,  without  revolution."];  And 
to  Chief-Justice  Chase  he  wrote  about  the  same  time:  "The  assertion  openly  of 
your  ideas  of  universal  negro  suffrage,  as  a  fixed  policy  of  our  General  Govern- 
ment, will  produce  new  war,  sooner  or  later,  more  bloody  and  destructive  than 
the  last."||  He  believes  in  a  strong  Government  and  a  strong  standing  army; 
and  would  rather  limit  than  extend  the  suffrage. 

*"  Talent,"  says  James  Russell  Lowell  pithily,  "is  that  which  is  in  a  man's  power;  genius  is 
that  in  whose  power  a  man  is."  North  American  Review,  No.  CCXVI.  Rousseau  and  the 
Sentimentalists. 

t  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  240.     Letter  to  Secretary  Stanton. 

t  Sherman  and  his  Campaigns,  p.  463. 

U  Ibid,  p.  461. 


3       >  >       J     > 


►*".•:• 


•  •    •   •. 


Philip   H.    Siiekidan.  495 


MAJOR-GENERAL  PHILIP  H.  SHERIDAN. 


IT  would  seem  to  have  been  fated  that  Ohio  should  bo  prominent  as  well 
for  the  variety  as  for  the  value  of  the  services  her  sons  were  to  render 
throughout  the  trials  of  the  Great  Eebellion.  In  the  Cabinet  and  in 
Congress  we  have  seen  how  they  filled  the  foremost  places.  It  was  not  less  sin- 
gular that  in  the  field,  almost  every  branch  of  the  servico  should  have  as  its 
acknowledged  chief  an  Ohio  General.  At  the  head  of  the  army  stood  Grant, 
whom  success,  the  absolute  test  in  war,  pronounced  our  greatest  Soldier.  Beyond 
a  doubt  Sherman  was  the  most  perfect  master  of  marching  and  of  the  logistics 
of  war  the  Continent  has  ever  seen.  Competent  critics,  after  surveying  the 
whole  field,  have  placed  Eosecrans  at  the  head  of  our  strategists.  In  Gillmoro 
we  had  the  Artillerist  of  the  war,  and  there  are  few  to  dispute  his  further  claim 
to  the  laurels  as  Engineer.  We  have  now  to  see  how  perfect  is  the  title  of 
another  son  of  Ohio  to  the  rank  of  the  first  of  living  Generals  of  Cavalry. 

Philip  II.  Sheridan  was  born  on  the  6th  of  March,  1831,  in  the  village  of 
Somerset,  Perry  County,  Ohio — scarcely  more  than  a  dozen  miles  from  the  next 
county  seat,  westward,  where,  eleven  years  earlier,  William  Tecumseh  Sherman 
first  saw  the  light.*  Sheridan's  parents  were  recent  emigrants  from  County 
Cavan,  in  the  North  of  Ireland.  Unlike  a  majority,  however,  of  the  residents 
of  that  portion  of  Ireland,  they  were  not  descendants  of  the  Scotch  emigrants 
with  whom  Cromwell  had  undertaken  to  repeople  the  island,  and  they  were 
unshaken  in  their  adhesion  to  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church,  in  the  faith  of  which 
their  boy  was  scrupulously  reared.  About  Somerset,  there  had  long  been  gath- 
ering a  Eoman  Catholic  community,  and  the  village  "Church  of  St.  Joseph" 
was  noted  as  the  oldest  house  of  public  worship  in  the  State 

The  boyhood  of  the  future  General  was  like  that  of  other  pugnacious  and 
vigorous  Irish  lads.  The  biographers,  with  all  their  searching,  have  been  unable 
to  gather  from  the  Somerset  gossips  any  of  those  "youthful  foreshadowings  of 
greatness"  wherein  their  kind  do  so  much  rejoice.  It  seems,  indeed,  that  he 
was  fond  of  horses,  and  the  Eev.  Mr.  Headley  gives  us  a  wonderful  picture  of 
the   cavalry   General   that   was  to  be,  at  the  early  age  of  five  years,  mounted 

•  It  has  been  widely  believed  that  Sheridan  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  a  few  months  before 
the  removal  of  his  parents  to  Ohio.  The  statement  has  been  made  in  several  biographies  cf  the 
General,  and  it  is  confirmed  by  the  Army  Register.  The  account  in  the  text,  however,  is 
given  on  the  authority  of  General  Sheridan  himself— who  probably  has  authentic  information 
concerning  the  event. 


496  Onio  in   the    War. 

.  upon  an  untamed  racer,  barebacked  and  bridleless,  astonishing  the  mischievous 
youngsters  who  had  induced  him  to  mount,  by  Leaping  fences,  and  dashing  off 
at  break-neck  pace  for  a  dozen  miles— to  be  sought  after  the  next  day  by  tho 
alarmed  neighborhood,  and  coddled  over,  and  much  lionized*  There  are 
stories,  too,  about  the  }'Oung  Irish  boy  who  led  in  all  the  dare-devil  exploits  of 
his  comrades,  and  who,  in  those  callow  days,  had  never  heard  of  the  excellent 
Polonios,  with  his  grey-beard  advice  to  beware  of  entrance  to  a  quarrel. 

.More  authentic  and  characteristic  is  this  bit  of  genuine  history  of  the  lad, 
for  which  we  are  indebted  to  the  friendly  pen  of  one  of  his  schoolmates,f  who 
insists  that  it  must  be  called  "Phil  Sheridan's  first  victory:" 

"Phil  used  to  go  to  school  at  Somerset  to  an  Irish  school  teacher  of  the 
Irishest  sort,  named  Patrick  McNanly,  who  believed  that  the  intelligence, 
morality,  and  happiness  of  scholars  depended  upon  a  liberal  use  of  birch,  and 
this  deponent  can  verily  testify  that  in  that  he  was  truly  scientific. 

"One  terribly  cold  morning  of  1842  or  1843,  two  of  Patrick's  scholars  got 
there  a  little  ahead  of  time.  They  crawled  in  through  the  window  to  get 
warmed,  and  once  in,  the  chief  enemy  of  mankind  and  school-boys,  as  well  as 
the  discovery  of  a  bucket  full  of  ice  water,  tempted  them  to  trick  the  teacher. 
They  fastened  it  over  the  door  in  such  a  .manner  that  the  opening  of  the  door 

*  The  following  is  Mr.  Headley's  story,  which  may  or  may  not  be  true: 

"At  five  years  of  age  he  was  playing  near  his  home,  when  some  lads  came  along  and  amused 
themselves  with  the  wide-awake  boy.     A  horse  was  feeding  quietly  in  an  adjoining  lot. 

"'Phil,  would  you  like  a  ride?'  they  said  to  him. 

" '  Yes,  give  me  one.' 

"In  a  few  moments  the  boy  was  on  the  animal's  back.  The  sudden  and  unceremonious 
mounting  of  the  young  rider  started  the  steed  and  away  he  ran. 

"'Whoa!  whoa!'  sung  out  the  mischievous  lads,  but  in  vain.  Over  the  fence  he  sprang 
and  once  on  the  highway  it  was  a  Gilpin  ride.  'Phil'  clung  to  the  mane,  while  the  sobered 
authors  of  the  race  turned  pale  with  the  apprehension  of  a  tragical  end  to  it,  expecting  to  see 
him  dashed  to  the  earth  and  killed.  But  out  of  sight  horse  and  rider  vanished,  miles  soon  lay 
between  the  two  parties,  when  the  horse  suddenly  turned  into  the  shed  of  a  tavern  where  its 
owner  had  frequently  stopped  in  his  travel.  Men  came  out,  and  recognizing  the  horse,  questioned 
the  boy.  One  of  the  curious  company,  after  securing  the  foaming  animal,  without  saddle  or 
bridle,  and  the  unterrified  'Phil,'  inquired: 

"'Who  taught  you  to  ride?' 

"  'Nobody,'  answered  the  boy. 

|||  Did  no  one  teach  you  how  to  sit  on  a  horse?'  asked  another. 

"'Oh  yes!  Bill  Seymour  told  me  to  hold  on  with  my  knees,  and  I  did.' 

" '  Wasn't  you  frightened?' 

"'Nary  a  bit;  I  wanted  to  go  farther,  but  the  horse  wouldn't  go.' 
'  Ain't  you  sore,  boy?' 

||  |  Kinder,  but  I'll  be  better  to-morrow,  and  then  I'll  ride  back  home.' 

lhat  boy,  said  the  questioner,  'has  pluck  enough  to  be  an  Indian  hunter.' 
.     ,       ,f °1IowinS  ™™ing  'Phil'  vas  lame  and  sore,  still  lie  wanted  to  go  home.     The  sur- 
prised  and  interested  people  kept  the  little  fellow  to  nurse  him  before  he  undertook  the  return 


Tern  „      T  e.r-,r?" '"'°Wn'  M  ,he  h0ree™  vicious,  and  had  ^saddled  e: 

.emen.    This  was   Phil'.'  first  cavalry  experience." 

f  Major  Lyman  J.  Jackson,  of  New  Lexington,  formerly  of  Eleventh  Ohio  Infantry. 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  497 


i 


would  tilt  it  upon  the  head  of  any  one  entering,  and  retired  to  watch  tho  result 
from  a  neighboring  haymow. 

"Patrick  soon  came  trotting  along,  rubbing  his  hands  vigorously  to  keep 
them  warm,  hurriedly  turned  the  key,  and  bolted  in  just  as  the  bucket  turned 
over  his  head.  It  is  not  a  'bull'  to  say  that  his  Celtic  blood  was  heated  by  the 
chilling  douse.  His  situation  was  a  bad  one.  There  wasn't  a  boy  to  beat  any- 
where about.  He  looked  all  around,  inside  and  out,  and  there  wasn't  a  soul  to 
be  seen.  So  he  armed  himself  with  a  six-foot  hickory  twig,  built  on  a  rousing 
fire  and  sat  down  to  dry,  fully  determined  to  flog  the  first  boy  that  entered. 

"An  unfortunate  little  fellow  soon  came,  and  almost  at  the  instant  his  hand 
was  on  the  latch,  Patrick  seized  him  by  the  collar  and  shook  him  fiercely,  'to 
shake  the  truth  out  of  him,'  he  said.  The  astonished  looks  and  astonishing  yells 
convinced  Patrick  that  that  boy  knew  nothing  of  the  outrage.  Setting  him 
down  by  the  fire,  he  again  placed  himself  in  the  position  of  attack. 

"The  next,  and  the  next,  and  the  next  went  through  the  same  operation, 
and  finally,  when  nearly  all  the  school  had  been  throttled  and  shaken  into  their 
seats,  our  two  youngsters  climbed  down  the  haymow,  entered  the  school-room, 
got  their  shaking,  and  went  to  work.  It  happened  that  Phil  Sheridan  was  late 
that  morning,  and  as  each  one  proved  his  innocence,  the  presumption  became 
the  stronger  against  the  few  there  were  left  to  suspect.  Finally  Phil  came — the 
last,  and,  of  course,  the  guilty  one,  if  every  body  else  was  innocent. 

"Just  as  he  opened  the  door  Patrick  made  a  dive  for  him.  Phil  dodged  and 
commenced  a  retreat.  Patrick  thought  that  a  proof  of  his  guilt,  and  pursued. 
Away  went  Phil  up  the  street,  and  away  went  the  teacher  after  him,  bare- 
headed, stick  in  hand,  the  whole  school  bringing  up  the  rear,  all  on  the  run. 
Phil  lost  a  little  on  the  home  stretch,  and  by  the  time  Mr.  Sheridan's  house  was 
reached,  his  pursuer  was  too  close  to  let  him  shut  the  gate,  and  on  he  broke  into 
the  back  yard.  There  he  got  re-enforcements  in  the  shape  of  a  huge  Newfound- 
land pet  dog,  which  instantly  made  an  attack  on  Patrick's  flank  and  rear. 

"Patrick  mounted  the  fence— so  did  Phil.  The  dog  snapped  at  Patrick's 
heels,  and  he  discovered  it  necessary  to  climb  an  apple-tree,  where  he  found 
himself  out  of  breath,  out  of  patience,  and  very  completely  outflanked. 

"'Take  away  your  divilish  dog,  Phil,'  says  he,  'or  I'll  bate  the  life  of  ye.' 

'"Like  to  see  you,'  says  Phil,  'watch  him,  Eover,'  and  with  that  he  got  an 
old  piece  of  carpet  and  laid  it  under  the  tree  for  the  dog  to  watch  over. 

"The  dog  laid  down  on  it,  and  Phil  mounted  the  fence,  where  he  sat,  con- 
templative, with  his  chin  in  his  hands  and  his  elbows  on  his  knees.  '  What  do 
you  want  to  lick  me  for?'  asked  Phil. 

'"What  did  you  throw  the  wather  on  me  for?'  was  the  answer. 

'"I  didn't  throw  any  water  on  you.' 

"You  did,  though,  bekase  none  of  the  other  boys  did,  and  Pll  polish  you 
to  death  intirely,  if  you  don't  let  me  down.' 

"He  started  down,  but  Rover  went  for  his  foot  before  it  was  nearly  in  reach 
and  the  teacher  retreated  up  the  tree,  calling  loudly  for  Phil's  father.  The  noise 
soon  brought  Mr.  Sheridan  out.  The  teacher  up  the  tree,  the  dog  growling  at 
Vol.  I.— 32. 


498 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


him,  Phil  on  the  fence,  and  the  whole  school  around,  was  too  funny  a  scene  to 
be  closed  without  explanation. 

'"What  are  you  doing  up  that  apple-tree,  McKanly?'  asked  Mr.  Sheridan. 

"«Ah,  that  divilish  boy  of  yours,  Misther  Sheridan,  will  be  the  death  of  mo 
yet.  It's  all  his  doin's,  sir.  He  poored  a  whole  bucket  of  wather  on  me  this 
mornin',  and  whin  1  wanted  to  give  him  a  dacent  riprimand,  he  ran  away,  and 
for  the  sake  of  the  discipline  of  the  school,  I  went  to  catch  him,  and  he  got 
that  big  baste  of  a  dog  of  yours  afther  me,  and  I  had  to  climb  the  tree  to  defind 

myself.' 

"  'I  didn't  throw  any  water  at  all,'  says  Phil,  'all  I  know  about  it  is  that  he 
went  to  whipping  me  this  morning  before  I  got  in.' 

"The  old  gentleman,  probably  enjoying  the  fun,  and  not  being  very  certain 
w  hot  her  his  boy  ought  to  be  whipped  without  reason,  suggested  to  let  the  case 
await  further  inquiry. 

'"Let  him  go  without  a  noggin1,  Misther  Sheridan?  Shure  it'll  ruin  the 
school  to  do  that  now;  just  luck  at  them,  will  you,  how  the  're  laughing  at  me.' 
The  old  gentleman  commenced  calling  the  dog;  it  looked  at  Phil  and  wouldn't 
stir.  'Take  away  that  divilish  dog  or  I'll  bate  the  life  out  of  ye's  both  intirely,' 
says  Patrick. 

"'Better  come  down  first,'  Phil  suggested;  v  watch  him,  Eover.  But  I'll 
tell  you  what  I'll  do,'  he  added  after  a  pause,  '  if  you  won't  Avhip  me  I'll  call 
him  off.  He  won't  go  if  father  calls  all  day — besides  he  sees  you're  imposing  on 
me.' 

"Patrick  argued,  and  protested,  and  threatened,  but  it  wouldn't  do — the 
terms  were  unconditional.  The  hot  race  and  the  cold  water  had  got  him  into 
a  terrible  chill.  The  longer  he  talked  in  the  air  of  a  frosty  January  morning, 
the  colder  he  got,  and  the  more  hopeless  his  case  became,  especially  when  Phil 
intimated  his  intention  to  demand  exemption  from  all  future  floggings. 

"'I'll  tell  you  what,  Phil,'  said  he  finally,  'if  you'll  just  call  off  that  baste, 
I'll  not  bate  you  this  time,  indade  I  won't.' 

"'Why  didn't  you  say  so  at  first,'  said  Phil.  'Come  away  Eover.'  And  away 
Rover  did  come;  and  away  came  the  teacher  almost  too  badly  chilled  to  climb 
down. 

"And  this  was  the  first  surrender  to  Sheridan.  Phil  says  the  teacher  kept 
his  word  in  that  affair,  but  put  two  floggings  into  every  one  that  he  afterward 
administered  for  new  offenses." 

Through  such  tribulations  our  jolly  lad  forced  his  way  into  a  fair  common - 
school  education.  Then  it  was  time  that  he  should  do  something  to  help  sup- 
port the  family.  He  was  bright  enough  to  become  more  than  a  mere  laborer; 
and  in  those  days  when  a  village  lad  was  thought  to  be  fit  for  something  better 
than  his  father's  or  his  schoolmates'  lot,  the  first  thought  would  be  to  make  a 
store-keeper  of  him.  So  Mr.  Talbot,  a  small  hardware  dealer,  came  to  have 
Philip  II.  Sheridan  for  "clerk."  He  did  well  by  it,  too.  The  boy  w^as  active, 
intelligent,  and  faithful.  Mr.  Talbot  began  to  take  a  special  interest  in  him, 
and,  by-and-by,  to  teach  him  mathematics,  select  works  of  history  for  him  to 


Philip    H.    Sheridan.  409 

read,  and  encourage  him  to  improve  himself.  After  a  time  an  opportunity  to 
do  better  offered,  and  so  another  storekeeper,  a  Mr.  Henry  Detton,  shares  with 
Mr.  Talbot  the  honor  of  having  had  the  greatest  American  Cavalry  General  for 
a  store  boy. 

Meantime  the  studies  in  mathematics  and  history  were  bearing  fruit.  Our 
young  2lcrk  began  to  aspire  to  something  better  than  selling  goods  in  a  village 
store  for  a  livelihood.  There  was  quite  a  pressure  upon  General  Thomas  Bitchey, 
the  district  Congressman,  for  the  vacant  appointment  to  West  Point.  "At  last," 
said  the  old  General,  "there  came  a  letter,  accompanied  by  no  testimonials,  no 
influential  recommendations,  or  appeals  from  wealthy  parents.  It  simply  asked 
that  the  place  might  be  given  to  the  writer,  and  was  signed  'Phil.  Sheridan.' 
The  boy  needed  no  recommendation,"  continued  the  old  man,  "for  I  knew  him 
and  his  father  before  him,  and  I  appointed  him  at  once." 

Sheridan  was  seventeen  years  old  when,  after  his  independent  boy-fashion 
(and  in  a  manner  strikingly  similar  to  that  of  his  subsequent  friend  and  chief, 
General  Eosecrans),  he  thus  turned  his  back  on  the  old  Somerset  life  and  became 
an  inmate  of  West  Point.  He  found  another  young  Ohioan  in  his  class,  of  whom 
the  world  was  yet  to  hear  something;  it  was  the  lamented  James  B.  McPherson. 
Among  the  fifty  other  classmates  were  Schofield,  Terrill,  Sill,  and  Tyler,  and 
the  Eebei  General  Hood. 

His  career  at  West  Point  was  characteristic.  He  was  not  ranked  brilliant 
in  the  recitations,  but  he  was  far  above  mediocrity,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  his 
general  standing  was  constantly  kept  down  by  "that  odious  column  of  demerits." 
The  animal  spirits  of  the  boy  were  forever  running  over  into  trivial  infractions 
of  the  rules.  Everybody  liked  him;  even  the  staid  Professors,  as  they  scored 
down  the  demerits,  would  readily  have  voted  him  "the  best  fellow  in  the  class." 
But  one  day  he  went  too  far.  One  of  the  cadets,  as  he  fancied,  insulted  him. 
Irish  fashion,  he  proceeded  to  redress  his  own  grievances.  The  flogging  he 
administered  was  perfect  but  it  was  unmilitary,  and  it  cost  him  just  an  extra 
year  at  West  Point.  And  this  is  the  reason  that  though  he  entered  as  cadet  in 
1848,  the  Army  Eegister  marks  the  date  of  his  admission  to  the  service  in  1853. 
His  suspension  had  thrown  him  over  into  the  class  following  the  one  in  which 
he  should  have  graduated. 

At  last,  in  his  twenty -third  year,  he  finished  the  West  Point  course  and  was 
assigned  to  the  First  Infantry  as  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant.  His  first  service 
was  on  the  Texas  frontier  against  the  Indians.  Here  a  promotion  to  a  full 
Second-Lieutenancy  in  the  Fourth  Infantry  soon  found  him.*     From  1853  to 

9.  Some  of  the  popular  biographers  have  another  story  of  possible  authenticity  concerning 
this  promotion.     Here  is  one  version  of  it : 

"  Lieutenant  Sheridan  had  ere  long  to  try  his  prowess  with  the  Apache  warriors.  One  day 
he  was  outside  the  fort  with  two  others,  when  a  band  of  those  savages  suddenly  sprang  upon 
them.  The  chief,  not  dreaming  of  resistance  from  three  men  amid  several  times  their  number, 
leaped  from  his  'fiery  mustang'  to  seize  his  prisoners.  In  an  instant  Sheridan  was  on  the  back 
of  the  wild  charger  and  galloping  away  to  Fort  Duncan.  He  summoned  the  troops  to  arms, 
seized  his  pistols  without  dismounting,  and  hastened  back  like  a  flying  warrior  to  the  aid  of  the 
two  companions  who  were  heroically  fighting  for  life.     Dashing  up  to  the  enraged  chief  he  levelled 


500  Ohio  in  the   War. 

1861  he  continued  on  the  frontier,  first  in  Texas,  then  in  Oregon,  with  only  a 
brief  interval  of  recruiting  duty  in  New  York. 

In  1855  he  commanded  the  escort  for  Lieutenant  Williamson's  exploring  ex- 
pedition through  Oregon,  for  a  branch  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  In  1856  we  find 
him  in  a  fight  with  the  Yokimas  near  Fort  Vancouver,  behaving  so  gallantly 
as  to  elicit  mention  in  general  orders.  In  1857  he  had  command  in  the  Yokima 
.ation,  and  Lieutenant-General  Scott  thought  his  conduct  in  keeping  this 
turbulent  tribe  in  order  worthy  of  special  mention.  Next  he  establishes  a  new 
military  post  at  Yamhill,  and  copcludes  an  advantageous  treaty  with  the  Co- 
quillos.  And  so  in  reckless  Indian  fighting,  in  prudent  efforts  to  preserve  the 
peace  as  long  as  the  Indians  would  let  him,  in  successful  efforts  to  master  the 
Indian  dialects,  in  sport  and  adventure  and  all  the  variety  of  hardy  frontier  life, 
the  years  went  by.  The  young  Somerset  boy,  risen  to  be  a  First-Lieutenant, 
was  become  an  experienced  backwoodsman  and  bushwhacker;  he  was  now  to 
enter  upon  another  part  of  his  varied  preparation  for  the  great  career  he  was 
yet  to  run. 

A  Captain's  commission  in  the  Thirteenth  Infantry  reached  him,  and  with 
it  news  of  the  impending  wrar.  Seated  there  among  the  Oregon  Indians  at  his 
post  of  Yamhjll,  he  had  no  difficulty  in  perceiving  his  duty,  and  his  combative 
nature  longed  for  the  time  when  the  angry  words  of  the  secession  leaders 
might  give  way  to  something  more  substantial.  uIf  they  will  fight  us,"  he  wrrote 
to  a  friend  in  "the  States,"  "let  them  know  we  accept  the  challenge."  He 
added,  with  a  modest  ambition  that  now  may  well  provoke  a  smile:  "Who 
knows?    Perhaps  I  may  have  a  chance  to  earn  a  major's  commission." 

At  last  the  uneasy  waiting  in  Oregon  came  to  an  end,  and  Sheridan's  chance 
to  "try  for  a  major's  commission"  in  the  great  civil  war  came  to  him.  He  was 
ordered  to  report  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri.  He  arrived  in  the  midst  of 
the  confusion  that  followed  the  removal  of  Fremont  from  command.  Nothing 
could  be  a  more  droll  illustration  of  the  frequent  governmental  faculty  for  get- 
ing  the  wrong  men  in  the  right  places  than  the  assignment  that  awaited  the 
young  Indian  fighter.  He  was  made  president  of  a  board  to  audit  claims  under 
the  Fremont  administration.     He  did  the  work  satisfactorily  however ;  and  pre- 

a  pistol  at  his  head— 'crack! '  went  the  little  weapon,  and,  with  a  mad  leap  into  the  air,  the  In- 
dian fell  dead  at  the  feet  of  the  Lieutenant's  horse.  The  soldiers  that  followed  him  then  came 
up,  and  the  just  now  exulting  band  was  ridden  down  and  most  of  the  number  killed.  The  valiant 
deed,  however,  won  no  commendation  from  the  commandant  of  the  fort,  who  seemed  to  have  a 
Southern  prejudice  against  the  Western  boy.  The  irritated,  jealous  officer  charged  his  Lieutenant 
with  breach  of  discipline  because  he  was  away  from  his  command.  That  commander  was  a 
Kebel  general  in  the  late  civil  war. 

"For  two  years  Sheridan  was  thus  employed  in  the  defense  of  the  Southern  frontier;  at  one 
time  leading  a  company  of  soldiers  to  a  threatened  settlement,  and  at  another  cautiouslv  making 
explorations,  not  knowing  where  the  stealthy  savage  would  rise  from  ambush,  or  fire  his  weapon 
n-om  its  unknown  seclusion.  But  the  unfortunate  displeasure  of  his  superior  officer,  and  the  coi- 
tions attending,  induced  Sheridan  to  seek  a  different  post  of  duty.  Accordingly  the  War  De- 
partment, in  the  spring  of  18.55,  created  him  a  full  Lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  Infantry,  then  in 


Philip  H.    Sheridan.  501 

sentry  the  Government,  t'nWy  satisfied  now  that  here  was  a  good  man  for  routine 
and  clerical  duties,  made  him  Quartermaster  and  Commissary  for  Curtis,  at  the 
outset  of  the  Pea  Ridge  campaign. 

All  this  seemed  rapid  promotion  to  Captain  Sheridan,  and  he  wont  to  work 
heartily  and  earnestly  to  make  a  Quartermaster  of  himself.  He  was  sixty-fourth 
Captain  on  the  list — so  one  of  the  staff  officers  tells  of  his  reasoning  in  those 
days — and  with  the  chances  of  war  in  his  favor,  it  needn't  be  a  very  great  while 
before  he  might  hope  to  be  a  Major !  With  such  modest  aspirations  he  worked 
away  at  the  wagon-trains;  cut  down  regimental  transportation,  gave  fewer 
wagons  for  camp  furniture  and  more  for  hard  bread  and  fixed  ammunition, 
established  secondary  depots  for  supplies,  and  with  all  his  labor  found  that  he 
had  not  fully  estimated  the  wants  of  the  army.*     Some  orders  from  General 

*"Here  is  some  staff-officer's  gossip  about  Sheridan  during  this  portion  of  his  opening  career: 

"A  modest,  quiet  little  man  was  our  Quartermaster;  yet  nobody  could  deny  the  vitalizing 
energy  and  masterly  force  of  his  presence  when  he  had  occasion  to  exert  himself.  Neat  in  per- 
son, courteous  in  demeanor,  exact  in  the  transaction  of  business,  and  most  accurate  in  all  matters 
appertaining  to  the  regulations,  orders,  and  general  military  customs,  it  was  no  wonder  that  our 
acting  Chief  Quartermaster  should  have  been  universally  liked.  Especially  was  he  in  favor 
socially,  for  it  soon  became  known  that  he  was,  off  duty,  a  most  genial  companion,  answering 
the  most  mythical  requirement  of  that  vaguest  of  comprehensive  terms — 'a  good  fellow.' 

"The  enlisted  men  on  duty  at  head-quarters,  or  in  his  own  bureau,  remember  him  kindly. 
Not  a  clerk  or  orderly  but  treasures  some  act  of  kindness  done  by  Captain  Sheridan.  Never  for- 
getting, or  allowing  others  to  forget,  the  respect  due  to  him  and  his  position,  he  was  yet  the  most 
approachable  officer  at  head-quarters.  His  knowledge  of  the  regulations  and  customs  of  the 
army,  and  of  all  professional  minutiae,  were  ever  at  the  disposal  of  any  proper  inquirer.  Private 
soldiers  are  seldom  allowed  to  carry  away  as  pleasant  and  kindly  associations  of  a  superior  as 
those  with  which  Captain  Sheridan  endowed  us.  When  the  army  was  ready  to  move  he  gave 
his  personal  attention  in  seeing  that  all  attached  to  head-quarters  were  properly  equipped  for 
service  in  the  field,  issuing  the  necessary  stores,  animals,  etc.,  without  difficulty  or  discussion. 
Many  a  man  received  information  about  the  preparation  of  papers  and  other  matters  which  has 
since  been  of  invaluable  assistance.  Nor  was  his  kindness  confined  to  subordinates  alone.  It  is 
easy  for  some  men  to  be  genial  and  kind  to  those  under  them,  while  it  seems  impossible  to  behave 
with  the  proper  courtesy  due  to  those  whose  position  entitles  them  to  consideration  as  gentlemen. 
We  have  served  with  a  Major-General  since  then  who  to  his  soldiers  was  always  forbearing, 
kindly,  and  humane,  while  to  his  officers,  especially  those  on  the  staff,  he  was  almost  invariably 
rude,  rough,  blunt,  and  inconsiderate.  This  could  not  be  said  of  Sheridan.  He  had  that  proper 
pride  of  military  life  which  not  alone  demands,  but  accords  to  all,  the  courtesy  due  among  gentle- 
men. It  is  fair  to  say  that  no  man  has  risen  more  rapidly  with  less  jealousy,  if  the  feelings  en- 
tertained by  his  old  associates  of  the  army  of  the  South-west  are  any  criterion. 

"Sheridan's  modesty  amounted  to  bashfulness,  especially  in  the  presence  of  the  gentler  sex. 
His  life  having  been  passed  on  the  frontier  among  Indians,  or  at  some  solitary  post,  it  was  not  at 
all  surprising  that  our  Quartermaster  should  hesitate  when  urged  to  go  where  ladies  might  be 
expected.  If  by  chance  he  found  himself  in  such  a  gathering  he  was  sure  to  shrink  into  an 
obscure  corner  and  keep  silent.     We  remember  an  amusing  incident  of  this  bashfulness. 

"Pie  became  attracted  toward  a  young  lady  at  Springfield,  where  he  was  engaged  in  forward- 
ing supplies  to  the  army.  Desirous  of  showing  her  some  attention,  he  was  altogether  too  modest 
to  venture  on  such  a  step.  Finally  he  hit  upon  an  expedient.  He  had  a  gay  young  clerk,  Eddy, 
in  his  office,  whom  he  induced  to  take  the  young  lady  out  riding,  while  he  (Sheridan)  furnished 
the  carriage  and  horses.  The  modest  little  Captain  could  often  be  seen  looking  with  pleasure  on 
this  arrangement.  Courting  by  proxy  seemed  to  please  him  much  (as  it  certainly  was  less  em- 
barrassing) as  if  it  had  been  done  by  himself.  There  are  but  few  men  whose  modesty  would  carry 
them  so  far.  What  the  result  was  we  never  learnt.  We  think  it  most  probable  Eddy  carried  off 
the  prize." 


502  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Curtis  about  this  time  seemed  to  him  inconsistent  with  the  West  Point  system 
of  managing  quartermaster  s  matters,  and  he  said  so  officially  with  considerable 
freedom  of  utterance.  The  matter  was  passed  over  for  a  few  days,  but  as  soon 
as  Pea  Rid^o  was  fought  General  Curtis  found  time  to  attend  to  smaller  affairs. 
The  first  was  to  dispense  with  the  further  services  of  his  Quartermaster,  and 
send  him  back  to  St.  Louis  in  arrest. 

But  just  then  educated  officers  were  too  rare  in  Missouri  to  be  long  kept 
out  of  service  on  punctilios.  Presently  the  affair  with  Curtis  was  adjusted,  and 
then  the  Government  had  some  fresh  work  for  this  young  man  of  routine  and 
business.  It  sent  him  over  into  Wisconsin  to  buy  horses!  The  weeping  philos- 
opher himself  might  have  been  embarrassed  to  refrain  from  laughter!  McClel- 
lan  was  at  the  head  of  the  army;  Halleck  had  chief  command  in  the  West;  men 
like  McCIernand  and  Banks,  Crittenden,  and  McCook,  were  commanding  divis- 
ions or  corps;  and  for  Cavalry  Sheridan  the  best  work  the  Government  could 
find  was — buying  horses  in  Wisconsin!  Then  came  Pittsburg  Landing,  and 
Halleck's  hurried  departure  for  the  field.  Wishing  a  body  of  instructed  regular 
officers  about  him,  he  thought,  among  others,  of  Curtis's  old  Quartermaster,  and 
ordered  him  up  to  the  army  before  Corinth.  There  followed  a  little  staff  ser- 
vice, and  at  last,  in  May,  1882,  the  future  head  of  the  Cavalry  got  started  on 
his  proper  career.  Watching  wagon  trains,  disputing  with  the  lawyers  about 
doubtful  contractor's  claims,  or  with  the  jockeys  about  the  worth  of  horses — all 
this  seems  now  very  unworthy  of  Sheridan,  but  it  was  a  part  of  his  education 
for  the  place  he  was  to  fill;  and  we  shall  see  that  the  familiarity  thus  acquired 
with  the  details  of  supplying  an  army  were  to  prove  of  service  to  one  whose 
business  was  to  be  to  command  armies,  and  to  tax  the  energies  of  those  who 
supplied  them  to  the  utmost. 

The  cavalry  was  inefficient— mostly  for  lack  of  officers  who  knew  the  differ- 
ence between  a  horse  and  a  machine.  The  Second  Michigan  wanted  a  Colonel. 
Sheridan  happened  to  be  at  hand  and  was  thought  of.  In  a  few  days  he  was 
off  toward  Booneville  on  his  first  raid.  The  railroad  track  and  depot  were  des- 
troyed, provisions  captured,  and  a  safe  retreat  secured.  A  few  days  later  fol- 
lowed a  reconnoissance  to  Donaldson's  Cross  Eoads,  and  a  sharp  skirmish  with 
Forrest.  Two  days  later  a  second  regiment  was  added  to  Sheridan's  command, 
and  he  was  sent  on  a  brief  pursuit  of  Forrest,  which  he  managed  so  well  that  in 
four  days  more  he  was  formally  made  commander  of  a  cavalry  brigade,  and 
sent  to  Booneville,  twenty  miles  in  front  of  the  army.  Here  on  the  1st  July, 
1862,  General  Chalmers,  with  a  force  numbering  between  four  and  five  thousand 
men,  attacked  Sheridan's  little  band  of  two  regiments.  He  retreated  slowly 
toward  his  camp,  where,  with  his  back  to  a  swamp,  he  kept  up  the  unequal 
fight.  The  day,  however,  must  in  the  end  go  against  him.  Sheridan  saw  and 
prepared  for  it.  Selecting  a  body  of  picked  men,  scarcely  a  hundred  in  all,  he 
sent  them  by  a  circuitous  route  to  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  Meantime  he  sturdily 
held  his  ground  on  the  front.  Suddenly  the  assailants  were  startled  by  the 
crack  of  carbines  in  their  rear.     Volley  after  volley  poured  in  from  the  revolv- 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  503 

ing  weapons  of  the  little  party  till  the  roar  seemed  to  betoken  the  attack  of  at 
least  a  brigade.  Then  charging  recklessly  into  tho  rear,  they  penetrated  almost 
to  the  heart  of  the  command,  and  for  a  little  time  had  possession  of  Chalmers 
himself.  This  was  the  signal  for  Sheridan.  At  the  head  of  his  two  regiments 
he  led  an  impetuous  onset  upon  the  confused  enemy,  who,  thinking  himself 
surrounded,  hastily  fled,  leaving  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field.*  For  twenty 
miles  Sheridan  kept  up  with  his  two  thousand  this  pursuit  of  five  thousand.  On 
his  return  he  found  that  the  gallant  deed  had  carried  him  far  beyond  the  wildest 
ambition  of  his  quartermaster  days.  He  was  appointed  a  Brigadier-General  of 
Volunteers,  to  date  from  July  1st,  in  honor  of  this  brilliant  little  battle  of 
"Booneville. 

In  the  comparative  independence  of  command  which  he  had  here  enjoyed, 
he  had  displayed  qualities  of  vigor,  enterprise,  and  sound  judgment,  that 
might  have  recommended  him  for  similar  positions  in  the  future.  But  it  was 
Sheridan's  lot  to  be  long  kept  back  irom  the  fields  for  which  he  was  peculiarly 
fitted,  and  to  be  subjected  to  severe  and  unusual  tests.  In  a  modest  little  letter 
now  lying  before  us,  he  shows  his  own  appreciation  of  this  singularity  of  his 
fortune.  "It  has  been  said,"  he  writes,  "that  I  was  'lucky'  during  the  Eebellion 
in  the  success  which  attended  me,  but  whether  I  was  or  not,  I  believe  there  was 
no  general  officer  in  the  service  who  was  subjected  to  harder  tests.  I  was  not 
only  changed  from  one  arm  of  the  service  to  another,  but  was  constantly  being 
changed  irom  one  line  of  operations  to  another,  each  involving  new  geographi- 
ca.  and  topographical  study,  the  necessity  of  overcoming  the  local  prejudices  of 
soldiers  of  different  armies,  and  the  old  and  bitter  prejudices  between  infantry 
and  cavalry."  So  now,  precisely  as  the  General  says,  after  he  had  just  shown 
his  special  fitness  for  dashing  cavalry  exploits,  he  was  changed  to  another  arm 
of  the  service  and  another  line  of  operations,  being  sent  to  take  command  of 
a  division  of  infantry  in  Kentucky.  Still  this  was  high  promotion.  The  "little 
Quartermaster"  who  thought  that,  as  he  was  only  sixtj^-fourth  Captain  on  the 
list,  the  chances  of  war  might  yet  enable  him  to  win  a  Major's  commission,  was 
now,  within  less  than  a  year  from  the  date  of  that  modest  aspiration,  a  Briga- 
dier-General, in  command  of  three  brigades  and  a  dozen  regiments. 

At  the  time  of  our  new  General's  arrival  in  Kentucky,  Bragg  was  moving 
rapidly  upon  Louisville,  and  Buell  was  hastening  back  with  his  army  to  con- 
front him.  For  a  little  time  Louisville  was  thought  to  be  in  danger.  Sheridan 
was  energetic  in  his  efforts  to  place  the  city  in  a  position  for  defense.  Then 
joining  Buell's  army  on  its  arrival,  he  moved  out  with  his  division  in  that  pur- 
suit of  Bragg,  which,  pressed  by  some  subordinates  too  incautiously,  suddenly 
brought  him  savagely  to  bay  at  Perryville. 

Whatever  was  thought  of  the  general  conduct  of  this  battle,  or  of  tho 
policy  of  bringing  it  on,  there  was  no  doubt  at  head-quarters  of  the  praise  to 
which  General  Sheridan's  conduct  in  it  entitled  him.     He  kept  the  position  to 

*The  fighting  at  Booneville  lasted  nearly  s^ven  hours.  The  number  of  Rebel  dead  left  on 
the  field  was  reported  to  be  sixty-five.     Sheridan's  entire  loss  was  forty-one. 


504  Ohio  in  the  War 

which  he  was  assigned  (the  left  of  Gilbert's  corps,  protecting  McCook's  right), 
With  obstinate  vigor,  sustained  a  fierce  attack,  which  he  repelled,  and  directed 
the  fire  of  his  batteries  so  as  to  do  what  he  could  against  the  assault  that  was 
cutting  McCook's  comman4  to  pieces.  "  He  held  the  key  of  our  position  with 
t.mai-i'ty,"  said  his  Corps  General  in  the  official  report,  "and  used  the  point  to 
its  utmost  advantage  I  commend  him  to  notice  as  an  officer  of  much  gallantry 
and  of  high  professional  ability."*  Thenceforward  the  position  of  the  new  Gen- 
eral was  secure  in  the  army.  His  soldiers  believed  in  himf  and  his  superiors 
trotted  him.  But  the  Country,  as  yet,  heard  little  of  him.  He  was  the  subor- 
dinate of  subordinates,  and  much  hard  fighting  was  still  awaiting  him  before 
ho  could  aspire  to  popular  fame. 

In  the  changes  consequent  upon  Rosecrans's  assumption  of  command,  Sher- 
idan was  transferred  to  McCook's  right  wing  of  the  army.  With  the  details  of 
his  newposition  he  found  himself  fully  occupied  through  the  fall  and  early 
winter  of  1862.  At  last  the  army  moved  out  upon  Murfreesboro'.  Sheridan 
had  only  to  support  other  divisions  in  advance  of  him  through  the  march, 
until  the  day  before  the  battle.  Then  he  led  the  movement,  had  sharp  skir- 
mishing, and  finally  was  compelled  to  form  line  of  battle  and  bring  up  his 
artillery  to  clear  his  front,  losing  some  seventy-five  killed  and  wounded  in  the 
operations.  The  men  bivouacked  in  line  of  battle.  They  were  to  wake  to  great 
calamity  and  great  glory  in  the  morning. 

In  the  general  plan  of  the  battle  of  Stone  River  the  part  assigned  to  the 
right  wing  was  to  hold  the  enemy,  while  the  rest  of  the  army  swung  through 
Murfreesboro'  upon  his  rear.  In  this  right  wing  Sheridan  held  the  left.  Else- 
where along  that  ill-formed  line  were  batteries,  to  which  the  horses  had  not  been 
harnessed  when  the  fateful  attack  burst  through  the  gray  dawn  upon  them. 
But  there  was  one  division  commander  who,  with  or  without  orders  thereto, 
might  be  trusted  for  ample  vigilance  in  the  face  of  an  enemy.  At  two  in  the 
morning  ho  was  moving  some  of  his  regiments  to  strengthen  a  portion  of  his 
line,  on  which  he  thought  the  enemy  was  massing.  At  four  he  mustered  his 
division  under  arms,  and  had  every  cannoneer  at  his  post.  For  over  two  hours 
they  waited.  When  the  onset  came  the  ready  batteries  opened  at  once.  The 
Rebels  continued  to  sweep  up.  At  fifty  yards'  distance  the  volleys  of  Sheridan's 
musketry  became  too  murderous.  The  enemy,  in  massed  regiments,  hesitated, 
wavered,  and  finally  broke.  Sheridan  instantly  sent  Sill's  brigade  to  charge 
upon  the  retreating  column.  The  movement  was  brilliantly  executed,  but  the 
life  of  the  gallant  brigade  commander  went  out  in  the  charge. 

*Rep  of  Maj-Gen.  Gilbert,  Reb.  Rec.     Vol.  V,  p.  513.     Sheridan  reported  his  loss  in  this 

battle  at  three  hundred  and  thirty-of  whom  forty-four  were  killed  and  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-four  wounded. 

t  About  this  lime  General  Buell's   army  was  a  good  deal  demoralized  by  lack  of  confidence 
m  many  of   be  oiheers.    Tbrongh  the  battle  Sheridan  had  been  riding  a  favorite  black  horse; 
t  beng  shot  under  h.m,  he  was  compelled,  before  the  close  of  the  action,  to  appear  among  the  . 
roops  on  another.    They  learned  the  cause,  and  rent  the  air  with  shouts  for  Sheridan  ;  while  by 

tlZlVC         ,      f         Tn  b°Came  C°mmon  t0  hear  them  WsU»S  that  at  last  they  had  a 
fightmg  General,  who  cared  more  for  victory  than  he  did  for  bullets 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  505 

Presently  the  enemy  rallied  and  returned.  Already  the  rest  of  the  wing 
had  been  hurled  back  in  confusion  ;  the  weight  of  the  victorious  foe  bore  down 
upon  Sheridan's  exposed  flank  and  broke  it.  There  was  now  come  upon  Sheridan 
that  same  stress  of  battle  under  which  his  companion  division  commanders 
had  been  crushed.  But,  hastily  drawing  back  the  broken  flank,  he  changed  the 
front  of  his  line  to  meet  the  new  danger  and  ordered  a  brigade  to  charge ;  while, 
under  cover  6f  this  daring  onset  the  new  line  was  made  compact.  Here  Sher- 
idan felt  abundantly  able  to  hold  his  ground. 

But  his  flank ?    The  routed  divisions,  which  should  have  formed  upon  it, 

were  still  in  hasty  retreat.  He  dashed  among  them — threatened,  begged,  swore. 
All  was  in  vain  ;  they  would  not  re-form.  Sheridan  was  isolated,  and  his  right 
once  more  turned.  Moving  then  by  the  left,  he  rapidly  advanced,  driving  the 
enemy  from  his  front,  and  maintaining  his  line  unbroken  till  he  secured  a  con- 
nection on  the  left  with  Negley.  Here  he  was  instantly  and  tremendously 
assailed.  The  attack  was  repulsed.  Again  Cheatham's  Eebel  division  attacked, 
and  again  it  was  driven  back.  Once  again  the  baffled  enemy  swept  up  to  the 
onset  till  his  batteries  were  planted  within  two  hundred  yards  of  Sheridan's 
lines.  The  men  stood  firm.  Another  of  the  brigade  commanders  fell ;  but  the 
enemy  was  once  more  driven.  Thus  heroically  did  Sheridan  strive  to  beat  back 
the  swift  disaster  that  had  befallen  the  right. 

But  now  came  the  crowning  misfortune.  When  the  rest  of  McCook's  wins? 
had  been  swept  out  .of  the  contest,  the  ammunition  train  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy.  With  the  overwhelming  force  on  his  front,  with  the  bat- 
teries playing  at  short  range,  with  the  third  Eebel  onslaught  just  repulsed,  and 
the  men  momentarily  growing  more  confident  of  themselves  and  of  their  fiery 
commander,  there  suddenly  came  the  startling  cry  that  the  ammunition  was 
exhausted  !  "  Fix  bayonets,  then  !"  was  the  ringing  command.  Under. cover  of 
the  bristling  lines  of  steel  on  the  front,  the  brigades  were  rapidly  withdrawn. 
Presently  a  couple  of  regiments  fell  upon  an  abandoned  ammunition  wagon. 
For  a  moment  they  swTarmed  around  it — then  back  on  the  double-quick  to  the 
front,  to  aid  in  the  retreat  of  the  artillery.  One  battery  was  lost,  the  rest,  with 
only  a  missing  piece  or  two,  were  brought  off.  Thus  riddled  and  depleted,  with  ■ 
fifteen  hundred  from  the  little  division  left  dead  or  wounded  in  the  dark  cedars, 
but  with  compact  ranks  and  a  steady  front,  the  heroic  column  came  out  on  the 
Murfreesboro'  Turnpike.  "Here  is  all  that  is  left  of  us,"  said  Sheridan,  riding 
up  to  Kosecrans  to  report.  "Our  cartridge-boxes  are  empty,  and  so  are  our 
muskets  !" 

Thus  the  right,  on  which  the  battle  was  to  have  hinged,  had  disappeared 
from  the  struggle.  Already  the  enemy,  pressing  his  advantage  to  the  utmost, 
seemed  about  to  break  through  the  center;  and  Sheridan,  supplied  with  ammu- 
nition, was  ordered  in  to  its  relief.  He  checked  the  Eebel  advance,  charged  at 
one  point,  and  captured  guns  and  prisoners,  held  his  line  steady  throughout, 
and  bivouacked  upon  it  at  nightfall.  This  final  struggle  cost  him  his  last  bri- 
gade commander!  "I  knew  it  was  infernal  in  there  before  I  got  in,"  was  the 
rough  but   forcible    exclamation  of   Eousseau,  describing  afterward    his  own 


506  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

entry  into  those  cedar  thickets;  "but  I  was  convinced  of  it  when  I  saw  Phil. 
Sheridan,  with  hat  in  one  hand  and  sword  in  the  other,  fighting  as  if  he  were 
the  devii'incarnate,  and  swearing  as  if  he  had  a  fresh  indulgence  from  Father 
Tracy  every  five  minutes."* 

Whatever  was  required  of  him  through  the  scattered  fighting  of  the  subse- 
quent days,  Sheridan  did  promptly  and  well,  but  this  was  the  substantial  end  of 
his  hard  work  at  Stone  River.  His  conduct  throughout  was  soldierly  and  superb. 
So  much  should  be  said  irrespective  of  the  success  that  attended  it.  Disaster 
did  not  dispirit  him;  unlooked-for  emergencies  did  not  find  him  unprepared; 
there  was  in  him  that  simple  soldier's  faith  in  fighting  as  a  means  of  success 
that  would  not  permit  him  to  think  of  yielding  his  ground  while  a  cartridge 
remained  to  bo  shot  at  the  enemy,  or  of  suffering  his  retreat  to  become  a  rout 
while  bayonets  could  cover  it.  But,  furthermore,  it  was  his  rare  good  fortune 
to  hold  the  key  to  the  field,  and  thus  by  his  splendid  fighting  to  save  the  army. 
For,  while  his  obstinate  defense  covered  the  retreat  of  McCook's  routed  divisions 
and  broke  the  force  of  the  blow  by  which  the  enemy  had  almost  annihilatedf 
one  wing  of  the  army,  while  Cheatham  and  the  other  Rebel  commanders  were, 
by  the  testimony  of  their  own  writers,  "storming  about  the  field,  gnashing  their 
teeth  at  the  delay  and  at  the  slaughter  of  their  braves,"  Rosecrans  was  re-form- 
ing his  lines.  Beforo  Sheridan's  ammunition  was  exhausted  the  General  Com- 
manding had  gathered  up  the  tangled  and  raveled  threads  of  battle.  When 
the  noble  column  emerged  with  its  empty  "  cartridge-boxes  and  muskets,"  ho 
was  ready  for  whatever  the  Rebels  might  attempt;  the  disaster  had  been  reme- 
died. And  so,  while  Rosecrans  must  forever  stand  the  central  figure  of  the 
great  battle,  none  can  dispute  the  claim  of  Sheridan  to  the  place  next  to  the 
foremost.  If  Rosecrans  was  the  master  that  organized  the  victory,  Sheridan 
was  the  bulwark  behind  which,  at  the  critical  moment,  he  was  enabled  to 
deploy  his  lines  and  mass  his  artillery.  It  was  Rosecrans  who  fashioned  and 
handled  the  weapons  of  victory;  but  among  those  weapons  he  found  none  so 
efficient,  at  the  critical  hour,  as  Sheridan. 

The  loss  was  terrible.  Every  one  of  the  brigade  commanders  was  shot 
dead.  Sixteen  hundred  and  thirty  men  were  dead,  wounded,  or  missing,  from 
a  division  that  went  into  battle  scarcely  five  thousand  strong.+  "  I  trust  the 
General  Commanding  is  satisfied  with  my  division,"  said  Sheridan,  modestly,  in 
his  report.  He  went  on  in  this  apologetic  fashion:  "  The  loss  of  Houghtaling's 
battery  and  of  one  section  of  Bush's  battery  was  unavoidable,  as  all  the  horses 
were  shot  down  or  disabled.  Had  my  ammunition  held  out  I  would  not  have 
fallen  back."  The  army  and  the  country  considered  that  no  apology  was  neces- 
sary. No  one  indeed  thought,  even  yet,  of  Sheridan  as  an  independent  Corn- 
wall *Referri".g  t0  thf  fact  of  Sheridan's  being  a  Roman  Catholic,  and  to  his  relations  to  the 
well-known  priest  on  duty  at  Rosecrans's  head-quarters. 
ISo  far  as  the  purposes  of  that  battle  were  concerned. 
-II!!!  T7al!r  gWen  ab°Ve  are  from  lhe  0ffici*l  Report.     The  strength  of  the  divu 


onlv  PBtimoto,]       ti         •    i.      .  v  vu.,,,,.  ncp.h      lucsu-engiuoi  me  envision  is 

LLw  n         •  ng  ,  W'ng  numbered  fifteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty-three  men, 

including  those  tn  hospttal  or  on  detaehed  duty.    The  three  divisions  in  it  were  of  about  eanai 


Philip  H.   Shekidan.  507 

mander,  but  all  recognized  him  as  a  trusty  and  skillful  soldier,  in  the  sphere  in 
which  he  was  placed.  General  Eosecrans  praised  him  in  his  report;  but,  with 
the  lack  of  insight  which  often  marked  that  distinguished  officer's  judgments  of 
men,  he  failed  to  single  him  out  as  the  hero  of  the  battle.  In  fact,  of  the  ten 
brigadiers  whom  he  recommended  for  Major-Generalships,  Sheridan's  name  was 
the  very  last  on  his  list.  The  commission,  however,  was  duly  issued,  to  date 
from  Stone  Eiver. 

Through  the  long  delays  that  consumed  the  spring  and  summer  of  18G3,  we 
catch  occasional  glimpses  of  Sheridan.  He  was  growing  in  the  confidence  of 
the  generals;  the  soldiers  had  long  trusted  him  implicitly.  Once  he  was  sent 
on  an  expedition  against  small  forces  of  the  Eebel  cavalry,  which  penetrated 
almost  to  Shelbyville.  During  the  inaction  he  kept  his  command  in  splendid 
drill,  and  acquired  distinction  among  his  brother  officers  for  superior  skill  in  a 
sort  of  camp  ten-pin  game.  In  the  Tullahoma  advance  he  handled  his  division 
energetically.  When  at  last  the  Eebels  crossed  the  Tennessee,  he  was  sent  for- 
ward in  support  of  Stanley's  cavalry,  to  try  and  save  the  great  bridge  across  the 
river  at  Bridgej)ort.  He  dashed  ahead  with  such  vigor  that  his  infantry  out- 
stripped the  horsemen  they  were  to  support;  and  on  their  arrival,  the  Eebel 
rear-guard,  which  they  captured,  insisted  that  they  must  be  the  cavalry  whose 
advance  had  been  expected!  When  the  railroad  was  repaired,  Sheridan,  con- 
ducting Thomas  along  it,  was  annoyed  by  the  protracted  stoppage  of  their  train 
at  a  wa}T-station.  The  conductor  gave  a  gruff  answer  to  inquiries  about  the 
delay,  disobeyed  the  peremptory  order  to  start,  and  finally,  when  called  to 
account  for  it,  began  to  tell  that  he  only  received  his  orders  from  the  railroad 
superintendent,  and  not  from  generals  of  any  rank.  The  sentence  was  not 
finished  till  Sheridan  had  felled  him  with  a  single  blow  of  his  fist,  had  kicked 
him  off  the  train,  and  pulled  the  bell-rope.  For  the  rest  of  the  trip  he  served 
as  conductor  himself.  The  wild  Irish  boy  of  Somerset  had  grown  dignified  and 
discreet;  but  his  old  comrades  would  still  have  been  apt  to  pronounce  him 
"moighty  handy  wid  his  fists"  upon  occasion. 

At  last  the  army  crossed  the  Tennessee.  "Little  Phil,"  as  by  this  time  he 
had  come  to  be  called  by  his  admiring  soldiers,  was  held  a  capital  fighter,  and 
much  liked  ;  but  his  capacity  for  something  more  than  the  command  of  a  division 
under  McCook,  seems  not  even  yet  to  have  been  suspected.  In  this  painfully 
subordinate  capacity  he  moved  with  his  corps,  gaining  no  prominence  and 
winning  no  praise,  save  for  the  uniform  promptness  and  intelligence  with  which 
he  obeyed  every  order.  On  the  evening  before  Chickamauga  he  was  of  essential 
service  in  coming  to  the  aid  of  Wood's  and  Davis's  divisions,  which  were  hard 
pressed  by  Longstrect.  Through  the  night  he  was  ordered  to  change  his  posi- 
tion; at  daybreak  fresh  changes  occurred ;  and  before  the  attack  came,  he  found 
himself  isolated  on  the  extreme  right.  Here  he  held  his  lines  in  almost  perfect 
quiet  until  eleven  o'clock — the  roar  far  to  the  left  telling  meanwhile  of  the 
terrible  assault  upon  Thomas.  Finally,  the  attack  seemed  to  approach  the 
division  nearest  him,  and  he  was  ordered  to  send  one  of  his  brigades  to  support 
it.     Hardly  had  this  been  properly  disposed,  when  a  fresh  order  came  for  the 


508 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


other  brigades  to  move  with  all  haste  to  support  Thomas.  Abandoning  his 
position,  Sheridan  started  at  onee.  Bui  before  lie  reached  the  ground  where 
his  first  brigade  had  been  sent,  disaster  was  once  more  bursting  upon  the  fated 
corps.  Another  division  commander,  perversely  following  the  letter  of  an  order 
to  the  <lrst  ruction  of  its  spirit,  had  broken  the  lines,  and  the  enemy  was  pouring 
into  the  gap  and  crushing  the  flanks,  right  and  left.  As  Sheridan,  marching 
toward  Thomas,  came  to  the  rear  of  the  brigade  which  he  had  recently  de- 
tacbtd,  he  found  it  breaking  under  the  terrific  onset.  He  instantly  threw  in  his 
other  brigades  on  the  double-quick.  They  were  pressed  back  :  he  rallied  them, 
finally  charged,  and  swept  up  to  the  ground  from  which  his  first  brigade  had 
just  been  driven.  But  it  was  a  triumph  costly  and  temporary.  Many  of  his 
best  officers  fell,  foremost  among  them,  General  Lytic,  commanding  one  of  the 
charging  brigades,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  division  was  once  more  broken 
and  in  retreat. 

Bullying  and  re-forming  his  troops  in  the  lull  that  followed  he  now  had 
opportunity  to  look  around  him.  Of  all  the  gallant  line  of  battle  behind  which 
he  had  been  marching  to  Thomas,  not  a  division  or  a  brigade  remained.  The 
right,  in  irretrievable  confusion,  had  drifted  out  of  the  fight;  he  was  left  alone, 
with  the  victorious  enemy  between  himself  and  Thomas. 

It  was  a  rout  which  had  carried  back  division  and  corps  commanders,  and 
even  the  General  at  the  head  of  the  army.  But  Sheridan's  position  on  the 
extreme  right,  had  kept  him  out  of  the  whirl  of  disaster  a  little,  and  not  one 
thought  of  retreat  would  seem  to  have  entered  his  mind.  He  first  essayed 
to  continue  his  former  march  by  the  Dry  Creek  Valley  Road,  and  so  connect 
with  Thomas's  right.  Finding  that  the  enemy  had  reached  this  road  before 
him,  he  turned  once  more,  still  keeping  his  division  well  in  hand,  and  marched 
for  Thomas's  left,  near  Rossvillc,  carrying  with  him  fragments  of  regiments  and 
brigades  from  other  commands,  which,  still  retaining  some  semblance  of  organ- 
ization, gladly  clung  to  his  flanks. 

At  Chattanooga  it  was  first  believed  that  he  had  been  involved  in  the 
common  disaster  to  the  right.  Then,  as  he  failed  to  appear  with  the  rest  of  the 
routed  wing,  he  was  supposed  to  have  been  cut  off  and  captured  ;  and  the  loss  of 
Sheridan's  whole  division  was  actually  telegraphed  to  the  North.  But  before 
the  dispatches  had  been  forwarded — indeed  before  some  of  them  had  been 
written— Sheridan  was  marching  in  on  Thomas's  left.  He  was  not  in  time, 
however,  to  participate  in  the  fierce  struggle  there,  which,  a  little  before  his 
arrival,  had  driven  off  the  enemy. 

Sheridan's  action  at  Chickamauga  was  not  so  distinguished  as  at  Stone  River, 
and  after  the  first  disaster  he  was  able  to  bring  no  great  aid  to  the  portion  of  the 
amy  that  still  kept  up  the  struggle.  But  he  fought,  his  command  with  gal- 
lantry, rescued  it  from  perilous  isolation,  and  marched  it,  not  like  the  rest, 
toward  the  rear,  but  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy's  guns.  For  the  disasters 
that  befell  the  right,  he  was,  in  no  sense,  responsible;  for  the  only  exception  to 
the  sweeping  rout  of  the  right  he  deserves  all  the  praise.  His  command  at  the 
outset  numbered  four  thousand  bayonets.     His  killed  and  wounded  numbered 


Philip    H.    Sheridan.  509 

one  thousand  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine,  or  nearly  one  man  for  every  three 
who  went  into  battle.*  Two  of  his  brigade  commanders  received  severe  wounds, 
and  one  of  them,  the  lamented  Lytic,  fell  dead  after  the  third. 

In  the  changes  consequent  upon  the  removal  of  Roseerans,  Sheridan's  com- 
mand was  considerably  enlarged.  He  held  his  part  of  the  lines  through  the  siege 
of  Chattanooga;  when  offensive  operations  were  resumed  his  position  deter- 
mined his  share  in  the  storming  of  Mission  Ridge.  All  the  while  Sherman  and 
Hooker  on  the  opposite  flanks  were  advancing,  he  lay  in  line  of  battle ;  when 
Lookout  was  carried  he  advanced  his  line  in  front  of  Mission  Ridge;  there,  all 
the  forenoon  and  till  the  sun  was  nearly  half  down  the  western  hemisphere,  he 
lay  watching  the  battle-flags  of  regiment  after  regiment  marching  up  to  re-en- 
force the  Rebel  line  on  his  front,  and  awaiting  the  "six  guns  from  Orchard 
Knob"  that  were  to  be  his  signal  for  attack.  At  last  they  came.  What  followed 
has  been  told  by  a  thousand  pens,  and  has  gone  into  history  as  the  most  brilliant 
spectacle  of  the  great  war. 

Before  Sheridan  and  the  companion  divisions  stretched  an  open  space  of  a 
mile  and  an  eighth  to  the  enemy's  first  line  of  rifle-pits.  Above  this  frowned  a 
steep  ascent  of  five  hundred  yards,  up  which  it  scarcely  seemed  likely  that 
unresisted  troops  would  clamber.  At  the  summit  were  fresh  rifle-pits.  As  Sher- 
idan rode  along  his  front  and  reconnoitered  the  Rebel  pits  at  the  base  of  the  ridge, 
it  seemed  to  him  that,  even  if  captured,  they  could  scarcely  be  tenable  under  the 
plunging  fire  that  might  then  be  directed  from  the  summit.  He  accordingly 
sent  back  a  staff-officer  to  inquire  if  the  order  was  to  take  the  rifle-pits  or  to 
take  the  ridge.f  But  before  there  was  time  for  an  answer  the  six  guns  thun- 
dered out  their  stormy  signal,  and  tho  whole  line  rose  up  and  leaped  forward. 
The  plain  was  swept  by  a  tornado  of  shot  and  shell,  but  the  men  rushed  on  at 
the  double-quick,  swarmed  over  the  rifle-pits,  and  flung  themselves  down  on  the 
face  of  the  mountain.  Just  then  the  answer  to  Sheridan's  message  came.  It 
was  only  this  first  line  of  rifle-pits  that  was  to  be  carried.  Some  of  the  men 
were  accordingly  retired  to  it  by  their  brigade  commander,  under  the  heav}^  fire 
of  grape,  canister,  and  musketry.  "But,"  said  Sheridan,  "believing  that  the 
attack  had  assumed  a  new  phase  and  that  I  could  carry  the  ridge,  I  could  not 
order  those  officers  and  men  who  were  so  gallantly  ascending  the  hill,  step  by 
step,  to  return."  As  the  twelve  regimental  colors  slowly  went  up,  one  advanc- 
ing a  little,  the  rest  pushing  forward,  emulous  to  be  even  with  it,  till  all  were 
planted  midway  up  the  ascent  on  a  partial  line  of  rifle-pits  that  nearly  covered 
Sheridan's  front,}  an  order  came  from  Granger :  "  If  in  your  judgment  the  ridge 
can  be  taken,  do  so."  An  eye-witness  shall  tell  us  how  he  received  it:  "An  aid 
rides  up  with  the  order.  'Avery,  that  flask,'  said  the  General.  Quietly  filling 
the  pewter  cup  Sheridan  looks  up  at  the  battery  that  frowned  above  him,  by  Bragg's 
head-quarters,  shakes  his  cap  amid  that  storm  of  everything  that  kills,  where  you 
could  hardly  hold  your  hand  without  catching  a  bullet  in  it,  and,  with  a  'How 

•  He  lost  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  prisoners,  besides  a  number  of  his  wounded,  who 
were  captured  in  the  field  hospital. 

t  Sheridan's  Official  Report  Mission  Ridge.  J  Ibid. 


510  Ohio  in  the   War. 

are  you?'  tosses  off  tho  cup.  The  blue  battle-flag  of  the  Eebels  fluttered  a 
response  to  the  cool  salute,  and  the  next  instant  the  battery  let  fly  its  six  guns, 
showering  Sheridan  with  earth.     The  General  said  in  his  quiet  way:  'I  thought 

jt ungenerous!'     The  recording  angel  will  drop  a  tear  upon  the  word  for 

the  part  he  played  that  day.  Wheeling  toward  the  men  he  cheered  them  to  the 
Charge,  and  made  at  the  hill  like  a  bold-riding  hunter.  They  were  out  of  the 
rifle-pits  and  into  tho  tempest,  and  struggling  up  the  steep  before  you  could 
get  breath  to  tell  it."* 

Then  came  what  the  same  writer  has  called  the  torrid  zone  of  the  battle. 
Rocks  were  rolled  down  from  above  on  the  advancing  line;  shells  with  lighted 
fuses  were  rolled  down;  guns  were  loaded  with  handfuls  of  cartridges  and  fired 
down,  but  the  line  struggled  on:  still  fluttered  the  twelve  regimental  flags  in  the 
advance.  At  last,  with  a  leap  and  a  rush,  over  they  went — all  twelve  fluttered 
on  the  crest — the  Eebcls  were  bayoneted  out  of  their  rifle-pits — the  guns  were 
turned — the  ridge  was  won.  In  this  last  spasm  of  the  struggle  Sheridan's  horse 
was  shot  under  him.  He  sprang  upon  a  captured  gun,  to  raise  his  short  person 
high  enough  to  be  visible  in  the  half-crazy  throng,  and  ordered  a  pursuit!  It 
har:i>sed  the  enemy  for  some  miles,  and  brought  back  eleven  guns  as  proofs 
of  its  vigor. 

Signal  as  had  been  Sheridan's  previous  services,  he  had  never  before  been 
so  brilliantly  conspicuous.  In  other  battles  he  had  approved  himself  a  good 
officer  in  the  eyes  of  his  superiors;  on  the  deathly  front  of  Mission  Eidge  he 
flamed  out  the  incarnation  of  soldierly  valor  and  vigor  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
American  people.  His  entire  losses  were  thirteen  hundred  and  four,  and  he 
took  seventeen  hundred  and  sixty-two  prisoners.  But  these  figures  give  no 
adequate  idea  of  the  conflict.  It  may  be  better  understood  from  the  simple 
statement  that  in  that  brief  contest,  in  a  part  of  a  winter  afternoon,  he  lost 
one  hundred  and  twenty-three  officers  from  that  single  division— a  number 
greater  than  the  whole  French  army  lost  at  Solferino !  Through  his  own 
clothes  five  Minie  balls  had  passed;  his  horse  had  been  shot  under  him;  and  yet 
he  had  come  out  without  a  scratch. 

No  man  could  be  more  modest  in  detailing  his  own  exploits;  but  it  was 
easy  to  arouse  the  belligerent  tendencies  of  Sheridan's  nature  by  seeking  to 
appropriate  the  exploits  of  his  soldiers.  In  his  official  report  he  could  not 
refrain  from  this  gruff  correction:  "While  we  were  thus  pushing  the  enemy, 
and  forcing  him  to  abandon  his  artillery,  wagons,  and  stores,  the  division  of 
General  Wood  remained  on  Mission  Eidge,  constructing  rifle-pits,  and  General 
Hazen  and  his  brigade  employed  themselves  in  collecting  the  artillery  from 
which  my  men  had  driven  the  enemy,  and  have  claimed  it  their  capture.  Gen- 
eral Wood,  in  his  report  to  General  Thomas  of  artillery  taken,  claims  many 
pieces  which  were  the  prizes  of  my  division,  and  when  told  by  me  that  the 
report  was  untruthful,  replied  'that  it  was  based  upon  the  report  of  General 
liazen,  who  perhaps  will  in  turn  base  his  on  those  of  the  regiments;  but 
1  icthcr  Wood,  Hazen,  regimental  or  company  commanders  are  responsible,  the 

*B.  F.  Taylor,  Esq.,  of  Chicago. 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  511 

report  is  untrue.     Eleven  of  these  guns  were  gleaned  from  the  battle-field,  and 
appropriated  while  I  was  pushing  the  enemy  on  to  Chickamauga  Station."* 

Then  followed  the  rapid  march  for  the  relief  of  Knoxville,  under  Sherman, 
and  then  the  long  rest  of  the  winter,  not  to  be  broken  till  the  bugles  sounded 
the  advance  for  the  Atlanta  campaign.  But  the  spring  that  unleashed  his  old 
troops  for  Atlanta,  was  to  bring  to  Sheridan  himself  new  duties  and  wider  fame. 

It  was  largely  to  Grant  that  Sheridan  had  owed  his  start  in  the  war,  in  his 
transfer  from  the  routine  duties  of  the  staff  to  the  command  of  a  cavalry  regi- 
ment. He  had  then  worked  his  own  way  up  to  the  command  of  a  brigade,  and 
in  the  handsome  little  affair  at  Booneville  had  won  his  star.  But  he  was  again 
indebted  to  Grant,  when  he  had  been  transferred  to  Kentucky,  for  tRe  recom- 
mendation which  had  secured  his  further  promotion  to  the  command  of  a  divis- 
ion. At  Perryville,  Stone  River,  and  Chickamauga,  his  conduct  had  been  that 
of  a  trusty  and  energetic  commander;  but,  though  he  had  won  a  Major-Gene- 
ralship, he  had  not  succeeded  in  impressing  his  further  capacities  upon  the 
minds  of  his  immediate  commanders.  At  Mission  Ridge  he  shone;  but  the  eyes 
that  from  Orchard  Knob  then  watched  his  brilliant  conduct,  had  followed  him 
from  the  far-off  days  of  Booneville.  Their  approval  brought  Sheridan  face  to 
face  with  his  destiny.  Grant  soon  applied  for  his  transfer  to  the  East;  a  few 
days  later  he  was  made  Chief  of  Cavalry  to  the  renowned  Army  of  the  Potomac ; 
in  three  weeks  he  was  covering  the  flank  of  the  army  as  it  moved  upon  the 
"Wilderness. 

The  next  eleven  months  were  to  Sheridan  the  seed-time  and  fruition  of 
all  his  soldierly  career.  At  their  close  he  was  able  to  say:  "We  sent  to  the 
War  Department  from  5th  May,  18C4,  to  9th  April,  1865  (the  day  on  which  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  surrendered),  two  hundred  and  five  battle  flags, 
captured  in  open  field  fighting — nearly  as  many  as  all  the  armies  of  the  United 
States  combined  sent  there  during  the  rebellion.  The  number  of  field  pieces 
captured  in  the  same  period  was  between  one  hundred  and  sixty  and  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  — all  in  open  field  fighting."f  Of  the  operations  of  his 
immediate  arm,  the  cavalry,  he  was  able,  with  a  proper  pride  in  its  brilliant 
performance,  that  still  never  overstepped  the  bounds  of  scrupulous  narration,  to 
say:  uWe  led  the  advance  of  the  army  to  the  Wilderness;  on  the  Richmond 
raid  we  marked  out  its  line  of  march  to  the  North  Anna,  where  we  found  it  on 
our  return ;  we  again  led  its  advance  to  Hanovcrtown,  and  thence  to  Cold 
Harbor ;  we  removed  the  enemy's  cavalry  from  the  south  side  of  the  Chicka- 
hominy  by  the  Trevillian  raid,  and  thereby  materially  assisted  the  army  in  its 
successful  march  to  the  James  River  and  Petersburg,  where  it  remained  until 
we  made  the  campaign  in  the  Valley ;  we  marched  back  to  Petersburg,  again 
took  the  advance  and  led  the  army  to  victory.  In  all  these  operations  the  per 
centage  of  cavalry  casualties  was  as  great  as  that  of  the  infantry,  and  the  ques- 
tion which  had  existed— 'who  ever  saw  a  dead  cavalrymen?'  was  set  at  rest." 

♦Sheridan's  Offici.il  Keport,  Mission  Ridge. 

t  Sheridan's  Official  Reports,  Gov't  Edition,  p.  31 


512  Ohio  in   the    Wak. 

How  brilliantly  he  led  the  cavalry  these  ringing  sentences  of  his  own  may 
suggest.  But  the  'weight  of  the  ponderous  strokes  which  he  dealt  in  those 
closing  oampaigus.  with  cavalry  and  with  infantry  as  well,  must  be  told  by  other 
pens.  We  shall  have  to  follow  him  through  such  varied  service  to  the  Army 
Of  the  Potomac  as  his  own  tribute  to  the  cavalry  hints  at.  We  shall  then  find  him 
summoned  in  an  hour  of  peril  to  the  command  of  a  great  department.  We  shall 
B6fl  him  drive  the  last  Rebel  organization  from  its  borders.  We  shall  see  how  his 
successes  added  enthusiasm  to  the  Presidential  campaign,  and  esprit  to  the  army; 
how  when  ho  was  absent  his  army  was  driven;  how  his  individual  return 
proved  better  than  re-enforcements,  bringing  victory  with  him  in  his  mad 
gallop;  how  his  remorseless  pursuit  hung  upon  the  great  army  of  the  rebellion 
in  its  fimfl  flight;  how  he  planted  himself  across  its  path,  tore  great  rents  in  its 
ranks,  and  at  last  forced  it  to  yield;  how,  from  first  to  last,  he  never  issued  a 
congratulatory  order  to  the  troops  that  wrought  such  deeds,  never  assumed  that 
they  or  he  had  done  aught  but  what  their  duty  required,  and  at  the  last  turned  his 
back  upon  the  dazzling  pageant  in  which  generals  and  privates  were  to  see  how 
their  countrymen  admired  them,  to  hurry  to  fresh  fields  of  duty  and  danger. 

How  these  busy  eleven  months  were  crowded  may  perhaps  be  better  seen 
in  another  way.  Here  is  the  official  roll  of  the  battles  he  fought.  There  are 
seven ty-six  of  them  I  All  were  fought  by  the  troops  of  his  command — all  but 
thirteen  under  orders  from  himself: 

Parker's  Store,  May  5,  1864.-— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  B.  Mcintosh,  command- 
ing brigade  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  infantry  advance  of  the  Kebel 
army. 

Craig's  Meeting-House,  May  5,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Kebel  cavalry  under  command  of 
General  Fitz  Lee. 

Todd's  Tavern,  May  5,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  D.  McM.  Gregg,  commanding 
Second  Cavalry  Division,  with  Wilson's  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
Kebel  cavalry  corps  under  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart. 

Furnaces,  May  6,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  Merritt,  commanding  First  Cav- 
alry Division,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Kebel  cavalry  division. 

Todd's  Tavern,  No.  2,  May  7,  1864.— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  II.  Sheridan,  command- 
ing Gregg's  and  Merritt's  cavalry  divisions/and  Kebel  cavalry  corps  under  General  J.  E.  B. 
Stuart. 

Spottsylvania  C.  II.,  May  8,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  and  Wickham's  Rebel  cavalry  brigade  and  Longstreet's  Rebel 
infantry  corps. 

Beaver  Dam,  May  9  and  10,  1864,-Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  command- 
ing cavalry  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  Rebel  cavalry  corps  under  General  J.  E.  B. 
Stuart. 

Yellow  Tavern.  May  11,  lS64.-Fonght  by  Major-General  P.  II.  Sheridan,  commanding 
cavalry  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Rebel  cavalry  corps  under  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart. 

Meadow  Bridge,  or  Richmond,  May  12,  1864,-Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheri- 
dan, commanding  cavalry  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Rebel  cavalry  corps  and  four  bri- 
gades ol  Rebel  infantry. 


mand 


Hanovertown,  May  27,  1864,-Fought  by  Brigadier-General    A.    T.   A.   Torbert, 
ding  l'irst  Cavalrv  Divici™    A»..„„  ~e  *i.~  ™ _A ^   r<  ,    ~      .      .     „  .         ' 


com- 


mand    ^^  ^  Division' Arn,y  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Gordon's  Rebel  cavalry 

Hawe's    Shop,  May  28,    1864,-Fought  by  General  P.  II.  Sheridan,  commanding,  with 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  513 

Gregg's  cavalry  division  and  Custer's  brigade,  First  Cavalry  Division,  and  the  Rebel  cavalry 
corps  with  Butler's  South  Carolina  mounted  infantry,  under  General  Wade  Hampton. 

Matadequin  Creek,  May  30,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert  com- 
manding First  Cavalry  Division,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Cold  Harbor,  May  31  and  June  1,  1864. — Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  com- 
manding, with  the  First  Cavalry  Division  (Torbert's),  supported  by  Second  Cavalry  Division 
(Gregg's),  and  General  Wade  Hampton,  with  Rebel  cavalry  corps,  supported  by  Hoke's  Rebel 
infantry  division,  etc. 

*Mechump's  Creek,  May  31, 1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  PI.  Wilson,  command- 
ing Third  Cavalry  Division,  and  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

*  Ashland,  June  1,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  commanding  Third 
Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  division  of  Rebel  cavalry. 

*  Hawe's  Shop  No.  2,  June  2,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  Rebel 
cavalry  division. 

Sumner's  Upper  Bridge,  June  2,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  D.  McM.  Gregg, 
commanding  Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  right  wing  of  the  Rebel 
army. 

*  Tolopotomoy,  June  2,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  commanding 
Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  left  wing  of  the  Rebel  army. 

*  Bethesda  Church,  June  11,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  B.  Mcintosh,  com- 
manding brigade,  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee's 
Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Trevillian  Station,  June  11,  1864. — Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  com- 
manding cavalry  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  the  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions,  and 
Major-General  Wade  Hampton,  commanding  Rebel  cavalry  corps,  supported  by  a  brigade  of 
South  Carolina  mounted  infantry. 

*  Long's  Bridge,  June  12,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H  Wilson,  command- 
ing Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Rebel  cavalry  division  under  General 
W.  H.  F.  Lee. 

Mallory's  Ford  Cross-Roads,  June  12,  1864. — Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan, 
commanding  cavalry  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions,  and 
Major- General  Wade  Hampton,  with  Rebel  cavalry  corps,  brigade  of  South  Carolina  mounted 
infantry,  and  Breckinridge's  Rebel  infantry  division. 

*  White  Oak  Swamp,  June  13,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Rebel  cavalry  division  under 
General  W.  H.  F.  Lee. 

*  Riddel's  Shop,  June  13,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  G.  H.  Chapman,  com- 
manding cavalry  brigade,  Third  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  infantry  advance  of 
the  Rebel  army. 

*  Smith's  Store,  near  St.  Mary's  Church,  June  15,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral J.  B.  Mcintosh,  commanding  brigade,  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
General  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Tunstall's  Station,  June  21,  1864.— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  command- 
ing cavalry  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  with  the  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions,  and 
Rebel  cavalry  corps  under  General  Wade  Hampton. 

*  Nottoway  C.  H.,  June  23,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  command- 
ing Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Rebel  cavalry  division  under  General 
W.  H.  F.  Lee. 

St.  Mary's  Church,  June  24,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  D.  McM.  Gregg,  com- 
manding Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Wade  Hampton,  com- 
manding Rebel  cavalry  corps. 

*  Roanoke  Station,  June  25,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Kautz's  cavalry  division,  Army 
of  the  James,  and  Rebel  cavalry  division  and  Home-Guards  under  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee. 

Vol.  I.— 33. 


514  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

*  Stoney  Creek,  June  29,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  command- 
ing with  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Brigadier-General  A.  V.  Kautz's 
cavalry  division,  Army  of  the  James,  and  General  Wade  Hampton,  commanding  Rebel  cavalry 
corps  and  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  cavalry  division. 

*  Ream's  Station,  June  29,  1864 —Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  command- 
ing Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Kautz's  cavalry  division,  Army  of  the 
Jam.'*,  and  Eebel  cavalry  divisions  of  Hampton,  Fitz  Lee,  and  W.  H.  F.  Lee,  and  Hoke's  divis- 
ion of  Rebel  infantry. 

Darbytown,  July  28,  1864. — Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  commanding,  with 
the  First  (Torbert's)  and  Second  (Gregg's)  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Long- 
street's  corps  and  Wilcox's  division  of  Hill's  corps  (Rebel  infantry),  and  Hampton's  Rebel  cav- 
alry corps. 

Lee's  Mills,  July  31,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  Irvin  Gregg,  commanding 
Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Moorefield,  August  7,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  W.  Averill,  commanding 
Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  brigades  of  Bradley 
Johnston,  McCausland,  and  Imboden. 

Toll  Gate,  August  11,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  Merritt,  commanding  First 
Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  infantry  division  of  General  Gordon,  and 
Rebel  cavalry  under  Wickham. 

Cedarville,  August  16,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  Merritt,  commanding 
First  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division, 
and  General  Kershaw's  Rebel  infantry  division. 

Winchester,  August  17,  1864. — Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert  com- 
manding, with  the  Third  (Wilson's)  Cavalry  Division,  Lowell's  brigade  of  First  Cavalry  Divis- 
ion, and  Penrose's  brigade,  Sixth  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  and 
Breckinridge's  Rebel  infantry  corps. 

Summit  Point,  August  21,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  H.  Wilson,  commanding 
Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  and  infantry  advance  of 
the  Rebel  army. 

Kearneysville,  August  25,  1864.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert, 
commanding  First  and  Third  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Breckinridge's 
Rebel  infanfry  corps. 

Kabletown,  August  26,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  C.  R.  Lowell,  jr.,  command- 
ing brigade  First  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry 
division,  supported  by  Kershaw's  Rebel  infantry  division. 

Smithfield,  Angust  28,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier  General  W.  Merritt,  commanding  First 
Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Lomax's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Smithfield  Crossing  of  the  Opequan,  August  29,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General 
W.  Merritt,  commanding  First  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  Breck- 
inridge's Rebel  infantry  corps,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Bunker  Hill,  September  2  and  3,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  W.  Averill, 
commanding  Second  Cavalry  Divisjon,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  brigades  of 
McCausland,  Bradley  Johnston,  and  Imboden. 

Abram's  Creek,  September  13,  1864,-Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  B.  Mcintosh,  com- 
manding brigade,  Third  Cavalry  Division,-  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Kershaw's  Rebel 
infantry  division,  and  McCausland's  Rebel  cavalry  brigade. 

Opequan    September  19,  1864,-Fought  by  Major-General  P.   H.  Sheridan,  commanding 

n'T      ^ufrand°ilh   <cavalry™d  infa»try)  and  Lieutenant-General  Jubal  A.  Farly,  com- 
manding Rebel  Army  of  the  Valley  (cavalry  and  infantry). 

Front  Royal,  September  21,  1864,-Fought  by  Brigadier-General  J.  II.  Wilson,  command- 

DiviZnie8irre-f°Ught.by  Brigadier_General  J-    H'  Wilson'  commanding  Third    Cavalry 
ItoZ^  ln8tructl01*  fr™  Major-General   G.   G.   Meade,  commanding  Army  of  the 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  515 

ing  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  division  under  Briga- 
dier-General Wickham. 

Fisher's  Hill,  September  22,  1864.— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  commanding 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah  (infantry)  with  Devin's  brigade,  First  Cavalry  Division,  and  Averill's 
cavalry  division,  and  Lieutenant-General  Jubal  A.  Early,  commanding  Rebel  Army  of  the 
Valley. 

Milford,  September  22,  1864.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert,  com- 
manding First  (Merritt's)  and  Third  (Wilson's)  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah, 
and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Luray,  September  24,  1864. — Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert,  command- 
ing First  (Merritt's)  and  Third  (Wilson's)  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and 
Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division. 

Forest  Hill,  September  24,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  H.  Powell,  com- 
manding Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  brigades  of 
Jackson,  Imboden,  and  McCausland. 

Weyer's  Cave,  September  26,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  H.  Powell,  com- 
manding Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cav- 
alry division. 

Brown's  Gap,  September  26,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  Merritt,  commanding 
First  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  divison, 
and  Kershaw's  Rebel  infantry  division. 

Waynesboro',  September  28,  1864. — Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert, 
commanding  Third  (Wilson's)  Division,  and  Lowell's  brigade,  First  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of 
the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  and  infantry. 

Mt.  Crawford,  October  2,  1864. —  Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert, 
commanding  First  (Merritt's)  and  Third  (Custer's)  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenan- 
doah, and  Rebel  cavalry  divisions  of  Fitz  Lee  and  Rosser,  and  Pegram's  Rebel  infantry  division. 

Tom's  Run,  October  9,  1864. — Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert,  command- 
ing, with  cavalry  divisions  of  Generals  Merritt  and  Custer,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel 
cavalry  divisions  of  Fitz  Lee,  Rosser,  and  Lomax. 

Cedar  Creek,  October  19,  1864. — Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan  commanding, 
with  Army  of  the  Shenandoah  (cavalry  and  infantry),  and  Lieutenant-General  Jubal  A.  Early, 
commanding  Rebel  Army  of  the  Valley  (cavalry  and  infantry). 

Milford,  No.  2.  October  26,  1864. — Fought  by  Brigadier-General  Powell,  commanding 
Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  L.  L.  Lomax,  with  Rebel 
cavalry  division. 

Middletown,  November  12,  1864. — Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan  commanding, 
with  the  First  and  Third  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the  Rebel  Army 
of  the  Valley,  under  Lieutenant-General  Jubal  A.  Early. 

Nineveh,  November  12,  1864.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  W.  H.  Powell,  commanding 
Second  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  Division  under  General 
L.  L.  Lomax. 

Lacey's  Spring's,  December  21,  1864.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  G.  A.  Custer, 
commanding  Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry  division 
under  General  Rosser. 

Liberty  Mills,  December  22,  1864.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert, 
commanding  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Rebel  cavalry 
division  under  General  L.  L.  Lomax. 

Gordonsville,  December  23,  1864.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  A.  T.  A.  Torbert, 
commanding  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Lomax's 
Rebel  cavalry  division,  and  Pegram's  division  of  Rebel  infantry. 

Waynesboro'  No.  2,  March  2,  1865.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  G.  A.  Custer,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Lieutenant-General  Early, 
with  Wharton's  Rebel  infantry  division,  Lilley's  infantry  brigade,  and  Rosser  with  part  of  a 
brigade  of  cavalry. 


516 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


North  Anna  Bridges,  or  Ashland  No.  2,  March  14  and  15,  1865.— Fought  by  Major- 
General  P.  H.  Sheridan  commanding,  with  Merritt's  two  cavalry  divisions  (Custer's  and  Devin's), 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  Lieutenant-General  Longstreet  commanding,  with  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel 
cavalry  division,  and  Pickett's  and  Bushrod  Johnston's  Rebel  infantry  division. 

Dinwiddie  C.  H.,  March  31, 1865— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan  commanding, 
with  Merritt's  two  cavalry  divisions  (i.  e.  Custer's  and  Devin's),  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and 
Crook's  cavalry  division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Pickett's  and  Bushrod  Johnston's  Rebel 
infantry  divisions,  with  Fitz  Lee's  and  W.  H.  F.  Lee's  cavalry  divisions. 

Five  Forks,  April  1,  1865.— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan  commanding,  with 
Merritt's  two  cavalry  divisions  (i.  e.  Custer's  and  Devin's),  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and 
Crook's  and  McKenzie's  cavalry  divisions,  armies  operating  against  Richmond,  and  the  Fifth 
Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  Lieutenant-General  Anderson,  commanding  Pickett's 
and  Bushrod  Johnston's  Rebel  infantry  divisions,  and  the  Rebel  cavalry  corps,  consisting  of  Fitz 
Lee's,  W.  II  F.  Lee's,  Lomax's,  and  Rosser's  Rebel  cavalry  divisions. 

Scott's  Corners,  April  2, 1865. — Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  W.  Merritt,  commanding, 
with  Custer's  and  Devin's  cavalry  divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  McKenzie's  cavalry 
division,  Army  of  the  James,  and  infantry  rear-guard  of  the  Rebel  army  under  Longstreet,  and 
Rebel  cavalry  under  Fitz  Lee  and  W.  H.  F.  Lee. 

Sweethouse  Creek,  April  3,  1865. — Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  G.  A.  Custer,  com- 
manding Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  W.  H.  F.  Lee,  com- 
manding Rebel  cavalry  division,  supported  by  six  brigades  of  Rebel  infantry. 

Winticomack  Creek,  April  3,  1865. — Fought  by  Colonel  William  Wells,  commanding  bri- 
gade Third  Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  General  Geary,  commanding  North 
Carolina  brigade  of  Rebel  cavalry. 

Amelia  C.  H.,  April  4  and  5,  1865.— Fought  by  Brigadier-General  R.  S.  McKenzie,  com- 
manding cavalry  division,  Army  of  the  James,  and  the  advance  of  the  Rebel  army  under  Gen- 
eral Longstreet. 

Tabernacle  Church,  April  4,  1865.— Fought  by  Brevet  Major-General  W.  Merritt,  com- 
manding, with  Custer's  and  Devin's  cavalry  divisions,  Army  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the  rear- 
guard of  the  Rebel  army  under  General  Gordon. 

Amelia  Springs,  April  5, 1865.— Fought  by  Major-General  George  Crook,  commanding  Sec- 
ond Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Fitz  Lee's  Rebel  cavalry  division, 
supported  by  Rebel  infantry. 

Sailor's  Creek,  April  6,  1865.— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  commanding, 
with  General  W.  Merritt's  cavalry  divisions  (Custer's  and  Devin's)  Army  of  the  Shenandoah, 
Major-General  Crook's  Second  Cavalry  Division,  and  the  Sixth  Army  Corps  under  Major -Geu- 
eral  H.  G.  Wright,  and  the  Rebel  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  under  General  R.  E.  Lee. 

Farmvtlle,  April  7,  1865.— Fought  by  Major-General  George  Crook,  commanding,  Sec- 
ond Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  General  Rosser's  Rebel  cavalry  division,  sup- 
ported by  infantry,  rear-guard  of  the  Rebel  army. 

Appomattox  Station,  April  8, 1865.— Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  command- 
ing, with  Merritt's  two  cavalry  divisions  (i.  e.  Custer's  and  Devin's),  Army  of  the  Shenandoah, 
and  the  main  advance  of  the  Rebel  army. 

,  Appomattox  C.  H.,  April  9,  1865,-Fought  by  Major-General  P.  H.  Sheridan,  with  Mer- 
ritt a  cavalry  command  (i.  c.  Custer's  and  Devin's  cavalry  divisions),  Army  of  the  Shenandoah, 
T  ™Tk'Sand  McKenzie'8  ca^l^  divisions,  armies  operating  against  Richmond,  supported  by 
the  Fifth  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the  Twenty- Fourth  Army  Corps,  Army  of  the 
Jamea,  and  Rebel  Army  of  Northern  Virginia  (cavalry  and  infantry),  General  Robert  E.  Lee 
commanding. 

The  history  of  these  seventy-six  battles  is  the  history  of  by  far  the  larger 
part  of  the  cavalry  operations  of  the  war.  Into  that  we  can  not  enter.  It  is 
likewise  the  history  of  the  greatest  of  living  cavalry  Generals;  and  this  (with 
a  quicker  pen)  we  may  continue  to  trace. 


Philip   H.   Sheridan.  517 

Minio  muskets  and  rifled  cannon  had  abolished  the  old  functions  of  cavalry. 
What  its  true  sphere  might  be,  under  the  changed  conditions  of  war,  was  still  an 
open  question.  Manifestly  the  day  for  grand  cavalry  charges,  which  should 
decide  the  fate  of  pitched  battles  was  past,  when  the  charge  must  be  made  for 
miles  under  a  storm  of  rifle  projectiles.  So  high  an  authority  as  General  Sher- 
man had  declared  that  he  had  lost  faith  in  cavalry  raids.*  In  effect  the  cavalry 
was  reduced  to  the  drudgery  of  furnishing  pickets  for  the  army.  It  was  with- 
out esprit  de  corps;  the  men  were  the  target  for  alternate  abuse  and  raillery 
from  the  fighting  infantry ;  and  their  horses,  neglected  by  riders  never  taught 
how  to  care  for  them,  were  broken  down. 

Sheridan's  first  movement  was  to  procure  the  release  of  his  cavalry  from  a 
large  share  of  their  picket-duty;  his  next  to  nurse  the  horses  into  some 
degree  of  fitness  for  active  service.  Meantime  he  sought  to  impress  upon  the 
mind  of  the  Lieutenant-General  his  own  idea  of  the  work  before  the  cavalry 
of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  took  up  the  theory,  he  tells  us,  that  in  that 
country  of  dense  woods  and  numerous  streams,  "  our  cavalry  ought  to  fight  the 
enemy's  cavalry,  and  our  infantry  the  enemy's  infantry.  .  .  .  But  it  was 
difficult  to  overcome  the  established  custom  of  wasting  cavalry  for  the  protec- 
tion of  trains,  and  for  the  establishment  of  cordons  around  a  sleeping  infantry 
force. "f  He  had  taken  up  another  notable  idea.  He  did  "not  believe  war  to 
be  simply  that  lines  should  engage  each  other  in  battle,  as  that  is  but  the  duello 
part — a  part  which  would  be  kept  up  so  long  as  those  who  live  at  home  in  peace 
and  plenty,  could  find  the  best  youth  of  the  country  to  enlist  in  their  cause. "J 
He  said  "the  best" — he  explained,  "because  the  bravest  are  always  the  best." 
And  with  this  profession  of  a  soldier's  creed,  he  added  that,  believing  war  to  be 
something  more  than  a  duel,  he  did  "not  regret  the  system  of  living  on  the 
enemy's  country.  These  men  and  women  did  not  care  how  many  were  killed 
or  maimed,  so  long  as  war  did  not  come  to  their  doors;  but  as  soon  as  it  did 
come,  in  the  shape  of  loss  of  property,  they  earnestly  prayed  for  its  termina- 
tion." Furthermore,  war  being  a  punishment  and  death  the  maximum  punish- 
ment, "if  we  can,  b}T  reducing  its  advocates  to  poverty,  end  it  quicker,  we  are  on. 
the  side  of  humanity."  Questionable  conclusions,  perhaj^s !  But  Sheridan's 
campaigns  never  saw  such  license  resulting  therefrom,  as  brought  stains  upon 
the  bright  honor  of  others.  He  took  the  best  out  of  both  his  principles — 
showed  what  could  be  done  by  fighting  the  enemy's  cavalry,  and  what  by  living 
off  the  country. 

For  a  few  days  after  Grant's  overland  movement  began,  he  was  kept  busy, 
guarding  the  left  of  the  army,  protecting  its  trains,  and  feeling  its  way  for  it, 
out  of  the  Wilderness,  to  Spottsylvania.  Then,  cutting  loose  from  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  with  but  a  half-day's  rations  of  forage,  he  started  to  "fight  the 
enemy's  cavalry,"  and — get  supplies  on  the  James!  Making  a  wide  detour  to 
avoid  Lee,  he  next  turned  straight  for  Lee's  rear  and  for  Richmond.  The  Rebel 
cavalry  could  not  comprehend  his  purpose,  and  frittered  away  its  time  in  incon- 

*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  of  1867,  Vol.  I,  p.  195. 

t  Sheridan's  Official  Eeports,  Gov't  Edition,  p.  18.  I  Ibid,  p.  31. 


518  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

sequential  attacks  upon  his  rear,  while  his  advance  leisurely  walked  across 
river  after  river,  where  the  passage  might  have  been  strenuously  resisted.  At 
|*M  ho  passed  the  North  Anna;  then  launching  out  a  single  division  in  all  haste 
to  Beaver  Dam  Station,  he  captured  a  rich  store  of  supplies*  and  was  hence- 
forth in  no  fear  as  to  what  might  befall  before  he  should  reach  his  rations  on 
the  James.  His  horses'  heads  were  turned  into  the  open  road  to  Richmond — the 
B#b»]  cavalry  following  at  first  in  bewilderment,  then,  as  his  purpose  dawned 
upon  them,  bending  every  energy  to  interpose  between  his  advancing  column 
and  their  capital.  They  did  not  succeed  till  the  guidons  of  the  Yankee  troopers 
were  fluttering  within  six  miles  of  the  city.  Here,  at  Yellow  Tavern,  came  the 
first  vigorous  contest  between  the  entire  forces  of  cavalry  of  the  contending 
armies.  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  an  old  and  distinguished  cavalry  commander, 
wms  Sheridan's  antagonist.  He  committed  the  tactical  error  of  dividing  his 
force  as  he  was  about  to  receive  the  attack,  sending  a  large  column  to  effect  a 
diversion  in  Sheridan's  rear.  He  paid  for  the  error  with  his  life.  Sheridan  left 
a  small  body  to  take  care  of  the  rear,  and  charged  resistlessly  down  upon  Stu- 
art's position  in  front.  The  Rebel  cavalry  broke;  the  part  in  front  fled  toward 
Richmond,  the  column  at  the  rear  was  driven  northward;  and,  with  an  open 
road  before  him,  Sheridan  trotted  down  till  he  was  within  the  outer  defenses  of 
the  city.  Then,  hearing  from  negroes  that  Butler,  advancing  up  the  James, 
was  threatening  Richmond  on  the  south,  he  determined  to  move  along  the  defenses 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  render  Butler  whatever  aid  might  be  derived  from  a  very 
effectual  and  convincing  demonstration.  Accordingly  he  turned  eastward,  the 
feet  of  his  horses  touching  off  the  torpedoes  as  they  moved,  and  made  a  night 
march  along  the  passage  between  the  outer  and  inner  line  of  works;  the  Rebel 
cavalry,  meanwhile,  curiously  watching  to  see  what  crazy  freak  this  new 
Yankee  commander  would  next  attempt.  When  he  came  to  cross  the  Chicka- 
hominy,  he  found  his  passage  obstructed,  and  the  bridge  partially  destroyed. 
Ho  repaired  it  under  fire,  crossed  a  division  on  it,  and  pursued  the  enemy  to 
Gaines's  Mill.  Meantime  the  rest  of  his  force  had  been  attacked  before  crossing 
the  river,  and  one  of  his  divisions  had  been  driven ;  but  the  other  was  skillfully 
thrown  in  upon  the  surprised  foe;  the  Rebels  were  routed  and  driven  behind  the 
inner  breastworks  of  the  city.  What  followed  the  unique  official  report  shall 
tell  us:  "For  the  balance  of  the  day  we  collected  our  wounded,  buried  our  dead, 
grazed  our  horses,  and  read  the  Richmond  papers,  two  small  newsboys  having, 
with  commendable  enterprise,  entered  our  lines,  and  sold  to  the  officers  and 
men ! " 

Thus  far  the  casualties  had  been  four  hundred  and  twenty-five.  The  diffi- 
culties of  the  movement  were  over,  for  crossings  on  the  Chickahominy  were 
easily  secured,  and  the  column  marched,  comparatively  uninterrupted,  through 
White  Oak  Swamp  to  Haxall's  Landing,  on  the  James. 

Here  for  three  days  they  rested.  They  were  to  return  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac;  but  where  was  it?  To  make  sure  of  contingencies,  Sheridan  decided 
on  marching  far  to  the  eastward,  crossing  the  Pamunkey  at  White  House,  and 

♦About  a  million  and  a  half  of  rations,  in  all,  besides  medical  stores,  telegraph  wire,  etc. 


Philip  H.   Sheridan.  519 

feeling  there  for  the  missing  army.  The  railroad  bridge  was  supposed  to  be 
burnt,  but  on  coming  to  examine  it  closed,  Sheridan  found  he  could  make  it 
passable  if  he  only  had  plank.  Mounted  parties  were  at  once  sent  out  to  scour 
the  country;  every  man  returned  bearing  a  board ;  and  before  two  divisions, 
sent  out  towards  Richmond  to  reconnoiter  and  to  destroy  Lee's  railroad  had 
returned,  the  bridge  was  ready  for  their  passage.  A  few  prisoners  were  taken  ; 
the  whereabouts  of  the  contending  armies  was  ascertained,  and  with  little  more 
difficulty  they  rejoined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  They  had  been  gone  sixteen 
days,  had  destroyed  and  captured  many  stores,  temporarily  broken  the  railroads, 
deepened  the  sense  of  insecurity  at  Richmond,  and  kept  the  Rebel  cavalry  out 
of  Grant's  way.  But  beyond  and  above  this,  the  movement  had  changed  the 
mounted  force  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  into  cavalry.  Thenceforth,  they  had 
confidence  in  themselves  and  in  their  leader;  were  animated  with  the  cavalry 
spirit,  and  were  no  longer  doubtful  of  their  power  to  compete  with  equal  or 
superior  forces  of  the  enemy. 

They  next  moved  to  secure  for  the  army  the  crossing  of  the  Pamunkey. 
Beyond  the  river,  and  but  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  infantry  line,  they 
had  a  hard  fight  with  South  Carolina  cavalry,  whom  they  finally  drove.  Next, 
they  maneuvered  for  the  possession  of  Cold  Harbor,  through  which  Grant 
wished  to  run  his  new  line  of  supplies.  Finally,  they  fought  for  it — first  along 
an  adjacent  creek,  then  at  Cold  Harbor  itself,  where  they  drove  a  strong  force 
of  cavalry  and  infantry  out  of  intrenchments.  "The  men  were  now  beginning," 
says  Sheridan,  "  to  accept  nothing  less  than  victory."  They  were  heavily  at- 
tacked in  their  new  position ;  but  behind  their  slight  intrenchments  they  held  it 
firmly  till  ten  o'clock  next  morning,  when  the  advance  of  the  infantry  arrived 
to  relieve  them. 

One  of  the  systems  of  co-operative  movements  which  Grant  had  so  well 
arranged  on  paper  (but  which  bitterly  failed  in  execution)  was  now  in  progress. 
Sheridan,  with  two  divisions,  was  ordered  to  assist  it.  General  Hunter  was 
expected  to  arrive  at  Charlottesville.  Sheridan  accordingly  set  out  to  cut  the 
Virginia  Central  Railroad,  and  join  Hunter  at  this  point — it  being  further 
expected  that  his  movement  would  draw  off  the  Rebel  cavalry  from  the  flanks 
and  trains  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  carried  a  hundred  rounds  of  am- 
munition, three  days'  rations,  and  two  days'  forage.  For  the  rest  he  was  to 
live  off  the  country.  As  he  started  he  received  news  that  Breckinridge's 
infantry,  and  the  whole  Rebel  cavalry,  were  moving  westward  on  a  route  par- 
allel to  his  own.  He  encountered  no  difficulty  till  he  reached  Trevillian  Station, 
where  he  had  hard  fighting.  He  now  learned  that  Hunter  was  not  at  Char- 
lottesville but  that  Breckinridge  was;  that  Ewell  was  still  further  westward; 
that  Hunter,  instead  of  marching  to  join  him,  was  marching  fairly  away  from 
him,  in  the  direction  of  Lynchburg.  He  had  nearly  exhausted  his  ammunition. 
He  had  five  hundred  wounded,  and  as  many  prisoners.  Thus  burdened  and 
isolated,  he  was  facing,  without  rations  or  forage,  in  an  enemy's  country,  largely 
superior  numbers,  and  was  without  powder  and  ball,  and  without  prospect  of 
joining  the  co-operating  column.     He  promptly  decided  to  return;  broke  up 


520  Ohio  in  the  War. 

the  railroad  about  Trevillian  Station ;  used  almost  his  last  round  of  ammu- 
nition in  the  fighting  that  accompanied  this  work;  left  ninety  wounded  who 
could  not  be  moved,  and  with  the  rest  in  ambulances,  struck  out  north-east- 
wardly  on  his  return,  bearing  with  him  two  thousand  escaping  slaves.  There 
was  some  delay  in  feeling  for  the  new  positions  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  ; 
and,  finally,  the  column  came  safely  out  at  White  House. 

A  new  task  awaited  it— to  conduct  the  great  train  left  there  to  the  south 
bide  of  the  James,  whither  the  army  had  already  gone.  "The  train  should 
never  have  been  left  for  us,"  says  Sheridan  rather  curtly— indeed  he  seems  on 
several  occasions  ill- satisfied  with  General  Meade's  management  of  affairs— but 
his  tired  troopers  at  once  undertook  the  work.  Heavy  Eebel  forces  hung  upon 
his  flanks;  and  he  had  to  fight  a  stubborn  battle  at  St.  Mary's,  which  ended  in 
disorderly  retreat,  but  lasted  long  enough  to  get  the  train  out  of  harm's  way. 
And  so  he  came  out  on  the  James. 

Meanwhile  General  Meade  had  contrived  to  get  Wilson's  cavalry  division, 
which  Sheridan  had  left  behind  when  he  started  on  the  Trevillian  raid,  into 
trouble.  It  had  been  sent  south  of  Petersburg  to  cut  railroads,  had  not  been 
properly  supported,  and  had  been  improperly  instructed  as  to  the  forces  ii  would 
encounter.  Just  as  Sheridan  was  arranging  for  its  relief  it  worried  through, 
though  with  heavy  loss. 

At  last  came  a  little  rest.  The  cavalry  had  now  been  fighting  and  marching 
continuously  for  fifty-six  consecutive  days.  It  was  given  from  the  2d  to  the 
26th  of  July  to  recuperate.  Then  followed  a  fresh  movement  to  the  north  side 
of  the  James,  to  create  a  diversion  in  favor  of  the  Burnside  mine  explosion. 
At  Darbytown  it  came  upon  resistance,  fought  a  brisk  engagement,  and  came 
off  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  and  two  battle-flags.  Then,  with  the 
supporting  infantry,  it  drew  in  around  the  head  of  the  bridge.  At  dark  the 
floor  was  covered  with  moss  and  a  division  of  the  cavalry  stealthily  moved  over 
to  the  south  side.  At  daybreak,  dismounted,  and  with  all  the  pomp  of  flutter- 
ing banners  and  beating  drums,  they  came  marching  back.  By  such  maneuvers 
the  enemy  was  led  to  believe  a  continuous  and  formidable  movement  to  the 
north  side  was  in  progress.  Then — the  mine  explosion  having  ended  in  miser- 
able failure— he  once  more  led  back  his  cavalry  to  the  lines  around  Petersburg. 
It  was  on  the  30th  of  July  he  returned.  On  the  1st  of  August  he  was  relieved, 
for  harder  duty  on  a  wider  field. 

Of  the  energetic  and  successful  use  made  of  the  cavalry  belonging  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  during  these  busy  months  nothing  can  be  said  but  praise. 
When  Sheridan  began  he  confronted  superior  forces,  under  the  ablest  cavalry 
leader  of  the  rebellion.  This  leader*  was  kilkd  in  the  first  battle ;  his  troops, 
under  subordinates  so  noted  as  Wade  Hampton  and  Fitz  Lee,  were  routed  at 
almost  every  encounter,  and  when  Sheridan  turned  his  face  northward,  on  the 
1st  of  August,  he  left  behind  him  no  Eebel  cavalry  worthy  of  the  name.  In  all 
his  more  extended  movements  he  had  lived  off  the  country;  but  it  is  much  to 
his  credit  that  no  outrages  were  permitted,  and  that,  whenever  they  occurred, 
*  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart. 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  521 

efforts  were  made  to  bring  the  perpetrators  to  justiee.  He  had  captured  dur- 
ing the  campaign  over  two  thousand  prisoners;  had  placed  hors  de  combat  a 
force  of  the  enemy  at  least  equal  to  his  own  casualties,  and  had  lost  in  killed 
and  wounded  over  five  thousand. 

At  the  period  which  we  have  now  reached  Washington  was  just  recover- 
ing from  the  alarm  of  an  attack  which,  under  an  enterprising  commander,  could 
scarcely  have  failed  to  result  in  its  capture.  But  Early  had  frittered  away  his 
opportunity  in  feeble  reconnoissances ;  had  suddenly  found  himself  confronted 
by  two  corps;  had  hastily  retreated,  and  had  been  followed,  rather  than  vigor- 
ously pursued,  up  the  Shenandoah  Yalley.  Hitherto  the  troops  and  the  terri- 
tory essential  to  the  safety  of  the  capital  had  been  split  up  into  four  inde- 
pendent departments,  for  the  convenience  of  the  sorely  beset  President  in  find- 
ing places  for  his  unemployed  Major-Generals.  General  Grant  now  broke  up 
this  un military  arrangement.  He  made  one  department  of  the  four,  and 
shortly  afterward  placed  Sheridan  at  the  head  of  it. 

The  task  here  was  two-fold:  First,  and  always,  to  protect  the  capital 
and  the  North  from  these  perpetual  incursions  or  alarms  about  incursions, 
through  the  open  gateway  of  the  Shenandoah  Yalley ;  and  second,  to  defeat 
the  Eebel  army,  drive  it  out,  and  prevent  its  return.  For  this  work  Sheridan 
had  the  Sixth  and  the  Nineteenth  Army  Corps,  Crook's  "Army  of  Western 
Virginia,"  and  two  divisions  of  cavalry  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  making 
up  an  effective  force,  not  stated  in  numbers  officially  by  the  General,  though  it 
could  scarcely  have  fallen  below  thirty  thousand.  There  seems  little  reason  to 
doubt  that  Early,  at  the  beginning  of  active  operations,  had  at  least  twenty 

thousand.* 

t 
*Some  controversy  having  subsequently  sprung  up  as  to  the  relative  strength  of  the  opposing 
armies  in  this  campaign,  it  may  be  well  at  the  outset  to  say  that  there  seem  to  be  no  official  data 
for  arriving  at  Sheridan's  exact  strength.  In  his  official  report,  describing  the  month's  skirmish- 
ing before  the  battle  of  Opequan,  he  says  his  "effective  line-of-battle  strength  was  eighteen 
thousand  infantry  and  three  thousand  five  hundred  cavalry."  But  General  Grant  speaks  (in  his 
official  report  of  general  operations  through  the  closing  year  of  the  war)  of  three  brigades  of 
cavalry  sent  to  him,  "  numbering  at  least  five  thousand  men  and  horses;"  and  subsequently  of 
sending  also  Torbert's  and  Wilson's  divisions  of  cavalry  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Sher- 
idan himself,  in  his  report  of  cavalry  operations,  gives  the  effective  strength  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  in  that  arm  at  ten  thousand.  As  he  received  two  of  the  three  divisions,  the  number  thus 
added  could  hardly  have  been  less  than  six  thousand.  He  had,  besides  these,  Averill's  cavalry, 
connected  with  the  Army  of  Western  Virginia,  which  could  scarcely  have  been  less  than  one 
thousand  strong.  These  figures  would  make  an  aggregate  of  twelve  thousand  cavalry.  The 
Sixth  Corps  had  numbered  nearly  thirty-five  thousand  at  the  beginning  of  Grant's  Overland 
Campaign ;  but  after  its  passage  through  that  protracted  slaughter  there  appear  to  be  no  attain- 
able official  data  to  show  its  strength;  nor  are  there  any  to  give  the  strength  of  the  Nineteenth. 
Sheridan  officially  reports  the  casualties  in  his  army  through  the  entire  campaign  at  sixteen  thou- 
sand nine  hundred  and  fifty-two  (Gov't  Edition,  p.  48).  Unless  he  lost  over  half  his  army 
in  the  campaign,  this  would  involve  a  strength  of  at  least  thirty  thousand  at  the  outset,  besides 
occasional  re-enforcements.  Swinton  (History  Army  of  the  Potomac,  p.  556)  states  Sheridan's 
entire  effective  strength  at  thirty  thousand  infantry  and  ten  thousand  cavalry.  But  there  is  a 
passage  in  a  cipher  dispatch  of  Grant's  to  Halleck,  brought  out  in  the  final  Report  Com.  Con.  W7ar 
(Vol.  II,  Sheridan's  Campaigns,  p.  35),  stating  that  Early  had  received  re-enforcements,  raising 


£0  Ohio  in  the  War. 

The  region  through  winch  these  rival  forces  were  to  contend  was  the 
beautiful  ami  fertile  valley  of  the  Shenandoah-that  loveliest  portion  of  Vir- 
riaia  lyin.  between  the  Alleghanies  on  the  west,  and  their  outlying  parallel 
nm^.ilH.^hie  Hidge  on   the  east-rich,  prosperous,  abounding  in   food,  and 

little  harmed  thus  far  by  the  war. 

The  enemy  lay  at  Martinsburg,  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  which 
mm  the  northern  terminus  of  the  great  turnpike  to  Staunton,  the  leading  artery 
Of  the  valley.  Sheridan's  forces  were  concentrated  near  Harper's  Ferry.  The 
di.t.me  between  the  two  armies  was  not  great.  Between  them,  however,  flowed 
the  Opcquan  Creek.  With  the  first  signs  of  Sheridan's  movement  the  enemy 
retreated  up  the  turnpike  to  Winchester.  Here  Sheridan  meant  to  attack  him. 
But  Early  continued  his  retreat,  and  Sheridan,  striking  in  on  the  pike  behind 
him,  pressed  hard  after.  Th:s  up  the  valley  they  hastened,  pursuers  and  pur- 
sued,  till,  near  the  bank  of  Cedar  Creek— name  which  he  was  yet  to  make 
immortal— Sheridan  was  met  by  Colonel  Chipman,  from  the  Adjutant-General's 
office,  who  had  ridden  hard  through  Snicker's  Gap,  from  Washington,  to  bear 
him  an  ominous  dispatch  from  Grant:  "Inform  General  Sheridan  that  it  is  now 
certain  two  divisions  of  infantry  have  gone  to  Early,  some  cavalry,  and  twenty 
pieces  of  artillery.     He  must  be  cautious  and  act  now  on  the  defensive.    Early's 

,  with  this  increase,  can  not  exceed  forty  thousand  men,  but  this  is  too 
much  for  General  Sheridan  to  attack."* 

M  At  once,"  Sheridan  tells  us,  "  I  looked  over  the  map  of  the  valley  for  a 
defensive  line."  He  could  find  but  one — that  at  Halltown,  in  front  of  Harper's 
{Berry — and  he  subsequently  expressed  his  belief  that  no  other  good  line  for 
resisting  the  approach  of  a  superior  force  existed  in  the  vaHey.  Thither  he  at 
once  retreated — having  some  cavalry  fighting  and  much  maneuvering  on  the 

his  strength  to  "not  over  forty  thousand — but  this  is  too  much  for  General  Sheridan  to  attack" 
Greeley  (American  Conflict,  Vol.  II,  p.  607)  calls  Sheridan's  force  "nearly  thirty  thousand;"  and 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  sentence  in  the  text,  I  have  thought  this  about  the  number  to  which  the 
various  scraps  of  evidence  point  as  correct.  The  matter  is  of  importance  in  estimating  the  value 
of  Sheridan's  service,  since  it  has  been  common,  both  in  Rebel  circles  and  in  certain  quarters  at  the 
North,  to  speak  of  his  campaign  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  as  fought  against  an  antagonist  hav- 
ing little  more  than  one  soldier  to  his  four.  General  Early  himself,  in  a  letter  written  from 
Havana,  and  published  in  the  newspapers  in  December,  1865,  charged  Sheridan  with  exaggera- 
tion and  misrepresentation  as  to  various  matters  in  the  valley  campaign,  and  said:  "At  the 
battle  of  Winchester,  or  Opequan,  .  .  .  my  effective  strength  was  about  eight  thousand  five 
hundred  muskets,  three  battalions  of  artillery,  and  less  than  three  thousand  cavalry."  Unfor- 
tunate as  he  certainly  was,  General  Early  has  hitherto  been  considered  truthful ;  and,  at  any 
rate,  an  officer  having  regard  for  his  own  reputation,  would  hardly  commit  himself  to  an  untrue 
statement  in  a  matter  of  this  kind,  when  the  means  for  correcting  it  must  exist  in  the  hands  of 
several  individuals,  and  are  pretty  sure,  some  day  or  another,  to  come  out.  But  Sheridan's  reply 
shuts  us  up  to  the  belief  either  that  Early's  statement  here  was  grossly  incorrect,  or  that  he  must 
have  displayed  excessively  bad  generalship  in  fighting  a  great  battle  with  only  a  part  of  his 
forces,  or  that  he  must  have  been  in  constant  receipt  of  re-enforcements  afterward.  This  reply 
was  very  simple.  It  consisted  of  a  receipt  from  the  Provost-Marshal-General  of  the  Depart- 
ment, for  thirteen  thousand  prisoners,  captured  from  General  Early's  command  during  the 
valley  campaign— two  thousand  more  than  Early  represented  as  forming  the  entire  effective 
strength  of  his  army  at  Winchester! 

♦Final  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.    Vol.  II,  Sheridan's  Campaigns,  pp.  34,  35. 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  523 

way.  Under  directions  from  General  Grant,  the  wheat  and  hay  throughout  the 
portion  of  the  valley  thus  reached,  were  destroyed,  the  order  instructing  '-officers 
in  charge  of  this  delicate  but  necessary  duty  to  inform  the  people  that  the  object 
is  to  make  this  valley  untenable  for  the  raiding  parties  of  the  Rebel  army."* 

On  the  21st  of  August  Sheridan  reached  his  defensive  line  of  Halltown. 
Three  days  before,  on  the  evening  of  the  17th,  Early  had  reached  Winchester 
on  his  advance,  and  had  been  re-enforced  by  Kershaw's  division  of  Longstrect'a 
famous  corps  from  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  and  by  two  brigades  of  Pitas 
Lee's  cavalry.  Still  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  his  force  by  any  means 
reached  General  Grant's  enormous  estimate  of  forty  thousand.  Subsequent  dis- 
patches indeed  proved  so  confused  and  contradictory  that  Sheridan  determined 
to  find  out  for  himself  what  force  Early  really  had,  and  repeated  reconnoissances 
were  accordingly  ordered.  Some  of  these  swelled  into  considerable  engagements. 
They  resulted  in  convincing  the  General  that  "the  difference  of  strength  be- 
tween the  two  opposing  forces  was  but  little. "f  Meanwhile  he  had  learned  that 
Kershaw's  division  was  soon  to  be  ordered  back  to  Richmond,  and  he  decided  to 
awTait  its  withdrawal.  The  country,  he  reasoned,  could  ill  afford  defeat,  and  no 
interests  in  the  valley  were  injured  by  a  little  delay  save  those  of  the  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad — a  corporation  never  likely  to  suffer  long  without  making  its 
wants  abundantly  known. J  From  the  21st  of  August,  therefore,  till  the  3d  of 
September,  the  army  lay  on  the  Halltown  line,  then  until  19th  September  on 
positions  in  front  of  it  toward  Winchester.  Through  all  this  time  the  cavalry 
was  kept  at  work,  skirmishing  with  the  enemy,  and — a  matter  of  far  greater 
moment — learning  to  attack  infantry  in  position.  The  territory  between  the 
advanced  lines  and  the  bank  of  Opequan  Creek  was  thus  continually  scoured, 
and  behind  this  impenetrable  veil  Sheridan  hoped,  when  the  time  came,  to  con- 
ceal the  movements  of  his  infantry.  ♦ 

At  last,  on  the  night  of  the  15th  September,  came  news  of  the  awaited 
return  of  KershawT.  The  plan  now  conceived  by  Sheridan  was  bold  and 
sagacious.  He  determined  to  abandon  his  own  line,  throw  himself  upon  that 
of  the  enemy,  on  the  valley  turnpike  behind  him,  and  thus  leave  him  without 
retreat.  But  as  yet  his  orders  from  the  Lieutenant-General  did  not  contemplate 
bringing  on  a  decisive  battle.  Grant,  however,  now  came  up  from  City  Point  to 
confer  with  Sheridan  and  decide  what  should  be  done.  "  He  pointed  out  so 
distinctly  how  each  army  lay,"  says  Grant  in  his  Annual  Report,  "what  he 
could  do  the  moment  he  was  authorized,  and  expressed  such  confidence  of  suc- 
cess, that  I  saw  there  were  but  two  words  of  instruction  necessary — go  in!  I 
asked  him  if  he  could  get  out  his  teams  and  supplies  in  time  to  make  an  attack 
on  the  ensuing  Tuesday  morning.  His  reply  was  that  he  could  before  daylight 
on  Monday.  He  was  off  promptly  to  time,"  continues  the  General,  "and  I 
may  here  add  that  the  result  was  such  that  I  have  never  since  deemed  it  neces- 
sary to  visit  General  Sheridan  before  giving  him  orders."  High  compliment 
indeed — but  we  shall  see  how  Sheridan  won  it. 

*  Final  Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.     Vol.  II,  Sheridan's  Campaigns,  pp.  34, 35. 
tlbid,  p.  37.  Ubid. 


524 


Ohio  in  the  War 


He  was  on  the  point  of  executing  his  bold  movement  to  the  enemy's  rear, 
when  word  came  to  him  that  Early,  keeping  half  his  army  at  Winchester,  had 
just  sent  the  other  half  down  to  Martinsburg.  Here  then  was  an  opportunity 
to  beat  him  in  detail.  He  would  fall  first  upon  the  force  at  Winchester,  then, 
after  crushing  it,  would  advance  northward  down  the  Valley  Pike  against  the 
Marti  nsburg  column,  which,  thus  cut  off  from  its  line  of  retreat,  could  have  no 

escape. 

Beyond  the  Opequan  stretched  a  narrow  mountain  gorge,  through  which 
lay  the  road  Sheridan  must  take  in  advancing  upon  the  Kebel  positions  at 
Winchester.  Along  this  Wilson  charged*  with  one  division  of  the  cavalry, 
sweeping  out  the  Kebel  defenders,  capturing  the  work  at  the  exit  near  Win- 
chester, and  securing  space  for  the  deployment  of  the  army.  But  Emory's 
Nineteenth  Corps  was  unfortunately  delayed  by  its  blunder  in  allowing  the 
wagon-train  of  the  Sixth  to  precede  it,  and  the  difficulty  of  the  roads  increased 
the  detention,  so  that  it  was  nine  o'clock  before  the  lines  were  ready  to  advance. 

Before  this  time  Early  had  recalled 
the  absent  divisions,  and  concentrated 
his  army.  Moving  up,  therefore,  to  the 
attack  with  the  Sixth  and  Nineteenth 
Corps,  Sheridan  met  a  heavy  and  obsti- 
nate resistance.  He  still  held  Crook  in 
reserve,  meaning,  at  the  turning  point  in 
the  battle,  to  throw  him  in  on  his  left, 
and  thus  reach  the  Valley  Pike,  and  still 
gain  the  enemy's  line  of  retreat.  But 
now  Early,  hoping  by  a  powerful  attack 
to  break  through  the  National  front, 
seize  the  gorge,  and  thus  plant  himself 
upon  its  line  of  retreat,  made  a  desperate 
onset  upon  the  center.  The  line  was 
completely  broken;  toward  the  gorge 
began  a  rush  of  confused  soldiery  from 
half  the  regiments;  the  battle  was  almost 
lost.  At  this  critical  juncture  Sheridan 
drew  aside  one  of  the  brigades  in  the 
line,  which  had  just  missed  the  full  force 
of  the  Rebel  blow,  and  ordered  it  to 
reserve  its  fire.  Early's  attacking  col- 
umn rushed  on  after  the  fleeing  regiments 
till  it  had  unwarily  exposed  its  flank. 
Then,  upspringing,  the  brigade  poured 
Sheridan's  valley  campaicn.  in  its  fire,  and  rushed  upon  the  enemy's 
flank  and  rear.  The  diversion  threw  back  the  successful  assaulting  column;  the 
corps  commanders  exerted  themselves  to  re-form  their  lines,  and  bring  back  the 
*  19th  September,  1864. 


Philip  H.  Shekidan.  525 

thousands  from  the  rear;  and  before  Early  could  prepare  to  renew  his  venture, 
a  compact  wall  of  infantry  once  more  confronted  him. 

Along  the  center  fierce  line-fighting  progressed,  each  side  lying  close  to 
cover,  and  firing  with  a  deliberation  and  accuracy  that  the  long  ranks  of  corpses 
on  the  battle-field  afterward  attested.  On  the  right,  however,  the  storm 
increased;  and  Sheridan  began  to  grow  fearful  that  it  would  be  turned.  At  last 
he  determined  to  avert  this  danger  by  abandoning  his  original  design  of  putting 
Crook  in  on  the  left,  and  by  using  him  instead  as  a  turning  column  on  the  right. 
His  attack  was  vehement  and  successful.  Just  as  the  enemy  began  to  flee,  one 
looking  down  the  Valley  Pike  might  see  the  rest  of  Sheridan's  cavalry  charging 
up.  They  had  made  a  long  detour  to  the  right,  had  routed  the  Kebel  cavalry,  and 
were  now  driving  a  confused  mass  of  infantry  and  cavalry  up  the  pike  and  into 
Winchester.  In  the  open  ground  in  front  of  the  town  Early  made  a  last  stand. 
But  Wilson's  cavalry  was  now  pushing  in  on  the  left  to  gain  the  pike  in  his 
rear;  Sheridan  ordered  a  combined  infantry  and  cavalry  charge  on  the  front; 
and  the  battle  was  over.     It  was  five  o'clock  in  the  evening.* 

In  his  hasty  dispatch  to  the  War  Department  from  the  battle-field,  Sheridan 
said:  "We  have  just  sent  the  enemy  whirling  through  Winchester,  and  are 
after  them  to-morrow.  This  army  behaved  splendidly.  We  captured  two 
thousand  five  hundred  to  three  thousand  prisoners,  five  pieces  of  artillery,  nine 
battle-flags,  and  all  the  Rebel  dead  and  wounded.  Jheir  wounded  in  Winches- 
ter amount  to  some  three  thousand. "f  He  wrote  exactly  as  he  felt.  He  had 
been  into  the  fight,  had  thrilled  with  the  rapture  of  the  charge,  and  the  pride 
of  the  pursuit;  and  it  was  but  putting  the  cavalry  enthusiasm  into  words,  when 
in  his  lively  phrase  he  telegraphed  to  the  listening  Country,  as  he  talked  to  the 
comrades  around  him,  that  they  had  sent  the  enemy  whirling  through  Win- 
chester. How  he  fed  on  the  fighting  as  on  food  a  hundred  stories  of  the  battle  are 
told  to  illustrate.  But  this  bit  of  a  picture  from  the  pen  of  a  regimental  officer 
must  suffice.  The  general  advance  had  just  been  ordered:  "A  mounted  officer, 
followed  by  a  single  orderly,  galloped  up  to  us.  As  he  reined  in  his  horse  a 
Rebel  shell,  one  of  the  many  which  were  now  tearing  through  the  wood,  burst 
within  a  few  feet  of  him,  actually  seeming  to  crown  his  head  with  its  deadly 
halo  of  smoke  and  humming  fragments.  'That's  all  right,  boys,'  he  said,  with  a 
careless  laugh.  'No  matter,  we  can  lick  them.'  The  men  laughed;  then  a 
whisper  ran  along  the  ranks  that  it  was  Sheridan  !  Then  they  burst  into  a 
spontaneous  cheer.  'What  regiment  is  this,'  he  asked;  and  dashed  off  toward 
the  firing."  So  it  was  that  he  was  magnetizing  these  troops,  who  a  month  ago 
had  scarcely  heard  of  him,  into  the  confidence  that  a  month  later,  was  to  enable 

*  In  the  statements  of  the  General's  plans,  in  the  above,  and  generally  in  the  account  of 
this  campaign,  where  other  authorities  are  not  quoted,  I  follow  closely  Sheridan's  own  official 
reports. 

t  Early  states  that  he  had  only  eleven  thousand  five  hundred  effective  force  in  this  battle. 
Were  the  statement  credible  it  would  detract  greatly  from  the  glory  of  the  victory,  for  Sheridan's 
force  engaged  could  scarcely  have  been  less  than  twenty-five  thousand.  See  note  on  this  subject, 
ante,  p.  521. 


526  Ohio  in  the  War. 

his  simple  presence  among  them  to  turn  rout  into  sturdy  resistance,  and  pres- 
ently into  inspiring  victory. 

In  the  morning  after  Opequan*  the  whole  army  pushed  forward,  and 
by 'nightfall  the  advance  corps  had  found  the  enemy  intrenched  at  Fisher's  Hill, 
and  luid  gone  into  position  before  him.  Fisher's  Hill  is  a  steep  bluff  overhang- 
in-  the  south  bank  of  the  little  stream  known  as  Tumbling  Kiver,  and  is 
impregnable  to  direct  attack.  The  Valley  here  contracts  to  a  width  of  only  three 
and  ft  half  miles.  The  enemy  had  intrenchments  across  it,  and  evidently  con- 
sole red  himself  safe.  But  he  was  much  weaker  than  at  Winchester  the  day 
before,  both  by  reason  of  his  heavy  losses  in  killed  and  wounded,  and  especially 
because  of  the  dispiriting  effect  of  the  ghastly  loss  and  the  hurried  retreat  upon 
the  survivors.  Furthermore,  he  was  very  uneasy  about  his  rear — protected  by 
only  a  small  cavalry  force  at  a  mountain  gap,  against  one  of  Sheridan's  splendid 
divisions  which  he  knew  to  be  assailing  it. 

Throughout  the  succeeding  day  Sheridan  maneuvered.  The  massing  of  his 
force  on  a  small  part  of  the  enemy's  front  mystified  Early;  and  on  the  morning 
of  the  22d  that  eomm  and  er  was  still  further  deceived  by  a  movement  of  cavalry 
against  his  skirmish-line,  which  he  took  for  a  turning  column.  Meantime 
Crook,  whose  force  had  been  carefully  concealed  from  observation,  was  now  . 
hurriedly  and  secretly  thrown  westward  to  the  extreme  edge  of  the  valley, 
where  he  moved  up  unperceived,  and  struck  Early's  thin  flank  a  blow  that 
instantly  rolled  it  backward.  He  then  swung  in  on  the  rear;  the  line  on  the 
front  rushed  forward,  overrunning  all  opposition  and  forming  a  connection  with 
his  flank;  with  a  single  dash  the  rout  of  the  enemy  was  complete. 

But  Sheridan  seemed  forever  doomed  to  disappointment  in  the  efforts  to 
plant  a  force  across  the  Yalley  Pike  in  the  enemy's  rear.  Torbert  should 
have  forced  his  passage  as  had  been  expected.  If  he  had,  Sheridan's  sanguine 
expectation  of  capturing  the  whole  opposing  army  might  well  have  been  real- 
ized, for,  in  its  rout  from  Fisher's  Hill,  it  scarcely  preserved  the  semblance  of 
even  a  company  organization.  As  it  was,  pursuit  was  instantly  ordered  through 
the  darkness.  At  Harrisonburg  Early  got  together  fragments  of  his  force  and 
took  a  strong  position;  but  presently  left  again  in  great  haste,  as  his  flank  began 
to  be  threatened.  The  pursuit  was  pushed  hard,  and  finally  Early  took  to  the 
mountains  at  Brown's  Gap,  where,  soon,  Kershaw  once  more  came  to  his 
awiitonce.  Sheridan  continued  picking  up  prisoners,  and  sending  out  cavalry 
expeditions  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  Yalley,  even  penetrating 
to  Staunton  and  Waynesboro'. 

The  Valley  was  clear;  the  Eebel  column  had  disappeared.  It  was  now, 
therefore,  to  be  decided  whether  the  army  should  push  after  it  into  the  mountains, 
and  advance  on  Charlottesville  and  Gordonsville.  The  Department  evidently 
expected  this,  and  it  would  appear  that  General  Grant  once  desired  it.  "I  was 
opposed  to  it,"  says  Sheridan,  frankly,  in  his  report,  "for  many  reasons,  the 
most  important  of  which  was  that  it  would  require  the  opening  of  the  Orango 
and  Alexandria  Railroad,  and  to  protect  this  road  against  the  numerous  guerrilla 
*20th  September,  1864. 


Philip  H.   Sheridan.  527 

"bands  would  have  taken  a  corps  of  infantry.  Besides,  I  would  have  been 
obliged  to  leave  a  small  force  in  the  Valley  to  give  security  to  the  line  of  the 
Potomac.  This  would  leave  me  but  a  small  number  of  fighting  men."  And 
he  further  instances  the  danger  of  being  overwhelmed  in  the  mountains  with 
this  small  force,  by  a  sudden  detachment  from  Lee's  army,  into  the  vicinity  of 
which  his  march  would  be  carrying  him.  He  accordingly  advised  that  the  cam- 
paign in  this  direction  be  ended,  and  the  bulk  of  the  troops  returned  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  Grant  assented,  and  the  march  back  again  down  the 
Valley  began. 

When  Sheridan  assumed  the  command,  scarcely  two  months  before,  the  first 
orders  he  received  were  those  under  which  his  predecessor  was  acting:  "  In 
pushing  up  the  Valley,  it  is  desirable  that  nothing  should  be  left  to  invite  the 
enemy  to  return.  Take  all  provisions,  forage  and  stock  wanted  for  the  use  of 
3'our  command.  Such  as  can  not  be  consumed,  destroy.  It  is  not  desirable 
that  buildings  should  be  destroyed — they  should  rather  be  protected;  but  the 
people  should  be  informed  that  so  long  as  an  army  can  subsist  among  them, 
recurrences  of  these  raids  must  be  expected,  and  we  are  determined  to  stop 
them  at  all  hazards."  General  Sheridan  officially  reports  that,  "fully  coinciding 
in  the  views  and  instructions  of  the  Lieutenant-General,  that  the  Valley  should 
be  made  a  barren  wraste,  I  stretched  the  cavalry  across,  from  the  Blue  Eidge  to 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  Alleghanies,  with  directions  to  burn  all  forage  and  drive 
off  all  stock,  etc.,  as  they  moved  to  the  rear." 

But,  unfortunately,  he  did  more  than  "coincide."  Here  is  his  first  account 
of  the  destruction  in  one  of  his  dispatches  from  the  field.  "In  moving  back  to 
this  point,  the  whole  country  from  the  Blue  Eidge  to  the  North  Mountain  has 
been  made  untenable  for  a  Eebel  army.  I  have  destroyed  over  two  thousand 
barns  filled  with  wheat  and  hay  and  farming  implements;  over  seventy  mills 
filled  with  flour  and  wheat;  have  driven  in  front  of  the  army  over  four  thousand 
head  of  stock,  and  have  killed  and  issued  to  the  troops  not  less  than  three  thou- 
sand sheep."  But  it  is  to  be  observed,  wTith  pleasure,  that  "the  most  positive 
orders  were  given  not  to  burn  dwellings."  It  would  have  been  better  if  mills 
had  been  included  in  the  exemption.  To  destroy  these  was  to  inflict  vengeance 
on  the  country  for  many  years  to  come,  and  it  was  not  required  by  the  terms  of 
General  Grant's  order.  For  the  rest,  Sheridan  is  not  responsible.  It  will,  how- 
ever, be  long  regretted  that  this  cruel  devastation,  at  best  of  doubtful  necessity, 
involved  innocent  and  guilty  in  a  common  and  dread  calamity;  while  it  proved 
unavailing  to  keep  out  the  Eebels,  who,  a  few  weeks  later,  were  driving  his 
surprised  army  in  confusion  from  Cedar  Creek.  The  laws  of  war  admit  such 
general  destruction  of  food,  in  those  special  cases  in  which  "the  advantage 
gained  may  seem  adequate  to  the  sufferings  inflicted."*  It  would  be  hard  to 
show  wherein  such  advantage  was  realized  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  But  it  is 
to  be  said  that  General  Sheridan  did  all  he  could  to  prevent  riotous  license  from 
mingling  with  the  stern  destruction.  In  this  he  stands  in  enviable  contrast  with 
another,  and  not  less  distinguished  Ohio  General.     "  As  he  rode  down  the  Mar- 

*Twiss,-Law  of  Nations,  Vol.  I,  p.  125. 


523  Ohio  in  the  War. 

tinsbur-  Pike  in  his  four-horse  wagon,"  writes  an  admiring  staff  officer  *  «  with 
heels  on  the  front  seat,  and  smoking  a  cigar,  while  behind  him  his  cavalry  was 
destroying  the  provender  that  could  not  be  carried  away,  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Valley  doubtless  regarded  him  as  history  regards  the  Emperor  who  fiddled 
while"  Rome  was  burning,  and  would  not  now  believe  what  is  the  simple  truth, 
that  this  destruction  was  distasteful  to  him,  and  that  he  was  moved  by  the  dis- 
tress he  was  obliged  to  multiply  upon  these  unfortunate  people  whose  evil  fate 
had  left  them  in  the  ruinous  track  of  war  so  long." 

As  he  retired,  the  Rebel  cavalry,  under  a  new  leader,  General  Rosser, 
dogged  his  heels,  and  strove  to  prevent  the  destruction.  Finally  Sheridan 
halted;  ordered  Torbert  to  attack,  and  notified  him  that  the  infantry  would 
wait  till  he  had  defeated  them.  "I  thought  it  best,"  he  telegraphed,  "to  make 
this  delay  of  one  day  here  and  settle  this  new  cavalry  General."  And  he  goes 
on  to  tell  how  Torbert  charged  and  drove  him,  and  pursued  him  "  on  the  jump 
twenty-six  miles." 

About  this  time  he  received  the  notice  of  his  appointment  to  the  Brigadier- 
Generalship  in  the  Regular  Army,  made  vacant  by  the  lamented  death  of  his 
old  classmate,  McPherson.  Here,  indeed,  was  success.  "Perhaps,  in  the 
chances  of  war,  I  may  win  a  Major's  commission,"  he  said  in  1861.  It  was  now 
only  1864;  he  had  long  been  a  Major-General  of  Volunteers;  and  now,  in  the 
inner  circle  of  his  and  every  West  Pointer's  idolatry,  the  regular  service,  he 
was  a  Brigadier,  with  an  appointment  that  would  last  for  life.  But  even  this 
faintly  conveyed  to  him  the  immense  stride  he  had  taken.  General  Grant  had 
ordered  a  salute  of  a  hundred  guns  "in  honor  of  Sheridan's  great  victory." 
The  War  Department  tendered  him  formal  thanks,  and  emphasized  the  declara- 
tion that  "your  cavalry  has  become  the  efficient  arm  in  this  country  that  it 
has  proved  in  other  countries,  and  is  winning  by  its  exploits  the  admiration  of 
the  country  and  Government."  The  country  went  wild  over  his  successes  ;  great 
political  calculations  were  based  upon  his  achievements,  and  the  important  State 
and  Presidential  elections  of  the  fall  were  largely  influenced  by  his  ringing 
dispatches  from  the  field,  which,  to  over  half  the  nation,  soon  became  familiar 
in  their  mouths  as  household  words.  Sheridan's  pre-eminence  as  a  cavalry 
officer  was  admiringly  conceded  on  all  hands.  Not  yet,  however,  had  the  public 
come  to  recognize  the  real  breadth  and  strategic  ability  of  the  General's  mind. 
In  this  respect,  indeed,  the  very  brilliancy  of  his  exploits  retarded  the  solid 
growth  of  his  fame. 

We  have  seen  that  the  victor  of  the  Valley  and  those  who  controlled  the 
conduct  of  the  war  differed  as  to  the  policy  now  to  be  pursued.  Sheridan's  vig- 
orous representations  had  gained  an  assent  to  his  far-seeing  and  sagacious  views ; 
but  at  Cedar  Creek  he  was  met  by  a  dispatch  from  the  marplot  "  Chief  of  Staff" 
at  Washington,  instructing  him  to  "take  a  position  far  enough  south  to  serve  as 
a  base  for  further  operations  upon  Gordonsville  and  Charlottesville,"  which, 
furthermore,  was  to  be  "strongly  fortified  and  provisioned."     It  was  stated  that 

*Colonel  Newhall.  With  General  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,  pp.  22,  23. 


Philip  H.   Sheridan.  529 

this  plan  originated  with  Grant,  but  Slieridan  did  not  hesitate  to  repeat  his 
objections  to  it.  Finally,  Secretary  Stanton  telegraphed  him*  that  a  consul- 
tation on  several  points  was  exceedingly  desirable,  and  ordered  him,  if  possi- 
ble, to  go  down  to  Washington. 

Sheridan  spent  a  day  in  arranging  the  affairs  of  the  army.  The  enemy 
had  returned  to  Fisher's  Hill,  but  was  not  thought  likely  to  take  the  offensive. 
His  army  was  placed  at  Cedar  Creek;  the  cavalry  was  started  to  Front  Royal, 
on  its  march  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Sheridan  himself  accompanied  it 
thus  far;  then  turned  off  through  Manassas  Gap  to  Piedmont,  and  took  rail  for 
Washington.  On  the  way  warning  dispatches  came  to  him  from  Wright,  who 
was  left  in  command.  A  message  from  Longstreet  to  Early  had  been  taken  off 
the  Eebel  signal-flag.  It  read:  "Be  ready  to  move  as  soon  as  my  forces  join 
you,  and  we  will  crush  Sheridan."  Wright  thought  the  enemy's  cavalry  might 
give  some  trouble,  but  he  had  no  fears  save  for  his  right  flank.  Unfortunate 
misconception  ! 

Sheridan  thought  the  Rebel  dispatch  might  prove  a  ruse,  but  at  once 
ordered  back  the  cavalry,  sent  instructions  to  Wright  to  call  in  all  his  forces  and 
be  watchful,  and  promised  to  be  back  not  later  than  Tuesday.  He  spent  but 
six  hours  in  the  consultations  at  Washington.     Even  then  he  was  too  late. 

On  the  night  of  the  18th,  while  Sheridan  was  approaching  Winchester,  on 
his  return,  Early  and  Longstreet  were  stealthily  moving  out  from  Fisher's  Hill. 
So  careful  and  minute  were  their  arrangements  for  silence  on  the  march  that 
they  even  took  away  the  canteens  from  their  men,  lest  their  rattle  against  the 
bayonet-sheaths  or  cartridge-boxes  should  be  heard.  Wright,  as  we  have  seen, 
was  apprehensive  about  his  right  flank.  His  disposition  of  the  entire  cavalry 
there  showed  it,  and  the  enemy  at  once  profited  by  the  disclosure.  They  moved 
rapidly  to  the  opposite  flank.  Here  the  front  was  scarcely  protected  at  all. 
The  exultant  army  that  had  followed  the  Eebels  "  whirling  up  the  valley"  was 
utterly  incredulous  as  to  the  possibility  of  attack.  They  slept,  officers  and  men, 
the  deep  slumber  of  absolute  confidence.  Pickets  were  advanced  but  a  short 
distance  from  the  camp,  so  short  a  distance  that  the  Rebel  column  crept  around 
them,  within  six  hundred  yards  of  the  main  line  !  Some  pickets  did  report  the 
sound  of  marching  in  the  darkness  on  their  front,  and  General  Crook  ordered 
men  into  the  trenches;  but  this  report  failed  to  arouse  much  apprehension,  and 
they  neglected  to  send  out  a  reconnoissance.  The  front  line  was  broken  here 
and  there  by  regiments  sent  out  for  picket-duty— even  these  gaps  were  unfilled.f 

•  13th  of  October,  1864. 

t These  statements,  of  course,  involve  culpable  negligence.  General  Crook,  commanding 
this  wing,  proved  himself  so  competent  and  valuable  an  officer  throughout  the  war,  that  readers 
will  be  glad  to  believe  him  not  wholly  responsible.  General  Wright  had  impressed  the  idea  that 
the  danger,  if  any  existed,  was  on  the  other  wing.  General  Crook  had,  however,  insisted  on 
having  his  flank  covered  by  cavalry,  and  a  division  had  been  ordered  to  him,  but  had  not  yet 
arrived.  In  a  subsequent  portion  of  this  work  (Vol.  II,  Twenty-Third  Infantry)  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  belief  was  current,  both  among  officers  and  men,  that  this  cavalry  had  arrived,  and  that 
officers  starting  out  under  this  supposition  to  join  it  were  actually  captured  by  the  enemy.  Gen- 
eral Crook  himself,  however,  could  hardly  have  been  lulled  into  security  by  this  belief.  But 
much  weightier  responsibility  attaches  to  General  Wright.     He  created  the  impression  that  the 

Vol.  I.—  3-4. 


530  Ohio  in  the  War. 

The  dawn  was  obscured  by  fog.  Through  this  these  suddenly  came  burst- 
ing the  uiM  charging  yells  of  the  Rebel  infantry-not  Early's  often  beaten  troops 
alone,  but  the  flower  of  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  The  extremity  of 
Crook'a  line,  taken  thus  by  surprise  in  flank  and  rear,  was  doubled  up  in  confu- 
sion precisely  •*  a  few  weeks,  before,  Crook  had  himself  doubled  up  Early's 
riank  at  Fisher's  Hill.  The  enemy  was  into  the  trenches  before  all  the  muskets 
of  the  defenders   were  loaded;  the  movement  was  quick,  ordered,  forceful,  on 

art  of  the  assailants— hesitating,  and  bewildered  on  the  part  of  the  confused 
troops  thus  rudely  awaked  from  their  dreams  of  security.  In  fifteen  minutes 
the  struggle  was  practically  over.  The  Rebels,  knowing  perfectly  their  ground, 
and  knowing,  moreover,  precisely  what  they  wanted  to  do,  drove  forward  their 
.•barging  columns  with  a  rapidity  that  to  the  surprised  army  seemed  amazing. 
The  Nineteenth  Corps  next  gave  way;  next,  only  a  little  more  slowly,  the 
Sixth.  Long  before  this  the  tide  of  runaways  had  swept  down  the  pike  as  far 
as  Winchester,  twenty  miles  away.  The- camps  were  abandoned,  twenty-four 
pieces  of  artillery  were  lost,  and  the  whole  army  was  in  full  retreat  on  Win- 
chester. Nearly  five  miles  down  the  valley  it  began  to  come  together,  and  Gen- 
eral Wright  essayed  the  formation  of  a  defensive  line.  He  was  presently  inter- 
rupted by  his  Chief,  who  "  here  took  the  matter  in  hand." 

General  Sheridan  had  arrived  at  Winchester  the  night  before,  on  his  way 
back  from  the  consultation  at  Washington,  to  which  he  had  been  ordered.  In 
the  morning  artillery  firing  was  heard,  but  it  was  attributed  to  an  intended 
reconnoissance,  and  nothing  was  thought  of  it.  After  an  early  breakfast,  Sher- 
idan mounted  and  trotted  quietly  through  Winchester  southward.  A  mile  from 
the  town  the  first  fugitives  from  the  lost  field  were  encountered.  He  instantly 
gave  orders  to  park  the  retreating  trains  on  either  side  of  the  road,  directed 
the  greater  part  of  his  escort  to  follow  as  best  it  could,  then,  with  only  twenty 
cavalrymen  accompanying  him,  he  struck  out  in  a  swinging  gallop  for  the  scene 
of  danger.  As  he  dashed  up  the  pike  the  crowds  of  stragglers  grew  thicker, 
ne  reproached  none;  only,  swinging  his  cap,  with  a  cheery  smile  for  all,  he 
shouted  :  "Face  the  other  way,  boys;  face  the  other  way.  We  are  going  back 
to  our  camps.  We  are  going  to  lick  them  out  of  their  boots."  Less  classic, 
doubtless,  than  Napoleon's  "My  children,  we  will  camp  on  the  battle-field,  as 
usual;"  but  the  wounded  raised  their  hoarse  voices  to  cheer  as  he  passed,  and 
the  masses  of  fugitives  turned  and  followed  him  to  the  front.  As  he  rode  into 
the  forming  lines,  the  men  quickened  their  pace  back  to  the  ranks,  and  every- 
where glad  cheers  went  up.  "Boys,  this  never  should  have  happened  if  I  had 
been  here,"  he  exclaimed  to  one  and  another  regiment.  "I  tell  you  it  never 
should  have  happened.     And  now  we  are  going  back  to  our  camps.     We  are 

5  to  get  a  twist  on  them  ;  we  '11  get  the  tightest  twist  on  them  yet  that  ever 
you  saw.     We  '11  have  all  those  camps  and  cannon  back  again  !"     Thus  he  rode 

danger  was  on  the  other  flank,  failed  to  get  the  cavalry  over  when  asked  for,  and,  above  all,  com- 
pletely neglected  the  emphatic  injunction  sent  him  by  Sheridan,  on  the  first  note  of  alarm-to 
caU  in  the  cavalry  from  Front  Royal  on  the  left.  This  cavalry  was  not  called  in,  and  between  it 
and  the  left  of  the  infantry  Early  and  Longstreet  passed  for  their  sudden  onset. 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  531 

along  the  lines,  rectified  the  formation,  cheered  and  animated  the  soldiery. 
Presently  there  grew  up  across  that  pike  as  compact  a  body  of  infantry  and 
cavalry  as  that  which,  a  month  before,  had  sent  the  enemy  "whirling  through 
Winchester."  His  men  had  full  faith  in  "the "twist"  he  was  "going  to  get"  on 
the  victorious  foe;  his  presence  was  inspiration,  his  commands  were  victory. 

While  the  line  was  thus  re-established,  he  was  in  momentary  expectation 
of  attack.  Wright's  Sixth  Corps  was  some  distance  in  the  rear.  One  staff 
officer  after  another  was  sent  after  it.  Finally  Sheridan  himself  dashed  down 
to  hurry  it  up ;  then  back  to  watch  it  going  into  position.  As  he  thus  stood, 
looking  off  from  the  left,  he  saw  the  enemy's  columns  once  more  moving  up. 
Hurried  warning  was  sent  to  the  Nineteenth  Corps  on  which  it  was  evident  the 
attack  would  fall.     By  this  time  it  was  after  three  o'clock. 

The  Nineteenth  Corps,  no  longer  taken  by  surprise,  repulsed  the  enemy's 
onset.  "  Thank  God  for  that,"  said  Sheridan  gayly.  "Now  tell  General  Emory, 
if  they  attack  him  again,  to  go  after  them,  and  to  follow  them  up.  We'll  get 
the  tightest  twist  on  them  pretty  soon  they  ever  saw."  The  men  heard  and 
believed  him;  the  demoralization  of  the  defeat  was  gone.  But  he  still  waited. 
Word  had  been  sent  in  from  the  cavalry  of  danger  from  a  heavy  body  moving 
on  his  flank.  He  doubted  it,  and  at  last  determined  to  run  the  risk.  At  four 
o'clock  the  orders  went  out:  "The  whole  line  will  a'dvance.  The  Nineteenth 
Corps  will  move  in  connection  with  the  Sixth.  The  right  of  the  Nineteenth 
will  swing  toward  the  left." 

The  enemy  lay  behind  stone  fences,  and  where  these  failed,  breastworks  of 
rails  eked  out  his  line.  For  a  little  he  held  this  position  firmly.  His  left  over- 
lapped Sheridan's  right,  and  seeing  this  advantage,  he  bent  it  down  to  renew 
the  attack  in  flank.  At  this  critical  moment  Sheridan  ordered  a  charge  of 
General  McWilliams's  brigade  against  the  angle  thus  caused  in  the  Bebel  line. 
It  forced  its  way  through,  and  the  Eebel  flanking  party  was  cut  off.  Custer's 
cavalry  was  sent  swooping  down  upon  it — it  broke,  and  fled  or  surrendered, 
according. to  the  agility  of  the  individuals.  Simultaneously  the  whole  line 
charged  along  the  front;  the  Rebel  line  was  crowded  back  to  the  creek;  the 
difficulties  of  the  crossing  embarrassed  it,  and  as  the  victorious  ranks  swept  up 
it  broke  in  utter  confusion. 

Custer  charged  down  in  the  fast  gathering  darkness  to  the  west  of  the  pike.: 
Devin  to  the  east  of  it ;  and  on  either  flank  of  the  fleeing  rout  they  flung  them- 
selves. Nearly  all  the  Rebel  transportation  was  captured,  the  camps  and 
artillery  were  regained ;  up  to  Fisher's  Hill  the  road  was  jammed  with  artil- 
lery, caissons  and  ambulances ;  prisoners  came  streaming  back  faster  than  the 
Provost-Marshal  could  provide  for  them.  It  was  the  end  of  Early's  army;  the 
end  of  campaigning  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Shenandoah. 

The  effect  upon  the  Government  and  the  country  was  electric.  The  first 
rumors  of  disaster  were  painful  and  wide-spread.  On  the  heels  of  these  came 
Sheridan's  dispatch,  announcing  the  reverse  and  its  retrieval,  and  giving  a  faint 
hint  of  the  splendid  prizes — artillery  for  an  army,  transportation,  ammunition, 
small  arms  in  a   profusion  that  could  scarcely  be  estimated.     General  Grant 


532  Ohio   in  the  Wae. 

ui~„  Wnro   Richmond  :  "I  had  a  salute  of  a  hundred 

,  ,„  bid  Mr*  be  disaster  into  a  glorious  victory,  .  amps  Shandan 

!        5^  thought  him,  one'of  the  ablest  of  Generals.'      The  Secretary  of 

S    :m(l  polished  this  to  the  world.     The  restgnatton  of  General 

KeaelUm  soon  made  •  vacant  Major-Generalship  in  the  regular  army,  and  to 

this  highest  prize  in  his  profession  Sheridan  was  promoted 

[t  WM  *  riddy  height  to  which  our  modest  little  red-faced  Captain,  who 
HMNWhi  he  might  yet  be  a  Major,  had'risen  ;  but  his  head  was  not  turned  He 
did  not  even  -ive  vent  to  his  exultation  in  congratulations  to  his  army.  " Every 
ed  our  success  "-so  he  wrote  soon  after,  in  his  official  report-"  con- 
gratulatory orders  were  unnecessary,  and  every  officer  and  man  was  made  to 
understand  that  when  a  victory  was  gained  it  was  not  more  than  their  duty  nor 

feu  their  country  expected  from  her  gallant  sons."  But  the  Country  could 
at  lea*  make  its  own  congratulations.  The  name  of  Cavalry  Sheridan  was  in 
all  mouths.  His  exploits  became  the  favorite  theme  of  speakers,  the  inspiration 
of  poets  *  the  argument  against  all  who  held  to  the  Chicago  declaration  that 
the  war  was  a  failure.  Sherman  had  not  yet  fastened  the  gaze  of  the  nation 
by  his  grander  operations ;  Grant  had  still  to  give  Eichmond  as  proof  of  his 
title  to  the  power  with  which  he  was  vested ;  and  for  the  time  Sheridan  was 
the  most  popular  of  our  generals. 

But  even  yet  the  public  scarcely  rose  to  the  true  height  in  their  apprecia- 
tion of  him.  His  campaign  in  the  Yalley  justified  their  warmest  plaudits  ;  but 
they  attributed  it  all  to  his  "  dash,"  when  far  more  was  due  to  the  breadth 

*  The  noblest  of  the  poems  thus  inspired,  indeed,  the  noblest  lyric  of  the  war,  has  a  special 
interest  here,  both  by  reason  of  its  connection  with  Sheridan,  and  because  of  its  Ohio  authorship. 
Readers  will  be  glad  to  find  it  given  in  connection  with  this  sketch  of  its  hero,  and  to  have  also 
an  account  of  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was  written : 

'  Mr.  Murdoch,  the  tragedian,  had  devoted  himself  during  the  earlier  years  of  our  struggle, 
with  a  noble  and  self-sacrificing  patriotism,  to  the  task  of  raising  money  for  the  Sanitary  Com- 
mission, and  all  other  benevolent  projects  intended  for  the  benefit  of  'our  boys  in  blue.'  He  had 
delivered  lectures  and  recitations  all  over  the  country,  the  proceeds  going  to  the  objects  we  have 
named;  and  at  length,  as  the  war  was  drawing  toward  its  close,  his  numerous  friends  in  Cincinnati 
proposed  a  magnificent  ovation  for  Mr.  Murdoch's  own  benefit — his  finances  having  somewhat 
suftcred  from  his  unselfish  and  unsparing  efforts  in  the  cause  of  the  soldier  and  the  country.  At 
breakfast  on  the  morning  of  the  benefit  night,  Mr.  Murdoch,  who  was  staying  at  Mr.  Thomas 
Buchanan  Read's  house  (and  who  had  been  chiefly,  or  at  least  very  largely,  reciting  Mr.  Read's 
■oMe  lyrics  and  battle  sketches  during  the  two  years  preceding),  remarked  to  his  poet  friend: 
'I'm  MOT?,  Bead,  that  you  did  not  give  me  some  original  poem  for  to-night.  Something  new 
and  fresh  that  would  arouse  the  audience  and  set  the  blood  leaping  through  my  own  veins  as  I 
'flu-  fact  is,  I  feel  rather  a  dread  of  this  occasion ;  and  without  some  stimulus  of  the  kind 
••an  not  speak  as.  well  for  myself  as  I  did  for  others.'  Mr.  Head  suggested  that  it  was  not  yet  too 
late.  If  Murdoch  really  wished  it,  he  would  try  his  hand  at  something  new.  Murdoch,  however, 
ptntsted  that  it  was  too  late— firstly,  because  poets  can  not  always  write  to  order;  and  secondly, 
m  he,  Murdoch,  would  require  some  hours  to  study  whatever  Mr.  Read — even  in  the  brief 
allowed  him— might  find  his  Muse  willing  to  offer.  'Nevertheless,'  said  Read,  'I'll  try. 
That  Ride  of  Sheridan's  from  Winchester  to  Cedar  Creek  we  have  just  been  reading  about  gives 
me  a  subject ;  and  if  you  stay  here  some  few  hours,  I'll  run  up  to  my  library  and  see  what  can 
be  done.'    In  less  than  three  hours  he  returned  to  the  breakfast  parlor  and  placed  in  the  hands  of 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  533 

of  his  sound  strategy,  and  his  combination  of  all  the  qualities  that  go  to 
make  up  a  successful   General.     His  performance   at  Cedar  Creek  went  far  to 

confirm  this  mistake.     That  remarkable  battle  was  compared— justly  enough 

to  Marengo.  The  points  of  similarity  were  striking.  Marengo  bei^an  as  a 
defeat;  so  did  Cedar  Creek.  The  Austrians  attacked  at  day-break  at  Marengo; 
the  Rebels  did  the  same  at  Cedar  Creek.  ISTapoleon  did  not  arrive  on  the  field 
till  about  eleven;   Sheridan's  arrival  was  near  the  same  hour.     At  the  appear- 

the  tragedian,  equally  delighted  and  astonished,  the  perfect  manuscript  of  that  noblest  and  most 
fiery  of  all  our  war-songs,  '  Phil.  Sheridan's  Ride.' " 

SHERIDAN'S    RIDE. 

Up  from  the  South  at  break  of  day, 
Bringing  from  Winchester  fresh  dismay, 

The  affrighted  air  with  a  shudder  bore, 

Like  a  herald  in  haste,  to  the  chieftain's  door, 

The  terrible  grumble,  and  rumble,  and  roar, 

Telling  the  battle  was  on  once  more, 
And  Sheridan  twenty  miles  away. 

And  wider  still  those  billows  of  war 

Thundered  along  the  horizon's  bar; 

And  louder  yet  into  Winchester  rolled 

The  roar  of  thnt  red  sea  uncontrolled, 

Making  the  blood  of  the  listener  cold, 

As  he  thought  of  the  stake  in  that  fiery  fray, 

And  Sheridan  twenty  miles  away. 

But  there  is  a  road  from  Winchester  town, 

A  good  broad  highway  leading  down ; 

And  there,  through  the  flush  of  the  morning  light, 

A  steed  as  black  as  the  steeds  of  night 

Was  seen  to  pass,  as  with  eagle  flight, 

As  if  he  knew  the  terrible  need ; 

He  stretched  away  with  his  utmost  speed ; 

Hills  rose  and  fell ;  but  his  heart  was  gay, 

With  Sheridan  fifteen  miles  away. 

Still  sprung  from  those  swift  hoofs,  thundering   south, 

The  dust,  like  smoke  from  the  cannon's  mouth ; 

Or  the  trail  of  a  comet,  sweeping  fascer  and  faster, 

Foreboding  to  traitors  the  doom  of  disaster. 

The  heart  of  the  steed  and  the  heart  of  the  master 

Were  beating  like  prisoners  assaulting  their  walls, 

Impatient  to  be  where  the  battle-field  calls  ; 

Every  nerve  of  the  charger  was  strained  to  full  play, 

With  Sheridan  only  ten  miles  away. 

Under  his  spurning  feet  the  road 

Like  an  arrowy  Alpine  river  flowed, 

And  the  landscape  sped  away  behind 

Like  an  ocean  flying  before  the  wind, 

And  the  steed,  like  a  bark  fed  with  furnace  ire, 

Swept  on^with  his  wild  eye  full  of  fire. 

But  lo !  he  is  nearing  his  heart's  desire ; 

He  is  snuffing  the  smoke  of  the  roaring  fray, 

With  Sheridan  only  five  miles  away. 


534  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

ancc  of  their  commanders,  the  armies— French  and  American   alike-rallied. 

v  followed  with  each  a  period  of  doubtful  but  steadying  resistance.  At 
four  Napoleon  ordered  the  attack  that  cost  him  Dessaix,  and  won  him  the 
field;  at  to  same  hour  Sheridan  gave  his  orders  for  attack.  Napoleon  swept 
tho  enemy  into  and  through  Marengo,  captured  twenty  pieces  of  artillery  and 

•  Mamlanls;   Sheridan   swept  the  enemy  across  Cedar  Creek  and  through 

ibnrg,  captured  forty-nine  pieces  of  artillery  and  ten  standards.  Napo- 
leon'fl  loss  was  eight  thousand;  Sheridan's  six  thousand.  Here,  however,  the 
parallel  ends.  Napoleon's  victory  was  won  by  the  arrival  of  Dessaix's  Corps; 
lan'l  was  won  by  the  arrival  of  a  General. 

It  was  this  that  the  public  forgot.  It  was  not  a  mere  dashing  fighter  who 
re-ettabliahed  the  lines  of  the  routed  army*  who  turned  the  enemy's  flanking 
him  into  an  opportunity;  who  skillfully  combined  his  cavalry  and  infantry  in 
his  final  assault,  and  followed  up  the  defeated  army  like  a  bloodhound.  Nor 
was  it  a  mere  dashing  fighter  who  saw  at  the  outset  of  the  campaign  that  his 
plan  was  not  to  drive  the  enemy  out  of  the  Yalley,  but  to  crush  and  annihilate 
bin  in  the  Valley  ;  who  was  ready  to  disappoint  the  public  expectation  of  his 
dash  and  vigor  by  delaying,  for  a  month,  at  Harper's  Ferry  for  the  opportune 
moment  to  strike;  who  held  his  army  so  in  hand  that  he  was  ready  to  fight  a 
pitched  battle  on  twenty-four  hour's  notice;  who,  in  the  full  flush  of  his  intoxi- 
cating success,  drew  rein  at  Woodstock,  and  assumed  the  responsibility  of  dis- 
appointing the  OJeneral-in-Chicf,  the  Government,  and  the  country,  by  refusing 
to  continue  his  movement  to  CharlottesviHe. 

These  were  strokes  of  military  genius— worthy  to  be  named  beside  the  first 
in  the  war.  On  these,  indeed,  rather  than  on  the  brilliant  "dash"  of  the 
fighting  must  Sheridan's  position  in  history  depend.  For  it  is  not  to  be  for- 
gotten that  results  in  war  lose  their  brilliancy  in  proportion  to  the  preponderance 

The  first  that  the  General  saw  were  the  groups 

Of  stragglers,  and  then  the  retreating  troops, 

"What  was  done?  what  to  do?  a  glance  told  him  both, 

Then  striking  his  spurs,  with  a  terrible  oath, 

He  dashed  down  the  lines,  'mid  a  storm  of  huzzas, 

And  the  wave  of  retreat  checked  its  course  there,  because 

The  sight  of  the  master  compelled  it  to  pause. 

With  foam  and  with  dust  the  black  charger  was  gray; 

By  the  flash  of  his  eye,  and  the  red  nostril's  play, 

He  seemed  to  the  whole  great  army  to  say, 

"I  have  brought  you  Sheridan  all  the  way 

From  Winchester,  down  to  save  the  day!" 

Hurrah!  hurrah  for  Sheridan! 

Hurrah !  hurrah  !  for  horse  and  man ! 

And  when  their  statues  are  placed  on  high, 

Under  the  dome  of  the  Union  sky, 

The  American  soldiers'  Temole  of  Fame; 

There  with  the  glorious  General's  name, 

Bejt  said,  in  letters  both  bold  and  brigtt, 

"Here  is  the  steed  that  saved  the  day, 
By  carrying  Sheridan  into  the  fight. 
From  Winchester,  twenty  miles  away!" 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  535 

of  force  in  the  hands  of  the  commander,  and  not  to  be  denied  that  Sheridan's 
preponderance  of  force  was  great.*  The  casualties  of  the  campaign  were  sixteen 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty-two. f  The  number  of  prisoners  taken  from  the 
enemy  was  thirteen  thousand;  of  pieces  of  artillery,  one  hundred  and  one 
(besides  twenty-four  recaptured  after  being  lost  at  Cedar  Creek);  of  battle-flags, 
forty-nine. 

While  Sherman,  heading  northward  from  Savannah,  was  drawing  nearer 
and  nearer,  the  doomed  army  that  still  held  its  lines  before  Richmond  and 
Petersburg,  Sheridan  now  started  southward  to  complete  what  has  often  not 
inaptly  been  termed  the  Circle  of  the  Hunt.  His  instructions  contemplated  the 
destruction  of  the  Virginia  Central  Railroad  and  the  James  River  Canal — the 
great  arteries  that  fed  Richmond  from  the  westward.  He  was  then  to  take 
Lynchburg  if  possible,  and  to  return  to  Winchester,  or  move  southward  to  join 
Sherman,  as  circumstances  should  dictate.  But  General  Sheridan  had  now 
risen  to  that  point  in  the  confidence  of  his  commander  and  of  the  Government, 
that  he  could  venture  to  form  plans  of  his  own  whenever  those  formed  for  him 
seemed  inferior.  And  so  we  shall  see  that  his  movement  resulted  quite  other- 
wise from  the  expectations  entertained  by  the  General-in-Chief.  At  the  outset 
he  found  a  feeble  force  under  Early  still  keeping  up  a  show  of  resistance.  The 
route  to  Lynchburg  was  open,  but  he  decided  not  to  leave  this  force  in  his  rear, 
and,  accordingly,  the  head  of  his  column  was  turned  in  this  new  direction.  At 
Waynesboro'  Early  was  found,  his  position  was  carried  by  the  cavalry  at  a 
gallop,  his  men,  sixteen  hundred  strong,  threw  down  their  arms — as  Sheridan's 
unique  report  tells  us — "  with  cheers  at  the  suddenness  with  which  they  were 
captured;"  and  the  train,  eleven  pieces  of  artillery  and  other  valuable  spoils, 
were  taken  with  them.  Parties  were  sent  out  to  destroy  Rebel  property  collected 
at  various  depots  through  the  country ;  the  railroad  was  reached  at  Charlottes- 
ville, and  the  destruction  of  the  track  was  begun. 

Meantime  heavy  rains  had  deluged  the  land.  The  melting  snow  from  the 
mountains  swelled  the  freshets,  and  the  spring  thaw  broke  up  the  roads  so  that 
rapid  movements  were  impossible,  and  only  great  energy  could  secure  move- 
ment at  all.  Furthermore,  during  the  delay  for  the  action  with  Early,  and  that 
subsequently  compelled  by  the  roads,  the  enemy  had  time  to  concentrate  at 
Lynchburg  a  considerable  force.  Sheridan  now,  therefore,  decided  to  abandon 
the  effort  against  that  city,  and  likewise— since  every  bridge  across  the  James 
between  Lynchburg  and  Richmond  was  destroyed— to  abandon  the  project  of 
moving  southward  to  join  General  Sherman. 

"*See  extended  note  on  this  point  ante. 

t  These  casualties  were  divided  as  follows :  .     "m      '      '„,   , 

Killed.  Wounded.  Missing.  Total. 

Crook's  command 301  1,947  637  2,885 

Sixth  Corps 578  3,965  357  4,899 

Nineteenth  Corps 586  3,093  1,361  5,020 

Cavalry 454  2,817  646  3,917 

Provisional  Division 19  .              91  12t 

Aggregate 1,938  11,893  3,121  16,952 


536  Ohio    in    the   Wak. 

There  remained  in  his  instructions  the  return  to  Winchester.     But  he  wag 
now,  m  he  laid,  "  ma>tor  of  all  the  country  north  of  James  Eiver."    He  thereupon 
decided  to  tesumfl   &«  responsibility  of  abandoning  General  Grant's  instruc- 
t—moving instead,  down  the  north  bank  of  the  James  and  essaying  the 
dangeioni  venture  of  »  march,  by  the  flank,  past  Eichmond  to  the  army  before 
reborg.     This  would  place  his  command  where  he  knew  it  was  wanted,  and 
would  give  him  further  opportunities  to  make  his  destruction  of  the  road  and 
canal  (from    Richmond  westward)  more  complete.     Till  he  reached  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Eichmond  he  was  safe.     Then,  indeed,  it  became  him  to  use  every 
precaution  to  protect  his  flank  and  rear,  and  secure  a  passage  over  the  Pamun- 
ihe  Cliiekahominy,  and  the  James,  in  the  face  of  the  watchful  enemy.     To 
fail  here  would  bring  not  merely  defeat,  but  also  disgrace,  since  it  would  be  held 
that  he  had  invited  the  disaster  by  assuming  to  disobey  his  orders. 

Pushing  his  advance,  however,  boldly  down  the  river  toward  Eichmond,  as 
if  none  of  these  things  troubled  him,  he  then  suddenly  drew  it  back,  almost  due 
northward,  to  the  point  on  the  Gordonsville  and  Eichmond  Eailroad,  whither 
the  rest  of  his  command  had  already  hastened.  He  was  now  safely  out  of  reach 
from  Eichmond,  without  dinger  to  his  flank.  But  he  was  still  far  from  the 
White  House,  where  he  hoped  to  find  supplies  and  cross  toward  Grant;  and  to 
inarch  directly  thither  would  still  expose  his  flank,  while  it  would  also  disclose 
his  intentions.  He  already  knew  that  Longstreet  was  preparing  to  oppose  him. 
lie  determined,  therefore,  to  hold  that  officer  on  his  front  by  assuming  a  bold 
initiative.  Turning  straight  toward  Eichmond,  his  horsemen  trotted  down  till 
they  were  within  eleven  miles  of  the  city.  Then,  while  a  single  brigade  amused 
the  gathering  enemy,  the  rest  of  the  command,  behind  its  coyer,  made  all  haste 
northeastwardly  till  the  South  and  North  Annas  were  crossed,  and  the  column 
stood  within  easy  distance  of  White  House,  with  Longstreet  still  looking  for  it 
at  Eichmond.  These  operations  happily  combined  daring  and  skill.  They 
ranied  the  command  safely  through  grave  difficulties;  and  greatly  aided  the 
Lieutenant-general,  by  leaving  the  troops  in  good  season  at  the  place  they 
were  wanted,  instead  of  forcing  him  to  wait  while  they  made  the  tedious  march 
back  to  Winchester,  and  then  down  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  The  move- 
ment was  as  successful,  therefore,  in  its  ending  as  it  had  been  throughout  its 
pogreea.  it  left  Richmond  without  communication  with  the  rich  granaries  of 
south-western  Virginia,  by  roads  north  of  the  James;  destroyed  enormous  sup- 
plies* and  lea  no  organized  enemy  along  its  track. 

lUt  oZrt-lT  t°  I!?  8h°"  thG  inJUry  infHcted  Up°n  the  enemy  ^  «*  ™reh>  «  *•  bare 
list  of  property  destroyed  or  captured,  us  furnished  in  the  official  report  • 

46  canal  locks. 


5  aqueducts. 
40  canal  and  road  bridges. 

•1  naval  repair  shops  with  machinery. 

I  .-team  canal  dredges. 

1  machine  shop. 

1  forge. 

'.'  portable  forges. 

1  lumber  yard. 

1  foundry. 
21  warehouses. 


b  government  warehouses. 
606  hogsheads  tobacco. 
500  kegs  tobacco. 
58  boxes  tobacco. 
8,000  pounds  tobacco. 

1  tobacco  factory,  valued  at  $200,000. 
336  sacks  salt. 
500  bushels  salt. 
12  barrels  potash. 

29  canal  boats  loaded  with  hospital,  quar- 
termaster, com.  stores  and  ammunition. 


Philip   H.   Sheridan. 


537 


At  last  all  eyes  could  see  the  approaching  end.  Scarcely  fifty  thousand 
men  were  left  within  the  lines  of  Richmond  and  Petersburg.  Upon  this  hapless 
remnant  of  brave  soldiery  was  fallen  the  defense  of  the  Confederacy  at  the  vital 
point.  Looking  southward,  its  far-seeing  commander  could  behold  but  one 
loose-jointed  organization,  perhaps  half  as  strong,  to  which  he  could  turn  for 
aid;  looking  in  every  direction,  he  could  behold  the  converging  bayonets  of  the 
million  soldiers  of  the  Nation,  against  whose  overwhelming  force  he  still  kept 
up  the  hopeless  struggle.  He  yet  might  strike  one  blow  with  the  old  skill — then, 
under  cover  of  that,  escape.  But  other  eyes  saw  the  same  one-sided  conditions 
of  the  opening  campaign.  While  Lee  was  maturing  his  attack,  Grant  was  pre- 
paring for  one  more  ';  movement  by  the  left,  toward  the  South-Side  Railroad." 
With  the  success  of  such  a  movement  must  come  the  end,  for  there  was  no 
longer  any  other  avenue  for  supplies  to  the  doomed  city  and  army  When  Lee's 
attack  failed,  Grant  thrust  out  his  turning  column. 

The  flying  verge  of  this  was  Sheridan's  cavalry,  nine  thousand  strong. 
Covered  with  the  laurels  of  the  Shenandoah,  the  successor  in  the  regular  ser- 
vice to  the  Major-Generalship  of  the  first  and  most  distinguished  leader  of  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  the  commander  of  a  great  department,  the  most  popular 
General,  as  we  have  seen,  in  the  armies  of  the  country,  had  cheerfully — from 
the  love  of  fight  that  was  in  him,  and  the  enthusiasm  to  share  in  the  last  strug- 
gle for  the  final  triumph — dropped  back  into  his  old  position  at  the  head  of  the 
cavalry  of  this  single  army.  But  he  was  no  longer  subjected  to  the  irksome 
necessity  of  taking  commands  from  its  little-liked  chief.  He  received  his  orders 
from  General  Grant  alone.     He  was  to  cut  loose  from  the  advancing  infantry ; 


6  flat  boats  loaded  with   com   and  quar- 
termaster stores. 
41  miles  railroad. 

10  railroad  depots,  with  tanks,  buildings, 
etc. 
400  feet  railroad  trestle  work. 
4  railroad  cars. 
23  railroad   bridges,   averaging    400    feet 
each. 

6  railroad  culverts. 
400  cords  wood. 

27  miles  telegraph. 
3,000  pairs  pants 
2,000  shirts  and  drawers. 
50  kegs  powder. 
500,000  rounds  rifle  ammunition. 
1  barrel  oil. 
400  gross  buckles  and  rings. 
3  saw  mills. 

7  flour  and  grist  mills. 

1  cloth  mill  filled  with  machinery,  in  full 
operation,  containing  an  immense  am't 
of  Confederate  gray  cloth. 
3  cotton  mills  with  machinery. 
1,500  pounds  wool. 
35  bales  cotton. 
1  candle  manufactory. 
1,000  pounds  candles. 

3  tanneries  filled  with  hides  and  leather. 
1,500  bushels  wheat. 
1,000  grain  sacks 


600  barrels  flour. 
18  wagon  loads  grain  and  com.  stores. 
1  jail  at  Goochland,  used  for  imprison- 
ment of  National  soldiers. 
225  ambulances  and  wagons. 
98  wagons  loaded  with  ammunition   and 

stores. 
75  beef  cattle. 
100,000  feet  bridge  timber. 
1,500  cotton  quilts. 
1,000  pounds  bacon. 

7  water  tanks. 
3,000  pounds  fixed  ammunition. 
Quantity  of  shell. 
500  wall  tents. 
500  saddle  trees. 
500  cavalry  saddles. 
110  sides  harness  leather. 
904  .sets  harness. 
1,000  shelter  tents. 

3  pieces  rifled  cannon. 

5  pieces  rifled  cannon  with  limbers. 
9  pieces  rifled  cannon. 

6  caissons. 
1,900  small  arms. 

A  quantity  small  arms. 
60  carbines. 
2,143  horses  and  mules. 

3  large  and  deep  breaches  made  in  James 
River  and  Kanawha  Canal. 


538  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

strike  the  South-Side  Railroad  and  destroy  it;  then  return  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  C»  *W«*p  southward  to  Sherman,  as  circumstances  might  suggest.* 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1865,  the  general  movement  began.  Sheridan 
pushed  forward  vigorously,  selecting  his  own  roads.  By  nightfall  he  was  in 
bivouac  at  Dinwiddle  0.  H.,  with  the  Eebel  cavalry  to  the  south  of  him,  and 
forced  to  march  around  aim  to  the  westward,  by  a  wearisome  detour,  before  it 
could  again  get  into  position.  Here  came  to  him  Grant's  famous  order:  "I 
now  feel  like  ending  the  matter  before  going  back.  I  do  not  want  you,  there- 
fore, to  cut  loose  and  go  after  the  enemy's  roads  at  present.  In  the  morning- 
push  around  the  enemy  if  you  can,  and  get  on  his  right  rear."f  At  the  same 
t  i  dm  c:mie  rain— first  in  gentle  showers,  then  in  a  torrent.  The  wagon -trains 
everywhere  stuck  fast,  the  troops  went  supperless  to  bed,  and  all  expected  the 
movement  to  end  as  similar  movements  had,  the  season  before,  in  utter  defeat  by 
the  elements.  But  at  daybreak  General  Sheridan  decided  to  visit  Grant,  and 
consult  with  him  as  to  the  details  of  his  notable  plan  for  "ending  the  matter 
before  going  back."  The  rain  was  still  pouring  down,  and  everything  on 
wheels  was  hopelessly  swamped,  as  the  cavalry  leader  rode  back  through  the 
shivering,  cowering  crowds  of  infantry,  to  the  bottomless  sand-field  in  the  midst 
of  which  stood  the  Lieutenant-General's  tent.  Grant  thought,  if  cavalry  could 
wade  over  the  roads,  he  would  like  to  have  them  move  up  a  little — it  would  be 
better  than  absolutely  standing  still.  Sheridan  cheerfully  assented,  said  good- 
bye to  his  chief— "as  chirpily  " — a  staff-  officer;];  tells  us,  "as  if  the  elements  were 
smiling,"  and  hurried  off  orders  to  the  cavalry  to  move  on  Five  Forks.  It  was 
his  last  interview  with  Grant  (save  a  glimpse,  one  morning,  at  Jettersville),  till, 
ten  days  later,  he  was  able  to  turn  over  to  him  the  flag  of  the  Army  of  North- 
ern Virginia. 

•Grant  and  his  Campaigns— Orders  to  Sheridan,  p.  433.  TIbid,  p.  436. 

t Colonel  Newhall,  of  General  Sheridan's  staff.  In  his  book  "With  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last 
Campaign,"  pp.  57-59,  he  gives  a  pleasant  picture  of  the  ride,  and  of  this  scene: 

"Wishing  to  have  a  perfectly  clear  idea  of  General  Grant's  proposed  plan  of  ending  the 
matter,  General  Sheridan,  soon  after  daylight  on  the  30th,  mounted  his  gray  pacer  (captured 
from  Breckinridge's  Adjutant-General  at  Mission  Ridge),  and  paced  rapidly  over  to  the  head-quar- 
ters of  the  Lieutenant-General,  taking  two  or  three  staff-officers,  with  a  dozen  men  for  an  escort. 
lhis  little  party  raised  an  immense  commotion  on  the  picket-line  of  the  army,  and  only  after  such 
persevering  dumb-show  as  the  friendly  Friday  made  to  Robinson  Crusoe  was  it  permitted  to 
approach.  Once  inside,  the  pacer  was  let  out  again,  and  rein  was  drawn  only  when  the  horses 
slumped  to  their  bellies  in  the  quicksand-field,  where  General  Grant  had  pitched  his  tent,  from 
which  he  regarded  the  tempest  with  derision. 

out  rfbmhi!1  Mme  thIngS  Certainly  l0°ked  rather  bhle  t0  a  ^Perficial  observer;  the  troop,  just 
slowlvZl°rte-W1,;ter"qU"ter8'  ^"^  Under  their  SCant  shelt-s,  or  dragged  themselves 
In  eve^  hv  w  J         "  *2  ^^  WUh  mud  and  WeiShed  down  with  the  drenching  rain. 

Drivel  and  IIT,"  ^  ****  ***"»  Were  ^elessly  imbedded  in  the  glutinous  soil. 
whlTe  lat I ^  turned  fT"  V*'  "*  ^  f°rmer  8m°ked  their  ™™  calml?  ™der  *e  wagon*, 
l h^ad  tlher  f  I     I  8t°rm  and  ClUSter6d  ar°Und  the  feed-box>  -here  they  had  pa 

«.  Uhe  toned  the*'  ^  Uiere  W"  n°thing  ln  thG  b°X  t0  eat'  «*  ^  "«*  1—  *™ 
***X^^  *•  *7  that  day      General  Sheridan,  water 

the  Lieutenant  CWml        a  u  hes'  Was  ushered  into  the  presence  and  councils  of 

horse  SjT^to^ Wt!hem  they  S0°n  S6ttled  **  ■  *  ~  -^in  the  limits  of 
my  tor  cavalry  to  move,  they  would  move  a  little  and  see  what  came  of  it,  if  only 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  539 

The  cavalry  was  now  at  Dinwiddie  C.  H.  Six  miles  north  lay  Five  Forks, 
a  point  covering  the  roads  west  from  Lee's  intrenchments  and  north  to  the 
South-Side  Eailroad,  and  therefore  a  point  to  be  jealously  guarded.  Dinwiddie 
and  Five  Forks  were  two  angles  of  the  triangle  within  which  occurred  the 
maneuvers  that  decided  the  fate  of  the  army.  The  third  angle  was  eastward, 
where  the  infantry  advance  was  pressing  upon  the  end  of  Lee's  protracted  line 
of  intrenchments.  If  now  the  reader  will  fix  this  triangle  in  his  mind  he  will 
have  the  geography  of  the  contested  region — apex  at  the  westward  end  of  Lee's 
Petersburg  lines,  one  side  leading  thence  south-westward  along  the  Boydton 
Plank  Eoad  to  Dinwiddie,  the  other  side  westward  from  the  same  point  along 
the  White-Oak  Koad  to  Five  Forks,  and  the  third  side  formed  by  the  Ford  Eoad 
running  north  and  south  between  Dinwiddie  and  Five  Forks. 

At  the  eastward  angle  Grant's  infantry  advance  faced  Lee's.  At  the  south- 
ern angle  lay  Sheridan.  The  westward  angle  Lee  must  protect,  to  cover  the 
South-Side  Eoad  from  Sheridan.  Yet,  to  do  it,  he  must  either  leave  Grant's  infan- 
try advance  on  his  flank  (at  the  eastward  angle),  while  he  faced  Sheridan  at 
Five  Forks,  or  he  must  seek  to  sweep  it  out  of  the  contest  before  going  west- 
ward to  Five  Forks.  He  determined  upon  the  latter  course,  and  vehemently 
assailed  Warren,  with  such  success  as  to  throw  back  two  of  his  three  divisions 
in  confusion.  The  disaster  was,  indeed,  speedily  remedied,  for  Warren's  corps 
was  skillfully  posted  en  echelon,  but  Lee,  not  waiting  for  this  (and  probably  not 
supposing  it  possible)  hurried  westward  to  Five  Forks.  Here  Sheridan, 
advancing,  found  himself  confronted  by  a  force  he  could  not  hope  to  master — 
"Pickett's  division,  Wise's  independent  brigade,  and  Fitz  Lee's,  Eosser's,  and 
W.  H.  F.  Lee's  cavalry  commands,"  as  he  enumerated  them  in  a  subsequent 
note  to  the  Lieutenant-General.  While  his  advance  held  near  Five  Forks,*  the 
enemy  pushed  westward  around  its  flank,   burst  suddenly  upon  it,  hurling  it 

to  pass  the  time,  for  on  a  day  like  this  the  most  ardent  man  must  find  employment,  or  he  will 
begin  to  think  that  he  is  a  helpless  party  to  a  fiasco,  which  it  must  be  acknowledged  we  all 
appeared  to  be  just  then.  The  only  thi,ng,  probably,  that  could  have  amused  the  company  on 
that  inauspicious  morning,  would  have  been  an  excited  horseman  straining  through  the  treacher- 
ous soil,  waving  his  hat,  and  crying  out  that  Lee  would  surrender  to  Grant,  one  hundred  miles 
from  there,  in  ten  days  from  date.  That  would  have  been  extremely  amusing,  and  the  toughest 
veteran  would  have  smiled  grimly. 

"Very  hopeful,  but  somewhat  incredulous,  were  the  veterans,  and  it  was  rather  their  fashion 
to  scoff  in  the  last  year  of  the  war.  There  were  precedents  for  all  sorts  of  campaigns  except 
"the  last,"  and  the  old  troops  were  somewhat  skeptical  when  that  was  predicted.  They  had 
something  of  the  feeling  of  the  man  in  "Used  Up,"  who  had  been  everywhere  and  seen  every- 
thing— been  up  Mount  Vesuvius,  looked  down  the  crater,  and  found  nothing  in  it.  Lee  had 
escaped  them  by  only  so  much  as  Tam  O'  Shanter's  mare  escaped  at  the  bridge,  and,  possibly,  for 
the  reason  that  armies  like  witches  are  balked  by  streams,  as  the  Potomac  and  Rappahannock 
would  seem  to  testify.  They  had  been  in  Burnside's  "mud  movement,"  and  looking  on  this  pic- 
ture and  on  that  they  discovered  the  counterfeit  presentment  of  two  brothers,  so  far  as  it  was 
given  to  them  to  see;  but  the  Lieutenant-General  and  General  Sheridan  had  not  been  in  the  other 
mud  movement,  and  they  are  not  men  of  routine  to  care  for  precedent,  so  the  latter  got  into  his 
wet  saddle  again,  said  good  morning  to  the  Lieutenant-General  as  chirpily  as  if  the  elements  were 
smiling,  and  sent  off  a  staff-officer  by  a  short-cut  to  find  General  Merritt,  on  the  road  from  Din- 
widdie to  Five  Forks,  and  tell  him  to  move  out  a  little  further  and  stir  up  the  animals. 

*31st  of  March,  1865. 


540  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

back  eastward,  and  thus  cut  it  completely  off  from  Sheridan's  main  column  in 

front  0f  Dinwiddle.     The  force  thus  isolated  and  in  danger  of  speedy  capture 

;  of  throe  cavalry  brigades.     But  Sheridan  was  never  so  plucky  or  full 

of  resources  as  in  the  most  dangerous  crisis.     Hastily  sending  word  (by  a  long 

or)  to  the  dislocated  brigades  to  continue  their  retreat  through  the  woods 
till  they  struck  the  lower  side  of  the  triangle  (the  plank  road  leading  to  Din- 
widdie, by  which  they  might  return  to  him),  he  waited  till  the  pursuing  enemy, 
In  ignorance  of  the  force  it  was  passing,  had  rushed  on  eastward  after  the  flying- 
exposing  its  rear  to  his  columns  about  Dinwiddie.  Then  he  fell  fiercely 
upon  them.  They,  of  course,  faced  by  the  rear  rank  to  meet  this  new  danger, 
and  abandoned  their  pursuit.  The  isolated  brigades  made  their  way  around ^ to 
Dinwiddie  in  safety;  while  Sheridan,  dismounting  his  cavalry  and  throwing  up 
fragment!  of  hasty  rail-breastworks,  resisted  the  onsets  of  the  whole  ftebel 
force  now  concentrated  upon  himself.  Officers  were  hastily  dispatched  to  bring 
nj»  Custer,  who  was  still  in  the  rear  with  the  trains.  The  horse  artillery  was 
brought  into  position,  and  as  soon  as  opportunity  offered  wTas  used  with  effect. 
An  attack  of  the  Eebel  cavalry  was  repulsed  with  a  single  volley.  At  last  came, 
with  the  level  rays  of  the  setting  sun,  a  charge  upon  this  obstinate  dismounted 
cavalry  of  Sheridan's,  by  the  whole  line  of  the  Eebel  infantry,  not  less  than 
twelve  thousand  strong.  There  was  no  better  infantry  anywhere.  As  they 
advanced  Sheridan,  cap  in  hand,  galloped  along  his  lines,  and  from  end  to  end 
rose  the  cheers  of  the  confident  cavalry.  The  group  of  horsemen  drew  the  first 
fire  of  the  enemy;  the  repeating  carbines  of  the  cavalry  puffed  out  their 
responses;  and  till  dark  fierce  musketry  firing  raged.  But  the  enemy  halted 
soon  after  entering  the  open  fields  before  Sheridan's  lines,  apparently  not  choos- 
ing to  drive  such  vigorous  fighters  to  extremities  without  more  daylight  for  the 
task.  They  wrapped  themselves  in  their  blankets,  and  sank  down  in  line  of 
battle  on  the  Woody  ground ;  the  cavalry  did  the  same ;  and  darkness  shut  in 
assailed  and  assailants  on  the  common  field  of  Dinwiddie  C.  II .* 

But  for  the  Cavalry  General  there  was  little  rest  that    night.     He  waited 

•Colonel  Newhall,  of  Sheridan's  staff,  thus  describes  the  last  onset.     (With  General  Sheri- 
dan in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,  pp.  70,  72) : 

"The  sun  was  nearly  down  now,  but  one  more  effort  of  the  enemy  was  yet  to  be  made  to 

get  possession  of  Dinwiddie  C.  H.,  and  win  some  fruits  of  the  hard  day's  work,  which,  so  far, 

hud  borne  but  barren  honor.    The  thundering  salute  to  their  cavalry  had  hardly  ceased  to  echo 

through  the  woods  when  the  long  line  of  their  infantry  slowly  debouched  on  the  plain-infantry 

hat  was  hard  to  beat.    We  used  to  think  that  living  was  such  a  poor  life  with  them  that  they 

did  not  much  care  to  continue  it.     They  had  an  air  of  abandon,  a  sort  of  devil-may-care  swing  in 

their  long  Mnde  as  they  advanced  over  a  field,  that  was  rather  disheartening  to  men  that  did 

lot  want  to  get  shot.    And  these  were  some  of  their  best-parts  or  all  of  Pickett's  and  Johnston's 

■on.  of  Anderson's  corps.    While  they  were  still  deploying,  Pennington's  brigade  of  Custer's 

division  reached  the  field,  and  was  immediately  ordered  to  the  right,  to  the  support  of  Gibbes. 

patching  sight  of  the  enemy,  Pennington's  men  burst  into  a   glorious  cheer  as  they  splashed 

Bgta  the  miry  road  behind  the  rails,  and  from  left  to  right  the  shout  was  passed  along,  while 

umral  Sheridan,  cap  in  hand,  galloped  up  the  line  with  some  of  his  staff  and  Generals  Merritt 

enemt      M  Uu^  "*  *  Ul6  m°ment'  and  dreW  the  first  fire  of  th*  ™  advancing 

2    *       Tiff  fl6W'  ^  an  enthusi^ic  reporter  of  the  New  York  Herald,  who  was 

away  by  his  feelings  at  this  juncture,  was  shot  in  the  shoulder  following  the  General. 


Philip  H.    Sheridan.  541 

till  it  seemed  certain  that  the  enemy  would  attack  no  more  till  morning  ;  then 
sat  down  in  a  little  cabin  filled  with  his  wounded  soldiers,  and  wrote  to  the 
Lieutenant-General  what  had  occurred  through  the  day,  concluding:  "This 
force  is  too  strong  for  us.  I  will  hold  out  at  Dinwiddie  C.  H.  until  I  am  com- 
pelled to  leave."  Then  came  in  the  brigades  that  had  been  cut  off  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  they  were  conducted  to  their  new  positions  and  put  into  line.  Mean- 
time, by  ten  o'clock  Grant  had  received  Sheridan's  report,  and  by  midnight  his 
answer  had  arrived.  Warren  was  ordered  to  Sheridan's  support — "should 
arrive  by  midnight" — and  a  thousand  more  cavalry  were  sent.  The  Lieutenant- 
General  specified  the  routes  by  which  Warren  was  to  move.  One  route  would 
bring  the  force  that  took  it  into  Sheridan's  lines.  The  qther  would  lead  the 
force  upon  it  square  against  the  rear  of  the  enemy's  lines — an  arrangement  that 
would  either  bring  on  an  engagement  in  the  thick  woods  in  the  night  or  dis- 
close to  the  Eebel  column  in  the  morning  that  it  had  enemies  on  front  and  rear. 
Sheridan  saw  it  and  gloated  over  the  prospect.  But  midnight  passed,  one 
o'clock  passed,  two,  three — and  still  no  word  of  Warren.  Then  Sheridan  wrote, 
assuming  that  at  least  the  division  on  the  enemy's  rear  had  got  into  position  :* 
"I  understand  that  you  have  a  division  at  J.  Boisseau's;  if  so,  you  are  in  rear 
of  the  enemy's  line,  and  almost  on  his  flanks.  I  will  hold  on  here.  Possibly 
they  may  attack  here  at  daylight.  If  so,  attack  instantly  and  in  full  force. 
Attack  at  daylight  anyhow.  I  will  make  an  effort  to  get  the  road  this  side,  .  . 
and  if  I  do,  you  can  capture  the  whole  of  them."  The  hours  passed  away;  no 
sounds  of  attack  arose,  and  no  word  came  from  Warren.  Dawn  struggled 
through  the  dense  fog,  and  disclosed  an  infantry  line  still  facing  the  cavalry  in 
their  rail  breastworks. f  It  was  found  to  be — not  Warren,  as  had  seemed  possi- 
ble— but  the  Eebel  force,  still  holding  on,  in  spite  of  the  danger  that,  since  the 
Lieutenant-General's  orders  to  Warren,  had  been  menacing  his  rear.  Before 
the  cavalry  could  move  out  against  it,  it  wound  into  the  woods  and  disappeared. 
The  cavalry  pushed  in  after  it,  and  before  long  the  patter  of  musketry  told  that 
the  skirmishers  were  engaging  its  rear-guard.  At  last  Warren  was  heard  from. 
He  had  not  thought  it  prudent  to  move  down  toward  Dinwiddie  through  the 

Our  artillery  now  opened,  and  at  such  short  range  could  not  fail  to  be  destructive,  and  a  moment 
later  the  carbines  of  five  brigades  were  blazing  in  the  twilight,  the  repeating  Spensers  puffing  out 
their  cartridges  like  Roman  candles.  The  heavy  fire  from  both  sides  continued  for  a  few  minutes, 
and,  meanwhile,  darkness  settled  down  upon  us.  Gradually  the  fire  from  the  enemy  became 
fitful  and  irregular,  and  soon  ceased  altogether,  for,  as  they  advanced  across  the  open  ground, 
they  seemed  to  count  the  cost  of  carrying  our  line,  and  weigh  the  advantages  of  holding  the 
Court-House  by  such  uncertain  tenure  as  theirs  would  be,  separated  by  miles  from  their  own 
army,  and  liable  to  be  annihilated  before  they  could  rejoin  it.  Acting  on  the  conclusion  of  this 
sober  second  thought,  they  contented  themselves  with  such  glory  as  the  day  had  brought,  and, 
wrapping  themselves  up  in  it,  lay  down  in  their  tracks  to  rest,  as  soon  as  the  slacking  of  our  fire 
permitted." 

*  Sheridan's  Official  Report. 

t  We  have  another  pleasant  picture,  from  Colonel  Newhall's  pen.  (With  General  Sheridan 
in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,  pp.  89,  91),  describing  the  uncertainty  here  existing: 

"Meanwhile,  before  daybreak,  General  Sheridan  and  his  staff  might  have  been  very  indis- 


542  Ohio  in  the  War 

woods  on  the  enemy's  rear,  in  the  darkness,  while  uncertain  abont  the  safety 
of  his  own  rear,  thus  exposed  to  any  force  which  Lee  might  suddenly  order  out 
from  the  Petersburg  intrench ments.  His  troops  were  accordingly  directed  to 
halt  and  get  breakfast;  wbile-the  chance  at  Dinwiddie  being  thus  lost-the 
.-rivalry  should  push  the  enemy  up  to  Five  Forks,  and  see  what  better  fate 

await.. 1  them  there. 

"I  here  determined,"  Sheridan  tells  us,  "that  I  would  drive  the  enemy, 
with  cavalry,  to  Five  Forks,  press  them  inside  their  works,  and  make  a 
foinl  to  turn  their  right  flank;  and  meanwhile  quietly  move  up  the  Fifth 
Corps  with  a  view  to  attacking  their  left  flank,  crush  the  whole  force  if 
possible,  and  drive  .westward  those  who  might  escape,  thus  isolating  them 
from  their  army  at  Petersburg."  It  was  a  happy  conception ;  its  successful 
execution  made  Five  Forks  forever  memorable— if  not  as  the  virtual  close  of 
the  war,  at  least  as  the  most  important  in  the  quick  series  of  blows  which 
leenred  that  close. 

The  label  force  now  drawing  back  to  Five  Forks  contained  Pickett's  divis- 
ion, seven  thousand  strong;  Bushrod  Johnson's,  six  thousand;  and  two  small 
brigades  besides — in  all  say  fifteen  thousand.  It  had  doubtless  discovered  that 
its  contest  was  no  longer  with  Sheridan's  ten  thousand  cavalry,  but  with  a  for- 
midable infantry  corps  as  well;  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  through  the  night 
a  considerable  portion  of  its  numbers  had  already  been  withdrawn,  in  fear  of  the 

tinctly  seen  emerging  from  the  Dinwiddie  Hotel  and  mounting  their  trusty  steeds.  It  was  a  very 
foggy  morning;  even  after  the  hour  of  sunrise  heavy  vapors  rendered  only  indistinctness  per- 
ceptible, and  when  we  reached  the  picket-line  of  Custer's  division,  which  was  in  front,  beyond 
Dinwiddie,  the  most  straining  eyes  could  not  see  many  yards  beyond  the  works,  which  our  men 
had  strengthened  during  the  night,  and  were  now  fit  to  resist  horse,  foot,  or  dragoons.  Gradu- 
ally the  fog  lifted,  and  Generals  Sheridan,  Merritt,  and  Custer,  each  with  staff  and  escort,  pro- 
ceeded to  make  a  reconnoissance,  which  soon  developed  a  long  line  of  infantry,  with  skirmishers 
to  the  front,  and  mounted  officers  prancing  gaily  about.  The  question  then  arose  under  which 
king  this  line  was  marshaled.  We  had  heard  nothing  of  the  Fifth  Corps,  which  was  to  attack 
:it  daylight,  and  it  Reemed  very  possible  that  the  enemy  might  have  stolen  away  in  the  night, 
declining  to  be  sandwiched  between  General  Warren's  command  and  our  cavalry,  and  this,  then, 
might  be  the  Fifth  Corps  confronting  us.  There  was  a  great  division  of  opinion.  Field-glasses 
were  leveled  and  eyes  were  shaded  to  discover  whether  the  line  was  friend  or  foe.  Some  cried 
'They're  blue!'  and  some  'They're  gray!'  but  for  awhile  nobody  was  sufficiently  certain  to  ven- 
ture any  nearer;  already  we  were  within  easy  musket  range,  but,  not  a  shot  was  fired— still  the 
line  did  not  advance,  neither  did  it  retire,  and  the  anxiety  for  some  sort  of  demonstration  was 
growing  painful,  when  one  of  Custer's  staff  discovered,  through  his  glass,  most  unmistakable  blue, 
and  dashed  boldly  down  toward  a  mounted  officer,  who  was  caracoling  Ms  horse  on  the  neutral 
ground  between  our  party  and  his  skirmishers.  We  heard  a  'Halt !'  a  question  and  an  answer, 
and  then  the  sharp  report  of  a  pistol,  and  Custer's  officer  came  galloping  back  through  the  muddy 
field,  and  was  able  to  report  positively  that  the  line  was  gray— a  very  gray  gentleman  having 
■fa  at  him  and  called  him  some  highly  improper  names.  Our  cavalry  was  at  once  ordered 
forward,  and  while  the  order  was  being  carried  back  to  the  troops  the  stolid  line  faced  to  the 
right  and  coiled  itself  rapidly  into  the  woods,  only  giving  us  time  to  send  after  it  our  compli- 
ments in  a  couple  of  rifled  shells,  which  were  fired  partly  for  the  sake  of  the  damage  they 
ight  do,  but  principally  as  a  signal  to  General  Warren  that  we  were  on  the  move,  with  the 
enemy  in  front  of  us.  But  as  he  had  hardly  yet  started  from  his  last  night's  encampment,  we 
might  well  have  saved  the  ammunition." 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  543 

danger  menaced  by  Warren's  ability  to  march  upon  its  rear  *  Against  this 
fifteen  thousand  Sheridan  was  bringing  the  Fifth  Corps,  say  thirteen  thousand 
strong,  and  ten  thousand  cavalry — overbalancing  the  enemy's  strength  by  a 
surplus  of  eight  thousand.  Under  the  stress  of  this  hostile  superiority,  it  was 
natural  that  the  enemy  should  draw  into  his  intrenchments  without  very  vigor- 
ous opposition  to  the  hard-pressing  cavalry.  By  two  o'clock  his  skirmish-line 
was  driven  in,  and  around  his  front  the  enveloping  cavalry  drew  its  cloud. 
Behind,  Sheridan  was  free  to  develop  his  plan. 

Warren  was  now  ordered  up  from  the  neighborhood  of  Dinwiddie.  While 
his  movement  went  on,  the  cavalry  was  to  occupy  the  enemy's  attention  on 
the  front,  Warren  was  to  advance  (on  the  Gravelly  Eun  Eoad  which  carried  him 
to  the  east  of  Five  Forks,)  till,  reaching  the  northern  side  of  the  triangle,  he 
struck  the  White  Oak  Boad,  leading  out  to  Five  Forks.  Here  he  was  to  turn 
sharp  west,  with  a  left-wheel,  and  burst  straight  upon  the  flank  and  rear  of  the 
unsuspecting  enemy,  who  was  still  facing  southward  against  the  cavalry. 

Sheridan  remained  on  the  front  with  the  cavalry,  repeating  and  re-repeat- 
ing to  General  Merritt  (the  immediate  commander)  his  plans  for  co-operation 
with  the  infantry  attack.  Then  leaving  the  cavalry  to  demonstrate  to  the 
westward  of  the  enemy's  line,  he  rode  off  eastward  to  where  the  infantry  should 
now  be  going  into  position  on  the  flank.  He  was  disappointed  in  finding  the 
corps  not  so  far  advanced  as  he  had  hoped.  Warren  sat  on  a  log  sending  out 
his  orders  and  enjoining  haste.  Sheridan  could  not  bear  this  standing  off  and 
giving  orders — he  thought  it  was  an  occasion  for  the  energizing  effects  of  the 
corps  commander's  own  presence.  Three  or  four  times  he  urged  the  necessity 
of  speedy  movements  upon  Warren  with  a  manner  sufficiently  indicative  of  a 
brewing  storm,  and  those  who  know  him  best  watched  his  eyes  as  they  began 
to  glare  in  rage,  and  foreboded  ill-luck  for  the  officer  who  should  fail  to  satisfy 
his  demands  for  swift  execution  of  orders. t  Meanwhile  he  found  a  relief  for 
his  restlessness  in  providing  for  a  new  danger  that  threatened  from  the  direction 
of  Lee's  fortified  lines  on  the  eastward  about  Petersburg.  Some  anxiety  had 
begun  to  be  felt  there,  it  would  seem,  for  the  situation  of  Pickett  and  Johnson 
at  Five  Forks,  and  a  small  column  was  now  moving  out  to  their  aid.  To  meet 
this  Sheridan  sent  Mackenzie  with  a  thousand  cavalry  in  hot  haste — to  hurl  it 
back,  and  then  return  to  aid  in  the  impending  conflict. 

At  last  Warren's  corps  was  up.  Wheeling  westward,  it  had  before  it  the 
flank  and  rear  of  the  hapless  body  of  fifteen  thousand  Bebels  in  Five  Forks. 
It  interposed  between  them  and  t^eir  army,  stood  on  their  line  of  retreat,  and 

•  In  the  acrimonious  discussions  that  have  sprung  out  of  Sheridan's  act  in  relieving  Warren 
at  the  close  of  the  battle  of  Five  Forks,  there  has  been  much  dispute  on  this  point.  Warren's 
friends  have  maintained  that  the  enemy  retreated  from  Dinwiddie  during  the  night;  Sheridan's 
that  he  retreated  next  morning  before  the  cavalry.  The  matter  does  not  possess  the  importance 
with  which  these  discussions  have  invested  it ;  but  the  probability  seems  to  be  that  at  daybreak 
nothing  but  a  strong  rear-guard  was  facing  Sheridan  at  Dinwiddie.  In  any  event  it  is  plain  that 
the  purpose  of  retiring  to  Five  Forks  had  been  formed  before  the  cavalry  began  their  movement 
on  that  day.— See  Warren's  pamphlet,  "  The  Fifth  Corps  at  Five  Forks." 

t  With  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,  pp.  98,«99. 


544  Ohio  in   the    Wae. 

was  ready  to  drive  them  upon-Sheridan's  cavalry!  It  was  four  o'clock  when 
the  movement  began.  Sheridan  cantered  out  before  the  infantry  line— his  head- 
quarters' flag  fluttering  in  the  breeze— and  pushed  hard  up  toward  the  skir- 
misbert  in  his  eagerness.  Just  then  Mackenzie  came  galloping  back.  He  had 
driven  the  Rebel  column  that  was  coming  out  from  the  Petersburg  lines,  had 
brought  hack  his  command,  and  was  ready  for  the  greater  fight  in  hand. 

Presently  the  left  of  the  Fifth  Corps  struck  the  Rebel  flank,  the  center  and 
right  overlapping  it  and  enveloping  its  rear  to  the  northward.  They  were  moving 
through  dense  woods,  and  this  gave  rise  to  some  confusion.  Two  or  three  regi- 
ment! became  unsteady  and  finally  broke.  Just  then  Sheridan  came  dashing  in, 
and  the  magnetism  that  had  turned  Cedar  Creek  into  a  victory  soon  checked 
the  untimely  alarm.  But  he  noted,  with  baleful  look,  that  Warren  was  not  on 
the  spot  at  the  critical  moment.  As  the  line  steadied  he  seized  his  head-quar- 
ters' fla0,  and  with  it  rushed  forward  to  head  the  advance. .  They  struck  the 
enemy's  left,  doubled  it  up,  and  under  orders  that  there  should  be  no  stopping 
in  the  whirl  of  victory  to  re-form  lines,  leaped  forward  upon  his  center.  The 
opening  roar  of  musketry  was  the  signal  to  the  cavalry  on  the  front,  and  pres- 
ently the  crack  of  their  repeaters  came  to  swell  the  diapason  of  the  circling  bat- 
tle. Meantime  the  center  and  right  of  Warren's  line  bent  up  around  the 
enemy's  flank,  and  now  came  in  upon  his  rear.  What  men  might  do,  these  vet- 
erans of  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  did.  Facing  at  once  to  rear  and  front, 
they  made  a  gallant  effort  to  keep  up  the  unequal  contest.  Warren,  leading  his 
center  and  right,  had  gained  the  Ford  Road  leading  from  Five  Forks  northward  to 
the  railroad  depot,  and  now  came  down  this.  A  short  crotchet  of  the  line  here 
met  them,  and  for  a  little  the  disordered  assailants  were  thrown  back.  Then 
Warren,  calling  on  his  men  to  follow,  dashed  forward.  His  horse  was  shot 
within  a  few  yards  of  the  Rebel  breastworks.  But  the  position  was  carried, 
and  the  line  swept  down  to  the  Forks.  Simultaneous^,  the  part  of  his  corps 
which  with  Sheridan  had  borne  the  brunt  of  the  fighting,  came  up  the  Rebel 
line,  fairly  elbowing  its  defenders  out  of  their  works,  and  the  cavalry,  charging 
in  from  the  south,  reached  over  on  their  line  of  retreat.  Five  thousand  men 
threw  down  their  arms;  the  rest  were  torn  from  their  connection  with  Lee's 
army  and  driven  westward,  pursued  and  harassed  till  long  after  dark  by  the 
insatiable  cavalry. 

But  before  the  pursuit  began  General  Sheridan's  displeasure  with  General 
Warren  had  culminated.  He  thought  that  officer  should  have  exerted  himself 
to  inspire  confidence  among  the  men  at  the  first  breaking  of  the  line;  he  had 
seen  nothing  of  his  splendid  behavior  subsequently  (which,  indeed,  was  not 
displayed  at  the  critical  point),  and  savagely  recalling  the  disappointment  the 
night  before  at  Dinwiddie,  he  resolved  to,  have  his  subordinates  imbued  with 
more  energy  and  dash.  He  accordingly  relieved  Warren  from. the  command  of 
the  corps.  It  was  a  power  which  had  come  to  him  unsolicited ;  its  exercise  had 
been  provoked  by  the  tardiness  which  kept  him  from  striking  the  enemy  at  Din- 
wnl.l.e.  and  by  the  aggravation  of  the  subsequent  delays.  Yet  one  who  remem- 
bers how  prudent  much  of  Warren's  conduct  really  was,  and   how  frequently 


Philip    II.    Sheridan.  545 

past  experience  had  vindicated  its  wisdom,  and  who  recalls  the  splendid  gal- 
lantry and  often-proved  ability  of  the  man,  can  not  but  regret  that,  as  he  disen- 
tangled himself  from  the  horse  that  had  been  shot  under  him  within  a  stone's 
throw  of  the  last  Rebel  breastwork,  he  should  have  been  met  with  an  order  that 
6ent  him  from  the  field  in  disgrace  * 

General  Grant,  in  his  annual  report,  out  of  these  brilliant  operations,  sin- 
gled Sheridan's  conduct  at  Dinwiddie  C.  IT.  for  special  commendation.  "He 
here  displa}Ted,"  said  Grant,  "great  generalship"  by  fighting,  "instead  of 
retreating  with  his  whole  command  on  the  main  army  to  tell  the  story  of  supe- 
rior forces  encountered."  Unquestionably  Sheridan's  conduct  at  Dinwiddie  was 
handsome,  but  it  furnished  a  conspicuous  exhibition  of  his  invincible  pugnacity 
rather  than  of  signally  brilliant  generalship.  It  was  the  next  day,  in  the  per- 
fect plan  of  Five  Forks,  that  he  disph^ed  a  capacity  for  large  movements,  for 
which  not  even  the  Shenandoah  campaign  had  given  him  credit  with  the  public. 
High  authorities  have  pronounced  Five  Forks  the  most  perfect  battle,  in  its 
tactics,  ever  delivered  in  Virginia — Virginia,  that  had  witnessed  the  efforts  of 
well-nigh  every  General  who  rose  to  distinction  in  the  Eastern  service.  The 
victory  was  indeed  won  with  a  considerable  preponderance  of  forces,  but  this 
does  not  detract  from  the  unsurpassed  plan,  and  the  almost  equally  unsurpassed 
execution. 

The  battle  of  Five  Forks  was  fought  on  the  1st  of  April.  On  the  2d  Grant 
broke  through  Lee's  meager  lines  before  Petersburg.  That  night  Lee  drew 
across  the  .Appomattox  and  retreated  westward.  On  the  morning  of  the  3d 
Sheridan  was  off  in  pursuit.  There  had  been  some  busy  marching  of  the  cav- 
alry on  the  2d,  and  Sheridan  regretted  that  he  had  not  retained  the  infantry  to 
aid  him;  but  the  issue  was  already  decided  along  the  close-locked  lines  before 
Petersburg.  Sheridan  was  now  without  orders,  but  he  never  doubted  for  one  mo- 
ment what  to  do.  Lee  was  going  to  Danville.  It  was  his  business  to  head  him 
off — not  to  harass  his  rear,  or  delay  with  liis  stragglers,  but  head  him  off!  So  he 
took  a  line  of  march  parallel  to  Lee's.  The  Eebel  cavalry  was  encountered  and 
brushed  aside;  stragglers  Avere  picked  up,  and  a  little  artillerj-  was  captured. 
But  there  was  no  serious  opposition.  The  Rebel  soldiers  had  everywhere,  in 
their  retreat,  declared  the  failure  of  the  Confederacy;  the  inhabitants  seemed 
anxious  to  stand  well  with  the  Yankees ;  even  an  old  negro,  in  reply  to  Sheri- 

*  There  is  no  occasion  to  enter  here  into  the  points  of  this  much-vexed  controversy.  Gen- 
eral Warren  demanded  a  Court  of  Inquiry,  which  General  Grant  refused— so  far  indorsing  Gen- 
eral Sheridan's  conduct  in  removing  him.  Subsequently  General  Grant  assigned  him  to  other 
responsible  duty — thereby  saying  to  the  world  that  the  reasons  of  his  removal  did  not  touch 
Warren's  honor  as  a  soldier,  nor  his  unquestioned  capacity.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  Gen- 
eral Grant's  course  was  judicious.  Sheridan's  blood  was  up;  he  had  the  enemy  at  advantage, 
knew  it,  and  demanded  from  every  subordinate  the  same  ceaseless  exertions  and  undoubting  faith 
in  the  result  that  he  himself  displayed.  Warren  was  an  engineer,  by  nature  and  by  profession 
cautious  ;  he  had  been  accustomed  to  a  large  share  in  the  confidence  of  his  superiors  ;  had  greatly 
aided  in  forming  the  plans  for  previous  movements,  and  on  more  than  one  occasion  had  not  hes- 
itated to  take  the  responsibility  of  changing  them  upon  his  own  judgment.  At  a  time  like  this 
Warren  was  no  fit  subordinate  for  Sheridan. 

Vol.  L— 35. 


546  Ohio  in  the   War. 

dan's  question  where  the  Rebels  had  gone,  said,  "Siftin'  souf,  sah,  siftin'  souf." 
Meantime  the  scouts  were  busy;  and  on  the  morning  of  the  4th,  from  their 
reports  and  from  the  general  indications,  Sheridan  had   made  up  his  mind  that 

wu  beadiBg  for  Amelia  C.  II.,  0:1  the  railroad  to  Danville.  A  few  miles 
Bouth  of  Amelia,  on  the  same  road,  is  Jettersville.  Thither  Sheridan  turned  his 
column,  straining  every  nerve  to  reach  it  before  Lee  could  strike  Amelia.  His 
success  (if*  only  he  could  hold  the  point)  would  end  the  retreat  toward  Danville. 
Tiu-iv  was  a  little  cavalry  fighting  through  the  day,  and   a  number  of  wagons 

•  snatched  from  the  enemy,  but  by  five  the  several  divisions  were  entering 
Jettersville,  and  Sheridan  was  sending  back  a  staff  officer  with  orders  to  ride 
\.\<  horse  down  in  bearing  swiftly  to  Meade  the  news  that  he  was  across  the 
enemy's  path  ;  that  Lee  would  doubtless  attempt  to  break  through  ;  that  he 
would  do  all  in  his  power  to  hold  the  ground,  and  that  he  implored  the  infantry 
to  hurry  up  and  force  a  surrender. 

All  through  the  night  Sheridan  watched  for  attack,  and  sent  back  renewed 
messages  for  the  infantry.  Day  broke  peacefull}',  the  sun  had  moved  well  up 
the  sky.  and  still  Lee.  lying  quietty  five  miles  off,  failed  to  improve  his  opportu- 
nity and  break  through  the  cavalry  curtain  that  alone  stood  between  him  and 
the  open  road  to  Danvillo.  If  he  had — but  history  need  only  record  that  he  did 
not,  and  that  he  so  missed  his  only  chance  for  escape.*  The  Fifth  Corps — tho 
head  of  which  had  got  up  the  night  before — was  soon  in  position  ;  the  Second 
came  up  early  in  the  afternoon,  and  Lee's  retreat  to  Danville  was  an  impossi- 
bility. Thenceforward  there  was  no  hope  of  junction  with  Jos.  E.  Johnston. 
Meanwhile  Sheridan,  suspicious  that  the  quiet  about  Amelia  might  be  conceal- 
ing an  effort  to  steal  away,  sent  out  some  cavalry  westward.  This  speedily  fell 
upon  a  train  and  captured  one  hundred  and  eighty  wagons,  a  thousand  prisoners, 
and  five  pieces  of  artillery  at  a  dash.  The  spoils  were  sent  safely  to  the  rear; 
but  the  cavalry  soon  found  that  the  enemy  was  not  yet  powerless.  A  heavy 
force  was  sent  out  from  Amelia  to  cut  them  off,  and  they  had  hard  fighting  to 
get  in  again. 

Next  morningf  Meade  assumed  command  of  the  infantry.  Sheridan  pushed 
out  his  cavalry  to  the  westward,  and  it  was  shortly  discovered  that  the  roads 
were  filled  with  trains.  Lee  had  abandoned  a  direct  movement  toward  Dan- 
ville, and  was  heading  south-westward.  Crook,  who  was  in  the  advance,  dashed 
at  the  tempting  prizes,  but  speedily  recoiled.  The  trains  belched  out  sulphur- 
ous smoke  and  death;  they  were  heavily  guarded  by  the  best  infantry  of  the 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia.  Then  Sheridan  gave  hi,  orders.  Each  division 
was  in  turn  to  try  an  attack  on  the  trains,  while  the  others  pushed  ahead  to  try 
in  turn  at  new  points.  If  anywhere  in  those  long,  exposed  lines  Lee  had  left 
one  unguarded  point,  this  style  of  movement  would  find  it.  By  noon  it  was 
found.     At  Sailor's  Creek  Custer  planted  himself  fairly  upon  a  section  of  the 

nJwnA^[ni°\*Tlh\C™Uln0t-  Hehad  exPected  rations  at  Am*lia  CH.,and  had  been 
^  !J ,hTr°  }'     ?  blunderi"S  of  subordinates.     He  was  accordingly  compelled  to  halt 

and  send  out  foraging  parties  to  seek  food  for  his  exhausted  soldiers. 
tCth  April. 


v  Philip    II.   Sheridan.  547 

train.     Crook  and  Devin  came  galloping  Up  to  his  support,  and  they  took  six- 
teen pieces  of  artillery,  besides  four  hundred  wagons  and  some  prisoners. 

Meantime  Sheridan  himself  waited  behind.  Some  cavalry  and  a  battery 
he  kept  with  him,  and  the*  last  he  set  to  work  practicing  on  the  passing  wagon 
covers.  Then  sitting  down  on  a  stump,  he  took  out  his  pocket  field-book  and 
scratched  off  a  dispatch  to  the  Lieutenant-General :  "From  present  indications 
the  retreat  of  the  enemy  is  rapidly  becoming  a  rout.  We  are  shelling  their 
trains  and  preparing  to  attack  their  infantry.  Our  troops  are  moving  on  their 
left  flank,  and  I  think  we  can  break  and  disperse  them.  Everything  should  bo 
hurried  forward  with  the  utmost  speed."  With  this  an  aid  dashed  off  at  a 
gallop  in  the  direction  of  Amelia  C.  IT.,  where  the  Lieutenant-General  had 
been  left.  In  a  moment  tho  restless  Cavalryman,  boiling  over  with  energy  and 
impatience  as  he  watched  the  Eebel  wagons  go  by,  had  whipped  out  his  field- 
book  and  was  writing  again:  "The  enemy's  trains  and  army  were  moving  all 
last  night,  and  are  very  short  of  provisions  and  very  tired  indeed.  I  think 
that  now  is  the  time  to  attack  them  with  all  your  infantry.  They  are  reported 
to  have  begged  provisions  of  the  people  of  the  country  all  along  the  road  as 
they  passed."  With  this  another  aid  went  off  galloping.  Then  Sheridan,  wait- 
ing still  for  the  Sixth  Corps,  which  had  been  directed  to  report  to  him,  ordered 
his  little  brigade  of  cavalry  to  fill  up  the  time  writh  a  charge.  They  made  it 
gallantly,  and  though  the  men  lined  the  front  of  the  enemy's  position  with 
dead  horses,  they  came  back  satisfied  at  seeing  the  movement  of  the  Eebel 
infantry  arrested  while  their  commanders  should  look  for  the  meaning  of  this 
wild  assault.  It  was  a  fortunate  dela}^ ;  for  just  then  Crook  and  the  rest,  a 
couple  of  miles  further  on,  were  beginning  their  break  into  the  lines. 

The  head  of  the  Sixth  Corps  appeared  as  the  little  brigade  of  cavalry  came 
back  from  its  charge.  It  at  once  attacked  under  Sheridan's  personal  leader- 
ship, carried  the  road,  then  formed  on-either  side  of  it,  with  Sheridan  himself 
and  his  escort  on  the  center;  and  so,  with  hot  skirmishing  and  the  incessant 
crackle  of  musketry  mingling  with  the  rush  of  the  regiments  through  tho 
woods,  advanced  for  a  mile  or  more.  Then  came  the  open  ground  about  Sailor's 
Creek;  across  it  a  force  of  the  enemy  in  strong  position,  with  skirmishers  obsti- 
nately holding  the  ground  on  the  hither  side;  beyond,  columns  of  smoke  blur- 
ring the  beauties  of  the  spring  landscape.  Sheridan  grasped  the  situation 
instantly.  His  cavalry  divisions  in  advance  had  planted  themselves  where  the 
smoke  (from  the  burning  trains)  was  rising,  across  the  road  along  which  the 
force  he  was  pursuing  retreated,  and  had  thus  cut  them  off.  He  forthwith 
hastened  the  preparations  for  attack.  Just  then  a  young  cavalryman,  quiet 
and  resolute-looking,  in  spite  of  the  peril  he  had  just  defied,  broke  through  the 
enemy's  skirmishers  and  galloped  up  to  Sheridan.  He  was  one  of  Custer's  men, 
had  charged  with  his  division,  and,  ahead  of  his  comrades,  had  leaped  his  horse 
over  the  enemy's  breastwork.  Unable  to  get  back,  he  had  dashed  through  to 
the  other  side;  and  here  he  was  to  tell  General  Sheridan  that  his  cavalry  had 
already  captured  guns,  wagons,  and  prisoners,  and  was  now  on  the  opposite 
Bide  of  this  Rebel  force,  pressing  hard  the  attack.     He  rode  off  quietly  as  he 


.48  Ohio  in  the  War. 

***<*  his  Btorv.  and  doubtless  thought  he  had  done  only  an  ordinary  thing ; 
MShirita  take  care  to  tell  us  that  "this  gallant  young  sokher  M  private 
Wn,  R.  Richardson,  company  A,  Second  Ohio  Veteran  Cavalry. 

At  laet  then  the  remorseless  energy  of  this  pursuit  had  brought  a  portion 
of  the  flyiifc  aVrtV  to  a  compulsory  stand.  Sheridan  hastened  his  preparations 
to  .ttack  Wright  Wit*  the  infantry  (Sixth  Corps)  moved  up  on  the  enemy's 
fcft.  fa  single  brigade  of  cavalry  which  the  General  had  kept  back  went  in  on 
ttie'extrem*  r^hfc  As  the  infantry  crossed  the  creek  they  were  met  with  a 
lerrfn*  fire  Part  of  them  fell  back  in  disorder  to  the  water,  and  the  Rebels 
total  up  in  pursuit.  But  here  they  were  caught  by  the  enfilading  fire  of  the 
divisions  which  had  not  been  repulsed;  to  go  back  was  more  dangerous  than  to 
to  forward,  and  they  surrendered.     The  repulsed  portion  of  the  line  swung  up 

h  :  just  then  Custer  and  Crook  and  the  rest  came  whirling  through  the  pine 

18  on  the  other  side;  for  a  moment  the  surrounded  Rebels  fought  wildly, 
thru  their  arms  were  thrown  down  and  ten  thousand  surrendered.  At  their 
head  stood  a  corps  commander,  identified  with  the  history  of  their  soldierly 
army,  who,  since  Stonewall  Jackson's  day,  could  be  named  second  to  Long-street 
alone;  and  besides  General  Ewell,  there  were  Kershaw  and  Custis  Lee,  and  half 
a  dozen  others  of  note.  Such  were  the  rich  prizes  of  the  quick-fought  battle 
of  Sailor's  Creek. 

The  cavalry  pursued  the  escaping  fragment's  of  Ewell's  force  for  a  few 
miles.  Sheridan  dictated  dispatches  to  the  Lieutenant-General,  then  lay  down 
on  his  back  before  a  camp-fire  and  snatched  an  hour's  sleep  while  supper  was 
preparing,  took  Ewell  and  the  rest  to  supper  with  him,  got  another  hour's  sleep 
before  daybreak,  and  then,  up  with  the  earliest,  trotted  out  again  in  the  gray 
dawn  on  his  westward  road.*    This  day  (April  7th)  he  swung  more  to   the 

•Colonel  Newhall  gives  a  life-like  sketch  of  the  scenes  at  head-quarters  this  evening.  (With 
Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last  Campaign),  pp.  187,  188: 

"When  we  struck  off  into  these  digressive  paths,  General  Sheridan  was  sitting  by  his  camp- 
fire  in  the  plain  on  top  of  the  crest  where  the  righting  had  ended,  and  now  he  is  on  the  broad  of 
his  back  on  a  blanket,  with  his  feet  to  the  fire,  in  a  condition  of  sleepy  wakefulness  which  can 
only  be  attained  through  excessive  fatigue  and  a  sense  of  responsibility.  Clustered  about  are 
blue  uniforms  and  gray  in  equal  numbers,  and  immediately  around  our  camp-fire  are  most  of 
the  Confederate  generals  who  have  just  been  captured.  General  Ewell  is  the  principal  figure  in 
the  group,  and  attracts,  though  he  seems  to  avoid,  attention.  He  has  plainly  admitted  that  there 
is  no  hope  now  for  General  Lee,  and  has  begged  General  Sheridan  to  send  him  a  flag  of  truce 
and  demand  his  surrender,  in  order  to  save  any  further  sacrifice,  but  the  General  has  made  no 
further  response  to  this  than  to  urge  General  Grant  to  push  on  faster.  Ewell  is  sitting  on  the 
ground  hugging  his  knees,  with  his  face  bent  down  between  his  arms,  and  if  anything  could  add 
force  to  his  words,  the  utter  despondency  of  his  air  would  do  it.  The  others  are  mostly  staid, 
middle-aged  men,  tired  to  death  nearly,  and  in  no  humor  for  a  chat;  and  so  the  party  is  rather  a 
quirt  one,  for  our  fellows  are  about  done  over  too,  and  half  starved.  To  this  sprawling  party, 
enter  Sandy  Forsyth,  aid-de-camp,  to  announce  that  he  has  established  head-quarters  in  a  lovely 
orchard,  where  tents  are  up  and  supper  is  cooking;  so  we  follow  the  beaming  colonel  down  the 
road  for  a  mile  and  find  ourselves  quartered  just  in  rear  of  Getty,  who  has  gone  into  position 
for  the  night,  Devin  in  front  of  him  reporting  no  enemy. 

"We  carried  the  Confederate  generals  with  us  and  shared  our  suppers  and  blankets  with 
them,  as  we  would  be  done  by,  and  after  a  sleep  of  hardly  an  hour,  took  breakfast  in  their  com- 
pany and  then  parted  with  it  as  we  followed  the  general's  swallow-tailed  fiac  down  the  road." 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  549 

southward  to  foreclose  possibilities  of  escape,  leaving  to  the  infantry  the  inner 
and  shorter  lines.  Failing  to  find  the  enemy  at  Prince  Edward's  C.  II.,  he  then 
decided  (for  he  was  entirely  without,  orders)  to  push  columns  north-westwanJ 
toward  Farmville  and  Prospect  Station,  feeling  sure  that  here  he  must  find  the 
head  of  the  fleeing  column.  At  Farmville  Crook  struck  them,  and  again  at  the 
crossing  of  the  Appomattox.  All  the  while  Sheridan  kept  restlessly  consulting 
his  maps,  questioning  the  natives  as  to  roads  and  bodies  of  troops  seen  pass- 
ing,* sending  out  his  orders  to  his  various  divisions,  and  reports  to  his  Chief. 

Next  morning  (8th  of  April)  he  sends  off  a  dispatch  to  the  Lieutenant- 
General:  "I  shall  move  on  Appomattox  C.  II.  Should  we  not  intercept  the 
enemy,  and  he  be  forced  into  Lynchburg,  surrender  there  is  beyond  question." 
A  few  hours  later  a  scout  meets  him  on  the  road,  with  word  that  four  trains  of 
ear*,  laden  with  provisions,  are  at  Appomattox  Depot,  five  miles  south  of  the 
Court-IIouse,  awaiting  General  Lee.  He  deflects  his  columns  a  little,  and 
strikes  out  on  the  keen  trot  for  Appomattox  Depot,  twenty-five  miles  distant. 
Only  once  the  column  halts  a  little  for  rest  and  water;  by  five  o'clock  it  is  near 
the  depot,  and  Custer,  in  advance,  has  caught  sight  of  the  smoke  from  the  four 
waiting  locomotives.  He  circles  down  through  the  woods,  comes  up  on  the 
other  side  with  a  whirl,  siezes  the  trains  before  the  startled  engineers  have  time 
to  comprehend  the  situation,  and  backs  them  southward  toward  the  rest  of  the 

*A  good  sample  of  his  way  of  dealing  with  refractory  "natives"  is  told  by  Colonel 
Newhall.  It  occurred  at  Prince  Edward's  C.  H.  (With  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,  pp. 
192-11)4): 

"The  General  dismounted  here,  at  the  fence  of  a  stiff  old  gentleman,  who  was  sitting  on  his 
high  piazza  and  scowling  severely  as  we  rode  up.  He  was  the  typical  Southerner  of  fifty  years; 
his  long  gray  hair  fell  over  the  collar  of  his  coat  behind  his  ears;  he  was  arrayed  in  the  swallow- 
tail of  a  by -gone  mode,  a  buff  linen  vest,  cut  low,  and  nankeen  pantaloons  springing  far  over  the 
foot  that  was  neatly  incased  in  morocco  slippers;  a  bristling  shirt-frill  adorned  his  bosom,  and 
from  the  embrasure  of  his  wall-like  collar  he  shot  defiant  glances  at  us  as  we  clattered  up  the 
walk  to  his  house.  Prince  Edward  C.  H.  was  a  stranger  to  war,  and  our  indignant  friend  was 
looking  now  for  the  first  time  on  the  like  of  us,  and  certainly  he  didn't  seem  to  like  our  look. 
He  bowed  in  a  dignified  way  to  the  General,  who  bobbed  at  him  carelessly  and  sat  down  on  a 
step,  drew  out  his  inevitable  map,  lighted  a  fresh  cigar,  and  asked  our  host  if  any  of  Lee's  troops 
had  been  seen  about  here  to-day.  'Sir,'  he  answered,  'as  I  can  truly  say  that  none  have  been 
seen  by  me  I  will  say  so ;  but  if  I  had  seen  any,  I  should  feel  it  my  duty  to  refuse  to  reply  to 
your  question.  I  can  not  give  you  any  information  which  might  work  to  the  disadvantage  of 
General  Lee.'  This  neat  little  speech,  clothed  in  unexceptionable  diction,  which  no  doubt  had 
been  awaiting  us  from  the  time  we  tied  our  horses  at  the  gate,  missed  fire  badly.  It  was  very 
patriotic  and  all  that ;  but  the  General  was  not  in  a  humor  to  chop  patriotism  just  then,  so  he 
only  gave  a  soft  whistle  of  surprise,  and  returned  to  the  attack  quite  unscathed. 

"  'How  far  is  it  to  Buffalo  River?' 

"'Sir,  I  don't  know.' 

'"The  devil  you  don't!  how  long  have  you  lived  here?' 

"'All  my  Hie.' 

"'Very  well,  sir,  it's  time  you  did  know.  Captain,  put  this  gentleman  in  charge  of  a  guard, 
and  when  we  move,  walk  him  down  to  Buffalo  River  and  show  it  to  him.' 

"And  so  he  was  marched  off,  leaving  us  a  savage  glare  at  parting;  and  that  evening  tramped 
five  miles  away  from  home  to  look  at  a  river  which  was  as  familiar  to  him  as  his  own  family. 
Doubtless,  to  this  day  he  regales  the  neighbors  with  the  story  of  this  insult  that  was  put  upon 
him,  and  still  brings  up  his  children  in  the  faith  for  whose  dogmas  he  suffered.  Doubtless,  too, 
he  considers  General  Sheridan  a  perfect  gentleman." 


550  Ohio  in  the  War. 

advancing  cavalrv.  fe  stirs  up  a  very  hornet's  nest  in  doing  so,  ft*  there  in 
£  ,ood':  lie  portions  of  Lee's  *****  advance,  awa.ttng  the  tssue  ol  the,, 
1Vom  tllose  vo,v  trains.  For  a  little  there  rages  fierce  tag,  then  the 
BMh  are  drift,  north  toward  the  Court-House,  leaving  twenty-five  pieces  of 
artiHc-v  hehind  them.  Sheridan  sits  down  in  the  nearest  little  house,  dispatches 
tl)o  Li;ilt,I1JlIlt  ,;,„,,..  that,  if  he  can  push  up,  »vr4  will  perhaps  finish  the  job 
i„  tbe  morning' arranges  to  hold  his  groiuid  against  any  attack,  and  then 
stretches  himself  on  the  floor  for  a  few  hours' slumber. 

Bv  daybreak  the  infantry  is  trotting  past.  The  cavalry  has  already  been 
pushed  up  almost  to  the  Court-IIouse.  Bitter  fighting  breaks  out;  then  as  Sher- 
i.hn  wallops  to  the  front  it  slackens.  He  has  ordered  the  cavalry  to  fall  slowly 
bafek.  The  enemy  advances,  evidently  resolved  to  brealc  through;  when  lo ! 
from  out  the  silent  woods  glide  the  long  lines  of  our  infantry.  lie  shrinks  back 
in  hon-or— it  is  only  against  brigades  of  flying  cavalry  that  this  once  compact 
Army  of  Northern  Virginia  can  stand.  Sheridan  silently  draws  off  his  horse  to 
Charge  on  the  right;  the  infantry  advances;  before  them,  in  the  valley  about  the 
Court-HoOJO,  lie  the  broken  fragments  of  the  once  great  army.  A  single  pfaffgt 
will  sweep  out  the  whole  confused  mass.  But  the  uplifted  hand  is  stayed.  "Out 
from  the  enemy's  lines  comes  a  rider,  'bound  on  bound,'  bearing  a  white  flag  of 
truce  to  ask  for  time  to  consummate  surrender."* 

Then  followed  the  hasty  dash  toward  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  to  repair  any  mis- 

*  Sheridan's  lines  held  fast  on  Lee's  front  till  interviews  between  Grant  and  Lee  were  over. 
The  narrative  ends,  in  the  text,  with  the  close  of  Sheridan's  active  control  of  the  move- 
ments that  brought  about  the  surrender.  Readers  will  be  glad,  however,  to  have  from  the 
graphic  pen  of  General  Sheridan's  staff  officer,  whom  we  have  so  often  quoted  already,  an  ac- 
count of  the  interviews  with  the  Kebel  commanders,  and  of  Grant's  appearance  on  the  stage. 
Colonel  Xewhallsays: 

"General  Gordon  asked  for  a  suspension  of  hostilities,  and  said  that  General  Lee  was  pre- 
pared to  surrender  his  army  and  would  immediately  send  to  General  Grant  a  communication  to 
that  effect.  General  Sheridan  replied  that  he  was  very  anxious  to  avoid  further  loss  of  life,  but  the 
effort  of  the  morning  had  n't  looked  like  an  intention  to  surrender,  and  he  must  have  some  certain 
awHir.ince  that  this  was  a  bona  fide  proposition,  and  not  a  make-shi.t  to  gain  time  and  advantage. 
Both  General  Gordon  and  General  Wilcox  earnestly  declared  their  entire  good  faith,  and  said 
'  tse  was  hopeless  now,  and  he  must  surrender  and  would.     There  could  be  no  doubt  of 

their  sincerity  or  of  the  pan  to  which  Lee  had  come,  and  so  General  Sheridan  agreed  to  wait  for 
further  developments,  and  returned  to  our  lines,  promising  to  meet  these  officers  again  at  the 
Couri-llousc  in  half  an  hour. 

"  Meanwhile  General  Ord  came  up,  and  others  beean  to  gather  from  right  to  left;  but  there 
was  no  excitement  at  all.  After  the  first  cheer,  the  tired  troops  had  stretched  themselves  on  the 
ground  at  full  length,  and  were  calmly  surveying  the  novel  scene  of  a  harmless  enemy  in  front. 
Indians  couldn't  have  conducted  themselves  with  more  propriety,  or  have  observed  a  more  serene 
Indifference  in  the  face  of  a  matter  of  surpassing  interest;  and  a  stranger  arriving  on  the  ground 
would  have  said  the  halt  was  only  a  rest,  that  nothing  unusual  had  occurred,  and  that  the  march 
would  be  resumed  after  codec.  As  the  generals  rode  up  there  was  some  hand-shaking,  more 
smiles  than  are  often  seen  in  line  of  battle,  but  nobody  was  very  demonstrative.  If  we  believe  that 
men  of  rough  natures  huve  underlying  them  some  finer  sensibilities  which  do  not  openly  find 
expressions,  let  us  say  that  all  this  quiet  was  the  index  of  a  feeling  of  overpowering  gratitude  to 
Heaven  that  on  this  Sabbath  day  they  were  permitted  to  see  the  sun  shining  on  the  downfall  of 
rebellion,  and  gilding  the  hope  of  country  restored,  friends  reunited,  and  enemies  disarmed. 

"When  the  half  hour  was  up,  General  Ord  and  General  Sheridan,  together  with  several 
other  officers  of  rank,  rode  through  the  pickets  again,  and  met  the  Confederate  Generals  at  the 


Philip  H.  Sheridan.  551 

chief  Sherman's  negotiations  might  have  wrought;  and  then  the  leisurely  return 
•  to  Washington.  But  long  before  the  cavalry,  rejoicing  in  the  old  name  of  con- 
tumely, came  marching  up  Pennsylvania  Avenue  in  the  grand  review,  proclaim- 
ing itself  to  all  inquirers  as  "Sheridan's  Robbers,"  the  chief  who  had  redeemed 
it  from  contempt,  and  linked  its  name  indissolubly  with  the  most  crowded  and 

Court-House.  General  Longstreet  was  there  this  time — a  grisly-looking  man,  disabled  in  one 
arm,  and  bearing  all  over  the  evidences  of  hard  campaigns  and  traces  of  disappointment  in  his 
troubled  face — and  he  bore  a  dispatch  from  Lee  to  General  Grant.  It  was  in  answer  to  one  that 
the  Lieutenant-General  had  sent  to  him  stating  the  terms  on  which  he  would  receive  his 
surrender. 

"With  this  dispatch  General  Sheridan  immediately  sent  ofT  a  staff  officer  to  find  Gen- 
eral Grant,  who  was  reported  to  be  on  his  way  from  General  Meade  to  Appomnttox  C.  IT. 
Taking  a  wood-road  leading  off  in  the  direction  from  which  the  Lieutenant-General  would 
come,  the  officer  rode  fast  on  his  errand,  and  after  galloping  some  live  or  six  miles  and  striking 
the  main  road  on  which  we  had  marched  the  day  before,  fortunately  met  General  Grant  just 
beyond  the  intersection,  rapidly  pacing  down  this  road  in  search  of  General  Sheridan.  Turning 
off  into  the  woods  at  q,  lively  trot,  the  party  was  not  long  in  reaching  the  Court-House  (and 
would  have  gained  it  sooner  but  for  stupidly  missing  the  way  and  almost  wandering  into  Lee's 
lines),  and  there  it  was  found  that  the  second  interview  had  not  been  much  longer  than  the  first, 
and  that  all  of  our  officers  had  come  back  inside  the  pickets.  As  General  Grant  rode  up,  Gen- 
erals Ord  and  Sheridan  and  the  rest  were  strolling  on  foot  at  the  end  of  the  broad  grassy  street 
which  intersects  the  Court-House — that  is,  the  town.  The  Lieutenant-General  dismounted,  came 
forward,  and  said:  'How  are  you,  Sheridan?'  To  which,  in  a  pert  manner,  the  General  replied: 
'First-rate,  thank  you;  how  are  you?'  'Is  General  Lee  up  there?'  'Yes.'  'Well,  then,  we'll 
go  up.' 

''This  is  all  that  was  said  at  that  time,  and  the  conversation,  in  view  of  all  the  circum- 
stances, would  illustrate  a  statement  that  we  are  not  a  very  demonstrative  or  dramatic  people. 
In  effective  groupings  and  treatment  of  remarkable  occasions,  the  people  of  the  other  continent 
can  give  us  heavy  odds.  How  poor  this  seems  by  the  side  of  the  Prussian  King  and  Bismarck 
hunting  over  the  field  of  Sadowa  for  the  Crown  Prince,  whom,  when  found,  the  King  grapples 
to  his  soul,  decorates  his  manly  bosom  with  beautiful  insignia  of  honor  and  glory;  and  then 
their  feelings  master  them,  and  king  and  prince  and  Bismarck  burst  out  crying,  field  and  staff 
officers  joining  in.  And  yet  our  field  of  Appomattox  C.  H.  was  more  than  the  field  of 
Sadowa.  What  recollections  had  they  there  of  years  of  alternate  disaster  and  victory;  what 
memories  of  hard  campaigns  and  well-contested  fields;  of  friendship  cemented  by  the  trials  of 
camp  and  battle;  of  patient  watching  and  anxious  thought;  of  the  fierce  attack  and  the  stubborn 
defense;  of  waiting,  and  work,  and  war?  If  they  had  had  any  such  thronging  into  their  minds, 
and  had  met  on  the  evening  of  Sadowa,  as  our  generals  met  now,  it  is  painful  to  contemplate 
what  they  might  have  done. 

"So  Generals  Grant,  Ord,  and  Sheridan,  with  three  or  four  staff  officers  each,  went  up  to  the 
Court-IIouse,  and  of  our  staff  there  went  three,  a  senior  aid,  the  chief  of  staff,  and  the  Adjutant- 
General.  The  town  consists  of  about  five  houses,  a  tavern,  and  a  court-house,  all  on  one  street, 
and  that  was  boarded  up  at  one  end  to  keep  the  cows  out.  On  the  right  hand  side  as  we  went  in 
was  the  principal  residence,  owned  by  Mr.  McLean,  and  to  his  house  General  Grant  was  con- 
ducted to  meet  General  Lee.  At  the  fence  the  whole  party  dismounted,  and  walking  over  a  nar- 
row grass-plot  to  the  house  noticed  General  Lee's  gray  horse  nibbling  there  in  charge  of  an 
orderly,  who  was  holding  his  own  as  well.  General  Grant  entered  the  house  with  one  or  two  of 
his  staff,  and  the  rest  of  us  sat  down  on  the  piazza  and  waited.  Mr.  McLean  was  out  there,  too, 
but  was  so  much  excited  by  his  appreciation  of  passing  events  that  he  did  n't  know  where  his 
pump  was,  or  if  he  had  any,  and  if  not,  could  n't  tell  us  where  there  was  a  spring.  In  a  moment 
Colonel  Babcock  came  out,  smiling,  whirled  his  hat  round  his  head  once,  and'  beckoned  Generals 
Ord  and  Sheridan  to  come  in.  They  walked  the  floor  silently,  a3  people  do  who  have  first  peep 
at  a  baby,  and  after  awhile  General  Lee  came  out  and  signaled  to  his  orderly  to  bridle  his 
horse.  While  this  was  being  done,  he  stood  on  the  lowest  step  of  the  piazza  (we  had  all  risen 
respectfully  as  he  passed  down),  and  looking  over  into  the  valley  toward  his  army,  smote  his 


--■2  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

stirrin-  campaign  of  the  war,  and  with  the  great  Peace  that  ensued,  was  turning 

Wk  on  the  triumphs  that  followed  the  victory.     Around  the  young  Captain, 

Who  thought  tfce  chances  of  war  might  hring  him  a  Major's  commission,  now 

multitudinous  voices  of  praise.     The  Government,  the  General-in-Chief, 

Public,  hastened  to  cover  him  with  eulogies.     His  native  State,  through  her 

-  mhly,  voted  him  unanimous  thanks,  and  recorded  her  pride  in 

unrivaled  achievements  of  her  son.     But,  while  the  grateful  crowds  wero 

,  ring  his  subordinates  with  boquets,  as  they  rode  in  the  grand  pageant 

hands  to-ether  scver.il  times  in  an  absent  sort  of  way,  utterly  unconscious  of  the  people  about 
bias,  Mid  teeming  to  M«  nothing  till  his  horse  was  led  in  front  of  him.  As  he  stood  there  he 
appealed  to  be  about  sixty  years  of  age,  a  tall,  soldierly  figure  of  a  man,  with  a  full  gray  beard, 
a  n  ;w  suit  of  gray  clothes,  a  high  gray-felt  hat,  with  a  cord,  long  buckskin  gauntlets,  high  riding 
boots,  and  a  beautiful  sword.  He  was  all  that  our  fancy  had  painted  him;  and  he  had  the 
■ympaxhy  of  us  all  as  he  rode  away.  Just  as  he  gathered  up  his  bridle,  General  Grant  went 
down  the  steps,  and,  passing  in  front  of  his  horse,  touched  his  hat  to  General  Lee,  who  made  a 
similar  salute,  and  then  left  the  yard  and  returned  to  his  own  lines  with  his  orderly  and  the 
single  staff  officer  who  had  accompanied  him  to  the  interview,  and  who  was  said  to  have  been 
Colonel  Marshall,  his  chief  of  staff,  a  quiet-looking  man,  in  spectacles,  looking  more  like  one  of 
thought  than  of  action.  General  Grant  presented  something  of  a  contrast  to  General  Lee  in  the 
way  of  uniform,  not  only  in  color,  but  in  style  and  general  effect.  He  had  on  a  sugar-loaf  hat, 
almost  peculiar  to  himself,  a  frock  coat,  unbuttoned  and  splashed  with  mud,  a  dark  vest,  dark- 
blue  pantaloons  tucked  into  top-boots,  muddy,  also,  and  no  sword.  His  countenance  was  n't 
relaxed  at  all,  and  not  a  muscle  of  his  face  told  tales  on  his  thoughts.  ■  If  he  was  very  much 
pleased  with  the  surrender  of  Lee,  nothing  in  his  air  or  manner  indicated  it.  The  joyful  occa- 
sion didn't  seem  to  awaken  in  him  a  responsive  echo,  and  he  went  and  mounted  his  horse  and 
rode  away  silently,  to  send  off  a  dispatch  which  should  electrify  the  North  and  set  all  the  church- 
bells  ringing  jubilant  vespers  on  this  happy  Sunday  evening. 

"Meanwhile  there  was  a  great  stir  in  General  Lee's  army,  and  they  were  still  cheering  wildly 
as  we  left  McLean's  house  to  find  a  camp  for  ourselves.  Of  course  his  intention  to  surrender  had 
been  noised  abroad,  and  as  he  returned  from  his  interview  with  General  Grant  he  was  greeted 
with  the  applause  we  were  now  hearing.  Cheer  after  cheer  marked  his  progress  through  the  old 
ranks  that  had  supported  him  so  gallantly;  but  what  or  why  they  were  cheering  seems  not  to  be 
fully  decided.  The  Southern  writers  of  the  day  agreed  that  they  applauded  General  Lee  thus 
to  show  for  him  their  sympathy  in  his  misfortunes,  and  their  devotion  to  him  and  the  lost  cause. 
The  latter  reason  is  possible,  but  the  former  is  not  probable;  sympathy  for  sorrow  and  calamity 
does  not  find  such  loud  expression  in  crowds  any  more  than  it  does  in  individuals.  Nobody 
would  give  three  cheers  for  a  man  who  had  lost  his  father,  with  the  idea  of  soothing  him.  When 
Queen  Victoria  made  her  first  public  appearance  in  England,  after  the  death  of  the  Prince  Con- 
sort, it  was  reported  that  as  her  carriage  moved  down  the  Strand,  the  thousands  who  had  gath- 
ered there  to  welcome  her  suppressed  the  rising  cheer,  and  stood  all  silent  with  one  consent  as 
she  passed  by  ;  and  will  any  body  say  that  the  army  of  the  Confederacy  was  less  sympathetic  than 
an  Kngligh  crowd,  and  less  keenly  alive  to  a  proper  regard  for  misfortune?  Doubtless  Lee's 
army  was  sorry  for  him,  because  his  loss  was  theirs,  and  when  his  hope  foundered  theirs  went 
down  too ;  but  it  was  not  because  of  his  loss  that  they  cheered  so  long  and  loud.  It  was  because 
he  had  surrendered;  because  he  had  confessed  defeat  at  last,  though  all  they  had  known  he  was 
debated  ong  before;  because  they  saw  in  surrender  some  hope  of  beginning  life  anew  to  repair 
the  blunder  of  the  Confederacy  ;  and,  thanking  him  for  this,  the  brave  fellows  who  stood  by  him 
to  the  last,  and  would  have  died  rather  than  desert  the  cause,  cheered  him  rapturously  as  he 
returned  to  tell  them  that  they  were  set  at  liberty. 

.  "In  the  evening  we  sent  rations  for  the  twenty  thousand  men  into  his  hungry  camp,  and 
he  released  our  hungry  prisoners,  who  came  joyfully  into  our  lines,  with  Irvine  Gregg  at  the 
head  of  them,  serene  as  usual,  but  with  a  good  appetite.  Then  we  went  to  bed,  and  had  a  good 
n.ghts  rest,  and  tried L  to  appreciate  tba  great  blessing  of  peace  that  had  suddenly  descended 
upon  us.     (U  ith  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,  pp.  214,  21G,  217,  218,  219,  220,  221,  223  224  ) 


Philip  ll.  Sheeidan.  553 

through  the  streets  of  the  capital,  Sheridan  himself  was  harrying  to  a  remote 
region,  where  was  hope  neither  of  fame  nor  fighting,  in  cheerful  and  prompt  obe- 
dience to  the  orders  requiring  him  to  look  after  the  surrender  in  the  South-West. 

Into  the  campaign  which  he  then  undertook  we  can  not  enter.  As  we 
write  it  is  scarcely  finished.  But  from  Five  Forks  the  blindest  of  prophets  might 
have  forecast  the  end  of  Appomattox  C.  IT.  So  from  the  successes  by  the 
■way  in  this  campaign  wre  could  forecast  its  triumphant  close.  His  first  task 
was  to  reduce  the  reckless  bands  of  the  Trans- Mississippi  to  Lee's  terms  of 
surrender;  he  was  next  to  preserve  order  and  maintain  the  laws  in  the  chaotic 
confusion  of  Louisiana  and  Texas,  to  keep  the  peace  along  the  Mexican  border, 
and  finally  to  preside,  under  regulations  of  Congress,  in  the  reorganization  of 
civil  government  throughout  the  troubled  limits  of  his  great  command. 

The  Trans-Mississippi  shrank  into  peace  at  the  noise  of  his  coming. 

To  preserve  order  wTas  a  more  difficult  task.  But  the  bloody  riots  in  New 
Orleans,  which  broke  out  during  his  absence  in  Texas,  were  never  repeated. 
He  chafed  under  the  necessit}'  of  tolerating  the  continuance  in  office  of  their 
authors.  When  the  President  proposed  that  the  "Attorney-General"  should 
supersede  the  "Governor,"  and  that  Sheridan  should  aid  him  in  the  reorganiza- 
tion, he  telegraphed  an  indignant  protest.  His  commission  was  at  the  service 
of  the  Government,  but  he  would  not  be  disgraced  by  taking  orders  from  an 
ex-Bebel  General !  When  Congress  gave  him  the  power,  he  turned  this  Eebel 
out  of  his  civil  office,  turned  out  the  Mayor  who  had  brought  on  the  riot,  and 
finally  turned  out  the  "  Governor,"  whose  treachery  and  double-dealing  with  all 
parties  had  helped  to  inflame  it. 

In  Texas  he  was  hampered  again  by  the  Executive.  The  Provisional-Gov- 
ernor had  for  his  standard  of  loyalty,  "Abhorrence  for  the  Rebellion  and  Glory 
in  its  Defeat."  In  the  abortive  reconstruction  this  officer  was  succeeded  by 
another,  who  had  for  his  standard  of  loyalty,  "Pride  in  the  Rebellion  ;  a  right- 
eous but  lost  cause  ;  overpowered  but  not  subdued."  Each  of  these  "Governors" 
he  was  required  to  support.  It  was  little  wonder  that  he  found  the  task  embar- 
rassing, or  that,  wThen  the  power  came  to  him,  he  was  hindered  by  few  scruples 
in  doing  to  Throckmorton,  of  Texas,  even  as  he  had  done  to  Wells,  of  Louisiana. 

Troubles  sprang  up  along  the  border;  once,  in  fact,  United  States  troops 
crossed  it  for  a  little  to  check  a  scene  of  pillage  and  lawless  bloodshed.  He  did 
not  hesitate  to  proclaim  his  entire  sympathy  with  the  brave  Republicans  who 
were  struggling  for  their  imperiled  independence;  and  to  denounce  as  an 
"Imperial  Buccaneer"  the  Prince  who  was  now  striving  to  overthrow  the  legiti- 
mate Government  of  Mexico,  and  to  secure  armed  emigration  from  the  Rebels 
of  the  South.  Encouraged  by  this  sympathy,  and  looking  upon  the  heavy 
re-enforcoments  thrown  into  Texas,  as  virtual  allies,  the  Republicans  took  fresh 
courage,  and  the  Imperial  standards,  under  the  stimulus  of  this  moral  aid,  were 
speedily  pressed  back  to  the  valley  of  Mexico. 

The  poor  freeclmen  had  in  him  a  judicious  friend.  He  would  not  encourage 
a  disposition,  once  or  twice  shown,  to  enforce  their  claims  by  riotous  manifesta- 
tions; if  they  did  not  disperse  he  would  sweep  them  from  the  streets  with  grape 


554  *  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

and  canister.  But  he  upheld  the  hands  of  the  Frcedmeirs  Bureau  in  protecting 
their  righto ;  more  than  once  called  Rebel  officials  to  a  stern  account  for  outrages 
they  had  concealed;  and  curtly  reported  to  the  General-in-Chief  that*  over  a 
iingte  white  man  killed  by  Indians  on  the  frontier  the  Texans  would  raiso  a 
great  excitement,  but  over  many  frecdmen  killed  in  the  settlements  nothing 
would  be  done— that,  in  fact,  the  trial  of  ft  white  man  in  Texas  for  the  murder 
of  a  freed  man  would  be  a  farce. 

He  enforced  the  law  of  Congress  for  reconstruction  fairly  and  honestly. 
When  he  was  conditionally  directed  to  obey  the  Attorney-General's  explaining- 
*way  of  that  law,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  it  the  opening  of  a  broad, 
macadamized  road  for  fraud  and  perjury.  He  faced  the  President's  displeasure 
in  this  straightforward  and  honest  performance  of  his  duty;  but  no  one  step 
that  he  took  showed  any  disposition  to  provide  for  his  own  safety  or  advance- 
ment by  compromising  the  interests  committed  to  his  care.  At  last  the  Presi- 
dent, with  a  wrathful  determination  to  defeat  the  policy  of  Congress  at  any 
cost,  removed  him  from  the  command  and  ordered  him  to  duty  on  the  frontier. 
General  Grant  carried  his  earnest  protests  against  this  course  to  the  very  verge 
of  subordination  to  the  Constitutional  Commander-in-Chief.  The  people  hailed 
the  removed  Department  General  as  a  victor. 

And  here  we  leave  him.  "We  have  thus  far  studiously  avoided  many  words 
of  praise.     We  have  preferred  to  tell  what  he  did. 

But  now,  as  we  look  back  over  this  wonderful  career,  how  little  is  there  that 
we  can  not  praise— how  little,  indeed,  that  does  not  bear  with  it  its  own  eulogy  ! 
Once  more  we  recur  to  that  wise  saying  of  Marshal  Turenne's:  "  Whoever  has 
committed  no  errors  has  not  made  war."     But  where  are  Sheridan's  errors? 

Wo  may,  indeed,  regret  his  absence  from  New  Orleans  during  the  riots, 
although  he  had  reason  to  believe  there  would  be  no  disturbance.  We  may 
regret  his  failure  to  bring  the  murderers  in  the  guise  of  policemen  to  condign 
punishment,  for  which  there  seems  less  apology.  Going  further  back,  wo  may 
deplore  the  devastation  of  the  Shenandoah— ordered,  indeed,  by  his  superiors, 
but  carried  to  an  extent  for  which  the  orders  did  not  strictly  call.  Wo  may 
criticise  the  delay  at  Winchester,  by  which  the  morning  was  lost  before  lino  of 
battle  was  formed  beyond  the  gorge,  and  Early's  whole  army  was  therefore  met 
instead  of  the  half-of  it.  We  may  wish  that,  if  not  actually  unjust,  he  had 
at  least  been  less  unkind  to  Warren  at  Five  Forks.  We  may  wish  that  he 
had  shown  better  taste,  in  his  official  reports,  than  to  sneer  at  Banks  and 
Bailor  as  commanders  "who  appeared  to  have  more  ability  in  civil  than  in 
military  matters,  and  left  the  results  of  that  ability  for"  him  -to  settle;" 
at  Meade  about  his  cavalry  orders;  or  even  at  poor  Early  for  entering  Rich- 
mond followed  from  a  lost  field  by  a  single  orderly,  «  after  a  campaign  in  which 
he  bad  lost  nearly  the  whole  of  his  army,  together  with  his  battle-flags,  nearly 
every  p,cce  of  artillery  which  his  troops  fired  upon  us,  and  also  a  large  part  of 
his  transportation."  l 

♦Sheridan's  Reports-" Condition  of  Louisiana  and  Texas,"  Gov't.  Edition,  p.  76. 


Philip    II.  Sheridan.  555 

But  what  are  these?     It  is  ft  career  stretching  from  Boonvillc  to  Appomat- 
tox C.  II.,  and   the  administration   in  the   South-West,   of  which  we  speak a 

career  that  includes  the  superb  fighting  of  Stone  Biver  and  Mission  Bidge;  the 
bewildering  successes  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley;  the  recovery  of  the  lost  battle 
at  Cedar  Creek;  the  obstinate  defense  of  Dinwiddie,  and  the  handsome  tactics 
of  Five  Forks;  the  magnificent  pursuit  of  Lee,  and  the  final  reception  of  his 
surrender;  the  success  in  civil  affairs  that  followed  ;  the  remarkable  exhibition 
of  this  flushed  Cavalryman  suddenly  transforming  himself  into  a  grave  political 
officer,  and  proving  as  sagacious  and  clear-sighted  in  questions  of  politics  and 
statesmanship  as  he  had  been  dashing  in  the  attack  or  relentless  in  the  pursuit. 
"What,  in  a  career  like  this,  are  such  paltry  questions  of  possible  errors  in  the 
opening  details  of  a  victory  won,  or  of  taste  in  the  naive  official  expression  of 
opinions  or  prejudices  honestly  entertained?  Were  they  more  frequent — did 
the}'  obtrude  themselves  so  often  as  to  appear  part  of  the  warp  and  woof  of  the 
man's  character,  they  might  suggest,  not  indeed  less  praise  for  the  past,  but  less 
trust  for  the  future.  As  rare  instances  of  those  lapses  which  no  man  who  makes 
war — most  of  all  no  man  who  makes  war  vigorously,  from  Napoleon  downward — 
may  hope  to  escape,  the}'  only  serve  to  illustrate  the  brightness  of  the  fame  they 
can  not  dim. 

It  will  be  seen  then  that  we  judge  Sheridan  worthy  of  high  rank  among  tho 
foremost  of  our  Generals.  We  think,  indeed,  that  for  large  and  uniform  suc- 
cess, dependent  not  merely  upon  a  faithful  good  fortune,  but  upon  sound  military 
judgment,  rapidity  of  forming  correct  plans  at  critical  moments,  and  enormous 
energy  of  execution,  no  General  of  the  war,  on  either  of  its  sides,  can  be  placed 
before  him.  Stonewall  Jackson — unlike  as  the  two  were  in  their  personal  char- 
acteristics— furnishes,  perhaps,  his  nearest  military  parallel.  The  one  fought 
almost  exclusively  with  infantry;  the  other  either  with  a  judicious  combination 
of  the  two,  or  with  cavalry  alone ;  but  both  carried  into  their  campaigns  the 
same  methods  of  preparation  and  of  attack.  Both  based  their  plans  upon 
exhaustive  topographical  knowledge  of  the  country  in  which  they  operated. 
Both  acted  upon  the  broadest  and  soundest  application  of  military  rules,  tem- 
pered by  an  insight  into  the  character  of  the  opposing  commander  that  instinct- 
ively told  how  far  his  neglect  of  the  same  rules  might  be  reckoned  upon.  Both 
began  their  movements  with  distinctly  defined  plans;  both  were  ready,  on  tho 
instant,  to  abandon  them  as  circumstances  might  dictate;  both  had  that  rare^ 
genius  which  rises  to  its  best  inspirations  at  the  most  dangerous  conjunctures, 
and  delivers  its  calmest  judgments  amid  the  ebb  and  flow  and  whirl  of  the  bat- 
tle. Both  believed  in  aggressive  rather  than  defensive  campaigns;  both  were 
resistless  in  attack;  both  amazingly  energetic  in  pursuit.  To  both  came  that 
sublime  confidence  in  success  that  does  more  for  securing  it  than  many  re-en- 
forcements. From  both  went  out  that  personal  magnetism  that  imbues  soldiers 
with  this  same  confidence,  and  disciplines  them  on  the  faith  of  success.  Neither 
was  ever  worthily  opposed.  Against  each  efficient  commanders  sometimes 
operated,  but  never  with  efficient  support. 

But  here  tho  parallel  ends.     Stonewall  Jackson  won  his  most  brilliant  vie- 


Ohio  1$  the  Wae. 

torics  against  superior  numbers.     Sheridan,  after  Booncville,  rarely,  in  his  inde- 
commands,  opposed  even  equal  numbers. 

Among  our  own   (imnals.  a  comparison  with  Sherman  most  readily  sug- 
\t     Each  is  warlike  by  nature,  and  each  has  the  genius  of  war.     Each 

familiarity  with  the  rules  of  military  science,  and  each  uses  these  as  the 

, T  of  thrill  rather  than  the  slave  of  them.     Each  has  the  topographical  eye; 

.  ea  large  forces  over  great  spaces  with  wonderful  ease.     Each  is  full  of 

nergy;    but  the  energy  of  Sheridan  directed  itself  solely  upon  the 

.v.  while  that  of  Sherman  found  time  to  wage  war  upon  the  sanitary  com- 
missions and  the  State  agents,  to  argue  against  laws  of  Congress,  to  prepare  off- 
hand opinions  on  reconstruction,  and  to  volunteer  advice  on  a  hundred  points 
that  did  not  concern  him.  Each  won  great  and  brilliant  success;  but  the  suc- 
cess of  Sherman  was  often  tempered  by  reverses  or  embittered  by  waste  of  life, 
while  Sheridan  never  encountered  a  repulse,*  and  rarely  gave  the  life  of  a  sol- 
di.r  without  receiving  an  equivalent.     Each  won  his  victories  over  inferior  num- 

;  but  Sheridan  never  had  such  preponderance  of  force  as  had  Sherman  ; 
and  Sheridan,  in  his  most  memorable  campaign,  destroyed  the  army  of  his 
antagonist,  while  Sherman,  in  his  corresponding  campaign,  only  outflanked  his 
opposing  army,  and  left  it  with  a  smaller  percentage  of  losses  sustained  than  his 
own  when  ho  entered  Atlanta.  Each  was  brilliant  in  war,  but  Sheridan,  in 
addition,  was  safe.  But  it  must  be  remembered  that  he  was  never  tried  on  so 
grand  a  scale  as  the  great  soldier  with  whom  we  are  comparing  him,  that  so 
formidable  difficulties  never  beset  him,  and  that  he  was  never  matched  against 
so  astute  an  antagonist. 

But  whoever  should  undertake  to  rate  Sheridan's  capacity  must  remember 
that  he  has  uniformly  risen  to  every  task  that  has  yet  been  set  him.  More  than 
once  the  outside  public,  Which  in  spite  of  its  admiration  for  his  dash  has  never 
fully  appreciated  him,  has  been  apprehensive  that  the  confident  friendship  of 
Grant  was  assigning  too  weighty  burdens  to  the  young  Cavalryman.  Yet, 
whether  in  the  Shenandoah,  on  the  pursuit  of  Lee,  or  in  the  complex  administra- 
tion of  the  great  department  of  the  South-West,  he  has  proved  equal  to  every 
emergency  and  to  every  command  ;  so  that,  at  last,  we  may  be  almost  ready 
to  take  up  with  the  declaration  attributed  to  his  admiring  chief,  that  "  Sheridan 
has  the  ability  to  command  as  large  an  army  as  the  United  States  ever  mus- 
tered, or  all  of  her  armies."  Certainly  it  may,  at  the  least,  be  said  of  him  that 
hois  the  most  uniformly  successful  soldier  of  the  war,  and  the  one  on  whom 
now  the  Country  may  rightfully  base  the  largest  hopes  whenever  there  may  be 
Med  of  soldiers  in  the  future. 

In  person  Sheridan  is  short,  muscular,  and  deep-chested— his  figure  indi- 
eating  groat  powers  of  endurance.  His  head  is  disproportionately  large,  and 
the  developments  back  of  the  ears  are  enormous,  to  the  great  inconvenience  of  his 
hatter.  II.s  temperament  is  sanguine;  his  hair  is  dark,  shading  off  into  the 
color  of  hie  full  beard,  which  is  reddish  ;  and  his  face  «  is  flushed,  not  with  wine, 

>,«  JSl  ?"rSe  th  m  r  Pail1  ,°f  hIs  °ar6er  as  an  dependent  commander,  and  upon  the  view  that 
he  was  not  responsmle  lor  the  initial  repulse  at  Cedar  Creek. 


Philip   H.   Sheridan.  557 

but  with  life.'**  In  private  circles,  and  especially  in  the  genial  ease  of  bis  own 
bead-quarters  when  off  duty,  be  is  an  unassuming,  chatty  companion,  silent  as 
to  his  own  exploits,  but  full  of  admiring  praise  for  many  of  bis  great  rivals, 
delighted  with  reminiscences  of  the  old  frontier  life,  fond  of  a  joke  or  a  story, 
and  the  ideal  of  a  college  boy's  expression,  "A  good  fellow."     Like  Grant,  he 

*Some  personal  descriptions  of  Sheridan  by  acute  observers  may  be  here  appended. 

Mr.  Shanks,  in  his  graphic  Reminiscences  of  Distinguished  Generals,  says :  "Sheridan's 
appearance,  like  that  of  Grant,  is  apt  to  disappoint  one  who  had  not  seen  him  previous  to  his 
having  become  famous.  He  has  none  of  the  qualities  which  are  popularly  attributed  by  the 
imagination  to  heroes.  '  Little  Phil '  is  the  title  of  endearment  given  him  by  his  soldiers  in  the 
"West,  and  is  descriptive  of  his  personal  appearance.  He  is  shorter  than  Grant,  but  somewhat 
stouter  built ;  and  being  several  years  younger  and  of  a  different  temperament,  is  more  active  and 
wiry.  The  smaliness  of  his  stature  is  soon  forgotten  when  he  is  seen  mounted.  He  seems  then 
to  develop  pl^sieally  as  he  does  mentally  after  a  short  acquaintance.  Unlike  many  of  our  heroes, 
Sheridan  does  not  dwindle  as  one  approaches  him.  Distance  lends  neither  his  character  nor 
personal  appearance  any  enchantment.  He  talks  more  frequently  and  more  fluently  than 
Grant  does,  and  bis  quick  and  slightly  nervous  gestures  partake  somewhat  of  the  manner  of  Sher- 
man. His  body  is  stout  but  wiry,  and  set  on  short,  heavy,  but  active  legs.  His  broad  shoulders, 
short,  stiff  hair,  and  the  features  of  his  face  betray  the  Milesian  descent;  but  no  brogue  can  be 
traced  in  his  voice.  His  eyes  are  gray,  and  being  small,  are  sbarp  and  piercing  and  full  of  fire. 
When  maddened  with  excitement  or  passion,  these  glare  fearfully.  His  age  is  thirty-four,  but 
long  service  in  the  field  has  bronzed  him  into  the  ajjpearance  of  forty.  He  heartily  despises  a 
council  of  war,  and  never  forms  part  of  one  if  he  can  avoid  it.  He  executes,  not  originates 
plans;  or,  as  Rosecrans  once  expressed  it,  'He  fights — he  fights!*  Whatever  is  given  Sheri- 
dan to  do  is  accomplished  thoroughly.  He  will  not  stop  to  criticise  the  practicability  of  an  order 
in  its  details,  but  does  not  hesitate  to  vary  his  movements  when  he  finds  those  laid  down  for  him 
are  not  practicable.  He  does  not  abandon  the  task  because  the  mode  which  has  been  ordered  is 
rendered  impossible  by  any  unexpected  event.  If  the  result  is  accomplished,  Sheridan  does  not 
care  whose  means  were  employed,  or  on  whom  the  credit  is  reflected.  He  grasps  the  result  and 
congratulates  himself,  the  strategist  of  the  occasion,  and  the  men,  with  equal  gratification  and 
every  evidence  of  delight.  His  generous  care  for  the  reputation  of  his  subordinates,  his  freedom 
from  all  petty  jealousy,  bis  honesty  of  purpose,  and  the  nobleness  of  his  ambition  to  serve  the 
country  and  not  himself,  his  geniality  and  general  good-humor,  and  the  brevity  of  his  black 
Btorms  of  anger,  make  him,  like  Grant,  not  only  a  well-beloved  leader,  but  one  that  the  country 
can  safely  trust  to  guard  its  honor  and  preserve  its  existence.  It  is  easy  for  one  who  knows 
either  of  the  two — Grant  and  Sheridan — to  believe  it  possible  that,  during  all  the  period  in  which 
they  have  held  such  supreme  power  in  our  armies,  not  a  single  thought  of  how  they  might 
achieve  greatness,  power,  and  position,  at  the  expense  of  country,  has  ever  suggested  itself  to 
their  minds.  There  is  only  one  other  character  known  in  profane  history  of  whom  the  same 
thing  can  be  truly  said.  Sheridan  goes  into  the  heat  of  battle  not  from  necessity  merely.  The 
first  smell  of  powder  arouses  him,  and  he  rushes  to  the  front  of  the  field." 

A  staff  officer  once  wrote  of  him  :  "Some  one  has  called  him  an  'emphatic  human  sylla- 
ble.' If  so,  nature's  compositor  set  him  up  in  the  black  face,  broad  letter,  sometimes  seen  in 
'jobs'  and  advertisements.  It  is. 'solid'  at  that.  Sheridan  is  barely  five  feet  six  inches  in  height.' 
His  body  is  stout ;  his  lower  limbs  rather  short.  He  is  what  would  be  called  'stocky'  in  horse- 
jockey  phraseology.  Deep  and  broad  in  the  chest,  compact  and  firm  in  muscle,  active  and  vig- 
orous in  motion,  there  was  not  a  pound  of  superfluous  flesh  on  his  body  at  the  time  we  write. 
His  face  and  head  showed  his  Celtic  origin.  Head  long,  well  balanced  in  shape,  and  covered 
with  a  full  crop  of  close  curling  dark  hair.  His  forehead  moderately  high,  but  quite  broad,  per- 
ceptives  well  developed,  high  cheek-bones,  dark  beard,  closely  covering  a  square  lower  jaw,  and 
firm-lined  mouth,  clear  dark  eyes,  which  were  of  a  most  kindly  character,  completed  the  tout 
ensemble  memory  gives  at  the  call.  Always  neat  in  person,  and  generally  dressed  in  uniform, 
Captain  Sheridan  looked  as  he. was,  a  quiet,  unassuming,  but  determined  officer  and  gentleman, 
whose  modesty  would  always  have  been  a  barrier  to  great  renown   had  not  the  golden  gates  of 


558 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


bears  public  attention  uneasily;  the  fire  of  opera-glasses  disconcerts  him  moro 
than  that  of  artillery;  and  although  the  ladies  now  pronounce  him  charm- 
inc  he  has  not  wholly  escaped  the  old  bashfulncss  that  used  to  make  him  blush 
Kariet  to  the  temples  at  an  introduction  to  one.  Public  speaking  is  too  much 
for  him,  but  he  writes  with  soldierly  directness  and  frankness.     Long  before  he 

opportunity  been  unbarred  for  his  passage.  Almost  the  opposite  of  the  Lieutenant-General  in 
bis  Intellectual  trails,  yet  like  him  in  many  social  characteristics,  it  would  have  been  difficult  for 
H,  „, .  ,i  to  have  found  a  more  vigorous  subordinate,  or  a  more  daring  executive  of  the 

stupendous  plans  lie  formed." 

Colonel  Newhall,  from  whom  we  have  often  quoted  already,  says  :  "  His  face  is  flushed,  not 
with  wine  but  with  life,  and  his  eyes  twinkle  like  stars;  the  ends  of  his  moustache  curl  up  with 

ion  and  his  mouche  hides  the  sharp  outline  of  his  chin ;  his  uniform  coat  is  buttoned  to  the 
throat,  across  a  square  deep  chest,  which  rightly  indicates  his  physical  power,  and  he  is  very 
simplv  dressed  throughout,  with  nothing  of  the  gay  cavalier  about  him.  He  talks  slowly  and 
vt-rv  quietly,  smiling  now,  and  working  his  mouth  crosswise.  If  excited  on  the  field,  he  won't 
bluster,  but  may  swear,  and  be  not  so  careful  of  the  elegancies  of  speech  as  are  some  dilettante 
people,  who  never  have  many  thoughts  of  their  own  to  express  and  never  mingle,  in  stirring 
events;  one  of  whom, 

'That  never  set  a  squadron  in  the  field 
Nor  the  division  of  a  battle  knows,' 

Bight  perhaps  be  shocked  in  these  fiery  moments,  but  if  he  has  a  chance  for  a  quiet  chat  with 
the  General,  will  think  him  rather  gentle  than  otherwise,  and  begin  to  doubt  the  terrible  oaths 
and  fierce  imprecations  of  song  and  story;  will  find  him  proud  of  the  achievements  of  his  vari- 
ous commands,  but  modest  about  his  own  performances,  and  as  silent  as  a  pyramid  if  a  speech  is 
to  be  made.  Accustomed  to  reserve,  and  not  having  the  faculty  of  hiding  himself  in  words, 
he  resorts  to  the  unusual  expedient  of  silence,  and  the  public  never  would  have  known  him  but 
for  the  great  events  which  called  him  out.  With  them  he  can  grapple,  but  a  serenading  party 
is  too  much  for  him." 

Once  more  from  the  same  author:  "The  General  is  short  in  stature— below  the  medium— 
with  nothing  superfluous  about  him,  square-shouldered,  muscular,  wiry  to  the  last  degree,  and 
as  nearly  insensible  to  hardship  and  fatigue  as  is  consistent  with  humanity.  He  has  a  strangely- 
shaped  head,  with  a  large  bump  of  something  or  other— combativeness  probably— behind  the 
ears,  which  inconveniences  him  almost  as  much  as  it  does  his  enemies  in  the  field,  for  there  being 
no  general  demand  for  hats  that  would  fit  him,  the  General  never  has  one  that  will  stay  on  his 
head.  This  leads  him  to  take  his  hat  in  his  hand  very  often ;  that  action  probably  suggests 
eluerin- something  on,  and,  a  fight  being  in  progress  and  troops  needing  encouragement^  by  a 
simple  sequcnee  he  usually  finds  himself  among  them,  where  he  risks  the  valuable  life  of  the 
commanding  General,  not  to  mention  casualties  to  staff  officers." 

"Being  rather  reserved,  he  does  not  care  much  for  general  society,  but  when  comfortably 
established  in  head-quarters,  is  hospitable,  lives  well,  and  likes  to  have 'congenial  guests  drop  in 
Upon  his  me.-s.  He  seems  to  care  most  for  the  company  of  the  placid  and  easy-going,  and  is  fond 
ol  a  quiet  chat  about  old  times  on  the  frontier  with  such  boon  companions  as  General  D.  McM. 
ot  the  cavalry,  General  George  Crook  of  the  Armv  of  West  Virginia,  and  the  gallant 
d  D»Tid  Russell  of  the  Sixth  Corps,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Opequan,  and 
whose  death  General  Sheridan  felt  extremely. 

'  These  the  tents 
Which  he  frequents,' 

and  in  such  society  he  forgets  his  usual  reticence,  and  talks  by  the  hour  about  West  Point  life  and 

larks    on  the  lac.fic  Coast.     Occasionally,  when  the  old  associations  come   back  to  the  party 

very  srongly,  they  lapse  into  the  Indian  tongue,  which  they  all  understand,  and.  with  speech 

clothed  in  this  disgu.se,  they  can  safely  revive  recollections  which,  may  be,  if  told  in  plain  Eng- 


Philip   II.   Sheridan.  559 

was  distinguished  it  used  to  bo  said  of  him  that  he  wrote  his  reports  and  even 
his  indorsements  on  official  papers  precisely  as  he  would  talk  in  the  freedom  of 
the  cavalry  camp,  in  discussing  the  subject  with  his  intimates.  This  conversa- 
tional tone  still  clings  to  his  official  style,  and  sometimes  leads  to  misconceptions. 
He  has  developed  an  unexpected  studiousness  of  habit  sometimes  in  the  South- 
West  ;  his  office  work  is  always  kept  well  up  ;  his  reports  to  his  superiors  are 
frequent  and  minute  ;  and  the  remark  is  common  among  those  who  see  the  most 
of  him  that  he  is  constantly  growing  and  broadening  in  intellectual  grasp.  Ho 
is  still  a  Eoman  Catholic  in  religion,  though  perhaps  not  so  devout  as  the  rest 
of  the  family.  But  the  popular  impression  of  him  as  a  reckless  dare-devil  of  a 
frontiersman  is  grossly  incorrect;  his  manners  are  those  of  a  quiet,  cultivated 
gentleman  ;  he  is  always  well  dressed,  wherein  he  differs  notably  from  Grant  and 
Sherman  ;  and  though  he  is  certainly  not  a  "  Son  of  Temperance,"  or  a  devotee 
of  total  abstinence,  his  habits  are  unexceptionable.  At  the  age  of  thirty-six,  ho 
is  one  of  the  four  Major-Generals  of  the  regular  army,  and  is  still  a  bachelor. 

Before  the  war  he  was  a  Democrat;  but  he  differed  from  most  army 
officers  in  having  no  sympathy  with  Southern  institutions.  He  was  loyally 
devoted  to  the  Government  whose  soldier  he  was  ;  ho  rejoiced  in  the  principles 
that  triumphed  in  the  triumph  of  tho  Government;  and  he  resolved  that  so  far 

lish,  would  astonish  the  audience,  for  it  is  only  of  late  that  they  have  been  obliged  to  sustain  the 
dignity  of  Major-Generals  commanding. 

"  Though  always  easy  of  approach,  the  General  has  little  to  say  in  busy  times.  Set  teeth  and 
a  quick  way  tell  when  things  do  not  go  as  they  ought,  and  he  has  a  manner  on  such  occasions 
that  stirs  to  activity  all  within  sight,  for  a  row  seems  to  he  brewing  that  nohody  wants  to  be 
under  when  it  bursts.  Notwithstanding  his  handsome  reputation  for  cursing,  he  is  rather 
remarkably  low-voiced,  particularly  on  the  field,  where,  as  sometimes  happens,  almost  every- 
body else  is  screaming.  'Damn  you,  sir,  don't  yell  at  me,'  he  once  said  to  an  officer  who  came 
galloping  up  with  some  bad  news,  and  was  roaring  it  out  above  the  din  of  battle.  In  such 
moments  the  General  leans  forward  on  his  horse's  neck,  and  hunching  his  shoulders  up  to  his 
ears,  gives  most  softly-spoken  orders  in  a  slow,  deliberate  way,  as  if  there  were  niches  for  all  the 
words  in  his  hearer's  memory,  and  they  must  be  measured  very  carefully  to  fit  exactly,  that  none 
of  them  be  lost  in  the  carrying.  This  is  a  pleasing  way  to  have  orders  dealt  out,  especially 
under  fire. 

"  When  he  sees  things  going  wrong  in  any  part  of  the  field,  he  has  a  trick  of  moving  for- 
ward restlessly  in  his  saddle,  as  if  he  would  go  and  put  them  to  rights  if  he  could  take  leave  of 
his  better  judgment  and  follow  his  inclination  ;  but  a  serious  check  or  reverse  affects  him  pecu- 
liarly. To  most  temperaments  disaster  is  disheartening,  but  it  passes  by  General  Sheridan  as  an 
eddy  glides  around  a  pier;  his  equanimity  is  not  affected  by  it,  and  he  is  not  depressed  for  a 
moment,  for  he  is  a  man  of  much  variety  and  quick  resource,  and  to  his  aid  comes  a  defiant 
spirit,  which  twinkles  in  his  eye  when  he  is  called  upon  to  retrieve  disaster.  Victor  Hugo's 
brave  Frenchman  in  the  Old  Guard  at  Waterloo  had  no  more  contempt  for  the  enemy  than  he, 
but  he  shows  it  rather  by  a  talent  for  ignoring  defeat  and  compelling  success  than  by  permit- 
ting a  useless  sacrifice.  He  never  would  acknowledge  to  the  most  confidential  recess  of  his  own 
bosom  that  his  command  was  past  redemption,  and  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  go  and  die  like  a 
demigod.  But  it  is  not  because  he  is  impassive  that  he  can  not  be  stampeded  by  reports  or 
events,  for  he  is  keenly  alive  to  the  situation  in  whatever  shape  it  presents  itself.  Show  him  an 
opening  promising  success,  and  he  will  go  in  and  widen  it  while  an  impassive  man  would  be 
thinking  about  it.  But  he  is  slow  to  confess  defeat;  a  peculiar  organization,  so  acute  in  most 
of  its  perceptions,  and  yet  so  dull  in  realizing  failure.  The  prominence  of  this  quality  must  be 
apparent  to  all  who  know  anything  of  him  in  the  war,  where  his  wizard  fingers  snatched  a  great 
victory  from  the  enemy  just  as  they  were  passing  it  to  history  as  theirs." 


5G0  Onto  IN  the  Wae. 

as  his  power  went,  no  cunning  devices  of  peace  should  steal  away  the  fruits  of 
the  war.  Beyond  this  soldierly  resolve  he  can  not  be  said  to  have  any  political 
portion.  lie  is  an  earnest  friend  to  General  Grant,  to  whom  he  traces  most  of 
his  promotions. ,  Between  these  two  there  has  never  passed  a  shadow  of  unkind- 
ncss.  With  Sherman,  and  indeed  with  most  of  the  army  officers,  his  relations 
are  cordial.  His  most  intimate  friendships  are  with  subordinates  in  the  cavalry 
service,  and  with  comrades  in  tho  old  Indian-fighting  days  on  the  frontier. 


James  B.  McPheeson.  561 


MAJOR-GENERAL  JAMES  B.  McPHERSON. 

"^TO  name  is  held  in  more  affectionate  remembrance  by  the  people  of  Ohio 
\  than  that  of  General  McPherson.  He  was  not  conspicuous  as  a  director 
-**"-  of  campaigns,  lie  was  not  recognized  as  the  author  of  any  great  vic- 
tory. He  was  not  ranked  among  the  foremost  of  the  country's  generals.  He 
was  great  in  his  possibilities  rather  than  in  his  actual  achievements.  He  was 
young  and  scarcely  known  in  person  to  the  public. 

But  his  soldiers  knew  him  to  be  superbly  gallant;  and  his  commanders 
knew  him  to  be  eminently  able,  prudent,  and  skillful.  Borne  forward  by  their 
applause,  he  rapidly  reached  almost  the  highest  promotion  that  his  profession 
offered.  So  loveable  was  the  nature  of  the  man,  so  simple,  so  sincere,  so  manly, 
that  the  admiration  of  the  public  was  heightened  in  his  army  into  love.  Then 
in  the  midst  of  battle,  and  only  a  little  before  great  triumphs,  he  fell.  Thence- 
forward he  was  a  martyr,  whose  loss  was  to  be  deplored  as  a  public  calamity; 
whose  memory  was  to  be  cherished  as  a  priceless  possession  of  the  State.  No 
other  officer  from  Ohio,  of  equal  rank  and  command,  fell  throughout  the  four 
years  of  the  war.  He  thus  became  a  solitary  martyr,  our  greatest  sacrifice,  our 
saddest  loss.  It  is  in  this  light  only  that  the  people  of  the  State  regard  him, 
and  in  this  spirit  only  that  we  can  now  attempt  to  trace  his  career. 

James  Birdseye  McPherson  was  born  at  Clyde,  Sandusky  County,  Ohio,  (in 
the  northern  part  of  the  State,  and  but  a  few  miles  from  Lake  Erie),  on  the  14th 
of  November,  1828.  His  mother,  Cynthia  Eussell,  was  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts. His  father,  Wm.  McPherson,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  pair 
were  married  near  Canandaigua,  New  York;  but  in  a  short  time  they  removed 
to  Ohio.  Here  the  father  settled  on  a  tract  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
woodland,  near  where  the  village  of  Clyde  now  stands,  built  a  little  frame  house 
and  a  blacksmith  shop,  worked  at  his  trade  when  work  offered,  and  employed 
his  leisure  time  in  clearing  his  farm;  and  here,  four  years  later,  the  son  was 
born,  who  was  to  be  so  famous  and  so  mourned. 

The  boy  grew  up  in  the  hardy,  laborious,  backwoods  life  of  the  time  and 
region.  He  was  never  much  employed  in  his  father's  blacksmith  shop ;  but  he 
was  taught  to  pick  brush,  to  pile  wood,  to  drive  horses,  and,  by-and-by,  to 
plow  and  chop.  Meantime  the  father  became  involved  in  his  business  affairs, 
and  in  the  laborious  efforts  to  clear  the  farm  his  health  broke  down.  Poor  and 
an  invalid,  he  thus  left  his  growing  family  to  the  struggles  of  his  wife,  with 
such  aid  as  four  children,  the  oldest  of  them  only  thirteen,  could  offer.  But 
this  oldest  was  eager  to  do  all  he  could,  and  his  character  as  a  blight,  manly 

Yol.  I.— 36. 


502  Ohio  in  the  War. 

little  fellow,  perfectly  upright  and  trustworthy,  was  so  well  known  in  the 
neighborhood  thai  he  easily  secured  employment.  The  postmaster  and  store- 
keeper  of  the  next  village,  that  of  Green  Spring,  wanted  a  store-boy.  A  friend 
Of  the  family,  who  knew  James'  anxiety  to  get  some  employment  by  which  he 
might  diminish  his  mother's  burdens,  recommended  him.     He  was  at  once  en- 

1;  Wd  for  the  next  six  years  he  remained,  first  as  store-boy,  then  as  clerk 
in  the  establishment  of  Mr.  Robert  Smith. 

"I  can  recall  very  well  his  appearance  at  that  time,"  writes  a  member  of 
the  family*  "He  had  a  full,  round,  bright  face,  large  gray  eyes,  and  light 
brown  hair,  with  a  manner  that  was  at  once  frank  and  modest,  even  to  bashful- 
ncss."  What  a  struggle  it  cost  this  pleasant-charactered  boy  to  leave  his  toiling 
mother,  and  his  little  brother  and  sisters,  we  learn  from  the  same  source:  "I 
believe  it  was  during  his  last  visit  here,  previous  to  going  to  California,  that  I 
heard  him  relate,  with  one  of  his  hearty  laughs,  how  terrible  was  the  feeling  of 
home-sickness  and  the  sense  of  'being  cast  out  into  the  wide,  wide  world '  that 
came  over  him  at  parting  with  his  mother  and  the  younger  children  to  come  to 
this  village.  The  whole  family  were  in  tears  when  he  bade  them  good-by;  and 
taking  up  his  little  bundle,  commenced  his  journey  of  five  miles  afoot  and  alone. 
After  walking  boldly  forward  for  some  distance  he  looked  back  and  saw  them 
all  at  the  door  watching  him  and  weeping.  To  shut  out  the  painful  sight  he 
clutched  his  bundle  tighter,  and  ran  as  fast  as  his  young  feet  could  carry  him 
until  he  reached  the  woods,  where  he  sat  down  and  wept  abundantly.  Then  he 
took  up  his  bundle  again  and  came  on  to  Green  Spring." 

Hero  he  presently  gained  the  confidence  of  his  employer,  and  of  all  with 
whom  ho  came  in  contact.  Indeed,  to  quote  from  the  same  source  again,  "from 
the  time  of  his  first  making  his  home  here,  I  remember  hearing  him  spoken  of 
b}'  the  older  people  as  a  remarkable  boy — remarkable  for  his  industry,  his  un- 
varied cheerfulness,  his  earnest  application  to  study,  and  his  freedom  from  even 
the  ordinary  vanities  and  follies  of  youth."  And  then  we  have  this  pleasant 
picture  of  tho  sensitive  blacksmith's  boy,  as  he  came  to  be  known  in  his  new 
sphere.f  "  I  doubt  if  he  ever  spoke  a  profane  word.  I  at  least  never  heard  him 
utter  even  an  unkind  or  an  ungracious  one,  or  knew  of  his  doing  an  ungracious 
deed.  ...  Ho  always  possessed  the  wonderful  faculty,  which  seems  to  have 
distinguished  him  in  maturer  years,  of  attracting  to  himself  as  attached  friends 
all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  high  or  low.  .  .  .  He  was  fond  of  all 
out-door  sports  and  manly  games.  We  had  a  largo  green  yard,  which,  during 
the  summer  evenings,  was  the  delightful  resort  of  the  children  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. 'Touch  the  base'  was  the  favorite  game,  and  of  all  who  engaged  in  the 
romp,  none  were  more  eager  or  happy  than  'Jimmy.'  He  often  recurred  to 
these  scenes  in  after  life.  In  a  letter  written  during  the  war,  he  says:  'God 
giant  I  may  live  to  come  back  and  tell  you  how  dear  your  friendship  is,  and  has 
been  to  me  during  the  many  years  that  have  rolled  around  since  we  romped  in 
merry  glee  in  the  old  yard.'     ...     I  remember  being  in  the  store  one  cven- 

*  Private  letter  from  Green  Spring,  furnishing  accounts  of  McPherson's  early  life  for  this 
e*etch.  nbkL 


James    B.   McPherson.  563 

ing  when  they  were  nailing  up  some  boxes.  James  was  assisting  with  his  usual 
cheerfulness.  As  he  pushed  a  board  to  its  place  he  said  that  'it  ought  to  come 
up  closter.'  'Closter  !'  said  one  ;  'why  do  n't  you  speak  more  correctly,  James? 
Why  do  n't  you  say  closer?'  I  can  see  at  this  moment  how  painfully  confused 
and  disturbed  the  poor  child  was  at  this  rebuke.  I  dare  venture  to  say  he  never 
used  the  word  closter  again  in  all  his  life.  .  .  .  After  the  first  3-ear  or  two  in 
the  store  he  went  to  school  each  winter.  It  was  a  source  of  disquiet  to  him  not 
to  be  able  to  attend  school  more  regularly,  for  he  was  very  ambitious  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge.  .  .  .  He  was  a  very  fast  reader,  which,  when  he  read 
aloud,  became  a  serious  fault.  He  gradually  improved  in  this  as  he  grew  older. 
His  penmanship  was,  for  a  boy,  remarkably  fine,  and  was  greatly  relied  on  when 
he  feared  whether  his  scholarship  was  sufficient  to  enable  him  to  pass  muster  at 
the  examination  for  entering  West  Point." 

Thus  far  the  pleasant  gossip  of  the  good  friends  with  whom  the  boy  grew 
up.  Doubtless  they  have  somewhat  idealized  their  recollections  of  the  lad, 
since  he  came  to  be  so  famous — who  of  us  is  there  that  \vrould  not  be  likely  to 
do  the  same?  But  it  is  clear  that  he  was  a  good,  manly,  hearty  fellow,  marked 
for  more  than  usual  capacity  and  loved  for  more  than  usual  sweetness  of  dis- 
position. 

We  have  seen  that  he  wras  anxious  for  a  better  education.  While  in  the 
store  he  had  been  a  faithful  reader.  Tn  those  days  when  people  spent  money, 
for  a  book  it  wTas  pretty  sure  to  be  for  one  that  the  verdict  of  a  good  many 
critics  and  years  had  pronounced  good  ;  and  so  it  happened  that  the  well-stored 
book-case  to  which  the  clerk  had  access  was  mainly  filled  with  standard  authors. 
He  pored  over  Plutarch's  Lives,  every  volume  of  which  he  devoured,  (rib- 
bon's Decline  and  Fall  came  next  in  his  course;  then  Marshall's  Life  of  Wash- 
ington, and  Buffon's  Natural  History.  Poetry  came  later  in  his  way;  and  then 
some  standard  works  of  fiction.  At  last  the  promise  of  an  appointment  to  West 
Point,  which  his  fine  character  and  the  esteem  it  won  him  had  secured,  induced 
him  to  give  up  his  position  in  the  store,  and  enter  the  Norwalk  Academy  for  a 
couple  of  sessions'  preparatory  study.  He  was  now  nineteen  years  old,  and  he 
was  fearful  of  being  rejected  on  account  of  his  age.  So  limited  had  been  his 
opportunities  for  study  that  he  was  likewise  apprehensive  of  failure  at  the 
examination  for  admission. 

But  all  difficulties  wTcre  happily  passed  ;  and  a  few  months  before  attaining 
his  majority  the  blacksmith's  boy  was  fairly  established  at  West  Point.  Among 
the  classmates  with  whom  he  was  here  brought  in  competition,  wTere  Schofield, 
Terrill,  Sill,  and  Tyler.  Toward  the  close  of  his  academic  career  there  was 
another  one — Philip  H.  Sheridan.*  And  among  the  Southern  members  was 
one  in  conflict  with  whom  our  young  Cadet  was  afterward  to  fall — James  B. 
Hood. 

Among  these  rivals  the  backwoods  store-clerk,  who  had  been  afraid  that 
his  acquirements  w^ould  prove  so  limited  that  he  could  not  enter  at  all,  at  once 

*  Sheridan  had  been  one  class  in  advance,  but  was  thrown  back  by  his  suspension  for  violat- 
ing the  rules  of  the  Academy  in  flogging  a  Cadet  who  had  insulted  him. 


S(34  Ohio  in  the  Wab. 

took  rank  next  to  the  highest.  "He  stood  always  at  the  head  of  his  class  in 
scientific  studies,"  Professor  Mahan  tells  us,  "and  except  the  first  year,  when  he 
stood  second,  owing  to  his  want  of  facility  in  acquiring  the  French  language,  he 
always  held  the  first  place  in  general  merit."  And  in  the  records  of  the  academy 
we  find  him  marked  second  in  his  class  in  1850,  first  in  1851,  first  in  1852,  and 
gnMhKlrt!  at  the  head  of  the  class  in  1853.  "We  looked  upon  him,"  Professor 
Mahan  goes  on,  "as  one  among  the  ablest  men  sent  forth  from  the  institution, 
g  remarkable  for  the  clearness  and  prompt  working  of  his  mental  powers. 
His  Conduct  was  of  an  unexceptionable  character.  These  endowments  he  carried 
with  him  in  the  performance  of  his  duties  as  an  engineer  officer,  winning  the 
confidence  of  his  superiors,  as  a  most  reliable  man.  His  brilliant  after-career 
in  the  field  surprised  no  one  who  had  known  him  intimately." 

Graduated  at  the  head  of  his  class,  he  was,  in  accordance  with  the  common 
rule,  assigned  to  the  Engineers.  But,  so  highly  were  his  accomplishments  rated, 
that,  instead  of  being  sent  out  on  duty,  he  was  retained  at  the  academy  as 
Assistant-Professor  of  Practical  Engineering;  in  which  position  he  remained 
for  a  year.  This  seems  to  have  disappointed  him  a  little.  But  after  a  hurried 
vi-it  to  his  mother,  and  the  home  friends,  he  says — the  flourishing,  round,  "boy's 
hand,"  which  the  poor  dead  fingers  traced,  lies  before  us  as  we  write— "I  have  had 
a  good  time  since  I  came  back — found  a  number  of  my  old  acquaintances  here, 
besides  three  classmates.  Most,  however,  have  left,  to  make  ready  their  winter- 
quarters,  and  I  miss  them  very  much.  In  fact  I  would  not  object  very  strongly 
to  going  myself.  This  is  but  the  beginning  of  a  military  life — a  glorious  state 
of  uncertainty,  truly.  However,  I  do  not  let  it  trouble  me  any.  '  Sufficient 
unto  the  day  is  the  evil  thereof  is  my  motto."  * 

From  the  period  we  have  now  reached  till  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  the 
story  of  McPherson's  services  might  be  very  briefly  told.  He  taught  for  a  year 
in  West  Point.  For  three  years  he  was  engaged  on  engineering-duty  on  the 
Atlantic  coast — in  New  York  harbor  for  all  but  six  months  of  the  time.  For 
three  and  a  half  years  he  was  in  charge  of  the  fortifications  in  the  harbor  of 
San  Francisco.     And  then  came  the  war. 

Meantime  the  bashful  clerk  of  the  country  store,  and  the  studious  cadet  of 
West  Point,  had  developed  into  an  accomplished  engineer,  and  a  man  of  the 
world.  Before  he  started  for  West  Point  his  father  had  died,  and  the  younger 
members  of  the  family  had  grown  into  an  ability  to  take  care  of  themselves. 
But  he  was  still  the  same  affectionate  lad  that  had  shed  tears  at  the  thought  of 
leaving  them  to  go  five  miles  from  home ;  and  while  he  remained  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  he  rarely  missed  making  a  short  visit  every  season  to  the  family  that  had 
crowded  weeping  to  the  door  to  watch  him  as  he  went.  With  his  old  school- 
mates,  and  the  pleasant  Green  Spring  friends,  too,  he  kept  up  the  warmest 
friendships.  He  was  not  very  faithful  as  a  correspondent,  but  the  letters  he  did 
write  rim  over  with  expressions  of  delight  at  recalling  "the  good  times  we  used 
:o  have."  From  them,  indeed,  we  catch  the  clearest  glimpses  of  his  life  at  thia 
formative  period. 

♦From  collection  of  McPherson's  private  letters,  furnished  for  this  sketch. 


James   B.   McPherson.  565 


'.-55 


Social  attractions  seem  at  first  to  have  largely  engrossed  him.  Youm 
handsome,  genial,  a  regular  army  officer,  with  the  honors  of  his  class,  he  could 
scarcely  fail  to  be  a  welcome  guest  anywhere.  He  has  enough  to  do  in  New 
York,  he  says,  to  keep  him  from  feeling  lonely  and  to  make  a  rainy  day  tolera- 
ble. "Besides,  I  am  acquainted  with  a  great  many  influential  persons  in  the 
city,  as  well  as  a  number  of  highly-accomplished  and  interesting  ladies,  whose 
smile  is  as  cheering  as  a  ray  of  sunshine  would  be  after  an  Arctic  night,"  and, 
as  was  natural,  he  was  highly  pleased  with  the  change  from  West  Point.  But 
this  was  only  in  1854.  Two  or  three  years  later,  while  as  much  devoted  to 
society  as  ever,  he  was  less  boyish  in  boasting  of  his  influential  and  accom- 
plished acquaintances.  In  1856  we  find  him  giving  instead  a  half-pleased,  half- 
bored  account  of  his  experience  in  making  New  Year's  calls.  The  day  "  was 
everything  that  a  person  could  wish.  I  was  industriously  engaged  from  ten 
o'clock  in  the  morning  till  nine  in  the  evening.  I  succeeded  in  making  seventy- 
five  calls,  and  then  did  not  get  around  all  my  acquaintances.  But  I  concluded 
to  stop,  as  I  was  slightly  leg-wTeary,  though  the  visions  of  loveliness  floating 
before  my  mind  were  more  than  sufficient  to  buoy  me  up."  In  another  place  he 
gives  a  page  to  an  account  of  his  enjoyment  of  New  Year's  Eve  "with  some 
charming  young  ladies,"  of  an  apparition  that  appeared  as  the  mystic  hour 
approached,  and  was  resolved  into  "an  indubitably  honest  ghost,"  to-wit:  a 
bowl  of  egg-nog,  and  of  the  good  time  they  had  shaking  hands  all  around,  and 
clinking  the  glasses  as  they  drank  the  old  year  out  and  the  new  year  in.  Again 
he  tells  of  being  pretty  closely  confined  by  his  duties  at  the  forts — this  is  over 
a  year  later — but  has  "  managed  to  run  out  of  town  Saturday  afternoons  and 
back  early  Monday  mornings."  "It  is  perfectly  elegant,"  he  continues,  "to 
escape  from  the  cares  of  business,  the  mire  and  dust  of  the  city,  and  rest  in  the 
delights  of  the  country — surrounded  by  charming  friends."  He  has  grown  still 
more  discreet,  it  will  be  observed  ;  but  he  is  frank  enough  to  add  that  he  believes 
the  friends  rather  than  the  country  make  the  excursions  so  pleasant.  At  last, 
however,  comes  the  confession.  "  I  tell  you,  John,  I  have  about  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  is  not  good  for  man  to  be  alone.  Do  n't  be  alarmed.  I  am 
not  going  to  desert  the  ranks  of  bachelordom  yet.  No;  I  am  still  afloat — not 
yet  having  found  the  pearl  of  great  price."  We  have  scarcely  looked  into  one 
of  the  letters  of  those  days  without  finding  it  full  of  phrases  like  these.  In 
fact— to  quote  from  the  old  friend  and  schoolmate  of  McPherson 's,  to  whom  we 
are  indebted  for  most  of  the  youthful  correspondence  before  us  *— "  to  appreciate 
his  letters  fully,  one  should  able  to  recall  the  expression  of  his  eye,  and  the 
joyousness  of  the  laugh  with  which  he  would  always  refer  to  'the  good  times 
we  used  to  have  calling  on  the  girls.'  "  But  it  was  a  pure,  manly  regard  for  the 
sex  to  which  his  mother  and  his  sisters  belonged  that  the  hearty  young  fellow 
cherished,  a  regard  that  made  all  mothers  trustful  and  from  which  no  pure 
woman  shrank. 

What  with  building  of  forts,  and  purchase  of  materials,  and  calling  on  the 
young  ladies,  he  found  his  time  very  much  occupied.     "There  are  so  many 

*  George  R.  Haynes,  Esq.,  of  Toledo. 


MS  Ohio  in  the  War 


MUM  to  do,"  he  writes,  three  years  after  his  graduation,  "and  so  many  ways 
to  enjoy  myself  that  it  is  with  the  utmost  difficulty  I  can  settle  myself  down  to 
anything  like  a  calm,  steady,  and  instructive  course  of  reading  or  studying. 
However,  I  satisfy  myself  with  the  reflection  that  a  knowledge  of  men  and 
of  business  is  quite  as  essential  in  this  rapid,  go-a-head  country  of  ours  as  a 
knowledge  of  books." 

Tho  cheerful,  sunny-tempered  boy  naturally  developed  into  a  man  who 
preferred  to  look  on  the  bright  side  of  things:  "My  duties  have  brought  me 
in  contact  with  persons  of  almost  every  walk  of  life;"  he  writes  in  1856,  "and 
though  I  find  much  to  condemn,  still  there  is  vastly  more  to  admire.  It  only 
requires  one  to  be  firm  and  decided  in  his  principles  (which  must  have  integrity 
for  their  basis)  to  get  along  well,  command  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the 
community,  and  render  the  shafts  of  unprincipled  men  perfectly  harmless." 

Political  matters  seem  to  have  attracted  his  attention  a  good  deal.  He 
could  scarcely  have  passed  through  West  Point  in  those  days  without  absorbing 
the  Southern  notions  which  prevailed,  and  the  hearty  dislike  which  officers  of 
the  regular  arm}*  particularly  chose  to  affect  toward  the  Abolitionists.  But  he 
avowed  such  prejudices — rather  than  opinions — with  a  zeal  quite  in  contrast 
with  the  equable  regard  which  he  bestowed  upon  other  matters  outside  his  pro- 
fession. Within  a  month  or  two  after  leaving  West  Point  he  was  writing  to  a 
friend:  "Do  you  have  much  to  do  with  politics?  I  hear  that  matters  have 
como  to  a  pretty  bad  pass  in  our  State,  and  that  it  is  really  discreditable  to  go 
to  tho  Legislature.  ...  I  think  the  sooner  a  reform  takes  place,  the  better. 
I  believe,  if  I  were  to  meddle  with  politics,  I  would  be  a  'Know-Nothing/"  A 
year  later  he  had  come  to  discuss  the  sins  of  the  Abolitionists  with  greatei>unc- 
tion  and  at  greater  length.  "Not  a  few  are  highly  gratified  at  the  result  of  the 
recent  elections  in  Massachusetts  and  this  State,  which  have  been  such  a  signal 
rebuke  to  Seward  and  his  Abolition  supporters."  "It  is  very  seldom,"  he  con- 
tinues in  a  half  apologetic  vein,  "that  military  men  meddle  with  politics,  except 
when  broad,  sound,  National  principles  are  assailed,  and  then  they  feel  it  a 
duty  to  place  themselves  in  the  van  and  rally  to  the  support  of  the  Union.  I 
have  felt  a  good  deal  of  interest  in  politics  since  I  have  seen  the  efforts  which 
have  been  made  to  form  a  sectional  party— a  party  with  but  one  idea,  and  that 
one  calculated  to  awake  a  feeling  of  animosity  from  one  extreme  of  the  Union 
to  the  other,  the  fatal  effects  of  which  neither  you  nor  I  can  predict.  When  I 
seo  men  who  are  endowed  with  superior  powers  of  mind,  and  occupying  high 
stations,  putting  forward  their  utmost  energies  to  excite  dissension,  and  not  only 
Jissension  but  absolute  hatred  between  the  different  sections  of  our  country,  I 
Jl  it  is  time  they  were  shorn  of  their  strength  and  rendered  powerless  to  com- 
nut  evil.  Could  I  believe  in  their  sincerity  or  patriotism,  and  that  motives  of 
Immunity  actuate  them,  I  might  be  a  little  more  charitable.  But  when  such 
nen  as  Salmon  P.  Chase,  whose  position  gives  him  influence,  gets  up  before  a 
pu bl.c  assembly  in  Maine  or  any  other  State,  and  declares  that  there  is  a  deep 
feeling  of  hatred  between  the  North  and  the  South,  that  'the  Allies  do  not  hate 
the  Russians  or  the  Russians  the  Allies,  any  more  than  the  people  of  the  North 


James  B.  McPiierson.  567 

hate  the  people  of  the  South,'  or  the  people  of  the  South  hate  the  people  of  the 
North,'  it  is  time  all  candid  men  should  act  to  defeat  the  schemes  and  machi- 
nations of  such  demagogues.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  I  am  gratified  at 
the  result  of  the  elections;  and  I  believe  that  every  UnionWhig,  Henry  Clay  and 
Daniel  Webster  Whig,  can  say  the  same."  The  italics  and  capitals  are  given 
above  as  Mr.  McPherson  used  them  to  show  the  strength  of  his  sage  conviction. 
The  elections  over  which  the  young  man  rejoiced  were  among  the  last  defeats 
of  the  Eepublican  party,  prior  to  that  one  which  made  Mr.  James  Buchanan 
President  of  the  United  States. 

Engineering  he  understood;  and  the  regular  army  and  society,  and  the 
prejudices  of  both.  With  these  prejudices  he  was  content  so  far  as  politics 
were  concerned.  A  year  later  he  had  learned  no  more  wisdom  than  this: 
"From  what  I  can  hear  from  Ohio,  I  suppose  it  will  go  for  Fremont.  Fillmore 
is  my  choice,  and  had  I  the  casting  vote  he  would  be  the  man  to  take  the  Pres- 
idential chair  on  the  4th  of  March.  Next  to  Fillmore  I  prefer  Buchanan,  al- 
though many  of  his  principles  are  of  a  different  school  from  that  in  which  I  was 
educated."  "But  the  time  has  come,  John,"  he  continues,  in  appeal  to  his 
friend,  "when  good  and  true  men  must  rally  round  the  Constitution  and  the 
Union,  and  stay  the  tide  of  sectionalism  and  fanaticism  which  is  spreading  like 
wildfire  throughout  certain  parts  of  the  country." 

His  rhetoric  was  badly  involved,  but  his  principles  were  clear.  He  stood 
by  the  Constitution  and.  the  Union.  Full  of  his  West  Point  training,  and  of  the 
prejudices  of  such  New  York  society  as  a  handsome  young  West  Pointer  was 
likely  to  see,  it  was  very  natural  that  he  should  be  mistaken  as  to  who  were 
the  real  assailants  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union.  But  when  he  found  out, 
there  came  back  the  ringing  sound  of  the  pure  metal.  From  the  fortifications 
of  Alcatras  Island,  in  San  Francisco  Harbor,  he  writes  to  his  mother  in  the 
winter  of  1860-61:  "My  mind  is  perfectly  made  up,  and  I  can  see  that  I  have 
but  one  duty  to  perform,  and  that  is,  to  stand  by  the  Union  and  the  support  of 
the  General  Government.  I  left  home  when  I  was  quite  young,  was  educated 
at  the  expense  of  the  Government,  received  my  commission  and  have  drawn 
my  pay  from  the  same  source  to  the  present  time,  and  I  think  it  would 
be  traitorous  for  me,  now  that  the  Government  is  really  in  danger,  to  de- 
cline to  serve  and  resign  my  commission.  Not  that  I  expect  any  service  of 
mine  can  avail  much;  but  such  as  it  is  it  shall  be  wielded  in  behalf  of  the 
Union,  whether  James  Buchanan  or  Abraham  Lincoln  is  in  the  Presidential 
chair."  And  soon  after  we  find  him  writing  again  to  his  mother:  "However 
men  may  have  differed  in  politics,  there  is  but  one  course  now.  Since  the  trai- 
tors have  initiated  hostilities  and  threatened  to  seize  the  National  Capital,  give 
them  blow  for  blow  and  shot  for  shot,  until  they  are  effectually  humbled.  I  do 
not  know  whether  I  shall  be  kept  here  or  ordered  East;  but  one  thing  I  do 
know,  and  that  is,  that  I  am  ready  and  willing  to  go  where  I  can  be  of  the 
most  service  in  upholding  the  honor  of  the  Government,  and  assisting  in  crush- 
ing out  the  rebellion  ;  and  I  have  faith  to  believe  that  you  will  see  the  day 
when  the  glorious  old  flag  will  wave  more  triumphantly  than  ever.     I  wish  I 


568  Ohio    in    the   War. 

was  at  home  now  to  join  the  Ohio  volunteers.  I  swung  my  cap  more  than  once 
on  reading  the  telegraphic  message  of  Governor  Dcnnison:  'What  Kentucky 
will  not  furnish,  Ohio  will!'  .  .  .  Now  that  the  fires  are  kindled,  I  hope 
they  will  not  be  permitted  to  die  out  until  Jeff.  Davis  and  his  fellow  conspira- 
tors are  in  Washington  to  he  tried  for  treason,  or,  in  the  language  of  old  Put- 
nam, 'tried,  condemned,  and  executed.'"* 

And  with  this  burst  of  indignant  loyalty  we  turn  away  from  those  broad- 
p.-iged.  handsomely-written,  much-prized  letters  to  family  and  friends;  away 
from  the  old  life  to  which  they  belong;  away  from  building  defenses  for  harbors 
and  listening  to  conservative  anti-sectional  politics,  and  keeping  up  home  mem- 
ories and  calling  on  the  girls — away  from  all  this,  and  into  the  seething  war — 
whence  he  is  not  to  emerge  save  with  the  cross  and  martyr's  crown. 

In  the  spring  of  1861,  McPherson,  only  a  Lieutenant  of  Engineers  yet,  was 
still  in  San  Francisco.  He  was  now  a  little  over  thirty-two  years  of  age,  was 
still  manly  and  handsome  and  sunny-tempered,  and  unmarried,  though  engaged 
to  a  lady  in  Baltimore.  To  the  outside  public  he  was  unknown.  In  the  army 
he  was  not  much  talked  of;  but  he  had  served  in  New  York  under  Major  Dela- 
field,  who  had  spoken  well  of  him,  and  in  San  Francisco  he  had  conducted  his 
engineering  operations  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  Department.  Altogether, 
ho  was  to  be  considered  a  good  and  safe  engineer.  Whereupon,  when  after 
personal  application,  he  obtained  orders  to  come  East  in  the  summer  of  1861, 
he  was  assigned  to  engineer  duty  in  Boston  harbor,  and  in  August  6th — after 
McClellan  was  a  Major-General  in  the  regular  army,  and  a  score  of  incapables 
had  become  Major-Generals  of  volunteers  by  virtue  of  their  knowing  regimental 
and  brigade  drill,  Lieutenant  McPherson  was — advanced  to  the  junior  Captaincy 
of  Engineers. 

At  last  his  time  came.  When  Halleck  went  West  he  wanted  a  number  of 
regular  army  officers  around  him.  Among  the  rest,  he  thought  of  the  young 
engineer  who  had  been  at  work  for  a  year  or  two  in  the  harbor,  while  he  had 
been  practicing  law  in  the  city  of  San  Francisco.  Captain  McPherson  was 
accordingly  promoted  to  a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  volunteers,  and  assigned  to 
duty  on  General  Halleck's  staff. 

This  was  on  the  12th  of  November,  1861.  Between  that  date  and  the  22d 
of  July,  1864,  a  period  of  less  than  three  years,  was  crowded  all  that  it  remains 
to  us  to  tell  of  McPherson. 

Through  the  winter  he  did  some  engineer  duty,  constructed  defenses  along 
the  line  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  and  helped  to  organize  troops  as  they  came  into 
the  department. 

On  the  31st  of  January,  1862,  General  Grant,  at  Cairo,  received  the  often- 
sought  penn.ssion  to  move  on  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  with  the  intimation 
that  full  instructions  would  come  by  messenger.  Next  day  the  messenger  pre- 
sented himself  in  the  person  of  McPherson,  made  brevet  Major  of  engineers, 

for  ZtTsee6. Ietter  fr0tn  Which  tMs  last  extract  is  taken  may  be  found  ia  "Hours  at  Home>" 


James    B.   McPherson.  569 

and  assigned  as  chief  engineer  of  the  expeditionary  forces.  There  thus  began 
the  association  which  was  soon  to  prove  so  helpful  to  the  young  staff  officer. 

At  first  there  was  little  for  him  to  do.  Admiral  Foote  captured  Fort  Henry 
before  Grant  got  up.  When  the  army  reached  Doneison,  however,  McPherson 
was  kept  busy  enough  tracing  the  lines  along  which  Grant  had  determined  to 
conduct  a  siege.  The  exposure  through  that  terrible  weather  was  a  rough  com- 
mencement for  campaigning,  and  McPherson,  unused  for  many  years  to  expo- 
sure, broke  down  under  it.  An  old  affection  of  the  throat  and  lungs  returned, 
and  he  was  forced,  in  fear  in  fact  of  his  life,  to  hasten  back  to  St.  Louis  for 
medical  assistance.  When,  in  the  first  days  of  March,  he  was  able  to  return  to 
the  field,  he  bore  with  him  the  instructions  to  General  Grant  for  the  movement 
up  the  Tennessee. 

The  frightful  blunder  in  which  this  expedition  ended  at  Pittsburg  Landing 
does  not  seem  in  any  way  traceable  to  McPherson.  It  was  indeed  specially 
within  the  scope  of  his  engineering  duties  to  have  set  forth  the  objections  to  the 
encampment  on  the  wrong  side  of  the  river  in  the  face  of  a  superior  foe,  to  the 
confused  jumbling  of  the  several  divisions,  and  to  the  lack  of  defensive  prepa- 
rations. But  an  old  friend  of  Grant's,  Colonel  Webster,  was  the  chief  engineer 
on  the  staff,  and  the  young  officer  might  well,  under  such  circumstances,  be 
chary  of  offering  unasked  advice.  When  the  blow  fell,  through  all  the  confu- 
sion of  the  fateful  Sunday  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  the  better  fortune  that 
came  with  the  morrow,  he  did  staff-duty  efficiently  and  gallantly.  So  well  was 
Grant  pleased  that,  swiftly  following  after  the  brevet  of  Major  in  the  engineers, 
came  that  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  was  at  the  same  time  promoted  to  a  full 
Colonelcy  in  his  volunteer  rank,  and  again  assigned  to  duty  on  Halleck's  staff, 
this  time  as  chief  engineer  to  the  combined  armies  now  concentrated  against 
Corinth. 

For  the  amazing  engineering  delays  that  retarded  the  advance  on  Corinth 
to  a  rate  of  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  per  day,  he  was  as  little  responsible  as  for 
the  previous  lack  of  such  precautions.  General  Halleck  was  himself  an  engi- 
neer. What  he  required  of  his  subordinate  was  not  advice,  but  work.  This 
McPherson  did,  and,  new  as  he  was  to  such  tasks,  did  so  well  that  to  this  day 
the  lines  drawn  about  Corinth  have  scarcely  been  surpassed.  But  he  con- 
demned the  orders  he  obeyed,  considered  the  unusual  delays  needless,  and  while 
he  filled  the  woods  between  Corinth  and  the  river  with  miles  upon  miles  of 
parapets,  would,  if  allowed  to  exercise  his  own  judgment,  have  been  marching 
toward  the  enemy's  works.* 

When  Halleck  was  summoned  to  Washington  as  General-in-Chief,  his  staff 
officer  remained  behind,  and  presently,  on  the  recommendation  of  General  Grant, 
who  now  commanded  the  department,  was  promoted  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship  of 
volunteers,  for  the  purpose  of  assuming  the  position  (for  which  his  engineering 
capacity  was  supposed  to  give  him  peculiar  fitness)  of  military  superintendent 

*  This  statement  I  make  on  the  authority  of  General  Ilickenlooper,  subsequently  chief  engi- 
neer on  General  McPherson's  staff. 


570  Ohio   in   the  Wak. 

of  railroads.     lie  remained,  however,  in  active  duty  on  General  Grant's  staff  until 
after  the  battle  of  Iuka.     He  had  just  begun  his  work  of  repairing  the  railroads 
when  the  battle  of  Corinth  came  on.     A  dispatch  from  Grant  notified  him  that  tel- 
egraphic communication  with  Eosecrans  at  Corinth  was  cut  off,  that  the  Eebels 
were  probably  making  an  attack,  and  that  he  was  anxious  to  have  McPherson 
Inet  re-enforcements  at  once  to  the  assailed  garrison.     He  immediately  mus- 
tered  his  engineer  regiment  from  the  railroad,  and  with   the  other  troops  sent 
him  by  (i  rant— enough  to  make  up  a  good  brigade — moved  rapidly  down  the 
road.     As  he  approached  Corinth  the  sounds  of  heavy  firing  grew  plainer  and 
plainer,  till  suddenly,  a  little  after  four  o'clock,  they  ceased   altogether.     Mc- 
Pherson  was  puzzled.     Which  side  was  successful?     On   which    side  was  the 
enemy,  and  how  was  this  single  brigade  to  move  so  as  surely  to  avoid  Price  and 
Van  Dorn,  and  reach  Eosecrans?    No  intelligence  whatever  could  be  secured 
from  the  battle-field.     Throwing  skirmishers  well  to  the  front,  and  moving  cau- 
tiously, he  advanced  on  the  north  side  of  the  railroad.     At  last  Eosecrans's 
pickets  were  reached  ;  and  just  as  the  triumphant  commander  was   galloping 
over  the  field,  congratulating  the  men  and  giving  orders  for  the  pursuit  in   the 
morning,  McPherson  was  marching  into  the  town. 

"  Eeturning  from  this  "  (the  ride  over  the  field  and  orders  to  the  troops)  "I 
found  the  gallant  McPherson  with  a  fresh  brigade  on  the  public  square,  and 
gave  him  the  same  notice,  with  orders  to  take  the  advance."  This, is  all  Eose- 
crans says  in  his  official  report.  Staff  officers,  however,  still  have  vivid  recol- 
lections of  the  sharp  passage  between  McPherson  and  his  chief  which  preceded 
his  first  movement  upon  the  enemy  in  the  actual  command  of  troops.  The 
order  sent  to  McPherson  after  Eosecrans's  verbal  instructions,  ran  thus  :  "  The 
General  commanding  directs  that  you  furnish  your  command  with  three  days' 
rations  and  one  hundred  rounds  of  ammunition.  Let  your  animals  be  well  wa- 
tered and  supplied  with  forage,  or  turned  out  to  graze.  Be  prepared  to  move  at 
daylight."  At  daylight  Eosecrans  came  galloping  up,  full  of  that  nervous  excite- 
ment that  inflamed  him  on  such  occasions,  and  demanded  why  McPherson 
had  not,  in  accordance  with  orders,  moved  out  in  pursuit.  McPherson  replied 
that  he  had  received  no  such  orders,  and  was  awaiting  them.  "Yes,  you  have 
received  them,"  said  the  impatient  Eosecrans,  sharply.  McPherson  deliber- 
ately and  calmly  repeated  his  denial,  at  the  same  time  producing  the  written 
order  to  "be prepared"  to  move,  and  calling  the  General's  attention  to  the  fact 
that  he  was  prepared.  Eosecrans  apologized  and  gave  the  order.  It  was  a 
little  thing,  and,  though  exciting  enough  for  the  moment,  ended  very  pleasantly ; 
but  it  serves  to  show  at  this  outset  of  his  career,  the  combined  promptness  and 
caution i  of  McPherson's  character.  Most  men,  breathing  the  air  of  pursuit  that 
filled  all  Corinth  that  night,  would  have  moved  with  the  first  streak  of  dawn 
on  such  orders  as  McPherson  already  had.  Not  so  our  prudent  young  engi- 
neer.    He  was  ordered  to  be  prepared  to  move,  and  prepared  to  move  he  was* 

outlined  McPht!!"  s^ TrSagG  ^T  ^^  ™*  McPhe™>n  ™  ^rived  from  a  MS. 
McPherson.  m,l,tar7 services,  furnished  me  by  General  Hickenlooper  of  his  staff. 


James    B.  McPherson.  571 

A  little  later  he  gave  another  taste  of  his  quality.  A  flag  of  truce  came 
back  from  the  rear  of  the  hard-pressed,  retreating  column,  and  with  it  a  large 
burial-party.  The  manifest  object  was  to  delay  the  pursuit ;  the  ostensible  one 
to  care  for  the  wounded  and  bury  the  dead.  McPherson  directed  it  to  stand 
aside  and  await  orders,  while  with  redoubled  energy  he  pushed  the  pursuit. 
Fighting  was  going  on,  he  said,  and  he  did  not  propose  to  suspend  it  unless 
ordered  to  do  so  by  the  General  commanding*  At  the  crossing  of  the  Uatchie 
he  struck  the  enemy's  rear  with  vigor,  captured  a  baggage-train  and  large  quan- 
tities of  war  materiel,  and  scattered  the  retreating  force  in  all  directions. 

It  was  his  first  handling  of  troops  in  action.  So  fully  was  it  supposed  to 
illustrate  his  ability  that,  a  few  da}~s  later,  another  promotion  came  to  crown 
the  series  of  his  fast-growing  honors.  A  year  before  he  had  been  a  Captain  of 
Engineers.  Then  had  come  a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  Volunteers;  then,  after 
Pittsburg  Landing,  a  Colonelcy, — after  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  a  Brigadier- 
Generalship.  Now,  on  his  return  from  this  pursuit  of  Price  and  Van  Dorn,  he 
was  met  with  news  of  his  appointment  to  a  Major-Generalship!  Still,  he  could 
not  but  feel  that  it  was  rather  because  of  the  promise  of  ability  he  had  given 
than  for  actual  achievements  that  he  was  thus  advanced;  rather  because  Grant 
believed  him  capable  of  great  things  than  because  of  any  great  things  that  he 
had  done. 

Meantime,  with  every  widening  of  his  sphere  his  personal  popularity  had 
widened.  Now,  as  he  gave  up  his  control  of  the  railroads  to  enter  upon  his 
duties  as  Major-General,  he  was  made  to  seo  very  pleasantly  the  attachment 
and  regard  of  his  railroad  subordinates.  They  gave  him  a  parting  supper,  at 
which  Grant,  Logan,  and  a  large  number  of  the  rising  officers  who  have  since 
become  famous,  were  guests,  and  when  the  party  was  all  assembled,  presented 
him  with  a  horse,  saddle,  bridle,  and  sword.  He  sought  to  reply  to  the  compli- 
ments of  the  presentation  speech,  but  the  occasion  was  too  much  for  him,  and  he 
came  near  breaking  completely  down.  Palpably  the  new  Major-General  was 
no  orator. 

McPherson  proceeded  at  once  to  the  District  of  Bolivar,  to  the  command 
of  which  he  had  been  assigned.  He  devoted  himself  to  the  organization  and 
equipment  of  his  troops;  kept  a  keen  eye  upon  the  movements  along  his  front; 
and  succeeded  in  furnishing  General  Grant  with  much  of  the  information  that 
went  to  shape  the  campaign  upon  Holly  Springs  and  thence  toward  the  rear  of 
Yicksburg.  Finally,f  he  was  ordered  to  make  a  reconnoissance  in  force  toward 
Holly  Springs,  to  develop  the  enemy's  strength.  He  was  to  be  joined,  en  route, 
by  Quimby's  division,  from  Grand  Junction.  Next  morning  he  moved  out. 
Quimby  failed  to  join  him,  but  he  pushed  on,  and,  about  ten  miles  south  of  Old 
Lamar,  encountered  the  enemy  in  force.  He  at  once  disposed  his  infantry  in 
front,  and  swung  the  cavalry  around  on  the  enemy's  right  flank  and  rear.  As 
the  infantry  advanced  in  front  the  cavalry  charged  upon  the  rear;  and  the 
enemy,  after  a  short  resistance,  broke  and  fled  in  confusion.  Hoping  still  to 
hear  from  Quimby,  McPherson  now  allowed  the  infantry  to  advance  slowly;  but 

*  Rosecrans's  Test.  Com.  Con.  War.     Series  1865,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  22.      t  On  7th  November,  1862. 


§73  Ohio  in  the  War. 

with  the  cavalry  he  pushed  on  in  person,  sharply  following  the  retreat,  and  pres- 
ently developing  the  full  strength  of  the  Rebels  behind  their  fortified  positions  on 
the  (.old  water."  Then,  after  making  a  careful  reconnoissance,  he  retired,  with 
ab.,m  a  hundred  prisoners  as  the  fruits  of  his  fighting,  and -such  information  as 
to  the  Babel  strength  and  positions  as  satisfied  Grant  that  the  time  for  his 
advance  had  come. 

This  was  the  first  considerable  action  in  which  MePherson  was  engaged  in 
prominent  command.  His  dispositions  were  admirable,  and  the  promptness  and 
TlgOF  of  his  attack  dispelled  the  fear  of  excessive  caution  which  was  commonly 
entertained  at  the  beginning  of  eveiy  engineer's  career  in  active  command.  So 
fully  was  MePherson  now  trusted  that  he  was  given  the  entire  right  wing  of  the 
Army  of  the  Tennessee,  and  assigned  to  the  advance.  In  this  position  he  led 
the  movement  down  toward  Jackson  and  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  till,  when  his 
eavalrv  had  reached  Coffeeville  and  the  route  seemed  clear,  the  whole  army  was 
suddenly  thrown  back  by  the  surrender  of  Holly  Springs,  and  the  consequent 
loss  of  the  supplies  for*  the  campaign.  In  the  return  MePherson  held  the  rear 
through  till  the  exhausting  march  over  the  flooded  country — his  troops  living 
cheerfully  on  quarter-rations  and  patiently  enduring  the  fatigues,  when  they  saw 
their  commander  asking  no  sacrifice  of  them  which  he  did  not  make  himself. 
Day  and  night  he  kept  the  saddle.  "Whenever  a  difficulty  or  danger  was  encoun- 
tered he  lingered — never  leaving  till  the  last  man  or  the  last  wagon  was  safely 
over;  and  through  all  the  privations  and  dangers  he  continued  so  affable,  so 
cheerful,  with  such  kind  words  and  pleasant  looks  for  all,  that  on  ttiat  march  he 
fairly  mastered  the  hearts  of  his  command.  Thenceforward  its  morale  was  per- 
fect, for  it  believed  in  its  General. 

There  now  began  the  movement  against  Vicksburg  by  the  way  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River.  While  Grant,  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  hastened  down, 
MePherson  lay  at  Memphis  reorganizing  and  refitting  his  command.  On  his 
way  thither  ho  had  narrowly  escaped  a  great  danger.  He  occupied  the  rear 
car,  while  the  rest  of  his  train  was  filled  with  the  sick  and  wounded  from  one 
of  his  divisions.  In  a  cold,  disagreeable  winter  night,  as  the  train  was  passing 
a  sharp  curve,  every  car  save  the  last  was  thrown  from  the  track,  and  hurled 
to  the  bottom  of  the  high  embankment.  The  poor  wounded  men  were  again 
horribly  mangled  and  mutilated.  MePherson  did  everything  in  his  power  for 
their  comfort-then  leaving  them  in  the  charge  of  his  Medical  Director,  took  the 
locomotive  (which  still  remained  upon  the  track)  and  hurried  forward  to  send 
back  further  relief. 

By  the  22d  of  February  his  command  was  ready  for  the  field  ;  and  on  the 
-3d  us  advance  arrived  at  Lake  Providence;  while  he  himself  hurried  on  down 
to  the  front  of  Vicksburg  to  see  General  Grant,  and  receive  his  Orders.  Grant 
was  now  m  the  height  of  the  ditch-digging  campaign.     The  canal  across  the 

ci  r  )r   sburg  was  not  yet  a  m°**< and  s°me  •><*<»  ™-*  «*- 

ertamed  of  the  route  through  the  bayous  from  Milliken's  Bend.     To  MePher- 

ZZ2  Z'T  aKless  proraising  route-  Ho  was  to  try to  °Pe»  *  ****& 

through  the  slugglsh  wastes  of  water  that,  at  flood-time,  filled  the  gaps  and 


James    B.  McPherson.  573 

connected  Lake  Providence,  Bayou  Macon,  and  the  Tensas  and  Red  Rivers. 
It  was  a  project  of  extraordinary  wildness.  We  find  no  traces  of  any  opinion 
expressed  by  McPherson  as  to  its  feasibility;  but  he  went  to  work  vigorously 
to  attempt  the  execution  of  his  orders.  In  two  weeks  he  had  the  levees  cut, 
and  the  water  from  the  Mississippi  rushing  at  a  furious  rate  into  Lake  Provi- 
dence. Weeks  were  then  spent  in  seeking  to  open  the  tortuous  passages  between 
and  along  the  ba}'Ous.  Meantime  Grant's  other  projects  for  evading  the  Yicks- 
burg  batteries  had  failed,  and  he  had  risen  to  the  height  of  the  audacious  con- 
ception that  was  to  bring  him  the  most  worthily-earned  honor  of  his  career. 
McPherson's  report  as  to  the  impracticability  of  his  route  was,  therefore,  all  the 
more  readily  accepted;  and  on  the  16th  of  April  his  command  moved  down 
the  river  to  unite  with  the  rest  of  the  army  in  the  movement  below  Yicksburg 
upon  its  rear. 

Six  days  were  spent  in  corduroying  the  roads  across  the  peninsula  and 
down  the  Louisiana  bank  of  the  river.  Then,  through  swamps  still  almost  bot- 
tomless, the  troops  began  their  toilsome  march.  McClernand  had  the  advance; 
McPherson  followed.  On  the  30th  of  April  the  column  reached  Hard  Times 
Landing,  and  began  the  crossing  to  Bruinsburg.  Next  morning,  as  McPherson's 
command  rapidly  disembarked  on  the  Yicksburg  side,  without  knapsacks  or 
encumbrances  of  any  kind,  the  guns  of  McClernand's  division  could  already  be 
heard.  The  enemy's  forces  below  Yicksburg  were  resisting  the  advance. 
McPherson  pushed  rapidly  forward  at  the  head  of  his  troops. 

As  he  approached  the  scene  of  action,  Grant  met  him.  What  followed 
curiously  illustrates  the  matter  of  fact  way  in  which  battles  are  apt  to  be  fought, 
as  contrasted  with  the  enthusiasm  and  general  heroics  of  the  poets.  "Mack," 
said  Grant,  "  Ostherhaus  is  over  there  on  the  left,  pegging  away,  but  can  't  quite 
make  the  riffle.     Go  over  and  see  what  you  can  do."* 

In  obedience  to  this  rather  vague  order  McPherson  put  in  a  division  to 
support  McClernand's  center.  With  the  other  he  moved  up  on  the  left,  and 
speedily  became  severely  engaged.  The  battle  (since  known  as  Port  Gibson) 
lasted  for  several  hours  yet;  but  finally  the  enemy  was  driven,  and  the  army 
pushed  forward  till  it  was  stopped  by  Bayou  Pierre.  Next  day  the  bayou  was 
bridged,  and  McPherson  once  more  took  the  advance.  He  held  it,  bridging 
Bayou  Pierre  at  another  crossing  as  he  progressed,  till  he  followed  the  flying 
Rebels  across  the  bridge  they  had  not  time  to  burn,  at  Ilankinson's  Ferry,  on 
the  Big  Black.  Demonstrations  and  feints  ensued  for  two  or  three  days,  while^ 
Grant  got  up  his  supplies,  and  was  ready  to  push  northward. 

Then,  while  Sherman  and  McClernand  hugged  the  Big  Black,  McPherson 
launched  out  far  to  the  eastward.  By  three  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  12th, 
he  had  encountered  a  force  of  the  enemy  near  Raymond.  Its  position  gave  it 
considerable  advantage,  and  at  the  time  it  was  thought  to  comprise  formidable 
numbers;  but  it  has  been  since  ascertained  to  have  consisted  of  Gregg's  and  W. 
II.  T.  Walker's  Rebel  brigades  only.  McPherson  deployed  his  advance  rapidly 
and  began  the  attack.     The  contest  raged  for  between  two  and  three  hours, 

*MS.  Memorandum  of  General  Hickenlooper.        » 


574  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

when   the  Rebels  retreated,  Logan's  division  having  borne  the   brunt  of  the 

fighting. 

Just  as  the  issue  of  the  battle  began  to  seem  clear,  MePherson's  Adjutant- 
General  approached  him  with  a  dispatch  which  he  had  prepared  for  General 
Grant,  and  which  only  awaited  MePherson's  signature  to  be  sent  off.  It  set  forth 
that  he  "had  met  the  enemy  in  immensely  superior  force,  but  had  defeated  him 
most  disastrously,  and  was  now  in  full  pursuit."  McPherson  quietly  tore  it 
up,  took  the  field-book  of  the  Adjutant,  and  wrote  instead  :  "  We  met  the  enemy 
about  three  P.  M.  to-day  ;  have  had  a  hard  fight  and  up  to  this  time  have  the 
advantage." 

When  Grant  received  this,  he  straightway  changed  the  direction  of  Sher- 
man's and  McClernand's  columns,  so  that  the  whole  force  might  converge  upon 
MePherson's  objective — Jackson.  For  while  no  fears  were  entertained  about 
his  ability  to  drive  the  enemy  he  had  already  defeated,  yet  it  was  known  that 
on  his  front,  at  Jackson,  Rebel  re-enforcements  were  arriving,  and  that  John- 
ston was  likely  to  essay  the  offensive  speedily.  Meantime  the  next  day  Mc- 
Pherson pushed  on,  with  only  light  skirmishing  to  impede  him,  and  before  dark 
had  struck  the  railroad  between  Vicksburg  and  Jackson  at  Canton,  capturing 
telegraphic  correspondence  between  Pemberton  and  Johnston.  The  latter 
ordered  Pemberton  to  move  out  and  attack  Grant's  rear.  Pemberton  promised 
to  obey.  This  was  immediately  forwarded  to  Grant.  Meantime  the  Seventh 
Missouri  regiment  was  sent  out  along  the  railroad  toward  Vicksburg  to  destroy 
it  as  far  as  possible,  with  the  chief  engineer  on  the  staff  to  supervise  their 
labors.  They  worked  all  night,  and  at  daybreak  were  back  in  Clinton  to  move 
with  the  army. 

MePherson's  orders  were  now  to  take  Jackson  without  delay.  The  march 
was  made  through  an  unusually  heavy  rain-storm,  which  swelled  the  rivulets 
along  the  road  till  the  ammunition  had  to  be  raised  from  the  beds  of  the  wagons 
to  prevent  it  from  being  destroyed.  By  daylight  the  movement  had  begun  ; 
before  noon  it  was  checked  by  artillery  firing  that  raked  the  road  on  which 
they  were  advancing.  A  little  time  was  given  to  artillery  firing  in  reply ;  then 
the  skirmish  line  was  advanced,  and  presently  General  Johnston's  position  was 
developed— along  a  commanding  ridge  in  front  of  the  town.  Then  Crocker's 
division,  which  held  the  advance,  was  formed  in  echelon,  and  the  line  moved 
im-vvard  to  the  attack— slowly  at  first,  gradually  increasing  their  speed  till, 
finally,  as  they  received  the  enemy's  fire,  they  gave  a  wild  cheer  and  dashed 
forward  at  a  charge.  The  contest  was  short  and  bloody.  The  enemy  broke. 
Crocker  pushed  hard  after  them.  They  did  not  even  halt  when  they  reached 
the.r  breastworks  surrounding  the  city,  but  pushing  through  them  and  aban- 
omng  their  artillery  and  munitions  made  good  their  escape.  The  retreat  was 
doubtless  hastened  by  the  discovery  that   Sherman   was   already   upon  their 

As  the  victorious  troops  marched  in,  Grant  met  his  subordinates,  McPher- 

whic'h   M  Pr"11'  ^  th°  h0te1'     A  bri6f  citation  ™  1-ld,  as  the  result  of 
wmch  McPherson  turned  westward,  and,  facing  Vicksburg,  was  on  his  march 


James  B.  McPherson.  575 

before  daylight  tne  next  morning  *  He  moved  all  day  without  resistance,  and 
at  night  went  into  bivouack  near  Bolton's  Station.  The  game  was  now  in  his 
hands.  Johnston's  scattered  forces  were  hopelessly  in  the  rear;  Pemberton, 
confused  between  his  desire  to  stand  guard  over  the  earthworks  of  Vicksburg, 
to  cut  Grant's  suppositious  lines  of  communication,  and  to  obey  Johnston, 
who  had  peremptorily  ordered  the  abandonment  of  Vicksburg,  marched  hither 
and  thither  and  did  nothing.  And  before  McPherson,  scarcely  thirty  miles 
away,  lay  Vicksburg.  "With  the  earliest  dawn  of  the  next  morning,  the  16th, 
Grant  hurried  him  forward.  Meantime  Pemberton  was  at  last  striving  to 
obey  Johnston's  orders  by  marching  north-eastward  to  join  him.  But  his  tardy 
obedience  was  worse  than  his  previous  blundering — for  his  line  of  march  led 
him  directly  across  McPherson's  front,  and  he  presently  found  himself  forced 
in  all  haste  to  halt  and  form  line  of  battle  to  protect  his  flank.  His  line 
stretched  from  the  heights  of  Champion  Hills  across  a  gentle  slope  southward, 
and  terminated  in  a  series  of  abrupt  knolls  and  ravines. 

Here,  by  eleven  o'clock,  McPherson  had  come  and  was  sharply  skirmish- 
ing. Grant  wanted  to  bring  McClernand  up  before  the  battle  should  begin,  and 
sent  back  messenger  after  messenger  to  hasten  his  advance.  But  McPherson's 
troops  were  impetuous  and  full  of  confidence,  and  presently  the  skirmish  had 
swelled  into  battle  before  McClernand  was  ready.  Hovey's  division  attacked 
the  hill,  and  though  once  and  again  re-enforced  with  such  brigades  as  could  be 
thrown  in  was  finally  repulsed.  But  meantime  Logan  had  been  pushing  down 
through  the  ravines  on  the  enemy's  left,  and  presently  began  to  threaten  their 
rear.  McPherson  then  sent  forward  again  the  rallying  divisions  which  had 
been  repulsed;  and  the  enemy  finding  his  position  compromised,  fled  in  a  con- 
fusion which  soon  became  utter  rout.  Seventeen  pieces  of  artillery  were  cap- 
tured and  two  thousand  prisoners;  but  it  was  at  a  cost  of  over  two  thousand 
killed  and  wounded. 

McClernand  now  took  the  advance,  and  McPherson,  following  in  support, 
encountered  no  resistance.  At  the  Big  Black  he  built  two  bridges,  one  of  them 
a  floating  pathway  laid  on  cotton  bales.  Crossing  on  these,f  he  followed  in 
Sherman's  course,  and  rapidly  deplo}Ted  before  the  fortifications  of  Vicksburg. 
The  next  day  he  participated  in  the  hasty  assault;  two  days  later  in  the  more 
elaborate  and  determined  one;  and  did  his  full  share  in  each  to  beat  back  the 
inevitable  failure. 

Then,  when  the  siege  began,  holding  the  center  opposite  the  strongest 
wTorks  of  the  enemy,  he  called  into  play  all  his  old  engineering  skill.  In  less 
than  ten  days  his  batteries  were  inflicting  severe  damage;  he  raked  the  enemy's 
intrenched  lines  on  both  flanks,  and  had  a  reverse  fire  upon  a  large  bastioned 
fort  on  Sherman's  front.  Meantime  his  sharp-shooters  were  pushed  up  so  close 
that  they  soon  succeeded  in  almost  entirely  silencing  the  artillery  fire  from  the 
opposing  works. 

By  the  22d  June  his  Chief  Engineer,  Captain  (afterward  Brigadier-General) 
Hickenlooper,  reported  to  him  that  the  sap  had  reached  the  Rebel  ditch  in  front 

•  15th  May,  1863.  1 18th  May. 


570 


Ohio  in  the  War 


of  Fort  TTill,  and  that  he  was  ready  to  commence  mining  operations.  Thus  far 
mfoei  h*d  Dei  been  attempted  in  any  of  the  operations  of  the  war.  General 
MePhenofi  poshed  forward  the  experiment,  and  in  two  days  reported  to  Gen- 
oral  Grant  his  readiness  to  attempt  the  explosion.  A  main  gallery  had  been 
run  for  torn*  sixty  feet  directly  under  the  Eebel  fort,  and  from  this  smaller 
galleriot  branched  off  on  either  side.  In  the  several  galleries  twenty-two  hun- 
dred pounds  of  powder  were  deposited. 

The  explosion  was  fixed  for  three  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  25th.  An 
hour  before  that  time,  one  watching  the  scene  from  Battery  Hickenlooper  would 
have  been  struck  with  the  splendor  and  the  death-like  stillness  of  the  scene.  For 
uiil.s  to  right  and  left  could  be  seen  the  long  lines  of  blue  filing  into  the  in- 
tiviichments.  Beyond  them  came  hurrying  detachments  with  supplies  of  artil- 
lery ammunition.  Near  by  stood  the  storming  column  of  a  hundred  picked 
HUM),  on  whose  set  features  was  read  the  anxiety  that  the  bravest  must  feel  in 
such  an  hour  of  suspense.  A  little  before  three  Sherman  and  Grant  came  into 
the  battery  to  watch  with  McPherson  the  result. 

At  precisely  three  the  match  was  fired.  There  was  a  moment  of  suspense; 
then  the  Eebel  fort  confronting  them  rose  like  a  huge  leviathan.  As  it  entered 
the  air  it  began  to  break  into  fragments;  finally,  at  the  height  of  about  a  hun- 
dred feet,  it  seemed  to  dissolve,  and  only  the  great  cloud  of  sulphureous  smoke 
could  be  seen.  Through  this  roared  thrice  ten  thousand  muskets,  and  the  great 
guns  along  miles  of  intrenchments.  Through  it,  too,  dashed  the  devoted  hundred 
of  the  storming  column,  followed  close  by  their  supports.  They  plunged  into 
the  crater,  fought  right  and  left  and  hand  to  hand  with  the  Eebels  behind  par- 
ftpetfl  on  either  side.  Between  the  opponents,  for  that  whole  evening  and  the 
night  that  followed,  was  only  a  crest  of  earth  scarcely  ten  feet  in  width.  They 
took  twenty-four  pound  shells,  with  five-second  fuses,  lighted  them  and  rolled 
them  over.  So  near  were  they  that  sometimes  the  Eebels  caught  and  hurled 
back  these  shells  before  they  exploded.  They  raised  the  butts  of  their  muskets 
over  their  heads  when  they  sought  to  fire,  for  it  was  certain  death  to  lift  their 
heads.  All  the  next  day  this  state  of  affairs  continued;  then  artillery  was  so 
planted  as  to  secure  the  ground  that  had  been  won,  and  the  men  were  with- 
drawn to  the  ditch. 

McPherson  next  had  another  gallery  run  out  under  the  part  of  Fort  Hill 
Btill  held  by  the  enemy.  On  the  1st  of  July  this  was  exploded  with  consider- 
able success.  Of  the  garrison  seven  were  thrown  within  our  lines,  but  only  one 
of  them,  a  negro,  lived,  and,  as  Chief  Engineer  Hickenlooper  said,  he  was  so 
much  astonished  that  whatever  he  had  known  about  the  situation  inside  the 
enemy's  lines  was  driven  out  of  his  head. 

The  result  of  these  several  engineering  operations  was  the  possession  of 
the  work  which  constituted  the  key  to  the  Eebel  lines.  Pemberton,  who  at 
any  rate  was  nearly  starved  out,  and  who  had  finally  despaired  of  aid  from 
Johnston,  became  convinced  that  the  damage  was  irreparable,  and  asked  for  an 
armistice  to  consider  terms  of  surrender. 

Throughout  the  siege  McPherson  had  held  the  center  and  had  conducted 


James  B.  McPhekson.  577 

the  most  important  operations.  It  was  no  less  a  natural  than  a  deserved  com- 
pliment, therefore,  that  he  should  be  awarded  the  honor  of  occupying  the 
captured  city. 

In  the  various  operations  thus  happily  ended,  General  McPherson  had 
exhibited  every  leading  qualification  of  a  good  corps  General.  He  had  been 
prompt  and  skillful  in  obeying  orders,  judicious  when  left  to  his  own  resources, 
far-sighted  and  enterprising  in  counsel,  masterly  in  handling  his  troops  upon 
the  battle-field,  and  in  exhausting  the  resources  of  scientific  engineering  in  the 
siege.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the  corps  Generals,  and  the  least  experienced. 
Indeed,  when  he  marched  out  from  Bruinsburg  to  take  part  in  the  battle  of 
Port  Gibson  at  the  outset  of  the  campaign,  he  was  really  going  to  the  first  con- 
siderable battle  of  his  military  life.  In  the  great  engagements  of  Grant's 
earlier  career  he  had  been  only  a  staff  officer;  at  Corinth  he  arrived  after  the 
battle  was  over;  in  the  pursuit  his  attack  at  the  Hatchie  amounted  to  little 
more  than  a  skirmish,  and  in  the  movement  beyond  Holly  Springs  his  only 
action  occurred  in  driving  back  the  resistance  to  an  armed  reconnoissance. 
Practically,  he  was  a  beginner  in  the  art  of  handling  troops  in  battle  when  he 
began  the  campaign  from  the  south  against  Yicksburg.  At  its  close  none  would 
have  thought  of  comj)aring  him  with  one  of  his  associate  corps  commanders, 
and  if  a  comparison  with  the  other  had  been  suggested,  it  would  only  have  been 
to  express  the  doubt  as  to  whether  McPherson's  lucid  judgment  and  perfect 
command  of  all  his  resources,  or  Sherman's  nervous  energy  and  flashes  of  war- 
like inspiration  were  really  the  more  desirable.  In  a  two  months'  campaign  he 
had  thus  risen  to  rank  beside  one  who  then  stood  second  to  no  corps  commander 
in  the  armies  of  the  Nation. 

In  some  quarters  even  higher  place  was  awarded  him.  Neither  among  his 
enemies  nor  with  his  own  people  had  General  Grant  at  that  time  any  large  recog- 
nition. The  campaign  to  the  rear  of  Yicksburg  was  so  brilliant  a  contrast  to 
all  his  previous  career  that  men  refused  to  give  him  credit  for  its  authorship, 
and  in  looking  for  the  good  genius  that  had  inspired  him,  they  settled,  North 
and  South,  with  considerable  unanimity,  upon  his  old  staff  officer  whom  he  had 
raised  to  be  one  of  his  corps  commanders.  We  can  now  see  that  there  was  very 
little  justice  in  this;  but  it  serves  to  show  what  impression  the  abilities  of  Mc- 
Pherson had  made  upon  those  most  engaged  in  weighing  and  estimating  the 
quality  of  our  officers,  when  they  were  ready  to  believe  him  the  author  of  a 
campaign  which  they  considered  Grant  unable  to  devise. 

General  Grant  himself  was  foremost  in  giving  praise  to  the  gifted  subordi- 
nate whom  others  were  thus  seeking  to  elevate  into  his  rival.  Among  the  first 
occupations  of  his  leisure,  after  the  surrender,  was  the  preparation  of  two  letters 
to  the  authorities  at  Washington.  One  recited  the  services  and  merits  of  Sher- 
man; the  other  the  services  and  merits  of  McPherson,  and  each  recommended  its 
subject  for  promotion  to  Brigadier-Generalship  in  the  regular  army.  The  lan- 
guage of  Grant's  letter  concerning  McPherson  was  as  just  as  it  was  generous. 

"He  has  been  with  me,"  he  wrote,  "in  every  battle  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  rebellion,  except  Belmont.  At  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson,  Pitts- 
Yol.  I.— 37. 


578  Ohio  in  the  War 

bur"  Landing,  and  the  siege  of  Corinth,  as  a  staff  officer  and  engineer,  his  serv- 
ices  were  conspicuous  and  highly  meritorious.  At  the  second  battle  of  Corinth 
his  skill  as  a  soldier  was  displayed  in  successfully  carrying  re- enforcements  to 
the  besieged  garrison,  when  the  enemy  was  between  him  and  the  point  to  be 

reached . 

"In  the  advance  through  Central  Mississippi,  General  McPherson  com- 
manded one  wing  of  the  army  with  all  the  ability  possible  to  show,  he  having 
the  lead  in  the  advance,  and  the  rear  in  retiring. 

"In  the  campaign  and  siege  terminating  in  the  fall  of  Yicksburg,  General 
M<  Pherson  has  filled  a  conspicuous  part.  At  the  battle  of  Port  Gibson  it  was 
under  his  direction  that  the  enemy  was  driven  late  in  the  afternoon  from  a  posi- 
tion they  had  succeeded  in  holding  all  day  against  an  obstinate  attack.  His 
corps,  the  advance,  always  under  his  immediate  eye,  were  the  pioneers  in  the 
movement  from  Port  Gibson  to  Hankinson's  Ferry. 

"From  the  North  Fork  of  the  Bayou  Pierre  to  Black  Eiver,  it  was  a  con- 
stant skirmish,  the  whole  skillfully  managed.  The  enemy  was  so  closely  pressed 
as  to  be  unable  to  destroy  their  bridge  of  boats  after  them.  From  Hankinson's 
Ferry  to  Jackson  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps  marched  roads  not  traveled  by 
other  troops,  fighting  the  entire  battle  of  Eaymond  alone  ;  and  the  bulk  of  John- 
ston's army  was  fought  by  this  corps,  entirely  under  the  management  of  Gen- 
eral McPherson.  At  Champion  Hills  the  Seventeenth' Army  Corps  and  General 
McPherson  were  conspicuous.  All  that  could  be  termed  a  battle  there  was 
fought  by  General  McPherson's  corps  and  General  Hovey's  division  of  the  Thir- 
teenth Corps.  In  the  assault  of  the  23d  of  May  on  the  fortifications  of  Yicks- 
burg, and  during  the  entire  siege,  General  McPherson  and  his  command  took 
unfading  laurels. 

"He  is  one  of  the  ablest  engineers  and  most  skillful  Generals.  I  would 
respectfully  but  urgently  recommend  his  promotion  to  the  position  of  Brigadier- 
General  in  the  regular  army." 

The  nomination  thus  warmly  urged  was  promptly  made.  The  confirma- 
tion, however,  was  for  a  little  uncertain.  During  the  siege  no  little  had  been 
said  about  the  indecorous  expression  of  pro-slavery  sentiments  by  General  Sher- 
man, Admiral  Porter,  and  others  ;  and  General  McPherson  was  supposed  to  hold 
views  in  sympathy  with  theirs.  There  had  been  something  said,  too,  of  undue 
sympathy  for  Pvebel  prisoners— the  whole  culminating  in  a  general  charge  of 
Rebel  sympathies  which  seemed  likely  to  be  brought  against  him  in  the  Senate 
when  his  nomination  should  come  up  for  confirmation.  » I  never  saw  McPher- 
son angry  before,"  writes  a  staff  officer.*  "  I  shall  never  forget  his  appearance 
or  his  rage  when  for  the  first  time  he  heard  of  such  a  charge."  It  was  an  officer 
high  in  rank  and  one  of  McPherson's  preceptors  at  West  Point  who  gave  him 
information  of  this  strange  accusation.  His  reply  was  simple  and  manly.  He 
had  done  nothing  to  justify  the  suspicion  of  Kebel  sympathies,  save  what  the 
•ctates  of  humanity  suggested  and  what,  under  similar  circumstances,  he  should 
do  again.  He  was  not  disposed  to  complain,  however,  if  the  Senate  should 
♦General  Hickenlooper. 


James  B.  McPheeson.  579 

refuse  to  confirm  the  high  rank  in  the  regular  service  to  which  he  had  been  pro- 
moted. All  he  sought  was  that  he  might  have  the  opportunity  to  serve  the 
Government  wherever  and  however  his  services  might  be  valuable.  In  due 
time  the  matter  passed  quietly  over,  and  the  confirmation  was  easily  secured. 

Meantime  a  distinction,  probably  more  valued  at  the  time,  was  conferred 
upon  him.  It  was  the  Gold  Medal  of  Honor  awarded  by  the  "  Board  of  Honor," 
composed  of  fellow- soldiers  in  Grant's  army,  in  testimony  of  the  appreciation 
in  which  he  and  his  work  were  held  by  those  who  knew  both  the  best. 

Shortly  after  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg,  General  McPherson  sent  a  brigade 
under  General  Eansom  to  Natchez,  to  prevent  the  crossing  of  cattle  for  the 
Eastern  armies  of  the  Confederacy,  and  the  return  of  ammunition  for  the  West- 
ern. This  expedition  captured  a  number  of  prisoners,  five  thousand  head  of 
Texas  cattle,  and  two  million  two  hundred  and  sixty-eight  thousand  rounds  of 
ammunition.  Soon  after  this  his  troops  began  to  be  scattered  ;  some  were  sent 
to  General  Banks;  others  were  called  for  in  Arkansas.  The  territorial  limits 
of  his  department  were  at  the  same  time  extended  from  Helena,  Arkansas,  to 
the  mouth  of  Eed  Eiver. 

In  October  he  moved  out  toward  Canton  and  Jackson,  in  the  hope  that  a 
demonstration  in  that  direction  might  tend  a  little  to  relieve  the  pressure  on 
Rosecrans  at  Chattanooga.     JSTo  important  results,  however,  were  attained. 

With  one  exception,  this  constituted  his  only  important  military  movement 
after  the  fall  of  Yicksburg  until  the  opening  of  the  Atlanta  Campaign.  The 
winter  of  1863-4  he  spent  in  the  varied  duties  of  his  department,  and  in  the 
earnest  effort  to  secure  the  re-enlistment  for  the  war  of  his  command.  In  this 
he  was  successful — thanks  to  the  confidence  the  men  had  in  him,  and  to  the 
soldierly  feeling  he  had  done  so  much  to  inspire — and  when  he  reported  to  the 
Secretary  of  War  that  the  entire  Seventeenth  Corps  had  become  "  veterans,"  he 
was  able  to  make  such  an  announcement  as  no  other  corps  General  in  the 
country  could  then  equal.  By  the  3d  of  February,  1864,  he  was  able  to  issue 
his  congratulatory  order : 

"  True  to  yourselves  and  your  country,  and  the  dearest  interests  of  humanity,  you  have  nobly 
come  forward  and  enrolled  yourselves  as  veterans  under  the  brightest  banner  that  ever  floated 
over  the  troops  of  any  nation,  with  a  firm  resolve  to  stand  by  the  flag  of  your  fathers,  which  you 
have  carried  so  triumphantly  through  many  a  bloody  battle,  until  an  American  nationality  i9 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  designing  Kebels,  and  high  above  the  scofls  and  insults  of  the  proud- 
est empire  of  the  world. 

"  To  men  who  have  been  so  thoroughly  tried,  no  appeal  is  necessary,  but  simply  the  announce- 
ment of  the  fact  that  your  services  are  now  needed.  Your  country  calls  you,  and  your  General 
knows  how  you  will  respond.  This  expedition  will  be  short,  as  your  strong  arms  and  stout  hearts 
will  demonstrate.  The  pledges  given  you  will  be  fulfilled,  and  you  will  soon  bear  to  your  homes 
the  accumulated  honors  of  another  campaign,  glorious  as  that  in  which  you  earned  your  title,  the 
1  Heroes  of  Vicksburg.' 

"  Patient  on  the  march,  invincible  in  battle,  let  your  brilliant  record  remain  untarnished, 
and  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps  will  thus  stand  proudly  before  the  world,  the  pride  of  your 
General  and  the  glory  of  your  country." 

The  expedition   thus  referred  to  as  of  sufficient  importance  as  to  warrant 


:,w) 


Ohio  in  the  Wak 


I  little  a  delay  in  giving  them  the  veteran  furloughs  which  had  been  prom- 

v,  us  the  movement  on  Meridian.     High  things  would  seem  to  have  been 

expected  of  it ;  but,  partly  because  the  cavalry  failed  to  co-operate,  partly  also, 

perhaps,  because  very  brilliant  results  were  not  attainable,  it  scarcely  fulfilled 

expectation*  that  had  been  excited.  McPherson's  corps,  however,  destroyed 
sixty  miles  of  railroad  track,  four  miles  of  trestle-work,  six  bridges,  twenty-one 
locomotives,  one  hundred  cars,  ten  depots,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  car 
three  turn-tables,  five  mills,  one  hundred  and  fifty  wagons,  one  thou- 
sand small  arms,  and  considerable  quantities  of  other  property  valuable  to  the 

,iy.  The  losses  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing  fell  within  a  hundred.  The 
troops  then  went  home  on  their  veteran  furlough.  Before  they  started  they 
knew  that  their  favorite  General  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee,  preparatory  to  the  great  campaign  soon  to  open. 

We  are  approaching  the  close.  Between  McPherson  at  the  head  of  a  great 
army,  ready  to  sweep  down  toward  Atlanta,  and  McPherson  borne  back  dead, 
while  his  name,  coupled  with  the  call  for  revenge,  forms  the  watchword  of  his 
enraged  men  and  leads  them  still  to  victory,  there  lies  but  a  short  campaign  of 
loss  than  a  hundred  days. 

On  the  25th  of  April,  1864,  General  McPherson  moved  over  from  Yicksburg 
to  Huntsville,  Alabama,  where  he  established  his  head -quarters.  He  had  a  brief 
interview  with  Sherman  at;  Nashville ;  there  followed  hurried  preparations  for 
the  field;  and  on  the  3d  of  May  he  moved  down  to  Chattanooga  with  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee,  twenty-four  thousand  strong  *  Two  days  later  he  was  em- 
barked on  his  last  campaign. 

We  have  seen,  in  a  previous  part  of  this  work,  that  the  plan  which  General 
Sherman  had  resolved  upon  for  forcing  Johnston  out  of  his  impregnable  in- 
trenchments  at  Dalton  was  to  occupy  him  with  a  strong  feint  on  his  front,  while 
a  force  moving  by  his  flank  on  the  westward  should  plant  itself  on  the  railroad 
in  his  rear.  Then,  as  Johnston  should  march  southward  to  drive  off  this  new 
danger,  the  force  that  was  to  make  the  feint  on  his  front  should  follow  after  him 
through  Dalton,  unite  with  the  column  that  had  come  in  on  the  flank,  and  thus 
deliver  the  decisive  battle  on  open  ground. 

But  in  the  execution  of  this  plan  the  feint  was  committed  to  Thomas,  with 
Mxty  thousand;  the  turning  movement,  on  which  every  thing  depended,  to  Mc- 
Pherson, with  twenty-four  thousand. 

McPherson  moved  promptly  and  rapidly  on  his  detour.     He  passed  Ship's 

undisturbed;  passed  through  Yillanow,  where  Kilpatrick's  cavalry  joined 

him ;  pushed  on  to  Snake  Gap,  below  Johnston's  flank,  and  here  struck  a  brigade 

Oi  rebel  infantry.    He  attacked  vigorously,  and  after  two  hour's  fighting  drove 

lem.     Before  him  now  lay  the  open  road  to  Kesaca,  but  a  few  miles  distant,  on 

the  enemy's  railroad  and  line  of  retreat. 

But  he  here  learned  that  the  wary  antagonist  had  prepared  for  such  an 
emergency.     A  new  road  had  been  cut  through  the  woods  from  the  enemy's 
♦The  exact  strength  was:  Infantry,  22,437;  Artillery,  1,404;  Cavalry,  624;  guns,  96. 


James  B.  McPherson.  581 

fortified  position,  twelve  miles  north,  at  Dal  ton,  by  which  the  flank  or  rear  of 
any  force  marching  on  Eesaca  could  be  struck.  By  another  road  the  enemy 
could  likewise  throw  re-enforcements  directly  into  Dalton.  And  now  the  scouts 
came  in  with  word  that  Johnston  was  evacuating  Dalton,  and  moving  by  these 
roads  southward  upon  this  isolated  force  of  twenty-four  thousand. 

Manifestly  the  only  safety  for  McPherson  lay  in  the  speed  with  which  his 
movements  should  be  executed.  In  this  spirit  he  ordered  General  Dodge  for- 
ward with  all  haste  to  make  the  attack  upon  Eesaca;  while  with  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps  he  covered  the  left  flank  of  this  column  against  the  threatened 
attack  by  the  roads  leading  down  from  Dalton.  The  movement  seemed  unac- 
countably delayed.  McPherson  chafed  restlessly  a  little;  then  ordered  a  staff 
officer  up  to  hasten  it.  The  officer  found  General  Sweeney,  commanding  Dodge's 
advance,  quietly  seated  on  a  log,  upbraiding  some  prisoners  for  being  in  arms 
agarast  their  Government.  The  importance  of  instant  movement  was  explained 
and  General  McPherson's  orders  were  delivered.  General  Sweeney  explained 
that  his  men  were  re-forming  and  that  he  would  move  in  a  few  minutes.  A 
quarter  of  an  hour  passed.  The  staff  officer  again  urged  haste  upon  Sweeney 
and  remonstrated  at  the  vexatious  delay.  Still  the  movement  lingered.  Then, 
galloping  back,  he  reported  the  facts  to  McPherson.  In  a  few  moments  the 
General  himself  came  dashing  to  the  front.  He  at  once  started  the  column; 
then  summoned  General  Dodge,  explained  to  him  the  urgency  of  the  situa- 
tion, and  ordered  him  to  lose  not  a  moment  in  the  advance  to  Eesaca,  and  to 
assault  vigorously  on  his  arrival.  He  then  returned  to  prepare  the  Fifteenth 
Corps  for  receiving  the  expected  attack  in  flank. 

But  he  was  struggling  against  too  great  odds — against  not  merely  the  in- 
herent weakness  of  the  plan  that  had  been  made  for  him,  but  against  the  tardi- 
ness of  subordinates  also.  Dodge  indeed  moved  forward  at  last,  but,  as  a  staff 
officer*  describes  it,  "with  little  spirit,  making  only  a  weak  attack,  then  return- 
ing to  McPherson  and  reporting  that  the  position  could  not  be  carried,  that  the 
enemy  had  more  troops  in  position,  outside  of  their  works,  than  he  had  in  his 
entire  command."  It  was  now  nearly  five  o'clock.  There  was  no  time  in  the 
remnant  of  the  short  afternoon  to  make  a  new  disposition  of  the  forces;  where 
they  stood  they  were  in  imminent  danger,  as  has  been  seen,  of  attack  on  the 
flank  from  Dalton;  and,  estopped  from  going  forward  by  this  failure  before 
Eesaca,  there  was  nothing  left  for  them  but  to  go  backward.  McPherson  ac- 
cordingly ordered  back  the  troops  to  the  Gap,  where  they  strengthened  the 
position  and  went  into  bivouac,  while  he  dispatched  word  of  the  result  to 
Sherman. 

With  the  tardy  wisdom  that  always  seems  so  clear  of  vision  after  the  event, 
we  can  now  see  how  it  was  perhaps  in  McPherson's  power,  when  he  first  carried 
the  Gap,  by  a  vigorous  dash  with  all  his  forces  to  have  taken  Eesaca,  and  thus 
changed  the  whole  face  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  But  this  would  have  belonged 
to  that  class  of  operations  which,  taking  great  risks,  result  either  in  great  suc- 

*  General  Hickenlooper,   of  McPherson's  staff,  whose  account  of  these  delays  is  followed 
throughout  this  notice  of  the  movement  on  Eesaca. 


Ohio  rt  the  War. 

M  or  in  great  disaster;  and  he  mar  well  be  excused  for  judging  that  at  the 
onteet  of  the  campaign,  and  in  view  of  the  instructions  he  had  received,  there 
was  no  snch  stress  laid  npon  him  as  to  justify  so  hazardous  an  experiment. 
Moreover,  trains  were  constantly  running  between  Dalton  and  Besaca,  bringing 
down  fresh  Bebel  re-enforcements  for  the  threatened  point  from  the  moment 
that  the  gnns  at  Snake  Gap  had  disclosed  to  Johnston  the  danger.  Even  if, 
when  the  men  burst  through  the  gap,  they  might,  by  running  the  risk  of  anni- 
hilation from  the  flank,  have  swept  everything  before  them  into  Besaca,  it  by 
no  means  follows  that,  after  Dodge's  and  Sweeney's  delays,  and  Dodge's  abortive 
trial,  the  same  thing  would  still  have  been  possible.  And  besides,  the  initial 
fault  of  the  movement  lay,  not  in  McPherson's  caution,  but  in  Sherman's  plan 
of  making  the  feint  with  the  bulk  of  his  army,  and  committing  to  this  small 
column  the  burden  of  the  real  attack.  So  he  himself  seems  to  have  regarded  it; 
for,  although,  as  he  said,  "greatly  disappointed,"  he  never  uttered  a  word  in 
complaint  of  McPhersOn,  but,  remedying  his  own  error,  he  hastened  down  to 
McPherson's  support  with  the  greater  part  of  the  army. 

From  the  moment  that  McPherson  was  thus  re-enforced  Dalton  fell  without 
a  blow,  and  Johnston,  hastening  down  to  Besaca,  opposed  a  fresh  front  to  the 
force  thus  menacingly  planted  upon  his  flank.  Then  followed  the  battle  of 
Besaca.  McPherson  pushed  forward  against  the  central  portion  of  the  enemy's 
position,  forced  the  line  of  Camp  Creek  (in  front  of  Besaca),  driving  Polk's 
Bebel  corps  before  him.  He  succeeded  in  effecting  a  lodgment  upon  the 
enemy's  works  commanding  the  railroad  and  the  trestle  bridge.  Meantime, 
Thomas  had  formed  on  his  left,  and  Schofield  on  Thomas's  left.  Both  attacked 
vigorously,  but  without  much  success.  Along  a  part  of  the  line,  in  fact,  they 
were  driven  back  under  a  furious  onset  from  Hood.  But  McPherson,  holding 
fast  all  he  had  won,  was  now  throwing  Sweeney's  division  six  or  eight  miles 
further  down,  to  lay  a  pontoon  bridge,  effect  a  crossing  (at  Loy's  Ferry),  and 
strike  the  railroad  in  Johnston's  rear.  This  was  successfully  accomplished. 
Then,  once  more,  the  circumspect  Bebel  commander  perceived  his  position 
endangered,  and  hastily  withdrew. 

Skill  and  good  fortune  combined,  in  these  operations,  to  make  McPherson 
the  conspicuous  figure  in  the  battle  of  Besaca.  It  was  he  who  forced  the  cross- 
ing of  Camp  Creek,  who  held  fast  on  the  Bebel  fortifications,  who  controlled 
the  railroad.  And  finally,  after  the  others  portions  of  the  army  had  been  sub- 
stantially checked,  it  was  he  who  secured  the  ferry  below,  and,  planting  a  force 
upon  Johnston's  line  of  retreat,  forced  an  evacuation.  Doubtless  Thomas  or 
Schofield  might  have  done  as  well  with  McPherson's  opportunity;  but  it  was 
McPherson  who  did  it,  and  he  fairly  earned  the  high  encomiums  it  brought. 

Early  discovering  Johnston's  retreat,  McPherson  was  the  first  to  profit  by 
it.  He  pushed  up  under  cover  of  the  heavy  artillery-fire  he  had  ordered,  and 
secured  one  of  the  bridges  across  the  Oostenaula ;  being  too  late  to  save  the 
other.  Then,  drawing  back,  he  hastened  south  to  his  pontoon  bridge  at  L 
Ferry,  and  gaining  in  distance  by  this  route,  was  able  to  strike  the  enemy's 
rear  below  Calhoun.    He  was  resisted  here  by  Hardee,  and  a  sharp  little  engage- 


James   B.  McPhersox.  .>3 

ment  sprang  up.  lasting  long  enongh  for  the  enemy  to  get  their  trains  oat  of  the 
way.  Then,  drawing  off.  and  swinging  to  the  right.  McPherson  again  attacked 
them  at  a  point  midway  between  McGuire's  and  Kingston. 

ally  Johnston  made  his  third  stand  at  Cassville.  McPherson  had  mean- 
while  halted  at  Kingston  for  supplies.  As  Sherman's  columns  approached  Cass- 
ville. Johnston,  overpersuaded  by  Polk  and  Hood,  who  believed  the  position 
untenable,  suddenly  decided  to  abandon  it  and  cross  the  Etowah  without  a  strug- 
gle. So  it  came  about  that  McPherson,  moving  forward  after  the  reception  of 
supplies,  encountered  no  resistance  till,  swinging  far  to  the  westward  toward 
Dallas,  in  Sherman's  movement  to  avoid  Allatoona  Pass,  he  approached  the 
banks  of  Pumpkinvine  Creek. 

The  stage  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  which  we  have  now  reached  is  that  in 
which  Sherman,  seeking  to  turn  Allatoona  Pass,  found  himself  confronted  at 
Dallas,  at  Xew  Hope  Church,  or  wherever  along  the  Bebel  flank  he  sought  to 
penetrate,  till  finally  he  swung  in  again  by  the  left  on  the  railroad  and  fairly 
faced  the  difficulties  of  the  position  by  confronting  Johnston  at  Kenesaw  Mount- 
ain. As  McPherson  held  the  right,  and  had.  therefore,  been  sent  furthest  south 
in  the  flanking  movement,  he  thus  came  to  meet  the  enemy  at  Dallas,  while 
Hooker,  further  northward  and  to  the  left,  was  fighting  at  Xew  Hope  Church. 

On  25th  May.  while  approaching  Dallas  from  the  direction  of  Tan  Wert; 
McPherson  struck  the  enemy  in  some  force  along  the  Pumpkinvine  Creek. 
While  the  skirmishers  were  exchanging  shots  he  could  hear,  twelve  or  fifteen 
miles  to  the  north-eastward,  the  guns  of  Thomas's  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 
It  was  evident  that  a  heavy  battle  was  in  progress.  Pushing  forward,  he  drove 
the  enemy  before  him  for  some  distance:  then,  swinging  out  his  cavalry  on  the 
left,  sought  to  open  communication  with  the  portion  of  Thomas's  army  (Hook- 
er's command)  whose  guns  he  heard.  But  the  cavalry  met  superior  numbers, 
and  was  compelled  to  return. 

In  the  existing  uncertainty  it  was  of  the  utmost  importance  to  communi- 
cate at  once  with  the  army  above,  and  with  Sherman.  What  the  whole  body 
of  his  cavalry  had  been  unable  to  accomplish.  McPherson  now  therefore  deter- 
mined to  entrust  to  a  staff  officer,  escorted  by  a  squad  of  four  cavalrymen.  To 
this  officer  he  explained  his  designs  for  the  next  day.  and  instructed  him  in  some 
way  or  another  to  be  sure  to  get  through  to  Sherman.  At  dark  he  started  :  soon 
after  midnight  he  reached  Sherman ;  and  in  a  short  time  was  hastening  back 
with  news  of  the  battle  of  Xew  Hope  Church,  and  with  urgent  instructions  to 
McPherson  to  attack  the  enemy  at  Dallas. 

But  before  this  officer  could  return  McPherson  had  already,  on  his  own 
judgment,  begun  the  attack.  After  severe  fighting  he  drove  the  enemy  through 
Dallas;  but,  a  mile  to  the  eastward,  was  suddenly  checked  by  a  strongly 
intrenched  position,  which  General  Johnston's  foresight  had  prepared,  and 
behind  which  the  Bebels  now  rallied.  The  next  day.  advancing  from  these 
works,  they  attacked  McPherson ;  but  he  repelled  the  assault,  and,  in  turn, 
drove  them  through  their  intrenchments  to  soil  stronger  ones  in  their  rear. 

iieral  Sherman,  meeting  with  similar  check  all  along  the  lines,  now  be- 


r>s-i 


Ohio  in  the  War 


rrnn  a  gradual  movement  back  by  the  left  toward  the  railroad— Johnston  warily 
facing  him  step  by  step,  till  presently  they  confronted  each  other  at  Kenesaw. 
McPherson  was  ordered  on  28th  May  to  begin  his  share  in  this  movement,  with- 
drawing by  the  left  to  Thomas's  position,  while  Thomas,  moving  farther  to  the 

ihould  approach  the  railroad.  That  evening  he  was  about  to  obey  the 
order,  when  the  waiting  columns  were  suddenly  assailed  with  fury  on  front 
and  right  flank.  So  important  was  the  action  that  followed  considered  by  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  that  he  reported  it  as  "a  terrible  repulse"  to  "a  bold  and  daring 
assault."  The  enemy  left  upon  the  field  two  thousand  five  hundred  dead  and 
wounded,  and  besides,  lost  some  three  hundred  prisoners.  With  his  usual  atten- 
tion to  engineering  details,  McPherson  had  so  carefully  covered  his  front  with 
breastworks  that  his  own  loss  was  comparatively  trifling. 

The  withdrawal  by  the  left  was  thus  delayed.  On  the  night  of  the  30th, 
however,  it  was  silently  and  skillfully  accomplished ;  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
1st  of  June,  General  McPherson  relieved  General  Thomas,  while  the  latter 
pushed  still  further  over  to  the  left.  Here  he  remained  till,  the  enemy  next 
taking  the  initiative,  he  followed  their  movement  in  the  same  direction  on  the 
4th  of  June. 

He  now  received  two  divisions  of  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps  returned 
from  veteran  furlough,  and  one  brigade  of  cavalry — accessions  which  barely 
made  good  the  losses  sustained  by  his  command  thus  far  in  the  campaign. 
Then,  moving  forward  against  Kenesaw  he  bore  his  share  in  the  constant  and 
sometimes  severe  fighting  with  which,  until  the  27th,  every  day  was  occupied. 
On  that  fatal  date  he  shared  with  Thomas  the  bloody  repulse  that  followed  their 
combined  assault  on  Kenesaw.  "Failure  it  was,"  says  Sherman,  "and  for  it  I 
accept  the  full  responsibility."  He  took  pains,  indeed,  to  explain  that  McPher- 
son and  Thomas  had  made  their  assaults  exactly  at  the  time  and  in  the  manner 
prescribed. 

There  followed  the  rapid  flanking  movements  which  threw  Johnston  across 
the  Chattahoochie  and  into  Atlanta.  McPherson  drew  out  from  the  works 
before  Kenesaw  on  the  night  of  2d  July;  pushed  rapidly  to  the  right;  pres- 
ently, as  Johnston,  discovering  the  movement,  fell  back,  occupied '  Marietta ; 
then  hastened  to  the  Chattahoochie  at  the  mouth  of  Nicojack  Creek,  and 
BOOgfa  to  prevent  Johnston's  passage.  But  from  the  time  that  he  established 
himself  at  Dalton,  that  officer  would  seem  to  have  contemplated  and  prepared 
for  every  successive  step  of  the  campaign  that  was  to  come.  Even  here,  at  the 
Chattahoochie  his  crossing  was  protected  by  a  strong  tete-de-pont,  against  which 
McPherson  s  heavy  assaults  beat  themselves  fruitlessly  away 

Then  however,  he  skillfully  attracted  the  enemy's  attention  below  with  his 
f;-lry  win  e  moving  rapidly  by  the  left  he  reached  the  Chattahoochie  at  the 
RoswellFac  cry  above;  rebuilt  the  bridge,  and  successfully  planted  his  army 

hrothT     t  ^  ?"  17th  °f  ^  he  WaS  able  t0  —  *»  westward 

through  Decatur  upon  Atlanta 

«-  ~z^t^:^*ryont  the  pr of  the  brii,iant  Gen- 

spiacea,  met  the  advancing  army  first  in   front   of  Atlanta 


James  B.  McPherson.  585 

as  it  emerged  from  the  passage  of  the  swampy  ground  about  Peachtree  Creek 

then,  as  this  failed,  drawing  oif  southward,  and  apparently  yielding  the  open 
road  to  Atlanta,  lay  in  wait  to  strike  the  army  in  flank  as  it  moved  up  to  occupy 
the  city.  Through  only  a  part  of  these  operations  was  the  fated  General,  who 
had  thus  far  so  skillfully  handled  the  Army  of  the  Tennesse,  now  to  oppose  his 
weighty  resistance. 

The  assault  at  the  crossing  of  the  Peachtree  Creek  fell  upon  Thomas  and 
Schofield.  Meanwhile  McPherson  was  brought  up  on  the  left  from  Decatur. 
He  moved  along  the  railroad  and  along  blind  country  paths,  skirmishing 
heavily  as  he  advanced.  On  the  21st,  the  morning  after  Thomas  and  Schofield 
had  carried  the  Peachtree  Creek,  he  threw  his  army  upon  the  Eebel  line  of 
earthworks  on  his  front,  and  carrying  it,  secured  toward  nightfall  a  command- 
ing position,  overlooking  the  interior  defenses  of  Atlanta. 

Then  followed  the  sad  end  of  the  noble  story. 

About  daylight  came  a  staff  officer  from  Sherman  to  report  a  movement  of 
the  enemy  which  was  interpreted  to  mean  an  evacuation  of  the  city.  McPher- 
son was  suspicious.  The  skirmish  line,  however,  was  moved  forward  to  the 
crest  of  the  hills  overlooking  Atlanta.  McPherson  himself  rode  out  to  this 
crest.  From  the  very  front  of  the  skirmishers  he  looked  down  into  the  interior 
lines  of  Eebel  works,  and  through  the  streets  of.  the  beleaguered  city.  Some 
men  could  be  seen  in  the  interior  lines,  and  a  few  were  moving  about  in  the 
streets.  With  these. exceptions  no  living  object  was  visible.  The  enemy,  as  is 
now  known,  expected  him  to  move  rapidly  upon  Atlanta.  His  commander 
manifestly  expected  the  same — the  rest  of  the  army,  in  fact,  began  to  move. 

But  the  habitual  caution  of  McPherson's  nature  stood  his  command  in  good 
stead.  He  doubted  this  sudden  evacuation — would  at  least  look  into  it  a  little 
more,  before  ordering  his  army  pell-mell  into  Atlanta.  To  that  caution  we  owe 
the  salvation  of  the  forces  surrounding  the  besieged  city. 

He  gave  some  general  directions  to  the  pioneer  companies.  Then,  riding 
back  to  General  Blair's  head-quarters,  he  heard  of  a  suspicious  appearance  of 
Eebel  cavalry  in  the  rear,  threatening  the  hospitals.  Confirmed  somewhat  by 
this  in  his  doubts,  he  gave  some  orders  for  the  removal  of  the  hospitals,  and  then 
rode  off  rapidly  to  the  right  to  General  Sherman's  head-quarters. 

Meantime  Hood  had  passed  completely  around  McPherson's  left  flank,  and 
lay  waiting  for  his  expected  movement.  In  front  of  him  was  the  Sixteenth 
Army  Corps,  which  had  been  ordered  back  for  the  destruction  of  the  Augusta 
Eailroad,  but  had  been  delayed  by  McPherson's  suspicions  of  threatening 
danger.  It  was  the  reserve.  In  its  front,  overlooking  Atlanta,  was  the  Seven- 
teenth Army  Corps.  Away  to  the  right  stretched  the  two  other  armies  under 
Sherman's  command.  The  rear  was  unguarded  by  cavalry.  It  had  been  sent 
back  on  the  Augusta  Eoad  by  General  Sherman  himself.  Hood  was  thus  en- 
abled to  approaeh  very  close  to  his  expected  prey. 

As  McPherson  stood  conferring  with  Sherman — as  Sherman,  in  fact,  was 
expressing  the  belief  that  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  march  in  and  occuj>y 
Atlanta — the  storm  broke.     With  the  first  scattering  shots  in  the  direction  of 


58(3  Ohio  in  the  War. 

his  rear  McPherson  was  off-riding  with  his  soldierly  instinct  toward  the  sound 
Of  battle  He  found  the  Sixteenth  Corps  in  position,  struggling  manfully 
Main*  an  assault  of  unprecedented  fierceness;  the  Seventeenth  still  holding  its 
ground  femly;  but  danger  threatening  at  the  point  where  the  distance  between 
the  position  of  the  corps,  lately  in  reserve  and  that  on  the  front,  had  left  a  gap 
et  closed  in  the  sudden  formation  of  a  new  line  facing  to  the  late  flank  and 
rear.  Hither  and  thither  his  staff  were  sent  flying  with  various  orders  for  the 
Hidden  emergency.  Finally  the  position  of  the  Sixteenth  Army  Corps  seemed. 
assured,  and  Accompanied  only  by  a  single  orderly,  he  galloped  off  toward  the 

ateenth ;  the  troops  as  he  passed  saluting  him  with  ringing  cheers. 

The  road  he  followed  was  almost  a  prolongation  of  the  line  of  the  Six- 
teenth ;  it  led  a  little  behind  where  the  gap  between  the  two  corps  was,  of  which 
we  have  seen  that  he  was  apprised.  The  road  itself,  however,  had  been  in  our 
hands— troops  had  passed  over  it  but  a  few  minutes  before.  As  he  entered  the 
woods,  that  stretched  between  the  two  corps,  he  was  met  by  a  staff  officer  with 
word  that  the  left  of  the  Seventeenth— the  part  of  the  line  to  which  he  was 
hastening— was  being  pressed  back  by  an  immensely  superior  force  of  the 
enemy.  He  stood  for  a  moment  or  two  closely  examining  the  configuration  of 
the  ground,  then  ordered  the  staff  officer  to  hurry  to  General  Logan  for  a 
brigade  to  close  the  gap,  and  showed  him  how  to  dispose  it  on  its  arrival.  And 
with  this  he  drove  the  spurs  into  his  horse  and  dashed  on  up  the  road  toward 
the  Seventeenth  Corps. 

He  had  scarcely  galloped  a  hundred  and  fifty  yards  into  the  woods  when 
there  rose  before  him  a  skirmish  line  in  gray !  The  enemy  was  crowding  down 
into  the  gap.  "Halt!"  rang  out  sternly  from  the  line,  as  the  officer  in  General's 
uniform,  accompanied  by  an  orderly,  came  in  sight.  He  stopped  for  an  instant, 
raised  his  hat,  then,  with  a  quick  wrench  on  the  reins,  dashed  into  the  woods 
on  his  right.  But  the  horse  was  a  thought  too  slow  in  doing  his  master's  bid- 
ding. In  that  instant  the  skirmish  line  sent  its  crashing  volley  after  the  escap- 
ing officer.  He  seems  to  have  clung  convulsively  to  the  saddle  a  moment,  while 
the  noble  horse  bore  him  further  into  the  woods — then  to  have  fallen,  uncon- 
scious.   The  orderly  was  captured. 

In  a  few  minutes  an  advancing  column  met  a  riderless  horse  coming  out  of 
the  woods,  wounded  in  two  places,  and  with  the  marks  of  three  bullets  on  the 
saddle  and  equipments.  All  recognized  it  as  the  horse  of  the  much-loved  Gen- 
eral commanding ;  and  the  news  spread  electrically  through  the  army  that  he 
was  captured  or  killed.  Then  went  up  that  wild  cry,  «  McPherson  and  revenge." 
The  tremendous  assault  was  beaten  back ;  the  army  charged  over  the  ground  it 
had  lost,  drove  the  enemy  at  fearful  cost*  from  his  conquests,  and  rested  at  night- 
fall in  the  works  it  had  held  in  the  morning. 

Perhaps  an  hour  after  McPherson  had  disappeared  in  the  woods,  private 
Georgo  Reynolds,  of  Fifteenth  Iowa,  found  some  of  the  staff  and  told  them  that 
he  had  just  left  the  dead  body.     The  young  fellow  had  been  wounded,  and  was 

*  Sherman  estimated  the  enemy's  loss  at  eight  thousand.     His  own,  mainly  in  McPherson's 
corps,  was  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty-two. 


James   B.  McPherson.  587 

making  his  way  through  the  woods  toward  a  place  of  safety,  when  he  came 
upon  his  General.  Life  was  not  yet  gone,  but  he  could  not  speak.  His  lips 
were  parched;  Eeynolds  moistened  them  with  water  from  his  canteen,  stood 
over  him  till  the  last  feeble  breath  was  exhaled,  and  then  went  to  seek  for  assist- 
ance to  recover  the  body.  His  wound  was  still  undressed,  and  a  heavy  fire  was 
sweeping  the  spot  where  the  dead  General  lay,  but  he  would  not  rest  till  the 
body  was  recovered .*  It  was  found  that  a  musket  ball  had  passed  through  the 
right  lung,  and  had  shattered  the  spine.  The  lack  of  surgical  attendance  was, 
therefore,  no  loss.  Nothing  could  have  saved  or  relieved  him.  The  body  lay 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  from  the  point  where  he  had  disappeared  in 
the  woods,  and  about  thirty  yards  north  of  the  road — his  horse  having  car- 
ried him  so  far  after  the  Kebel  skirmish  line  was  discovered  before  he  fell.  It 
had  not  been  disturbed,  and  had  probably  not  been  approached  by  the  Eebels. 

General  Sherman  was  moved  to  unwonted  grief,  when,  half  an  hour  later, 
word  came  to  him  that  his  favorite  General,  from  whom  he  had  so  recently 
parted,  was  dead.  Presently  the  body  was  brought  and  laid  out  in  his  head- 
quarters. He  paced  the  floor,  giving  his  orders  for  the  battle,  and  turning  now 
and  again,  with  bitter  tears,  to  look  on  the  manly  beauty  of  the  departed,  as  he 
lay— to  quote  Mr.  Hillard's  elegant  description  of  another—"  extended  in  seem- 
ing sleep,  with  no  touch  of  disfeature  upon  his  brow ;  as  noble  an  image  of 
reposing  strength  as  ever  was  seen  upon  earth."  The  next  day,  in  words  of 
womanly  tenderness,  General  Sherman  made  his  official  announcement  to  the 
head-quarters  of  the  army  of  the  sad  loss  that  had  robbed  it  of  one  of  its  bright- 
est ornaments : 

" Head-Quarters  Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi,) 
"  In  the  Field  near  Atlanta,  Georgia,  July  23,  1864.  J 

"To  General  L.  Thomas,  Adjutant- General  U.  S.  A.: 

11  General — It  is  my  painful  duty  to  report  that  Brigadier-General  Jas.  B.  McPherson,  United 
States  Army,  Major-General  of  volunteers,  and  commander  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee  in  the 
field,  was  killed  by  a  shot  from  ambuscade  about  noon  of  yesterday. 

"  At  the  time  of  this  fatal  shot  he  was  on  horseback,  placing  his  troops  in  position  near 
the  city  of  Atlanta,  and  was  passing  by  a  crossroad  from  a  moving  column  toward  the  flank  of 
troops  that  had  already  been  established  on  the  line.  He  had  quitted  me  but  a  few  moments 
before,  and  was  on  his  way  to  see  in  person  to  the  execution  of  my  orders. 

"  About  the  time  of  this  sad  event,  the  enemy  had  sallied  from  his  intrenchments  around 
Atlanta,  and  had,  by  a  circuit,  got  to  the  left  and  rear  of  this  very  line,  and  had  begun  an  attack 
which  resulted  in  serious  battle,  so  that  General  McPherson  fell  in  battle,  booted  and  spurred,  as 
the  gallant  knight  and  gentleman  should  wish. 

"  Not  his  the  loss  ;  but  the  country  and  the  army  will  mourn  his  death  and  cherish  his  mem- 
ory, as  that  of  one  who,  though  comparatively  young,  had  risen  by  his  merit  and  ability  to  the 
command  of  one  of  the  best  armies  which  the  nation  had  called  into  existence  to  vindicate  its 
honor  and  integrity 

"History  tell  us  of  but  few  who  so  blended  the  grace  and  gentleness  of  the  friend  with  the 
dignity,  courage,  faith,  and  manliness  of  the  soldier. 

"His  public  enemies,  even  the  men  who  directed  the  fatal  shot,  ne'er  spoke  or  wrote  of  him 

*  The  Gold  Medal  of  Honor  was  bestowed  on  Eeynolds  for  this  conduct,  the  order  confirm- 
ing it  being  read  at  the  head  of  every  regiment  in  his  corps. 


588  Ohio  in  the  War. 

wi,l,„„t  c,pr,»sio„S  of  marked  reject;  those  whom  he  commanded  loved  him  even  to  idolatry; 
!  n  9  Loeiate  and  commander,  fail  in  words  adeqnate  to  express  my  op.mon  of  h„  great 

:„  ,  ,'        feel  aasurcd  that  every  patriot  in  America,  on  hearing  tins  sad  news,  will  feel  a  sense 
of    crsonal  Urn,  and  the  country  genera.ly  will  realize  that  we  have  lost  not  only  an  able  m,h- 

*£&*, !»» » —  wh0' had * survived' was  qu       to  n  e  s 

hcen  raised  bv  designing  and  ambitious  men. 
'"  -His  body  has  been  sent  North  in  charge  of  Major  Willard,  Captains  Steel  and  Gile,  his 

personal  staff. 

"  I  am,  with  great  respect, 

u  W.  T.  SHERMAN,  Major-General  Commanding." 

Not  less  deep  was  the  grief  of  the  Lieutenant-General,  under  whom  Mc- 
Phcrson's  rapid  promotions  had  occurred.  The  public  report  of  it  led  to  this 
touching  correspondence  : 

"  Clyde,  Ohio,  August  3,  1864. 
flo  General  Grant: 

"Dear  Sir— I  hope  you  will  pardon  me  for  troubling  you  with  the  perusal  of  these  few  lines 
from  the  trembling  hand  of  the  aged  grandma  of  our  beloved  General  James  B.  McPherson,  who 
fell  in  battle.  When  it  was  announced  at  his  funeral,  from  the  public  print,  that  when  General 
(inuit  heard  of  his  death,  he  went  into  his  tent  and  wept  like  a  child,  my  heart  went  out  in  thanks 
to  you  for  the  interest  you  manifested  in  him  while  he  was  with  you.  I  have  watched  his  prog- 
ress from  infancy  up.  In  childhood  he  was  obedient  and  kind  ;  in  manhood,  interesting,  noble, 
and  persevering,  looking  to  the  wants  of  others.  Since  he  entered  the  war,  others  can  appreciate 
his  worth  more  than  1  can.  When  it  was  announced  to  us  by  telegraph  that  our  loved  one  had 
fallen,  our  hearts  were  almost  rent  asunder;  but  when  we  heard  the  Commander-in-Chief  could 
weep  with  us  too,  we  felt,  sir,  that  you  have  been  as  a  father  to  him,  and  this  whole  nation  is 
mourning  his  early  death.  I  wish  to  inform  you  that  his  remains  were  conducted  by  a  kind 
guard  to  the  very  parlor  where  he  spent  a  cheerful  evening  in  1861  with  his  widowed  mother, 
two  brothers,  an  only  sister,  and  his  aged  grandmother,  who  is  now  trying  to  write.  In  the 
morning  he  took  his  leave  at  six  o'clock,  little  dreaming  he  should  fall  by  a  ball  from  the  enemy. 
His  funeral  services  were  attended  in  his  mother's  orchard,  where  his  youthful  feet  had  often 
pressed  the  soil  to  gather  the  falling  fruit ;  and  his  remains  are  resting  in  the  silent  grave  scarce 
half  a  mile  from  the  place  of  his  birth.  His  grave  is  on  an  eminence  but  a  few  rods  from  wrhere 
the  funeral  services  were  attended,  and  near  the  grave  of  his  father. 

"The  grave,  no  doubt,  will  be  marked,  so  that  passers  by  will  often  stop  and  drop  a  tear 

over  the  dear  departed.     And  now,  dear  friend,  a  few  lines  from  you  would  be  gratefully  received 

by  the  afflicted  friends.     I  pray  that  the  God  of  battles  may  be  with  you,  and  go  forth  with  your 

arms  till  rebellion  shall  cease,  the  Union  be  restored,  and  the  old  flag  wave  over  our  entire  land. 

"  With  much  respect,  I  remain  your  friend, 

"  LYDIA  SLOCUM, 
"  Aged  eighty-seven  years  and  four  months." 

"Head-Quarters  Armies  of  the  United  States,) 

„__       _  _  "  City  Point,  Virginia,  Auqust  10,  1864.  ) 

"Mrs.  Lydia  Sloctjm: 

"  My  Dear  Madam— Your  very  welcome  letter  of  the  3d  instant  has  reached  me.  I  am  glad 
to  know  that  the  relatives  of  the  lamented  Major-General  McPherson  are  aware  of  the  more 
than  friendship  existing  between  him  and  myself.  A  nation  grieves  at  the  loss  of  one  so  dear 
to  our  nation's  cause.  It  is  a  selfish  grief,  because  the  nation  had  more  to  expect  from  him  than 
from  almost  any  one  living.  I  join  in  this  selfish  grief,  and  add  the  grief  of  personal  love  for 
the  departed.  He  formed,  for  some  time,  one  of  my  military  family.  I  knew  him  well ;  to 
know  him  was  to  love.  It  may  be  some  consolation  to  you,  his  aged  grandmother,  to  know  that 
every  officer  and  every  soldier  who  served  under  your  grandson  felt  the  highest  reverence  for  his 
patriotism,  his  zeal,  his  great,  almost  unequaled  ability,  his  amiability  and  all  the  manly  vir- 
tues that  can  adorn  a  commander.    Your  bereavement  is  great,  but  can  not  exceed  mine. 

"Yours  truly,  XL  S.  GRANT." 


James   B.   McPhekson.  589 

The  army  shared  to  the  full  this  regret  and  this  admiration.  He  had  always 
been  regarded  with  affection  by  his  troops  ;  they  now  held  his  memory  sacred 
and  a  priceless  possession. 

During  his  life  he  had  never  risen  into  wide  personal  popularity  with  the 
public.  He  was  only  a  subordinate,  and  the  popular  raptures  were  reserved  for 
the  commanders.  But  he  had  been  esteemed  a  skillful  corps  General,  and  a 
highly  meritorious  officer.  At  the  South  he  had  been  appreciated  even  more 
highly.  They  gave  him  credit  for  the  conception  of  Grant's  campaign  against 
the  rear  of  Yicksburg.  They  attributed  to  his  genius  the  success  of  Sherman's 
movements  against  Johnston.  "If  we  had  killed  McPherson,"  said  one  of  the 
Atlanta  papers,  commenting  upon  the  battle  in  which  he  lost  his  life,  before  its 
results  were  ascertained,  "and  had  driven  Sherman  across  the  Chattahoochie, 
we  should  have  been  content,  without  biking  a  gun  or  a  prisoner."  When  his 
death  was  announced,  the  sense  of  loss  led  to  a  higher  esteem  among  his  own 
people.  No  place  but  the  first,  it  was  believed,  would  have  held  the  martyr, 
had  he  lived. 

History  will  probably  fail  to  confirm  this  judgment.  Beckoning  what  he 
did,  rather  than  what  he  might  have  done;  looking  to  his  achievements  rather 
than  to  his  possibilities,  it  will  renew  the  old  contemporary  verdict  which  held 
him  rightly  situated  as  a  subordinate ;  fitter  for  the  second  than  for  the  first 
place.  But  it  will  make  note  of  his  rare  capacities,  of  the  wisdom  of  his  saga- 
cious counsels,  of  his  engineering  skill,  of  his  prudence,  of  his  coolness,  of  his 
soldierly  valor.  It  will  gratefully  record  the  signal  worth  of  his  services  in 
the  two  great  campaigns  in  which  he  held  high  command.  It  will  dwell  ten- 
derly upon  the  softer  and  more  lovable  traits  of  his  character,  which  endeared 
him  to  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact,  and  mingled  affection  with  the  admi- 
ration of  his  soldiers.  And  we  may  confidently  predict  that,  in  the  end,  it  will 
rank  him  high  in  that  second  class  of  Generals  who,  if  not  great  organizers  of 
victory,  have  greatly  won  it  for  their  superiors — being  the  right  arm  of  their 
strength,  the  efficient  executors  of  their  designs. 

General  McPherson's  personal  appearance  was  eminently  j)repossessing. 
He  wras  over  six  feet  high,  of  full,  manly  development,  with  graceful  carriage, 
and  most  winning  w^ays.  His  features  were  pleasing,  and  his  high  forehead 
and  well-balanced  head  gave  token  of  the  large  intellect  of  the  man.  His  tem- 
per was  unusually  sunny  and  genial,  so  that  all  loved  him  who  knew  him.  He 
seemed  perfectly  free  from  jealousy,  and  the  kindred  vices  that  so  often  mar  a 
military  character.  His  sense  of  honor  was  sensitively  acute.  No  one  ever  ac- 
cused him  of  seeking  to  profit  by  his  country's  woes ;  and  not  one  discreditable 
action  was  ever  charged  to  him  by  friend  or  foe. 

Though  rarely  permitted  to  visit  his  family,  he  seemed  to  permit  them 
rarely  to  be  absent  from  his  thoughts.  The  affectionate  side  of  his  nature  w7as 
indeed  the  prominent.one.  His  frequent  letters  to  his  mother,  his  grandmother, 
and  other  members  of  the  family,  give  tenderest  proof  of  it.  Just  before  start- 
ing from  Chattanooga,  he  writes  to  his  mother  to  send  his  "love  to  all  at  home," 


590  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

and  to  subscribe  himself  her  »  affectionate  son,  James."  When  the  army  halted 
at  Kingston  he  writes  again,  that  "each  day  carries  me  farther  and  farther  from 
home; "but  I  assure  you,  my  dearest  mother,  my  love  and  affection  for  it  in- 
crease'. When  this  war  is  over  I  know  I  shall  enjoy  coming  home  and  settling 
down  in  quiet  for  a  short  time,  where  I  can  feel  free  from  care  and  anxiety." 
Prom  Krnrsaw  he  writes:  "I  pray,  when  the  great  struggle  comes,  that  God 
will  protect  the  right.  I  have  not  much  time  to  write  now;  but  when  the  cam- 
paign is  over,  if  I  do  not  get  a  chance  to  come  home  for  a  few  days,  I  will  write 
you  a  full  account."  Just  a  month  before  his  death  he  writes  to  his  mother 
again  from  Marietta:  "I  have  kept  well  thus  far,  though  we  have  had  the  worst 
weather  you  ever  saw.  My  love  to  all  at  home,  and  I  hope  it  may  be  my  good 
fortune  to  get  to  see  you  sometime  this  summer." 

Before  the  summer  ended  he  was  borne  home.  A  week  after  his  death,  a 
great  concourse  of  the  people  who  had  known  him  from  boyhood  gathered 
about  the  cottage  of  his  mother  to  pay  the  last  sad  honors  to  the  memory  of  her 
soldier  son.  He  was  buried  in  the  orchard  of  the  old  homestead.  No  monu- 
ment was,  for  some  years,  placed  over  his  grave,  but  large  sums  were  raised 
by  private  subscription,  in  the  army,  and  among  his  friends,  to  erect  one  suitable 
to  his  memory,  and  worthy  of  the  gratitude  and  love  in  which  his  name  is  held 

General  McPherson  was  betrothed  to  a  young  lady  of  Baltimore,  to  whom 
he  was  tenderly  attached.  He  was  to  have  received  a  furlough  in  the  spring  of 
1864,  to  go  on  and  be  married.  But  the  exigencies  of  the  campaign  rendered  it 
impossible,  and  Sherman  himself  wrote  to  the  poor  girl,  explaining  how  impos- 
sible it  was  that  her  lover  could  then  be  spared  from  the  important  army  he 
commanded.  To  this  marriage  he  had  long  looked  forward.  Nothing  could  be 
more  touching,  now,  than  the  few  words  in  which,  writing  from  San  Francisco 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  he  described  to  his  mother  the  object  of  his 
choice,  and  added:  "You  will  love  her  as  I  do,  when  you  know  her.  She  is  in- 
telligent, refined,  generous-hearted,  and  a  Christian/  This  will  suit  you,  as  it 
does  me,  for  it  lies  at  the  foundation  of  every  pure  and  elevated  character."  It 
lay,  too,  at  the  foundation  of  his.  In  boyhood  he  had  become  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Church;  and  though  not  demonstratively  religious,  his  practice 
through  life  never  disgraced  his  early  profession. 


Ormsby    M.    Mitchel.  591 


MAJOR-GENERAL  0.  M.  MITCHEL. 


0 


EMSBY  McKlSTIGHT  MITCHEL,  the  most  distinguished  of  the 
ex-officers  of  the  regular  army  who  returned  to  military  life  at  the 
^  outbreak  of  the  war,  and  a  General  who  died  too  soon  for  the  good 
of  the  service,  but  not  for  his  own  fame,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  from 
the  age  of  four  years  a  resident  of  Ohio.  The  family  had  come  from  Yirginia. 
The  father  of  the  future  General  at  one  time  possessed  a  handsome  property; 
but  repeated  reverses  impoverished  him.  He  had  a  genius  for  mathematics, 
and,  it  is  added  by  the  biographers,  had  a  decided  turn  for  the  astronomical 
studies  which  were  to  make  his  son  so  famous.  His  wife  was  attractive  in  per- 
son, cultivated  and  refined,  and  unaffectedly  pious.  When  reverses  overtook 
them,  they  decided,  like  so  many  other  Virginians  in  similar  circumstances,  to 
emigrate  to  Kentucky.  Near  Morganfield,  in  Union  County,  they  secured  a 
tract  of  land  and  began  pioneer  life.  Here,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1810,  was 
born  the  lad  of  whom  we  wish  to  write. 

The  spot  which  Mr.  Mitchel  had  selected  for  his  home  proved  unhealthy. 
He  himself  died,  only  three  years  after  the  birth  of  Ormsby,  and  other  deaths 
in  quick  succession  came  to  sadden  the  emigrant  family.  At  last  the  widow 
decided  to  remove  from  a  spot  that  seemed  so  fatal,  and  they  started  on  horse- 
back for  the  Ohio  Eiver — Master  Ormsby  riding  behind  his  elder  brother. 
Crossing,  not  without  danger  from  Indians  and  from  storms,  at  the  point  where 
the  city  of  Cincinnati  now  stands,  they  pushed  on  to  the  little  village  of  Miami, 
in  Clermont  County,  and  shortly  afterward  to  Lebanon,  in  Warren  County,  a 
sleepy  old  village,  singularly  prolific,  in-  those  early  days,  of  men  that  were  to 
be  distinguished.  Here  the  rest  began  daily  labors  for  a  livelihood.  Ormsby,' 
too  young  to  do  much  for  the  support  of  the  family,  was  allowed  to  devote  him- 
self to  books.  With  imperfect  instruction,  he  was  nevertheless  reading  Yirgil 
before  he  was  nine  years  old.  At  twelve  it  was  thought  to  be  time  that  the 
incipient  Latinist  should  support  himself,  and  he  was  placed  in  a  country  store 
as  errand-boy  and  clerk.  Here,  for  a  couple  of  years,  he  remained,  selling  goods 
in  the  daytime,  sweeping  out  the  store  at  night,  and  serving  in  the  family  of 
his  employer  evenings  and  mornings.  At  last  there  came  a  rupture.  Y^ears 
afterward,  when  the  boy  had  become  a  distinguished  lecturer,  he  told  the  story 
for  the  encouragement  of  other  boys : 

"I  was  working  for  twenty-five  cents  a  week,  with  my  hands  full,  but  did  my  work  faith- 
fully. I  used  to  cut  wood,  fetch  water,  make  fires,  scrub  and  scour  in  the  morning  for  the  old 
lady  before  the  real  work  of  the  day  was  commenced.  My  clothes  were  bad,  and  I  had  no  means 
of  buying  shoes,  so  was  often  barefooted.     One  morning  I  got  through  my  work  early,  and  the 


592  Ohio  in  the  Wak 

old  ladv  who  thought  I  had  not  done  it,  or  was  especially  ill-humored  then,  was  displeased. 
She  scolded  me,  and  said :     ■  You  are  an  idle  boy.     You  have  n't  done  the  work.'     I  replied :  '  I 

done  what  I  was  told  to  do.'  'You  are  a  liar,'  was  her  angry  reply.  I  felt  my  spirit  rise 
indi-namlv  gainst  the  charge;  and,  standing  erect,  I  answered  :  'You  will  never  have  the  chance 

plying  that  word  to  me  again.'  I  then  walked  out  of  the  house  to  re-enter  it  no  more.  I 
had  n,.t  ft  cent  in  my  pocket  when  I  stepped  into  the  world.  What  do  you  think  I  did  then, 
boys?  I  met  a  countryman  with  a  team.  I  boldly  and  earnestly  addressed  him,  saying:  'I 
will  drive  the  leader  if  you  will  only  take  me  on.'  He  looked  at  me  in  surprise,  but  in  a  moment 
said :  '  I  do  n't  think  you  '11  be  of  any  use  to  me.'  '  O  yes  I  will,'  I  replied ;  '  I  can  rub  down  and 
walch  your  horses,  and  do  many  things  for  you,  if  you  will  only  let  me  try.'     '  Well,  well,  my 

ct  on  the  horse.'  And  so  I  climbed  upon  the  leader's  back,  and  commenced  my  teamster- 
life.  The  roads  were  deep  mud,  and  the  traveling  very  hard,  and  consequently  slow.  We  got 
along  at  the  rate  of  twelve  miles  per  day.  It  was  dull  and  tiresome  you  will  believe  ;  but  it  was 
my  starting-point.    I  had  begun  to  push  my  way  in  the  world,  and  went  ahead  after  this." 

But  "  teamster-life  "  was  not  likely  to  prove  the  best  fitted  for  a  lad  who 
read  Virgil  at  nine,  and  knew  something  of  Greek  verbs  in  pi  before  he  was 
twelve.  Among  the  relatives  of  his  mother  was  Justice  McLean,  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  then  a  resident  of  Lebanon,  but  already  enjoying 
large  reputation  and  influence.  To  him  the  disturbed  mother  applied  in  her  dis- 
tress; and  through  his  aid  an  appointment  to  West  Point  was  secured.  Ormsby 
was  not  quite  fifteen,  but  such  was  the  desire  to  oblige  Mr.  McLean  that  the  little 
obstacle  of  the  age  was  passed  without  mention*  and  he  was  allowed  to  enter. 
•  We  have  a  good  many  of  cur  boys  going  to  West  Point,"  said  one  of  his 
mother's  friends  to  him,  shortly  before  he  started,  "  but  somehow  very  few  of 
them  get  through."  "  I  shall  go  through,  sir,"  was  the  confident  response  of  the 
under-age  lad. 

A  little  knapsack  was  packed  for  him,  and  he  started.  Part  of  the  way  he 
walked;  for  a  part  he  secured  horseback  rides,  and  for  a  part  he  went  on  a  canal- 
boat.  At  last,  with  his  knapsack  on  his  back  and  twenty-five  cents  in  his  pocket, 
the  lonely  little  wanderer  arrived  at  West  Point.  Before  the  examination  he 
made  t he  acquaintance  of  a  cadet  who  told  him  what  books  he  should  be  pre- 
pared upon.  When  the  day  came,  though  the  youngest  boy  admitted,  he  passed 
as  creditably  as  most  of  the  larger  ones. 

Eoutine  study  and  regular  recitations  were  a  novelty  to  the  self-educated 
lad,  and,  precocious  as  he  was,  he  had  not  yet  acquired  the  self-control  that 
could  keep  him  always  up  to  his  best.  But  for  this  the  youngest  boy  of  the 
class  would  also  have  been  the  foremost.  As  it  was,  the  records  of  the  academy 
show  that  in  the  class  of  1829  a  nameless  nobody  stood  first ;  Eobert  E.  Lee 
stood  second;  Joseph  E.  Johnston  thirteenth;  0.  M.  Mitchel  fifteenth,  and  B. 
W.  Brice  (Paymaster-General  in  the  war)  fortieth.  In  the  first  class  above,  and 
W  »»nate  with  Mitchel  for  three  years  in  the  academy,  was  Jefferson  Davis-of 
whom  it  may  be  interesting  to  add  that  he  stood  twenty-third  in  his  class. 
1  was  said  to  have  taken  a  fancy  to  the  little  fellow  in  the  class  below  him. 
and  to  have  often  made  him  his  companion. 

At  nineteen  Mitchel  kept  the  promise  made  to  his  mother's  friends  before 
starting.  He  went  through.  So  satisfactory  were  his  attainments  and  his  char- 
acter that  he  was  retained  in  the  academy  as  Assistant-Instructor  in  Mathe- 


OkMSBY     M.     MiTCHEL.  i)V6 

matics.  "I  like  little  Mitcbel  vastly,"  said  one  of  the  Professors,  speaking  of 
him  at  this  period;  "he  is  a  wonderfully  ingenious  lad."*  His  ingenuity,  it 
seems,  was  shown  in  seeking  new  solutions  to  old  problems,  discovering  new 
methods,  speculating  and  theorizing  on  new  phases  of  mathematical  subjects. 
After  a  couple  of  years  of  such  life,  he  was  sent,  as  a  Second-Lieutenant  of  Artil- 
lery, to  St.  Augustine,  Florida,  on  garrison-duty.  But,  before  this,  he  had  won 
the  heart  of  a  Mrs.  Trask,  the  widow  of  a  young  West  Pointer,  and  the  daughter 
of  a  prominent  citizen  of  the  county  in  which  West  Point  is  situated.  His  mar- 
riage soon  led  him  to  pine  for  the  comforts  of  a  home-life,  and,  setting  the 
example  which  was  in  after  years  to  have  so  distinguished  a  follower  as  Sher- 
man, he  began  the  study  of  law.     Finally  he  resigned  his  commission. 

Only  four  years  after  his  graduation,  and  in  his  twenty-third  year,  he 
removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  began  the  practice  of  law.  His  partner,  young 
also  then,  bore  a  name  since  highly  renowned  in  Ohio.  It  was  Edward  D. 
Mansfield. 

Clients  were  few  in  those  days,  and  fees  were  small.  The  young  lawyers 
lived,  but  did  little  more.f  Mitchel's  restless  temper  chafed  under  the  delays. 
Once  he  sought  to  attract  attention  to  his  capacities  by  delivering  public  lectures. 
He  chose  an  astronomical  subject,  and  had  the  lecture  announced  in  the  news- 
papers. A  citizen  whose  attention  had  been  arrested. by  the  statement  that  a 
young  stranger  from  West  Point  was  to  speak,  attended.  There  were  sixteen 
persons  present,  he  tells  us !  But  both  the  young  lawyers  gradually  worked  their 
way  into  recognition  as  men  of  culture.  Mitchel  joined  Dr.  Lyman  Beecher's 
church,  and  became  somewhat  prominent  for  his  fervid  zeal  in  prayer-meetings. 
Fresh  friends  were  thus  gained. 

Finally,  in  1834,  little  over  a  year  after  his  arrival  in  the  city,  he  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics,  Natural  Philosophy,  and  Astronomy  in 
the  "  College  of  Cincinnati,"  while  his  partner  secured  another  of  the  Professor- 
ships. They  were  thus  associated  with  Dr.  McGuffey,  Charles  S.  Telford,  and 
others  who  were  recognized  in  those  days  as  constituting  one  of  the  most  highly 
cultivated  circles  in  the  city. 

Professor  Mitchel  soon  became  known  as  an  admirable  teacher.  He  thor- 
oughly understood  what  he  taught;  he  had  a  great  flow  of  lucid  language  for 
his  explanations  to  his  classes;  above  all,  he  was  an  enthusiast  in  his  favorite 
studies,  and  was  capable  of  inspiring  his  pupils  with  the  same  feeling.  He  thus 
rose  to  rank  among  the  foremost  in  his  profession  and  to  command  the  confi- 
dence of  the  community. 

Presently  his  influence  began  to  be  felt  outside  the  walls  of  the  college  and 

i  of  Dr.  Beecher's  church.     An  interest  in  railroad  enterprises  sprang  up  in  Ohio, 

and  men  naturally  turned  to  Professor  Mitchel  as  a  scientific  engineer,  whose 

opinions  on  such  subjects  would  be  final.     It  was  proposed  to  build  a  railroad 

*  Professor  Mansfield,  the  father  of  Hon.  E.  D.  Mansfield. 

t  "How  much  did  you  and  Mitchel  make  practicing  law?"  the  surviving  partner  of  this 
notable  firm  was  once  asked.     "I  think  about  fifty  dollars  in  all,"  was  the  reply. 
Yol.  I.— 38. 


Ohio  in  the    War. 

g  out  from  Cincinnati  up  the  valley  of  the  Little  Miami.  The  Professor 
warmly  encoaraged  the  enterprise.  It  was  practicable,  he  said;  the  route  was 
indeed*  good  one;  it  would  open  up  a  fertile  region  of  country;  and  the  trade 
thrown  into  Cincinnati  thereby  would  soon  pay  for  the  cost  of  its  construction. 
Within  two  years  after  his  appointment  to  the  Professorship,  when  only  in  his 
twenty-sixth  year;  he  became  the  engineer  for  the  proposed  road.  After  sur- 
reying  the  route,  and  submitting  his  estimates  of  the  cost,  he  next  sought  to  aid 
•  money.  He  and  Mr.  George  JSTeff  united  their  efforts  in  attempt- 
ing to  impress  upon  the  City  Council  the  importance  of  assisting  the  infant  en- 
terprise. Finally  they  secured  from  the  city  a  loan  of  $200,000.  -Presently  the 
Little  Miami  Railroad  became  a  certainty;  and  through  the  college  vacations  in 
1836-37  Professor  Mitehel  acted  as  its  chief  engineer. 

For  three  or  four  years  railroad  engineering  and  his  duties  in  the  college 
the  Professor  bus}-.  But  meantime  he  had  realized,  in  all  his  glowing  dis- 
cussions of  astronomical  subjects  with  his  students,  the  lack  of  any  sufficient 
Apparatus  for  making  instructive  observations.  By  and  by,  too,  as  he  became 
more  of  an  enthusiast  in  the  science,  the  desire  for  the  means  of  prosecuting 
his  own  studies  and  observations  mingled  with  his  concern  for  better  instruc- 
tion for  the  college  classes.  At  length  he  conceived  the  project  of  raising  the 
funds  for  the  erection  of  a  complete  observatory.  The  idea,  at  that  time,  seemed 
chimerical  enough.  New  York  had  no  observatory;  Boston  had  none.  Was  it 
likely  that  a  raw  western  town,  such  as  Cincinnati  then  was,  not  very  enter- 
prising, and  certainly  not  much  devoted  to  either  science  or  literature,  would 
pay  out  money — hard  cash — for  an  institution  of  intangible  benefits  which  the 
in  cities  were  unable  to  appreciate?  But  it  is  rarely  men  that  do  great 
things — generally  a  Man.  Professor  Mitehel  was  the  Man.  The  community 
of  Cincinnati  was  the  tool  with  which  he  had  to  work,  not,  perhaps,  the  best 
then  that  the  Continent  afforded,  but,  in  the  hands  of  this  workman  of  ours, 
sufficient. 

He  began  by  striving  to  stir  up  a  public  interest  in  his  favorite  science.  To 
this  end  a  series  of  popular  lectures  on  Astronomy  in  the  hall  of  the  college  was 
announced.  This  time  there  were  more  than  sixteen  persons  present.  In  fact, 
such  had  now  become  the  reputation  of  the  young  Professor,  and  such  was  the 
regard  for  him  entertained  by  the  colleagues  and  other  associates  who  strove  to 
second  his  plans,  that  general  public  attention  was  attracted,  and  every  night 
the  ball  was  filled  with  a  crowded  audience.  Before  this,  in  the  class-room,  in 
Church  meetings,  and  on  chance  public  occasions  the  Professor  had  become 
accustomed  to  public  speaking.  But  the  oratorical  graces  which  he  now  dis- 
played astonished  those  who  knew  him  best.  Warmed  up  by  an  enthusiasm 
Characteristic  of  the  man  in  whatever  he  undertook,  and  fired  by  his  subject, 
e  threw  the  spell  of  his  own  interest  over  his  audience.  He  spoke  without 
notes  or  manuscript;  but  his  lectures  seemed  the  polished  result  of  long  literary 
■*or.  It  was  a  theme  in  which  not  one  in  a  hundred  of  his  hearers  had  felt 
the  slightest  interest;  but  the  fervor  of  the  speaker  overcame  the  abstractions 
ot  the  speech.     The  last  lecture  attracted  special  admiration,  and  he  was  asked 


Ormsby  M.  Mitchel.  505 

to  repeat  it  in  one  of  the  leading  churches  of  the  city.  An  audience  of  over 
two  thousand  gathered  to  hear  him.  At  the  close  he  developed  his  plan  for 
building  an  observatory.  Briefly,  it  was  to  be  by  the  organization  of  a  joint- 
stock  company — the  shares  to  be  twenty -five  dollars  each — the  shareholders  to 
have  certain  privileges  of  admission  not  accorded  to  the  outside  public.  Noth- 
ing was  to  be  done  till  three  hundred  shares  were  subscribed.  The  audience 
applauded,  as  audiences  will.  When  it  came  to  subscribing  they  were  slower. 
A  beginning,  however,  was  made,  and  for  weeks  afterward  Mitchel  besieged  the 
solid  men  of  the  city  for  subscriptions. 

At  last  the  three  hundred  shares  were  taken.  Then  the  Professor  went  to 
Europe  to  see  what  could  be  done  in  the  way  of  securing  instruments.  His 
designs  had  already  swelled  with  his  success;  he  was  now  resolved  to  make  this 
observatory  the  foremost  in  the  United  States.  "  Two  resolutions  were  taken  at 
outset,"  he  afterward  explained,  "to  which  I  am  indebted  for  any  success  that 
may  have  attended  my  own  personal  efforts:  First,  to  work  faithfully  for  five 
years,  during  all  the  leisure  which  could  be  spared  from  my  regular  duties;  and, 
second,  never  to  become  angry  under  any  provocation  while  in  the  prosecution 
of  this  enterprise."  The  words  give  a  characteristic  glimpse  into  the  mental 
habits  of  the  man. 

He  had  decided,  unless  his  observations  in  Europe  should  determine  him 
differently,  to  make  the  leading  feature  of  his  observatory  a  great  equatorial- 
mounted,  achromatic  refracting  telescope.  There  were  not,  at  that  time,  in  the 
world  half  a  dozen  such  achromatic  object-glasses  as  he  sought.  In  London 
and  Paris  his  researches  were  in  vain.  Finally,  in  Munich,  at  the  establishment 
of  M.  Mertz,  the  successor  of  Frauenhofer,  he-  found  a  lens  over  a  foot  in  diam- 
eter, wdiich,  so  far  as  could  be  judged  in  its  unfinished  state,  would  prove  the 
finest  object-glass  yet  mounted  in  a  telescope  by  any  maker.  To  finish  and 
mount  it  would  take  ten  thousand  dollars  and  two  years'  time.  JSTot  so  much 
money  in  all  had  been  subscribed,  when  Professor  Mitchel  left  home,  for  build- 
ing and  equipping  the  entire  observatory.  But  this  object-glass  he  must  have; 
the  people  of  Cincinnati  must  be  made  to  subscribe  more  liberally.  And  so  he 
closed  a  contract  for  a  telescope  at  ten  thousand  dollars,  when  only  seven  thou- 
sand dollars  were  subscribed  for  telescope  and  other  instruments,  and  building 
and  grounds.  Then  he  went  to  Greenwich,  and  spent  a  few  weeks  in  the  Eoyal 
Observatory,  aided  by  the  friendly  guidance  of  Professor  Airey  in  studying  the 
methods  of  observation  there  adopted.  He  was  home  in  time  for  his  duties  at 
the  fall  term  of  the  college,  in  1842,  having  spent  just  a  hundred  days  in  his 
eventful  trip. 

A  public  meeting  of  the  shareholders  assembled  on  Professor  Mitch  el's  re- 
turn to  hear  his  report.  His  statement  that,  with  the  telescope  for  which  he 
had  contracted,  but  one  observatory  in  the  world  would  have  a  more  powerful 
instrument  than  their  own,  gratified  local  pride,  and  secured  a  cordial  in- 
dorsement of  his  action.  With  some  difficulty — it  being  in  the  midst  of  the 
commercial  depression  of  1842-43 — he  collected  enough  money  from  the  share- 
holders to  make  a  remittance  of  three  thousand  dollars  to  Munich.     This  secured 


506  Ohio  in  the  War. 

.tract,  and  the  optician  at  once  began  finishing  and  mounting  the  great 

■*12SL  Mitehel  renewed  more  vigorously  the  efforts  to  raise  money  to 
.  ,  ,  bllilui„g  for  his  telescope.  Nicholas  Longworth  was  finally  prevailed 
JL  tt>  ,ive  four  acres  of  ground  on  one  of  the  high  hills  overlooking  the  oty 
for  its  Bite.     Workmen  were  at  once  set  to  digging  foundations  and  preparing 

*utm  labors  the  spring  and  summer  of  1843  were  passed.  On  the  9th 
of  November  occurred  the  great  incident  in   the  history  of  the  observatory. 

,,rncr-stone  was  laid  by  the  venerable  John  Quincy  Adams,  who  on  this 

.ion  delivered  one  of  his  last  public  addresses.  The  event  gave  great  fame 
to  the  incipient  institution,  but  its  funds  were  consumed  in  making  the  final 
remittance  to  Munich,  and  the  observatory  building  for  a  time  seemed  likely  to 
stop  at  the  corner-stone.  Next  spring,  however,  labor  was  resumed.  Some- 
times they  had  only  money  to  hire  three  workmen ;  often  only  enough  to  add 
one  or  two  more  to  the  number.  But  Mitehel  kept  up  his  courage.  Sometimes 
he  secured  subscriptions  from  laboring  men,  to  be  paid  in  work;  sometimes  ho 
went  up  the  hill  to  the  observatory  grounds  and  joined  his  own  labor  to  that  of 
the  workmen.  Mr.  Longworth  required  the  building  to  be  completed  in  two 
years,  under  penalty  of  forfeiture  of  the  site.  By  March,  1845,  it  was  finished, 
and  the  great  telescope  was  mounted.  Professor  Bache,  of  the  Coast  Survey, 
gave  a  transit  instrument  and  a  sidereal  clock.  Such  other  instruments  as  were 
needed  there  were  still  funds  to  purchase* 

Professor  Mitehel  had  promised  to  superintend  the  observatory  for  ten 
years,  free  of  charge.  He  had,  of  course,  relied  upon  his  salary  in  the  College 
of  Cincinnati  for  support,  and  his  design  had  been  to  couple  the  use  of  the 
observatory  with  his  instructions  to  his  classes.  But  shortly  after  it  was  fin- 
ished the  college  was  burned  down  and  abandoned.  He  was  thus  left  without 
means  of  livelihood.  But  the  man  who  had  faced  such  difficulties  thus  far  was 
not  to  be  discouraged  now.  He  at  once  decided  to  continue  his  labors  at  the 
observatory,  and  to  depend  upon  popular  lectures  on  Astronomy  for  support. 

He  began  at  Boston.  The  hall  was  scarcely  half-full  on  the  evening  of  tho 
first  lecture.  "Never  mind,"  said  the  Professor  to  a  friend,  "every  one  that  was 
here  will  bring  another  with  him  the  next  night."  Indeed  his  perfect  confi- 
dence in  himself  and  his  almost  childlike  way  of  showing  it  everywhere, 
would  in  a  smaller  man  have  seemed  intolerable  egotism.  But  his  assurance 
was  well-founded.  Next  night  the  hall  was  full,  and  with  constantly  increasing 
signs  of  public  gratification,  he  continued  and  concluded  the  most  popular  series 
of  scientific  lectures  that,  up  to  that  time,  had  ever  been  given  in  Boston. 
Thence  he  went  to  New  York,  and  was  equally  or  more  successful.     The  prob- 

*The  observatory  thus  erected  is  eighty  feet  long,  thirty  wide,  and  two  stories  high,  with  an 
additional  story  over  the  center  for  the  instruments.  It  long  remained  the  best  equipped  observ- 
atory in  the  United  States;  but  its  great  telescope  is  now  surpassed  by  several  others  in  the  coun- 
try; and  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war  it  has  fallen  into  neglect. 


Okmsby  M.  Mitchel.  597 

lem  of  subsistence  was  solved,  and  he  returned  to  his  observations  at  Cin- 
cinnati. 

Through  the  years  that  followed  he  devoted  himself  to  the^cientific  duties 
of  the  observatory,  and  on  this  work  his  scientific  reputation  chiefly  rests. 
Admirable  as  an  observer,  he  was  still  more  remarkable  for  the  inventive  genius 
that  brought  new  mechanical  agencies  to  the  service  of  his  favorite  study.  By 
the  aid  of  the  "Declinometer"  and  other  inventions  he  revolutionized  the  sys- 
tem of  cataloguing  the  stars.*  Indeed  his  method  of  determining  the  Eight 
Ascension  and  Declination  of  the  heavenly  bodies  was  recognized  in  Europe  and 
in  this  country  as  constituting  an  era  in  that  branch  of  the  Science  of  Astron- 
omy. In  Europe  it  is  still  spoken  of  as  the  American  method,  and,  in  the  words 
of  the  eminent  M.  Struve,  has  been  adopted  with  signal  success.  To  this  branch 
of  Astronomy  Professor  Mitchel  had  hoped  to  devote  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
"For  a  long  time  to  come,"  he  wrote  in  1848,  "one  principal  object  will  engage 
the  instruments  of  the  Cincinnati  Observatory,  viz.,  the  exploration  of  the 
heavens  south  of  the  Equator,  and  the  remeasurement  of  Struve's  double  stars 
in  that  region."  He  adds  somewhat  sadly,  "  Should  this  work  progress  but 
slowly,  let  it  be. remembered  that  the  Director  of  the  observatory  has  no  assist- 
ant out  of  his  own  immediate  family,  and  must  devote  a  large  portion  of  his 
time  to  other  duties,  far  more  closely  allied  to  the  earth  than  to  the  stars." 

It  was  in  fact  back  to  railroad  engineering  that  his  necessities,  not  more 
perhaps  than  his  restless  energy,  now  carried  him.  His  scientific  position 
became  such  that,  when  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Eailroad  was  proposed, 
the  proprietors  sought  to  enlist  the  services  of  Professor  Mitchel.  He  sur- 
veyed the  route,  and  pronounced  it  practicable  and  eligible.  Then  he  visited 
the  Legislatures  of  the  several  States  through  which  it  passed  and  secured 
their  co-operation.  In  all  the  leading  towns  and  cities  he  appeared  as  the 
representative  of  the  road,  held  public  meetings,  at  which,  with  his  remark - 

"*The  following  description  of  this  invention  of  Professor  Mitchel  is  given  by  the  Astrono- 
mer, since  his  death,  in  charge  of  the  Dudley  Observatory: 

"  To  the  axis  of  a  transit  telescope  is  attached  a  metallic  arm  of  sixty  inches  in  length;  in 
the  lower  end  of  this  arm  is  screwed  a  cylindrical  pin  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  at  right 
angles  to  the  arm  and  parallel  to  the  supporting  axis  of  the  telescope.  This  pin  has  a  notch  or 
groove  (of  the  form  which  would  be  generated  by  placing  the  vertices  of  two  isosceles  triangles 
together  and  revolving  about  the  perpendicular)  cut  in  the  middle. 

"At  a  distance  of  twenty-three  inches  from  the  pin,  and  in  the  same  horizontal  plane,  is 
mounted  in  Y's  a  small  telescope  of  six  inches  focal  length.  The  supporting  axis  of  this  tele- 
scope is  parallel  to  that  of  the  transit.  Underneath  the  center  of  the  small  telescope,  and  con- 
nected with  it,  is  a  short  arm  two  inches  in  length ;  and,  by  means  of  a  joint,  a  rod  is  connected 
with  the  pin  before  mentioned.        y 

"  Now  when  the  transit  telescope  is  moved  in  zenith-distance,  angular  motion  is  given  to  the 
small  telescope  by  means  of  the  long  arm  and  connecting  rod. 

"The  amount  of  this  motion  is  read  from  a  scale,  placed  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  feet,  and 
divided  to  single  seconds  of  arc.  It  will,  of  course,  be  understood  that  we  must  have  some 
object  in  the  focus  of  the  small  telescope  with  which  to  compare  the  divisions  of  the  scale.  We 
use  either  a  cross  formed  by  the  intersection  of  two  spider's  webs,  or  a  single  horizontal  wire. 

"In  case  we  wish  to  observe  a  zone  of  greater  width  than  the  extent  of  the  scale  (30'),  we 
have  a  number  of  pins,  at  a  distance  of  30/ apart,  mounted  in  the  arc  of  a  circle  whose  radius  is 
equal  to  the  length  of  the  long  arm.     We  readily  pass  from  one  pin  to  another,  by  lifting  one 


59g  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

able  skill  for  addressing  popular  audiences,  he  presented  its  claims  for  sub- 
scriptions, and  excited  the  liveliest  interest  in  its  success.  Afterward  he  acted 
as  principal  agent  of  the  Eastern  Division;  and  three  times  crossed  the  Atlan- 

,  negotiate  the  bonds  of  the  road.  In  these  financial  operations  he  did 
not  escape  reproach.  He  was  accused  of  consulting  his  own  interests  more 
than  those  of  the  road,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  succeeded  in  making  his 
labors  profitable.  Much  public  odium  thus  attached  to  his  name,  and  in  many 
Circles  in  Cincinnati  he  long  remained  very  unpopular.  But  no  spot  was  left 
bis  integrity.     To  his  energy  and  capacity,  at  least  as  largely  as  to  those 

.v  other  one  man,  was  the  completion  of  the  road  due.  Yet  this  was  but 
the  occupation  of  his  leisure,  the  recreation  in  which  he  unbent  from  the  labors 
Of  the  observatory. 

About  the  same  time  he  began  the  publication  of  a  journal  devoted  to 
Astronomical  Science— the  "Sidereal  Messenger."  This  struggled  on  for  a  year 
or  two,  but  the  number  of  persons  in  the  United  States  interested  in  practical 
astronomy  was  too  small  to  sustain  it.  Other  publications  more  permanent  in 
form  and  popular  in  nature,  secured  a  larger  measure  of  success.     His  first  book, 

Planetary  and  Stellar  Worlds,"  attained  considerable  circulation,  and  was 
very  favorably  received  in  Europe.  His  lectures  on  the  Astronomy  of  the 
Bible,  as  delivered  in  New  York,  and  stenograph ically  reported,  were  published, 
to  the  great  gratification  of  the  thousands  who,  there  and  elsewhere,  had  been 
delighted  at  their  delivery.  And,  finally,  in  1860,  he  gave  to  the  public  his  "  Pop- 
ular Astronomy,"  the  last  of  his  works  which  had  the  advantage  of  his  own 
revision. 

end  of  a  connecting  rod  and  attaching  it  to  a  different  one.  The  division  on  the  scale  can  easily 
be  read,  by  estimation,  two-tenths  of  a  second  of  arc. 

"The  time  required  to  read  the  scale  is  much  less  than  that  employed  in  reading  one  micro- 
scope, since  at  the  same  transit  of  an  equatorial  star  we  can  make  from  ten  to  fifteen  bisections  and 
readings.  As  I  have  found  one  reading  of  the  scale  nearly  equal  to  four  microscopes,  it  follows 
that  if  we  employ  the  same  time  in  the  observation  of  an  object  with  the  Declinometer  that  we  do 
when  we  use  the  Circle,  our  results  in  the  former  case  will  be  superior  to  the  latter  in  a  large  ratio. 

"  The  Zone  observations  with  the  Declinometer  have  been  made  mostly  for  the  investigation 
of  the  souive  and  amount  of  error  due  to  this  method.  From  a  comparison  of  the  observations 
with  those  made  in  the  ordinary  way,  I|  find  the  probable  error,  on  a  single  observation,  falls 
within  the  limits  of  accuracy  usually  assigned  to  observations  made  with  the  Meridian  Circle. 
One  great  advantage  lies  in  the  fact  that  many  bisections  and  readings  can  be  made  at  the  same 
transit,  and  ir^this  way  eliminating  the  ordinary  errors  of  observation.  You  will  understand  the 
rapidity  with  which  work  can  be  done  by  this  method,  when  I  state  that  more  than  two  hundred 
stars  have  been  accurately  observed  in  one  hour;  and  wrere  they  equally  distributed,  twice  that 
number  could  easily  have  been  taken. 

"This  instrument  is  one  of  the  great  inventions  of  our  late  and  lamented  director,  Professor 
Mitchel,  and  is  the  only  one  in  the  world. 

"  From  observations  made  during  the  last  two  years,  and  a  careful  discussion  of  the  results, 
I  have  arrived  at  the  conviction  that  there  is  no  other  known  method  equal  to  it,  for  rapidity  and  accu- 
racy, in  cataloguing  of  stars." 

Another  of  .his  admirable  inventions  was  one  for  making  the  clock  of  the  observatory  record 
by  telegraph  its  own  pendulum  beats ;  while  by  the  same  telegraphic  process  the  observer  could 
record  the  instant  of  any  phase  of  an  astronomical  phenomenon— thus  adding  greatly  to  the 
nicety  and  accuracy  of  the  calculations.  The  processes  by  which  this  is  accomplished  are 
exceedingly  delicate. 


Okmsby  M.  Mitchel.  599 

The  merit  of  these  works  is  various,  but  their  general  characteristics  are 
the  same.  Their  aim  is  to  catch  the  broad  outlines  of  the  subject,  to  seize  the 
results  of  the  science  with  only  so  much  attention  to  the  steps  by  which  they 
are  attained  as  an  average  audience  or  ordinary  reader  might  readily  follow, 
and  to  dwell  mainly  upon  the  sublime  and  marvelous  features  of  the  attractive 
subject.  The  "Popular  Astronomy  "  is  intended  either  for  the  general  reader 
or  for  use  as  a  text-book.  Its  chief  peculiarity,  in  the  estimation  of  its  author, 
was  its  effort  to  trace  the  path  of  discovery,  by  giving  first  the  recital  of  the 
facts  and  phenomena,  and  then  following  the  discoverer  through  the  conjectures 
and  hypotheses  thereupon  based  to  the  final  development  of  the  principles  of 
the  science.  The  same  course  was  adopted  with  signal  success  in  the  lectures. 
The  slightly  declamatory  style  occasionally  mars  the  value  of  the  text-book; 
but  in  the  lectures  it  doubtless  adds  to  the  popular  interest. 

The  discussions  of  the  "Astronomy  of  the  Bible"  naturally  provoke  com- 
parison with  the  gorgeous  rhetoric  of  the  "Astronomical  Discourses,"  by  Dr. 
Chalmers.  Professor  Mitchel  is  sometimes  more  minute,  and  always  more  pre- 
cise, than  his  famous  predecessor  in  the  same  field.  He  is  not  less  daring  in  his 
acceptance  of  theories  regarded  with  distrust  or  hotly  opposed  by  most  defenders 
of  the  Bible  against  the  supposed  attacks  of  science,  and  not  less  adroit  in 
adapting  his  interpretations  of  the  sacred  record  to  the  march  of  scientific  prog- 
ress. He  adopts  boldly  the  "Nebular  Hypothesis,"  in  all  the  extent  to  which 
La  Place  carried  it;  has  no  difficulty  in  making  the  Mosaic  "days"  of  creation 
mean  extended  periods  of  time  of  indefinite  duration  ;  is  dubious  as  to  the  record 
concerning  Joshua's  making  the  sun  stand  still,  and  is  inclined  to  throw  the 
burden  of  proof  upon  the  translators.  The  theology  which  he  learned  from  the 
stars,  like  that  of  Chalmers,  was  Calvinistic.  In  his  final  lecture,  after  tracing 
the  influence  of  immutable  laws  throughout  the  universe,  and  the  results  of  vio- 
lation of  those  laws,  he  concluded: 

"  No,  my  friends ;  the  analogies  of  nature,  applied  to  the  moral  government  of  God,  would 
crush  all  hope  in  the  sinful  soul.  There,  for  millions  of  ages,  these  stern  laws  have  reigned 
supreme.  There  is  no  deviation,  no  modification,  no  yielding  to  the  refractory  or  disobedient. 
All  is  harmony,  because  all  is  obedience.  Close  forever,  if  you  will,  this  strange  book  claiming 
to  be  God's  revelation — blot  out  forever  its  lessons  of  God's  creative  power,  God's  superabound- 
ing  providence,  God's  fatherhood  and  loving  guardianship  to  man,  His  erring  offspring, and  then 
unseal  the  leaves  of  that  mighty  volume  which  the  finger  of  God  has  written  in  the  stars  of 
heaven,  and  in  these  flashing  letters  of  living  light  we  read  only  the  dread  sentence,  '  The  soul 
that  sinneth  it  shall  surely  die  ! ' " 

On  the  whole,  it  is  not  an  unkind  criticism  of  these  discourses  to  say  that 
they  seem  to  have  been  modeled  upon  those  of  Dr.  Chalmers,  and  it  is  high 
praise  to  add  that  they  are  worthy  to  be  named  beside  those  famous  produc- 
tions. The  lectures  entitled  the  "Planetary  and  Stellar  Worlds"  are  less  ambi- 
tious in  their  aim.  No  one  can  read  them  and  be  in  doubt  as  to  the  wonderful 
fasci nation  which  we  are  told  they  exercise  upon  the  audiences  who  first  heard 
them.  In  language  admirably  freed  from  bristling  technicalities,  they  trace  the 
progress  of  mind  as  it  grappled  with  the  phenomena  of  astronomy,  from  the 


6qq  Ohio  in  the  War. 

theory  of  Copernicus  and  the  laws  of  Kepler  to  the  bewildering  calculations  of 
Le  Verrier,  and  the  amazing  analyses  by  which  Struve  and  Maedler  built  up 
the  belief  in  a  central  sun,  around  which  systems  of  stars,  whole  milky-ways 
of  creation,  revolve.  The  popular  presentation  of  the  sublime  discoveries  has 
tasked  many  able  pens  ;  but  as  yet  no  one  need  go  further  than  the  works  of  the 
founder  of  the  first  observatory  in  the  United  States  for  the  most  attractive 
embodiment  of  the  truths  and  speculations  of  the  science. 

As  if  to  complete  the  circle  of  his  activities,  Professor  Mitchel  had  also  been 
for  ten   v<  :u\s  commander  of  a  volunteer  company  in  Cincinnati,  and  for  two 

>  Adjutant-General  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  Neither  of  these  positions  gave 
him  any  official  influence  at  the  time,  but  they  served  to  keep  up  his  familiarity 
with  military  matters. 

In  1853  General  Van  Eensellaer,  Mrs.  Blandina  Dudley,  and  some  others, 

,ii  the  erection  of  an  observatory  at  Albany,  professedly  on  the  plan  of  thai 
at  Cincinnati.  Mitchel's  advice  was  taken  as  to  the  plan  of  the  building,  the 
equipment,  and  the  organization.  He  was  recognized,  in  fact,  as  the  most  com- 
petent man  in  the  country  to  direct  such  an  institution.  Unfortunately,  diffi- 
culties sprang  up  among  the  persons  whose  generous  gifts  had  made  the  Observ- 
atory, and  amid  their  disputes  its  usefulness  seemed  likely  be  frittered  away. 
Professor  Mitchel  was  appealed  to  oh  all  hands,  and  it  really  appeared  that  he 
was  the  only  man  under  whose  management  harmony  could  be  restored.  He 
had  been  serving  all  this  time  in  the  Cincinnati  Observatory  without  charge. 
Under  these  circumstances  he  did  not  feel  any  obligation  to  refuse  the  invita- 
tion to  Albany;  and  so,  without  definite^  sundering  his  connection  at  Cincin- 
nati, he  became  director  at  Albany,  and,'during  a  few  months  immediately  prior 
to  the  war,  was  spending  most  of  his  time  there,  striving  to  allay  the  feuds 
among  the  friends  of  the  new  institution,  and  to  get  it  in  good  working  order. 

Such,  in  the  spring  of  1361,  had  been  the  career  of  Professor  Mitchel.  Bo- 
ginning  as  an  errand-boy  and  store-clerk,  he  had  risen  to  rank  among  the  fore- 
most scientific  men  of  the  Nation.  In  the  old  army  he  had  left  behind  him  the 
reputation  of  a  good  officer,  of  high  but  not  the  highest  professional  attainments. 
He  was  esteemed  a  skillful  railroad  engineer  and  manager.  He  had  been  a 
college  professor  of  high  standing.  He  was  reckoned  among  the  most  brilliant 
of  scientific  lecturers  in  the  country,  and  among  the  most  effective  of  popular 
orators.  He  was  a  successful  author.  His  reputation  as  an  astronomer  was  as 
high  in  Europe  as  in  his  own  country.  He  had  measurably  outlived  the  odium 
of  his  later  railroad  operations.  He  had  passed  through  all  the  struggles  of  his 
intensely  active  life  with  an  unspotted  private  character.  He  was  a  fervent 
church  member*  and  a  good  citizen.  In  political  matters  he  was  somewhat 
conservative.  The  self-confidence  of  his  nature  had  generated  a  species  of 
egotism,  not  wholly  unpleasant,  but  still  so  marked  that  men  were  apt  to  speak 
of  Professor  Mitchel's  vanity  as  his  greatest  fault.     He  was  in   the  fifty-first 

in  rinlna!-a,lready  ^  mentioned  that  sl>°rtly  after  the  beginning  of  his  effort  to  practice  law 

SecondT^w  ie/°lnt     ;Lyman  BeecWs  Church'    He  remain«*  an  active  membei  of  the 
Second  (New  School)  Presbyterian  Congregation  of  Cincinnati  until  his  death. 


Ormsby    M.  Mitchel.  601 

year  of  his  age,  with  a  successful  life  behind  him,  a  hopeful  family  growing  up 
about  him,  and  his  fame  secure.* 
Then  came  the  Eebellion. 

That  a  studious,  scientific  man,  past  the  meridian  of  life,  and  filling  posts 
of  high  usefulness,  should  choose  to  leave  the  active  labors  of  the  war  to  younger 
and  more  vigorous  soldiers,  would  have  been  natural.  But  Professor  Mitchel 
was  not  the  man  to  claim  such  reasonable  exemptions.  At  the  first  alarm  he 
recalled  his  old  indebtedness  to  the  Government,  his  military  education,  and  his 
West  Point  oath,  and  flung  himself  unreservedly  into  the  conflict.  At  the  great 
Union  meeting,  in  STew  York,  after  the  fall  of  Sumter,  he  was,  if  we  may  judge 
from  the  rapturous  reports  of  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  the  most  effective 
speaker.  In  the  fullness  of  a  not  ignoble  pride,  he  could  not  omit  longer  refer- 
ences to  his  own  history  than  a  severe  taste  would  approve ;  but  the  audience 
was  not  critical,  and  he  wonderfully  kindled  their  enthusiasm.     Said  he : 

"  I  am  infinitely  indebted  to  you  for  this  evidence  of  your  kindness.  I  know  I  am  a  stranger 
among  you.  [Cries  of  '  No,'  '  No.']  I  have  been  in  your  State  but  a  little  while,  but  I  am 
with  you,  heart,  and  soul,  and  mind,  and  strength;  and  all  that  I  have  and  am  belongs  to  you 
and  our  common  country,  and  to  nothing  else.  I  have  been  announced  to  you  as  a  citizen  of 
Kentucky.  Once  I  was,  because  I  was  born  there.  I  love  my  native  State  as  you  love  your 
native  State.  I  love,  too,  my  adopted  State  of  Ohio,  as  you  love  your  adopted  State,  if  such  you 
have ;  but,  my  friends,  I  am  not  a  citizen  now  of  any  State.  I  owe  allegiance  to  no  State,  and 
never  did,  and,  God  helping  me,  never  will. 

"  I  owe  allegiance  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  A  poor  boy,  working  my  way 
with  my  own  hands,  at  the  age  of  twelve  turned  out  to  take  care  of  myself  as  best  I  could,  and 
beginning  by  earning  but  four  dollars  a  month,  I  worked  my  way  onward  until  this  glorious  Gov- 
ernment gave  me  a  chance  at  the  Military  Academy  at  West  Point.  There  I  landed  with  a  knap- 
Rack  on  my  back,  and,  I  tell  you  God's  truth,  just  a  quarter  of  a  dollar  in  my  pocket.  Then  I 
swore  allegiance  to  the  Government  of  the  United  States.  I  did  not  abjure  the  love  of  my  native 
State  nor  of  my  adopted  State,  but  all  over  that  rose  triumphant  and  predominant  my  love  for 
our  common  country. 

"And  now,  to-day,  that  common  country  is  assailed,  and,  alas!  alas!  that  I  am  compelled  to 
say  it,  is  assailed  in  some  sense  by  my  own  countrymen.  My  father  and  mother  were  from  old 
Virginia,  and  my  brother  and  sisters  from  old  Kentucky.  I  love  them  all;  I  love  them  dearly. 
1  have  my  brothers  and  friends  down  in  the  South  now,  united  to  me  by  the  fondest  ties  of  love 
and  affection.  I  would  take  them  into  my  arms  to-day  with  all  the  love  that  God  has  put  into 
this  heart;  but  if  I  found  them  in  rebellion  I  would  be  compelled  to  smite  them  down.  You 
have  found  officers  of  the  army  who  have  been  educated  by  the  Government,  who  have  drawn 
their  support  from  the  Government  for  long  years,  who,  when  called  upon  by  their  country  to 
stand  for  the  Constitution   and  the  right,  have  basely,  ignominiously  and  traitorously  resigned 

their  commissions,  or  deserted  to  traitors,  rebels,  and  enemies,  without  resignation 

They  are  no  countrymen  longer  when  war  breaks  out.  The  rebels  and  traitors  in  the  South  we 
must  set  aside;  they  are  not  our  friends.  When  they  come  to  their  senses  we  will  receive  them 
with  open  arms ;  but  till  that  time,  while  they  are  trailing  our  glorious  banner  in  the  dust,  then 
we  must  smite.  In  God's  name  I  will  smite,  and  as  long  as  I  have  strength  I  will  do  it.  [En- 
husiastic  applause.] 

*"Is  Mitchel  a  great  man?"  one  had  asked  of  his  intimate  friend.  "No,"  was  the  answer; 
"Mitchel  is  a  man  of  genius,  but  he  is  not  a  great  man.  Daniel  Webster  was  a  great  man,  but 
he  was  not  a  man  of  genius."  The  answer  seems  to  embody  a  comprehensive  and  accurate  esti- 
mate of  Mitchel's  character,  as  already  seen  in  his  scientific  career,  and  now  to  be  illustrated  in 
uis  military  performances. 


G02  Ohio  in   the    Wak, 

"O!  listen  to  me!  listen  to  nie!     I  know  these  men.     I  know  their  courage.     I  have  beent 
anion-  them ;  I  have  been  reared  with  them.     They  are  brave— do  not  pretend  to  think  they 
1  tell  you  it  is  no  child's  play  you  are  entering  upon.     They  will  fight  with  a  determi- 
nation and  a  power  almost  irresistible.     Make  up  your  mind  to  it.     Let  every  man  put  his  life  in 
I,i>  hand  and  say,  'There  u  the  ftlttt  of  my  country;  I  am  ready  for  the  sacrifice.' 

.  am  ready  to  lay  down  my  life.     It  is  not  mine  any  longer.     Lead  me  to  the  con- 
flict.    Place  me  where  I  can  do  my  duty.     There  I  am  ready  to  go,  I  care  not  where  it  leads  me. 
I   trual  you  are  all  ready;  I  am  ready.     God  help  me  to  do  my  duly.     I  am  ready  to 
light  in  the  ranks  or  out  of  the  ranks.     Having  been  educated  in  the  Academy,  having  been  in 
b*Ting  served  as  commander  of  a  volunteer  company  for  ten  years,  and  as 
ihi'tant-General  of  my  State,  I  feel  that  I  am  ready  for  something.     I  only  ask  to  be  per- 
to  act;  and  in  God's  name  give  me  something  to  do!" 

•The  scene  that  followed  the  close  of  Professor  Mitchel's  eloquent  and 
patriotic  remarks,"  continues  the  newspaper  report,  "baffles  all  description. 
Men  and  women  were  melted  to  tears;  voices  from  all  parts  of  the  vast  multi- 
tude re-echoed  the  sentiments  of  the  speaker;  and  every  one  seemed  anxious  to 
answer  the  appeal  and  rush  to  the  defense  of  the  country." 

But  the  affair  was  to  be  over  in  ninety  days,  according  to  the  belief  on 
which  the  Government  then  acted;  and  no  call  was  made  upjon  Mitchel.  By 
midsummer  Bull  Eun  had  come  to  pluck  the  veil  from  the  ghastly  delusion;  and 
on  the  8th  of  August  Mitchel  was  appointed  a  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers, 
lie  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  Ohio,  with  head-quar- 
ters at  Cincinnati.  Hereiie  at  once  plunged  into  the  new  work  with  his  old 
zeal   and  energy.     He  placed  the  city  in  a  posture  of  defense,  supervised  the 

ion  of  earthworks,  took  charge  of  the  gathering  troops,  and  strove  to  re- 
duce them  to  discipline.  He  was  eager  to  lead  an  expedition  through  Cumber- 
land Gap,  in  the  fall  of  1861,  for  the  liberation  of*  East  Tennessee.  His  plans 
Were  all  formed  while  Sherman  was  still  in  command  in  Kentucky;  and  when 

fcary  Gameron  and  Adjutant-General  Thomas  made  their  noteworthy  visit 
West,  shortly  before  Sherman's  removal,  he  laid  them  before  the  Secretary. 
Mr.  Cameron  promptly  approved  them;  indeed,  such  was  then  the  anxiety  to 
relieve  the  suffering  Unionists  of  East  Tennessee,  that  Mitchel  seemed  likely  to 
rise  high  in  the  favor  of  the  Government  by  his  proposal.  The  order  was 
issued,  and  Mitchel  would  soon  have  started  on  an  expedition  that,  prosecuted 
with  the  energy  he  subsequently  displayed  in  not  less  critical  and  dangerous 
situations,  might  have  changed  the  face  of  the  war  in  the  West.  But  mean- 
time the  Secretary  had  paid  his  bewildering  visit  to  Sherman  at  Louisville,  and 
presently  Mitchel's  order  was  countermanded. 

Soon  afterward,  among  the  changes  consequent  upon  the  assumption  of 
and  in  Kentucky  by  General  Buell,  Mitchel  was  relieved  of  his  depart- 
ment duties,  and  ordered  to  the  command  of  a  division  in  the  army  then  or- 
ganizing at  Bacon  Creek,  between  Louisville  and  Bowling  Green.  He  at  once 
gave  himself  up  to  the  work  of  drilling  and  disciplining  his  soldiers.  Into  this 
he  threw  all  the  enthusiastic  energy  which  had  hitherto  characterized  him  in 
every  task  of  his  eventful  life.  His  command  was  rawer  than  that  of  either  of 
the  other  division  generals;  but  he  soon  had  it  to  rank  with  the  best.  Then, 
restless  and  eager  to  be  at  work,  he  began  to  urge  action  upon  the  deliberate, 


Okmsby  M.  Mitchel.  603 

circumspect  soldier  who  commanded  the  department.  "Sir,  I  have  done  all  that 
drill  and  discipline  in  camp  can  do  for  my  men,"  he  said ;  "from  this  time  forth 
there  is  no  chance  for  progress  in  my  division  until  it  is  sent  against  the  en- 
emy— it  can  only  deteriorate."  The  nervous  eagerness  was  such  a  contrast  to 
his  own  phlegmatic  habit  as  to  amuse  General  Buell ;  but  he  contented  his  fiery 
subordinate  with  the  promise  of  speedy  action.  Meantime  jealousy  of  him  had 
sprung  up.  Some  of  the  division  commanders — unknown  captains  or  lieuten- 
ants before  the  war — conceived  that  the  fact  of  their  having  remained  a  little 
longer  in  the  regular  service  than  Mitchel  entitled  them  to  superior  considera- 
tion. He,  in  turn,  was  possibly  disposed  to  rely  a  little  too  much  upon  his 
scientific  reputation  as  entitling  him  to  attention  in  military  matters.  In  effect, 
it  soon  came  about  that  at  least  two  of  these  Generals  strove  in  every  way  to 
thwart  Mitchel's  plans,  and  to  bring  him  into  contempt,  as  a  crack-brained 
civilian  theorist  and  star-gazer,  at  head-quarters  and  among  the  soldiers.  They 
were  presently  to  see  new  cause  for  jealousy. 

When  the  movement  on  Fort  Donelson  was  begun,  Buell  began  his  move- 
ment on  Bowling  Green.  Mitchel's  energy  was  such  as  to  secure  his  divis- 
ion the  advance.  Starting  on  the  13th  of  February,  1862,  he  moved  out  ten 
miles ;  then,  the  next  day,  made  a  forced  march,  reaching  the  town  after  dark, 
just  as  the  train  moved  out  with  some  Texas  troops,  the  last  of  the  army 
that  had  held  it.  The  road  had  been  obstructed  by  fallen  timber;  but  on  his 
first  march  in  the  enemy's  country,  Mitchel  had  made  forty  miles  in  less  than 
thirty  hours,  had  hastened  the  evacuation  of  the  strongest  point  then  held  by 
a  Eebel  army  in  the  West,  had  captured  a  number  of  locomotives,  one  gun, 
and  some  five  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  commissary-stores.  It  was  further- 
more computed  that  the  exceeding  rapidity  of  his  advance  had  compelled  the 
.Rebels  to  destroy  not  less  than  half  a  million  dollars'  worth  of  stores  and  muni- 
tions. 

General  Mitchel  thus  bore  off  the  first  laurels  of  the  campaign.  So  hand- 
some, indeed,  was  his  performance  as  to  draw  from  the  unenthusiastic  General 
commanding  eulogy  like  this  :  "  Soldiers,  who  by  resolution  and  energy,  over- 
come great  natural  difficulties,  have  nothing  to  fear  in  battle  where  their  energy 
and  prowess  are  taxed  to  a  far  less  extent.  Your  command  have  exhibited  the 
high  qualities  of  resolution  and  energy  in  a  degree  which  leaves  no  limit  to  my 
confidence  in  their  future  movements."  In  communicating  this  compliment 
from  General  Buell  to  his  troops,  General  Mitchel  betrayed  the  ardor  of  his  na- 
ture. "You  have  executed,"  he  exclaims,  "a  march  of  forty  miles  in  twenty- 
eight  hours  and  a  half.  The  fallen  timber  and  other  obstructions  opposed  by 
the  enemy  to  your  movements  have  been  swept  from  your  path.  The  fire  of 
your  artillery  and  the  bursting  of  you?"  shells  announced  your  arrival.  Sur- 
prised and  ignorant  of  the  force  that  had  thus  precipitated  itself  uj3on  them, 
they  fled  in  consternation.  In  the  night-time,  over  a  frozen,  rocky,  j)recipitous 
pathway,  down  rude  steps  for  fifty  feet,  you  have  passed  the  advance-guard, 
cavalry  and  infantry,  and  before  the  dawn  of  day  you  have  entered  in  triumph 
a  position  of  extraordinary  natural  strength,  by  your  enemy  proudly  denomi- 


(;()1  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

1  the  Gibraltar  of  Kentucky.     With  your  own  hands,  through  deep  mud, 
in  drenching  rains,  up  rocky  pathways  next  to  impassable,  and  across  a  foot- 
path of  your  own  construction,  built  upon  the  ruins  of  a  railway  bridge,  de- 
•d  for  their  protection   by  a  retreating  and  panic-stricken  foe,  you  have 
ported  upon  your  own  shoulders  your  baggage  and  camp  equipage."     Cold 
ism  may  hold  this  an  extravagant  tone  to  be  adopted  concerning  a  forced 
h  of  forty  miles,  which  met  with  no  resistance.     Doubtless  Mitchel  never 
oommitted  the  fault  of  underestimating  his  own  performances.     But  he  animated 
his  troope  with  his  own  pride  and  confidence;  and  if  congratulatory  orders  ac- 
complish this  great  purpose,  criticism  is  barred— they  have  been  adapted  to 

their  end. 

At  tho  outset  of  Buell's  advance  upon  Bowling  Green,  Halleck  was  more 

and  more  earnestly  asking  for  re-enforcements  up  the  Cumberland,  and  Buell 

feed  one  division  after  another  to  his  aid.     It  thus  came  about  that  Mitchel 

left  to  push  forward  overland  upon  Nashville,  while  other  troops   were 

making  tho  easier  journey  to  the  same  point,  by  the  circuit  of  the  rivers.     On 

_2d  of  February  he  set  out.  On  the  evening  of  the  23d — so  expeditious 
had  been  his  maroh — his  advance  was  before  Nashville.  Scarcely  a  week  ago 
the  citizens  had  been  rejoicing  over  Pillow's  dispatch  from  Donelson,  announc- 
ing, "on  the  honor  of  a  soldier,"  that  he  had  won  a  brilliant  victory.  Now  all 
was  confusion  and  alarm.  In  the  midst  of  it  the  Mayor,  anxiously  awaiting 
tin-  advent  of  Union  troops,  made  haste  to  surrender  to  the  advance  cavalry 
regiment  of  General  Mitchel's  command.  That  same  night  a  small  squad  of  the 
troops  pushed  over  into  the  city;  but  they  subsequently  returned,  and  the  divis- 
ion went  into  camp  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  with  batteries  so  planted 
as  to  rake  the  city  in  case  of  any  emergency.  The  next  day  the  advance  of  the 
troops  sent  around  by  the  rivers  steamed  up  to  the  city  wharves. 

Eebuilding  the  railroad  and  the  bridges  across  the  river,  Mitchel  now 
moved  over  and  went  into  camp  two  or  three  miles  below  Nashville.*-  Here 
the  envy  and  jealousy  of  the  other  division  commanders  were  permitted  one  or 
two  opportunities  for  trifling  but  malignant  displays.  One  of  them  soon  en- 
camped between  Mitchel  and  the  town.  The  next  day,  as  Mitchel  was  riding  in 
to  make  some  report  to  General  Buell,  he  was  checked  by  a  sentry  and  ordered 
to  produce  his  pass  from  General  Nelson  !     Naturally  supposing  it  to  be  simply 

•In  Headley's  popular  biography  of  Mitchel,  the  following  anecdote  of  his  stay  in  Nash- 
ville is  given: 

"General  Mitchel  called,  in  company  with  other  officers,  upon  the  widow  of  President  James 
K.  Polk,  as  did  General  Grant  while  there.  During  the  interview,  the  dignified  lady,  addressing 
him  Paid:  'General,  I  trust  this  war  will  speedily  terminate  by  the  acknowledgment  of  the 
Southern  independence.'" 

The  reply  was  prompt,  courteous,  and  crushing: 

'"Madam,  the  man  whose  name  you  bear  was  once  President  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
an  honesr man  and  true  patriot.  He  administered  the  laws  of  this  Government  with  equal  justice 
to  all.  We  know  of  no  independence  of  one  section  of  our  countrv  which  does  not  belong  to  all 
others;  and,  judging  by  the  past,  if  the  mute  lips  of  the  honored  dead  who  lies  near  us  could 
speak  they  would  express  the  hope  that  the  war  might  never  cease,  if  that  cessation  were  pur- 
chased  by  a  dissolution  of  the  union  of  the  States  over  which  he  once  presided.'" 


Obmsby  M.  JMjtchel.  605 

a  mistake  of  the  guard,  he  explained  that  he  could  not  have  such  a  pass,  because 
he  outranked  Nelson,  and  himself  commanded  the  advance  division  on  that 
road — in  fact,  that  he  was  General  Mitchel.  "Ah!"  exclaimed  the  too  free- 
spoken  guard,  "you  are  the  very  man,  then,  that  General  Nelson  told  me  to  stop 
unless  you  had  a  pass!"  To  such  petty  annoyances  was  the  Astronomer  and 
College  Professor  subjected  in  his  new  sphere. 

But  he  was  soon  to  soar  above  the  possibility  of  their  repetition.  General 
Buell  presently  moved  through  Tennessee  to  co-operate  with  the  expedition 
which  Hallcck  had  sent  up  the  river  to  Pittsburg  Landing.  The  disagreeable 
relations  existing  between  Mitchel  and  some  of  the  other  generals  seem  to  have 
suggested  the  plan  of  allowing  him  to  diverge  to  the  left  of  the  general  line  of 
march,  on  a  quasi  independent  command.  All,  save  perhaps  General  Buell,  sup- 
posed it  to  be  equivalent  to  an  arrangement  for  keeping  Mitchel  out  of  any 
chance  for  action  or  promotion.  We  shall  see  how  he  converted  it  into  an  open- 
ing for  the  most  brilliant  dash  that  had  thus  far  illumined  the  war. 

The  task  set  before  General  Mitchel  was  to  gain  a  foothold  on  the  great 
Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad,  the  leading  line  of  communication  between 
the  eastern  and  western  portions  of  the  Confederacy.  It  was  the  same  purpose 
that  had  drawn  Iialleck's  advance  to  Pittsburg  Landing.  Determination  to 
protect  the  same  railroad  had  brought  Johnston  and  Beauregard  to  Corinth. 
The  opposing  hosts  here  confronted  each  other,  but  the  whole  stretch  of  the 
road  east  of  Corinth,  along  the  southern  border  of  Tennessee  to  Chattanooga, 
was  practically  undefended.  While  all  eyes  were  centered  upon  the  great 
armies  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Mitchel  saw  his  opportunity.  The  nature  of  his 
instructions  was  such  that  he  was  enabled  to  act  with  comparative  indepen- 
dence, and  he  used  his  liberty  to  the  full.* 

He  had  been  stationed  below  Nashville,  at  Murfrcesboro'.  Almost  due 
south  of  him,  on  the  coveted  railroad,  lay  the  beautiful  little  town  of  Hunts- 
ville,  in  the  rich  champaign  country  of  Northern  Alabama.  It  was  not  a  rail- 
road junction,  and  was  not,  therefore,  guarded  with  the  care  due  a  supposed 
strategic  point.  But  it  was  near  the  important  junction  of  the  road  from  Nash- 
ville with  the  great  East  and  West  line  at  Decatur;  it  was  also  within  striking 
distance  of  the  junction  with  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Road  at  Steven- 
son ;  and  there  was  reason  to  hope  that  it  might  prove  near  enough  for  a  quick 
blow  at  Chattanooga  itself. 

To  Huntsville,  therefore,  as  a  point  likely  to  be  ill-defended,  and  yet  offer- 
ing him  control  of  the  great  railway  for  more  than  a  hundred  miles  of  its 
length,  Mitchel  was  to  hasten  his  column.     But  how?     He  had  only  transpor- 

*  Mitchel  acted  under  instructions  from  General  Buell,  which  marked  the  outline  of  the 
campaign.  By  this  time  Buell  had  been  placed  under  Halleck's  command;  but  his  subordina- 
tion to  that  officer  was  never  much  more  than  nominal,  and  it  happens  that  General  Halleck  dis- 
approved of  the  plan  assigned  to  Mitchel.  In  a  dispatch  from  St.  Louis,  26th  March,  1862,  to 
General  Euell,  he  says:  "Your  letter  of  the  14th  is  this  moment  received.  It  is  perfectly  satis- 
factory. We  agree  in  every  respect  as  to  plan  of  campaign,  except,  perhaps,  the  column  on  the 
diverging  line  to  Stevenson.  I  doubt  its  expediency.  If  made  very  strong  it  divides  your  forces 
too  much."     This,  of  course,  refers  to  MitchePs  column. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

t.tion  pfl*ftt  to  supply  his  army  It  a  distance  of  two  days'  march  from  his 

aI1(1    iruntsvillc  was  quadruple  that  distance 

A  bend  in  the  \:,shvillo  and  Chattanooga  Railroad  passed  near  Shelbyville, 

,  Httle  branch  track  ran  up  to  the  town.     Shelbyville  was  about  half  Way 

nterille     Thus  far,  therefore,  he  determined  to  move  along  the  railroad, 

riDg  thc  bridges  and  track  as  he  went.     It  was  the  first  work  of  the  kind 

vhi.-h   bis  soldiers  had  ever  been  called  on  to  perform  (excepting  of  course  the 

,  of  bridge*  at  Bowling  Green  and  Nashville),  and  it  was  the  first  serious 

effort  made  during  the  war  to  supply  an  army  by  a  thread  of  railroad  through 

a  hostile  country.     The  verdict  of  army  officers  was  against  its  feasibility.     But 

Mitchel  had  been  a  railroad  man  as  well  as  an  army  officer,  and  he  cared  little 

for  the  verdict. 

There  were  twelve  hundred  feet  of  heavy  bridging  to  be  rebuilt.  In  ten 
days  the  task  was  accomplished,  and  the  army  moved  forward  to  Shelbyville. 
It  was  now  barely  possible  for  the  wagons  of  the  division  to  haul  as  far  as 
Iluntsville  rations  enough  to  keep  the  army  from  starving— no  more.  But  that 
was  <*nough  for  Mitchel.  He  at  once  began  accumulating  supplies  at  Shelby- 
villc, while  he  threw  his  advance  perhaps  twenty-five  miles  further  forward  to 
the  little  village  of  Fayetteville  *  The  enemy  was  still  in  doubt  as  to  the 
intended  point  of  attack.  It  might  be  the  railroad  junction  at  Decatur;  it 
might  be  the  scarcely  less  important  one  at  Stevenson.  And  meantime  the 
movement  was  at  any  rate  supposed  to  be  trivial,  and  attention  was  concen- 
trated in  the  direction  of  Pittsburg  Landing. 

On  the  10th  of  April  Mitchel  was  ready.  His  advance  brigade,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Turchin,  moved  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.     By  nine  at 

*  The  following  story  of  Mitchel's  advance  is  to  be  found  in  the  newspapers  of  the  time : 
"General  Mitchel  having  occasion  to  send  into  the  Eebel  lines  two  Confederate  officers  who 
had  accompanied  Parson  Brownlow  into  Shelbyville,  on  his  delivery  to  our  forces,  sent  an  escort 
of  several  Fourth  Ohio  cavalrymen  with  them  to  Fayetteville.  When  the  party  arrived  at  Fay- 
etteville, one  of  the  Rebel  officers  very  cooly  dismissed  the  escort,  telling  them  he  did  not  wish 
their  services  any  further.  "While  standing  in  the  streets  of  the  town  the  escort  was  surrounded 
by  a  mob  of  the  citizens  of  the  place,  who  heaped  upon  them  every  imaginable  insult.  At  last 
one,  considering  himself  licensed  by  the  forbearance  of  our  men,  advanced  to  Lieutenant  John- 
son (in  command),  took  hold  of  his  beard,  pulled  it,  and  with  the  grinning  malice  of  a  devil  ex- 
claimed: 'You're  a  specimen  of  the  d — d  Yankees  they're  sending  down  here,  are  you?'  It  is 
matter  of  surprise  that  Lieutenant  Johnson  did  not  cut  him  down  in  his  tracks,  but  he  remem- 
bered that  his  mission  was  one  of  peace,  and  determined  to  go- to  the  very  verge  of  human  for- 
bearance rather  than  commit  any  violence.  The  next  morning  the  escort  started  back  toward 
Shelbyville  and  met  the  advancing  columns  of  our  forces.  General  Mitchel  was  highly  indig- 
nant when  he  heard  of  the  outrages  that  had  been  committed  upon  the  flag  of  truce.  He  rode 
rapidly  into  the  town,  and  found  a  large  number  of  the  citizens  assembled  on  the  public  square 
to  witness  the  entrance  of  our  army.  'People  of  Fayetteville,'  cried  the  General,  'you  are  worse 
than  Ravages!  Even  they  respect  a  flag  of  truce,  which  you  have  not  done.  Yesterday,  the  sol- 
diers whom  I  sentto  your  town  upon  a  mission  of  courtesy  and  mercy  were  shamefully  insulted  in 
your  streets,  and  it  was  you  who  gave  the  insult.  You  are  not  worthy  to  look  in  the  lace  of 
honest  men.  Depart  to  your  houses  every  one  of  you,  and  remain  there  until  I  give  you  per- 
mission to  come  forth.' 

"At  the  conclusion  of  this  speech  they  scattered  to  their  houses  like  frightened  rats  to  their 
holes,  and  kept  within  doors  until  permission  was  given  for  them  to  come  'forth  again." 


Ormsby  M.  Mitchel.  607 

* 

night  it  was  within  eleven  miles  of  Huntsville.  Here  bivouacking  for  a  few 
hours'  rest,  they  started  again  at  one  o'clock.  By  six  in  the  morning  the  spires 
of  Huntsville  and  the  groves  of  cedar  that  surround  them  were  in  sight. 

Such  remarkable  energy — remarkable  at  any  period  in  the  history  of  the 
war,  but  amazing  in  those  days  of  deliberate  and  circumspect  movement — could 
not  fail  of  success.  The  few  soldiers  about  Huntsville  seemed  almost  ignorant 
that  they  were  in  danger.  The  section  of  a  battery  which  had  hurried  up, 
stopped  some  railroad  trains  that,  on  the  first  alarm,  had  sought  to  escape.  The 
infantry  was  sent  out  on  either  hand  to  tear  up  a  little  of  the  track  and  prevent 
any  further  attempts  at  escape.  Then  they  marched  in  and  took  undisturbed 
possession.  The  first  squad  that  entered  found  a  hundred  and  seventy  soldiers 
still  sleeping  about  the  cars  at  the  depot,  and  incontinently  captured  the  lot. 
As  they  explored  further  they  found  seventeen  locomotives — all  but  one  in  fine 
running  order — and  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  cars. 

Thus  fairly  planted  upon  the  coveted  railroad,  in  the  heart  of  the  enemy's 
country,  Mitchel  took  in  at  once  the  importance  of  the  position  and  the  neces- 
sity of  energy  to  secure  it.  Columns  were  instantly  detached,  right  and  left,  to 
secure  the  track.  Eastward  a  force  hurried  to  Stevenson  and  Bridgeport,  to 
seize  the  junction  with  the  Chattanooga  and  Nashville  Eailroad,  and  to  burn 
the  great  bridge  over  the  Tennessee  at  Bridgeport.  "Westward  a  force  hurried 
to  Decatur  to  seize  the  junction  with  the  Nashville  Koad  there,  and  to  destroy 
the  bridge  over  the  Tennessee.  Thus  protected  east  and  west  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  bridge,  the  position  at  Huntsville  would  be  secure  from  any  Eebel 
concentration  upon  it  by  rail. 

The  danger  from  the.  east  was  considered  the  greater.  There  were  appre- 
hensions of  a  diversion  from  the  Eebel  army  about  Eichmond,  or  at  least  of 
the  coming  from  that  direction  of  re-enforcements  for  Beauregard  at  Corinth. 
Accordingly  General  Mitchel  himself  accompanied  the  expedition  eastward. 
They  ran  out  by  rail  toward  Chattanooga.  So  complete  was  the  surprise  of 
their  coming  that  no  resistance  to  this  novel  mode  of.  exploring  an  enemy's 
country  was  attempted.  They  took  possession  of  the  junction  at  Stevenson 
without  resistance.  Then  their  locomotive  pushed  on  toward  Chattanooga. 
Within  six  miles  of  Bridgeport  they  came  to  a  bridge  eighty  feet  long,  the 
destruction  of  which  seemed  to  promise  as  effectual  a  breakage  in  the  road,  for 
immediate  purposes,  as  could  be  secured  by  the  more  hazardous  attempt  at 
Bridgeport  itself.  It  was  accordingly  burnt,  and,  perfectly  unmolested,  the  train 
returned  to  Huntsville. 

Meanwhile  the  westward  expedition  had  been  equally  fortunate.  A  small 
Eebel  force  stationed  at  Decatur  began  to  retreat  as  soon  as  Mitchel's  troops  were 
heard  of.  The  bridge  over  the  Tennessee  they  sought  to  fire  as  they  started. 
Just  then  the  advance  of  the  expedition  came  up.  It  had  been  instructed  to 
burn  this  bridge.  But  the  moment  the  Colonel  commanding  saw  that  the  Eebels 
were  doing  his  work,  he  leaped  to  the  conclusion  that  it  ought  not  to  be  done. 
If  they  were  anxious  to  destroy  communication,  it  argued  his  interest  to  pre- 
serve communication.     He  therefore  ordered   the  troops  forward  in  hot  haste, 


(508  Ohio  in   the  War. 

and  the  bridge  was  saved.     In  a  day  or  two,  having,  by  the  bridge-burning  b* 
yond  Stevenson,  protected  his  extern  flank,  Mitchel  came  hurrying  westward, 
the  road  to  Decatur.     Under  his  eye  the  line  was  at  once  carried  forward, 
till  from  Tuscumbia  he  was  able  to  communicate  with  our  forces  before  Corinth. 
The  spirited  congratulations  which  Mitchel  now  addressed  to  his  troops 
e  more  than  warranted  by  the  delight  of  the  country  at  his  brilliant  achieve- 
ments.    He  said: 

"  Head-Qtjarteks,  Third  Division,  * 

"Camp  Taylor,  Huntsville,  April  16,  1862. J 
"Soldiers  :  Your  march  upon  Bowling  Green  won  the  thanks  and  confidence  of  our  command- 
ing I  leneraL  With  engines  and  cars  captured  from  the  enemy,  our  advanced  guard  precipitated 
itself  upon  Nashville.  It  was  now  made  your  duty  to  seize  and  destroy  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railway,  the  great  military  road  of  the  enemy.  With  a  supply-train  only  sufficient  to  feed 
y..u  at  a  distance  of  two  days'  march  from  your  depot,  you  undertook  the  herculean  task  of 
rebuilding  twelve  hundred  feet  of  heavy  bridging,  which,  by  your  untiring  energy,  was  accom- 
plished in  ten  days.  Thus,  by  a  railway  of  your  own  construction,  your  depot  of  supplies  was 
removed  from  Nashville  to  Shelbyville,  nearly  sixty  miles  in  the  direction  of  the  object  of  your 
at  tuck.  The  blow  now  became  practicable.  Marching  with  a  celerity  such  as  to  outstrip  any 
messenger  who  might  have  attempted  to  announce  your  coming,  you  fell  upon  Huntsville,  taking 
your  enemy  completely  by  surprise,  and  capturing  not  only  his  great  military  road,  but  all  his 
machine  shops  and  rolling  stock.  Thus  providing  yourselves  with  ample  transportation,  you 
have  struck  blow  after  blow  with  a  rapidity  unparalleled.  Stevenson  fell,  sixty  miles  to  the  east 
of  Huntsville.  Decatur  and  Tuscumbia  have  been  in  like  manner  seized,  and  are  now  occupied. 
In  three  days  you  have  extended  your  front  of  operations  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles,  and  your  morning  gun  at  Tuscumbia  may  now  be  heard  by  your  comrades  on  the  battle- 
field made  glorious  by  the  victory  before  Corinth.  A  communication  of  these  facts  to  head-quar- 
ters has  not  only  now  the  thanks  of  our  commanding  General,  but  those  of  the  Department  of 
War,  which  I  announce  to  you  with  proud  satisfaction.  Accept  the  thanks  of  your  commander, 
and  let  your  future  deeds  demonstrate  that  you  can  surpass  yourselves." 

Thus  planted  in  the  heart  of  the  South,  and  on  the  vital  channel  of  com- 
munication between  the  east  and  west  of  the  Confederacy,  with  a  single  divis- 
ion not  fifteen  thousand  strong,*  General  Mitchel's  position  was  sufficiently  pre- 
carious. The  inhabitants  of  the  country  looked  upon  his  presence  as  a  sort  of 
dare-devil  exploit,  having  in  it  no  probability  of  permanence.  They  were 
sometimes  sullen,  oftener  openly  contemptuous  or  abusive.  But  the  General 
presently  made  them  understand  the  value  of  respect  for  the  Government. 
Those  were  the  days  of  tender  concern  for  the  property  of  Eebels,  of  returning 
slaves,  buying  supplies,  and  taking  them  only  when  the  Ecbel  owner  was  en- 
tirely willing  to  sell  and  entirely  satisfied  about  the  price.  But  Mitchel,  even 
at  that  early  day,  had  the  wisdom  to  see  the  folly  of  such  policy,  and  the  courage 
to  abandon  it.  He  adopted  what  was,  for  the  time  and  place,  perhaps  the  very 
wisest  course.  Lists  of  active  Eebels  and  of  Eebel  sympathizers  were  made  out, 
together  with  accurate  statements  of  their  possessions.     Whatever  was  needed 

*  General  Buell  ("Statement  in  Review  of  Evidence  before  Military  Commission"  on  his 
case  p  id)  says  there  were  about  sixteen  thousand  men  scattered  through  Tennessee  and  North- 
ern A  abama,  mainly  under  Mitchel's  command.  And,  in  a  review  of  Buell's  campaigns  (Phil- 
Mi  H  on  H^  A-  UgUSt'  1864)'  Underst00d  t0  h*ve  been  revised  by  him,  it  is  said,  «  General 
Mitchel  had  one  dmmon  of  about  eight  thousand  under  his  immediate  command,  and,  contin- 
gently,  as  many  more."  ' 


Ormsby  M.   Mitchel.  609 

for  the  support  of  the  army  was  then  equitably  levied  upon  these  men  in  pro- 
portion to  their  ability;  while,  for  whatever  was  taken,  the  average  price  of 
the  country  was  paid.  Several  hundred  bales  of  cotton  were  found,  which  the 
Eebels  had  used  in  the  fortifications.  This  cotton  was  sold,  and  the  proceeds 
were  more  than  sufficient  to  pay  for  the  purchased  supplies.  Slaves  were  not 
encouraged  to  enter  the  camps,  but  whenever  needed,  they  were  used,  and  no 
slave  who  had  done  a  service  to  the  army  was  ever  suffered,  to  be  returned  to 
his  master.  General  Buell's  order  forbade  any  protection  to  any  slaves  within 
the  army  lines.  Against  this  General  Mitchel  earnestly  protested  ;  and  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  it  was  at  no  time  very  zealously  obeyed.  "I  organized  these  negroes 
into  watchful  guards,"  he  once  said,  "throughout  the  entire  portion  of  the  ter- 
ritory of  my  command.  They  watched  the  Tennessee  Eiver  from  Chattanooga 
entirely  down  to  Tuscumbia  and  Florence.  To  every  negro  who  gave  me  infor- 
mation of  the  movements  of  the  enemy,  who  acted  as  guide  to  me,  or  who  piloted 
my  troops  correctly  through  that  unknown  country,  I  promised  the  protection 
of  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  and  that  they  should  never  be  returned 
to  their  masters.  I  found  them  extremely  useful.  I  found  them  perfectly  reliable, 
so  far  as  their  intention  was  concerned;  not  always  accurate  in  detail,  but 
always  meaning  to  be  perfectly  truthful." 

Meantime  his  bearing  toward  the  masters  was  at  once  just  and  severe.  In 
this  respect  again  we  are  able  to  give  his  own  views  of  his  course.  "In  my 
treatment  of  the  people,"  he  says,  "  I  adopted  a  very  simple  policy  at  the  outset. 
I  have  studied  the  great  platform  of  the  rebellion  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  and 
made  up  my  mind  that  no  cause  existed  for  the  South  raising  its  hand  against 
the  United  States — not  the  slightest ;  that  it  was  a  rebellion,  a  downright  piece 
of  treason  all  the  way  through ;  and  that  every  individual  in  that  country  who 
was  either  in  arms,  or  who  aided  and  abetted  those  in  arms;  was  my  personal 
enemy,  and  that  I  would  never  break  bread  or  eat  salt  with  any  enemy  of  my 
country,  no  matter  who  he  might  be;  and  I  have  never  done  it  up  to  this  day. 
In  the  next  place,  I  determined  I  would  show  them  I  was  honest,  and  had  an  object 
in  view;  and  while  I  treated  them  with  the  most  perfect  justice,  I  determined 
to  make  every  individual  feel  that  there  was  a  terrible  pressure  of  war  upon 
him,  which  would  finally  destroy  him  and  grind  him  to  powder,  if  he  did  not 
give  up  his  rebellion." 

But  in  the  precarious  position  which  he  held,  General  Mitchel  was  at  any 
time  liable  to  be  cut  off.  His  main  attention  was,  therefore,  given  to  the  utmost 
watchfulness  upon  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  Guerrillas  became  trouble- 
some, and  against  these  frequent  expeditions  were  organized,  the  vigor  of  their 
movements  being  generally  such  as  to  keep  the  marauders  at  safe  distance. 
Toward  the  close  of  April  the  menaces  from  the  direction  of  Chattanooga  be- 
came more  frequent.  General  Kirby  Smith  was  at  the  head  of  a  considerable 
force  in  that  region,  and  he  had  five  regiments  of  infantry  and  eighteen  hun- 
dred cavalry  posted  at  Bridgeport.  From  this  point  incursions  began  upon  the 
eastern  extremity  of  General  Mitchel's  lines  near  Stevenson. 

Finally,  one  night,  an  attack  was  made  upon  a  brigade  at  Stevenson,  and 
Yol.  I.— 39. 


610 


Ohio  in  the  War 


the  ielegl»ptl  wires  between  that  point  and  Huntsville  were  cut.     Mitchel  then 

determined  to  push  his  line  up  to  Bridgeport  itself,  and  thus  protect  his  flank 

by  the  Tennessee  Kiver.     Kunning  up  on  the  railroad  from  Huntsville,  he  placed 

himself  at  the  head  of  the  column.     At  the  creek  near  Bridgeport,  where,  on 

first  entering  the  country,  he  had  destroyed  the  bridge,  he  now  encountered  the 

anemy.     Eere  a  small  force  was  brought  up,  and  an   artillery  fire  was  opened 

upon  the  enemy's  pickets.     This  force  was  to  make  as  much  noise  as  possible, 

and  to  create  the  impression  that  a  direct  attack  was  to  be  speedily  made. 

.time,  at  the  head  of  the  main  column,  Mitchel  now  plunged  into  the  swamp 

ne*r  the  creek,  heading  across  the  country  in   such  a  way  as  to  strike  an  old 

road  leading  to  Bridgeport.     The  guns  were  dragged  along  by  hand.     Whole 

regiments  fell  upon  the  rail  fences  by  the  roadside  and  carried  them  through 

the  swamp  to  mend  the  bridges.     Mitchel  was  everywhere  encouraging  the  men 

and  hastening  the  march.     While  the  column  was  thus  hurrying  down  upon 

Bridgeport,  the  Rebel  force  was  still  awaiting  the  attack  at  the  creek  bridge, 

where  the  feint  had  been  made.     A  part  of  their  strength  lay  there  to  resist  the 

attack ;  the  rest  was  in  reserve  in  the  towTn.     Over  this  last  part  Mitchel  now 

looked  down  from  the  crest  of  a  wooded  hill  within  five  hundred  yards  of  the 

great  bridge  over  the  Tennessee.     His  line  of  battle  was  formed  in  quiet,  and 

the  opening  of  artillery  with  grape  and  canister,  at  short  range,  was  the  first 

notification  to  the  enemy  that  his  rear  was  in  danger.     They  flew  to  their  arms, 

but  the  apparition  of  Mitchel's  line  of  battle  suddenly  rising  over  the  crest,  and 

rushing  down  upon  them  at  a  charge,  dissipated  all  idea  of  resistance,   and 

they  broke  for  the  bridge.     When  Mitchel  reached  the  spot  it  was  in  flames. 

The   men  succeeded'  in  saving  the  end  next  the  town.     A  pier  on  the  other 

side,  however,  was  blown  up,  and   that  portion   of  the   bridge  was   rendered 

impassable. 

By  this  time  the  Rebel  force  back  at  the  destroyed  creek  bridge  had  dis- 
covered its  danger.  As  it  came  rushing  in,  hoping  still  to  cross  the  river  on  the 
great  bridge,  it  was  met  by  a  volley  from  Mitchel's  triumphant  column.  The 
men  broke  almost  at  once,  scattering  in  all  directions.  Pursuit  was  promptly 
made,  and  some  three  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  were  captured,  with  two  pieces 
of  artillery*  The  success  was  complete,  and  in  justifiable  pride  Mitchel  was 
able  to  telegraph  to  the  War  Department:  "The  campaign  is  ended,  and  I  now 
occupy  Huntsville  in  perfect  security;  while  all  of  Alabama,  north  of  Tennes- 
see River,  floats  no  flag  but  that  of  the  Union." 

But  if  the  campaign  having  as  its  end  the  successful  occupation  of  the  great 
line  of  railroad  through  Northern  Alabama  was  ended,  there  was  another  one 
to  which  the  General's  attention  was  immediately  bent.      Thirty  miles  from 

Bueirf  llaIX)ra^  Statemeni  in  the  PhiladelPllia  An  25th  August,  1864,  reviewing  General 
«rtu»d  ^T  (rCtl°ned  by  MmSelf }'  aa^S  that  thr™Sh  Mitchell  entire  campaign  he  never 

tex    i^thieh  H        rT  nT  "iUed  tW6nty-     ™S'  °f  C0Urse>  Conflicts  with  the  6t~ t  in  the 
MunVbv  J  7     the  aCC°Unt  °f  the  eiWraen*  at  Bridgeport  furnished  to  the  Chicago 

officio reoo*  T^  !  "  *«  ^     RebelH°n  ReCOrd'  VoL  IV>  P-  531«     ^neral  Mitchell 

official  report,  however,  makes  no  mention  of  such  a  number  of  prisoners. 


Ormsby  M.  Mitchel.  611 

Bridgeport  lay  the  veritable  "Hawk's  Nest,"*  Chattanooga  itself.  Whoever 
held  it  held  the  key  to  the  whole  central  belt  of  the  Confederacy.  Among  the 
first  to  recognize  its  importance,  Mitchel  came  near  being  the  first  to  secure  it. 

As  early  as  the  10th  of  April,  when  about  himself  to  move  upon  Huntsvillo, 
he  had  sent  out  a  small  expedition  to  cut  the  railroad  between  Atlanta  and 
Chattanooga.  The  plan  was  one  of  singular  boldness,  and  it  very  narrowly 
missed  success.f  Had  the  bridges  been  destroyed,  he  might  have  occupied  Chat- 
tanooga within  a  couple  of  days  after  his  entry  into  Huntsville,  and  the  whole 
face  of  future  campaigns  in  that  region,  as  Judge  Holt  says,  might  have  been 
changed.  The  attempt  failed,  but  General  Mitchel  did  not  withdraw  his  eyes 
from  Chattanooga. 

The  action  at  Bridgeport  was  on  the  30th  of  April.  Within  a  couple  of 
weeks  guerrillas  were  giving  some  trouble  at  Bogcrsville,  near  Decatur,  and  one 
of  Mitchel's  Brigadiers,  General  Negley,  had  shown  praiseworthy  energy  in 
routing  them.  This  officer  was  now,  therefore,  detached  toward  East  Tennes- 
see,  to  check  the  outrages  of  guerrillas  upon  Union  men  in  one  or  two  of  the 
counties  north  of  Chattanooga,  and,  in  the  language  of  one  of  the  newspaper 
accounts  of  that  day,  "  to  call  at  Chattanooga,  if  possible,  and  Mitchel  seldom 
deems  anything  impossible  in  his  department."  It  is  hard  even  yet  to  see  that 
this  was. 

Falling  upon  the  Eebel  General  Adams's  cavalry,  General  Negley  routed 
and  pursued  them  through  Jasper  to  Chattanooga.  There  now  began  a 
strange  hesitation.  On  5th  of  June  General  Negley  reported  to  General 
Mitchel  his  capture  of  men  from  Chattanooga,  appearances  that  it  would  not 
be  defended,  and  a  determination  "to  push  on  there  to-morrow."  On  the 
7th  he  was  before  Chattanooga,  was  convinced  that  the  "  enemy's  force  is  about 
three  thousand,  with  ten  pieces  of  artillery,"  and  was  throwing  shells  across 
the  river  into  the  town.  On  the  8th  he  was  "going  to  make  another  demon- 
stration." Still  he  regarded  it  "almost  impossible  to  construct  sufficient  pon- 
toons to  cross  the  river  in  force."  He  did  "  not  consider  the  capture  of  Chatta- 
nooga very  difficult  or  hazardous."  But  he  was  troubled  about  the  power  to 
hold  it;  and  he  was  disposed  to  cast  frightened  glances  at  "the  exposed  condi- 
tion of  both  front  and  rear  of  our  lines  to  Pittsburg  Landing."  And  so  he 
announced  that  the  objects  of  the  expedition  were  accomplished,  and  marched 
away  again.  He  had  shelled  the  town  twice,  and,  as  one  of  his  subordinate 
brigade  commanders  claimed,  had  silenced  the  Eebel  batteries,  and  driven  them 
to  evacuate  the  town  and  destroy  railroad  bridges  behind  them.  As  it  would 
now  seem,  he  might  certainly  have  taken  it.  Had  Mitchel  been  there,  it  is 
scarcely  doubtful  that  the  town  would  have  fallen 

Not  long  after  this  movement,  General  Mitchel  was  recalled  from  the  com- 
mand  of  his  division  and  ordered  to  Washington. 

Of  the  remarkable  campaign  which  he  had  conducted,  it  may  be  said  that 

*  The  Indian  name  of  the  place. 

tSee  post,  close  of  Part  II,  for  a  fuller  account  of  this  expedition. 


612  Ohio  in  the  War. 

it  displayed  dash  and  spirit  in  the  midst  of  the  prevailing  caution  ;  skill  in 
handling  raw  troops  at  a  time  when  commanders,  now  the  most  noted  in  our 
armv.  were  Learning  in  the  rude  school  of  disaster  the  elements  of  their  art; 
fertility  of  resources,  before  others  had  ventured  beyond  the  precedents  of  the  war 
with  Hexico;  and  a  remarkable  appreciation  of  the  new  conditions  with  which 
war  has  been  surrounded  by  the  vast  extension  of  telegraphs  and  railroads. 
That  it  encountered  no  formidable  opposition  does  not  destroy  the  credit  which 
the  display  of  these  qualities  justly  secured.  Two  years  before  Sherman, 
ICitcbel  showed  how  armies  might  depend  on  single  lines  of  railroad  through 

,t  tracts  of  the  enemy's  country  for  supplies.  As  early  as  Butler,  he  showed 
how  Kcbels  should  be  made  to  support  the  war.  Eighteen  months  before  Bosc- 
crans  lie  fastened  upon  the  strategic  point  of  the  whole  central  balf  of  the 
Southern  States.  Almost  three  years  before  Sherman,  he  showed  how  the  shell 
of  the  Confederacy  might  be  pierced,  and  how  little  resistance  was  %o  be  ex- 
pected when  once  this  shell  was  passed.  Much  of  his  success,  doubtless,  he 
owed  to  the  utter  surprise  which  his  movements  proved  to  an  enemy  not  then 
accustomed  to  expect  such  energy  and  audacious  boldness.  Many  of  his  move- 
ments, doubtless,  at  another  stage  of  the  war,  or  under  other  conditions,  would 
have  been  impracticable.  But  it  was  his  sagacity  which  perceived  that  to  be 
the  time  for  audacious  movements.  Of  high  credit,  therefore,  for  a  campaign 
second  in  brilliancy  to  scarcely  any  in  the  war,  no  fair  criticism  can  deprive 
General  Mitchel.* 

The  Government  in  its  delight  over  the  occupation  of  Huntsville,  made 
him  a  Major-General.  The  country  pronounced  him  among  the  ablest  of  our 
commanders.  When  he  had  been  commissioned  there  were  some  doubts  in  the 
city  where  he  was  best  known  as  to  the  success  which  this  impulsive  theorist 
and  scientific  speculator  would  meet  with  in  the  practical  business  of  war. 
When  he  was  recalled  he  was  thought  our  fittest  General  for  bold  ventures,  and 
great  undertakings  which  neither  energy  alone  nor  skill  alone  could  make  suc- 
cessful. But  he  was  no  more  popular  among  his  brother  officers;  and  there 
were  special  causes  for  disagreement  between  himself  and  the  chief  who  over- 
shadowed and  chilled  him. 

When  it  was  found  that  General  Buell  and  General  Mitchel  could  not  act 
harmoniously  in  the  same  department,  that  Mitchel  chafed  under  the  policy  of 
his  superior,  and  was  finally  driven  to  such  dissatisfaction  that  he  was  on  the 
point  of  resigning  his  commission,  the  War  Department  interposed  and  ordered 
In.n  to  Washington.     General  Buell  behaved  handsomely.     He  interfered  em- 

Mmltal7i!1  interested  in  comparing  with  the  above  the  estimate  placed  upon  Mitchel's 
22  ft "  ^!!lOUVUndemo-^ive  commander.  In  his  «  Statement  in  Review  of  Evi- 
dence before  the  Military  Commission  »  on  his  case,  General  Buell  says  (p.  13)  :  .  .  .  "That 
..Kunly  under  the  command  of  General  Mitchel,  has  been  generally  awarded  praise  for 
he  fie 1  of  <  '         ^7  JUStly;  yet  n0t  more  than  two  th™*™*  men  ever  appeared  on 

S^52r  K°  fT"  U;     *  WUS  ^  the  nUmberS  0f  the  e*™*  that  ™4e  its  service  dif- 

Mto^dt^    r/  T  thC  krge  GXtent  °f  C0Unt^  »  occupied,  the  length  of  the  lines  it 
nad  to  guard,  and  the  difficulty  of  supplying  it." 


Olimsby    M.    Mitch  el.  613 

phatically  to  prevent  Mitchel's  resignation,  and  declared  that  if,  because  of  their 
disagreement,  one  or  the  other  must  leave  the  service,  he  would  himself  ret 

Mitchel  found  on  his  arrival  in  Washington  that  the  faith  of  the  Govern- 
ment in  his  capacity  was  unshaken.  Indeed  the  plan  was  for  a  little  enter- 
tained of  assigning  to  him  the  work  which  Fremont  had  once  proposed,  and 
which  Halleck  had  been  expected  to  accomplish — the  work  of  sweeping  down 
the  Mississippi  Valley  and  restoring  the  Great  River  to  commerce.  But  it  was 
determined  to  do  nothing  in  the  matter  till  General  Halleck,  now  fresh  on  his 
stool  as  "General-in-Chief,"  could  be  consulted.  Halleck,  like  all  men  of  mere 
routine,  had  a  profound  contempt  for  success  won  in  such  irregular  methods  a8 
Mitchel  had  employed  and  a  profound  distrust  for  the  men  who  employed  them. 
He  considered  Mitchel  reckless  and  Quixotic — lucky  perhaps,  thus  far,  because 
his  own  warlike  genius  had  been  engaging  the  enemy's  attention  elsewhere — 
but  utterly  unsafe.  His  influence  w-as  for  a  time  great  enough  to  keep  Mitchel 
out  of  any  command. 

Meanwhile  a  swarm  of  slanders  had  been  started  by  the  busy  enemies  ho 
had  left  behind  him  in  Buell's  army.  Presently  a  newspaper  attack  appeared, 
declaring  in  mysterious  vagueness  that  General  Mitchel  had  been  summoned  to 
Washington  to  answer  to  the  gravest  charges.  ^It  pronounced  his  conduct  "not 
only  injurious  to  the  Government  but  disgraceful  to  humanity,"  declared  that 
he  had  "perpetrated  deeds  of  cruelty  and  guilt,  the  bare  narration  of  which 
makes  the  heart  sick,"  demanded  "swift  justice,"  hoped  "for  the  country's  sake 
there  would  be  no  delay  and  no  clemency,"  and  reached  its  climax  in  pronounc- 
ing the  foremost  astronomer  of  the  country  and  the  hero  of  the  North  Alabama 
campaign  "an  epauletted  miscreant."  The  organ  of  these  slanders  was  a  news- 
paper remarkable  partly  for  decayed  genius,  partly  for  mediocre  but  malignant 
treason — the  Louisville  Journal.  The  reputation  it  had  once  enjoyed  still  gave 
it  some  credit ;  and  the  very  vagueness  of  its  charges  added,  for  a  little  time, 
to  the  apprehensions  felt  even  by  General  Mitchel's  friends,  as  to  the  possibility 
of  his  having  committed  some  unusual  indiscretion.  With  the  most,  however, 
they  excited  only  amazement  and  incredulity.  But  they  were  taken  up  by  the 
Associated  Press  and  scattered  broadcast  over  the  country.  Mitchel  made  no 
reply,  save  in  a  private  dispatch  to  deny  their  truth,  and  to  demand  either 
proof  or  retraction.     Of  this  demand  the  newspaper  never  took  an}'  notice. 

Presently  it  appeared  that  the  wdiole  charge  grew  out  of  some  excesses 
committed  by  Colonel  Turchin's  brigade  of  Mitchel's  command,  in  re-occupying 
the  town  of  Athens,f  whence  they  had  been  driven  by  a  superior  force  of  the 
Rebels.  General  Mitchel  had  himself  sought  to  bring  the  individual  offenders 
to  justice,  but  had  failed  to  secure  proofs;  General  Buell  had  been  subsequently 
attempting  the  same  thing,  and  up  to  that  time  had  encountered  similar  failure. 

*  These  statements  are  made  on  the  authority  of  General  Mitchel  himself.  He  communi- 
cated them  to  the  writer  in  Washington,  in  July,  1862. 

tThe  outrages  at  Athens  were  trifling  compajed  with  those  which  subseotuently  marked 
famous  campaigns  in  the  South,  and  passed  not  only  unrebulced  but  actually  applauded  by  the 
commanders  and  by  the  country.     Those  were  days,  however,  when  the  war  was  conducted— not 


014 


Ohio    in    the  Wak. 


Miteliol's  enemies  sought  to  hold  him  responsible,  and   even  forwarded  charges 

.  ashington,  but  no  notice  was  taken  of  them.  The  General,  however,  re- 
mained forborne  months  out  of  command,  and  the  public  was  left  to  the  con- 
clusion that  for  this,  or  for  some  other  reason,  he  was  in  disgrace  with  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

Both  the  Cincinnati  and  the  Dudley  Observatories  were  still  under  his 
directorship.  He  improved  the  leisure  which  he  now  had  to  inquire  into  their 
operations,  and  to  send  instructions  to  the  assistants  in  charge. 

He  was  ordered  from  his  command  in  Alabama  on  the  2d  of  July,  1862. 
On  the  12th  of  September  he  was  assigned  to  a  new  department.  The  Govern- 
ment had  not  insisted  upon  the  Mississippi  scheme  in  opposition  to  Halleck's 
disapproval;  but  it  had  never  given  up  the  belief  that  Mitchel  would  be  of  sig- 
nal service  again  in  an  independent  position,  commensurate  in  importance  with 
the  rank  he  had  won  and  the  military  genius  he  had  displayed.  Great  things 
had  been  hoped  of  the  Department  of  South  Carolina,  but  with  the  brilliant 
achievement  of  Admiral  Dupont  in  the  harbor  of  Port  Royal,  success  seemed  to 
have  ended,  and  one  unfortunate  failure  after  another  had  followed.  The  posi- 
tion was  thought  especially  fitted  for  a  man  of  Mitchel's  adventux*ous  spirit,  and 
he  was  assigned  to  it. 

He  set  out  at  once  for  his  new  command.  His  coming  infused  fresh  life  into 
military  affairs.  Within  the  week  of  his  arrival  he  visited  all  the  camps,  on 
Hilton  Head,  at  Beaufort,  and  at  Fort  Pulaski,  and  addressed  all  the  regiments. 
Within  another  week  an  expedition  to  St.  John's  Bluff  was  organized,  which  took 
a  fort  and  several  heavy  guns.  In  the  same  week  another  expedition  burnt  the 
salt  works,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  at  Blufton.  A  reconnoissance  up  the 
Savannah  was  made.  A  force  was  sent  to  Pocotaligo  to  break  the  railroad  con- 
nection between  Charleston  and  Savannah.  And  amid  these  varied  enterprises 
he  found  time  to  mature  a  plan  for  the  relief  of  the  crowded  contraband  bar- 
racks. The  negroes  were  set  to  work  building  a  village  of  comfortable  cabins 
for  themselves*  He  had  already  gained  the  confidence  of  all ;  his  preliminary 
operations  had  been  attended  with  success,  and  it  was  believed  that  a  graver 
movement  was  in  contemplation. 

In  the  midst  of  his  plans,  only  five  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  the  depart- 
ment, on  the  26th  of  October,  1862,  he  was  attacked  with  yellow  fever.  He 
lingered,  with  scarcely  a  hope  of  recovery,  from  the  outset  till  the  30th  ;  when, 
in  the  full  possession  of  his  faculties,  and  shortly  after  an  effort  to  repeat  his 
expressions  of  confidence  in  the  consolations  of  the  religion  which  he  had  so 

rjll  ZrrT^v7'  bU'~°n  PrindpleS  m°re  Creditable  to  our  h»™^y  *»<*  civilization,  as 
ZLTl  -T  ?T  °/  °Ur  armieS'  And'  th0U«h  Mitchel  was  not  responsible  for  the  excesses 
offt^tn  T  T  Td  tW  he  might  haVe  been  more  enerSetic  «  Ws  efforts  to  bring  the 
Srb^eT  BU\^°Ughn0t  *>  loose  -  >-  Weaa  on  the  subject  as  Sherman  subse- 
quently became,  he  was  still  disposed  to  look  on  the  offense  as  quite  venial. 

^n2hllr^ZegTS  ■?  v  thelr  ViHage  Mitchelville-a  name  which  bids  fair  to  be  per- 
self-eleeted  oZlrt  £  ~  ^'^  M  a  "^  ™™*°*  organization,  with 


Ormsby    M.    Mitchel.  615 

long  professed,  he  died.     By  no  single  stroke,  thus  far  through  the  war,  had  so 
great  a  sum  of  ability  and  zeal  been  taken  from  the  National  service. 

He  was  buried,  with  the  honors  of  war,  in  the  village  cemetery  at  Beaufort, 
South  Carolina,  among  the  residences  of  the  Barnwells  and  the  Ehetts.  Two 
sons,  on  his  staff,  were  so  low  at  the  same  time,  with  the  same  disease,  that  the 
attendants  dared  not  inform  them  of  their  father's  death.  Their  mother,  worn 
out  with  her  apprehensions  for  her  husband,  had  died  suddenly,  almost  at  his 
entry  into  the  service. 

The  military  career  thus  too  soon  ended  suggests  in  its  incipiency  some 
points  of  resemblance  to  that  of  a  famous  soldier  of  English  history.  A  great 
writer  has  sketched  the  portrait :  "  His  courage  had  all  the  French  impetuosity 
and  all  the  English  steadiness.  His  fertility  and  activity  of  mind  were  almost 
beyond  belief.  They  appeared  in  everything  that  he  did,  in  his  campaigns,  in 
his  negotiations,  in  his  familiar  correspondence,  in  his  lightest  and  most 
unstudied  conversation.  He  was  a  kind  friend,  a  generous  enemy,  and,  in  deport- 
ment, a  thorough  gentleman.  .  .  .  Eepose  was  insupportable  to  him.  .  .  . 
Scarcely  any  General  had  ever  done  so  much  with  means  so  small.  Scarcely 
any  General  had  ever  displayed  equal  originality  and  boldness.  .  .  .  He  was 
adored  by  the  Catalonians  and  Yalencians;  but  he  was  hated  by  the  Prince 
whom  he  had  all  but  made  a  great  king,  and  by  the  Generals  whose  fortune  and 
reputation  were  staked  on  the  same  venture  with  his  own.  The  English  Gov- 
ernment could  not  understand  him.  He  was  so  eccentric  that  they  gave  him 
no  credit  for  the  judgment  which  he  really  possessed.  One  day  he  took  towns 
with  horse-soldiers;  then  again  he  turned  some  hundreds  of  infantry  into  cav- 
alry at  a  minute's  notice.  .  .  .  The  ministers  thought  that  it  would  be  highly 
impolitic  to  intrust  the  conduct  of  the  Spanish  war  to  so  volatile  and  romantic  a 
person.  They  therefore  gave  the  command  to  Lord  Galway,  an  experienced 
veteran — a  man  who  was  in  war  what  Moliere's  doctors  were  in  medicine — who 
thought  it  much  more  honorable  to  fail  according  to  rule  than  to  succeed  by 
innovation.  .  .  /  This  great  commander  conducted  the  campain  of  1707  in 
the  most  scientific  manner.  On  the  plain  of  Almanza  he  encountered  the  army 
of  the  Bourbons.  He  drew  up  his  troops  according  to  the  methods  prescribed 
by  the  best  writers,  and  in  a  few  hours  lost  eighteen  thousand  men,  one  hundred 
and  twenty  standards,  all  his  baggage,  and  all  his  artillery."  * 

These  are  the  words  of  Lord  Macaulay  in  describing  Charles  Mordaunt,  Earl 
of  Petersborough ;  but  in  more  respects  than  one  they  present  a  suggestive 
parallel  to  the  history  we  have  been  tracing,  and  to  the  disasters  that  speedily 
followed.  It  will  be  seen,  then,  that  we  do  not  think  the  military  character  of 
General  Mitchel  far  to  seek.  He  had  genius  rather  than  talent.  He  was  bold, 
adventurous,  wonderfully  energetic,  fertile  in  resources.  He  had  a  keen  eye  for 
strategic  advantages.  He  managed  the  executive  business  of  war  with  skill. 
He  was  penetrated  with  a  fervid  enthusiasm,  which  communicated  itself  to  his 
soldiers,  and  counted  more  than  many  re-enforcements  in  accomplishing  his 

•  War  of  the  Succession  in  Spain.     Edinburg  Review,  January,  1833. 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

RndoitakiogS.     This  enthusiasm  led  to  an  appearance  of  eccentricity  and  nerv- 
ratability  that,  outside  the  range  of  his  personal  influence,  engendered  a 
distrust  of  his  stability  and  judgment. 

Bui  if  we  M'ck  to  pass  beyond  these  obvious  characteristics,  and  estimate 
tual  breadth  and  depth  of  his  military  capacity,  we  find  ourselves  checked 
on  tin*  threshold.    Jle  was  comparatively  untried.    A  brief  period  of  subordinate 
a  four  months'   campaign  with  an  army  of  less  than  fifteen  thousand, 
brilliantly  managed  but  inadequately  opposed;  and  five  weeks  of  work  prepar- 
atory to  a  campaign — in  these  short  phrases  his  career  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion 
1.     Amid  the  stumblings  of  those  earlier  years  his  was  a  clear  and  vigor- 
troad,     While  the  struggling  Nation  blindly  sought  for  leaders,  his  was  a 
brilliant  promise.     But  he  never  fought  a  battle,*  never  confronted  a  respectable 
antagonist^  and  never  commanded  a  considerable  army.     Yet  what  he  did  had 
■  n   the  confidence  of  the  troops,  and  the  admiration  of  the  country,  that 
his  death  was  deplored  as  a  public  calamity,  and  he  was  mourned  as  a  great 
pal. 

♦Of  course  it  will  be  understood  that  the  affairs  at  Bridgeport  and  elsewhere  did  not  rise  to 
the  rank  of  battles. 

t  Unless  for  the  few  weeks  that  he  might  have  been  said  to  be  pitted  against  Beauregard. 
In  his  Northern  Alabama  campaign  the  whole  force  opposed  to  him  scarcely  amounted  to  two 
ind. 


QUINCY     A.    GlLLMOKE.  617 


MAJOR-GENERAL  Q.  A.  GILLMORE. 


QTJIJSTCY  ADAMS  GlLLMOKE,  Major  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers, 
Brevet  Major-General  in  the  regular  army,  Major-General  of  volunteers, 
and  the  great  artillerist  and  engineer  of  the  war,  was  born  at  Black  Eiver, 
Lorain  County,  Ohio,  on  the  28th  of  February,  1825. 

His  parentage  was  of  mingled  Scotch-Irish  and  German  extraction.  His 
father,  Quartus  Gillmore,  was  born  in  Hampshire  County,  Massachusetts,  in 
1790,  on  the  farm  of  two  hundred  acres  which  his  father  continued  for  many 
years  to  cultivate.  This  farm  was  finally  exchanged  with  one  of  the  Con- 
necticut speculators  in  Western  Eeserve  lands,  for  a  tract  of  one  thousand 
acres  in  Lorain  County,  and,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  Quartus  Gillmore  thus 
came  to  be  one  of  the  Eeserve  pioneers.  He  reached  the  township  in  which  his 
father's  tract  of  wild  land  lay,  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  in  1811,  and  imme- 
diately began  his  "  clearing."  He  remained  on  it  during  the  war  of  1812, 
though  most  of  the  other  inhabitants  fled  to  the  interior,  and,  before  Perry's 
victory,  the  danger  to  the  residents  along  the  coast  from  British  cruisers  was 
supposed  to  be  imminent.  In  1824  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Smith. 
This  lady  was  a  native  of  New  Jersey,  where  she  was  born  in  1797.  Her  father, 
Mr.  Eeide,  was  also  a  native  of  that  State,  but  his  parents  came  from  Germany. 
In  1807  the  family  removed  to  Lorain  County,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  Eliza- 
beth was  married  to  Mr.  Smith.  He  lived  but  four  years  after  the  marriage ; 
and  after  seven  years  of  widowhood  she  was  married  to  Quartus  Gillmore,  he 
being  at  that  time  thirty-four  years  of  age,  and  she  twenty-six.  Neither  of 
them  had  any  advantages  of  education,  save  such  as  could  be  obtained  from  the 
rude  schools  of  the  time  and  place.  Both  were  hardy,  vigorous  pioneers,  and 
the  wife  was  accounted  a  beauty.  Both  have  lived  to  see,  in  a  hale  old  age,  the 
fame  and  honors  of  their  first-born. 

At  the  time  of  his  birth  the  country  was  agitated  with  the  prolonged  excite- 
ment of  the  famous  Presidential  contest  of  1824,  between  Jackson,  John  Quincy 
Adams,  Crawford,  and  Henry  Clay.  Quartus  Gillmore,  true  to  his  Massachusetts 
ancestry  and  teachings,  belonged  to  the  Adams  party.  His  favorite  was  finally 
elected  by  the  House  of  Eepresentatives  on  the  9th  of  February,  and  the  news 
of  the  election  reached  that  remote  portion  of  the  frontier  on  the  very  day  on 
which  the  son  was  born.  In  the  fullness  of  his  joy  at  the  election  and  at  the 
birth,  the  happy  father  declared  that  his  boy  should  bear  the  name  of  a  Presi- 
dent, and  forthwith  named  him  Quincy  Adams  * 

The  lad  grew  up  in  the  hearty  life  of  the  pioneers.     Through  the  summers 

*  These  facts  are  derived  from  an  unpublished  sketch  of  General  Gillmore's  youth,  by  L.  A. 
Hine,  Esq.,  of  the  Cincinnati  Times.     He  gives  a  list  of  the  other  members  of  the  family,  as  fol- 


020  Ohio  in  the  War. 

willi  the  well-known  academic  rule,  his  assignment.  He  was  made  a  Brevet 
.ud-Lieutmiant  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  and  was  ordered  to  duty  as  an 
assistant  on  the  fortifications  at  Hampton  Eoads.  After  three  years'  service 
here  he  was  ordered  back  to  West  Point,  to  serve  as  an  instructor  in  the  depart- 
ment of  practical  military  engineering.  For  three  years  he  held  this  position, 
and  for  another  he  was  treasurer  and  quartermaster  of  the  Academy. 

It  was  during  this  stay  at  West  Point,  in  the  years  1852-56,  that  Lieuten- 
ant Gillmoro,  now  a  rising  young  engineer,  whose  talents  had  begun  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  superior  officers  of  his  corps,  had  an  opportunity  to  study 
the  effects  of  cannon  projectiles  on  masonry  forts — a  study  that  was  to  yield  to 
the  country  and  to  science  such  fruits  as  the  breaching  of  Fort  Pulaski  and  the 
destruction  of  Fort  Sumter  from  distances  at  which  they  had  been  considered 
impregnable.  The  scries  of  breaching  experiments  on  masonry  targets  which 
he  here  conducted,  gave  him  his  first  ideas  as  to  the  capabilities  of  rifled  cannon. 
His  views  went  far  beyond  those  of  the  older  members  of  his  corps,  and  it  was 
not  till  the  fall  of  Pulaski  that  he  convinced  them. 

On  July  1st,  1856,  he  was  promoted  to  a  First-Lieutenancy  of  Engineers, 
and  ordered  to  New  York  City,  to  assume  charge  of  the  Engineer  Agency  there 
established.  His  duties  were  to  superintend  the  purchase  and  shipment  of  ma- 
terial used  in  the  construction  of  forts,  light-houses,  and  other  works  committed 
to  the  corps.     In  this  position  he  remained  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 

In  addition  to  these  duties,  however,  he  was  engaged  upon  an  elaborate 
•  series  of  experiments  with  the  limes  and  hydraulic  cements  of  America  and 
Europe— with  special  reference  to  their  use  in  masonry  fortifications.  This 
resulted  in  the  preparation  of  a  work,  which  has  since  become  the  standard 
authority  among  engineers,  on  "Limes,  Hydraulic  Cements  and  Mortars." * 
During  the  same  period,  as. another  result!  of  these  experiments,  he  contributed 
to  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  its  session  in 
Albany,  a  paper  on  the  practicability  of  making  a  cement  from  quartz  that,  on 
hardening,  would  assume  the  original  characteristics  of  that  rock,  and  prove  as 
indestructible.  Some  mathematical  speculations  which  he  published  about  the 
same  time  attracted  the  attention  of  the  authorities  of  Oberlin  College,  and 
drew  from  them  the  complimentary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  He  had  also 
contributed  to  the  Cleveland  papers  suggestions  on  the  defense  of  the  lake  coast, 
winch  attracted  the  notice  of  the  scientific,  and  received  the  attention  of  the 
W  ar  Department. 

Thus  the  young  engineer  gradually  rose  in  his  profession.  He  was  still 
only  a  First-Lieutenant,  but  he  was  marked  as  one  of  the  promising  men  of  the 
corps  d  elite  of  the  army.  He  was  engrossed  in  its  duties,  was  devoted  to  its 
advancement,  and  was  noted  for  the  thoroughness  and  value  of  his  investiga- 
tions. At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  was  in  his  thirty-sixth  year,  and  was 
once  more  alone  in  the  world,  having  lost  his  accomplished  wife  in  1860.  She 
eft  him  four  promising  boys,  the  care  of  whose  education  was  undertaken  in 
his  wife  s  old  home  at  West  Point. 

*  300  pp.  octavo;  published  by  Van  Nostrand,  New  York. 


QUINCY    A.    GlLLMORE.  621 

In  August,  1861,  Lieutenant  Gillmore  applied  for  active  field  duty.  Chief- 
Justice  Chase,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  warmly  recommended  him  to 
Governor  Dennison.  The  Governor  at  once  offered  him  the  command  of  one 
of  the  Ohio  regiments.  This  he  declined.  Members  of  the  Engineer  Corps  are 
wont  to  attach  a  high  importance  to  their  position,  and  Gillmore  preferred  his 
place  in  the  Engineers  to  a  Colonelcy  of  volunteers.  But  he  desired,  if  possi- 
ble, to  organize  a  briga.de  of  Sappers,  Miners,  and  Pontoniers  for  service  in  the 
Western  armies.  Governor  Dennison  at  once  fell  in  with  this  idea,  and  urged 
upon  the  President  his  appointment  as  a  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers.  Pro- 
fessor Mahan  of  West  Point,  and  Wra.  Cullen  Bryant  united  in  the  recommenda- 
tion. Mr.  Lincoln  was  not  unwilling,  but  the  War  Department  objected.  It 
was  then  organizing  an  expedition  under  T.  W.  Sherman  to  make,  in  conjunc- 
tion -with  Admiral  Dupont,  a  descent  upon  the  coast  of  South  Carolina.  Lieu- 
tenant Gillmore's  experience  in  the  Engineer  Agency  in  New  York  peculiarly 
qualified  him  for  the  work  of  fitting  out  this  expedition,  and  the  Department 
would  not  sanction  any  promotion  by  which  his  services  therein  would  be  lost. 
He  was  accordingly  promoted  to  a  Captaincy  in  his  corps,  and  made  Chief  En- 
gineer to  General  T.  W.  Sherman,  then  about  to  set  out  for  Port  Eoyal. 

This  was  on  the  3d  of  October,  1861.  A  month  later  he  was  present  with 
the  staff,  when,  after  Admiral  Dupont's  splendid  bombardment,  the  troops  made 
their  descent  upon  Hilton  Head  Island.  Through  November  and  December  he 
was  engaged  in  fortifying  the  positions  thus  secured. 

Meantime  the  country  impatiently  awaited  some  more  important  results 
from  the  great  coast  expedition  than  the  establishment  of  schools  among  the 
contrabands  on  Hilton  Head.  Finally  the  General  commanding  directed  his 
attention  to  Savannah. 

Fort  Pulaski  stood  in  the  way.  Situated  on  one  of  the  marshy  islands 
along  the  coast,  neither  land  nor  water,  that  yet  offer  to  military  movements 
the  special  obstacles  of  both,  it  seemed  secure  against  land  attacks.  But  it 
covered  both  the  channels  of  the  Savannah  Eiver,  and,  while  it  stood,  the  way 
to  the  threatened  city  was  closed.  Late,  therefore,  in  November  Captain  Gill- 
more  was  ordered  to  make  a  thorough  reconnoissance  of  the  locality.  On  the 
29th  he  set  out;  on  the  1st  of  December  he  made  his  report.  The  one  feature 
of  the  report  was  this:  "I  deem  the  reduction  of  Fort  Pulaski  practicable  by 
batteries  of  mortars  and  rifled  guns,  established  on  Tybee  Island."*  And  five 
days  later,  in  another  communication,  he  specified  the  armament  he  would  ask 
for  the  undertaking:  '-Ten  ten-inch  sea-coast  mortars,  ten  thirteen-inch  do., 
eight  heavy  rifled  guns,  and  eight  Columbiads." 

The  assumption  of  the  young  engineer  was  to  the  older  members  of  his 
corps,  and  to  the  officers  of  the  army  generally,  a  matter  of  astonishment.  The 
site  for  his  proposed  breaching  batteries  was  an  island  seventeen  hundred  yards 
distant  from  the  fort.  The  limit  for  practicable  breaching  of  masonry  forts  was 
supposed  to  be  one  thousand  yards;  and,  except  under  peculiarly  favorable  cir- 
cumstances, no  one  thought  such  an  effort  advisable  at  a  distance  greater  than 

♦"Gillmore's  Siege  of  Fort  Pulaski,"  p.  55. 


cj!  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

1b  about  on  a  level  of  ordinary  high  tide.     There  are  a  few  spots  of  limited 

,„s's  Point  being  one  of  them,  that  are  submerged  only  by  spring  tides, 

',,.  ,)V  ordinary  tides  favored  by  the  wind;  but  the  character  of  the  soil  is  the 

same  over  the  whole  island.     It  is  a  soft  unctuous  mud,  free  of  grit  or  sand, 

Ktble  of  supporting  a  heavy  weight.     Even  in  the  most  elevated  places 

partially  dry  crust  is  but  three  or  four  inches   in  depth,  the  substratum 

'  a  semi-fluid  mud,  which  is  agitated  like  jelly  by  the  falling  of  even  small 
bodies  upon  it,  like  the  jumping  of  men  or  ramming  of  earth.  A  pole  or  an 
oar  can  bo  forced  into  it  with  ease,  to  the  depth  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  In 
most  places  the  resistance  diminishes  with  increase  of  penetration.  Men  walk- 
'.  i-  it  are  partially  sustained  by  the  roots  of  reeds  and  grass,  and  sink  in 
OBly  five  or  six  inches.  When  this  top  support  gives  way,  they  go  down  from 
two  to  two  and  a  half  feet,  and  in  some  places  much  further." 

Across  this  uncertain  slime,  a  wheelbarrow  track  of  plank  was  laid.  Poles 
were  cut  on  Dafuskie  Island  and  taken  by  boats  into  Mud  River  to  make  a 
wharf  for  the  landing  of  the  guns,  and  bags  filled  with  sand  were  carried  over 
by  the  batteries.  Finally,  on  the  10th  of  February,  the  hope  of  aid  from  the 
navy  being  abandoned,  the  flats  on  which  the  guns  were  loaded  were  towed  out 
through  the  sluggish  rivers  by  row-boats,  against  the  tide,  and  landed  at  the 
wharf.  At  the  same  time  another  party  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  island,  at 
Venus's  Point,  was  at  work  on  the  platforms  for  the  battery.  First  bags  of 
sand  were  laid  down  on  the  cozy  soil,  till  the  whole  surface  was  raised  five  or 
six  inches.  Then  over  these  went  a  flooring  of  thick  planks,  nearly  but  not 
quite  in  contact  with  each  other.  Across  these  at  right  angles  other  planks 
were  laid,  till,  finally,  the  platform  was  raised  some  twenty  inches  above  the 
natural  surface.  All  the  while  this  work  went  on,  the  unsuspicious  Rebel  gun- 
boats were  plying  up  and  down  the  Savannah  River,  in  full  view.  Then  at  day- 
light the  work  was  left,  and  all  hands  went  back  to  Dafuskie. 

The  next  night  came  the  hardest  task.  Over  the  twelve-feet-deep  mud  of 
Jones's  Island  were  to  be  dragged,  from  the  wharf  back  on  Mud  River  to  the 
site  for  the  battery  at  Venus's  Point,  three  thirty-pounder  Parrotts,  two  twenty- 
pounders,  and  a  great  eight-inch  siege  howitzer.  The  Captain  shall  tell  us  how 
this  seemingly  impossible  task  was  accomplished  : 

"The  work  was  done  in  the  following  manner:  The  pieces,  mounted  on 
their  carriages  and  limbered  up,  were  moved  forward  on  shifting  runways  of 
planks  (about  fifteen  feet  long,  one  foot  wide,  and  three  inches  thick),  laid  end 
to  end.  Lieutenant  Wilson,  with  a  party  of  thirty-five  men,  took  charge  of  the 
two  pieces  in  advance  (an  eight-inch  siege  howitzer  and  a  thirty-pounder 
Parrott),and  Major  Beard  and  the  Lieutenant,  with  a  somewhat  larger  force,  of 
the  lour  p-ieces  in  the  rear  (two  twenty  and  two  thirty-pounder  Parrotts.)  Each 
party  had  one  pair  of  planks  in  excess  of  the  number  required  for  the  guns  and 
limbers  to  rest  upon,  when  closed  together.  This  extra  pair  of  planks  being 
placed  in  front,  in  prolongation  of  those  already  under  the  carriages,  the  pieces 
were  then  drawn  forward  with  the  drag-ropes,  one  after  the  other,  the  length  of  a 
plunk,  thus  freeing  the  two  planks  in  the  rear,  which,  in  their  turn,  were  carried 


QUINCY   A.     GrILLMORE.  625 

to  the  front.  This  labor  is  of  the  most  fatiguing  kind.  In  most  places  the  men 
sank  to  their  knees  in  the  mud;  in  some  places,  much  deeper.  This  mud  being  of 
the  most  slippery  and  slimy  kind,  and  perfectly  free  from  grit  or  sand,  the  planks 
soon  became  entirely  smeared  over  with  it.  Many  delays  and  much  exhausting 
labor  were  occasioned  by  the  gun-carriages  slipping  off*  the  planks.  When  this 
occurred,  the  wheels  would  suddenly  sink  to  the  hubs,  and  powerful  levers  had 
to  be  devised  to  raise  them  up  again.  I  authorized  the  men  to  encase  their  feel 
in  sandbags  to  keep  the  mud  out  of  their  shoes.  Many  did  this,  tying  the 
strings  just  below  the  knees.  The  magazines  and  platforms  were  ready  for 
service  at  daybreak." 

When  day  dawned,  therefore,  the  Savannah  river  was  closed.  But  now  a 
fresh  peril  arose.  The  artillerists,  as  they  stood  about  their  newly-planted  guns, 
presently  perceived  a  foe  creeping  up,  around,  and  upon  them,  against  which 
their  Parrotts  and  mortars  were  of  no  avail.  The  tide  rose  within  eight  inches 
of  the  surface  !  A  high  wind  would  have  sent  it  over.  And  the  worst  was  not 
yet,  for  the  spring  tides  were  approaching.  Captain  Gillmore  met  this  new 
danger  by  constructing  a  levee  entirely  around  the  battery,  sufficient  to  secure 
it  against  ordinary  seas.     If  storms  should  come,  it  must  take  its  chances. 

A  few  days  later  and  other  batteries  were  planted  to  co-operate  with  this 
One  in  completely  investing  Pulaski  below,  and  blockading  Savannah  above. 
Then  Captain  Gillmore  was  ordered  down  to  undertake  his  greater  work. 

On  the  21st  of  February  the  first  of  his  required  artillery  and  ordnance 
stores  for  the  siege  arrived.  General  Sherman*  now  determined  that  his  hope- 
ful young  engineer  should  have  all  the  honor  of  success,  or  bear  all  the  burden 
of  defeat;  and  he  accordingly  authorized  him  to  act  as  a  Brigadier- General 
(pending  the  appointment  to  that  rank,  which  he  had  solicited  for  him  from  the 
President),  and  to  assume  command  of  all  the  troops  required  for  the  siege. 
Thenceforward  he  had  matters  entirely  in  his  own  hands. 

The  point  on  which  batteries  were  now  to  be  erected  was  not  unlike  that  at 
which  General  Gillmore  had  recently  been  laboring.  Tybee  Island,  like  Jones's 
Island  above,  is  a  mud  marsh.  Several  ridges  and  hummocks  of  firm  ground, 
however,  are  to  be  found  upon  it;  and  along  Tybee  Eoads,  where  the  artillery 
was  to  be  debarked,  stretched  a  skirting  of  low  sand-banks,  formed  by  the 
action  of  wind  and  tides.  From  this  place  to  the  proposed  site  of  the  ad- 
vanced batteries  was  a  distance  of  about  two  and  a  half  miles.  The  last  mile 
was  in  full  view  of  Fort  Pulaski,  and  within  the  range  of  its  guns.  It  was, 
besides,  a  low  marsh,  presenting  the  same  obstacles  to  the  transportation  of 
heavy  artillery  that  had  been  encountered  in  the  work  at  Yenus's  Point. 

The  first  difficulty  was  met  in  landing  the  guns.  The  beach  was  open  and 
exposed,  and  often  a  high  surf  was  running.  The  guns  were  lowered  from  the 
vessels  on  which  they  had  been  sent  down  from  the  JSTorth  upon  lighters,  over 
which  a  strong  deck  had  been  built  from  gunwale  to  gunwale.  Then  at  high 
tide  row-boats  towed  these  lighters  to  the  shore.     Eopes  were  then  attached  to 

•T.  W.  Sherman— distinguished   sometimes   from  the  present  Lieutenant-General  W.  T 
Sherman,  by  the  soubriquet,  "Port  Koyal  Sherman." 
Yol.  I.— 40. 


(..)f.  Ohio  in  the  War. 

i  M^nfld   them   thus  rolling  the  heavy  masses  of 

;::::,;:;!,::,  r;;;:::r  v;:rr «,  :u  *, ~ *  *  -  - 

Z^cn  seized  upon  them  and  dragged  them  by  mam  strength  up  the  sand- 
huik  out  of  reach  of  the  next  high  tide.  .       ,         •  ,,,.  ,     • 

'     ib6n  came  the  task  of  planting  them  in  battery  »  the  y.eldmg  marsh,  in 
.Sight  of  Pulaski  without  being  discovered.     "No  one/'  says  General  Gillmoro, 
...pl  an  eye-witness,  can  form  any  but  a  faint  conception  of  the  herculean 
,,,„.,.  L  which  mortars  of  eight  and  a  half  tons  weight,  and  Columbians,  but  a 
trifle  l4ter  were  moved  in  the  dead  of  night,  over  a  narrow  causeway,  bor- 
dered by  swamps  on  either  side,  and  liable  at  any  moment  to  be   overturned, 
<m(l  Kuried   i.i  the  mud  beyond  reach.     The  stratum  of  mud  is  about  twelve 
foe<  (KhT;  and  on  several  occasions  the  heaviest  pieces,  particularly  the  mortars, 
,.,  detached  from  the  sling-carts  and  were  with  great  difficulty,  by  the  use 
Of  planks  and  skids,  kept  from  sinking  to  the  bottom.     Two  hundred   and  fifty 
men  were  barely  sufficient  to  move  a  single  piece,   on  sling-carts.      The   men 
were  not  allowed  to  speak  above  a  whisper,  and  were  guided  by  the  notes  of  a 

whistle." 

The  work  went  on  without  discovery,  and  apparently  without  even  arous- 
ing the  suspicions  of  the  fort.  Its  seeming  impracticability  was  its  safeguard. 
The  batteries  nearest  the  fort  were  carefully  screened  from  observation  by  grad- 
ual and  almost  imperceptible  changes  in  the  appearance  of  the  brushwood  and 
brushes  in  front  of  them— no  sudden  alteration  of  the  outline  of  the  landscape 
being  permitted.  Thus,  in  silence  and  in  darkness,  eleven  batteries,  mounting 
heavier  guns  than  were  ever  before  used  in  the  United  States  service,  gradually 

6  before  the  unsuspicious  fort.  As  the  dangerous  part  of  the  work  was 
completed  less  care  was  taken  about  discovery,  and  the  enemy  finally  learned 
the  location  of  two  of  the  less  important  batteries;  of  the  very  existence  of  the 
others  he  would  seem  to  have  had  no  conception. 

By  the  1st  of  April  a  change  in  the  command  of  the  department  had  been 
made.  The  popular  impatience  at  the  lack  of  results  under  General  Sherman's 
management  had  led  to  his  removal.  General  Hunter,  on  taking  command, 
found  the  investment  of  Pulaski  complete,  and  the  preparations  for  opening  the 
bombardment  well  advanced.  He  inspected  the  work,  but  made  no  change 
whatever.  General  Gillmore  was  left  in  command,  and  eight  days  later  was 
ready  to  open  fire. 

For  eight  weeks  the  troops  had  been  engaged,  day  and  night,  in  the  most 
exhausting  labor,  at  an  inclement  season,  and  in  the  most  malarious  of  locali- 
ties. They  had  completed  eleven  batteries  along  the  coast  of  Tybee  Island 
nearest  Pulaski,  at  a  distance  from  the  fort  ranging  from  three  thousand  four 
hundred  to  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty  yards,  and  had  mounted  thirty- 
nix  heavy  guns,  of  which  ten  were  rifles,  as  follows:  Two  eighty-four  pounder- 
James,  two  sixty-four-pounder  James,  one  forty-eight-pounder  James,  and  five 
thirty  pounder  Parrots.  The  smooth-bores  were,  twelve  thirteen-inch  mortars, 
four  ten-inch  siege  mortars,  six  ten-inch  Columbiads,  and  four  eight-inch  Co- 
lumbiads.     It  was  soon  to  be  seen  that  this  whole  array  of  smooth-bores,  on 


QUTNCY    A.    GrILLMORE.  627 

which  throe-fourths  of  the  time  and  labor  had  been  spent,  was  useless.  The 
whole  length  of  the  line  formed  by  these  batteries  was  two  thousand  five  hundred 
and  fifty  yards.  In  front  of  it,  with  seven  and  a  half  foot  thick  brick  wall* 
standing  obliquely  to  the  line  of  fire,  on  a  separate  little  marshy  island  a  mile 
or  more  distant,  stood  Pulaski,  isolated  from  Savannah  by  the  batteries  up  the 
river,  but  still  able  to  keep  up  frequent  communication  by  courier  through  the 
swamps. 

On  the  evening  of  April  9,  1862,  General  Gillmore  issued  his  general  order 
for  the  bombardment.  It  was  remarkable  for  the  precision  with  which  every 
detail  was  given.     The  directions  for  the  three  breaching  batteries  will  illustrate : 

"  Battery  Sigel  (five  thirty-pounder  Parrotts  and  one  forty-eight-pounder 
James)  to  open,  with  four  and  three-quarter  second  fuses,  on  the  barbette  guns 
of  the  fort  at  the  second  discharge  from  Battery  Sherman.  Charge  for  thirty- 
pounder,  three  and  one-half  pounds  ;  charge  for  forty-eight-pounder,  five  pounds, 
elevation  four  degrees  for  both  calibers.  As  soon  as  the  barbette  fire  of  the 
work  has  been  silenced,  this  battery  will  be  directed,  with  percussion  shells, 
upon  the  walls,  to  breach  the  pancoupe  between  the  east  and  south-east  faces, 
and  the  embrasure  next  to  it  in  the  south-east  face  ;  the  elevation  to  be  varied 
accordingly,  the  charge  to  remain  the  same.  Until  the  elevation  is  actually 
determined,  each  gun  should  fire  once  in  six  or  eight  minutes  ;  after  that,  every 
four  or  five  minutes. 

"  Battery  McClellan  (two  eighty-four-pounders  and  two  sixty-four-pounder  , 
James)  to  open  fire  immediately  after  Battery  Scott.  Charge  for  eighty-four- 
pounder,  eight  pounds;  charge  for  sixty-four-pounder,  six  pounds;  elevation 
for  eighty-four-pounder,  four  and  one-quarter  degrees  ;  for  sixty-four-pounder, 
four  degrees.  Each  piece  should  fire  once  every  five  or  six  minutes  after  the  ele- 
vation has  been  established  ;  charge  to  remain  the  same.  This  battery  should 
breach  the  work  in  the  pancoupe  between  the  south  and  south-east  faces,  and  the 
embrasure  next  to  it  in  the  south-east  face.  The  steel  scraper  for  the  grooves 
should  be  used  after  every  fifth  or  sixth  discharge. 

"  Battery  Scott  (three  t'en-inch  and  one  eight-inch  Columbiads)  to  fire  solid 
shot,  commencing  immediately  after  the  barbette  fire  of  the  work  has  ceased. 
Charge  of  ten-inch  Columbiad,  twenty-pounds ;  elevation  four  and  one-half  de- 
grees. Charge  of  eight-inch  Columbiad,  ten  pounds;  elevation  five  degrees.! 
This  battery  should  breach  the  pancoupe  between  the  south  and  south-east  faces, 
and  the  embrasure  next  to  it  in  the  south  east  face ;  the  elevation  to  be  varied 
accordingly,  the  charge  to  remain  the  same.  Until  the  elevation  is  accurately 
determined,  each  gun  should  fire  once  in  ten  minutes ;  after  that,  every  six  or 
eight  minutes." 

These  instructions,  with  few  exceptions,  were  adhered  to  throughout.  For 
their  striking  illustration  of  the  unerring  as  well  as  pre-estimated  results  of 
applied  science,  engineers  and  artillerists  will  hold  them  not  among  the  least 
remarkable  features  of  the  siege.  They  were  addressed  to  raw  volunteer 
infantry,  absolutely  ignorant  of  artillery  practice  till  the  siege  commenced,  and 
taught  what  little  they  knew  about  serving  the  guns  in  the  intervals  of  leisure 


628 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


from  dragging  them  over  the  beach  into  battery.     Plainly,  if  the  young  engi- 
hould  Succeed,  it  would  only  be  because  adverse  circumstances  could  not 

hinder  him.  .  x      , 

( )n  the  morning  of  the  tenth  General  Hunter  decided  to  delay  the  bombard- 
I  in  the  garrison  should  be  summoned,  in  his  felicitous  phrase,  to  surren- 
der and  restore  to  the  United  States  the  fort  which  they  held.     The  command- 
fficer  tersely  enough  replied  that  he  was  there  to  defend  and  not  to  sur- 
,•  it.     General  Hunter  quietly  read  the  response;  then,   stepping  to  the 
of  his  head-quarters,  said:  "General  Gillmore,  you  may  open  fire  as  soon 
as  you  pleaae.M    In  a  moment  a  mortar  from  Battery  Halleck  flung  out  with  a 
puff  its  great  globe  of  metal,  and  the  bombardment  had  begun.     The  enemy 
I  vigorously,  but  rather  wildly,  in  reply. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  the  fire  of  the  mortars,  comprising  nearly  one- 
hall'  of  the  artillery  bearing  upon  the  fort,  was  comparatively  useless.  Not  one 
shell  in  ten  fell  within  or  upon  the  fort.  The  Columbiads  did  not  seem  to  be 
particularly  efficient,  but  the  rifles  soon  began  to  indent  the  surface  of  the  wall 
near  the  south-east  angle.  Neither  the  garrison  nor  our  own  soldiers  saw  much  in 
the  bombardment  promising  decisive  results  ;  but  by  one  o'clock  General  Gill- 
more  was  convinced  that  the  fort  would  be  breached,  mainly  by  the  rifled  pro- 
jectiles, which  the  telescope  showed  to  be  already  penetrating  deeply  into  the 
brick-work.  It  was  also  evident  that  on  breaching  alone,  With  perhaps  an 
assault  when  the  breach  was  practicable,  could  dependence  be  placed.  The  gar- 
rison could  stand  the  mortar  fire  far  longer  than  the  assailants  could  keep  it  up. 

At  dark  the  bombardment  ceased,  three  mortars  and  a  rifle,  however,  keep- 
ing up  a  five-minute  discharge  through  the  night,  to  prevent  the  garrison  from 
making  repairs.  Ten  and  a  half  hours  of  heavy  firing  from  the  whole  arma- 
ment of  the  batteries  had  apparently  resulted  only  in  a  somewhat  shattered 
appearance  of  the  wall  about  the  angle  on  which  the  firing  had  been  directed, 
and  in  the  dismounting  of  two  barbette  guns,  and  the  silencing  of  three  in  the 
casemates.  But,  in  fact,  the  breach  was  almost  effected,  although  the  garrison 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  aware  of  it.  General  Gillmore  had  selected  the 
point  for  the  breach  with  special  reference  to  his  knowledge  of  the  location  of 
the  magazine.  The  moment  his  rifled  balls  passed  through  the  wTall  of  the  fort 
tlx-y  Mould  begin  to  strike  the  rear  of  the  magazine  on  the  opposite  side, 

On  the  morning  of  the  lltli  the  bombardment  was  resumed.  The  damages 
to  the  wall  soon  became  conspicuous,  and  the  heavy  shots  from  the  Columbiads 
now  served  to  shatter  and  shake  down  the  masonry  which  the  rifled  projectiles 
had  displaced.  By  twelve  o'clock  two  entire  casemates  had  been  opened,  and  in 
the  space  between  them  the  rifle  balls  were  plunging  through  to  the  rear  of  the 
zine.  The  danger  of  being  blown  up  became  imminent,  and  the  command- 
ant hastened  to  call  together  a  council  of  his  officers.  They  voted  unanimously 
for  surrender,  and  just  as  their  flag  came  fluttering  slowly  down,  General  Gill- 
more was  giving  his  directions  for  opening  upon  another  embrasure.  He  passed 
over  at  once  and  received  the  surrender. 

The  loss  on  our  side  was  but  one  man  killed,  so  perfect  had  been  the  engi- 


QUINCY      A.     GlLLMORE.  -;_>;, 

neering  skill  that  directed  the  construction  of  the  defenses  along  the  line  of  bat- 
teries. The  garrison  of  the  fort  lost  several  killed  and  wounded.  Three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  were  surrendered.* 

The  immediate  result  of  these  operations  was  the  total  blockade  of  the  port 
of  Savannah,  and  the  reduction  of  the  principal  defense  of  the  city  against 
attack  from  the  sea.  But  their  remote  consequences  were  far-reaching,  and 
constituted  an  era  in  military  science.  General  Gillmore  himself  has  set  forth 
some  of  them.  "  It  is  true,  beyond  question,"  he  says,  "  that  the  minimum  dis- 
tance, say  from  nine  hundred  to  one  thousand  yards,  at  which  land  batteries 
have  heretofore  been  considered  practically  harmless  against  exposed  masonry, 
must  be  at  least  trebled,  now  that  rifled  guns  have  to  be  provided  against."f 
And  he  confidently  adds :  "  With  heavy  James  or  Parrott  guns  the  practica- 
bility of  breaching  the  best-constructed  brick  scarp  at  two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred to  two  thousand  five  hundred  yards,  with  satisfactory  rapidity,  admits  of 
very  little  doubt.  Had  we  possessed  our  present  knowledge  of  their  power  pre- 
vious to  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Pulaski,  the  eight  weeks  of  laborious  prepa- 
ration for  its  reduction  could  have  been  curtailed  to  one  week,  as  heavy  mor- 
tars and  Columbiads  would  have  been  omitted  from  the  armament  of  the  batte- 
ries, as  unsuitable  for  breaching  at  long  ranges."  In  short,  he  had  shown  the 
enormous  power  of  the  new  heavy  rifled  artillery  at  unprecedentedly  -long 
ranges ;  and  in  those  thirty-six  hours'  firing  had  unsettled  the  foundations  of 
half  the  fortifications  of  Europe  and  America. 

The  man  that  did  this  was  a  young  Captain  of  Engineers  who  had  never 
seen  a  gun  fired  in  battle  till  on  this  expedition,  and  had  never  commanded  the 
firing  of  one  till  in  this  siege — who  had  nevertheless  staked  his  success  in  his 
profession  on  the  soundness  of  his  theories  about  artillery,  and  in  doing  so,  had 
faced  the  opposition  of  the  talent  and  experience  of  the  entire  brilliant  corps, 
of  which  he  was  one  of  the  younger  and  less  known  members. 

Within  a  fortnight  after  the  surrender  his  provisional  appointment  as  Briga- 
dier-General wTas  confirmed  by  the  President.  His  long  exposure  to  the  malaria 
of  the  marshes,  brought  on  a  fever  which  now  prostrated  him,  and  kept  him 
out  of  the  field  till  the  ensuing  August. 

On  his  recovery  from  the  malarious  fever  of  the  Georgia  swamps,  General 
Gillmore  went  to  Albany,  under  the  orders  of  the  Department,  to  assist  the 
Governor  of  New  York  in  equipping  and  forwarding  to  the  seat  of  war  the 
troops  then  being  raised  in  that  State.  After  a  month  of  such  service,  about 
the  time  of  the  invasion  of  Kentucky  by  Bragg  and  Kirby  Smith,  which  threw 
Buell  back  from  north  Alabama  to  the  Ohio  Eiver,  General  Gillmore  was  sud- 
denly ordered  to  Cincinnati;  and  on  the  17th  of  September  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  advance  moving  down  from  Covington  after  Kirby  Smith.  But 
about  this  time  the  invasion  of   Kentucky  was  abandoned.     Meanwhile  our 

*  The  loss  of  the  garrison  might  be  inferred  to  be  twenty-five,  since  it  is  known  to  have  num- 
bered three  hundred  and  eighty-five,  and  only  three  hundred  and  sixty  were  taken  prisoners. 
tGillmore's  Siege  of  Fort  Pulaski,  p.  52. 


63o  Ohio  in  the  War 

forces  had  sustained  a  defeat  in  the  Kanawha  Valley,  and  the  need  of  an  ex- 
perienced officer  to  reorganize  the  troops  as  they  came  out  at  Point  Pleasant 
severely  felt.  General  Gillmore  was  hurried  up;  then,  ten  days  later,  on 
the  arrival  of  General  Cox  to  assume  command  of  the  Department,  was  sent 
to  the  troops  he  had  lately  heen  leading  in  Kentucky.  On  the  27th  of 
October  be  W*a  placed  in  command  of  the  post  of  Lexington,  and  then,  three 
months  later,  he  relieved  General  Gordon  Granger  in  the  command  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Central  Kentucky. 

The  period  of  General  Gillmore's  service  in  Kentucky  was  marked  by  no 
achievements  of  special  importance.  The  main  Eebel  army  had  been  pushed 
beyond  Stone  River  in  Tennessee ;  and  the  quiet  of  Central  Kentucky  was  only 
disturbed  by  small  parties  of  foragers  or  marauders,  and  by  the  natural  turbu- 
lence of  the  disloyal  elements.  The  most  formidable  of  the  Eebel  raids  was 
that  commanded  by  General  Pegram,  which  was  finally  beaten  back  at  the 
battle  of  Somerset.  Pegram  crossed  the  Cumberland  Eiver  at  Stazall's  Ferry, 
in  the  latter  part  of  March,  with  a  mounted  force  variously  estimated  at  from 
fifteen  hundred  to  three  thousand,  with  six  pieces  of  artillery.  He  drove  in  the 
advanced  posts  at  Somerset  and  Danville,  and  pushed  boldly  up  toward  Lexing- 
ton, until  he  reached  the  Kentucky  River.  Meantime  he  had  proclaimed  that 
his  force  was  onty  the  advance  of  a  large  column  under  Breckinridge  that  was 
to  "redeem"  the  State,  and  had  issued  a  high-sounding  manifesto,  declaring 
that  every  young  Kentuckian  who  now  hesitated  to  join  the  "  liberating  "  army 
must  forthwith  leave  the  State.  These  loud  pretences  seem  to  have  imposed 
upon  the  officers  commanding  the  posts  in  the  line  of  Pegram's  advance,  and  all 
fled  before  him. 

But  when  he  halted  at  the  Kentucky  Eiver,  it  began  to  be  suspected  that 
he  did  so  because  he  lacked  the  force  to  go  further.  The  mounted  men  in  the 
Department  were  then  mostly  away  in  North -eastern  Kentucky,  in  pursuit  of 
another  Eebel  raiding  party  commanded  by  Colonel  Clarke.  General  Gillmore 
however  promptly  checked  the  retreat  of  the  infantry,  ordered  it  back  to  the 
south  side  of  the  Kentucky  Eiver  to  confront  Pegram,  and  made  haste  to  gather 
together  such  mounted  troops  as  remained  accessible.  With  these,  on  the  28th 
of  March,  he  set  out  to  join  the  infantry,  and  press  down  upon  Pegram.  Alto- 
gether he  was  able  to  advance  with  about  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  men  of  all 
arms,  while  other  troops  rapidly  followed. 

The  force  he  was  to  encounter  can  not  be  definitely  stated.  The  Eebels 
declared  it  was  inferior  in  strength.*  Gillmore  believed  it  to  outnumber  him 
two  to  one.f  A  few  miles  north  of  Somerset,  on  Dutton's  Hill,  it  turned  to  give 
him  battle.  He  had  considerable  infantry  forces  a  day's  march  in  the  rear,  but, 
rather  than  fall  back  upon  them,  he  resolved  to  accept  battle  with  the  twelve 
hundred  and  fifty  then  up.  Dismounting  his  cavalry,  he  sent  the  horses  to  the 
rear  of  the  artillery  in  the  center,  where  they  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
strong  cavalry  reserve,  and  deceived  the  enemy  into  the  belief  that  there  was 
momentary  danger  of  a  cavalry  charge.     The  troops  then  advanced  upon  tho 

•Pollard's  Southern  History  of  the  War,  p.  602.  tGillmore's  Official  Report. 


QUINCY    A.    GlLLMORE.  631 

enemy's  position,  and  a  spirited  fight  of  several  hours'  duration  ensued. 
Finally,  Gillmore  perceived  that  his  rear  was  about  to  be  attaeked  by  a  strong 
force  of  cavalry,  just  detached  from  his  front.  Leaving  the  rear  to  take  care 
of  itself,  he  straightway  ordered  a  charge  of  the  whole  command  up  the  hill 
upon  the  body  remaining  to  hold  the  enemy's  position.  Weakened  as  it  was  by 
the  detachment  just  made  for  the  rear  attack,  it  was  unable  to  resist  the  impet- 
uous onset.  The  enemy  was  thus  driven;  the  Eebel  attack  on  the  rear  was 
easily  brushed  back,  and  the  line  rapidly  advanced.  The  main  body  of  the 
routed  enemy  escaped  across  the  Cumberland  River  during  the  night.  Grill- 
more's  loss  was  about  fifty.  He  reported  Pegram's  loss  at  nearly  five  hundred, 
including  eighteen  officers.  The  Eebels  only  acknowledged  a  loss  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty;  and  some  of  our  newspaper  accounts  doubted  whether  even  that  were 
not  an  exaggeration.*  The  action,  however,  was  handsomely  managed,  and  its 
success  was  complete. 

The  battle  of  Somerset  practically  ended  General  Gillmore's  career  in  Ken- 
tucky. Burnside  presently  arrived  with  the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  and  Gillmoro 
received  a  short  leave  of  absence.  At  its  close  he  was  to  be  called  to  more  con- 
genial work,  on  the  theater  where  he  was  to  win  his  most  brilliant  and  enduring 
fame.  His  operations  in  Kentucky  did  not  add  to  his  reputation.  Somerset 
was  well  enough,  but  it  was  a  small  affair  compared  with  the  reduction  of  Pu- 
laski. The  other  movements  were  trifling,  and  the  whole  campaign — if  it  could 
be  called  by  so  imposing  a  name — was  inconsequential.  Gillmore  was  not  at 
all  to  blame  for  this ;  he  did  all  he  was  ordered  and  all  that  his  means  would 
allow;  but  he  gained  no  applause  by  his  performance  in  Kentucky,  and  won 
little  admiration  from  the  raw  volunteers  whom  he  commanded.  He  was,  how- 
ever, brevetted  Colonel  of  Engineers  for  his  conduct  at  Somerset. 

From  the  outset  of  the  war  two  goals  had  fired  the  ambition  of  the  East. 
As  beyond  the  mountains  they  could  see  no  hopeful  issue  to  the  struggle  till 
the  Great  River,  the  symbol  of  the  Union,  went  unvexed  to  the  sea;  so  in  the 
East,  they  counted  the  successes  of  the  hour  but  little  worth,  while  Richmond 
remained  the  capital  of  the  Confederacy,  and  the  Rebel  flag  floated  in  the  har- 
bor of  Charleston.  Against  Richmond  great  armies  were,  from  time  to  time, 
set  in  array.  But  the  popular  impatience  had  not  been  gratified  by  a  similar 
show  of  effort  against  the  cradle  of  rebellion.  One  expedition,  which  had  been, 
expected  to  replace  on  Sumter  the  flag  that  Anderson  hauled  down,  stopped 
short  on  the  North  Carolina  coast.  Another,  more  formidable  and  more  prom- 
ising, contented  itself  with  seizing  the  harbor  of  Port  Royal.  Another  rested 
satisfied  with  sinking  old  hulks  in  the  outer  channel  of  the  coveted  port. 
These  great  military  preparations  resulted  in  the  fall  of  Pulaski  and  the  de- 
fenses of  Savannah.     But  the  defenses  of  Charleston,  the  hotbed  of  the  treason, 

•  Pollard,  ubi  supra.  Greeley's  Araer.  Conflict,  Vol.  II,  p.  428.  A  brief  statement  of  the 
share  of  one  of  the  leading  cavalry  commands  in  the  fight  may  be  found  in  the  sketch  of  the 
Seventh  Ohio  Cavalry,  Vol.  II,  of  this  work,  p.  798. 


Ohio   in    the  Wae. 

the  spot  of  all  in  the  limits  of  the  rebellion  most  odious  to  the  country,  stood 
unharmed  and  aathreatened. 

ally,  Admiral  I) upon t,  with  inefficient  support,  made  a  gallant  but  un- 

racceaBfol  attempt  with  the  iron-clads  upon  Fort  Sumter.     Eepulse  only  height- 

popnlar  demand  for  the  reduction  of  "the  spot  where  treason  was 

Military  men  were  accustomed  to  question  the  importance  of  Charles- 

,,       :    point  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war.     But  the  people  and  the 

a  wiser.     They  rightly  reckoned  Charleston  second  to  no  strat- 

,;  within  the  Confederacy;  for  its  possession  would  inspire  the  North, 

courage  and  demoralize  the  Southern  people  and  the  Southern  army; 

would  give  assurance  to  menacing  Europe  that  the  Government  was  able  to  open 

Itf  own  port*  and  protect  its  own  coasts. 

era!  Gillmore  had  just  been  relieved  in  Kentucky  when  word  came  of 
Admiral  Dupont's  failure.  He  employed  his  leisure  in  submitting  to  the  War 
Department  his  views  of  what  might  be  done  by  a  combined  land  and  naval 
attack.  He  dwelt  largely  on  the  lessons  which  Fort  Pulaski  taught,  and,  basing 
his  confidence  upon  the  performance  there,  maintained  that  Fort  Sumter  could 
ached  and  reduced  without  any  increase  to  the  forces  on  the  spot. 

•  views  fell  in  remarkably  with  the  wishes  of  the  Department.  Gen- 
.  ra]  BaUeck,  then  General-in-Chief,  protested  that  he  could  spare  no  more  troops 
(or  ■  side-issue  like  that  of  Charleston.  Yet  popular  impatience  and  the  desire 
Of  the  Government  united  in  Ihe  demand  that  the  undertaking  against  Charles- 
ton should  not  be  abandoned.  If  then  Gillmore  could  make  this  undertaking 
ive  without  any  increase  of  force,  he  was  the  wanting  man.  So,  within  a 
Tew  weeks,  he  was  summoned  to  Washington  for  consultation.  His  standing  as 
an  engineer  had  been  vastly  heightened  by  his  reduction  .of  Pulaski;  and  he 
1  the  Department  ready  to  accept  his  statements  on  engineering  questions 
as  liiuil  authority. 

The  Navy  Department  had  represented  its  desire  to  undertake  another 
ment  upon  Fort  Sumter,  but  had  notified  the  military  authorities  that  its 
ess  required  "the  occupation  of  Morris  Island,  and  the  establishment  of 
land  batteries  on  that  island  to  assist  in  the  reduction   of  the  fort."*     To  this 
General  (iillmore's  attention  was  particularly  invited,  and  his  opinions  on  all 
the  points  involved  were  solicited.     He  found  the  naval  authorities  regarding 
Porl  Sumter  as  the  key  to  the  position.     They  affirmed  their  ability  to  remove 
hanncl  obstructions,  secure  control  of  the  entire  harbor,  and  reach  the  city  as 
M  the  offensive  power  of  Sumter  was  destroyed.     They  especially  dreaded, 
er,  its  barbette  guns,  whose  plunging  fire  was  very  dangerous  to  the  mon- 
fS.f     General  Gillmore  at  once  renewed  the  declaration  of  his  belief  in  the 
bility  of  reducing  Fort  Sumter  with  the  forces  then  on  the  spot.     He  added 
thai  beyond  the  occupation  of  Morris  Island  and  the  reduction  of  Sumter,  the 
forces  could  not  be  expected  to  accomplish  much,  unless  largely  re-en- 
forced.   But,  inasmuch  as  the  navy  professed  its  ability  to  do  the  rest,  this  can- 
•General  Halleck's  Annual  Report  for  1862. 
tGillmore'8  "Engineer  and  Artillery  Operations  against  Charleston,"  p.  16. 


QUINCY    A.    GrILLMOKE.  633 

tion  went  for  little,  It  was  speedily  decided  that  General  Gillmore  should  be 
given  the  command  of  the  department,  to  which,  not  yet  a  year  ago,  he  had 
started,  a  young,  unknown  engineer,  for  his  first  sight  of  actual  war;  and  that 
Rear  Admiral  Foote  should  succeed  Dupont  in  command  of  the  naval  squadron. 
We  now  know,  also*  that  the  following  plan  of  operations  was  then  agreed  upon  : 

"First.  To  make  a  descent  upon  and  obtain  possession  of  the  south  end  of 
Morris  Island,  known  to  be  occupied  by  the  enemy,  and  then  being  strongly  for- 
tified by  him,  offensively  and  defensively. 

"  Second.  To  lay  siege  to  and  reduce  Fort  Wagner,  a  heavily-armed  earth- 
work of  strong  plan  and  relief,  situated  near  the  north  end  of  Morris  Island, 
and  distant  about  two  thousand  six  hundred  yards  from  Sumter.  With  Fort 
Wagner  the  work  on  Cummings's  Point  would  also  fall. 

"  Third.  From  the  position  thus  secured,  to  demolish  Fort  Sumter,  and, 
afterward,  co-operate  with  the  fleet,  wrhen  it  was  ready  to  move  in,  by  a  heavy 
artillery  fire. 

"  Fourth.  The  monitors  and  iron-clads  to  enter,  remove  the  channel  ob- 
structions, run  by  the  batteries  on  James's  and  Sullivan's  Islands,  and  reach 
the  city." 

Of  these  four  distinct  operations  the  army  was  to  take  the  lead  in  execut- 
ing all  but  the  last.  That — to  which  all  the  others  were  preparatory — the  navy 
professed  its  full  ability  to  accomplish.  We  are  now  to  see  how  faithfully  and 
thoroughly  Gillmore  executed  his  portion  of  the  programme. 

First,  The  Descent  on  Morris  Island. — The  nearest  point  to  Fort  Sumter  held 
by  the  National  forces,  on  General  Gillmore's  arrival,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1863, 
was  Folly  Island.  This  narrow  sand  spit  borders  the  channel  on  the  south  side, 
running  up  toward  the  city.  It  is  terminated  by  an  inlet  of  the  sea,  communicat- 
ing with  the  creeks  and  lagoons  through  the  marsh  back  of  it,  known  as  Light- 
house Inlet.  Just  across  this  begins  Morris  Island,  another  narrow  sand  spit  on  the 
bosom  of  the  marsh,  which  runs  up,  almost  like  a  prolongation  of  Folly  Island,  till 
its  upper  extremity  is  within  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety  yards  of  Fort 
Sumter.  It  was  known  to  be  held  in  force  by  the  enemy  -t  and  the  fort  at  its  upper 
extremity  was  known  to  be  formidable,  although  its  real  strength  was  scarcely  sus- 
pected. An  abortive  attempt  to  reach  this  point  by  means  of  the  approaches  on 
the  large  island  (James's  Island)  back  of  it,  had  ended  in  the  disastrous  slaughter 
of  Secessionville.  General  Gillmore  wisely  decided  not  to  repeat  that  experi- 
ment. He  was  able  to  muster  only  about  eleven  thousand  five  hundred  men. 
General  Beauregard,  defending  Charleston,  had  a  considerably  larger  force  at 
his  command.  On  open  ground,  then,  his  inferiority  in  numbers  would  reduce 
him  to  the  defensive.  But  on  the  narrow  sand-bank  of  Morris  Island  he  could 
deploy  a  front  as  formidable  as  it  would  be  possible  for  the  enemy  on  that  ground 
to  array  against  him ;  and  he  was,  moreover,  made  entirely  secure  by  reason  of 
being  under  the  guns  of  the  navy. 

Yet  the  descent  presented  grave  difficulties.  With  the  ordinary  hazard  of 
an  assault  upon  fortified  positions  were  coupled  the  unusual  danger  of  an  ap- 

*  Gillmore's  "  Engineer  and  Artillery  Operations  against  Charleston,"  pp.  16,  17. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

proftefa   in   full  view  in   open  boats,  of  disembarking-  under  fire,  forming  on  the 
.;,  nnd#r  lilv,  and  then  advancing  to  the  attack  under  the  combined  fire  of 
ai.(il!,rv  and  small  arms.     The  reduction  of  these  hazards  was  sought  in  various 
l  *  With  a  secrecy  that  must  always  remain  a  marvel,  forty-seven  pieces  of 
heavy  artillery,  with  suitable  parapets,  splinter-proof  defenses   and   magazines, 
Dtod  OB  the  extremity  of  Folly  Island,  within  speaking  distance  of  the 
its,  without  discovery  or  suspicion.     These  were  to  cover  the  cross- 
ing of  the  Storming  parties  and  to  silence  the  works  they  were  to  assault.     A 
Merable  force  was  ostentatiously  sent  around  by  Stono  Eiver  to  make  a 
demonstration  upon  James's  Island.     This  was  to  create  the  impression  that  in 
imitation  of  tho  Secessionville   blunder,  the  main  attack  was  to  be   delivered 
there,  and  thus  draw  off  troops  from  the  fortifications  of  Morris  Island.  Finally, 
a  body  of  troops  was  sent  up  the  South  Edisto  to  cut  the  railroad  between 
Charleston  and  Savannah.     This  was  to  prevent  the  passage  of  re-enforcements 
to  Charleston,  if  the  operations  about  to  be  developed  should  seem  to  threaten 
ipeedy  fall.     This  last  precaution  failed.     The  others  were  completely  suc- 
il,  and  largely  aided  in  securing  the  greater  success  on  Morris  Island. 
On  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  July,  within  less  than  a  month  after  Gen- 
eral (lillmoro  had  assumed  the  command,  the  concealed  batteries  which  he  had 
ed  on  tho  upper  end  of  Folly  Island  suddenly  opened  upon  the  unsuspicious 
my — across  the  Inlent.    Believing  the  danger  to  be  on  James's  Island   the 
I  commander  had  transferred  thither  a  considerable  portion  of  his  force. 
The  rest,  astonished  by  the  sudden  outburst  of  a  danger  they  had  believed 
impossihlo  (for  none  had  dreamt  that  heavy  batteries  could    thus  be  secretly 
lished  under  the  very  eyes  of  their  pickets),  made  an   inadequate  resist- 
ance.    The  storming  party  which,  after  a  couple  of  hours  of  the  bombardment, 
pulled  up  in  small  boats  to  the  beach  of  Morris  Island,  landed  with   little  diffi- 
culty, and  speedily  swept  up  and  into  the  nearest  fortification.     The  Eebels  fell 
bsek,  but  maintained  a  sharp  resistance  at  each  successive  earthwork.     Oat  of 
each  in  turn  they  were  driven  by  the  flushed  and  eager  troops.     Bynine  o'clock 
they  had  carried  three-fourths  of  the  island,  and  their  skirmishers  were  within 
musket  range  of  Fort  Wagner,  the  strong  work  at  the  upper  end,  while  on  this 
the  heavy  guns  of  the  navy  were  pouring  a  severe  artillery  fire.     The  heat 
being  intense,  and  the  troops  being  exhausted,  General  Gillmore  now  thought-it 
well  to  suspend  further  operations  for  the  day* 

It  was  probably  an  unfortunate  delay.  It  is  possible  that  the  exhaustion  of 
the  troops  might  have  made  the  attempt  to  bring  them  to  an  immediate  assault 
of  Fori  Wagner  hazardous.  But  it  is  certain  that,  when  they  were  repulsed, 
Kv  tound,next  morning,  that  the  surprised  enemy  had  profited  by  the  delav  as 
well  as  themselves.  The  troops  then  made  a  gallant  assault,  but  from  the  very 
eumnnt  of  the  parapet  which  they  had  gained  they  were  hurled  back  in  bloodv 
>rder.     Still,  so  great  was  the  strength  of  this  unimposing  sand-heap  subsJ- 

hunZeaV„edn  ^mJ^TZ^^l^^^  *  theS&  °perati°"S'     The  *™  °»e 
hundred.  *  '     ^^  and  **"»*'>  and  the   enemy's  loss  was  estimated  at  two 


Quincy  A.   GlLLMORE.  635 

quently  found,  that  it  will  never  be  held  more  than  a  bare  possibility  that  by 
a  continuance  of  the  attack  on  the  morning  of  the  descent  upon  the  island, 
Wagner  might  have  been  carried.  The  failure  to  carry  it  then  enforced  slower 
operations,  and  thus  brought  General  Gillmore  to  the  second  feature  of  the  plan 
he  had  concerted  with  the  navy  before  his  departure  from  Washington. 

Second,  The  Siege  of  Fort  Wagner. — The  position  in  which  General  Gillmore 
now  found  himself  was  this:  He  was  planted  upon  the  enemy's  late  position  on 
Morris  Island.  He  held  three-fourths  of  the  four  hundred  acres  comprised  in 
the  Island ;  on  the  other  fourth  the  enemy  maintained  a  foothold  by  means  of  a 
formidable  work — externally  nothing  but  a  sand-bank  heaped  ujtin  the.  form  of 
a  fortification — internally  a  powerful  work,  with  subterranean  bomb-proof 
shelters  for  its  entire  garrison.  He  found  the  island  narrowing  from  the  width 
of  a  thousand  yards  at  the  points  where  he  landed  to  scarcely  twenty-five  yards 
in  front  of  Fort  Wagner — a  space  that  seemed  too  contracted  for  any  possibil- 
ity of  siege  approaches  by  means  of  the  regular  parrallels  and  zigzag  saps. 
Every  foot  of  ground  which  he  held  was  under  the  constant  and  searching  fire 
of  the  enemy's  guns  from  Fort  Wagner,  Cummings's  Point,  James's  Island,  Sul- 
livan's Island,  and  Fort  Sumter.  Parts  of  the  ground  that  he  occupied  were 
but  two  feet  above  ordinary  high  water,  and  any  unusually  high  tide,  accompa- 
nied by  wind,  dashed  over;  the  greatest  ridge  on  the  island  of  which  he  could 
avail  himself  was  only  thirty-four  feet  higher.  The  surface  of  the  island  was 
a  fine,  almost  white,  quartz  sand,  on  which  the  fiery  sun  of  those  latitudes  beat 
with  furnace  heat.  It  proved  to  be  the  most  valuable  material  for  fortifications 
ever  used ;  while,  flying  in  clouds  over  the  muzzles  of  the  guns  and  filling  the 
barrels,  it  became  a  most  serious  difficulty  in  the  way  of  satisfactory  artillery 
practice. 

Eight  days  after  the  descent  upon  the  island  General  Gillmore  was  pre- 
pared to  make  another  attempt  upon  Fort  Wagner.  Heavy  rain-storms,  which 
flooded  the  batteries  and  destroyed  the  powder,  had  prevented  an  earlier  move- 
ment. About  noon  all  the  batteries  which  had  been  planted  on  the  lower  end 
Of  the  island,  opened  upon  Wagner.  The  navy  then  moved  up  alongside,  joined 
in  the  bombardment.  At  first  the  fort  returned  a  sharp  and  severe  fire  ;  but  it 
presently  ceased  altogether.  Supposing  the  fort  to  be  effectually  silenced,  an 
assault  was  now  ordered.  The  mistake  was  soon  discovered.  The  moment  the 
head  of  the  storming  column  debouched  from  the  first  parallel,  about  sunset,  it 
was  met  by  a  heavy  fire  from  the  fort.  An  instant  afterward,  from  every  quar- 
ter, there  poured  upon  the  devoted  column  a  storm  of  shot.  Sumter  opened ; 
Gregg  opened;  the  batteries  on  James's  Island  to  the  left,  and  on  Sullivan's 
Island  across  the  channel  to  the  right,  opened.  Through  it  all  the  troops  gal- 
lantly advanced— Colonel  Shaw,  with  the  Fifty-Fourth  Massachusetts,  leading 
the  way.  At  last  they  approached  so  near  the  work  that  the  fire  from  our  bat- 
teries and  from  the  navy  on  the  fort  had  to  be  suspended,  for  fear  of  hitting 
our  own  men.  Then  suddenly  uprose  along  all  the  parapet  a  cloud  of  musketry. 
Through  the  bombardment  the  garrison  of  Wagner  had  been  quietly  and  safely 
ensconced  in  the  bomb-proof  beneath— only  enough  men  being  left  out  to  serve 


636  Ohio  in   the    War. 

tho  nna      The  moment  the  bombardment  ceased,  they  swarmed  up  into  the 

,,..!,  »nd  aoaffeoted  by  the  terrible  fire,  and  opened  with  murderous  vol- 

ftdvanoing  column  now  within  close  range.     Through  even  this  it 

I  (IIl.     It  reached  the  wet  ditch,  plunged  through  it,  clambered  up  the  par- 

fonght  hand  to  hand  with  the  garrison  in  the  quickly-descending  darkness, 

BUUie  good   its  position  on  the  south-east  bastion.     But  the  darkness  and  the 

nowledge  of  the  interior  arrangements  of  the  fort  possessed   by  the 

garriaoo  gave  them  a  great  advantage.     After  a  three  hours'  struggle  the  assail- 

rompelled  to  relinquish  their  hold  upon  the  bastion  they  occupied  and 

fall  back  to  thfir  parallels. 

fold  failure  thus  rested  upon  the  efforts  to  possess  the  upper  end  of 
Morris  Island.  To  most  officers  this  would  have  suggested  abandonment  of  the 
effort,  or  a  call  for  re-enforcements.*  To  General  Gillmore  it  suggested  that,  if 
he  were  delayed  in  capturing  the  upper  end  of  Morris  Island,  from  which  to 
ml uco  Fort  Sumter,  he  might,  perhaps,  reduce  Fort  Sumter  without  it.  He 
tli us  advanced  to  the  simultaneous  execution  of  the  third  feature  of  the  plan 
concerted  at  Washington,  while  still  engaged  upon  the  unfinished  work  of  the 
second. 

Third,  The  Reduction  of  Fort  Sumter. — The  defensive  line  on  the  island,  now 
held  by  General  Gillmore,  was  between  four  and  five  thousand  yards  distant 
from  Fort  Sumter.  We  have  seen  that  before  Pulaski,  one  thousand  yards  was 
believed  to  be  the  extreme  limit  at  which  breaching  operations  against  masonry 
forts  should  be  attempted,  and  then  only  under  a  combination  of  the  most  favora- 
ble circumstances  and  the  most  absolute  necessity.  At  Pulaski  General  .Gill- 
more had  enlarged  this  distance  to  seventeen  hundred  yards,  and  in  his  report 
ho  expressed  his  belief  that  breaching  might  even  be  attempted,  with  the  best 
of  the  new  artillery,  at  two  thousand  to  twenty-five  hundred  yards.  So  rapidly 
had  ho  progressed  that  he  was  now  about  to  attempt  it  at  double  this  maximum 
distance  laid  down  by  himself,  over  the  heads  of  the  enemy  in  an  intervening 
earthwork,  against  whom  the  resources  of  his  artillery  and  of  two  successive 
assaults  had  thus  far  proved  ineffectual.  Meantime  he  proposed  to  push  his 
regular  approaches  against  Wagner.  Should  he  succeed  in  reducing  Sumter  by 
firing  over  Wagner,  then  the  great  obstacle  to  the  entrance  of  the  navy  into  the 
harbor  would  be  removed.  But,  should  the  navy  hesitate,  the  ultimate  posses- 
sion of  Wagner  would  enable  him  to  draw  a  shorter  line  across  the  entrance  to 
tho  harbor,  and  make  the  blockade  of  the  fort  hermetical. 

On  the  night,  therefore,  of  the  failure  of  the  second  assault  on  Wagner,  the 
energetic  commander  gave  orders  for  the  conversion  of  the  batteries  employed 
during  the  day  into  a  strong  defensive  line,  capable  of  resisting  any  sortie  the 
enemy  might  make.  Behind  this,  and  next  the  marsh  on  the  left,  the  first  bat- 
tery for  use  against  Sumter  was  erected— at  a  distance  from  that  work  of  four 
thousand  two  hundred  yards,  or  over  two  and  one-third  miles. 

In  five  days  this  work  was  completed;  and  on  the  succeeding  night,  by 

enfor^emf  Zl^r^^  CharleSt°n  harb°r  General  GilW  ne™  asM  for  ™y  re" 
entorcements,  except  to  replace  those  lost  by  disease  and  exposure. 


Quincy  A.   GlLLMOKE.  637 

means  of  the  "flying  sap,"  a  second  parallel  was  established  six  hundred  yards 
further  up  the  island.  On  the  left  it  ran  across  to  the  creek,  which  here  sepa- 
rates the  island  from  the  adjacent  marsh,  and  across  which  two  booms  of  floating 
timber  were  constructed,  to  keep  off  Rebel  sorties  in  boats.  On  the  right  it  ran 
down  to  the  sea,  and  was  extended  clear  out  to  low-water  mark,  where  by 
means  of  crib-work  of  stone  a  battery  was  established,  that  for  half  the  time 
was  cut  off  by  the  rising  sea  from  the  rest  of  the  line,  and  was  completely  sur- 
rounded by  the  breakers  of  the  surf.  In  three  days  this  work  was  accomplish*'*!. 
Behind  the  new  line  other  batteries  of  heavy  rifled  cannon  were  then  erected 
for  breaching  Fort  Sumter — in  full  view  of  more  than  one  Rebel  parapet,  and 
under  constant  fire  from  Wagner  and  from  James's  Island.  The  accomplished 
officer  of  engineers  to  whom  the  General  assigned  this  work,  expressed  the 
decided  belief  that  it  was  impracticable,  but  he  was  soon  enabled  to  prove  his 
predictions  erroneous  by  his  own  performance.  The  batteries  here  erected 
against  Sumter  were  at  a  mean  distance  from  it  of  three  thousand  five  hundred 
and  twenty-five  yards — a  few  feet  over  two  miles.  During  the  same  period  still 
other  breaching  batteries  had  been  ordered  further  down  the  island,  a  consider- 
able distance  below  even  the  first  parallel.  In  these,  at  a  distance  of  not  quite 
two  and  a  half  miles,  were  placed  some  of  the  heaviest  guns  used  against  Sum- 
ter, one  three  hundred -pounder  Parrott,  two  two  hundred-pounders,  and  four 
one  hundred-pounders. 

By  the  9th  of  August  the  work  on  these  various  undertakings  had  pro- 
gressed so  far  that  General  Gillmore  was  able  to  take  another  step  toward  Wag- 
ner. On  that  night,  therefore,  the  third  parallel  was  established,  with  the  flying 
sap,  about  three  hundred  and  thirty  yards  in  advance  of  the  second.  The 
enemy  now  began  to  take  a  more  serious  view  of  the  position.  Thus  far  his 
defense  had  proceeded  upon  the  theory  that  he  would  be  able,  by  means  of  the 
powerful  works  of  Wagner,  stretching  clear  across  the  upper  end  of  the  island 
from  the  sea  to  the  marsh,  to  maintain  his  hold  and  protect  the  flank  of  Sumter; 
and  on  this  theory  no  defense  of  the  lower  part  of  the  island  had  been  made  at 
all  commensurate  with  its  importance.  It  was  now  seen  that  the  steady  advance 
of  Gillmore's  parallels  and  zigzag  approaches  had  become  menacing.  A  terrific 
fire  was  thereupon  kept  up  from  Wagner,  Gregg,  and  Sumter.  On  the  first  day, 
after  the  establishment  of  the  third  parallel,  this  fire  became  so  severe  that  the 
advance  was  entirely  checked;  and  grave  apprehensions  began  to  be  entertained 
as  to  the  possibility  of  pushing  the  approaches  much  farther  under  such  formi- 
dable opposition. 

But  by  this  time  General  Gillmore  was  ready  to  suspend  the  approaches 
against  Wagner;  for  he  was  now  nearly  prepared  to  fire  over  Wagner  and  re- 
duce Sumter.  Some  difficulties  about  powder  delayed  him  a  day  or  two. 
Finally,  on  the  16th  of  August,  he  issued  his  orders  to  the  several  batteries  for 
opening  the  bombardment  in  the  morning.  The  navy  was  relied  upon  for  as- 
sistance in  keeping  down  the  fire  of  Wagner  upon  the  guns  that  were  now  so 
audaciously  to  pass  over  its  ineffectual  obstruction,  and  pour  their  bolts  upon 
the  fort  it  was  meant  to  secure. 


638  Ohio  in  the  War. 

the  work  began.     Eighteen  heavy  rifles,  throwing  balls  rang- 
|M  (torn  three  hundred  pounds  weight  down  to  eighty,  opened  upon  the  doomed 
It  kep,  ttp  a   pliant  response;  while  from  Wagner,  Gregg,  Sullivan's  Is- 
.     d   .iml  <laI:  ,,l   came  a  converging  fire  of  fearful  severity,  intended 

Whtng  batteries.     The  navy  moved  up  and  did  its  share  in 
the  fire  of  Wagner.  Fromthel7th  to  the  23d  the  bombardment 
went  steadily**     Sometimes  the  batteries  in  the  second  parallel  were  com- 
pelled to  turn  upon  the  pertinacious  garrison  of  Wagner,  whose  fire  indeed  came 
:  dismounting  several  of  the  most  valuable  guns.     Once  or  twice  these 
8  for  a  time  completely  silenced.     But  none  were  seriously  injured, 
,  21st  the  result  was  already  plain.     Great  gaps  were  rent  in  the  wall 
Of  the  haughty  fortress  that  had  played  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  war;  the 
barbette  guns  men  mainly  dismounted;  casements  were  shattered,  and  the  ex- 
;  faces  of  the  fort  began  to  present  the  appearance  of  shapeless  ruins. 
At  this  juncture  General  Gillmore  felt  warranted  in  calling  upon  General 
id  f<»r  a  surrender  of  Sumter  and  the  whole  of  Morris  Island.     "The 
present,  condition  of  Fort  Sumter,"  he  said,  "and  the  rapid  and  progressive 
action  which   it  is  undergoing  from  my  batteries,  seem  to  render  its  com- 
demolition  within  a  few  hours  a  matter  of  certainty."     He  added  the  start- 
ling warning  that  if  compliance  with  this  demand  were  refused,  or  indeed  if  no 
was  made  within  four  hours,  he  should  open  fire  on  the  city  of  Charleston 
from  batteries  already  established  within  easy  and  effective  range  of  the  heart 
of  the  city!     General  Beauregard,  it  would  seem,  considered  this  an  idle  boast. 
At  any  rate,  taking  advantage  of  the  fact  that  in  the  haste  of  preparation,  in 
the  midst  of  the  bombardment,  General  Gillmore  had  forgotten  to  affix  his  sig- 
nature to  the  fair  copy  of  his  letter  which  the  clerk  had  made  out  for  trans- 
mission,  ho  chose — notwithstanding  the  date  of  the  letter  at  Gillmore's  head- 
quarters, and  its  official  delivery  under  flag  of  truce  by  an  officer  of  his  staff — 
to  consider  it  an  informal  and  irresponsible  communication,  and  to  return  it. 

True  to  the  promise,  a  little  after  midnight  the  citizens  of  Charleston  were 
startled  by  the  explosion  of  a  heavy  incendiary  shell  in  the  lower  portion  of  the 
:  djacent  to  the  battery,  among  the  residences  of  the  wealthiest  and  most 
aristocratic  class.  Another  and  another  followed  in  quick  succession,  and  the 
terror  of  the  city  presently  rose  to  a  frantic  height.  Hitherto  she  had  watched 
the  contest  in  her  harbor  from  afar.  Now,  at  last,  at  the  most  unexpected  mo- 
rn. Tit.  and  from  an  utterly  mysterious  quarter,  came  the  shells  of  the  Avenger, 
bursting  in  her  streets  and  shattering  her  costly  habitations. 

But  whence  came  they?     General  Gillmore  was  away  beyond  Fort  Sumter, 

his  heavy  batteries  nearly  two  and  a  half  miles  from  that  work,  and  scarcely  less 

than  eight   from  the  city.     The  navy  ventured  no  nearer.      The  Confederate 

es  stretched  beyond  Sumter.     Whence  came  these  ill-omened  mes- 

nrsting  through  a  line  that  for  eighteen  months  had  held  armies  and 

fleets  at  bay? 

General   Beauregard  did  not  know,  when  he  scornfully  returned  General 
Gillmore's  warning,  that  through  all  the  energy  of  the  engineering  and  artillery 


•..• 

'..'•. 


Quincy    A.   GlLLMOEE.  639 

combat  on  Morris  Island,  the  latter  had  been  carrying  on  a  distinct  experiment 
far  off  to  his  left,  in  the  oozy  marsh,  abandoned  as  impracticable  by  the  troops 
of  either  side.  As  early  as  the  15th  of  July,  reconnoissances  had  been  made  to 
ascertain  whether  there  was  any  possibility  of  making  this  semi-fluid  mud,  over 
which  men  could  not  march,  sustain  a  gun  of  ten  tons  weight,  within  shelling 
distance  of  Charleston.  The  mud  was  found  even  deeper  and  more  treacherous 
than  had  been  expected.  It  was  so  soft  that  the  weight  of  the  iron  sounding- 
rod  would  carry  it  down  half  the  depth  by  its  own  weight,  and  it  varied  in 
depth  from  eighteen  to  twenty-three  feet.  A  plank  thrown  down  on  its  surface 
would  shake  it  for  hundreds  of  square  yards  around  as  if  it  had  been  jelly.  On 
this  surface  experiments  were  conducted  to  discover  its  sustaining  power.  For 
it  was  an  essential  element  of  the  plan  that  the  gun  must  be  mounted  without 
any  use  of  obvious  expedients  like  the  common  pile-driver;  since  these  would 
inevitably  disclose  the  attempt  and  bring  down  the  enemy.  Finally,  a  bed  of 
round  logs  was  laid  down  directly  on  the  surface  of  the  mud.  Across  these,  at 
right  angles,  was  placed  another  layer  of  logs,  bolted  down  to  those  below. 
The  interstices  were  filled  with  sand.  On  this  foundation  was  built  up  a  mass- 
ive parapet  of  sand-bags.  The  platform  for  the  gun  was  given  a  totally  sepa- 
rate foundation.  Through  both  layers  of  logs  a  rectangular  opening  had  been 
left  of  the  proper  size  for  the  platform.  This  was  now  shut  in  by  a  circumfer- 
ence of  sheathing  piles  forced  down,  by  the  exertions  of  the  soldiers  themselves, 
to  the  bottom  of  the  mud.  Within  the  space  thus  inclosed  the  mud  was  covered 
with  layers  of  the  long,  coarse  grass  which  grew  over  the  marsh.  "When  this  was 
thoroughly  trampled  down,  two  thicknesses  of  heavy  tarpaulins  were  spread  over 
it.  Upon  these  in  turn  was  placed  a  layer  of  sand,  well  rammed  down,  and  fifteen 
inches  thick.  In  this  was  laid  a  flooring  of  three-inch  pine  plank.  Across  these 
two  more  layers  of  similar  flooring  were  placed,  and  on  the  last  was  built  the 
platform  for  the  gun.  Thus  the  parapet  and  the  gun  were  independent.  If  the 
jar  of  the  gun's  recoil  should  cause  its  foundation  to  sink,  the  parapet  would 
stand.  Through  all  manner  of  practical  difficulties  these  arrangements  were 
completed,  and  when  Beauregard  chose  to  laugh  at  the  threat  to  bombard 
Charleston,  the  shaking  marsh  over  which  his  soldiers  had  not  thought  it  worth 
while  to  venture,  suddenly  cast  forth  fire.* 

*  General  Beauregard  complained  of  this  bombardment  of  Charleston  as  without  sufficient 
notice  and  unprecedented,  saying  to  Gillmore  that  it  would  "give  him  a  bad  eminence  in  his- 
tory, even  in  the  history  of  this  war,"  and  dwelling  on  the  fact  that  he  was  absent  from  his  head- 
quarters when  Gillmore's  note  was  received.  This,  Gillmore  responded,  might  "be  regarded  as 
an  unfortunate  circumstance  for  the  city  of  Charleston,*  but  he  insisted  that  it  was  one  for  which 
he  was  not  responsible.  He  called  Beauregard's  attention  to  the  well-established  principle  that 
"  the  commander  of  a  place  attacked  but  not  invested,  having  its  avenues  of  escape  open  and 
practicable,  has  no  right  to  expect  any  notice  of  an  intended  bombardment,  other  than  that  which 
is  given  by  the  threatening  attitude  of  his  adversary.  If,  under  the  circumstances,  the  life  of  a 
single  non-combatant  is  exposed  to  peril  by  the  bombardment  of  the  city,  the  responsibility  rests 
with  those  who  have  first  failed  to  remove  the  non-combatants  or  secure  the  safety  of  the  city, 
after  having  held  control  of  all  its  approaches  for  a  period  of  nearly  two  years  and  a  half,  in  the 
presence  of  a  threatening  force,  and  who  afterward  refused  to  accept  the  terms  upon  which  the 
bombardment  might  have  been  postponed."     Only  thirty-six  shots,  however,  were  tired  from  this 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


It  vu  on  fee  ZUi  that  this  marsh  battery  opened.     The  bombardment  of 
of  the  garrison  in  Wagner  continued  till,  on  the  24th, 
,,1  GUlmore  was  able  to  report  as  the  result  of  the  seven  days'  work  "the 
,;ra,  demolition  of  Fort  Sumter."     The  barbette  fire  of  the  fort,  which  the 
had  specially  dreaded,  was  completely  destroyed.     Not  a  mounted  gun 
Lefl  i„  serviceable  condition.     The  walls  were  battered  into  ruins  ;  the  inte- 
,.il(1.  of  ,;.  as  half  filled  up  with  the  shattered  brick  ;  the  casemates  were 

:  and  but  a  single  serviceable  gun  remained  in  the  fort.  It  owed  its  safety 
.  fat  that  it  was  on  the  city  side  and  pointed,  not  down  but  up  the  chan- 
nel. And  this  had  been  done  from  a  distance  of  over  two  miles,  in  the  face  of 
the  dictum  of  the  books  that  breaching  efforts  must  be  limited  to  about  two- 
thirds  of  a  mile,  and  in  defiance  of  the  intervening  and  powerful  Eebel  earth- 
works, over  which  the  fire  was  delivered. 

And  now  comes  the  gloomy  ending  of  the  story — the  frittering  away  of 
great  opportunities. 

We  have  seen  that  at  the  outset  the  navy  held  Fort  Sumter  to  be  the 
of  Charleston  harbor.  With  it  reduced,  they  would  have  no  fear  of  their 
ability  to  remove  the  channel  obstructions  and  lay  their  shii^s  alongside  the 
wharves  of  the  city.  Fort  Sumter  was  now  practically  reduced.  Its  offen- 
power  was  destroyed;  it  could  not  bring  a  gun  to  bear  upon  the  iron- 
clads as  they  should  steam  up;  it  was  solely  an  infantry  outpost.  But  at  this 
auspicious  moment  there  sprang  up  an  ill-omened  series  of  excuses  for  pro- 
traded  delays. 

On  the  night  of  the  21st  Admiral  Dahlgren  proposed  to  attack.     In  the 
morning  he  signalled  Gillmore  that  the  attack  was  unavoidably  postponed,  but 
that  he  would  go  up  the  next  night.     Gillmore  replied,  assuring  him  that,  even 
in  daylight,  the  fort  could  not  fire  a  gun  at  him.     The  Admiral  replied  that  his 
(ear  was  no  longer  of  Sumter  but  of  Moultrie !     That  night  he  would  attack  if 
the  weather  would  permit.    Next  morning  it  was  reported  that  the  weather  had 
been  so  foggy  that  little  could  be  done.     Then,  on  the  evening  of  the  23d  Gen- 
eral Gillmore  gave  the  navy  formal  notice  that  the  offensive  power  of  Sumter 
was  destroyed.     Till  the  26th  the  navy  would  seem  to  have  remained  torpid. 
Then  the  Admiral  proposed  to  "operate  on  the  obstructions,"  and  asked  for  the 
val  of  Gillmore's  fire  on  Sumter.     He  did  not  fear  heavy  guns  from  the 
be  said,  but  wanted  "to  keep  down  the  fire  of  small  guns."     But,  alas! 
morning  came  the  notice,  "My  attempt  to  pass  the  forts  last  night  was 
»st rated  by  the  bad  weather,  but  chiefly  by  the  setting  in  of  a  strong  flood 
And  then,  the  next  afternoon,  "Not  being  able  to  complete  my  arrange  - 
3,  I  shall  not  move  up  to-night."     And  the  next  afternoon,  "My  chief  pilot 
«  me  a  gale  is  coming  on,  and  I  am  coming  into  the  creek."     The  next 
noon-after  six  days  and  nights  of  time  thus  lost,  came  the  announcement, 
1  shall  move  up  again  with  the  monitors  to-night."     But,  five  hours  later,  at 
n  the  evening,  there  came  a  change :  "It  has  just  been  reported  that  Sum- 


QUINCY    A.    GlLLMOKE.  641 

ter  has  fired  several  shots  to-day,  and  operations  were  based  on  the  supposition 
that  Sumter  was  silenced.     My  movement  is  postponed." 

To  this  Gillmore  responded:  "Sumter  has  not  fired  a  shot  to-day.  My 
look-out,  who  has  been  on  the  watch  all  day,  is  positive  on  this  point."  Then 
again,  an  hour  later,  "The  officer  commanding  the  trenches  kept  several  men 
on  the  look-out  all  day,  in  order  to  warn  his  men  to  cover  whenever  a  gun  is 
fired.  He  says  Sumter  has  not  fired  to-day."  But  the  doubting  Admiral  was 
of  little  faith  :  "Your  look-out  may  be  correct,  but  if  he  is  in  error,  it  would  be 
fatal  to  my  plans.  My  chief  pilot,  who  was  up  the  harbor  to-day,  reports  that 
he  saw  guns  mounted  on  Sumter,  and  that  they  were  fired."  .Whereupon  Gen- 
eral Gillmore,  still  maintaining  that  no  guns  had  even  yet  been  remounted 
there,  promised,  nevertheless,  to  open  a  heavy  fire  on  the  ruins  in  the  morning. 
The  Admiral  was  rejoiced  :  "All  your  fire  on  Sumter  materially  lessees  the  great 
risk  I  incur."  But  he  still  took  good  care  not  to  incur  it.  After  the  day's 
bombardment  for  which  he  had  asked,  we  find  him  at  eight  forty-five  in  the 
evening,  reaching  this  conclusion  :  "It  is  so  rough  that  I  shall  not  move  up  with 
the  monitors  to-night."  And  then,  the  next  morning:  "I  understand  from  my 
chief  pilot  that  you  will  be  able,  day  after  to-morrow,  to  open  and  sustain  a 
heavy  fire  on  Sumter.  I  shall,  therefore,  postpone,  at  least  for  to-night,  an  in- 
tended movement." 

Eight  days  of  precious  time  had  now  been  consumed  in  half-hearted  prepa- 
rations to  move,  abandoned  each  night  almost  as  soon  as  formed,  in  fright  at  the 
ghost  of  artillery  firing  from  the  ruined  fort.  Meantime  the  gallant  little  gar- 
rison that  still  clung  to  the  ruins  had  improved  its  opportunity  by  remounting 
four  or  five  small  guns  on  the  heaps  of  shattered  brick  and  mortar  where  once 
had  been  the  parapet.  On  September  1st  General  Gillmore  opened  once  more, 
and  by  noon  was  able  to  report  that  three  of  these  guns  were  disabled,  and  the 
remaining  one  or  two  soon  would  be.  The  Admiral  was  overjoyed:  "I  now 
intend  to  be  in  action  to-night  if  nothing  prevents."  And  so  at  last  he  went 
up.  On  his  return  General  Gillmore  eagerly  sought  to  know  if  Sumter  had 
offered  any  resistance — to  the  extent,  even  of  firing  a  single  gun — to  this  naval 
attack  that,  with  Sumter  silenced,  was  to  sweep  up  to  the  city  wharves.  The 
Admiral  was  too  much  exhausted  with  his  labors  to  reply,  but  his  signal  officer 
answered,  "Not  to  my  knowledge."* 

Ten  days  had  now  passed  since  Sumter  had  been  effectively  silenced.  The 
golden  moments  were  flitting  fast.  In  all  his  official  or  private  statements  on 
the  subject  General  Gillmore  has  cautiously  avoided  censure;  but  it  is  evident 
enough  that  he  had  now  despaired  of  the  navy.f     With  Sumter  out  of  the  way 

•  Correspondence  between  General  Gillmore  and  Admiral  Dahlgren ;  Eng.  and  Art.  Opera- 
tions against  Charleston,  pp.  322  to  332. 

t  In  his  report  General  Gillmore  says:  "  The  period  during  which  the  weakness  of  the  ene- 
my's interior  defenses  was  most  palpably  apparent  was  during  the  ten  or  fifteen  days  subsequent 
to  the  23d  of  August ;  and  that  was  the  time  when  success  could  have  been  most  easily  achieved 
by  the  fleet.  The  concurrent  testimony  of  prisoners,  refugees,  and  deserters  represented  the 
obstacles  in  the  way  as  by  no  means  insurmountable."  And  in  a  foot-note  to  these  sentences  he 
comments  on  any  implication  involved  in   Admiral  Dahlgren's  report  to  the  effect  that  Fort 

Yol.  I.— 41. 


,;|;>  Ohio  in  the  War. 

.to  have  entered  the  harbor  and  laid  the  city  under  its  guns.     It  had 
Li  and,  of  course,  the  garrison  in  Sumter,  which  ensconced  i  se  f 

Iw  the  exp  sed  portions  of  the  fort  during  fire,  was  ready  enough  to 
1  Zl  wSZ  every  opportunity.  General  Gillmore  therefore  resolved  to 
push  his  operations  against  Wagner,  complete  the  occupation  of  Morns  Island 
and  so  cover  the  channel  with  his  guns  in  such  manner  that,  with  or  without 
Banter  the  blockade  would  be  perfect,  and  the  navy  could  have  the  protection 
tf  the  guns  on  the  extreme  point  for  whatever  less  hazardous  undertaking  it 
mi.,ht  still  have  spirit  enough  to  adventure.     And  so  we  return  to 

'  The  Conclusion  of  the  Siege  of  Fort  Wagner. -Ah  an  operation  against  Charles- 

or  against  Sumter  as  preparatory  to  Charleston,  it  has  now  lost  its  impor- 

,;  but  it  still  possesses  a  scientific  interest  of  its  own,  and  in  spite  of  the 

:  comings  of  the  navy,  it  may  still  be  made  valuable. 

During  the  bombardment  of  Sumter  the  approaches  to  Wagner  had  been 
Hteadily  pushed,  till  the  third  and  fourth  parallels  were  opened.  This  brought 
the  works  up  to  a  point  where  the  island  had  narrowed  to  a  width  of  only  a 
bandied  and  sixty  yards,  while  beyond  it  grew  rapidly  narrower  still.  One 
hundred  yards  in  front  ran  a  little  ridge  across  the  island,  where  in  the  carrier 
days  of  the  siege  the  sharp-shooters  from  Wagner  had  been  accustomed  to  post 
themselves.  Here  Gillmore  determined  to  establish  his  fifth  parallel.  The 
pbsition  was  carried  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet  on  the  26th  of  August. 

Two  hundred  and  forty  yards  in  front  stood  Fort  Wagner.  The  strip  of 
the  island  yet  to  be  crossed  narrowed  to  a  width  of  only  twenty-five  yards,  over 
which  in  rough  weather  the  sea  swept  into  the  swamp  on  the  left.  The  sand 
was  so  shallow  that  it  was  with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  the  works  could  be 
constructed.  The  whole  front  was  covered  by  the  fort  (many  times  wider  than 
the  island  on  the  approach  to  it),  which,  subtending  an  angle  of  ninety  degrees, 
fairly  enveloped  the  head  of  the  approaches  with  its  fire.  From  James's  Island 
on  the  left  a  flank  fire  was  poured  in,  which  grew  more  accurate  and  destruc- 
tive the  nearer  the  works  approached.  To  push  forward  the  sap  on  that  nar- 
row strip  of  shifting  sand  in  the  daytime  proved  impossible.  In  the  night  a 
brilliant  harvest-moon  made  the  difficulties  almost  as  great.  The  men  grew  dis- 
couraged, and  even  to  the  most  hopeful  the  prospect  seemed  gloomy. 

But  the  mind  of  the  commanding  officer  was  of  a  temper  that  difficulties 
could  not  break.    He  was  encountering  a  problem  new  to  engineering  science — 

Wagner  had  still  been  in  the  way  of  the  projected  naval  operations.  He  says :'  "  The  fleet  in 
entering  Charleston  Harbor  need  not  necessarily  go  within  effective  range  of  Wagner  at  all." 
And  again:  "Some  days  elapsed  (after  the  silencing  of  Sumter)  before  any  of  its  guns  were 
mounted  by  the  enemy  at  other  points  in  the  harbor.  These  were  the  decisive  days,  when  the 
enemy  was  comparatively  weak  and  unprepared,  for  he  had  no  idea  that  an  attempt  would  be 
made,  or  that  if  made,  it  would  be  successful,  to  demolish  Sumter  at  the  distance  of  two  miles, 
and  he  was  in  no  condition  to  meet  such  a  result.  The  failure  of  the  fleet  to  enter  immediately 
:itu-r  the  23d  of  August,  whether  unavoidable  or  otherwise,  gave  the  enemy  an  opportunity, 
doubtless  much  needed,  to  improve  their  interior  defenses."  And  he  adds,  somewhat  maliciously : 
"Of  the  actual  strength  of  these  improvements  we  had  no  reliable  information,  as  they  were 
never  tested  or  encountered  by  the  iron-clads."    Keport  (N.  Y.  Edition),  pp.  65,  66. 


QUINCY   A.     GrILLMOKE.  643 

to  conduct  siege  approaches  over  a  terrain  too  narrow  to  admit  of  parallels.  As 
he  had  believed  that  artillery  could  be  made  to  do  more  than  the  books  allowed, 
so  now  he  conceived  approaches  possible  without  the  conditions  which  the  books 
required.  Moreover,  he  found  the  ground  on  his  front  mined  and  seamed  with 
an  ingenious  system  of  torpedoes.  The  discovery  which  alarmed  the  soldiers 
quieted  his  own  alarm.  Over  ground  thus  filled  the  enemy  would  not  dare  to 
make  sorties  ;  and  thus  the  only  vital  danger  against  which  he  could  not  now 
protect  himself  was  averted. 

Now,  therefore,  he  determined  to  devote  the  whole  power  of  his  enormous 
artillery  strength  on  two  objects.  With  a  curved  fire  from  siege  and  Coehorn 
mortars  he  would  so  search  with  exploding  shells  the  interior  of  the  fort  before 
him  as  to  silence  its  guns,  and  drive  its  garrison  to  the  bomb-proof  for  shelter. 
"With  his  powerful  rifles  he  would  strive  to  breach  the  bomb-proof  itself.  The 
conditions  for  a  successful  assault  would  then,  beyond  question,  be  secured. 

On  the  morning  of  September  5th  these  final  operations  were  inaugurated. 
For  the  forty-two  hours  next  following  there  was  presented  a  spectacle  of  such 
sublimity  in  war  as  had  never  before  been  witnessed  on  the  continent.  Seven- 
teen mortars  unceasingly  puffed  out,  on  their  curved  tracks,  the  great  globes  of 
metal  that,  falling  and  bursting  within  the  fort,  scattered  destruction  throughout 
its  limits.  Thirteen  of  the  heaviest  rifles — three  hundred-pounders,  two  hundred- 
pounders,  one  hundred-pounders — none  less — sent  their  whirling  bolts  into  the 
sand  that  covered  the  bomb-proof.  Besides  the  track  of  the  rifle  balls  beneath 
the  curve  of  the  mortar  shells,  the  pioneers  pushed  on  the  sap,  and  the  guards 
manned  the  zigzag  trenches,  to  which,  in  lieu  of  parallels,  they  were  now 
reduced.  From  the  sea  the  Ironsides  sent  skimming  in  over  the  water  in  grace- 
ful ricochet,  an  incessant  stream  of  eleven-inch  shells  that  slowly  took  their 
last  bound  over  the  parapet  of  the  fort,  and  exploded  above  the  heads  of  its 
defenders.  When  the  beleaguered  garrison  looked  to  nightfall  for  relief,  pow- 
erful calcium  lights  from  the  parallels  turned  night  into  day ;  and  amid  a  brill- 
iancy that  left  the  assailants  in  gloom,  and  illuminated  the  minutest  details  of 
the  fort,  the  terrific  bombardment  went  on. 

In  a  few  hours  the  fort  became  absolutely  silent.  The  sappers  now  pushed 
on  their  work  like  men  delirious  with  a  sudden  freedom  from  great  danger. 
The  reliefs  off  duty  exposed  themselves  fearlessly  to  view  on  the  very  glacis  of 
the  fort,  climbed  their  parapets  to  watch  the  progress,  explored  the  ground  on 
their  front  to  fish  out  torpedoes,  approached  the  ditch  and  took  a  deliberate 
view  of  the  fort  and  its  surroundings.  The  sap  was  pushed  by  the  south  face 
of  the  fort,  and  it  finally  masked  all  the  guns  of  the  work  save  those  of  one 
flank.  The  Eebel  batteries  on  James's  Island  and  elsewhere  were  compelled  to 
suspend  their  annoying  flank  fire;  they  could  no  longer  trust  the  accuracy  of 
their  aim  for  the  narrow  limit  that  divided  friend  and  foe. 

Then,  selecting  the  hour  when  low  tide  would  give  a  broad  beach  on  which 
to  debouch  the  column,  General  Gillmore  ordered  an  assault.  But  Wagner  was 
not  to  be  so  taken.  It  had  twice  repelled  gallant  assaults  with  sad  slaughter. 
It  was  now  to  fall  without  assault  and  without  a  blow.     The   movement  was 


,;11  Ohio  is  the  Wae. 

ordered  for  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  7th  September.  But  in  the  night 
came  in  with  the  report  that  the  Kebels  were  evacuating.  When,  at 
(hvb,v,k  the  troops  moved  forward,  they  marched  into  Wagner  unopposed* 
The  whole  north  end  of  the  island  was  immediately  occupied ;  the  batteries  were 
directed  across  that  channel  toward  Sumter,  and  lastly  toward  the  doomed  city 

itself. 

With  this  brilliant  success  General  G-illmore's  operations  practically  ended. 

He  sought,  indeed,  to  take  possession  of  Sumter  by  a  storming  party  sent  over 

in  boats,  but  Admiral  Dahlgren  had,  without  his  knowledge,  determined  upon 

ame  effort  for  the  same  night,  and  was  unwilling  that  the  two  parties  should 
co-operate  under  whatever  officer  present,  naval  or  military,  might  have  the 
highest  rank.  General  Gillmore's  party  was  accordingly  withdrawn.  The  Ad- 
s  failed.  Then,  when  the  little  garrison  improved  its  opportunities  by 
mounting  more  guns,  General  Gillmore  once  more  dismounted  them  for  the 
navy.  Finally,  he  even  proposed  to  take  up  the  harbor  obstructions  in  boats 
with  his  land  forces,  if  only  then  the  Admiral  could  be  induced  to  take  in  his 
iron-clads,  when  thus  the  open  pathway  for  them  was  prepared.  But  by  this 
time  the  dread  of  torpedoes  in  the  channel,  of  fire  from  Moultrie  and  Johnson, 
of  unknown  and  mysterious  obstructions,  had  grown  upon  the  naval  com- 
mander, and  nothing  could  be  done.  By  and  by  the  rifled  guns  were  trained  on 
Charleston,  and  the  artillerists  kept  themselves  in  practice  by  shelling  its  aristo- 
cratic mansions.  The  army  had  accomplished  its  part  of  the  programme,  and 
all  that  lay  within  its  power,  and  it  rested. 

To  the  brilliancy  of  the  engineering  and  artillery  exploits  of  General  Gill- 
more  in  Charleston  harbor,  the  whole  world  testifies.  The  General-in-Chief 
thought  them  worthy  of  such  commendation  as  this  in  his  Annual  Beport : 
"  General  Gillmore's  operations  have  been  characterized  by  great  professional 
skill  and  boldness.  He  has  overcome  difficulties  almost  unknown  in  modern 
sieges.  Indeed,  his  operations  on  Morris  Island  constitute  a  new  era  in  the  sci- 
ence of  engineering  and  gunnery."  The  Department  indorsed  this  praise  by 
raising  him  to  the  rank  of  Major-General  of  volunteers.  Not  less  emphatic  was 
lh€  admiring  testimony  of  Professor  Mahan,  the  General's  old  instructor  in  engi- 
neering at  West  Point,  and  a  critic  of  siege  operations  not  surpassed  by  any  living 
military  authority  :  "  The  siege  of  Fort  Wagner  forms  a  memorable  epoch  in  the 

engineer's  art,  and  presents  a  lesson  fruitful  in  results In  spite 

of  these  obstacles;  in  spite  of  the  shifting  sand  under  him,  over  which  the  tide 
iwept  more  than  once  during  his  advances;  in  spite  of  the  succor  and  relief  of 
the  garrison  from  Charleston,  with  which  their  communications  were  free.  Gen- 
eral Gillmore  addressed  himself  to  his  task  with  that  preparedness  for  every 

ovrntuality,  and  that  tenacity  which  are  striking  traits  of  his  character 

This  remarkable  exhibition  of  skill  and  industry,  the  true  and  always  success- 
lul  tools  with  which  the  engineer  works,  is  a  triumph  of  American  science  of 
winch  the  nation  may  well  be  proud  ;  and  General  Gillmore,  in  the  reduction  of 
tort  Pulaski,  the  demolition  of  Sumter,  and  the  capture  of  Wagner,  has  fairly 
*  Thirty-six  pieces  of  artillery  were  found,  most  of  them  large. 


QUINCY      A.     GrILLMORE.  645 

earned  the  title  of  Poliorcetes."*  British  and  French  military  critics  united  in 
similar  applause ;  while  the  estimate  of  the  masses  of  his  fellow  countrymen 
may  be  fitly  represented  in  this  concluding  paragraph  from  a  leading  editorial 
of  the  New  York  Tribune  on  the  subject :  "  Pulaski,  Somerset,  the  landing  at 
Morris  Island,  the  demolition  of  Sumter — Wagner:  'The  greatest  is  behind!' 
Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  many  deeds  which  may  illuminate  the  sad 
story  of  this  Great  Rebellion,  the  capture  of  Wagner  by  G-eneral  G-illmorc  will  be 
regarded  as  the  greatest  triumph  of  engineering  that  history  ha§  yet  recorded/' 

In  all  this  praise  there  was  justice.  General  Gillmore  had  accomplished 
brilliant  results  in  the  face  of  difficulties  which  military  science  had  pronounced 
insuperable.  In  demolishing  Sumter  he  had  revolutionized  all  previous  ideas 
as  to  the  capacity  of  rifled  artillery  against  masonry  forts — obtaining  a  power 
at  long  ranges  of  which  even  Pulaski  had  not  given  a  conception.  In  carrying 
his  parallels  up  to  Wagner  on  a  front  only  one-eighth  as  wide  as  the  front  of 
the  fort  itself,  under  flank  and  reverse  fire,  he  had  at  least  greatly  modified  all 
previous  ideas  as  to  the  conditions  under  which  siege  approaches  are  possible. 
He  was  pitted  throughout  against  a  skillful  antagonist;  for  whatever  was 
thought  of  General  Beauregard's  ability  in  the  field,  the  Confederate  authorities 
seemed  to  unite  in  regarding  him  as  their  ablest  engineer.    -  * 

But  the  achievements  in  Charleston  harbor  lacked  the  crown  of  final  success. 
The  harbor  was  not  occupied;  the  city,  on  the  capture  and  humiliation  of  which 
the  Country  had  set  its  heart,  was  not  taken.  These  circumstances  are  unim- 
portant, as  regards  the  verdict  of  the  scientific  world  on  the  brilliancy  of  the 
actual  performance.  But  they  are  of  vital  consequence  as  regards  any  proper 
estimate  of  the  worth  of  that  performance  as  a  means  to  the  accomplishment 
of  what  was  sought  to  be  done.  Did  General  Gillmore  so  reduce  the  obstacles 
in  the  way  that  the  navy  could  have  entered  the  harbor  and  laid  the  treasona- 
ble city  under  its  guns?  The  naval  authorities  say  he  did  not.  General  Gill- 
more  thinks  he  did. 

It  is  his  good  fortune,  however,  since  the  close  of  the  war,  to  be  able  to  give 
a  definite  settlement  to  the  question,  by  the  testimony  of  the  only  competent 
witnesses. 

When  at  last  the  city  against  which  so  many  efforts  had  failed,  fell  without 
a  blow,  General  Gillmore  was  once  more  in  command  of  the  Department  of  the 
South.  He  moved  directly  up  the  channel — himself  a  passenger  on  the  second 
vessel  that  adventured  upon  the  path  which  the  naval  officers  thought  so  stud- 
ded with  horrors.  Without  encountering  any  accident  or  obstruction  of  note 
the  vessel  was  laid  alongside  the  wharves. 

What  then  had  stood  in  the  way  of  the  navy  from  the  23d  of  August,  1863, 
when  the  destruction  of  the  offensive  power  of  Sumter  was  complete  ?  Admiral 
Dahlgren  said,  not  specially  Forts  Moultrie  and   Johnson,  against  which,   at 

♦The  good  Professor  is  an  unsurpassed  judge  of  engineering,  but  he  might  have  left  out  his 
musty  classics.  The  somewhat  alarming  title  which  he  bestows  upon  General  Gillmore  means 
simply  "  the  taker  of  cities."  It  was  known  in  Greek  literature  as  the  surname  of  Demetrius, 
the  son  of  Cassander,  a  fact  which  the  Professor  doubtless  acquired  from  the  Academy  Plutarch. 


04Q  Ohio  in  the  War. 

i„  the  earlier  stages  of  the  campaign,  he  professed  entire  readiness  to  con- 

hfc  ir.n.-.la.ls.     The  channel  obstructions  he   pronounced  the  real  danger. 

Bat  the  oh.ni*!  obstructions  seemed  mythical,  when  Gillmore,  sailing  directly 

the!,  alleged  locations,  anchored  before  the  city.     When  had  they  beenre- 

move  1 7 

\n   interesting  correspondence  sprang  up  between  General  Gillmore  and 

ra]    Ripley,  whom  Beauregard  had  in  command  of  Charleston.     General 

GKUraow  askftd  this  question:  "Was  there  anything  except  the  shore  batteries 

t„  ,.,  passage  of  our  fleet  up  to  the  city  and  above  it  (at  the  time  of  the 

■  iiiion  of  Sumter)  by  the  channel  left  open  for  and  used  by  the  blockade- 
runners  at  night?"     General  Kipley  answered,  "No."     General  Gillmore  then 

i:  -What  were  the  relative  condition  and  efficiency  of  such  obstructions 

and  torpedoes  as  were  used  in  Charleston  harbor  in  the  autumn  of  1863,  as  com- 

1  with  their  condition  in  February,  1865,  when  the  city  came  into  our  pos- 

■  .»?"     General  Ripley  answered:  "The  efficiency  of  the  obstructions  and 
does  in  the  harbor  was  as  great  in  January,  1865,  as  in  the  autumn  of  1863. 

The  torpedoes  were  more  efficient  just  previous  to  the  evacuation;"  and  he  went 
on  to  say  that  the  ideas  prevailing  in  the  fleet  as  to  the  dangerous  nature  of 
these  obstructions  were  due  to  exaggerated  reports  purposely  circulated  by  the 
defenders  of  the  city.  The  correspondence  from  which  we  have  quoted  is  of  some 
length,  but  it  all  goes  to  show  that,  in  the  estimation  of  the  enemy  themselves, 
the  channel  was  practically  free  from  any  obstructions  or  torpedoes  that  ought 
to  have  delayed  the  passage  of  a  fleet.* 

Yet  on  these  obstructions  Admiral  Dahlgren  seems  to  rest  the  greater  part 
of  his  delay — finally  resulting  in  the  abandonment  of  offensive  operations.  We 
think,  therefore,  that  the  navy  is  clearly  responsible  for  the  failure;  that  Gen- 
eral Gillmore  handsomely  kept  the  promise  made  in  Washington,  and  silenced 
the  only  opposition  which  the  Navy  Department  then  professed  to  dread;  that 
the  engineer  and  artillery  operations  on  Morris  Island  opened  the  way  for  the 
navy  to  Charleston;  and  that  only  unsailor-like  timidity  prevented  the  squadron 
from  entering  it.  f 

After  the  surrender  of  Fort  Wagner,  on  the  7th  of  September.  1863,  Gen- 
eral  Gillmore  did  little  before  Charleston,  beyond  the  renewed  fire  on  Sumter, 
which  the  navy  requested,  and  the  shelling  of  the  city. 

Hut  in  February,  1864,  having  an  available  force  of  five  thousand  to  six 
thousand,  which  could  be  spared  from  the  works  in  the  harbor,  he  forwarded 

*  To  this  omphalic  testimony  should  be  added  the  statement  of  General  Elliott,  who  was  in 
command  ,,i  Sumter  from  the  4th  of  September.  He  said  to  General  Gillmore,  after  the  close  of 
I,,'  T*r»  "£!  !'U>re  ™"e  no  moilnted  guns  in  the  fort  from  the  23d  of  August  until  the  ensuing 
w.  1  bu  would  seem  to  rebut  Admiral  Dahlgren's  complaints  about  the  fire  from  Sumter 
P hatically  as  General  Ripley's  statement  does  his  complaint  about  the  channel  obstructions. 
,n  til  q1  T7?,  thereTiS  n°  design  in  the  above  sentences  to  reflect  on  the  many  gallant  officers 
'     hi  d^  v111"  I|l0ekadin«  Squadron.     On  Admiral  Dahlgren  rests  the  full  responsibility 

ho  \cUoaT         r/S  !,         any  disP°sition  t0  question  the  skill  or  courage  of  that  officer.     But 

bet  to*        I  ?  "  *?    TSiti°n  that  WaS  required  in  the  P°st  he  filled;  *"*  —Id  have  been 
employed  at  his  old  work-casting  great  iron  smooth-bores  at  the  Washington  Navy  Yard. 


Quincy  A.  Gillmore.  647 

them  to  Florida,  to  occupy  a  portion  of  the  interior  of  the  State.  A  double 
motive  prompted  the  disastrous  little  campaign  thus  inaugurated.  A  large  sup- 
ply of  beef  cattle  found  its  way,  over  roads  which  General  Gillmore  now  pro- 
posed to  cat,  from  the  interior  of  Florida  to  the  commissariat  of  the  Confederate 
armies.  And  a  large  tract  of  country  seemed  open  to  occupation,  over  which 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  very  anxious  to  establish  the  National  authority,  with  refer- 
ence to  the  approaching  Presidential  election.  General  Gillmore's  plan  was  to 
occupy  Jacksonville,  push  up  to  Baldwin,  the  junction  of  the  two  railroads  of 
Florida,  and  fortify  and  hold  it.  He  accompanied  the  column  until  Baldwin 
was  occupied.  Then,  giving  directions  for  the  fortification  of  .both  places,  he 
returned  to  South  Carolina. 

Thereupon  General  Seymour  decided  upon*an  advance  toward  some  impor- 
tant roads  beyond  Olustee,  to  the  Suwanee  Eiver — a  movement  directly  across  the 
peninsula,  in  a  country  where  the  enemy  could  concentrate  two  to  his  one.  He 
encountered  General  Finnegan,  of  the  Eebel  army,  with  a  force  not  quite  equal 
to  his  own,  near  Olustee.*  But  he  was  in  marching  order — only  the  head  of 
his  column  was  up — and  he  was  disastrously  defeated.  General  Gillmore,  in 
reporting  the  matter,  simply  quoted  the  written  orders  he  had  given.  The 
movement  was  in  direct  violation  of  them. 

No  vindication,  however,  was  needed.  Nothing  could  be  more  unlike  his 
habitual  caution  and  careful  style  of  movements  than  the  ill-advised  advance, 
and  the  public  indignation  was  never  directed  toward  him.  Mr.  Lincoln  him- 
self, one  of  whose  private  Secretaries  accompanied  the  march,  with  instructions 
looking  to  the  registry  and  reorganization,  was  severely  censured — with  an  in- 
temperance which  most  of  the  journals  concerned  soon  afterward  saw  reason  to 
regret.  * 

It  was  now  evident  that  the  navy  would  make  no  adequate  effort  to  enter 
Charleston  Harbor,  and  that,  by  consequence,  operations  there  were  practically 
ended.  Chafing  at  the  enforced  idleness  in  which  he  was  thus  compelled  to  be 
a  mere  spectator  of  the  great  campaigns,  which,  under  the  stimulus  of  Grant's 
recent  appointment  to  the  Lieutenant-Generalship,  were  then  being  organized, 
General  Gillmore  applied  to  be  ordered,  with  the  Tenth  Corps  (then  a  part  of 
the  force  in  his  Department),  to  some  other  theater  of  war.  He  thus  volunta- 
rily gave  up  his  position  as  an  independent  Department  Commander;  and,  as  it 
soon  turned  out,  exchanged  it  for  a  subordinate  place  under  one  of  Grant's  im-' 
mediate  subordinates,  in  which  he  was  speedily  to  encounter  a  dangerous  hos- 
tility.    He  was  ordered  to  Fortress  Monroe,  to  report  to  General  Butler,  then 

*  Finnegan  had  about  the  same  number  of  infantry  as  Seymour;  but  he  had  only  four  pieces 
of  artillery,  while  Seymour  had  sixteen. 

Gillmore's  order  to  Seymour  said:  "I  want  your  command  at  and  beyond  Baldwin  concen- 
trated at  Baldwin  without  delay."  After  the  receipt  of  this,  Seymour  wrote  to  Gillmore  that  he 
proposed  to  move  clear  across  the  peninsula  to  the  Suwanee  Eiver.  Gillmore  at  once  sent  per- 
emptory orders  forbidding  such  madness,  but  before  the  messenger  sent  post-haste  with  the  orders 
could  reach  him,  he  had  fought  and  lost  Olustee — losing  two  thousand  out  of  his  five  thousand 
men.     The  battle  displayed  conspicuously  his  personal  bravery  and  his  amazing  incapacity. 


,us  Ohio  in  the  War. 

about  to  move  up  the  James  against  Eichmond  and  Petersburg,  in  co-operation 
with  Grant's  advance  through  the  Wilderness. 

On  the  4th  of  May  General  Gillmore  reported  with  the  Tenth  Army  Corps 
at  Fortress  Monroe.  The  next  day  he  moved  up  the  James,  in  rear  of  General 
W.  F.  Smith's  corps,  and  on  the  night  of  the  5th  both  corps  landed  at  Bermuda 
Hundred.  On  the  6th  they  advanced  to  the  line  stretching  from  the  James  to 
the  Appomattox,  and  established  themselves  across  the  neck  of  the  peninsula 
Inclosed  within  the  bends  of  the  two  rivers.  No  enemy  had  thus  far  been  en- 
countered. Before  them,  within  easy  striking  distance,  lay  Petersburg.  But 
tin-  mxt  day  was  spent  in  an  unimportant  reconnoissance;  the  next  seems  to 
to  have  passed  inactively,  and  it  was  not  until  the  evening  of  the  8th  that  Gen- 
eral Butler  ordered  the  troops  out  to  the  railroad  between  Petersburg  and  Eich- 
mond. Already,  however,  there  would  seem  to  have  sprung  up  an  asperity  of 
mariner  in  the  intercourse  between  the  commander  and  his  distinguished  sub- 
ordinate. In  ordering  the  movement  upon  the  railroad,  General  Butler  chose 
to  use  this  language :  "  The  enemy  are  in  front  with  cavalry  (five  thousand 
men),  and  it  is  a  disgrace  that  we  are  cooped. up  here.  This  movement  will 
commence  at  daylight  to-morrow  morning,  and  is  imperative.  Answer  if  you 
have  received  this  order,  and  will  be  ready  to  move." 

The  order  was  promptly  obeyed.  The  enemy  was  now  met,  for  the  first 
time,  but  in  spite  of  his  resistance,  the  road  was  torn  up,  and  the  advance  was 
pushed  forward  to  Swift  Creek,  a  short  distance  in  front  of  Petersburg.  Here 
the  line  of  the  creek  was  found  to  be  held  by  the  enemy  in  some  force,  and  there 
appeared  to  be  no  available  crossing.  Under  these  circumstances,  Generals 
(J  ill  more  and  Smith,  supposing  the  object  of  the  movement  to  be  an  advance 
upon  Petersburg,  united  in  a  note  to 'General  Butler,  advising  that  the  army 
draw  back  from  Swift  Creek,  cross  the  Appomattox,  swing  around  to  the  south 
of  Petersburg,  cut  all  the  railroads,  and  enter  the  city.  They  submitted  that 
all  this  could  be  accomplished  in  one  day,  that  the  route  was  easy,  and  that 
there  was  no  probability  of  severe  losses.  General  Butler's  reply  was— to  say 
the  least— tart:  "While  I  regret  an  infirmity  of  purpose  which  did  not  permit 
you  to  state  to  me,  when  I  was  personally  present,  the  suggestion  which  you 
make  in  your  written  note,  ...  1  shall  yield  to  the  written  suggestions, 
which  imply  a  change  of  plan,  made  within  thirty  minutes  after  I  left  you. 
Military  ailairs  can  not  bo  carried  on,  in  my  judgment,  with  this  sort  of  vac- 
illation." 

From  this  point  we  must  date  the  open  appearance  of  the  personal  hostility 
which  subsequently  led  to  General  Gillmore's  leaving  the  Department.  It  must 
be  confessed  that  the  documents  embraced  in  the  official  reports  exhibit  no  suf- 
.cent  justification  for  the  tone  General  Butler  had  chosen  to  adopt.  He  had 
not  explained  his  plans  to  his  Corps  Commanders.  They  imagined  that  he  was 
pUmgo folate  Petersburg.  Having  cut  the  connection  with  Eichmond,  and 
haying  then  encountered  a  formidable  line  of  defense,  they  thought  it  wiser  to 
tow  away  from  this,  swing  southward  and  cut  the  other  connections.  General 
Butler  doubtless  somewhat  influenced  by  the  natural  jealousy  between  a  vol- 


Quincy   A.  Gillmore.  (349 

unteer  commander  and  regular  army  subordinates,  preferred  to  regard  this  sug- 
gestion as  offensive.  He  rebuked  it  in  a  manner  which  necessarily  limited 
future  intercourse  with  his  Corps  Generals  to  the  dryest  official  forms,  and 
which  effectually  cut  him  off  from  any  probability  of  receiving  further  advice 
from  these  experienced  officers  in  the  conduct  of  the  campaign.  The  evils  that 
resulted  are  not  far  to  seek. 

When  General  Butler  landed  at  Bermuda  Hundred  he  could  have  marched 
into  Petersburg  almost  without  firing  a  gun.  When,  three  days  later,  he  ad- 
vanced, thex capture  of  Petersburg  was  still  within  his  power — possibly  by  the 
approach  over  Swift  Creek,  which  he  seemed  to  wish — certainly  and  easily  by 
the  movement  which  Generals  Gillmore  and  Smith  suggested.  But  he  was  mis- 
led, as  he  states,  by  his  information  from  General  Grant,  into  the  belief  that  his 
demonstration  ought  to  be  toward  Eichmond,  rather  than  Petersburg.  And  in 
the  same  way  he  was  led  to  believe  that  General  Kautz's  cavalry  had  already 
cut  the  railroads  below  Petersburg.* 

So,  after  his  tart  note  to  his  Generals,  he  ordered  the  troops  back  from  Swift 
Creek,  for  a  demonstration  on  Eichmond.  But  he  conducted  this  so  slowly  that, 
beginning  on  the  morning  of  the  10th,  he  only  had  his  troops  back  in  their  in- 
trenchments  at  Bermuda  Hundred  the  next  morning.  There,  for  the  whole  day, 
they  lay  inactive ;  and  it  was  not  till  the  evening  of  the  12th  that  they  moved 
out  toward  Eichmond  and  confronted  the  fast-gathering  Eebel  force  under 
Beauregard  f  at  Proctor's  Creek.  Meantime,  in  the  withdrawal,  a  portion  of 
General  Gillmore's  command  had  fallen  into  a  sharp  little  engagement.  Colonel 
Voris  of  the  Sixty-Seventh  Ohio,  commanding  a  detachment  from  Terry's  divis- 
ion, had  been  suddenly  attacked  and  almost  overpowered.  He-enforcements 
were  speedily  sent  in,  and  the  enemy  was  driven  back  with  an  acknowledged 
loss  of  nearly  three  hundred.  They  had  taken  two  pieces  of  artillery  from 
Colonel  Voris,  which  were  recaptured.  The  action  had  a  horrible  ending.  The 
shells  fired  the  woods,  and  a  large  number  of  the  enemy's  dead  and  wounded 
were  consumed  in  the  flames. 

But  now,  on  the  evening  of  the  12th,  Beauregard  stood  across  the  path  of 
the  proposed  demonstration  on  Eichmond  at  Proctor's  Creek.  General  Butler's 
orders  here  were  judicious.  He  directed  Gillmore  to  move  off  to  the  left  (west- 
ward) and  turn  the  flank  of  Beauregard's  intrenched  line.  This  flank  was 
found  on  the  commanding  eminence  of  Wooldridge's  Hill,  half  a  mile  west  of 
the  Petersburg  and  Eichmond  Eailroad.  Gillmore  left  a  detachment  on  the 
railroad  to  assault  the  line  then  in  front,  so  soon  as  the  sound  of  his  guns  should 
give  notice  of  his  attack  on  the  flank.  These  dispositions  made  the  enemy  ap- 
prehensive. The  storming  party  sent  against  the  hill  was  repulsed,  but  before 
another  could  be  sent  up  it  was  seen  that  the  enemy  was  rapidly  evacuating. 

*  General  Butler's  reply  to  joint  note  of  Generals  Gillmore  and  Smith,  dated  Head-quarters 
Dept.  of  Va.  and  N.  C,  Bermuda  Hundred,  May  9,  1861. 

tThe  Ecbels  were  taken  by  surprise  by  Gillmore's  departure  from  Charleston;  and,  even 
with  the  advantage  of  railroads,  had  not  begun  to  detach  their  surplus  troops  thence  until  after 
his  landing  at  Bermuda  Hundred.  But  the  inconsequential  movements  that  followed  gave  Beau- 
regard the  needed  time,  and  now  he  was  up  Avith  the  bulk  of  his  command. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

(;illmore  ft^opw  moved  into  the  deserted  intrenchments,  and  following  them 
down  ,,,,tw:il,|  ,  toward  the  James  River,  had  occupied  over  a  mile  of  the  Rebel 
torkl  win  n  the  nlgkt  fell.  N**t  morning  he  moved  still  further  toward 
Drory'B  Bluff  whither  the  enemy's  concentration  tended,  occupying  a  mile  and 
„  ,,.llr  molv  of  the  intrenchments,  and  forming  a  junction  with  the  rest  of  But- 
aI,nv.  which  had  been  moving  up  on  the  front.     The  line  then  moved  for- 

i.  the  enemy  -adually  falling  back  to  his  main  line  in  front  of  Drury's 
Bluff.  Thus  the  14th  and  even  the  15th  were  spent,  with  no  more  vigorous 
tjfortl  than  sWrmtshing.  General  Butler  had  proposed  to  assault  on  the  15th, 
but  be  had  BO  disposed  his  line  that  the  requisite  force  was  not  at  hand,  and  the 
MMNill  was  postponed  till  the  16th.  By  that  time  Beauregard  was  ready  to  take 
matter*  out  of  his  hands. 

The  morning  of  16th  May  was  damp  and  foggy.  Before  daylight  there 
.nine  bursting  through  the  fog  a  fierce  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry  upon  the 
long  thin  line  of  General  W.  F.  Smith's  corps.  Between  the  end  of  this  line 
and  the  James  River  lay  a  stretch  of  over  a  mile  of  open  country,  covered  only 
by  a  picket  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  cavalry.  Through  this  also  Beauregard 
sought  to  break;  while  another  assault  was  shortly  after  delivered  upon  one  of 
Gillmoro's  divisions,  far  to  the  left. 

At  the  first  alarm,  General  Butler  awoke  to  the  perils  of  his  thin,  ill-pro- 
tected line.  He  hastily  sent  orders  to  Gillmore  to  assault  on  his  front,  and  thus 
relieve  the  attack  that  was  bursting  with  such  fury  on  Smith's  front  and  flank. 
With  the  characteristic  deliberation  of  the  engineer,  Gillmore  replied  that  he 
would  as  soon  as  the  troops  were  ready.  Meantime  the  attack,  already  men- 
tioned, on  one  of  his  own  divisions,  had  just  been  received  and  repulsed. 
While  the  troops  were— not  very  rapidly  as  General  Butler  thought — getting 
ready  tor  the  assault  he  had  ordered,  this  division  had  received  two  more  attacks, 
and  Gillmore  was  become  apprehensive.  An  hour  had  elapsed  since  Butler  had 
hastily  sent  his  order  to  assault  instantly;  and  we  now  find  Gillmore  writing : 
"The  assaults  on  General  Terry's  front  (in  his  corps)  were  in  force.  If  I  move 
to  the  assault  and  meet  with  a  repulse,  our  loss  would  be  fearful."  Half  an  hour 
later  he  writes  again :  "I  have  just  heard  the  report  that  General  Brooks's  right 
(of  Smith's  corps)  is  turned,  and  a  twenty-pounder  battery  taken.  I  am  ready 
to  assault,  but  shall  wait  until  I  hear  from  you,  as  I  may  have  to  support  Smith. 
Please  answer  soon."  Presently  the  note  came  back  with  this  indorsement : 
'No  truth  in  report.  Send  reply,  and  use  discretion  as  to  assault.  B.  F.  B," 
He  used  the  discretion  by  still  delaying.  Then  came  orders  to  move  by  the 
right  flank-the  object  being  to  shorten  the  line,  and  concentrate  upon  the  point 
where  Smith  was  so  heavily  assailed.  By  thirty-five  minutes  past  eight  o'clock 
Billmore  was  able  to  send  word  that  his  whole  command  was  in   motion  as 

Uwcted-imt  not  until  renewed  and  anxious  orders  to  that  end   had   been 

M'd. 

He  now  decided,  in  the  exercise  of  the  discretion  which  General  Butler's 
note  had  granted  him,  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  enemy's  flank  and  rear  with 
lenj  3  and  Turner's  divisions.    But  while  the  troops  were  beginning  the  en- 


Qui^cy  A.  Gillmore.  651 

gagement,  word  came  from  Butler  of  Smith's  having  to  fall  back,  and  of  the 
danger  about  the  line  of  retreat,  unless  Gillmore  hastened  to  cover  it.  Presently 
the  anxiety  about  the  road  back  to  the  intrenchments  became  greater.  "If  you 
don't  reach  the  pike  at  once,"  wrote  Butler,  "  we  must  lose  it.  Press  strongly. 
This  is  peremptory.     We  will  lose  turnpike  unless  you  hurry." 

Two  hours  after  the  issue  of  this  final  order  Gillmore  reached  the  turnpike. 
The  army  at  once  retired  to  the  intrenchments  of  Bermuda  Hundred.  On  the 
20th  Gillmore's  pickets  were  driven  in,  and  a  part  of  his  rifle-pits  taken.  The 
men  rallied,  however,  and  the  enemy  was  finally  driven  out  with  considerable 
loss.*  On  June  9th  General  Gillmore  was  ordered,  with  the  inadequate  force 
of  four  thousand  men,  to  make  a  reconnoissance  of  Petersburg  and  burn  the 
bridge  there  over  the  Appomattox.  He  found  the  enemy  in  strong  force  in 
front  of  the  bridge,  behind  earthworks.  On  the  other  side  were  strong  works, 
with  artillery  sweeping  the  approaches.  Doubting  his  ability  to  carry  the 
wrorks  in  front,  and  believing  that,  even  if  they  were  carried,  it  would  still 
be  impossible  to  burn  the  bridge  under  the  fire  from  the  other  side,  General 
Gillmore  retired  without  attack. 

On  his  return  he  was  relieved  from  the  command  of  his  corps,  and  ordered 
to  .report  at  Fortress  Monroe.  General  Grant,  hearing  of  this,  and  doubting 
whether  Gillmore  had  been  justly  treated,  ordered  him  out  of  Butler's  command 
altogether. 

The  justice  of  these  measures  has  since  been  the  subject  of  acrimonious  dis- 
pute between  the  friends  of  the  respective  Generals.  We  do  not  propose  to  add 
much  to  the  discussion.  It  is  plain  that,  whatever  may  have  been  General  But- 
ler's dislike  of  General  Gillmore's  military  performance,  his  feelings  against 
him  were  much  aggravated  by  the  publication  of  a  letter  from  Chaplain  Hud- 
son, of  Gillmore's  command,  wherein  Butler's  indefensible  conduct  of  the  un- 
lucky battle  of  Drury's  Bluff  was  severely  criticised.  Butler  accused  Gillmore 
with  having  inspired  the  letter.  Gillmore  averred  that  he  knew  nothing  what- 
ever of  it  until  he  saw  it  in  print,  f 

Aside  from  this,  Butler's  complaints  against  Gillmore  were  of  general  slow- 
ness and  apparent  unwillingness  in  the  execution  of  orders,  and  particularly  of 
the  return  from  Petersburg  without  firing  a  gun  in  any  attempt  to  execute  his 
orders. 

Now  these  complaints  touch  upon  a  general  truth,  which  should  have  been 
remembered  by  the  authorities  that  assigned  two  such  oflicers  of  engineers  as 
Gillmore  and  Smith  to  command  under  a  volunteer  officer  like  Butler. 

The  business  of  engineers  is  to  devise  means  for  making  war  safely.  When 
in  command  of  troops  they  rarely  abandon  the  ideas  of  their  old  profession. 
They  accustom  themselves  to  look  critically  upon  the  orders  even  of  ofiicers 

-The  losses  in  this  affair  were  seven  hundred  and  two; 'in  the  previous  fighting  on  the  lines 
about  Drury's  Bluff,  three  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty-seven. 

tThe  Chaplain  was  known  to  literary  men  as  the  editor  of  a  popular  edition  of  Shakspeare. 
Butler  kept  him  imprisoned  for  some  months.  The  Chaplain  charged  that  he  was  treated  with 
gross  cruelty.  The  matter  was  finally  carried  to  Grant,  and  was  thought  to  have  something  to 
do  with  Butler's  removal. 


gg2  Ohio  in  the  War. 

whom,  by  the  West  Point  standards,  they  conclude  to  be  skillful;  and  it  rarely 
happens  thai  they  do  not  act  as  a  check  rather  than  a  spur  upon  the  prosecu- 
tion of  an  aggressive  campaign.  Under  officers  of  whose  capacity  to  conduct 
war  scientifically  they  have  doubts,  their  honest  hesitation  to  execute  orders 
which  seem  to  them  to  offer  only  a  wanton  waste  of  life,  often  appears  to  their 
commanders  to  approach  the  verge  of  insubordination.  It  was  so  with  Warren 
at  Five  Forks.  In  a  less  marked  degree,  and  without  complaint  from  his  com- 
mander, it  was  so  with  McPherson  at  the  outset  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  It 
vrai  BO  with  Weitzel  (with  reference  to  Grant's  orders)  at  Fort  Fisher.  And  it 
was  m  with  Gillmore  and  Smith  in  the  operations  we  have  been  tracing. 

At  the  outset  they  were  cautious.  Accustomed  to  reason  upon  large  opera- 
tions, they  concluded  that  Butler's  intention  must  be  to  take  Petersburg,  and 
thevtook  the  responsibility  of  telling  him  what  they  thought  the  easiest  and 
safest  way  to  do  it.  General  Butler  apparently  looked  upon  this  as  unwarrant- 
able interference,  administered  a  sharp  rebuke,  and  thus  insured  his  deprivation 
of  assistance  from  their  sound  judgments  and  skilled  comprehension  of  topo- 
graphical difficulties  again.  They  considered  his  line  before  the  enemy,  near 
Drury's  Bluff,  as  too  long,  ill-supported,  and  without  reserves;  and  General 
Gillmore  took  the  liberty  of  protesting  against  it.  General  Butler  neglected  the 
warning,  and  regarded  the  author  of  it  with  an  evil  eye.  i  In  the  ensuing  battle 
General  Gillmore  was  undoubtedly  slow  in  obeying  orders — the  slower  possibly 
because  he  could  not  fail  to  see  the  little  wisdom  that  controlled  some  of  them. 
His  subsequent  hesitation  before  the  bridge  at  Petersburg  was  amply  vindicated 
by  the  events  of  the  campaign  that  followed. 

On  the  whole  we  may  conclude  that  General  Gillmore  was  harshly  judged, 
because  of  the  course  which  his  engineering  bias  had  led  him  to  adopt  from  the 
outset;  and  that  if  he  committed  any  errors,  they  were  the  natural  errors  of 
the  engineer,  who  is  unwilling  to  sacrifice  lives,  if  he  sees  any  way  by  which 
he  can  accomplish  the  end  without  such  sacrifice. 

Soon  after  General  Grant  had  rescued  Gillmore  from  the  enforced  idleness 
to  Fortress  Monroe,  to  which  General  Butler  ordered  him,  and  had  sent  him 
at  Washington,  Early  made  his  advance  througb  Maryland  upon  the  capital. 
Gillmore  was  at  once  seized  upon,  and  placed  in  command  of  two  divisions  of 
the  Nineteenth  Corps  the  moment  they  arrived.  While  leading  these  in  pur- 
suit of  Early,  three  days  after  assuming  the  command,  he  was  severely  injured 
by  the  fall  of  his  horse,  and  was  necessarily  relieved.  He  remained  on  leave  of 
absence  from  16th  July  to  21st  August,  1864. 

When  he  was  able  to  report  for  duty  again,  Mr.  Lincoln  was  sorely  harassed 
by  the  disputes  and  quarrels  of  the  manufacturers  of  great  guns  with  each  other 
and  with  the  authorities  of  the  War  and  Navy  Departments.  Mr.  Horatio 
Ames  had  constructed  a  wrought-iron  rifled  gun  which  neither  Department  was 
Willing  to  adopt.  He  defied  them  to  burst  it,  and  claimed  for  it  Far  greater 
durability  and  longer  range  than  could  be  attained  with  any  gun  in  the  service. 
JMr.  .Lincoln  finally  thought  that  General  Gillmore's  great  experience  with  rifled 


QUIXCY     A.    GrILLMOKE.  653 

guns,  made  him  the  highest  authority  on  the  subject  in  the  army,  and  ordered 
him  to  act  as  President  of  a  Board  for  testing  it.  In  this  capacity  he  acted 
through  the  months  of  September,  October,  and  November. 

The  experiments  were  careful  and  severe.  One  of  them  was  to  load  an 
imperfect  fifty -pounder  gun  with  sixteen  pounds  of  powder  and  a  three  hun- 
dred-pound bolt,  with  the  view  of  bursting  it.  This  charge  failed  to  injure  it. 
Then  twenty  pounds  of  powder  were  used,  and  a  four  hundred  and  fifty -pound 
bolt.  This  caused  the  gun  to  recoil  thirty  feet,  and  sent  the  bolt  through  two 
mounds  of  earth  ten  and  twelve  feet  thick  respectively,  and  then  eighty  rods 
beyond.  Finally,  the  gun  was  loaded  with  twenty  pounds  of  powder  and  a 
two  hundred-pound  bolt,  so  inserted  that  the  end  of  the  bolt  projected  an 
inch  beyond  the  muzzle  of  the  gun.  Against  this  projecting  end  was  firmly 
placed  a  block  of  cast-iron  weighing  two  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds. 
The  gun  recoiled  sixty  feet.  The  cast-iron  block,  36  inches  X  20  X  20, 
went  through  a  bank  of  earth  twelve  feet  thick,  and  flew  forty  feet  beyond 
it.  The  gun  seemed  absolutely  uninjured,  and  the  attempts  to  burst  it  were 
abandoned. 

The  process  of  manufacturing  this  remarkable  gun  is  simple.  It  is  built  up 
of  disks  and  rings  of  wrought-iron,,  separately  heated  and  welded  together. 
Two  disks  are  first  welded  for  the  breech.  Against  these  other  disks  are  welded, 
until  a  sufficient  length  of  breech  is  obtained.  Then  rings  are  welded  on  wide 
enough  to  give  the  requisite  size  of  bore,  one  after  another  being  added  until 
the  desired  length  is  attained.  The  gun  is  then  bored  out  arid  rifled,  the  vent 
is  drilled,  and  trunnions  are  screwed  into  the  sides  for  mounting  it.  General 
Gillmore's  report,  finally  made,  was  favorable,  but  the  great  expense  of  the  gun 
has  hitherto  been  urged  as  a  sufficient  reason  for  refusing  to  adopt  them  in  the 
service. 

At  the  close  of  this  work,  G-illmore  was  appointed  Acting  Inspector-Gen- 
eral of  Fortifications  for  the  Military  Division  of  the  West  Mississippi.  The* 
months  of  December,  1864,  and  January,  1865,  were  spent  in  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion, which  extended  from  Cairo,  Illinois,  to  Pensacola,  Florida. 

At  last  the  Government  decided  to  return  General  Gillmore  to  the  depart- 
ment in  which  his  fame  had  been  won,  and  in  which  his  administration  had 
been  more  satisfactory  than  that  of  any  predecessor  or  successor. 

On  the  30th  of  January  the  appointment  was  made  ;  on  the  9th  of  Febru- 
ary he  assumed  command.  Nine  days  later,  leaving  the  navy  afar  off  at  the 
outer  bar  to  watch  his  adventurous  course,  he  steamed  up  in  a  transport,  over 
the  obstructions  they  had  found  so  formidable,  entered  the  harbor,  and,  anchor- 
ing at  the  half-rotten  wharves,  occupied  without  opposition  the  city  so  long  the 
object  of  so  much  hate  and  so  many  attacks.  He  had  made  its  capture  possible 
eighteen  months  before  ;  it  was  fitting  now  that  he  should  be  privileged  first  to 
enter  and  take  possession. 

He  continued  in  the  command  of  his  large  department,  uninstructed  as  to 
the  changes  which  the  sudden  coming  of  peace  upon   the  land  might  involve, 


66 ! 


Ohio  in  the  War 


until  the  reorganization  of  the  military  departments.  Meantime  he  reduced  the 
Entire  region  to  order.  lie  established  provost  courts  in  every  town  in  Georgia 
and  South  Carolina,  associating  the  local  magistrates  with  his  officers  in  the  dis- 
ehftrge  of  Indicia]  duties.  After  thus  giving  an  efficient  government  for  imme- 
diate purposes,  to  the  country  under  his  command,  he  addressed  an  elaborate 
tetter  60  the  authorities  at  Washington,  recommending  the  policy  of  establish- 
ing for  some  time  a  military  government  over  the  seceded  States 

After  tho  re-assignment  of  departments,  he  was  given  the  command  of 
Smith  Carolina.  His  rule  here  was  judicious  and  acceptable.  He  had  little 
B,  however,  for  such  military  duties  in  time  of  peace.  At  his  own  request 
be  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service,  and  assigned  to  the  old  familiar 
work  in  the  Corps  of  Engineers.  He  bore  back  with  him  to  his  grade  in  this 
brilliant  corps  the  clustering  honors  of  the  four  highest  brevets  in  the  regular 
army,  in  reward  for  his  achievements  during  the  war. 

Ihvvot  Lieutenant-Colonel,  United  States  Army,  "For  gallant  and  merito- 
rious conduct  at  the  capture  of  Fort  Pulaski,  April  11,  1862." 

Brevet  Colonel,  United  States  Army,  "  For  gallant  and  meritorious  services 
at  the  battle  of  Somerset,  Kentucky,  March  31,  1863." 

Brevet  Brigadier-General,  United  States  Army,  "For  gallant  and  meritori- 
ous services  in  the  assault  on  Morris  Island,  July  10,  1863." 

Brevet  Major-General,  United  States  Army,  "  For  gallant  and  meritorious 
conduct  in  the  capture  of  Fcrts  Wagner  and  Gregg,  and  the  demolition  of  Fort 
Sumter." 

General  Gillmore's  military  standing  is  clearly  denned  by  his  career  dur- 
ing the  war.  He  never  displayed  remarkable  merits  as  a  leader  of  troops 
in  the  open  field.  He  was  a  'good,  but  not  a  brilliant,  corps  General.  If  he 
committed  no  grave  faults,  on  the  other  hand  he  never  shone  conspicuous  above 
those  that  surrounded  him.  He  was  prudent,  judicious,  circumspect,  not  dash- 
ing, scarcely  enterprising.  It  is  only  fair  to  add  that  he  was  never  tried  on  a 
large  scale  or  under  favorable  circumstances. 

But  in  his  proper  province  as  an  engineer  and  artillerist,  he  was  as  bold  as 
in  the  field  he  was  cautious.  He  ignored  the  limitations  of  the  books.  He  ac- 
cepted theories  that  revolutionized  the  science,  and  staked  his  professional  stand- 
tog  on  great  operations  based  upon  them.  He  made  himself  the  first  artillerist 
of  the  war.  If  not  also  the  foremost  engineer,  he  was  second  to  none;  and  in 
the  boldness  and  originality  of  his  operations  against  Wagner,  he  surpassed  any 
snn.lar  achievements,  not  only  in  this  war,  but  in  any  war;  so  that  now,  not- 
WM  landing  the  more  varied  professional  operations  around  Eichmond,  and 
Atlanta,  and  Vicksburg,  when  men  speak  of  great  living  engineers,  they  think 
as  naturally  of  Gillmore  in  the  New  World  as  of  Todleben  in  the  Old.     * 

General  Gillmore  is  among  the  handsomest  officers  of  the  army.  He  is 
above    he  medium  height,  heavily  and  compactly  built,  with  a  broad  chest  and 

E?«       P,  ySiCal  S°lidity-    His  featm>es  (*haded>  ^  <*>«<*»*«*>  by  his  full 
bcaid)  are  regular  and  expressive.     The  face  would  be  called   a  good-humored 


Quincy   A.   GlLLMOKE.  655 

one,  the  head  is  shapely,  and  the  forehead  broad  and  high.*  He  speaks  with 
nervous  quickness,  the  more  noticeable  because  of  a  slight  peculiarity  in  the 
enunciation  that  gives  a  suggestion  of  his  having  sometimes  lisped  or  stam- 
mered. He  is  an  excellent  talker,  and  is  familiar  with  a  wide  range  of  subjects 
outside  of  his  profession.  In  social  life  he  appears  as  an  elegant  and  accomp'ished 
gentleman.  He  was  often  remarked  during  the  war  for  his  apparent  indiffer- 
ence  to  physical  danger.  His  head-quarters  on  Morris  Island  were  pitched 
under  fire,  and  his  soldiers  used  to  tell  of  him  that  during  the  slow  siego  ap- 
proaches he  often  whiled  away  the  tedium  by  reading  novels  or  magazines  while 
the  enemy's  shells  were  bursting  in  inconvenient  proximity. 

His  personal  affiliations  at  Washington  have  been  mostly  with  Eepublicans, 
but  he  inclines  a  little  to  conservatism  in  his  political  views.  He  was  never 
very  emphatic  in  his  approval  of  the  policy  of  negro  recruiting;  and  his  rela- 
tions with  Colonel  Higginson,  of  Massachusetts,  who  commanded  a  negro  regi- 
ment in  his  department,  were  scarcely  kind.  He  sustained  General  Saxton  in 
all  his  efforts  for  the  good  of  the  refugees  on  the  Sea  Islands,  but  it  was  known 
that  he  did  not  fully  agree  with  that  earnest  and  humane  officer  in  his  belief  in 
the  enlarged  capacities  of  the  negro  race. 

Long  after  the  close  of  the  war,  General  Gillmore  was  still  a  wndower. 
His  four  boys  were  at  West  Point,  under  the  care  of  their  maternal  grand- 
parents. He  had  bought  the  odd  farm  on  which  he  was  born,  and  had  converted 
it  into  a  vineyard,  which  he  still  found  time  to  visit  on  his  occasional  leaves  of 
absence. 

*  Elsewhere  I  have  described  the  General's  personal  appearance  thus :  "  Fancy  a  fine  whole- 
some-looking, solid  six-footer,  with  big  head,  broad,  good-humored  face,  and  a  high  forehead, 
faintly  elongated  by  a  suspicion  of  baldness,  curly  brown  hair  and  beard,  and  a  frank,  open  face, 
and  you  have  him.  A  quick-speaking,  quick-moving,  soldierly  man  he  is.".  After  the  War. 
p.  131. 


656 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  IRVIN  McDOWELL 


IRVIN  McDOWELL,  Brigadier  and  Brevet  Major-General  in  the  regu- 
lar army,  Major-General  of  volunteers,  the  earliest  to  occupy  high  com- 
mind  in  the  field  at  the  East  after  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  one  of  the 
best  military  scholars  in  the  army,  and  one  of  the  most  unsuccessful  of  its  offi- 
cers was  born  in  the  village  of  Franklinton,  near  Columbus,  Ohio,  on  the  15th 
of  October,  1818. 

The  McDowell's  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  They  had  been  driven  out 
of  Scotland  by  the  religious  persecutions.  Finding  an  asylum  in  the  north  of 
Ireland  they  remained  there  until  shortly  after  the  siege  of  Londonderry  (in 
which  they  took  part),  and  then  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  settling  first  in 
the  valley  of  Virginia.  Some  of  them,  including  the  branch  from  which  the 
future  General  sprang,  removed  thence  to  Kentucky.  Abram  McDowell  served 
through  the  war  of  1812  in  his  uncle's  regiment  of  Kentucky  volunteers.  At 
its  close  he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  settled  near  Columbus.  His  wife,  Eliza  Lord, 
was  a  member  of  the  Starling  family,  one  of  the  most  influential  in  that  county. 
Mr.  McDowell  is  still  spoken  of  by  old  citizens  of  Columbus  as  a  perfect  speci- 
men of  the  type  of  Kentucky  gentlemen  of  the  old  school.  But  he  was  a  victim 
to  the  convivial  habits  of  those  early  times,  and  though  he  was  always  highly 
respected  his  last  days  were  not  happy.  One  other  quality  of  his  is  described 
by  those  who  remember  him,  which  doubtless  had  much  to  do  in  shaping  the 
character  and  history  of  his  noted  son.  He  was  an  intense  aristocrat,  priding 
himself  on  his  culture,  his  social  position,  his  refinement,  and  keeping  haughtily 
aloof  from  the  large  mass  whom  he  held  to  be  beneath  him.  But  he  was  never 
wealthy,  and  at  one  time  was  very  much  reduced  in  circumstances. 

His  son,  Irvin  McDowell,  grew  up  a  warm-hearted,  affectionate,  outspoken 
boy.  But  little  by  little,  home  influence  and  educational  advantages  began  to 
change  these  characteristics.  He  was  at  first  sent  to  the  Columbus  schools, 
where  his  old  playmates  remember  him  as  being  such  a  lad  as  we  have  de- 
scribed above.  Then  a  French  teacher,  who  had  spent  some  time  in  Columbus, 
prevailed  on  Mr.  McDowell  to  send  his  boy  abroad  for  an  education,  and  finally 
eded  in  taking  young  Irvin  with  him  to  Paris.  The  boy  remained  in  a 
French  school  for  a  year  or  more.  When  he  returned  to  his  native  country  his 
father  had  procured  for  him  a  warrant  for  West  Point,  where  he  was  accord- 
ingly admitted  in  1834. 

On  his  return  from  France  his  playmates  had  observed  the  beginning  of  a 
*  in  his  free,  warm-hearted  ways.     At  West  Point  the  repressing  influence 
-  to  have  continued.     Socially  he  stood  among  the  first  in  the  Academy; 


Beema 


Irvin  McDowell.  <>j7 

bui  in  his  classes  lie  did  noi  rank  so  high.  P.  G.  T.  Beauregard  was  graduated 
second  in  that  class;  Irvin  McDowell  was  as  low  down  as  the  twenty-third. 
But  between  these  noted  names  was  but  one  which  the  country  now  recognizes — 
that  of  Wm.  F.  Barry,  the  able  Chief  of  Artillery  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac; 
while  three  places  below  McDowell  was  Wm.  J.  Hardee,  and  two  below  him  was 
R.  S.  Granger.  Fellow-students  in  the  Academy  with  McDowell  were  Braxton 
Bragg,  Jubai  Early,  E.  D.  Townsend,  B.  H.  Hill,  Wm.  H.  French,  John  Sedg- 
wick, John  C.  Pemberton,  Joseph  Hooker,  and  Wm.  H.  T.  Walker,  of  the  class 
above;  and  Henry  W.  Halleck,  E.  O.  C.  Ord,  E.  K.  S.  Ganby,  Wm.  T.  Sherman, 
George  H.  Thomas,  E.  S.  Ewell,  and  H.  G.  Wright  of  those  below  him.  Among 
these  are  some  of  the  most  noted  leaders  on  both  sides  in  the  war  of  the  re- 
bellion. 

On  his  graduation  young  McDowell  was  at  once  assigned  to  the  Artillery, 
and  ordered  on  duty  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  where  the  "  patriot  difficulties  " 
were  then  exciting  apprehensions.  These  settled,  he  was  next  ordered  to  the 
north-eastern  boundary,  during  the  progress  of  the  controversy  with  Great 
Britain  as  to  the  disputed  territory.  A  short  interval  of  recruiting  duty  fol- 
lowed;  then  he  was  again  on  the  Maine  frontier;  finally,  in  1841,  he  was  sent 
back  to  West  Point  as  Assistant  Instructor  in  Infantry  Tactics.  Here  he  re- 
mained for  the  next  four  years — one  year  teaching  Infantry  Tactics,  and  the 
other  three  serving  as  Adjutant  of  the  Academy. 

Through  this  time  he  had  grown  to  be  a  man  of  the  world,  reserved,  formal, 
and  polished.  He  had  also  devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  his  profession,  and 
had  more  than  made  up  any  of  his  deficiencies  when  a  cadet. 

Such  was  the  favorable  impression  which  he  now  made  upon  the  leading 
officers  of  the  army,  that  he  was  selected  as  an  Aid-de-Camp  on  the  personal 
staff  of  General  Wool — one  of  the  positions  then  reserved  for  the  most  promis- 
ing and  presentable  of  the  younger  officers.  There  thus  began  a  long  career 
of  staff-duty  (continued  with  few  interruptions  till  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of 
the  rebellion)  that  gradually  shaped  the  whole  character  of  the  man.  Tinder 
its  influence  he  became  almost  a  martinet,  rigid,  precise,  devoted  to  the  routine 
methods,  intolerant  of  innovations,  little  capable  of  accommodating  himself  to 
outside  ideas.  But  he  became  at  the  same  time  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
whole  theory  of  the  art  of  war,  and  with  the  literature  of  his  profession;  while 
socially  he  was  held  to  be  one  of  the  most  polished  and  charming  of  men. 

From  October  6th,  1845,  to  May  13th,  1847,  he  was  Aid-de-Camp  to  General 
Wool.  At  Buena  Yista  he  behaved  handsomely;  and  for  "gallant  and  meritori- 
ous conduct"  there  he  was  brevetted  Captain.  On  May  13th,  1847,  he  became 
Assistant  Adjutant-General,  first  for  General  Wool's  division;  then,  on  Decem- 
ber 9th,  1847,  for  the  Army  of  Occupation,  which  last  position  he  continued  to 
hold  till  the  end  of  the  Mexican  war. 

Tn  June  and  July,  1848,  he  was  engaged  in  mustering  out  the  volunteers  as 

they  returned  from  Mexico ;  then  for  a  year  he  was  kept  on  duty  in  the  War 

Department.     By  this  time  General   Scott  had  fixed  upon   him  for  one  of  his 

staff.     He  was  now  thirty  years  of  age;   and  his  mental   habits  began  to  be 

Yol.  I.— 42. 


658  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

settled.     Under  the   immediate  supervision  of  General   Scott,  they  were  not 

likely  to  change.     He  remained  on  staff-duty  with  the  General-in-Chief  of  the 

army  (with  brief  intervals  of  staff  service  with  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  and 

Twiggs)  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war*     He  was  given,  however,  leave 

..sence  for  a  year,  which  he  spent  in  traveling  in  Europe.  Through  all  this 
time  he  very  rarely  visited  his  old  home.  It  was  thought  by  his  former  asso- 
ciates that  the  shadow  on  the  home  circle  had  something  to  do  with  his  absence, 
and  that  ho  had  thus  grown  colder  and  more  reserved.  It  had  certainly  shaped 
his  own  habits  in  an  important  particular ;  he  was  known  among  his  comrades 
as  the  most  faultlessly  pure  and  temperate  man  in  all  things  in  the  army.  He 
never  played  cards;  never  joined  the  drinking  bouts  of  his  comrades;   never 

(I  even  wine  with  them,  and  abstained  so  rigorously  from  all  stimulants 
that  he  never  drank  even  tea  or  coffee. 

When  the  war  came,  McDowell,  now  a  Brevet  Major,  was  on  duty  in  the 
War  Department.  Secretary  Chase,  whose  residence  at  Columbus  while  Gov- 
ernor of  Ohio,  had  made  him  acquainted  with  his  history,  at  once  sought  out 
the  young  Ohio  officer.  To  every  member  of  the  Government  military  matters 
were  a  mystery.  Yet  a  military  system  was  a  thing  of  instant  demand.  On 
Mr.  Chase,  far  more  than  would  have  been  expected  from  the  nature  of  his 
office,  fell  the  burden  of  organization.  He  has  since  repeatedly  declared  that 
he  owed  more  to  the  clear  head  and  admirable  executive  faculties  of  Major 
McDowell  than  to  any  other  source.  The  Major  was  consulted  about  almost 
everything— about  the  calls  for  troops,  the  assignment  of  regular  officers,  the 
number  of  Generals  needed  for  the  new  troops,  the  organization,  pay — in  a 
word,  about  the  multifarious  details  of  a  complex  military  organism,  into  the 
midst  of  which  the  perplexed  and  bewildered  authorities  found  themselves  sud- 
denly plunged.  On  Lieutenant-General  Scott,  as  the  nominal  head  of  the  army, 
everything  depended.  But  the  veteran  was  old  and  bowed  down  with  infirmi- 
ties; and  he  gladly  left  much  to  the  vigorous  and  accomplished  young  officer 
who  had  been  in  his  military  family  so  long,  and  in  whose  professional  knowl- 
edge he  had  learned  to  place  confidence. 

Thus  trusted  by  the  General  at  the  head  of  the  army,  and  consulted  by  the  lead- 
ing civil  officers  of  the  Government  as  authority  on  all  matters  concerning  the  war, 
McDowell  had  for  the  time,  perhaps,  the  most  potent  influence  exercised  by  any 
of  our  military  men.  He  was  found  on  all  hands  prompt,  judicious,  singularly 
clear-headed,  and  earnestly  desirous  to  do  whatever  might  aid  the  cause. 

Jnn.*  mQllreTWh°  may  ^^  ^  eXaCt  8tatement  of  hi*  service,  it  may  be  added  that  from 
eZc^l  f  Ty'  \t\'  ^  Wa8  WUh  General  Scott'  from  Ja»ua^  to  May,  1851,  with  Gen- 
Zr  ult^'lT  ?c  M1'  t0  MarCh'  1853'  With  General  **W  frora  ^  1853,  to  Novem- 
ta  Tex'!'      1   G"ieral1^tt5  fr°»  Dumber,  1856,  to  May,  1857,  with  Albert  Sidney  Johnston 

NovenTe;  IZ    "T         ',  ^  ^^  1858'  with  General  Scott>  *™  November,  1858,  to 

in  Minnaa*.  lftH  •  ,  £  P  '  860'  Wllh  Sldney  Johnston;  then  as  Inspector-General 
by  Scl  a Z i  fr  cT  1  and  f'T3'  fr°m  Sep,ember> 1860'  t0  F°h™<y.  1861;  -4  """tf.  — 


Irvin  McDowell.  659 

Meanwhile  at  his  old  home  diverse  interests  were  busy  with  his  fortunes. 
The  Governor  of  Ohio  was  his  relative  by  marriage,  and  was  disposed  to  look 
on  him,  as  they  did  at  Washington,  as  among  the  best  of  our  active  soldiers. 
Governor  Dennison  at  first — and  indeed  before  he  knew  what  rank  such  com- 
mander would  require — proposed  to  appoint  McDowell  to  the  command  of  the 
Ohio  contingent.  He  went  so  far  as  to  inform  him  of  this  purpose.  But  about 
this  time  prominent  gentlemen  in  Cincinnati  began  to  urge  upon  him  a  Captain 
McClellan,  whom  he  had  once  met  in  a  railroad  convention,  and  of  whom  army 
officers  spoke  highly.  At  first  he  hesitated;  then,  as  the  pressure  from  Cincin- 
nati increased,  and  he  was  told  more  and  more  of  Captain  McClellan's  standing 
in  the  army,  he  began  to  think  his  prestige  greater  than  that  of  McDowell ;  and 
his  appointment  therefore  likely  to  have  a  better  effect  upon  the  gathering 
forces.  Furthermore  McDowell  seemed  likely  to  be  kept  busy  and  provided  for 
at  Washington,  while  McClellan  was  not  in  the  service  at  all,  and  his  friends  on 
the  ground  were  earnest  in  urging  that  he  be  set  to  work.  Under  such  influ- 
ences McClellan  was  appointed,  and  the  Governor  wrote  to  McDowell,  explain- 
ing his  action  and  motives. 

Just  then,  by  McDowell's  aid  and  generally  in  accordance  with  his  sug- 
gestions, the  War  Department  had  issued  its  "  General  Order  No.  15,"  prescrib- 
ing certain  features  of  the  organization  of  volunteer  troops.  One  of  its  pro- 
visions was  that,  save  in  the  three  months'  service,  the  Governors  of  States 
should  have  no  power  to  appoint  officers  above  Colonels  of  regiments.  In  his 
reply  to  Governor  Dennison  he  alluded  to  this  regulation  as  one  under  which 
he  was  likely  to  be  promoted,  and  generously  recited  the  praises  of  the  officer 
who  had  been  preferred  before  him  : 

"I  congratulate  you  on  the  credit  which  justly  attaches  to  you  for  your  appointment  of  Mc- 
Clellan to  the  chief  command.  Among  all  our  graduates  yet  in  the  vigor  of  youth,  he  is  of  the 
first  order.  I  say  it  in  all  sincerity,  that  though  he  has  the  place  to  which  I  aspired,  the  com- 
mand of  the  troops  of  my  native  State  (of  which  I  am  still  a  citizen),  you  have  done  better  for, 
the  State,  and  better  for  the  Country,  than  if  you  had  adhered  to  your  first  intention  of  ap- 
pointing me.  Don't,  therefore,  take  the  trouble  to  say  anything  more  about  it.  I  know  how 
you  were  placed,  and  can  imagine  your  position,  as  well  as  if  I  had  been  present." 

It  was  a  generous  spirit  which  McDowell  thus  displayed,  and  of  which  he 
was  soon  to  give  further  evidence.  It  would  have  been  fortunate,  indeed,  if  he 
had  been  himself  dealt  with  as  unselfishly  when  McClellan  came  to  exercise 
command  near  the  Capital. 

Within  a  few  hours  after  this  letter  to  Governor  Dennison  was  written, 
General  McClellan  was,  partly  on  McDowell's  own  recommendation,  appointed 
to  a  Major-Generalship  in  the  regular  army.  General  Scott  had  consulted  with 
his  old  staff  officer  as  to  the  young  men  in  the  army  best  suited  for  large  pro- 
motion. McDowell  named  McClellan  and  Buell.  Scott  praised  both.  But  he 
was  doubtful  about  McClellan's  youth.  Others  in  the  Government,  greatly 
pleased  by  this  time  with  the  accomplished,  willing,  and  very  serviceable  young 
officer,  suggested  that  perhaps  McDowell  himself  would  do  better  for  one  of  the 
Major-Generalships.     From  this  he  modestly  shrank. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

H,  was  soon  to  find,  indeed,  that  even  less  rapid  promotion  was  to  work 

hi,.,  ar.d  the  country  great  injury.     Mr.  Chase  and  Mr.  Cameron  were  both  so 

highly  pl6M6<j  wftb  the  ability  and  zeal  shown  by  McDowell  in  all  the  con- 

.>  and  military  arrangements  into  which  they  were  plunged   that  they 

resolved  on   having  him  advanced  to  a  position  of  higher  influence.     Accord- 

ie  order  tb«t  announced  McClellan's  promotion   told  that  Brevet- 

r  Irvin  McDowell  had  been  made  a  Brigadier-General  in  the  regular  army. 
But  the  honor  was  attended  with  an  ill  omen.  It  excited  the  displeasure  of  the 
old  ami  petulant  General-in-Chief,  and  the  army  was  full  of  traditions  to  the 

:  that  no  man  in  it  could  ever  prosper  who  had  once,  by  any  accident, 
aroused  the  hostility  of  Winfield  Scott.* 

It  was  understood  that  the  promotion  was  secured  by  the  Cabinet,  with 

ence  to  a  command  in  the  field,  under  the  eye  of  his  old  chief.  For  General 
Scott  had  already  heen  forced  to  abandon  his  opposition  to  hostile  operations  in 

nia,  and  his  plan  for  sweeping  down  the  Mississippi  with  a  powerful  force 
to  the  Gulf.  That  the  old  strategist  gave  way  with  regret,  may  well  be  be- 
lieved. But  the  popular  demand  for  action  was  not  to  be  resisted;  the  seces- 
sion of  Virginia  was  no  longer  doubtful,  and  the  head  and  front  of  the  Confed- 
erate strength  was  there  arraying  itself.  Thither  it  was  already  decided  to 
send  General  McDowell.  In  a  letter  that  day  written  we  catch  some  glimpses 
of  the  temper  in  which  he  contemplated  his  task : 

"I  have  intimations  that  I  am  to  have  an  active  command  in  Virginia, 
.  .  .  If  I  am  placed  in  any  responsible  position  here  I  wish  you  would  write 
to  your  friend  the  Postmaster-General— whom  I  know  but  slightly— of  the 
friendship  you  bear  me,  that  I  may  also  look  to  him  for  the  support  any  one 
leading  a  body  of  raw  men  into  a  hostile  State,  with  an  excited  country,  expect- 
ing some  positive  and  immediate  success,  must  daily  need."  f 

These  words  are  suggestive.  Plainly  the  new  General  had  his  full  share 
pi  the  regular  army  feeling  against  the  volunteers.  Plainly  he  had  his  full 
•hare  of  the  regular  army  feeling  .against  any  interference  by  the  people  in  the 
war  they  were  to  support,  and  especially  against  any  popular  demand  for  speedy 
movements.  But  something  more  may  be  seen  here  than  mere  army  opinions 
or  prejudices.  It  is  evident  that  at  the  very  outset  the  General  was  placed  in 
the  false  position  of  having  to  look  to  civil  officers,  rather  than  to  his  military 
superior,  for  support. 

For  General  Scott,  hostile  originally  to  McDowell's  promotion,  was  now 
found  to  be  hostile  to  his  assignment  to  duty  in  Virginia,  and,  indeed,  to  any 
movement  in  Virginia,  beyond  the  mere  fortification  of  Arlington.  At  first  he 
proposed  to  leave  the  occupation  of  the  Virginia  side  to  a  volunteer  officer,! 

t  h„^!nral  ^"  had  opposed  m?  ^mewhat  rapid  promotion  because  he  thought  it  was  doing 
fcTolt??1  i ?  ,  ,d;  and  When  *  Was  Promoted>  he  ™^d  «*  General  **.  should  also 
Com  on  Can  W       I  S  WCek  bef°re  my  0Wn  Potion.     McDowell's  Testimony  before 

U>m.  on  Con.  War ;  Report  Series  of  1863,  Vol.  II,  p.  37 

t  Letter  of  McDowell  to  Governor  Dennison,  under  date,  Washington,  14th  May,  1861. 
^General  Sandford,  of  the  New  York  militia. 


Irvin  McDowell.  661 

whom  lie  wanted  to  get  out  of  Washington.  The  Department  told  him  he  must 
send  over  a  regular — either  Mansfield  or  McDowell.  Then,  wishing  to  keep 
Mansfield  in  the  city,  he  named  McDowell,  but  made  secret  efforts  to  thwart  the 
wishes  of  the  Department  by  inducing  him  to  prefer  a  personal  request  not  to 
be  sent  across  the  Potomac.  Twice  he  sent  his  Aid-de-Camp  and  military  sec- 
retary to  McDowell,  urging  him  to  make  this  request.  The  young  General  was 
not  blind  to  the  consequences  of  again  arousing  the  displeasure  of  his  chief,  but 
he  recoiled  with  some  natural  feeling  from  the  proposition.  "Just  appointed  a 
general  officer,"  he  says,  "it  was  not  for  me  to  make  a  personal  request  not  to 
be  required  to  take  the  command  which  I  had  been  ordered  upon.  I  could  not 
stand  upon  it.  I  had  no  reputation  as  he  had,  and  I  refused  to  make  any  such 
application." 

The  baleful  effects  of  the  anger  thus  aroused  were  destined  long  to  oppress 
the  country.  In  three  or  four  ways  General  Scott  had  been  overruled  and  dis- 
appointed. He  had  wanted  his  old  staff  officer  promoted  less  rapidly ;  he  had 
wanted  him  reserved  to  lead  the  advance  of  his  proposed  grand  expedition 
down  the  Mississippi ;  he  had  opposed  any  movement  into  Virginia  beyond  Ar- 
lington ;  and  he  had  striven  in  any  event  to  keep  McDowell  out  of  it.  He 
yielded,  indeed,  to  the  authority  of  the  Cabinet,  which  settled  every  one  of  these 
questions  over  his  head;  but  he  yielded  with  a  bad  grace,  and  petulantly  threw 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  operations  he  could  not  forbid. 

On  the  night  of  the  23d  of  May,  1861,  within  a  few  hours  after  the  close 
of  the  polls  at  which  Virginia  had  been  voted  out  of  the  Union,  the  order  for 
crossing  the  Potomac  was  given.  By  daj^light  General  McDowell  found  him- 
self in  possession  of  the  heights  of  Arlington  and  the  little  stretch  of  country 
down  to  Alexandria,  with  an  army  of  about  ten  thousand  men. 

The  country  hoped  for  a  speedy  advance.  Ignorant  of  war  and  war's  re- 
quirements, it  could  see  no  obstacle  in  the  lack  of  transportation,  of  supplies, 
of  officers,  of  discipline.  There  may  have  been  an  element  of  wisdom  in  this 
haste.  Quite  probably  the  Eebel  force  then  confronting  McDowell  was  as  ill 
off  as  his  own,  or  even  worse.  And  it  was  by  no  means  impossible  that,  if  the 
column  which  on  the  24th  of  May  occupied  Arlington,  had  been  pushed  out 
into  the  country,  it  might  have  taken  Manassas  with  comparatively  slight 
resistance. 

But  General  Scott  wanted  no  advance,  and  for  weeks  he  took  effectual 
means  to  prevent  it.  "I  got  everything  with  great  difficulty,"  says  the  unfor- 
tunate object  of  his  displeasure.  "I  was  there  a  long  while  without  anything. 
No  additions  were  made  to  the  force  at  all.  With  difficulty  could  I  get  any 
officers.     .     .     .     General  Scott  was  cool  for  a  great  while."  * 

Meanwhile,  in  the  discussions  of  the  Government,  Scott  protested  against 
going  any  further  in  Virginia,  and  renewed  his  old  suggestions.  He  would  ac- 
cumulate a  large  army  at  Washington  solely  to  make  the  Capital  safe.  The 
summer  should  be  spent  in  drill.     With  the  first  frosts  of  autumn  another  great 

*Eep.  Com.  Con.  War,  ubi  supra. 


662 


Ohio  in  the  War 


army  should  be  concentrated  at  St.  Louis  and  sent  down  the  Mississippi  Valley 

to  the  Gulf. 

General  McDowell's  views  were  asked  on  this  project  by  the  Cabinet  officers 
who  had  previously  learned  to  rely  upon  his  military  judgment.  He  was  not 
prudent,  perhaps;  and  yet  as  General  Scott  had  proposed  giving  him  the  ad- 
vance of  this  great  expedition,  he  could  not  well  refuse  to  express  his  opinion 
about  it  to  the* Government  when  called  upon.  "I  did  not  think- well  of  that 
plan,  and  was  obliged  to  speak  against  it  in  the  Cabinet,"  he  tells  us  *  "I  felt 
that  it  was  beyond  expression  a  hazardous  thing  for  our  paper  steamboats  to  try 
to  go  down  the  river  on  such  an  expedition.  ...  I  thought  the  plan  was 
full  of  most  serious  and  vital  objections.  I  would  rather  go  to  New  Orleans  the 
way  that  Packenham  attempted  to  go  there." 

After  this  we  may  well  believe  that  the  angry  Lieutenant-General  would 
take  still  less  pains  to  help  along  this  presumptuous  staff  officer  of  his.  Week 
after  week  went  by,  and  still  the  commander  of  the  column  that  was  daily  ex- 
pected to  move  upon  the  enemy  could  get  nothing  that  he  wanted.  His  force 
was  without  organization,  without  commissariat,  without  transportation,  with- 
out organized  artillery.  He  was  even  himself  without  a  competent  staff.  "I  see 
McDowell  do  things  of  detail,"  wrote  gruff  old  Count  Gurowski  in  his  diary, f 
"which  in  any  even  half-way  organized  army  belong  to  the  specialty  of  a  Chief 
of  Staff."  "  He  receives  his  troops  in  the  most  chaotic  state.  Almost  with  his 
own  hands  he  organizes,  or  rather  puts  together,  the  artillery.  Brigades  are 
scarcely  formed ;  the  commanders  of  brigades  do  not  know  their  commands, 
and  the  soldiers  do  not  know  their  Generals."  "There  were  only  four  small 
tents,"  writes  Mr.  Wm.  H.  KussellJ  in  an  account  of  a  visit  to  McDowell,  when 
he  was  striving  to  beat  his  army  into  shape  for  work,  "for  the  whole  of  the 
head-quarters  of  the  '  Grand  Army  of  the  Potomac,'  and  in  front  of  one  wo 
found  General  McDowell,  examining  some  plans  and  maps.  His  personal  staff, 
so  far  as  I  could  judge,  consisted  of  Mr.  Clarence  Brown  and  three  other  offi- 
cers. ...  I  made  some  remark  on  the  subject  to  the  General,  who  replied 
that  there  was  great  jealousy  on  the  part  of  civilians  respecting  the  least  ap- 
pearance of  display,  and  that  as  he  was  only  a  Brigadier,  though  he  was  in 
command  of  such  a  large  army,  he  was  obliged  to  be  content  with  a  Brigadier's 
staff." 

In  the  midst  of  such  difficulties,  of  which  it  knew  nothing,  the  country 
saw  week  after  week  go  by,  till  the  time  of  the  troops  had  nearly  expired,  and 
almost  two  months  had  been  spent  in  Virginia  without  an  advance  of  as  many 
miles.  Then  there  rose  in  men's  minds  all  over  tho  land  a  demand  for  action. 
One  skillful  in  reading  the  popular  will  caught  this  demand  and  embodied  it  in 
the  pregnant  motto,  "On  to  Richmond."  The  Confederate  Congress  was  soon 
o  meet  there;  it  would  be  a  shame,  it  was  said,  if,  with  the  great  army  gather- 
ing on  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac,  the  stars  and  stripes  should  not  once 
more  wave  over  Richmond  before  the  day  for  that  assembly  arrived.    . 

iMv^ '^\ ^  f  IT*  tFor  1861-2,  p.  61. 

t  My  Diary  North  and  South,  Am.  Ed.  p.  395. 


Irvin    McDowell.  663 

Thus  beset  by  the  popular  will,  as  well  as  urged  forward  by  its  own  desire-, 
the  Administration  demanded  a  plan  of  movement  from  its  General  in  the  field. 
He  promptly  responded.  The  Confederate  force  was  scattered,  partly  near 
Fortress  Monroe,  south  of  him,  partly  near  Harper's  Ferry,  north  of  him.  and 
partly  near  Manassas,  in  front  of  him.  He  believed  he  could  drive  the  force  in 
his  front,  if  he  could  only  be  protected  from  a  junction  of  the  others  against 
him.  That  secured,  he  would  move  out  directly  against  Manassas ;  would  feign 
on  his  front,  while  passing  the  bulk  of  his  force  by  the  left  around  the  enemy's 
flank,  to  fall  upon  the  railroad  in  his  rear.  The  plan  was  based  upon  sound 
military  principles ;  it  was  explained  to  the  Administration  with  all  that  suave, 
plausible  address  which  makes  McDowell  the  best  man  in  the  army  to  present  a 
case  to  a  Congressional  committee,  or  plead  a  professional  cause  before  any  tri- 
bunal ;  and  it  was  promptly  accepted  by  the  Cabinet.  The  9th  of  July  was 
named  as  the  day  for  beginning  its  execution. 

But  now  arose  fresh  difficulties.  General  Scott  had  indeed  yielded,  but  he 
was  no  more  disposed  than  before  to  lend  any  aid  for  smoothing  the  path  of  his 
subordinate.  General  Mansfield,  in  command  in  Washington,  still  had  the  most 
of  the  troops,  and  he  was  ill-pleased  at  seeing  his  force  divided,  and  his  troops 
given  to  his  junior  to  lead  into  action.  And  besides,  there  was  still  an  actual 
want  of  many  things  essential  to  a  moving  army.  So  it  came  about  that  on 
every  hand  poor  McDowell  found  himself  hampered  and  thwarted  and  delayed. 
Some  of  his  embarrassments  he  subsequently  recited  in  his  manly  statement  to 
the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War: 

"  Some  of  my  regiments  came  over  very  late ;  some  of  them  not  till  the  very  day  I  was  to 
move  the  army.  I  had  difficulty  in  getting  transportation.  In  fact  I  started  out  with  no  baggage 
train;  with  nothing  at  all  for  the  tents;  simply  transportation  for  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  the 
munitions.  The  supplies  were  to  go  afterward.  I  expected  the  men  to  carry  rations  for  three 
days  in  their  haversacks.  If  I  went  to  General  Mansfield  for  troops,  he  said,  'I  have  no  trans- 
portation.' I  went  to  General  Meigs,  and  he  said  he  had  transportation,  but  General  Mansfield 
did  not  want  any  to  be  given  out  until  the  troops  should  move.  I  said,  '  I  agree  to  that,  but  between 
you  two  I  get  nothing.' 

"The  Quartermaster  begged  of  me  not  to  move,  because  he  was  not  ready.  I  said,  'We  must 
move  on  Tuesday,'  which  was  one  week  after  the  time  General  Scott  had  fixed.  All  my  force 
had  not  come  over  by  the  time  he  fixed.  A  large  part  came  over  on  Sunday,  and  some  on  the 
very  Tuesday  I  moved.  I  told  the  General  I  was  not  ready  to  go.  Said  I  to  him,  '  So  far  as 
transportation  is  concerned,  I  must  look  to  you,  behind  me,  to  send  it  forward.' 

"I  had  no  opportunity  to  test  my  machinery;  to  move  it  around  and  see  whether  it  would 
work  smoothly  or  not.  In  fact,  such  was  the  feeling  that  when  I  had  one  body  of  eight  regiments 
of  troops  reviewed  together,  the  General  censured  me  for  it,  as  if  I  was  trying  to  make  some 
show.  I  did  not  think  so.  There  was  not  a  man  there  who  had  ever  maneuvered  troops  in  large 
bodies.  There  was  not  one  in  the  army— I  did  not  believe  there  was  one  in  the  whole  country— 
at  least  I  knew  there  was  no  one  there  who  had  ever  handled  thirty  thousand  troops.  I  had  seen 
them  handled  abroad,  in  reviews  and  marches,  but  I  had  never  handled  that  number,  and  no  one 
here  had. 

"  I  wanted  very  much  a  little  time  ;  all  of  us  wanted  it.  We  did  not  have  a  bit  of  it.  The 
answer  was,  'You  are  green,  it  is  true;  but  they  are  green  also;  you  are  all  green  alike.'" 

To  put  the  whole  story  in  a  single  sentence  :  General  Scott  having  delayed 
and  opposed  the  movement  till  the  last  moment,  then  hurried  it  forward  with- 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

ving  time  for  the  needful  preparations,  and  without  even  doing  what  he 
might  to  remove  the  obstacle*  in  McDowell's  way. 

'    It  ll  quite  possible  that  the  young  General,  in   the  strength  of  his  convic- 
tba1  this  conduct  was  unwise,  held  back  a  little  more  than  was  judicious. 

Brtain  that  he  did  not  have  very  nattering  opinions  of  the  material  with 
which  be  hftd  to  work,  and  that  he  did  not  succeed  in  gaining  the  confidence  of 
the  volunteers  *  He  had,  indeed,  offended  the  most  of  them  by  his  efforts  to 
retrain  them  from  pillage,  and  from  the  disgraceful  wanton  destruction  of 
property  which  began  with  their  entry  into  Virginia.  At  the  very  time  that,  a 
few  miles  distant,  General  Beauregard  was  issuing  an  inflammatory  appeal  to 
the  Southern  army  and  people  to  resist  the  Vandal  invaders  who  approached 
with  fire  and  sword,  under  the  banner  of  Beauty  and  Booty,  General  McDowell 
was  rebuking  his  subordinates  for  the  too  lax  enforcement  of  the  following 
order,  three  days  before  issued : 

"Head-Quarters  Department  of  North-East  Virginia,) 
"Arlington,  June  2,  1861.  ) 

i:ral  Order  No.  4: 

-  Statements  of  the  amount,  kind,  and  value  of  all  private  property  taken  and  used  for 
Government  purposes,  and  of  the  damage  done  in  any  way  to  private  property,  by  reason  of  the 
occupation  of  this  section  of  the  country  by  the  United  States  troops,  will,  as  soon  as  practicable, 
be  made  out  and  transmitted  to  department  head-quarters  of  brigades  by  the  commanders  of 
brigades,  and  officers  in  charge  of  the  several  fortifications.     These  statements  will  exhibit : 

"  1.  The  quantity  of  land  taken  possession  of  for  the  several  field-works,  and  the  kind  and 
value  of  the  crops  growing  thereon,  if  any. 

"  2.  The  quantity  of  land  used  for  the  several  encampments,  and  the  kind  and  value  of  the 
growing  crops,  if  any. 

"  3.  The  number,  size,  and  character  of  the  buildings  appropriated  to  public  purposes. 

"4.  The  quantity  and  value  of  trees  cut  down. 

"5.  The  kind  and  extent  of  fencing,  etc.,  destroyed. 

"These  statements  will,  as  far  as  possible,  give  the  value  of  the  property  taken,  or  of  the 
damage  sustained,  and  the  name  or  names  of  the  owners  thereof.  Citizens  who  have  sustained 
any  damage  or  loss  as  above  will  make  their  claims  upon  the  commanding  officers  of  the  troops 
by  whom  it  was  done,  or,  in  cases  where  these  troops  have  moved  away,  upon  the  commander 
nearest  them. 

Mr.  Wm.  II.  Russell  gives  a  description  of  McDowell  as  he  appeared  and  talked  about  that 
time,  which  is,  in  some  of  its  details,  quite  suggestive.  My  Dairv,  North  and  South,  Am.  Ed., 
p.  389. 

"  He  is  a  man  about  forty  years  of  age,  square  and  powerfully  built,  but  with  rather  a  stout 
and  clumsy  figure  and  limbs,  a  good  head,  covered  with  close-cut,  thick,  dark  hair,  small,  light- 
blue  eyes,  short  nose,  large  cheeks  and  jaw,  relieved  by  an  iron-gray  tuft,  somewhat  of  the  French 
atyle,  and  affecting  in  dress  the  style  of  our  gallant  allies.  His  manner  is  frank,  simple,  and 
agreeable,  and  he  did  not  hesitate  to  speak  with  great  openness  of  the  difficulties  he  had  to  con- 
tend with,  and  the  imperfection  of  all  the  arrangements  of  the  army. 

"As  an  officer  of  the  regular  army,  he  has  a  thorough  contempt  for  what  he  calls  'political 
Generals,'  the  men  who  use  their  influence  with  President  and  Congress  to  obtain  military  rank. 
•  .  .  Nor  is  General  McDowell  enamored  of  volunteers,  for  he  served  in  Mexico,  and  has, 
from  what  he  saw  there,  formed  rather  an  unfavorable  opinion  of  their  capabilities  in  the  field. 
He  is  inclined,  however,  to  hold  the  Southern  troops  in  too  little  respect ;  and  he  told  me  that 
the  volunteers  from  the  slave  States,  who  entered  the  field  full  of  exultation  and  boastings,  did 
not  make  good  their  words,  and  that  they  suffered  especially  from  sickness  and  disease,  in  con- 
quence  of  their  disorderly  habits  and  dissipation." 


Irvin  McDowell.  665 

"  These  claims  will  accompany  the  statement  above  called  for.  The  commanders  of  brigades 
will  require  the  assistance  of  the  commanders  of  regiments  or  detached  companies,  and  will 
make  this  order  known  to  the  inhabitants  in  their  vicinity,  to  the  end  that  all  loss  or  damage 
may,  as  nearly  as  possible,  be  ascertained  while  the  troops  are  now  here,  and  by  whom,  or  on 
whose  account,  it  has  been  occasioned,  that  justice  may  be  done  alike  to  the  citizen  and  to  the 
Government.  The  name  of  the  officer  or  officers,  in  case  the  brigade  commanders  shall  insti- 
tute a  board  to  fix  the  amount  of  loss  or  damage,  shall  be  given  in  each  case. 

"  By  order  of  Brigadier-General  McDOWELL. 

"  James  B.  Fry,  Assistant  Adjutant-General." 

Against  such  measures  the  volunteers,  with  loose  ideas  of  discipline,  or  of 
the  rights  of  non-combatants,  but  with  a  vague  desire  to  see  Virginia  punished 
and  humbled  by  the  sufferings  of  Avar,  revolted ;  and  fresh  orders  were  soon 
needed  to  enforce  obedience  to  the  first. 

Meantime,  with  infinite  confusion,  McDowell  had  got  together  some  of  the 
elements  of  an  army.  The  pressure  of  the  Administration  for  movement,  pow- 
erful enough  before,  now  began  to  be  intensified  by  another  motive.  The  force 
in  Virginia  was  mostly  made  up  of  three  months'  troops,  whose  term  of  service 
was  now  near  its  expiration.  Unless  an  advance  was  made  speedily  it  could 
not  be  made  at  all  for  months  to  come.  This  fact,  which  might  have  suggested 
the  difficulty  of  maintaining  the  offensive,  even  if  it  were  once  assumed,  the 
rather  operated  to  press  on  the  ill -prepared  movement.  A  single  battle,  it  was 
still  quite  generally  believed,  would  practically  end  the  matter,  and  the  contin- 
gency of  an  unfavorable  result  seems  to  have  been  scarcely  considered  at  all. 
Furthermore,  there  had  been  two  unfortunate  little  affairs — those  of  Vienna  and 
Big  Bethel — the  results  of  which  had  greatly  mortified  the  people,  and  had 
deepened  the  desire  for  a  sudden  victory  that  should  wipe  out  their  memory. 

So,  at  last,  on  the  afternoon  of  16th  July,  the  army  moved.  It  was  found 
within  an  hour  or  two  that  a  new  difficulty  had  arisen.  The  maps  of  Virginia 
were  grossly  imperfect.  The  topographical  features  of  the  country  had  never 
been  studied  with  reference  to  military  operations,  before  the  war;  and  now  our 
officers  found  that  they  were  moving  out  into  a  region  of  whose  characteristics 
they  had  onty  vague  information,  and  that  what  they  had  was  often  incorrect. 
This,  and  the  childish  delusion  about  "  masked  batteries,''  into  which  the  folly 
of  the  newspapers  and  the  talk  about  Vienna  and  Big  Bethel  had  led  the  army, 
combined  to  make  the  advance  slow.  Another  fact  tended  still  more  strongly 
to  the  same  result ;  the  men  were  utterly  unaccustomed  to  marching,  and  but 
little  under  the  control  of  their  officers.  The  loose-jointed,  ill-adjusted  machine 
thus  moved  off  awkwardly  and  cumbrously  enough. 

The  next  afternoon  (17th  July)  the  army  reached  Fairfax  C.  H.  General 
McDowell  strove  to  push  on  to  Centreville  that  night,  but  was  unable  to  accom- 
plish it,  and  did  not  get  there  till  the  next  day.  Meanwhile  he  had  himself 
been  compelled  to  go  off  on  staff  duty  of  all  sorts— actually  returning  once  (on 
the  evening  of  the  first  day)  to  hunt  up  a  couple  of  batteries  which  were  ex- 
pected by  rail  and  had  not  yet  arrived.* 

i 

*"On  arriving  at  the  Washington  platform,  the  first  person  I  saw  was  General  McDowell, 
alone,  looking  anxiously  into  the  cars.     He  asked  where  I  came  from,  and  when  he  heard  from 


Ohio   in   the  Wak.      • 

From  Ccntreville  he  was  now  forced  to  push  out  reconnoissances  in  the 
direction  of  his  proposed  turning  movement  by  the  left,  to  ascertain  the  nature 
of  the  country,  for  which  he  found  that  he  could  no  longer  rely  upon  his  maps. 
Here  one  more  piece  of  ill-luck  befell  this  hapless  commander.  The  officer  in 
charge  of  one  of  these  reconnoissances,  a  division  General,  whose  rank,  at  least, 
Mfcht  have  been  supposed  to  bespeak  some  discretion,*  came  out  upon  a  little 
stream  scarcely  known  then,  but  soon  to  be  made  memorable  forever.  He  had 
reached  Bull  Run.  Now  this  officer  was  thirsting  for  military  glory,  and, 
Withal  little  knew  how  to  attain  it.  He  was  impressed  with  the  conviction 
that  "the  great  man  of  this  war  would  be  the  man  that  first  got  to  Manassas," 
and  so,  on  finding  scarcely  any  opposition  thus  far,  he  avowed  his  determina- 
tion to' go  on  that  night.  He  was  not  unmindful  of  the  positive  order  of  Gen- 
eral McDowell  not  to  bring  on  an  engagement;  but  in  the  height  of  his  excite- 
ment over  the  prospect  which  he  fancied  to  be  opening  before  him,  he  ordered 
up  his  artillery  and  opened  on  a  Eebel  battery  on  the  opposite  shore.  Pres- 
ently he  brought  up  his  infantry  also,  and  began  a  musketry  fusilade.  Some 
officers  of  the  staff,  who  were  present,  now  reminded  the  division  commander 
that  this  was  contrary  to  General  McDowell's  orders.  While  they  talked,  the 
enemy  crossed  below,  presently  fell  upon  the  flank  of  the  reconnoitering  col- 
umn, and  sent  back  the  General  who  was  going  through  to  Manassas  that  night 
with  his  command  in  considerable  confusion. 

This  affair  (subsequently  known  as  the  skirmish  at  Blackburn's  Ford)  had 
a  dispiriting  effect  upon  the  army,  which,  starting  out  on  the  idea  that  nothing 
could  stand  before  it,  found  one  of  its  divisions  retreating  in  the  first  skirmish. 
But  it  had  a  worse  effect  in  disclosing  the  nature  of  our  movements  to  the 
enemy,  and  in  drawing  his  attention  specially  to  the  flank  which  McDowell  had 
proposed  to  turn.  x 

This  and  the  difficult  nature  of  the  country  combined  to  induce  the  aban- 
donment of  the  plan  which  the  Cabinet  had  approved,  and  for  which  the  move- 
ment had  been  made.  On  the  night  of  the  18th  of  July,  therefore,  in  addition 
to  all  his  other  embarrassments  with  his  new  force  and  his  own  inexperience, 
General  McDowell  found  himself  forced  to  devise  some  new  plan  of  operations. 

Two  days  were  spent  by  the  engineers  in  seeking  some  spot  along  the  line 
of  Bull  Eun  where  a  comparatively  unopposed  crossing  could  be  secured.  At 
last,  about  noon  on  the  20th,  they  reported  that  far  up  on  the  right — on  the 
opposite  flank  from  that  by  which  McDowell  had  proposed  to  move — there  was 
a  practicable  ford,  at  Sudley  Springs,  very  carelessly  guarded.  From  the 
present  positions  of  the  army  there  was  no  road  to  it,  but  the  intervening 
woods  were  comparatively  open. 

Annapolis,  inquired  eagerly  if  I  had  seen  two  batteries  of  artillery— Barry's  and  another— which 
he  had  ordered  up,  but  which  had  gone  astray.  I  was  surprised'to  find  the  General  engaged  on 
such  duty,  and  took  leave  to  say  so.  'Well,  it  is  quite  true,  Mr.  Kussell,  but  I  am  obliged  to 
ook  after  them  myself,  as  I  have  so  small  a  staff,  and  they  are  all  engaged,  out  with  my  head- 
quarters. You  are  aware  I  have  advanced?' "  My  Diary  North  and  South,  pp.  423,  424. 
•General  Daniel  Tyler. 


Irvin  McDowell.  667 

Within  an  hour  or  two  after  the  reception  of  this  report,  General  McDowell 
issued  his  orders  for  battle.  He  had  four  divisions  (numbering  in  all  nearly 
thirty-five  thousand),  commanded  by  General  Tyler,  General  Hunter,  General 
Ileintzelman,  and  Colonel  Miles.  The  last  was  to  remain  in  reserve,  near  Cen- 
treville,  and  was  to  feign  on  Blackburn's  Ford,  on  the  left,  whither  the  foolish 
skirmish  had  already  attracted  the  attention  of  the  enemy.  With  the  other 
three  the  attack  was  to  be  made — those  of  Hunter  and  Heintzelman  moving  far 
up  to  the  right,  through  the  woods,  to  the  ford  at  Sudley  Springs,  while  the 
remaining  one,  under  Tyler,  moved  straight  forward  to  the  crossing  of  Bull 
Eun  at  the  Stone  Bridge.  Here  the  enemy's  attention  was  to  be  held,  while  the 
turning  column  crossed  above,  struck  the  enemy  in  flank  and  rear,  and  doubled 
up  his  line.  Then  Tyler  was  to  cross  at  the  Stone  Bridge  and  join  the  turning 
column  as  it  came  down  the  enemy's  flank;  and  the  three  divisions,  thus  re- 
united, were  to  push  straight  for  Manassas.  After  all  the  flood  of  criticism 
poured  upon  this  battle,  the  plan  stands  approved  as  displaying  good  general- 
ship— as  based  on  sound  principles,  well-adapted  to  the  situation,  and  under 
any  ordinary  circumstances  reasonably  sure  of  success. 

But  there  was  a  blunder  in  the  execution  at  the  outset.  McDowell's  orders 
required  the  troops  to  move  at  six  o'clock  that  evening,  and  to  march  most  of 
the  distance  before  going  into  bivouac.  Then  in  the  morning  they  would  rise 
ready  for  the  battle.  But  Colonel  (since  General)  Burnside  and  others  thought 
it  would  be  easier  to  make  the  march  before  going  into  battle  in  the  morning. 
To  them  nine  and  a  half  miles  seemed  a  small  distance  to  move,  and  they  judged 
it  best  to  let  the  men  quietly  sleep  where  they  were,  and  start  in  time  to  make 
the  march  before  daylight.     McDowell  unwisely  assented. 

While  these  final  orders  were  being  issued,  the  fate  of  the  coming  battle 
was  already  settled  beyond  the  little  stream  that  lay  between  the  contending 
armies.  The  Eebel  column  was  rapidly  receiving  re-enforcements  from  the 
army  of  Joseph  E.  Johnston  near  Harper's  Ferry.  General  McDowell  had  ex- 
pressed the  greatest  uneasiness  lest  he  should  find  this  army  joined  to  Beaure- 
gard's when  he  moved  to  the  attack;  but  General  Scott  had  assured  him  that 
Patterson  should  keep  it  busy  in  the  valley.  If  it  did  escape,  "it  should  have 
Patterson  on  its  heels."* 

Now  at  last,  however,  Scott  had  grown  sanguine.  He  believed  that  success 
was  so  sure,  that  when  on  the  20th  he  received  a  dispatch  from  Patterson  an- 
nouncing that  Johnston  had  escaped  him  and  was  moving  to  a  junction  with 
Beauregard,  he  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  damp  the  spirits  of  the  young 
General  who  was  about,  under  discouragements  and  difficulties  innumerable,  to 
fight  his  first  battle,  by  telling  him  of  it.  Frequent  trains  of  cars  were  heard 
arriving  at  Manassas,  and  rumors  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth,  till  they  reached 
McDowell,  that  Johnston  was  coming;  but  he  received  no  information  that 
seemed  authentic ;  and  by  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  the  troops 
were  roused  for  the  battle  that  was  thus  decided  against  them  in  advance. 

What  followed  may  now  be  briefly  told. 

*Rep.  Com.  Con.  War.  Series  of  1863,  Vol  II,  p.  36. 


Ohio    in    the   War. 


Waked  in  the  night,  the  troops,  unaccustomed  to  orderly  marching  even  in 

daylight,  were  long  in  getting  fairly  started.     Then  Geneiul  Tyler,  moving  too 

lv  with  his  division  which  had  the  advance,  blocked  up  the  way.     It  was 

balf-patt    live  before  the  divisions  of  Hunter  and  Heintzleman,  which  formed 

i  -.ruing  column,  could  get  fairly  upon  their  inarch.  Then  they  would  strag- 
gle. Hundreds  wandered  off  into  the  bushes  to  pick  a  few  blackberries.  When- 
ever tl.-y  came  to  water  they  would  stop,  empty  their  canteens,  and  fill  them 

s|j.  McDowell  struggled  against  delays  ;  ordered  and  ordered  again;  but  it 
was  halt-past  nine  before  they  reached  the  Sudley  Ford,  where  he  had  hoped  to 
cross  by  six.  Here,  as  he  despairingly  adds,  every  regiment,  as  it  came  up, 
stopped  all  behind  it,  while  file  by  file  the  men  leisurely  took  a  fresh  drink, 
and  again  filled  their  canteens. 

Looking  toward  Manassas,  he  saw  large  clouds  of  dust  rising,  and  began  to 
apprehend  that  Beauregard,  divining  his  movement,  was  about  to  fall  upon  his 
turning  column  before  he  could  disentangle  it  from  this  confusion.  At  last, 
however,  the  force  crossed  and  marched  down  upon  the  Confederate  flank. 

Even  now,  after  this  four  hours' delay,  success  might  still  have  attended  the 
excellent  Generalship  which  had  thus  planted  the  bulk  of  the  army  in  so  favor- 
ablo  a  position  for  attacking  the  enemy  in  reverse.  But  the  division  Generals, 
en  first  confronting  the  enemy,  delivered  feeble  fusilades  from  their  heads  of 
columns,  and  then  halted.  At  last,  after  an  hour's  needless  delay,  the  line  was 
formed,  and  the  turning  column  fairly  pushed  forward. 

Meanwhile  Beauregard  had  been,  as  we  now  know  from  the  Confederate 
reports,  awaiting  for  hours  an  attack  which  he  had  ordered  by  way  of  Black- 
burn's Ford,  upon  McDowell's  other  flank.  His  orders  for  this  proved  to  have 
miscarried,  and  he  saw  to  his  amazement  that  his  own  left  was  rapidly  crum- 
bling. In  fact,  by  twelve  o'clock  the  turning  column  had  doubled  up  this  flank 
so  far  that  it  was  now  able  to  make  a  junction  with  Tyler's  division  at  the 
Stone  Bridge,  where  that  officer  had  been  all  morning  confronting  the  Eebel 
center. 

Thus  far  then— save  for  the  delay  in  the  execution— McDowell's  plan  of 
battle  was  a  perfect  success.     He  had  safely  crossed  the  line  of  Bull  Eun  ;  had 
turned  the  enemy's  left  flank  and  broken  it;  and  had  reunited  his  army.     He 
was  now  ready  to  press  upon  the  confused  foe  toward  Manassas.     But  here  be- 
pin  a  fatal  hesitation.     The  troops  confronted  the  enemy  on  the  elevated  pla- 
teau beyond  Bull  Run,  near  the  Stone  Bridge.     They  were  pushed  forward  in 
*»il,Mid  handled  slowly  and  unsatisfactorily.     Still  they  gained  substantial 
^vantages.    The  line  was  pushed  around  on  the  right  to  envelop  the  enemy's 
^  flank,  and  was  carried  forward  in  front  till  it  cleared  the  Warrenton  Turn- 
pike    Once  or  twice  the  Eebels  surged  back  over  the  ground  thus  carried.    But 
t  half-past  three  o'clock  it  was  in  McDowell's  possession,  the  tide  of  success 
ad  been  generally  in  our  favor,  the  enemy  was  evidently  disheartened,  and 
our  officers  were  already  beginning  to  rejoice  over  a  victory  won. 

Just  then  came  the  apparition  that  drove  the  victors  and  ended  the  battle, 
i^arlys  brigade,  the  last  of  Johnston's  army  to  reach  the  ground,  marched  up, 


Irvin  McDowell. 


669 


THE    BULL   RUN,   RAPPAHANNOCK,   ANT1ETAM,    AND    GETTYSBURG   CAMPAIGNS. 


Ikvin  McDowell.  671 

striking  the  end  of  McDowell's  right,  which,  as  we  have  seen,  he  had  been 
pushing  around  to  envelop  the  enemy's  flank.  The  onset  was  unexpected,  and 
the  line  instantly  crumbled  as  Early  swept  forward;  and  Beauregard,  seeing 
the  advantage  gained,  renewed  his  efforts  to  bring  up  again  his  retreating 
troops,  the  disorder  increased.  The  men,  who  had  thus  far  fought  spiritedly, 
broke  almost  in  an  instant.  Eunning  from  regiment  to  regiment,  and  brigade 
to  brigade,  there  seemed  to  pass  ft  conviction  that  ovewhelming  re-enforcements 
had  reached  their  antagonists,  that  the  disaster  to  the  right  was  fatal,  that  the 
battle  was  lost,  that  they  must  retreat,  that  they  must  fly.  What  had  been  a 
successful  army  pressing  its  antagonist  and  seemingly  on  the  very  verge  of  glo- 
rious victory,  was  in  ten  minutes  in  full  retreat,  in  ten  minutes  more  in  utter 
rout. 

McDowell  did  his  best  to  rally  the  men,  but  they  lacked  discipline,  and  with 
the  first  reverse  their  confidence  in  themselves  and  their  respect  for  authority 
were  gone.  The  farther  they  went  from  the  field,  the  more  demoralized  they 
became,  and  at  last,  recognizing  the  utter  disaster,  the  General  gave  orders  for 
the  reserve  division  at  Centreville,  and  for  Schenck's  brigade  of  Tyler's  divis- 
ion, which  remained  in  good  order,  to  cover  the  retreat.  These  protected  the 
rear,  and  showed  so  formidable  an  appearance  that  no  pursuit  was  attempted. 
The  rest  of  the  army  streamed  back  to  Washington  a  panic-stricken  mob.  The 
loss  was  over  two  thousand;  that  of  the  Eebel  army  was  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  fifty-two,  of  whom  only  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  were  killed.* 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Bull  Run. 

Looking  at  it  now  in  the  light  of  a  great  war's  experience,  we  find  little 
cause  for  wonder,  save  that  it  was  no  worse.  Like  Cato,  the  General,  if  he  could 
not  win  success,  had  at  least  deserved  it.  His  plan  was  excellent,  and  though 
there  were  innumerable  faults  of  execution,  they  arose  more  because  of  the 
materials  with  which  he  had  to  work  than  because  of  his  own  inexperience  or 
lack  of  judgment.  After  all  the  display  of  ability  which  the  war  has  called 
out,  we  would  be  puzzled  to-day  if  called  upon  to  name  any  officer  who,  if  then 
put  in  McDowell's  place,  would  have  done  better.  We  may  doubt  indeed  if 
there  are  any  who,  on  the  whole,  would  have  done  so  well.  For  McDowell  was 
not  only  correct  in  his  plans  and  sound  in  judgment  on  the  varying  phases  of 
the  movement,  but  he  bore  with  unusual  amiability  and  philosophy  the  hinder- 
ances  and  embarrasments  which  vexed  his  whole  course.  No  man  knew  better 
the  dangers  to  which  his  lack  of  organization  exposed  him,  and  the  myriad 
chances  which,  under  such  circumstances,  might  intervene  to  overturn  his  best- 

*  Their  official  reports  give  the  entire  Rebel  loss  as  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
eight  wounded  and  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  killed.  General  McDowell  reported  his  killed 
at  four  hundred  and  eighty-one,  and  his  wounded  at  one  thousand  and  eleven.  Many  of  these 
last  had  but  slight  injuries,  and  soon  returned  to  the  ranks,  so  that  he  estimated  the  actual  loss 
at  about  one  thousand.  But  he  failed  to  make  any  mention  of  his  loss  of  prisoners ;  of  whom, 
well  and  wounded,  Beauregard  reports  that  he  took  one  thousand  four  hundred  and  sixty.  Mc- 
Dowell crossed  Bull  Run  for  the  attack  with  about  eighteen  thousand  men  of  all  arms.  Count- 
ing the  last  re-enforcements  (Early's  brigade,  which  did  not  arrive  till  between  three  and  four) 
Johnston  and  Beauregard  had  about  twenty-seven  thousand. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


l,id  plani     But  the  Government  represented  that  a  battle  was  necessary.     He 

initios  in  the  way,  and  then,  without  a  murmur,  accepting 

|  ptjuriug  to  sacrifice  his  opening  career  if  need  be,  he  addressed 

o  fight  it 

llightly  considered,  then,  we  look  upon  the  battle  of  Bull  Eun  as  constitu- 
te   ft  t;.  rl.ai  \KDowell  to  the  consideration  and  regard  of  the  coun- 
-tho  mon  d  now,  because  of  the  misunderstanding  and  torrents  of 
;1ch  he  was  necessarily  exposed  at  the  time. 
6  we  might  leave  the  subject.     But,  as  we  have  justified  and  praised 
may  perhaps  be  rightly  expected  to  say  who  or  what,  then,  caused 
the  disaster.     The  answer  is  complicated : 

(1.)  General  Scott  paved  the  way  for  the  disaster  by  his  ill-tempered  ob- 
„[ru<  tiuns  and  delays,  which  hindered  McDowell  from  collecting  or  equipping 
annj  with  which  he  was  to  undertake  this  weighty  venture,  prevented  him 
I  drilling  or  disciplining  it,  kept  it  even  unorganized  to  the  last  moment, 
and  then  precipitated  it  in  a  confused  mass  upon  the  enemy.     With  hearty  co- 
ation  on  the  part  of  all  the  authorities,  that  army  might  have  been  in  satisfac- 
tory condition  to  move  three  weeks  earlier,  when  it  could  have  carried  Manas- 
n  ith  half  the  skill  and  courage  wasted  at  Bull  Eun,  could  have  damped  the 
rising  enthusiasm  of  the  insurgents,  and  ended  the  war  within  the  twelve- 
month.    But  General  Scott  wasted  the  time  in  which  the  army  might  have 
beta  drilled  and  organized,  in  opposing  any  movement  into  his  native  State,  in 
hoping  for  compromises,  and  in  urging  his  Mississippi  Yalley  project.     Then  he 
demanded  unreasonable  haste,  and  moved  the  army  unprepared. 

(2.)  In  spite  of  these  obstacles,  the  event  shows  very  clearly  that  McDowell 
would  have  forced  success  had  the  promise  of  the  General-in-Chief,  to  keep 
JoknetOD  away,  been  fulfilled.  Without  entering  into  the  vexed  question  whether 
Patterson  was  criminal  in  suffering  Johnston  to  escape  him,  or  Scott  in  failing 
to  inform  McDowell  of  the  escape  on  the  day  before  the  battle,  it  is  enough 
to  gay  that  for  the  false  arrangement  of  the  Union  troops  in  three  columns* 
on  exterior  lines,  by  which  they  could  not  possibly  concentrate  as  fast  as  the 
■live  opposing  columns  Of  the  enemy  could  concentrate  against  any  one 
of  them,  General  Scott  is  clearly  responsible.  This  fault  was  vital ;  and  it  was 
in  violation  of  one  of  the  best  established  rules  of  military  science. 

(3.)  The  event  shows  still  further  that  McDowell  would  have  forced  success 
m  spite  of  Johnston's  re -enforcement,  but  for  the  greenness  of  troops  and  com- 
MBdeM,  which  first  prolonged  the  march  to  Centreville,  while  they  deranged 
bia  plans  by  the  skirmish  at  Blackburn's  Ford,  and  so  wrought  the  delay  which 
enabled  Johnston  to  get  up;  and  which  finally  wasted  four  precious  hours  in 
ll-ordered  and  exhausting  marches  that  should  have  been  spent  in  action.  We 
I'ave  Men  that  the  battle  was  substantially  won  when  Johnston's  last  brigade, 
»at  ot  Early,  marching  up  to  the  field,  was  able  to  strike  McDowell's  thin  right 
flank"  m  air."    But  that  brigade  did  not  arrive  till  half-past  three  o'clock  in 

der  Patt^or33  MOnr0e'  ""^  ^^ j  ArHnSt°n'  Under  McDowe11  >  and  *****  ******  ™~ 


Irvin    McDowell.  673 

the  afternoon.  If  the  prior  events  of  the  battle  had  been  shifted  forward  by 
the  four  hours  lost  in  the  morning,  it  would  have  been  won  three  hours  before 
Early's  arrival.*  On  such  slight  circumstances  do  great  events  in  war,  the  fate 
of  campaigns,  and  the  extension  of  hostilities  over  vast  regions  ultimately  turn. 
(4.)  And  finally,  General  McDowell's  own  skill  in  handling  troops  in  ac- 
tion— a  thing  to  be  acquired  only  by  practice — was  not  equal  to  the  commend- 
able ability  he  had  thus  far  displayed.  He  might  probably  have  prevented  the 
loss  of  time  after  crossing  Sudley's  Ford,  in  the  first  onset  of  the  turning  col- 
umn ;  and  he  might  certainly  have  handled  the  army  better  when  he  united  all 
his  divisions  beyond  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  was  ready  to  storm  the  plateau. 
But  this  was  a  minor  fault ;  the  battle  was  lost  without  it. 

The  disaster  fell  at  first  with  bewildering  and  stunning  effect  upon  the  con- 
fident and  eager  country.  Then,  sobered  by  reverse,  it  began  steadily  to  or- 
ganize for  victory.  But,  in  the  meantime,  a  victim  was  wanted.  General  Scott, 
the  real  culprit,  was  saved  by  the  popular  regard  for  his  long  and  valuable  ser- 
vices, and  by  his  protest  that  he  had  all  along  been  opposed  to  the  movement 
in  Virginia.f  The  Administration  could  not  well  be  assailed  by  patriots;  for  it 
must  continue  in  the  conduct  of  the  war.  It  was  not  popular  to  say  that  the 
soldiers  were  in  any  respect  to  blame,  to  admit  that  their  discipline  fell  short 
of  perfection,  or  that  by  any  possibility  they  could  have  run  away  without  more 
than  abundant  cause.  But  the  General  that  commanded  them — was  he  not  one 
of  those  shoulder-strapped  gentry  who  had  contrived  to  rise  to  sudden  great- 
ness in  the  midst  of  his  country's  calamities?  Had  he  ever  commanded  such 
an  army  before,  in  spite  of  all  his  pretenses  of  demanding  discipline  ?  Had  he 
not  shown  that  he  had  too  much  regard  for  Eebels  by  wanting  to  take  care  of 
their  property,  and  carry  on  a  kid-gloved  warfare  against  them,  whilst  he  sent 
his  own  troops  out  to  battle,  with  a  march  of  ten  miles  before  them,  with  no 
water  on  the  route,  in  intensely  hot  weather,  and  without  a  supply-train  to  ac- 
company them?     In  short,  was  there  not  reason  to  suspect  him  of  treason,  and 

*  Innumerable  scraps  of  evidence  point  to  this  conclusion.  Our  own  troops  were  animated 
with  the  conviction,  and  it  is  of  accord  that  our  (Raff  officers  were  already  exchanging  congratu- 
lations over  the  victory.  On  the  other  hand,  the  enemy  was  greatly  discouraged  and  demoral- 
ized. General  Beauregard's  chief  of  staff  testifies  (Swinton's  Hist.  Cam.  Potomac,  p.  58)  that 
while  he  was  escorting  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis  up  to  the  front,  just  before  the  Union  lines  gave  way, 
the  road  was  so  crowded  with  stragglers  and  skulkers  that  Mr.  Davis  supposed  Beauregard  to  be 
completely  beaten.  "  Battles  are  not  won,"  he  exclaimed,  "when  several  unhurt  men  are*  seen 
carrying  off  one  wounded  soldier."  General  Jos.  E.  Johnston  has,  since  the  close  of  the  war, 
openly  stated  that  he  was  almost  as  much  disorganized  by  the  victory  as  McDowell  by  the  defeat. 
The  condition  of  his  army,  he  declares,  was  such  that  pursuit  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  The 
Richmond  Dispatch  (August  1,  1861),  in  its  account  of  the  battle,  says  that  between  two  and 
three  o'clock  the  matter  looked  very  gloomy  to  their  side,  and  that  victory  hung  trembling  in 
the  balance.  The  Louisville  Courier  (letter  from  Manassas,  dated  22d  July,  1861)  had  it  that 
"the  fortunes  of  the  day  were  evidently  against  us.  McDowell  had  nearly  outflanked  us,  and 
was  just  in  the  act  of  possessing  himself  of  the  railroad  to  Richmond.  Then  all  would  have 
been  lost." 

|As  fully  set  forth  by  Governor  Raymond,  in  the  New  York  Times,  in  a  report  of  a  conver- 
sation at  General  Scott's  dinner-table. 

Vol.  I.— 43. 


,:7,  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

abundant  evidence  to  convict  him   of  incapacity  ?     Presently  it  was  reported 
lOTder  of  the  reserve  division  was  drunk  on  the  field.     The  peo- 
t  for  truth,  and  leaped  to  the  conclusion  that  the  commanding 
also  have  been  drunk.     And  so  McDowell,  who  <<  never  drank  any- 
|  stronger  than  a  water-melon,"  who  was  absolutely  and  in  perfect  strict- 
ness a  "total  abstinent,"  came  to  be  popularly  regarded  as  a  drunkard. 

But  th606  were  only  the  clamors  of  the  ignorant  populace,  who  must  needs 
have  a  vi.  tin..  Mr.  Lincoln  took  occasion  to  say,  the  first  time  he  met  McDowell, 
•  I  have  DOl  lost  a  particle  of  confidence  in  you."  The  General  replied,  in  all  sin- 
cority,  '•  I  don't  see  why,  Mr.  President,  you  should."  But  in  less  than  a  week  he 
superseded,  and  the  young  Captain  whom  he  had  joined  in  recommending 
for  a  Major-Generalship  in  the  regular  army,  was  brought  on  to  supersede  him. 
Under  this  climax  of  his  misfortunes  General  McDowell  was  not  only  phi- 
losophic, but  absolutely  amiable.  He  quietly  accepted  the  command  of  a  divis- 
ion in  the  army  of  which  he  had  been  the  leader,  and  proceeded,  with  great 
gladness,  to  the  much-needed  work  of  drill  and  discipline.* 

By  and  by,  however,  in  the  midst  of  this  congenial  work,  he  was  once  more 
disturbed  by  his  evil  genius.  As  he  had  before  been  led  into  disgrace  because 
the  Cabinet  had  called  upon  him  to  express  an  opinion  about  the  plans  of  Gen- 
eral Scott,  so  now  he  experienced  a  similar  misfortune  by  reason  of  the  confi- 
dence entertained  in  his  judgment  by  members  of  the  Cabinet,  which  presently 
led  to  a  call  upon  him  for  his  opinion  about  the  plans  of  General  McClellan. 

This  officer  had  fallen  sick.  The  President  was  in  great  distress.  The 
whole  fall  had  gone  by,  the  whole  winter  was  going  by,  and  still  the  magnifi- 
cent army  on  the  banks  of  the  Potomac  was   idle,  and  the  capital  was  under 

•  Nothing  can  better  illustrate  the  admirable  temper  in  which  General  McDowell  met  his 
trials,  than  some  passages  in  the  Diary  of  Mr.  Russell,  of  the  London  Times.  Under  date  of 
July  21st  he  writes :     (My  Diary  North  and  South,  Am.  Ed.,  p.  475.) 

"Cast  down  from  his  high  estate,  placed  as  a  subordinate  to  his  junior,  covered  with  obloquy 
and  abusg,  the  American  General  displayed  a  calm  self-possesion  and  perfect  amiability  which 
could  only  proceed  from  a  philosophic  temperament,  and  a  consciousness  that  he  would  outlive 
the  calumnies  of  his  countrymen.  He  accused  nobody,  but  it  was  not  difficult  to  see  that  he  had 
been  sacrificed  to  the  vanity,  self-seeking,  and  disobedience  of  some  of  his  officers,  and  to  radical 
vices  in  the  composition  of  his  army.  .  .  .  Notwithstanding  the  reverse  of  fortune,  McDowell 
did  not  appear  willing  to  admit  that  his  estimate  of  the  Southern  troops  was  erroneous,  or  to  say, 
'Change  armies  and  I'll  fight  the  battle  over  again.'  He  still  held  Mississippians,  Louisianians, 
Alabamians  very  cheap,  and  did  not  see,  or  would  not  confess,  the  full  extent  of  the  calamity 
which  had  fallen  so  heavily  on  him  personally.  The  fact  of  the  enemy's  inactivity  was  conclu- 
in  his  mind  that  tiny  had  a  dearly-bought  success,  and  he  looked  forward,  though  in  a  sub- 
ordinate capacity,  to  a  speedy  and  glorious  revenge." 

And  again,  under  date  August  2Gth  : 

"While  waiting  for  General  McClellan,  General  McDowell  talked  of  the  fierce  outburst 
directed  against  me  in  the  press.  'I  must  confess,'  he  said,  laughingly,  <  I  am  much  rejoiced  to 
■  «■  if  much  abused  as  I  have  been.  I  hope  you  mind  it  as  little  as  I  did.  Bull  Run 
was  an  unfortunate  affair  for  both  of  us;  for,  had  I  won  it,  you  would  have  had  to  describe  the 
pursu.t  of  the  flying  enemy,  and  then  you  would  have  been  the  most  popular  writer  in  Amer- 
ica, as  I  would  have  been  lauded  as  the  greatest  of  Generals.  See  what  measure  has  been  meted 
o  us  now.  I  m  accused  of  drunkenness  and  gambling ;  and  you,  Mr.  Kussell-well-I  really  do 
hope  you  are  not  so  black  as  you  are  painted.'" 


Irvin  McDowell.  675 

blockade.  The  disaster  at  Bull  Eun  had  made  him  cautious  about  pressing  hie 
military  leaders.  Yet,  as  he  quaintly  said,  "  Something  must  soon  be  done,  or  the 
bottom  would  be  out  of  the  whole  affair."  So  he  sent  for  McDowell  and  for 
another  of  the  division  Generals,  told  them  McClellan  was  sick,  and  that  he 
wanted  to  talk  with  them  about  the  prospects,  and  ask  them  what  could  be 
done.  Fortunately,  General  McDowell,  with  the  methodical  habit  which  in  all 
things  had  grown  to  a  second  nature  with  him,  preserved  a  careful  memoran- 
dum of  these  interviews,  which  Mr.  Swinton,  in  his  History  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  has  published  in  full.     It  is  as  follows : 

"  Januaky  10,  1862. — At  dinner  at  Arlington,  Virginia.  Received  a  note  from  the  Assist- 
ant-Secretary of  War,  saying  the  President  wished  to  see  me  that  evening,  at  eight  o'clock,  if  I 
could  safely  leave  my  post.  Soon  after  I  received  a  note  from  Quartermaster-General  Meigs, 
marked  '  private  and  confidential,'  saying  the  President  wished  to  see  me. 

"  Repaired  to  the  President's  house  at  eight  o'clock,  P.  M.  Found  the  President  alone.  Was 
taken  into  the  small  room  in  the  north-east  corner.  Soon  after  we  were  joined  by  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Franklin,  the  Secretary  of  State,  Governor  Seward,  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  the 
Assistant-Secretary  of  War.  The  President  was  greatly  disturbed  at  the  state  of  affairs.  Spoke 
of  the  exhausted  condition  of  the  treasury ;  of  the  loss  of  public  credit ;  of  the  Jacobinism  of 
Congress  ;•  of  the  delicate  condition  of  our  foreign  relations ;  of  the  bad  news  he  had  received 
from  the  West,  particularly  as  contained  in  a  letter  from  General  Halleck  on  the  state  of  affairs 
in  Missouri;  of  the  want  of  co-operation  between  Generals  Halleck  and  Buell ;  but  more  than 
all,  the  sickness  of  General  McClellan. 

"  The  President  said  he  was  in  great  distress,  and  as  he  had  been  to  General  McClellan's 
house,  and  the  General  did  not  ask  to  see  him ;  and  as  he  must  talk  to  somebody,  he  had  sent  for 
General  Franklin  and  myself  to  obtain  our  opinion  as  to  the  possibility  of  soon  commencing  ac- 
tive operations  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

"  To  use  his  own  expression,  '  If  something  was  not  soon  done,  the  bottom  would  be  out  of 
the  whole  affair ;  and  if  General  McClellan  did  not  want  to  use  the  army,  he  would  like  to  bor- 
row it,  provided  he  could  see  how  it  could  be  made  to  do  something.' 

"The  Secretary  of  State  stated  the  substance  of  some  information  he  considered  reliable  as 
to  the  strength  of  the  forces  on  the  other  side,  which  he  had  obtained  from  an  Englishman  from 
Fort  Monroe,  Richmond,  Manassas,  and  Centreville,  which  was  to  the  effect  that  the  enemy  had 
twenty  thousand  men  under  Huger,  at  Norfolk ;  thirty  thousand  at  Centreville ;  and  in  all  in  our 
front,  an  effective  force,  capable  of  being  brought  up  at  short  notice,  of  about  one  hundred  and 
three  thousand  men — men  not  suffering,  but  well  shod,  clothed,  and  fed.  In  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion from  the  President,  what  could  soon  be  done  with  the  army,  I  replied  that  the  question  as 
to  the  when  must  be  preceded  by  the  one  as  to  the  hoio  and  the  where.  That  substantially  I  would 
organize  the  army  into  four  army  corps,  placing  the  five  divisions  on  the  Washington  side  on  the 
right  bank.  Place  three  of  these  corps  to  the  front — the  right  at  Vienna  or  its  vicinity,  the  left 
beyond  Fairfax  Station,  the  center  beyond  Fairfax  C.  H.,  and  connect  the  latter  place  with 
the  Orange  and  Alexandria  Railroad  by  a  railroad  now  partially  thrown  up.  This  would  enable 
us  to  supply  these  corps  without  the  use  of  horses,  except  to  distribute  what  was  brought  up  by 
rail,  and  to  act  upon  the  enemy  without  reference  to  the  bad  state  of  country  roads. 

"  The  railroads  all  lead  to  the  enemy's  position ;  by  acting  upon  them  in  force,  besieging  his 
strongholds  if  necessary,  or  getting  between  them  if  possible,  or  making  the  attempt  to  do  so  and 
pressing  his  left,  I  thought  we  should  in  the  first  place  cause  him  to  bring  up  all  his  forces  and 

•  "  General  McDowell's  manuscript  was  submitted  by  the  present  writer  to  President  Lin- 
coln, during  the  summer  of  1864,  and  he  indorsed  its  entire  contents  as  a  true  report  of  these 
war-councils,  with  the  exception  of  the  above  phrase,  'the  Jacobinism  of  Congress.'  His  autograph 
indorsement  on  the  manuscript  states  that  he  had  no  recollection  of  using  such  an  expression. 
It  may  be  supposed  that  the  phrase  expresses  the  impression  produced  on  McDowell's  mind  by 
Mr.  Lincoln's  words,  though  his  precise  language  may  have  been  different." 


Ohio  in  the   Wak 


,iiMn  m  th(.  fl:iIlk  m,,t  pressed,  the  left;  and  possibly,  I  thought  probably,  we  should  again 
,,  ;,,,,„  OIlt  0f  their  works  and  bring  on  a  general  engagement  on  favorable  terms  to  us ;  at  all 
event,  keeping  hi*  follj  occupied  and  harrowed.     The  Fourth  Corps,  in  connection  with  a  force 
rf  heaw  gun*  tflod    would  operate  on  his  right  flank  beyond  the  Occoquan;  get  behind  the  bat- 
teries on  the  Potomac;  take  Aqnia,  which  being  supported  by  the  Third  Corps  over  the  Occo- 
it  could  safely  attempt,  and  then  move  on  the  railroad  from  Manassas  to  the  Kappahan- 
ing  a  large  cavalrv  force  to  destroy  bridges.     I  thought  by  the  use  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  men  thus  employed,  and  the  great  facilities  which  the  railroads  gave  us,  and 
the  compact  position  we  should  occupy,  we  must  succeed  by  repeated  blows  in  crushing  out  the 
in  our  front,  even  if  it  were  equal  in  numbers  and  strength.     The  road  by  Fairfax  C. 
i  Centreville  would  give  us  the  means  to  bring  up  siege-mortars  and  siege  materials ;  and 
if  we  could  not  accomplish  the  object  immediately,  by  making  the  campaign  one  of  posi- 
[nttaad  of  maneuvers,  to  do  so  eventually  and  without  risk.     That  this  saving  of  wagon 
transportation  should  be  effected  at  once,  by  connecting  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  with 
;.  xandria  roads,  by  running  a  road  over  the  Long  Bridge.     That  when  all  this  could  be 
i  need,  I  could  better  tell  when  I  knew  something  more  definite  as  to  the  general  condition 
of  the  army. 

"  General  Franklin  being  asked,  said  he  was  in  ignorance  of  many  things  necessary  to  an 
opinion  on  the  subject,  knowing  only  as  to  his  own  division,  which  was  ready  for  the  field.  As 
to  the  plan  of  operations,  on  being  asked  by  the  President  if  he  had  ever  thought  what  he  would 
do  with  this  army  if  he  had  it,  he  replied  that  he  had,  and  that  it  was  his  judgment  that  it  should 
be  taken,  what  could  be  spared  from  the  duty  of  protecting  the  capital,  to  York  River  to  operate  on 
Richmond.  The  question  then  came  up  as  to  the  means  at  hand  of  transporting  a  large  part  of 
the  army  by  water.  The  Assistant  Secretary  of  War  said  the  means  had  been  fully  taxed  to  pro- 
vide transportation  for  twelve  thousand  men.  After  some  further  conversation,  and  in  reference 
to  our  ignorance  of  the  actual  condition  of  the  army,  the  President  wished  we  should  come  to- 
gether the  next  night  at  eight  o'clock,  and  that  General  Franklin  and  I  should  meet  in  the  mean- 
time, obtain  such  further  information  as  we  might  need,  and  to  do  so  from  the  staff  of  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Immediate  orders  were  to  be  given  to  make  the  railroad 
over  Long  Bridge. 

"  January  11. — Held  a  meeting  with  General  Franklin,  in  the  morning,  at  the  Treasury 
Building,  and  discussed  the  question  of  the  operations  which,  in  our  judgment,  were  best  under 
existing  circumstances— as  season,  present  position  of  the  forces,  present  condition  of  the  country — 
to  be  undertaken  before  going  into  the  matter  as  to  when  those  operations  could  be  set  on  foot.  I 
urged  that  we  should  now  find  fortifications  in  York  River  which  would  require  a  movement  in 
that  direction  to  be  preceded  by  a  naval  force  of  heavy  guns  to  clear  them  out,  as  well  as  the 
works  at  West  Point.  That  Richmond  was  now  fortified ;  that  we  could  not  hope  to  carry  it  by 
a  simple  march  after  a  successful  engagement;  that  we  should  be  obliged  to  take  a  siege-train 
witli  us.  That  all  this  would  take  time,  which  would  be  improved  by  the  enemy  to  mass  his 
forces  in  our  front,  and  we  should  find  that  we  had  not  escaped  any  of  the  difficulties  we  have  now 
before  this  position;  but  simply  lost  time  and  money  to  find  those  difficulties  when  we  should  not 
have  so  strong  a  base  to  operate  from,  nor  so  many  facilities,  nor  so  large  a  force  as  we  have 
here,  nor  m  proportion,  so  small  a  one  to  overcome.  That  the  war  now  had  got  to  be  one  of  posi- 
tions, till  we  should  penetrate  the  line  of  the  enemy.  That  to  overcome  him  in  front,  or  cut  his 
«unmuwotl«  with  the  South,  would,  by  its  moral  as  well  as  physical  effect,  prostrate  the 
enemy,  and  enable  us  to  undertake  any  future  operations  with  ease,  and  certaintv  of  success ;  but 
a  at  m  order  of  time,  as  of  importance,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  overcome  this  army  in 
our  rent,  which  is  b -eleaguering  our  capital,  blockading  the  river,  and  covering  us  day  by  day 
U  S  r;;Pr°aC,\°f  ™V°*™>  and  lowering  us  in  the  eyes  of  foreign  nations;  and  our  people 
Zwhere  '  ^  **  ^^  ^  What  is  necessaiT  *»  this  purpose  should  go 

to  d0Umi^alMankAinu8UggeSted  Whether  Govern°r  Chase,  in  view  of  what  we  were  charged 

Ind  i  hi"      H   t  nGrty  u  teU  US  Where  General  Burnside'8  exPedition  had  g°ne  ?    1  ™* 

rti   d    ti      1  f,     X         me  I"**'  Under  the  ci— nances,  he  felt  he  ought  to  do  so  ;  and  said 

o  o p  r  R-u  •   r^"11'  *"*  Car0Hna>  ^  the  "W  <>f  Hatteras  Inlet  and  Pamlico  Sound, 

operate  on  Raleigh  or  Beaufort,  or  either  of  them.     That  General  McClellan  had,  by  direc- 


Irvin  McDowell.  677 

tion  of  the  President,  acquainted  him  with  his  plans,  which  was  to  go  with  a  large  force  of  this 
Army  of  the  Potomac  to  Urbana  or  Tappahannock,  on  the  Rappahannock,  and  then  with  his 
bridge-train  move  directly  to  Richmond.  On  further  consultation  with  General  Franklin,  it  was 
agreed  that  our  inquiries  were  to  be  directed  to  both  cases  of  going  from  our  present  position 
and  of  removing  the  large  part  of  the  force  to  another  base  further  south.  A  question  was  raised 
by  General  Franklin,  whether,  in  deference  to  General  McClellan,  we  should  not  inform  him  of 
the  duty  we  were  ordered  to  perform.  I  said  the  order  I  received  was  marked  private  and  con- 
fidential ;  and  as  they  came  from  the  President,  our  Commander-in-Chief,  I  conceived,  as  a  com- 
mon superior  to  General  McClellan  and  both  of  us,  it  was  for  the  President  to  say  this,  and  not 
us.  That  I  would  consult  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  who  was  at  hand,  and  could  tell  us  what 
was  the  rule  in  the  cabinet  in  such  matters.  The  Secretary  was  of  opinion  that  the  matter  lav 
entirely  with  the  President.  We  went  to  Colonel  Kingsbury,  chief  of  ordnance  of  the  Army  of 
the  Potomac,  Brigadier-General  Van  Vliet,  chief  quartermaster,  and  Major  Shiras,  commissary 
of  subsistence,  and  obtained  all  the  information  desired.  Met  at  the  President's  in  the  evening, 
at  eight  o'clock.  Present,  the  same  as  on  the  first  day,  with  the  addition  of  the  Postma'ster-Gen- 
eral,  Judge  Blair,  who  came  in  after  the  meeting  had  begun  the  discussion.  I  read  a  paper  con- 
taining both  General  Franklin's  and  my  own  views,  General  Franklin  agreeing  with  me — in  view 
of  time,  etc.,  required  to  take  to  this  army  to  another  base — that  operations  could  best  now  be 
undertaken  from  the  present  base,  substantially  as  proposed.  The  Postmaster-General  opposed 
the  plan,  and  was  for  having  the  army,  or  as  much  of  it  as  could  be  spared,  go  to  York  River  or 
Fortress  Monroe,  either  to  operate  against  Richmond,  or  to  Suffolk  and  cut  off  Norfolk ;  that 
being,  in  his  judgment,  the  point  (Fortress  Monroe  or  York)  from  which  to  make  a  decisive 
blow.  The  plan  of  going  to  the  front  from  this  position  was  Bull  Run  over  again.  That  it  was 
strategically  defective,  as  was  the  effort  last  July.  As  then,  we  would  have  the  operations  upon 
exterior  lines.  That  it  involved  too  much  risk.  That  there  was.  not  so  much  difficulty  as  had 
been  supposed  in  removing  the  army  down  the  Chesapeake.  That  only  from  the  Lower  Chesa- 
peake could  anything  decisive  result  against  the  army  at  Manassas.  That  to  drive  them  from 
their  present  position,  by  operating  from  our  present  base,  would  only  force  them  to  another 
behind  the  one  they  now  occupy,  and  we  should  have  all  our  work  to  do  over  again.  Mr.  Sew- 
ard thought  if  we  only  had  a  victory  over  them  it  would  answer,  whether  obtained  at  Manassas 
or  further  south.  Governor  Chase  replied  in  general  terms  to  Judge  Blair,  to  the  effect  that  the 
moral  power  of  a  victory  over  the  enemy,  in  his  present  position,  would  be  as  great  as  one  else- 
where, all  else  equal ;  and  the  danger  lay  in  the  probability  that  we  should  find,  after  losing  time 
and  millions,  that  we  should  have  as  many  difficulties  to  overcome  below  as  we  now  have  above. 
The  President  wished  to  have  General  Meigs  in  consultation  on  the  subject  of  providing  water 
transportation,  and  desired  General  Franklin  and  myself  to  see  him  in  the  morning,  and  meet 
again  at  three  o'clock  P.  M.  the  next  day. 

u  January  12. — Met  General  Franklin  at  General  Meigs's.  Conversed  with  him  on  the 
subject  of  our  mission  at  his  own  house.  I  expressed  my  views  to  General  Meigs,  who  agreed  with 
me  in  the  main  as  to  concentrating  our  efforts  against  the  enemy  in  front  by  moving  against  him 
from  our  present  position.  As  to  the  time  in  which  he  could  assemble  water  transportation  for 
thirty  thousand  men,  he  thought  in  about  from  four  to  six  weeks.  Met  at  the  President's.  Gen- 
eral Meigs  mentioned  the  time  in  which  he  could  assemble  the  transports  as  a  month  to  six 
weeks.  The  general  subject  of  operations  from  the  present  base  was  again  discussed,  General 
Meigs  agreeing  that  it  was  best  to  do  so,  and  to  concentrate  our  forces  for  the  purpose.  The 
President  and  Mr.  Seward  said  that  General  McClellan  had  been  out  to  see  the  President,  and 
was  looking  quite  well,  and  that  now,  as  he  was  able  to  assume  the  charge  of  the  army,  the  Pres- 
ident would  drop  any  further  proceedings  with  us.  The  general  drift  of  the  conversation  was 
as  to  the  propriety  of  moving  the  army  further  south,  and  as  to  the  destination  of  Burnside's  ex- 
pedition. The  Postmaster-General  said  that  if  it  was  the  intention  to  fight  it  out  here  (Manassas), 
then  we  ought  to  concentrate.  It  was  suggested  and  urged  somewhat  on  the  President  to  coun- 
termand, or  have  General  McClellan  countermand  General  Burnside's  expedition,  and  bring  up 
at  Aquia.  The  President  was,  however,  exceedingly  averse  from  interfering,  saying  he  disliked 
exceedingly  to  stop  a  thing  long  since  planned,  just  as  it  was  ready  to  strike.  Nothing  was  done 
but  to  appoint  another  meeting  the  next  day,  at  eleven  o'clock,  when  we  were  to  meet  General 
McClellan,  and  again  discuss  the  question  of  the  movement  to  be  made,  etc. 


678 


Ohio  in   the    Wak. 


Kfttt     )  LMJABt  13.— Went  to  the  President's  with  the  Secretary  of  Treasury.     Pres- 
ident Governor  Chase,  Governor  Seward,  Postmaster-General,  General  McCJellan, 
General  Franklin,  and  myself,  and,  I  think,  the  Assistant-Secretary  of  War. 
|  redded   p  anting  to  a  map,  asked  me  to  go  over  the  plan  I  had  before  spoken  to  him  of. 
tmc  Lime  made  a  brief  explanation  of  how  he  came  to  bring  General  Franklin  and 
•   I  Well  before  him.     I  mentioned,  in  as  brief  terms  as  possible,  what  General  Frank- 
lin and  I  hud  done  under  the  President's  order,  what  our  investigations  had  been  directed  upon, 
,  bal  >sv:v  one  eonetadoM  as  to  going  to  the  front  from  our  present  base,  in  the  way  I  have 
..  referring,  also,  to  a  transfer  of  a  part  of  the  array  to  another  base  further  south. 
n  informed  that  the  latter  movement  could  not  be  commenced  under  a  month  to 
and   that   a   movement   to   the   front   could   be  undertaken  in  all  of  three   weeks. 
franklin  dissented  only  as  to  the  time  I  mentioned  for  beginning  operations  in  the 
not   thinking  we  could  get  the  roads  in  order  by  that  time.      I  added,  commence  ope- 
lll  of  three  weeks;  to  which  he  assented.     I  concluded  my  remarks  by  saying  some- 
thing apologetic  in  explanation  of  the  position  in  which  we  were.     To  which  General  McClellan 
■what  coldly,  if  not  curtly,  '  You  are  entitled  to  have  any  opinion  you  please! '     No 
discussion  was  entered  into  by  him  whatever,  the  above  being  the  only  remark  he  made.     General 
Franklin  said  that,  in  giving  his  opinion  as  to  going  to  York  Kiver,  he  did  it  knowing  that  it  was  in 
the  direction  of  General  McClellan's  plan.     I  said  that  I  had  acted  entirely  in  the  dark.     Gen- 
eral Meigs  spoke  of  his  agency  in  having  us  called  in  by  the  President.     The  President  then 
asked  what  and  when  anything  could  be  done,  again  going  over  somewhat  the  same  ground  he 
had  done  with  General  Franklin  and  myself.    General  McClellan  said  the  case  was  so  clear  a 
blind  man  could  see  it,  and  then  spoke  of  the  difficulty  of  ascertaining  what  force  he  could  count 
upon ;  that  he  did  not  know  whether  he  could  let  General  Butler  go  to  Ship  Island,  or  whether 
he  could  re-enforce  Burnside.     Mueh  conversation  ensued,  of  rather  a  general  character,  as  to 
the  discrepancy  between  the  number  of  men  paid  for  and  the  number  effective.     The  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury  then  put  a  direct  question  to  General  McClellan  to  the  effect  as  to  what  he  in- 
d  doing  with  his  army,  and  when  he' intended  doing  it?     After  a  long  silence,  General 
McClellan  answered  that  the  movement  in  Kentucky  was  to  precede  any  one  from  this  place,  and 
that  that  movement  might  now  he  forced;  that   he  had  directed  General  Buell,  if  he  could  not 
hire  wagons  for  his  transportation,  that  he  must  take  them.     After  another  pause  he  said  he  must 
was  very  unwilling  to  develop  his  plans,  always  believing  that  in  military  matters  the 
l*reons  who  were  knowing  to  them  the  better  ;  that  he  would  tell  them  if  he  was  ordered  to 
do  so.    The  President  then  asked  him  if  he  counted  upon  any  particular  time ;  he  did  not  ask 
I  iiat  that  time  was,  but  had  he  in  his  own  mind  any  particular  time  fixed  when  a  movement  could 
!'••  commenced.    He  replied  he  had.    Then,  rejoined  the  President,  I  will  adjourn  this  meeting." 

It  is  easy  to  see  what  effect  these  consultations  of  his  subordinates  with  the 
President  had  upon  the  mind  of  General  McClellan.  We  need  not  pause  to  dis- 
the  question  whether  the  plan  proposed  by  McDowell  (substantially  that 
Ik-  had  himself  first  contemplated  for  reaching  Manassas),  was  better  or  worse 
than  the  one  upon  which  General  McClellan  had  set  his  heart.  It  is  enough 
that  the  President,  and  in  general,  the  leading  members  of  the  Administration, 
were  in  favor  of  it;  and  that  his  military  chief  was  not  only  opposed  to  it,  but 
WM  disposed  to  look  upon  it  as  the  ambitious  effort  of  a  subordinate  to  surpass 
hi.n  Finally  the  President  called  a  council  of  the  leading  Generals  to  consider 
Uellan's  project  of  going  to  the  peninsula.     Out  of  the  twelve  McDowell 

d  only  three  to  agree  with  him  in  opposing  it.  The  other  eight  were  unan- 
imous tor  the  peninsular  route. 

By  this  time  a  vigorous  McClellan  party  assumed  to  control  everything  at 
HHj  capital  To  this  party  McDowell  of  course  became  odious,  and  through  its 
influence  the  country  was  aided  in  still  remembering  his  drunkenness,  his  ques- 
tionable  loyalty,  and   his'  incompetence.      The    President  presently  took  the 


Irvin  McDowell.  679 

delaying  organization  of  the  army  into  his  own  hands,  and  completed  it  by 
appointing  four  Corps  Generals.  Foremost  among  them  was  McDowell,  who, 
a  few  days  later,  was  promoted  to  a  Major-Generalship  of  volunteers.  The  cool- 
ness heretofore  existing  between  the  unlucky  General,  to  whom  even  promo- 
tion still  proved  ill-fortune,  and  his  commander  was  thus  increased. 

And  finally,  when  General  McCiellan  was  at  last  ready  to  take  the  field, 
fresh  questions  arose  between  him  and  the  Administration  as  to  the  number  of 
troops  that  should  be  left  on  the  Potomac  to  insure  the  safety  of  the  capital,  and 
so  once  more  General  McDowell  being  called  upon  for  his  views,  was  compelled 
to  give  to  the  Government  an  opinion  disagreeable  to  his  chief.  He  thought 
the  forts  should  be  fully  garrisoned  on  the  right  bank,  and  occupied  on  the 
left,  and  that  then  a  covering  force  of  twenty -five  thousand  men  should  be  re- 
tained. With  this  simple  expression  of  opinion  his  whole  connection  with  the 
dispute  as  to  the  protection  of  the  capital  ended.  But  it  was  long  believed  by 
the  McCiellan  party,  and  openly  charged  through  nearly  all  the  newspapers  of 
the  country,  that  McDowell  secretly  strove  to  excite  the  apprehensions  of  Pres- 
ident and  Cabinet  as  to  the  safety  of  Washington  and  thus  to  thwart  the  wishes 
of  McCiellan,  for  the  sake  of  securing  an  independent  command  for  himself. 

Circumstances  soon  seemed  to  confirm  this  suspicion.  General  McDowell 
supposed  that  his  corps  was  to  be  embarked  for  the  peninsula  before  that  of  Gen- 
eral Sumner.  McCiellan  set  out  without  giving  him  any  other  information ; 
General  Sumner's  corps  was  taken  and  he  was  still  left.  Then,  to  his  own 
astonishment  no  less  than  that  of  McCiellan,  his  corps,  forty  thousand  strong, 
was  detached  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  he  was  ordered  to  report  to 
the  Secretary  of  War.  It  was  a  step  honestly  taken  for  the  protection  of  the 
capital,  which  Mr.  Lincoln  believed  McCiellan  had  left  in  danger;  but  it  was 
the  beginning  of  a  long  series  of  fresh  misfortunes,  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
active  career  of  McDowell  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion  was  to  close.  He  was 
ordered  down  to  the  vicinity  of  Fredericksburg,  and  was  specially  instructed 
that  he  was  "to  consider  the  capital  under  his  protection,  and  was  to  make  no 
movement  throwing  his  force  out  of  position  for  the  discharge  of  this  primary 
duty."* 

There  straightway  arose  against  him  a  storm  of  clamor  that  surpassed  even 
the  defamation  that  followed  Bull  Bun.  General  McCiellan  regarded  the  with- 
drawal of  this  corps  as  fatal  to  his  plans.  He  subsequently  acquitted  McDowell 
of  all  responsibility  for  it,f  but  at  the  time  he  attributed  the  whole  matter  to  his 
subordinate's  ambition  for  an  independent  command.  His  partizans  were 
louder  and  less  scrupulous.  They  made  the  army  and  the  press  of  the  country 
ring  with  their  denunciations  of  McDowell.  He  was  a  drunkard.  He  was  a 
gambler.  He  was  disloyal.  He  had  near  relatives  in  high  places  in  the  Eebel 
army.     He  cared  nothing  for  the  country,  everything  for  his  own  advancement. 

And  now  we  come  to  notice  the  strangest  element  in  all  the  complex  com- 
bination of  the  man's  misfortunes.     We  have  spoken  of  his  coldness  and  habit 

*  McDowell's  statement  in  review  of  the  evidence  before  the  Court  of  Inquiry  in  his  case,  p.  6. 
tlbid,  p.  9. 


680  Ohio  in  the  War. 

of  reserve.     The  volunteers  could  not  understand  it.     They  knew  well  enough 

that  he  had  small  respect  for  their  military  worth  at  the  outset.     They  saw  him 

g,  even  scorning,  all  the  ordinary  ways  adopted  by  officers  who  wished 

I  will  of  their  men.     He  had  no  charity  for  small  breaches  of  order;  he 

id  disciplinarian,  exacting  in  his  requirements,  and  unforgiving  to  of- 

Tlicn  he  was  particularly  strenuous  in  the  repression  of  their  favorite 

tin  destruction  or  spoliation  of  the  property  of  wealthy  Eebels.  Other 
things  they  might  forgive,  but  as  for  this— why  it  was  flat  treachery  to  the 
cause.     Th.y  were  already  disposed  to  judge  him  harshly  by  reason  of  his  rigid 

unpopular  ways;  the  general  devotion  of  his  troops  to  McClellan  led  them 
to  look  upon  him  as  almost  criminal,  because  of  their  detachment  from  McClel- 
lan 's  command;  and  now,  when,  in  addition,  he  began  to  punish  loyal  soldiers 
for  tearing  up  Rebel  fences  for  camp-fires,  he  had  filled  the  measure  of  his  un- 
popularity and  had  become  actually  odious. 

So  it  came  about  that  (as  he  afterward  said  in  a  recital  that,  but  for  its 
manly  tone,  would  be  piteous)  men  who  agreed  about  nothing  else  agreed  in 
denouncing  him.  The  McClellan  party  abused  him  for  not  going  to  the  penin- 
sula, and  the  whole  army,  including  his  own  command,  thus  became  intensely 
hostile  to  him.  The  Radical  party  abused  him  for  protecting  Rebel  property, 
using  loyal  soldiers  to  guard  Rebel  fence  rails  instead  of  marching  on  the 
•  ■nciiiy,  waging  a  kid-glove  war,  taking  care  not  to  hurt  either  the  feelings  or 
the  property  of  his  friends,  the  Rebels. 

"There  is  hardly  a  form  of  reproach,"  he  said  to  the  Court  of  Inquiry,  "  that  was  not  used 
toward  me.  Every  possible  way  my  feelings  could  be  hurt  seemed  to  be  taken,  not  only  by  those 
who  opposed  the  Government,  under  whose  very  eye  I  was  serving,  but  by  the  friends  and  sup- 
j.orters  of  the  Government  as  well.  ...  It  was  said  of  me  that  I  was  idling  away  the  time, 
no;  bin-  on  the  banks  of  the  Rappahannock;  flitting  back  and  forth  between  .Fredericks- 
burg and  Washington  for  mere  personal  purposes;  fearing  to  cross  the  river  when  there  was  op- 
posed to  me  not  more  than  a  fourth  of  my  force;  clamoring  for  re-en%cements  to  guard  against 

inarj  dangers;  protecting  Rebel  property  for  the  sake  of  the  Rebels;  instead  of  using  my-. 

troops  to  go  against  Ufa  enemy,  employing  them  only  to  guard  the  enemy's  houses,  fences,  and 

fields;  and  then,  when  in  hearing  of  the  sound  of  the  cannon  of  General  McClellan  at  Han- 

II.,  making  no  sign,  but  on  the  contrary  leaving  Fredericksburg  to  go  to  the  Shenandoah 

to  avoid  moving  on  Richmond  and  coming  under  General  McClellan.     This  and  much  more  was 

said  of  me,  we,k  after  week,  and  month  after  month.     The  army  seldom  saw  my  name  that  it 

was  not  coupled  with  .some  disparaging  remark,     ...     if,  inded,  not  with  some  denunciation 

Off  discreditable  charge.     .     .     .     These  things  were  covered  up  or  allowed,  it  was  said,  through 

the  iiifliu ■„,,.  of  two  members  of  the  Cabinet  who  were  my  brothers-in-law.     .     .     .     Whatever 

cheek  or  disaster  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  incurred  on  the  peninsula,  was  attributed  to  my 

failure  to  re-enforce  thai  army  when  I  could  do  so,  and  to  my  having  broken  it  up,  as  soon  as  its 

"T  ut  of  **•  ot  the  capital.     I  think  I  have  rather  underrated  the  case  than 

otherw : 

V  sorrowful  narration,  indeed,  concerning  a  General  at  the  head  of  troops 
whose  confidence  he  was  expected  to  retain,  and  under  the  control  of  a  Govern- 
ment daily  growing  m01.e  impatient  of  men  who  couM  iiQt  ach.eve  guccess> 

■  he  says,  it  rather  understates  than  exaggerates  the  facts. 
We  have  seen   that  the  army,  the  press,  and  indeed  the  whole  country, 
teemed  with  such  charges.    Finally  he  was  denounced  in  the  Senate  by  a  dfe- 


Irvin  McDowell.  681 

tinguished  Senator  from  his  own  Stale.  Mr.  Wade  was  shown  an  order  which 
he  had  issued,  in  which,  with  some  emphasis,  he  commanded  a  subordinate  to 
stop  the  destruction  of  fences  on  a  certain  plantation.  This  the  Senator  read, 
and  thereupon  proceeded  to  hold  its  author  up  to  the  condemnation  of  the  coun- 
try. jSTcxt  a  resolution  was  passed  in  the  House  of  Representatives  ordering 
the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War  to  investigate  his  aetion.  As  a 
prominent  gentleman  about  this  time  said  to  him,  he  was  become  the  most 
odious  man  in  the  nation. 

We  can  now  see  that  there  was  scarcely  a  particle  of  foundation  for  all  this 
clamor,  and  that  it  only  shows  with  what  cruel  and  wicked  injustice  a  Republic 
can  treat  its  best  servants  in  times  of  great  popular  excitement. 

It  has  already  been  shown  that  General  McClellan  subsequently  (on  oath) 
exculpated  McDowell  from  all  responsibility  for  the  order  withdrawing  his 
corps.  He  was  as  little  responsible  for  his  delay  before  Fredericksburg.  Three 
several  times  he  telegraphed  for  permission  to  cross  over  into  the  city,  and 
finally  he  sent  his  Inspector-General  to  plead  personally  for  it.*  And  as  to  the 
protection  of  Rebel  property,  we  now  have  it,  on  the  oath  of  so  lamented  a  sol- 
dier and  so  earnest  a  Radical  as  General  James  S.  Wadsworth,  of  New  York,f 
that  he  foraged  on  the  country  so  far  as  was  practicable,  that  he  paid  only  loyal 
citizens  for  articles  taken,  and  that  all  the  protection  given  Rebel  property  con- 
sisted in  the  stern  suppression  of  disorderly  pillage  and  marauding — a  policy 
which,  after  the  experience  of  the  war,  the  most  ignorant  know  to  be  absolutely 
essential  to  the  preservation  of  discipline.  On  this  subject  he  simply  published 
to  his  command  the  army  regulations  issued  by  the  War  Department,  and  re- 
quired their  enforcement.  His  own  views  he  subsequently  laid  down  :  "There 
are  some  who  think  that  to  live  off  the  enemy's  country  means  to  live  at  free 
quarters,  and  for  every  one  to  take  whatever  he  needs  or  desires.  This  is 
simply  pillage,  and  no  army  can  exist  where  it  is  allowed.  The  only  safe  rule 
is  to  lay  it  down  as  a  law  that  no  one  shall  interfere  with  the  rights  of  property 
save  he  who  represents  the  Government;  that  the  Government  only  has  the 
right  to  take  private  property  for  public  purposes;  that  until  the  Government, 
through  its  proper  agent,  seizes  private  property,  it  is  to  be  protected,  and  those 
taking  it  without  authority  are  to  be  considered  as  much  guilty  of  theft  or  rob- 
bery as  if  they  had  done  the  same  thing  in  their  own  State;  that  all  supplies 
seized  by  proper  authority  become  the  property  of  the  Government,  and  are  to 
be  accounted  for  as  regularly  as  if  purchased  with  Government  funds." 

These  are  the  views  of  an  unbending  disciplinarian:  but  they  are  unques- 
tionably to  be  commended.  His  conduct  was  entirely  within  them;  and  but 
for  the  clamor  that  made  him  odious  to  his  troops,  it  would  have  borne  valuable 
fruits  in  their  discipline. 

But  while  all  this  reproach  was  being  heaped  upon  McDowell,  McClellan 
was  getting  slowly  up  the  peninsula,  was  attributing  his  delays  to  lack  of 
troops,  and  was  repeating  perpetually  his  calls  for  McDowell's  corps. 

At  last,  on  the  17th  of  May,  orders  were  issued  from  the  War  Department 

*  Dispatches  given  in  statement  before  Court  of  Inquiry,  pp.  6,  7.  tlbid,  pp.  20,  21. 


Ohio  in  the  War 

OB  being  joined  by  General  Shields's  division,  lie  should  move  on  Rich- 
, -vision  arrived  on  the  22d-shoeless,  ill-clad,  and  without  ammu- 
.„.     On  the  23d  it  was  refitted;  on  the  24th  it  was  ready  to  move.     But  this 
:;11,1  in  deference  to  the  general  opinion  as  to  his  movement  at  Bull 
en  Sunday,  Ofl  \wll  as  beeause  of  the  wish  of  Mr.  Lincoln  himself,  who  was 
march  was  postponed  until  Monday.     That  night  Stonewall  Jackson 
tenting  upon  the  scattered  forces  in  the  valley,  and  before  the  Sunday 
ie  came  orders  to  move  at  once  for  the  Shenandoah ! 
8  then,  practically  terminates  General  McDowell's  connection  with  Mc- 
CleUan  I   merementa  against  Richmond,  in  any  of  the  stages  in   which   those 
movements  look  shape.     The  facts  certainly  show  sufficient  promptness  on  his 
pari   in  endeavoring  to  join  the  army  before  the  Rebel  capital;  and  the  order 
calling  him  away  item  from  him  an  argument  against  its  wisdom,  and  express- 
ions of  the  keenest  regret.*    But  he  continued  to  be  denounced  for  having 
abandoned  McClellan  to  his  fate. 

The  forebodings  with  which  McDowell  received  this  ill-considered  order  to 
go  off  after  Stonewall  Jacksonf  were  soon  realized.  The  operations  in  the 
valley  were  in  the  nature  of  an  ill-concerted  and  inharmonious  combined  move- 
ment. Banks,  who  had  the  Shenandoah  for  his  department,  lay  beyond  Stras- 
burg,  threatening  Staunton.  Fremont,  who  had  West  Virginia  and  the  mount- 
ains for  a  department,  was  marching  down  by  the  old  West  Virginia  route 
through  Cheat  Mountain  Gap  and  Monterey  upon  Staunton.     Jackson  had  been 

north  by  Lee  to  fall  upon  either  Banks  or  McDowell,  as  circumstances 
might  seem  to  suggest.     He  saw  at  once  that,  scattered  as  the  Union  forces 

,  he  could  beat  them  in  detail  before  they  could  possibly  concentrate. 
Fremont's  advance,  as  the  nearest  to  Staunton,  first  invited  his  attention.  On 
this  he  fell  at  the  Bull  Pasture  Mountain,  near  McDowell,  and  hurled  it  north- 
ward toward  Franklin  and  Moorefield.J  Then  he  turned  upon  Banks.  That 
Officer  had  fallen  back  to  Strasburg,  and  had  a  small  outpost  at  Front  Royal. 

•  On  the  same  day,  24th  May,  General  McDowell  wrote  to  the  President : 

"I  obeyed  your  order  immediately,  for  it  was  positive  and  urgent;  and  perhaps,  as  a  subor- 

inate,  there  I  ought  to  stop;  but  I  trust  I  may  be  allowed  to  say  something  in  relation  to  the 

subject,  specially  in  view  of  your  remark  that  everything  depends  upon  the  celerity  and  vigor  of 

•vuuents.     I  beg  to  say  that  co-operation  between  General  Fremont  and  myself,  to  cut  off 

JMkK»  and  hwell  is  not  to  be  counted  upon,  even  if  it  is  not  a  practical  impossibility;  next, 

H«at  1  am  entirely  beyond  helping  distance  of  General  Banks,  and  no  celerity  or  vigor  will  be 

"Na.la  ,1,,  so  lar  as  he  is  concerned ;  next,  that  by  a  glance  at  the  map  it  will  be  seen  that  the 

ill  <liil  ,  enemy'8  f01'CeS  UP  the  Valley  i8  sllorter  th<™  ™™  ^  go  against  him.     It 

u     take  a  week  or  ton  days  for  the  force  to  get  to  the  valley  by  the  route  which  will  give  it  food 

and  WnuH  1  f  £"  ^  ™m7  **"  hwi  retreated-     l  sha11  §ai»  not>lin«  for  >'ou  there 

heart  in  tl  .       ?r  >0u      I*'    lt  1S  thei'efore  not  only  on  personal  grounds  that  I  have  a  heavy 
n  the  .natter,  but  I  feel  that  it  throws  us  all  back,  and  from  Richmond  north  we  shall 
bureau  our  large  mass  paralyzed,  and  shall  have  to  repeat  what  we  have  just  accomplished." 
tbee  Ins  letter  to  the  President,  quoted  in  above  note. 


at 


beVd!!  nthSfli*  h<1  HS*  Under  the  leadershiP  °f  General  Schenck,  in  which  he  was  held 
I  next  dav  o    I  L  t^^  2T*  U"de'  co™  of  **  darkness,  and  though  Jackson 


the  next  day  pursued,  he  did  not  see  fit  to  attack 


IitviN  McDowell.  683 

On  this  Jackson  suddenly  i'ell  and  destroyed  it.  Then  pushing  straight  for 
Winchester,  he  strove  to  get  upon  "Banks's  rear  and  cut  him  off.  It  was  on  the 
night  of  the  23d  that  Banks  discovered  his  danger.  He  immediately  began  a 
hasty  retreat.  On  the  24th  McDowell — just  ready  to  start  to  Eichmond — was 
ordered  to  strike  the  Shenandoah  Yalley  behind  Jackson — connecting  with 
Fremont,  who  was  to  come  over  into  it  from  the  other  side. 

Eegretting  the  order  and  predicting  the  failure,  he  nevertheless  started  at 
once.  When  he  reached  the  neighborhood  of  the  valley  he  found  that  Jackson 
was  retreating  up  it;  that  Fremont,  before  crossing  into  it  from  the  other  side, 
had  marched  northward  instead  of  southward,  and  so  had  entered  it  just  as 
Jackson  had  passed  back.  Hastily  sending  his  cavalry  to  join  Fremont  in  the 
pursuit,  he  then,  yielding  to  the  judgment  of  his  division  commander,  General 
Shields,  who  had  previously  campaigned  through  that  country,  sent  him  south- 
ward to  strive  to  plant  himself  in  front  of  Jackson  and  across  his  path. 

The  movements  met  with  the  usual  fate  of  combined  operations  carried  on 
under  independent  commanders.  Each  force  wTas  beaten  in  detail.  Jackson 
turned  suddenly  upon  Fremont's  pursuing  column,  fought  it  all  day  at  Cross 
Keys,  and  so  gained  time  for  his  advance  and  trains  to  cross  the  river.  Then, 
dashing  across  and  burning  the  bridge  behind  him,  he  struck  Shields's  advance 
(sent  up  by  McDowell)  at' Port  Eepublic,  and,  after  an  obstinate  little  fight, 
drove  it.  Thus  freed  from  all  his  pursuers,  he  leisurely  turned  south  through 
the  valley,  leaving  Fremont,  and  Banks,  and  McDowell  to  count  their  bruises. 
McDowell's  sad  prediction  at  the  outset  had  been  more  than  verified,  and  for  the 
very  reason  which  he  assigned :  The  distance  for  the  co-operating  troops  to 
march  was  greater  than  that  over  which  Jackson  had  to  retreat.  They  could 
not  possibly  combine  until  his  opportunity  came  to  turn  first  upon  the  one  and 
then  upon  the  other. 

McDowell  instantly  recognized  the  failure,  and  begged  for  permission  to 
resume  forthwith  the  abandoned  movement  to  Eichmond.  More  than  that ;  with 
a  keenness  of  foresight  quite  new  in  the  war,  he  warned  the  Administration*  of 
the  terrible  peril  next  in  store:  "  I  fear  precious  time  is  being  lost  so  far  as  I  am 
concerned,  by  my  having  to  wait  for  General  Banks,  and  that  I  am  delaying  the 
re-enforcements  for  Eichmond,  where  they  will  be  needed  more  than  ever,  if  as 
I  am  led  to  thi?ik  may  be  the  case,  Jackson  has  gone  to  re-enforce  Lee."*  Prophetic 
warning  !  But  it  fell  upon  inattentive  ears,  alike  with  the  Administration  at 
Washington,  and  with  the  delaying  General  astride  the  Chickahominy.  It  was 
as  early  as  the  14th  of  June  that  it  was  given. 

Ten  days  before  this  McDowell  had  begun  his  efforts  to  get  out  of  the  val- 
ley and  back  to  Fredericksburg  on  his  way  to  Eichmond.  On  the  14th  he  tele- 
graphed General  Banks,  also,  begging  him  to  relieve  the  troops  from  Fredericks- 
burg still  kept  in  the  valley.  On  the  15th  he  sent  an  earnest  dispatch  to  the 
President,  renewing  his  petitions  to  be  allowed  to  draw  out  of  the  valley  and 
start  to  McClellan's  aid.  On  the  same  day  he  telegraphed  in  similar  terms,  but 
more  at  length,  to  the  President.     Day  by  day  he  continued  his  efforts.     At  last 

•  McDowell's  Statement  to  Court  of  Inquiry,  p.  15. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

he  got  leave  to  withdraw  his  troops  from  Front  Royal.     On  the  20th  they  started. 
;  ,  v  began  to  reach  Fredericksburg.     Already  General  McDowell 
bad  written  toMoOIelWfe,  expressing  great  pleasure  at  the  prospect  of  being  at 
|.l0  ;,,  hi,,,  :liid  fixing  the  20th  for  his  start.     As  we  have  seen,  he  had 

been  delayed.     On  the  26th  came  the  President's  order,  abolishing  McDowell's 
aliment  of  the  Rappahannock,  and  assigning  him  to  command  under  Gen- 
eral Pope,  in  the  new,  "Army  of  Virginia."* 

With  this  ended  General  McDowell's  career  as  an  independent  commander. 
leading  features  maybe  briefly  recapitulated :  He  had  fought  Bull  Eun. 
:i.  on  again  receiving  independent  command,  he  had  entered  Fredericksburg, 
and  bad  begged  permission  to  join  McClellan.  Then,  just  as  he  was  ready  for  this, 
he  bad  been  directed  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley  to  aid  in  co-operative  movements 
for  the  capture  of  Stonewall  Jackson,  which,  through  no  fault  of  his,  utterly 
foiled.  And,  finally,  lie  had  striven  to  get  his  troops  out  of  the  valley,  again 
to  march  on  Richmond;  when,  as  he  was  nearly  ready,  came  new  arrangements, 
assigning  him  to  another  army  and  a  subordinate  command. 

Throughout  his  plans  had  been  good,  his  execution  quite  equal  to  that  of 
any  of  his  compeers,  and  his  earnest  desire  to  serve  wherever  his  services  might 
be  effectual,  conspicuous.  Throughout  he  had  been  overwhelmed  by  outside 
causes,  and  forever  attended  by  a  persistent  ill-fortune. 

When,  alarmed  by  Stonewall  Jackson's  easy  triumphs  in  the  valley;    by 
the  inharmonious  operations  of  the  three  prominent  Generals,f  to  each  of  whose 
independent  commands  was  attached  the  duty  of  defending  the  capital  and  the 
northern   frontier;    and  by   the  ominous  delays  before  Richmond,  Mr.  Lincoln 
decided  first  to  concentrate  the  several  columns  before  Washington  under  one 
-under,  and  then,  in  the  swiftly  rushing  current  of  events,  to  use  this  corn- 
er for  an  attack  upon  Lee,  under  cover  of  which.  McClellan   might  escape 
hw   the  peninsula,  it  was  decided  that  to  neither  of  the   three  independent 
rala  lately  striving  in  vain  to  co-operate,  could  the  new  trust  be  confided. 
A  fresh  commander,  with  the  prestige  of  success  was  sought;  and  the  West  sent 
forward  the  hero  of  Island  No.  10.     Thus  General  McDowell  once  more  came 
Wder  th,  command  of  a  junior  whom,  a  year  ago,  he  had  left  out  of  sight  in 
tl-  race  for  promotion-™  officer  of  less  repute  in  the  old  army  than  himself, 
a"'l   unquestionably  of  inferior  professional   acquirements.      He   submitted   to 
•oiSJr  ^^  With°Ut  a  mm'mur'  but  with  Perfect  good  grace  and 

n»mBUt  ".'!  Ci''CUmstan0e9  «nder  which  he  now  took  the  field  for  the  severe 

'7"  tllUtWa8  BPcedi'y  inaugurated  were,  if  possible,  even  less  auspicious 

"  •      uy  prcv.eus  time  in  his  ill-starred  career.     Before  the  late  operations 

had  11  ,  m    '  hiB  tr°°1,S'  f°r  tUe  Vill'i0US  reaSOn8  already  -aerated, 

hctten  V;::l    ,  "mWitU  alm08t  SS  much  *****  the  enemy.     NoV 

thc.r  temper  was  st.ll  worse.    They  had  been  subjected  to  severe  forced  Larches, 

•McDowell's  Statement  to  Court  of  I„quirv,  pp.  17  18 
t  Fremont,  Banks,  and  McDowell. 


Ievin    McDowell.  685 

to  exposure  without  tents  and  with  half  rations,  on  a  movement  that  had  re- 
sulted in  nothing.  These,  were,  it  is  true,  but  the  incidents  of  an  honest  obedi- 
ence to  the  orders  he  had  received,  but,  as  we  have  already  seen,  it  was  the  fate 
of  this  commander  to  be  forever  held  responsible  for  the  requirements  which 
others  chose  to  lay  upon  him.  So  now  there  was  fierce  complaint  among  his 
soldiers.  They  were  worn  down,  they  said,  tramping  back  and  forth  on  fools' 
errands  on  which  McDowell  had  sent  them.  Their  transportation  was  cut  down 
to  seven  or  eight  wagons  to  a  regiment,  because  McDowell  didn't  want  to  see 
his  men  comfortable.*  They  were  often  treated  like  felons,  because  McDowell 
would  have  them  arrested  for  straggling,  or  for  appropriating  the  enemy's  prop- 
erty without  orders. 

In  such  temper  the  unlucky  General  had  to  lead  his  troops  into  an  active 
campaign. 

When  General  Pope  assumed  the  command  of  the  department  he  expected 
to  be  able  to  lead  his  whole  army  down  to  co-operate  with  McClellan.  But  on 
that  very  day  Lee's  onset  on  McClellan's  right  began.  The  foreboding  of  Mc- 
Dowell that  Stonewall  Jackson  would  next  appear  at  Eichmond,  had  been  veri- 
fied. Then  Pope  sought  at  least  to  effect  a  diversion  which  might  aid  McClellan 
after  his  "  change  of  base."  To  this  end  he  concentrated  his  army,  and  moved 
down  to  Culpepper.  But  by  this  time  Stonewall  Jackson's  mission  at  Eichmond 
had  been  accomplished,  and  he  was  again  detached  northward ;  so  that  now  his 
pickets  and  those  of  Pope  began  exchanging  shots  along  the  Eapidan.  Banks 
was  then  pushed  up  to  Cedar  Mountain,  with  orders  to  hold  his  ground,  and  to 
attack  if  the  enemy  advanced  upon  him.  Stung,  however,  by  the  recollections 
of  his  late  retreat,  and,  perhaps,  also  by  the  needless  earnestness  with  which 
General  Pope's  Chief  of  Staff  volunteered  to  urge  upon  him  that  "there  must 
be  no  backing  out  this  time,"  General  Banks,  instead  of  awaiting  the  enemy's 
advance,  himself,  precipitated  the  attack,  on  unfavorable  ground  and  with  terri- 
ble odds  against  him.  His  own  conduct  and  that  of  his  troops  was  superbly 
gallant,  but  no  bravery  on  the  field  could  avert  the  consequences  of  his  blunder. 
Pope  had  ordered  Sigel  up  in  support,  but  that  officer  was  culpably  tardy  in 
obeying.  Banks  was  left  to  struggle  alone  with  his  single  corps,  not  eight 
thousand  strong,  against  Stonewall  Jackson,  with  three  divisions  numbering 
twenty-five  thousand  men,  in  strong;  defensive  positions ;  and  the  result  was  a 
sad  swift  slaughter.  McDowell,  in  prompt  obedience  to  Pope's  orders  through 
the  day,  disposed  his  divisions  at  points  near  Culpepper,  awaiting  developments. 
Up  to  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Pope  had  no  idea  that  Banks  was  bringing 
on  a  severe  engagement.  Then  he  ordered  McDowell  up,  in  time  to  prevent  the 
enemy  from  attempting  to  profit  by  Banks's  repulse,  but  too  late  to  have  much 
share  in  the  brief  and  bloody  fighting. 

Within  a  few  days  captured  dispatches  now  revealed  the  plans  of  the  wary 

*  Very  great  discontent  was  aroused  by  these  efforts  to  mobilize  the  army— measures  wise  and 
necessary— objections  to  which  only  showed  the  greenness  as  soldiers  of  the  men  who  made  them. 
In  this,  as  in  so  many  other  things,  it  was  simply  McDowell's  misfortune  to  be  ahead  of  his 
times. 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

f  tho  Kebel  forces.     McClellan  was  considered  out  of  the  way. 

.,,  force  .  B  Richmond,  Lee  meant  to .concentrate  sudden  y 

NfM.  him.     Thus  fully  advised  of  bis  danger,  Pope  stilt  held 

,(llls  till  the  last,  hoping  thereby  to  relieve  McClellan   and 

,nrn  ;in(l  junction,  which  the  Government  had  now  ordered. 

^ted  his  danger,  and  began   praying  for  re-enforcements ; 

ply  to  which  the  Administration  begged  him   to   hold   out  a  little  longer, 

.,„,,      ;„,  -..-enforcements  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.     He  felt 

,  fell  bank  from  the  Rapidan  to  the  Rappahannock  ;  but  here,  near 

B  stood.     Finally,  Stuart,  with  the  Rebel  Cavalry,  crossing  above 

hit  right,  circled  about  his  rear,  captured  his  head-quarters  baggage-train,  and 

;  accurate  knowledge  of  his  positions.     Still  Pope   held  his  ground, 

rd,  to  oppose  the  threats  from  the  direction  of  his  right  flank,  and 

concentrating   hie   army;    while   he  ordered  forces  from  about   Manasses    off 

I   to  Observe  the  gaps  in  the  mountains,  behind  which   it  was  feared 

that  Lee  (who  had  now  arrived)  might  be  trying  to  turn  his  right  and  fall  upon 

lar. 

Thc  precaution  was  too  late.  Lee's  advance,  under  Stonewall  Jackson,  was 
already  behind  the  mountains.  On  the  26th  of  August  it  rapidly  debouched 
through  Thoroughfare  Gap,  fell  upon  Pope's  rear  (at  Bristoe  Station),  and  cap- 

I  trains  and  supplies.     Thence,  without  delay,  Jackson   pushed  on  to  Ma- 
ELS  Junction,  carried  the  post,  captured  large  quantities  of  supplies,  with 

noi  and  prisoners.  Then,  as  General  Scammon  and  others,  with  fragments  of 
hastily  collected  forces  pushed  out  from  near  Washington  against  him,  he  routed 
them  in  detail,  and  drove  forward,  with  flying  bands  of  his  cavahy,  past  Cen- 
treville.  and  even  up  to  Fairfax  C.  H.  and  Burke's  Station,  within  striking  dis- 
tance of  the  capital  itself. 

Meantime  Pope,  with  his  whole  army,  had  been  cut  off.  Jackson  stood 
•en  him  and  Washington.  In  this  crisis  his  action  was  judicious.  He  gave 
•neb  orders  to  his  several  corps  as  to  effect  a  rapid  concentration — not  at  Ma- 
tt .1  unction,  where  the  enemy  was,  but  at  Gainesville,  to  the  west  of  it — 
thus  hoping  to  cut  off  the  possibility  of  Jackson's  retreat,  and  to  interpose  be- 
tween him  and  the  rest  of  Lee's  army,  advancing  through  the  gap.  McDowell, 
holding  the  left,  was  to  push  straight  for  Gainesville,  and  Sigel,  who  was  next 
him,  was  to  come  under  his  orders. 

Now  it  happened  that  among  McDowell's  particular  aversions  were  the 
Captains  and  Majors  from  European  armies,  who,  by  virtue  of  their  supposed 
rienee  abroad,  were  made  Brigadier  and  Major-Generals  in  our  service. 
Thus  far  the  conduct  of  General  Sigel  had  done  little  to  create  a  more  favorable 
impressipn  in  his  case*  But,  on  the  night  of  the  27th,  McDowell  arrived  at 
tiamesville  with  both  corps  in  as  good  order  as  could  be  expected. 

II  re  McDowell  proposed  to  hold  Sigel's  corps,  while  a   division  was  to  be 
sent  to  Haymarkct,  just  this  side  of  Thoroughfare  Gap,  to  resist  and  at  least 

I  had  been  ordered  to  Banks's  relief  at  Cedar  Mountain,  before  McDowell,  but  had 
Ml  back  to  know  what  road  he  should  take,  there  being  but  one  road  ! 


Irvin  McDowi  ll.  687 

delay  the  passage  of  too  rest  of  Lee's  army  to  Jackson's  relief.  With  the  rest 
of  his  command  he  would  march  at  daylight  toward  Jackson's  supposed  posi- 
tion at  Manassas,  to  co-operate  with  the  rest  of  Pope's  forces.  The  substance 
of  these  dispositions  was,  in  fact,  embodied  in  an  order,  written  about  midnight. 

But  within  an  hour  a  confident  dispatch  was  received  from  Pope.  The 
enemy  was  between  Manassas  and  Gainesville.  McDowell  was  to  move  at  day- 
light toward  Manassas  with  his  whole  force.  If  he  did  so,  they  were  "to  bag 
the  whole  crowd." 

A  new  order  was  therefore  issued,  prescribing  the  movements  of  the  sev- 
eral divisions  in  accordance  with  these  directions.  Realizing,  however,  the 
danger  from  Thoroughfare  Gap,  McDowell  still,  on  his  own  responsibility,  made 
it  the  special  duty  of  one  of  the  divisions  to  keep  watch  in  that  direction — 
away  from  which  the  command  was  to  march — and  to  turn  and  resist  any  force 
that  might  be  discovered  coming  through  it.  General  Pope  afterward  expressed 
his  regret  at  this  step,  but  subsequent  events,  as  well  as  sound  military  precau- 
tions, abundantly  sanction  its  wisdom. 

On  the  morning,  then,  of  the  eventful  28th,  McDowell's  command  was  by 
Pope's  order  to  march  south-east  to  Manassas  Junction.  It  was  the  first  dan- 
gerous error.  For,  by  every  step  taken  in  this  direction,  the  army  was  carrying 
itself  off  the  direct  line  between  Jackson  and  the  rest  of  the  army  in  whose 
coming  now  lay  his  only  safety — was  moving  out  of  position  to  prevent  the  junc- 
tion. Jackson  adroitly  moved  northward  from  Manassas  Junction  toward 
Groveton.  Then,  between  him  and  the  approaching  troops  of  Lee  stretched  an 
open  road. 

Meantime,  partly  perhaps  because  of  the  secret  antagonism  of  feeling  be- 
tween the  two,  but  more  because  of  direct  misconduct  on  the  part  of  Sigel,  that 
officer  had  failed  to  obey  promptly  McDowell's  order  for  movement  at  two 
o'clock  toward  Manassas  Junction.  At  daylight  he  was  still  in  camp ;  by  noon 
he  was  only  two  miles  from  Gainesville,  where  he  had  spent  the  night.  Even 
then  he  persisted  in  going  south  of  the  railroad,  after  repeated  orders  sent  over 
by  McDowell  to  move  along  the  north  side  of  it.  The  line  of  advance  was  thus 
carried  away  from  the  direction  in  which  Jackson  was  moving  to  evade  the 
threatened  blow.  The  delay  had  also  hindered  the  advance  of  the  other  corps  ; 
and  so  the  division  commander  charged  to  watch  Thoroughfare  Gap  construed 
it  to  be  his  duty,  while  the  rear  of  the  army  was  thus  exposed,  to  take  post  in 
that  direction. 

So  it  came  about  that  when  Pope,  having  about  noon  discovered  that  Jack- 
son had  escaped  from  Manassas  northward,  sent  orders  to  McDowell  to  change 
his  route  northward  also,  and  take  the  direct  road  to  Centreville,  that  officer, 
out  of  his  two  corps,  had  but  one  division  so  in  hand  that  he  could  promptly 
turn  it.  Before  the  rest  could  get  up  this  division,  late  in  the  afternoon,  was 
approaching  Jackson's  position  just  north  of  the  old  Bull  Run  battle-field  at 
Groveton.  Jackson  instantly  fell  upon  it,  and  a  fierce  conflict  ensued.  The 
troops  maintained  themselves,  as  Jackson  officially  reported,  with  obstinate  de- 
termination, but  they  were  effectually  checked ;  and  their   commander,  being 


ggg  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

,,,niu.,l   }lV  hiM  apparently  isolated  position,  fell  back  after   nightfall  toward 
Manassas  again.     McDowell  himself  was  absent  trying  to  find  Pope. 

,is  fight  was  going  on,  the  division  ordered  by  McDowell  to  watch 

The  -  Gap  was  in  sorer  straits.     Longstreet's  corps  of  Lee's  army  com- 

igh  the  gap  to  Jackson's  relief  attacked  it.     The  ground  was  obsti- 

Ited,  but  Longstreet  sent  flanking  forces  along  bridle-paths  in  the 

ms;  and,  in  effect,  the  passage  was  forced,  and  the  rest  of  Lee's  army 

long  before  nightfall  hastening  due  east  along  the  open  road  past  Gainesville 

n.     K-T  Pope's  grave  error  in  turning  McDowell  south-eastward  to- 

MM  Junction  had  taken  him  off  the  road  by  which  Lee  advanced. 

last  obstruction  was  thus  removed  to  the  junction  of  the  rest  of  the  Eebel 

annvjo  Jackson's  previously  isolated  wing. 

What  follows  is  a  pitiful  story.  Pope  had  been  moving  not  only  McDow- 
<orps,  but  all  the  rest  of  the  army,  including  the  re-enforcements  from 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  by  converging  routes  on  Manassas  Junction,  where 
In-  had  hoped  to  surround  Jackson.  When  now,  on  the  morning  of  the  29th,  he 
discovered  that  Jackson  had  eluded  him,  his  columns  were  all  out  of  place  with 
reference  to  a  speedy  onset  at  Groveton.  The  parts  of  the  army  were  all  dis- 
loca' 

But  he  collected  them  as  he  could;  sent  Sigel  to  open  the  attack,  while 
McDowell,  relieved  of  his  unwilling  subordinate,  by  coming  again  under  the 
direct  orders  of  the  General  commanding  the  army,  was  to  take  one  division 
along  with  Porter's  corps  back  again  to  Gainesville  to  keep  off  Lee — thus 
returning  directly  over  the  advance  of  the  day  before.  Some  time  was  spent  in 
issuing  rations  to  the  troops,  who  were  worn  out  and  disgusted  with  this  con- 
fused marching  and  counter-marching.  Then  McDowell  started  toward  Gaines- 
ville. Presently  he  found  Porter  halted.  That  officer  believed  that  Longstreet 
was  already  joining  Jackson  on  his  front.  McDowell  says  he  ordered  him  to 
attack.  Porter  says  the  order  was  to  remain  where  he  was.  At  any  rate, 
talcing  his  own  troops,  McDowell  once  more  turned  back  toward  Groveton, 
where  he  did  not  arrive  till  late  in  the  afternoon. 

These  contradictory  orders  and  marches,  it  is  plain,  frittered  away  the 
N  that  still  remained  on  the  morning  of  the  29th  for  overpowering  Jack- 
son. By  noon,  according  to  the  reports  of  the  Confederates  themselves.  Long- 
street  had  effected  the  junction.*  But  it  does  not  appear  that  McDowell  is  to 
bUme  for  this.  It  is  not,  indeed,  clear  that  he  was  distinct  in  his  own  ideas  as 
to  the  true  policy;  but  he  obeyed  his  orders. 

The  battle  of  the  29th  was  indecisive.  But  Lee's  whole  army  was  now  up, 
■ad  was  flushed  with  this  great  success  in  effecting  the  junction  in  the  face  of 
topes  efforts.    Pope's  army,  on  the  other  hand,  was  exhausted,  scattered,  and 

^MJ^T^^  fTS  #Pope  maintainS  that  no  considerable  part  of  the  army 
Cly  utn  X  the,eVemnS  °f  the  29th>  «d  the  question  of  Fitz  John  Porter's  action  turns 
^Ti^Zot  W^T  ^  "^  °f  tMS  "^  General  D'  *  J— ,  who  commanded  the 
^r^.^Kc^iTf  **■*■*'  "Arriving  on  the  ground  about  noon,  my 
can  be  ^gncd  ^S^.^  »#*  *™  »  «****■  «** 


misrepresentation  on  such  a  point. 


Irvin    McDowell.  689 

bewildered  with  the  confused  movements.  It  had  begun  to  lose  faith  in  all  its 
commanders;  and,  as  a  whole,  it  did  not  fight  as  well  as  it  should.  The  opening 
of  the  battle  on  the  30th  was  signalized  by  another  mistake.  Lee  was  propos- 
ing to  attack  Pope's  left,  just  as  Pope  began  an  attack  upon  Lee's  left.  Naturally 
this  flank  was  found  a  little  retired — troops  having  been  drawn  off  to  the  other 
wing  for  the  attack  Lee  was  preparing.  Thereupon  Pope  leaped  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  was  a  retreat,  that  Lee  "was  fleeing  to  the  mountains,"  and  so 
ordered  a  "pursuit,"  which  McDowell  was  to  conduct.  The  pursuit  was  met  by 
the  outbursting  of  fierce  fire  from  an  enemy  suddenly  seen  swarming  over  posi- 
tions he  was  thought  to  have  abandoned.  At  the  same  time  Lee's  attack  on 
Pope's  left  was  delivered.  Seeing  this,  McDowell  instantly  detached  a  division 
to  hold  Bald  Hill,  back  on  the  old  Bull  Eun  battle-field,  whither  the  attack 
seemed  to  be  driving  the  whole  left  wing.  This  step  was  wise,  in  that  it  pro- 
tected the  only  road  by  which  the  army  could  retreat;  but  it  weakened  the 
offensive  force  on  the  right.  This  was  of  the  less  consequence,  as  the  enemy's 
position  here,  in  an  old  railroad  cut,  was  not  to  be  carried.  Bepeated  assaults 
ended  in  bloody  repulse.  Finally  Longstreet  established  an  enfilading  fire 
along  McDowell's  line,  and  he  was  compelled  to  fall  back.  Jackson  instantly 
advanced,  the  rest  of  the  Bebel  line  followed,  and  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Bun 
was  over.  McDowell's  fortunate  disposition  of  troops  on  the  hills  covering  the 
road  secured  the  passage  across  the  stream. 

Palpably  the  campaign  was  over.  The  next  day  Pope  began  retiring  to  the 
defenses  of  Washington — an  operation  not  completed  without  the  indecisive  but 
costly  battle  of  Chantilly,  by  the  way,  with  the  addition  of  Kearney  and  Ste- 
vens to  the  ghastly  list  of  our  slain. 

And  thus,  as  at  the  outset  of  McDowell's  career  in  the  war,  a  cruel  fortune 
had  sent  him  drifting  back  on  the  capital  from  the  lost  field  of  Bull  Bun,  with  a 
mob  for  an  army — so  now  it  was  fated  that  his  career  should  end,  as  from  the 
self-same  field,  in  similar  confusion,  he  drifted  back  with  the  remnants  of  two 
greater  armies.     On  the  6th  of  September  he  was  relieved  of  command. 

General  Pope  professed  himself,  not  only  satisfied,  but»highly  pleased  with 
McDowell's  conduct  through  this  brief  but  crowded  campaign.*  General  Hal- 
leck  declared  that  McDowell  had  rendered  signal  service  and  deserved  national 
gratitude.  The  President  and  Cabinet  said  he  had  done  nothing  deserving 
of  blame. 

But  all  this  was  of  no  avail.  The  hatred  of  his  soldiers  and  the  hostility 
of  the  McClellan  party  could  not  pass  for  nothing.  A  storm  of  obloquy  burst 
upon  him,  compared  with  which  the  storm  after  the  first  Bull  Bun  was  but  a 
summer  breeze.  The  soldiers  everywhere  denounced  him  as  a  drunkard  and  a 
traitor.    The  newspapers  poured  upon  him  an  incessant  stream  of  abuse — many 

*  Subsequently,  in  his  official  report,  Pope  said:  "General  McDowell  led  his  corps  through 
the  whole  of  the  campaign  with  ability  and  vigor;  and  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  him  for  zealous 
and  distinguished  service,  both  in  the  battle  of  the  29th  and  30th  August,  and  in  the  operations 
which  preceded  and  succeeded  those  battles." 
Yol.  I.— 44. 


(590  Ohio  in  the  War 

of  tl.osefrom  his  own  State  taking  the  lead  in  this  calumnious  work.     Every 

A.,  ,|,,  poltroon's  threat  was  heard  from  some  of  those  who  professed  to  have 

him,  that  they  meant  to  shoot  him   in   the  very  next  action   in 

bonld  be  engaged.     Finally  all  this  calnmny  took  tangible  shape  in 

,,„.  pnWiertiOB  of  a  letter  written  by  Colonel  Thornton  P.  Broadhead,  of  the 

KiebigU  Cavalry,  of  McDowell's  command,  after  he  had  received  a  mortal 

wound: 

«  Dear  Brother  and  Sister:-!  am  passing  now  from  earth,  but  send  you  love  from  my  dying 
couch.     For  all  your  love  and  kindness  you  will  be  rewarded. 

"  I  have  fought  manfully  and  now  die  fearlessly.     I  am  one  of  the  victims  of  Pope  s  imbe- 

cilitvan.l  Mel).. well's  treason. 

the  President  would  he  save  the  country  he  must  not  give  our  hallowed  flag  to  such 
hanfe  Dm  the  old  flag  will  triumph  yet.  The  soldiers  will  regild  its  folds,  polluted  by  imbe- 
cility ami  treason.  _  # 

«  John,  you  owe  a  duty  to  your  country.    Write— show  up  Pope's  imbecility  and  McDowell  s  ■ 
infamy,  and  force  them  from  places  where  they  can  send  brave  men  to  assured  destruction. 

"1  had  hoped  to  live  longer,  but  I  die  midst  the  ring  and  clangor  of  battle,  as  I  could  wish. 
"Farewell  1    To  you  and  to  the  noble  officers  of  my  regiment  I  confide  wife  and  children. 

"THORNTON." 


Nothing  can  well  be  conceived  more  distressing  to  an  innocent  commander 
than  charges  like  these,  honestly  put  forward  by  a  dying  subordinate.  Yet  we 
may  well  believe  that,  agonizing  as  they  were,  McDowell  was  rejoiced  at  their 
publication.  For  now,  at  last,  though  no  superior  had  one  word  of  complaint 
•gainst  him,  ho  was  able  to  treat  this  letter  of  a  dying  man  in  the  light  of 
ebargei  formally  preferred,  and  to  demand  thereon  a  trial  before  a  properly  - 

raised  court.  This,  in  language  properly  chosen,  and  in  a  temper  every  way 
honorable  to  him  as  a  patriotic  soldier,  he  instantly  did,  as  follows : 

"  Washington,  September  6, 1862. 
u  To  His  Excellency  the  President: 

''  I  have  been  informed  by  a  Senator  that  he  has  seen  a  note  in  pencil,  written  by  a  Colonel 
of  cavalry  mortally  wounded  in  the  recent  battles,  stating,  among  other  causes,  that  he  was  dying 
a  victim  to  MeDowell's  treachery,  and  that  his  last  request  was  that  this  note  be  shown  to  you. 
That  the  Colonel  believed  this  charge,  and  felt  that  his  last  act, on  earth  was  a  great  public  serv- 
ice, there  can  be  no  quesfion.  This  solemn  accusation  from  the  grave  of  a  gallant  officer,  who 
died  for  his  country,  is  entitled  to  great  consideration,  and  I  feel  called  upon  to  meet  it  as  well 
as  ro  general  a  charge  from  one  now  no  longer  able  to  support  it  can  be  met.  I  therefore  beg  you 
to  please  cause  a  court  to  be  instituted  for  its  investigation;  and  in  the  absence  of  any  knowledge 
whatever  of  the  particular  act  or  acts,  time  or  place,  or  general  conduct,  the  deceased  may  have 
had  in  view,  I  have  to  ask  that  the  inquiry  be  without  limitation,  and  be  upon  any  point  and 
every  subject  which  may  in  any  way  supposed  to  have  led  to  this  belief;  that  it  may  be  directed 
to  my  whole  conduct  as  a  general  officer,  either  under  another  or  whilst  in  a  separate  command  ; 
to  my  correspondence  with  any  one  of  the  enemy's  commanders,  or  with  any  one  within  the 
enemy's  lines;  to  my  conduct  or  the  policy  pursued  by  me  toward  the  inhabitants  of  the  country 
ied  by  our  troops,  with  reference  to  themselves  or  their  property ;  and  further,  to  any  indi- 
cations of  indirect  treachery,  or  disloyalty  to  the  nation,  or  any  individual  having,  like  myself, 
an  Important  trust ;  whether  I  have  or  have  not  been  faithful  as  a  subordinate  to  those  placed 
over  me— given  them  a  hearty  and,  to  the  best  of  my  capacity,  all  the  support  in  my  power ;  and 
whether  I  have  or  have  not  failed,  through  unworthy  or  personal  motives,  to  go  to  the  aid  of,  or 
send  re-enforcements  to  my  brother  commanders. 

"That  this  subject  of  my  alleged  treachery  or  disloyalty  will  be  fully  inquired  into,  I  beg 


Ikvin  McDowell.  691 

that  all  officers,  soldiers,  or  civilians  who  know,  or  think  they  know,  of  any  act  of  mine  liable 
to  the  charge  in  question,  be  invited  and  allowed  to  make  it  known  to  the  court. 

"  I  also  beg  that  the  proceedings  of  the  court  may  be  open  and  free  to  the  press  from  day 
to  day.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"irvix  Mcdowell, 

"Commanding  Third  Army  Corps  Army  of  Virginia." 

The  request  was  granted,  an  able  court  was  appointed,  and  many  weeks 
were  spent  in  the  protracted  investigation.  General  Pope  was  examined  ;  Gen- 
eral McClellan,  General  Wadsworth,  General  Sigel,  and  scores  of  less  important 
officers  were  examined;  every  one  who  hated  McDowell,  or  who  professed  to 
know  aught  against  him  was  requested  to  come  and  testify  to  it.  The  results  of 
this  patient  and  tedious  search  may  be  briefly  stated. 

(1.)  It  was  proved  that,  instead  of  being  a  drunkard,  no  living  mortal  had 
ever  seen  him  taste  liquors  or  wines;  and  his  associates,  those  who  had  known 
him  from  boyhood,  and  those  who  had  seen  his  daily  life  in  the  army,  declared 
him  to  be  a  rigid  and  absolute  "  total  abstinent." 

(2.)  It  was  proved  that,  instead  of  intriguing  to  withdraw  his  corps  from 
McClellan,  he  was  utterly  ignorant  of  such  intention  on  the  part  of  any  one  till 
the  withdrawal  was  ordered ;  that  instead  of  seeking  to  retain  his  independent 
command  at  Fredericksburg,  he  was  constantly  striving  for  permission  to  march 
to  McClellan's  relief;  and  that,  instead  of  suggesting  the  foolish  diversion  to  the 
Shenandoah  after  Stonewall  Jackson,  he  had  foreseen  and  earnestly  pointed  out 
its  impracticability. 

(3.)  It  was  proved  that,  instead  of  refusing  to  employ  the  resources  of  the 
enemy's  country,  he  had  issued  orders  to  forage  liberally  upon  the  enemy,  but 
had  insisted  with  the  rigor  of  a  severe  disciplinarian,  that  this  should  be  done 
in  an  orderly  manner,  and  that  marauding  and  pillage  should  be  sternly  pun- 
ished ;  whereupon  the  marauders  and  pillagers  denounced  him,  and  the  excited 
country  espoused  their  cause. 

(4.)  It  was  proved  that,  instead  of  carrying  on  frequent  and  friendly  cor- 
respondence with  the  Eebel  commanders,  almost  his  only  correspondence  was 
concerning  the  wanton  murder  of  a  noted  loyal  Virginian,  Eobert  E.  Scott, 
whose  admission  to  the  Cabinet  had  been  contemplated.  He  deplored  the  act, 
and  earnestly  strove  to  further  the  personal  wishes  of  the  bereaved  widow. 

(5.)  It  was  proved  that,  instead  of  devoting  his  army  to  the  protection  of 
Eebel  citizens,  he  had  only  devoted  himself  to  the  protection  of  his  army.  Ut- 
ter demoralization  must  have  resulted  from  the  permission,  which  he  refused,  to 
commit  acts  of  license  upon  the  inhabitants. 

(6.)  And,  finally,  it  was  proved  that,  throughout  the  campaign  from  Cedar 
Creek  to  the  defenses  of  Washington,  he  had  obeyed  every  order  promptly  and 
skillfully  ;  and  that  when  left  to  his  own  judgment  he  had  acted,  not  perhaps 
always  for  the  best,  but  certainly  as  always  seemed  for  the  best.  General  Sigel 
undertook  to  make  strictures  upon  an  alleged  want  of  promptness  and  co-ope- 
ration at  certain  stages,  which  resulted  in  the  conclusive  proof  of  General  Sigel's 
own  disobedience  of  orders  at  the  stages  referred  to,  and  of  other  serious  mis- 


692  Ohio    in    the  War. 

M      And  General  Milroy  made   strictures  upon  his  alleged  refusal  to  fur- 

Mi;)I,,,ncntsm,u»theelose  of  the  battle   of  the  second  Bull  Run, 

Which  led  to  the  proof  of  Milroy's  not  having  a  command  of  even  a  company 

:  thftt  time  to  re-enforce;  of  his  attempting  to   interfere  with  the 

,:in,Is  of  Others;  and  of  his  being  in  a  frenzy  of  excitement,  which  left  him 

[>le  far  his  actions. 

M  the  investigation  ended.     At  its  close  General  McDowell  submitted 

rularly  calm  statement   in  review  of  the  evidence,   which   he  concluded 

as  follows : 

Efl  now  more  than  five  months  since,  upon  an  intimation  from  the  highest   authority,  I 

asked  for  this  Investigation.     It  has  been  held  near  where  all  the  alleged  acts  of  commission  or 

lion  took  place.    It  has  been  open.     All  persons  have  been  invited,  in  the  most  public  way, 

to  the  Court  whatever  they  knew  which  would  tend  to  show  criminality  in  my  conduct 

as  an  officer  or  as  ft  man  ;  and  the  court  have  asked  witnesses  not  only  what  they  knew,  hut  what 

th.-v  knew  others  knew.    Those  who  do  not  wish  me  well  have  been  asked  every  question  likely 

relop  anything  to  mj  prejudice.     I  feel  now,  after  this  tedious  and  patient  investigation, 

which  this  court  has  so  faithfully  made,  that  as  to  the  past,  on  all  matters  concerning  my  loyalty 

(»r  lobrietT,  I  may  be  spared  the  charges  that  have  been  so  freely  made  against  me. 

"  Nearly  two  years  ago  I  was  here,  organizing  the  small  beginnings  of  the  grand  Army  of 
tilt  Potomac.  When  I  commenced,  we  had  here  in  Washington  Cooper,  now  the  senior  Gen- 
eral in  the  secession  army;  Lee,  commanding  at  Fredericksburg;  Johnston,  the  commander  of 
the  Rebel  Army  of  the  Mississippi ;  Magruder,  the  commander  of  the  enemy's  forces  in  Texas  ; 
Pemberton,  the  commander  at  Vicksburg;  Jones  and  Fields,  prominent  on  the  other  side,  besides 
many  others  of  less  rank.  Alexandria  was  mostly,  if  not  wholly,  secession;  Georgetown  and 
Washington  were  very  much  so.  I  organized  the  first  hundred,  the  first  thousand,  and  the  first 
brigade  of  the  loyal  citizens  of  the  place,  and  this  in  opposition  to  all  the  bad  influences  brought  to 
bear  against  us.  And  when  the  troops  from  the  North  came  down,  and  the  capital  had  been 
saved  and  the  opposite  shore  taken,  I  organized  the  army  of  which  the  present  one  is  but  an 
ion — a  great  one,  it  is  true. 
"  1  have  been  in  constant  active  service.  No  doubt  of  my  loyalty  has  been  entertained  by 
the  authorities  or  my  superiors,  and  no  evidence  questioning  it  has  been  brought  before  this  court. 
And  yet  I  have  had  to  leave  my  command  and  undergo  the  humiliation  of  an  investigation  on  a 
eharge,  in  my  case,  as  baseless  as  it  is  senseless ;  and  this  in  as  intelligent  a  country  as  ours  claims 
to  be.  The  charge  of  treason  is  a  fit  pendant  to  the  one  of  drunkenness,  and  quite  as  true,  seeing 
that  to  this  day  I  have  never  drank  anything  but  water. 

"  I-  it  not  a  bad  symptom  in  the  nation  when  such  things  can  take  place?  Can  its  officers 
Mtein  themselves  under  such  a  system,  and  render  that  service  which  the  country  needs  in  its 
present  critical  state,  and  must  have  as  a  condition  of  its  salvation?" 

The  appeal  was  in  vain.     The  court  completely  vindicated  McDowell,  but 

the  country  was  not  then  in  a  mood  to  do  justice  to  those  against  whom  it  had 

prejudice*,  and  the  troops  were  as  violent  as  ever  in  their  hostility.     It  was  thus 

impossible  to  assign  him  to  the  command  of  forces  in  the  field.     He  was  made 

ident  of  a  court  for  investigating  alleged  cotton  frauds,  and  in  this  capacity 

ie  served,  mostly  in  the  South-west,  through  the  months  of  May,  June,  and  July, 

163.    He  was  made  President  of  a  Board,  at  Wilmington,  Delaware,  for  retir- 

i.led  officers  of  the  army  ;  and  in  this  service  he  continued  from  July, 

3,  to  May,  1864.     Then,  in  July,  1864,  he  was  sent  to  the  Pacific  coast,  in 

command  of  that  department.     When,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  in  the  redistri- 

t.on  of  commands  to  the  Major-Generals  in  the  regular  army,  it  became  nee 

essary  to  assign  Halleck  to  the  military  district  composed  of  the  Pacific  slope, 


Irvin  McDowell.  693 

McDowell  was  given  (June,  1865)  the  most  desirable  of  its  departments,  that  of 
California.  Here  he  long  continued,  serving  in  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General 
and  Brevet  Major-General*  in  the  regular  army,  in  honor  after  so  much  detrac- 
tion, but  cheated  of  the  large  career  and  brilliant  fame  to  which  his  fine  capa- 
cities, his  early  start,  and  his  continued  devotion  entitled  him  to  aspire. 

And  now,  what  shall  we  say  in  attempting  to  estimate  the  military  charac- 
ter of  an  officer  with  such  a  career?  Pursued,  as  he  was,  by  misfortunes,  for- 
ever the  victim  of  circumstances,  forever  on  the  point  of  accomplishing  brilliant 
results,  and  forever  toppling  backward  instead  into  an  abyss  of  disasters, 
doomed  to  see  his  wisest  preparations  frustrated  by  outside  causes,  his  most 
earnest  devotion  doubted,  his  most  careful  discipline  begetting  insubordination, 
and  his  most  exposed  service  procuring  the  charge  of  treachery, — in  what  light 
can  we  fairly  consider  him  but  as  the  jest  and  plaything  of  malevolent  Fates? 

Yet  we  shall  not  judge  him  aright  if  we  trace  the  sources  of  his  persistent 
ill-fortune  exclusively  to  outside  causes.  Faults  inherent  in  the  character  of 
the  man  helped  to  swell  the  bias  against  him.  His  aristocratic  ideas  led  to  an 
imprudent  scorn  of  popular  opinion.  His  dislike  for  adventurers  led  to  an  ill- 
concealed  contempt  for  the  suddenly-advanced  officers  of  foreign  services.  His 
prejudices  against  the  unquestioned  irregularities  of  volunteers  led  to  an  unwise 
harshness  of  bearing  and  of  discipline.  Sadly  ill-fitted  to  the  management  of 
the  troops  of  a  democratic  Republic,  he  was  not  free  from  the  current  talk  of  the 
West  Pointers  against  the  politicians  who  had  made  them.  His  intellectual 
conservatism  led  to  a  revulsion  against  the  abolition  current  which  was  the  life- 
blood  of  the  war.  His  somewhat  torpid  habit  of  perceptions  caused  him  some- 
times to  persist  in  a  wrong  course,  where  men  of  quicker  and  shallower  thoughts 
would  have  seen  its  tendencies,  to  be  blind  to  the  injurious  workings  of  his  dis- 
cipline, to  be  incredulous  of  evil  reports.  His  pride  was  so  great  that,  knowing 
himself  odious,  he  would  resort  to  none  of  the  common  modes  for  acquiring  or 
regaining  popularity. 

These  habits  of  thought  and  of  action  helped  the  failure  which  they  were  not 
sufficient  to  create;  and  it  is  for  this  reason  that  the  career  of  McDowell  becomes 
a  notable  warning  and  example  to  younger  officers.  *flis  faults  were  not  vices — 
they  were  simply  the  excess  of  qualities  commendable  enough  in  themselves. 

At  the  outset  he  seemed  to  have  before  him  the  niost  brilliant  opportunities 
of  any  officer  in  the  army.  He  had  seen  the  war  in  Mexico  from  the  best  of 
positions — the  staff  of  a  commanding  General.  He  had  enlarged  upon  the 
knowledge  thus  acquired  by  copious  study.  He  had  seen  the  organizations  and 
movements  of  European  armies.  He  had  long  enjoyed  the  personal  instruction 
of  Winfield  Scott.  Profiting  by  all  these  advantages,  he  had  become  probably 
the  best  military  scholar,  the  best  theoretical  soldier  in  the  service.  He  enjoyed 
the  favor  of  the  G-eneral-in -Chief.     He  was  likewise  in  high  favor  with  the  Ad- 

•  The  Brevet  Major-Generalship  in  the  regular  army  was  not  conferred  until  March  13, 
1865,  long  after  the  calumnies  against  him  were  refuted.  It  was  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
services  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Mountain,  Virginia." 


694 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

ministration,  and  was  peculiarly  esteemed  by  the  member  of  the  Cabinet  then 

the  must  influential.  _,.,.     .'.  ., 

h  ««fa  brilliant  auguries  he  entered  the  war.     Withm  little  over  a  year 

d  ft*.  a,tivc  service,  the  most  odious   officer  m  the  army      His 

acti,  embraced  two  great  lost  battles,  a  movement  on  Fredericksburg, 

^jneoneeqnenlial  race  after  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  the  minor  operations  at 

Ulc  .  eorpe  in  Pope's  Virginia  campaign.     In  the  battle  in  which  he 

extroined  independent  command  his  conduct  was  skillful  and  able.     In  that  m 

I  subordinate,  he  so  bore  himself  as  to  receive  the  highest  praises 

of  hj  nis  military  conduct  throughout,  if  not  brilliant,  was  at  least  in  a 

ree  judicious  and  well-conceived.     But  he  displayed  an  utter  incapacity 

pairing  the  confidence  of  volunteers. 

In  a  somewhat  sad  letter  of  McDowell's,  which  we  have  lately  seen,  he 

ka  mournfully  enough  of  his  record  in  the  war  of  the  rebellion  as  being  a 
disagreeable  subject :  " I  feel,"  he  says,  "that  I  am  one  of  the  'might-have-beens' 
rather  than  one  of  those  who  have  been  and  are.  I  was  much  struck  by  a  report 
of  General  Sherman's  speech  in  Columbus ,*  which,  in  enumerating  the  Ohio 
Generals,  omits  my  name  altogether!" 

He  should  dismiss  this  feeling.  Kepublics  may  not  always  be  grateful ; 
and  it  often  happens  that  in  the  heat  of  exciting  events  they  are  grossly  unjust. 
But  honest  services,  conspicuously  rendered,  can  not  be  always  misrepresented, 
nor  can  they  every  pass  out  of  men's  memories.  History,  he  may  be  sure,  will 
plead  successfully  with  Oblivion  for  his  name. 

His  place,  in  the  sure  judgment  of  coming  times,  is  secure.  He  will  not  be 
reckoned  brilliant  or  great.  But  his  ability  and  his  devotion  will  be  recog- 
nized. His  manifold  misfortunes,  the  amiability  with  which  he  encountered  per- 
gonal reverses,  the  fortitude  with  which  he  endured  calumny,  will  be  recounted. 
Men  will  do  justice  to  the  services  he  rendered  us  in  our  darkest  hours;  and  he 
will  leave  an  enduring  and  an  honorable  fame. 

General  McDowell  is  a  man  of  large,  well-developed  frame,  of  excellent 
presence  and  consummate  address.  His  head  is  large,  and  the  face  is  strong 
and  heavy.  Among  his  friends,  and  in  the  freedom  of  the  social  circle,  no  man 
can  bo  more  winning.  In  his  general  intercourse  he  is  reserved  and  cold.  Po- 
litically, he  is  understood  to  be  a  Conservative  Eepublican.  He  has  long  been 
■tarried,  and  a  promising  family  grows  up  about  him.  Army  life  has  become  a 
aabit  with  him,  and  there  is  little  likelihood  now  of  his  ever  leaving  the  serv- 
njoys  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his  superiors— as  he  did  through 

rilOle  season  of  his  troubles;  and  officers  generally  still  look  upon  him  as 
one  of  the  most  accomplished  soldiers  in  the  army. 

on  J^hhman8  apP°[ntment  l0  a  Colonelcy  in  the  regular  army  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  when 
then'nowTrf!^  and  seconded  by  McDowell,  who  was 

getfuln m of  h'        1S  W°nder' then'  that  he  Sh°uld  be  StrUck  ^  Sherman's  complete  for- 


Don  Carlos   Buell.  695 


MAJOR-GENERAL  DON  CARLOS  BUELL. 


DON  CARLOS  BUELL,  one  of  the  most  accomplished  military  schol- 
ars of  the  old  army,  and  one  of  the  most  unpopular  Generals  of  vol- 
unteers during  the  war  of  the  rebellion — an  officer  who  oftener  deserved 
success  than  won  it — who  was,  perhaps,  the  best  organizer  of  an  army  that  tho 
contest  developed,  and  who  was  certainly  the  hero  of  the  greatest  of  the  early 
battles  of  the  war,  was  born  near  Marietta,  in  Washington  County,  Ohio,  on 
the  23d  of  March,  1818. 

Captain  Timothy  Buell,  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Cincinnati,  was  the 
General's  grandfather  on  the  maternal  side,  and  Salmon  Buell  on  the  paternal 
side.  Captain  Buell  is  said  to  have  built  the  first  brick  house  erected  in  Cin- 
cinnati. He  did  not  remain  there  long,  however,  but  jnelded  to  the  wishes  of 
some  other  members  of  his  family  and  removed  to  Washington  County,  where 
they  were  then  settled.  Shortly  afterward  the  war. with  the  Indians  broke  out, 
and  the  Captain,  raising  a  company,  and  taking  with  him  his  nephew,  Salmon 
D.  Buell,  went  into  the  field.  They  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  Shortly 
after  their  return  young  Salmon  married  Eliza,  the  daughter  of  his  uncle  and 
Captain.     Of  this  marriage,  the  first  son  was  Don  Carlos  Buell. 

Before  the  lad,  that  was  afterward  to  hold  so  prominent  positions,  had  com- 
pleted his  seventh  year  his  father  died.  The  mother,  after  some  time,  married 
Mr.  Dunlevy,  who  was  then  clerk  of  the  Washington  County  Court,  and  con- 
tinued in  that  office  until  his  death.  Young  Don  Carlos,  however,  was  soon 
taken  by  his  uncle,  George  P.  Buell,  to  Lawrenceburg,  Indiana,  where  his  boy- 
hood was  passed.  Among  the  men  of  that  place  verging  on  the  fifties  are  many 
who  remember  him  as  playmate  and  school-fellow.  They  unite  in  describing 
the  future  General  as  a  reserved  and  taciturn  lad,  having  few  intimate  asso- 
ciates, but  regarded  by  them  as  a  "  most  genial  and  comj>anionable  fellow." 
He  excelled  in  the  boyish  sports  of  the  time,  was  a  fearless  hunter,  and  noted 
as  the  best  skater  in  all  that  region.  Usually  undemonstrative  and  quiet  in 
demeanor,  he  nevertheless  gave  proof  enough  that,  when  roused,  he  was  not 
onl}r  a  brave  but  almost  a  savage  fighter.  Shortly  alter  his  arrival,  the  "town 
bully"  among  the  lads  of  the  time,  one  Joseph  Danagh,  determined  to  see  what 
stuff  the  "  new  boy  "  was  made  of.  They  met  at  the  town  pump  one  morning, 
a  ring  was  formed,  and  the  new  boy  proved  his  mettle  by  beating  the  bully. 
From  that  time  his  position  was  secure.  ' 

Until  his  sixteenth  year  young  Don  Carlos  attended  school  at  Lawrence- 


(396  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

.-.  making  firir  progress,  and  being  regarded  as  a  promising  boy,  of  excel- 

moral  habits,  and  remarkable  for  his  sturdiness  of  purpose.     At  sixteen 

ho  entered  the  dry -goods  store  of  John  P.  Dunn  &  Co.,  in  Lawrenceburg,  as  a 

B        he  remained  until,  a  year  later,  Hon.  Amos  Lane,  then  the  Kepre- 

sontative  in  Congress  from  that  district,  gave  him  an  appointment  as  cadet  at 

West  Point. 

Cadet  Buell  graduated  in  the  class  of  1841,  standing  thirty-second  in  gen- 
eral merit     Above  him  were  Horatio  G-.  Wright,  who  stood  second;    Amiel 
\V     Whipple,  fifth;   Nathaniel   Lyon,  eleventh;    Schuyler  Hamilton,  twenty- 
ton  rt  h  :  James  Totten,  twenty -fifth,  and  John  F.  Eeynolds,  twenty-sixth.     Be- 
low him  were  such  men  as  Alfred  Sully,  thirty-fifth,  and  Wm.  F.  H.  Brooks, 
forty-sixth.     In  the  Academy  at  the  same  time,  though  in  other  classes,  were 
many  who  have  since  been  regarded  as  among  the  ablest  men  of  the  army: 
Sherman,  George  II.  Thomas,  and  E.  S.  Ewell  one  year  ahead  of  him;  Halleck 
ens,  Ricketts,  Ord,  and  Canby  two  years  ahead;  Beauregard,  Irvin  McDow- 
ell, and   Hardee  three  years  ahead;  Eustis  (Professor  in  Harvard),  Newton 
rans,  Pope,  McLaws,  Earl  Yan  Born,  and  Longstreet  one  year  behind 
him;*  Wm.  B.  Franklin,  John  J.  Peck,  Jos.  J.  Eeynolds,  U.  S.  Grant,  and  Eu- 
fus  Ingalls  two  years  behind ;  Alfred  Pleasanton,  S.  B.  Buckner,  and  MV.  S. 
Eancock  three  years  behind  him. 

On  graduation  General  Buell  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Brevet  Second-Lieu- 
tenant in  the  Third  Infantry.  Thenceforward  he  led  the  monotonous  and  com- 
paratively obscure  life  of  a  subordinate  officer  of  regulars,  bearing  his  share  in 
the  Mexican  war,  rising  by  slow  gradation,  till,  in  1861,  we  find  him  in  the  Ad- 
jutant-General's  office  at  Washington,  regarded  by  the  few  who  concerned 
themselves  with  the  affairs  of  the  army  as  one  of  its  best  administrative  officers 
and  ranking  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  Adjutant-General's  Department. 

In  the  autumn  of  1861  Kentucky  had  already  enjoyed  the  services  of  three 

Department  Commanders.     Under  the  first   (General  McClellan),  nothing  of 

consequence  had  been  done,  save  the  agreement  upon   an  ill-understood  and 

afterward  disputed  compact  recognizing  the  neutrality  of  this  sovereign  State.f 

Under  the  second  (General  Eobert  Anderson),  the  volunteering  of  Kentuckians 

fcthe  I  nmn  army  had  gone  rapidly  forward ;  but  he  was  enfeebled  by  disease 

t   <■  «  oek  of  San**,  and  under  his  nerveless  grasp  of  the  State  the  Eebel 

to    earned  on  recruiting  within  its  limits  quite  as  successfully,  and 

-t  -  openly      Under  the  third  (General  W.  T.   Sherman),  the  re ^n  of 

;:       een  begun.     The  advance  toward  East  Tennessee  had  been°  el 

71Cd  ^r^  thG  °hi°  f°r  n°  Suffident  — ;  *e  invasion 
«9  Bnekne,  had  ereated  alarm  for  the  safety  of  Louisville;  troops  had  been 

^Z^Zi:l^^7:];^  t]Zrrmy  RegiStef  "*"  °f  the  -rthlessness  of 
I-t  el**  the  abLt  of  Ve  Read  corns "  ,  ^  ^  *"  ^^  the  ^  *"  *  «* 
Longstreet,  stood ^-/oJtCOrpS  Comma»d^  (after  Stonewall  Jackson's  death),  James 

t  See  ante  Life  of  McClellan. 


Don  Caelos  Buell.  697 

ordered  to  destroy  railroads,  burn  baggage,  and  make  hasty  retreats  northward; 
the  abandonment  of  Louisville  and  concentration  of  the  army  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Ohio,  at  New  Albany,  had  been  seriously  contemplated;  the  Secretary 
of  War  and  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  army  had  been  gravely  assured  that 
the  instant  wants  of  the  service  in  Kentucky  demanded  two  hundred  thousand 


men 


I* 


The  Administration  was  now  thoroughly  alarmed,  not  so  much  at  its  dan- 
ger from  the  enemy  as  at  the  condition  of  its  own  commander,  and  on  the  return 
of  the  Secretary  to  Washington  there  was  a  hasty  consultation  as  to  the  best 
man  to  be  forthwith  sent  to  Kentucky.  With  both  General  Scott  and  Gen- 
eral McClellan,  as  well  as  with  all  familiar  with  army  matters  at  Washington, 
the  cautious  and  correct  Adjutant-General  stood  high.  He  was  presently 
selected,  without  any  previous  knowledge  that  such  promotion  was  awaiting 
him,  and  on  the  9th  of  November,  1861,  the  States  of  Ohio,  Michigan,  Indiana, 
Tennessee,  and  that  portion  of  Kentucky  east  of  the  Cumberland  Eiver  were 
constituted  "the  Department  of  the  Ohio,"  to  be  commanded  by  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral Buell.     The  same  order  sent  Halleck  to  St.  Louis  to  succeed  Fremont. 

Kentucky  was  thought  to  be  in  a  critical  condition.  A  provisional  govern- 
ment had  been  inaugurated  by  the  Eebels  at  Eussellville,  near  the  south-western 
border,  and  nearly  one-half  the  State  acknowledged  its  authority.  It  was  sup- 
posed, as  General  Buell  subsequently  said,f  that  "the  Union  element  was 
confined,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  old  men  ;  that  the  mass  of  the  young  men 
were  on  the  eve  of  joining  the  Eebel  cause,  and  that  nothing  but  extraordinary 
exertion  and  judicious  management  could  secure  the  State  from  the  vortex 
toward  which  the  excitement  of  revolution  was  carrying  her."  On  this  theory 
his  opening  policy  in  the  administration  of  affairs  in  his  Department  would 
seem  to  have  been  based.  He  soon  succeeded  in  securing  the  perfect  confidence 
of  the  Union  men  of  the  State.  The  same  species  of  admiration  for  his  execu- 
tive ability  that  was  already  turning  the  head  of  the  Young  Napoleon  to  the 
Eastward,  sprang  up'  with  reference  to  the  new  commander  of  the  Department 
of  the  Ohio.      His  decisions  were  accepted  as  infallible ;  his  calls  for  troops 

*  In  preceding  pages  of  this  work  (Life  of  Sherman)  I  have  mentioned  the  fact  that  an 
authorized  biographer  of  General  Sherman  has  since  explained  that  he  said,  "  Sixty  thousand  to 
drive  the  enemy  out  of  Kentucky;  two  hundred  thousand  to  finish  the  war  in  this  section; "  and 
have  discredited  the  explanation,  as  bearing  signs  of  being  an  after-thought.  Since  those  pages 
were  stereotyped,  I  have  been  authorized  by  the  gentleman  then  acting  as  Private  Secretary  to 
Adjutant-General  Thomas  (Mr.  Samuel  Wilkeson,  of  New  York),  who  was  the  only  other  person 
present  at  the  interview  on  the  part  of  the  Washington  authorities,  to  pronounce  the  explanation 
utterly  without  warrant  in  fact.  His  recollections  and  those  of  the  Secretary  and  Adjutant-Gen- 
eral are  concurrent  and  clear.  They  unite  in  saying  that  General  Sherman  had  been  explaining 
the  immense  preponderance  of  Rebel  forces  in  Kentucky,  his  great  and  imminent  danger,  and  the 
pressing  demand  for  re-enforcements ;  that  Mr.  Cameron  asked,  "  How  many  men  do  you  need, 
General  ?  "  and  that  Sherman  promptly  and  with  great  emphasis  answered,  "  Two  hundred  thou- 
sand, sir."  They  describe  his  manner  and  appearance  as  those  of  a  man  terribly  excited  and 
alarmed,  using  the  wildest  language,  and,  as  they  thought,  scarcely  conscious  of  the  purport  of 
his  words. 

t  Bueil's  statement  in  Review  of  Evidence  before  Military  Commission  in  his  case. 


Ohio   in   the  Wak. 

Id  to  result  from  a  wise  understanding  of  the  wants  of  the  service  ;  in 

nil  ways  men  Bought  to  hold  up  his  hands  and  exalt  his  authority.     Meantime 

his  dignified  bearing,  and  his  manifest  desire  to  conciliate  the  prejudices  of 

Lucky  Unionists,   had  combined  to  make  him    personally  popular.      The 

.papers  praised  him  ;  he  was  eulogized  at  public  meetings  ;  steamboats  were 

after  him;  special  delight  was  taken  in  the  fact  that  though  he  was  a 

nist  ho  was  not  an  Abolitionist.  , 

The  new  General  found  about  twenty-seven  thousand  effective  troops  in 
his  Department,  besides  forty  or  more  Kentucky  regiments,  complete  and  incom- 
plete, which  were  still  scattered  through  the  State,  some  without  arms  or  organ- 
ization, and  nearly  all  without  discipline.  There  was  no  transportation  for  a 
campaign,  supplies  had  not  been  accumulated,  and  a  large  part  of  the  force  was 
atill  a  heterogeneous  mass.  Meanwhile  the  Government,  embittered  at  the 
untoward  result  of  the  former  movement,  was  urging  a  new  advance  toward 
IYnnessee.  To  this,  therefore,  his  first  thoughts  were  directed.  Looking 
southward  from  Louisville  he  saw  on  his  immediate  front  an  army  which  he  esti- 
mated at  thirty-five  thousand  men*  with  railroad  connections  to  Nashville  and 
Columbus  that  would  enable  a  rapid  concentration  of  all  the  Eebel  force  in  the 
West  Away  to  the  eastward  of  this  formidable  army  stretched  the  route, 
through  East  Tennessee,  two  hundred  miles  from  the  end  of  railroad  transpor- 
tation, a  rough  and  comparatively  barren  country.  Over  this  supplies  must 
be  carried  in  wagon  trains,  and  through  the  whole  extent  of  the  route  these 
must  be  carefully  guarded. 

On  this  estimate  of  the  conditions  of  his  problem,  General  Buell  formed 
his  plans,  and  within  two  weeks  after  assuming  command  of  the  Department, 
communicated  them  in  elaborate  letters  to  the  General-in-Chief.  For  the 
East  Tennessee  movement  he  would  require  a  column  of  twenty  thousand  men, 
with  ten  thousand  more  to  act  as  reserve,  and  guard  the  line  of  supplies.  For 
the  movements  against  the  enemy  in  front,  which  he  seems  to  have  regarded  as 
more  important,  he  had  a  notable  proposition  to  make.  He  would  leave  the 
Rebel!  to  hold  their  intrenchments  at  Bowling  Green,  would  march  rapidly  to 
astward  around  their  flank,  through  Glasgow  and  Gallatin,  and  fall  upon 
ville  in  midwinter.  Meantime  he  would  rely  upon  a  force  from  Missouri 
to  tteend  the  Cumberland  under  protection  of  the  gunboats,  bearing  up 
plo  supplies  on  transports,  and  meeting  him  at  Nashville.  It  was  the  or.a 
Of  the  first  great  campaign  of  the  West  that  cut  the  Eebel  line  and  threw  back 
their  armies  to  Northern  Mississippi.! 

Of  the  plan  thus  outlined  nothing  can  be  said  but  praise.     Its  stolen  laurels 

toed  another  General  to  the  head  of  the  army  for  a  time,  till  his  proved 

incompetency  fairly  drove  him  out.     A  prominent  share  in  its  execution  started 

•  BuelFs  statement  in  Review  of  Evidence  before  Military  Commission  in  his  case,  p.  2. 
in  re\lUw  0Vrr8t°"ICClellan'27th  and  30th  November,  1861;  letter  to  New  York  World, 

review  oev^no'w8  T,^  *  Planter  H°Use  ban(luet>  September  5,  1865;  statement  in 
review  of  evidence  before  Military  Commission,  p.  4. 


ara- 
i<rin 


Don    Carlos   Buell.  699 

another  on  the  career  which  led  to  the  Lieutenant-Generalship,  and  to  the  cre- 
ation for  him  of  a  grade  higher  than  that  which  a  grateful  Congress  thought 
sufficient  reward  for  George  Washington.  Of  the  estimates  for  troops  for  the 
work  less  can  be  said.  Precisely  what  was  General  Buell's  belief  at  the  time 
as  to  the  strength  of  the  opposing  force  we  can  not  tell.  But  as  late  as  May, 
1863,  he  committed  himself  officially  to  the  declaration  that  Sidney  Johnston 
had  at  Bowling  Green  twenty-five  thousand  men,  and  that,  including  the  out- 
posts north  of  the  Cumberland,  his  strength  was  about  thirty-five  thousand.* 
There  are  not  wanting  evidences  that  to  a  much  later  period  General  Buell  con- 
tinued to  maintain  that  the  force  which  held  him  back  from  Nashville,  through 
the  winter  of  1861-62,  was  fairly  stated  in  these  figures. 

Now  it  so  happens  that  there  is  at  hand  evidence  on  this  subject  of  the 
Eebel  strength  at  Bowling  Green,  which  dispassionate  judges  will  not  hesitate 
to  accept.  In  March,  1862,  the  Confederate  Congress  appointed  a  committee  to 
investigate  the  surrender  of  Fort  Donelson,  and  the  evacuation  of  Nashville, 
whereof  Henry  S.  Foote  was  chairman.  Appended  to  the  report  of  this  com- 
mittee f  is  an  unofficial  letter  from  Sidney  Johnston  to  Jefferson  Davis,  which 
seems  to  have  been  given  to  the  committee  after  the  death  of  Johnston  at  Pitts- 
burg Landing  had  removed  the  bar  of  secrecy.  In  this  letter  the  Eebel  strength 
with  which  Bowling  Green  was  first  occupied  is  fixed  at  four  thousand.  By  the 
15th  of  October  Johnston  says  it  was  raised  to  twelve  thousand ;  and  at  that 
strength  it  remained  till  the  end  of  November.  Meantime,  he  naively  says : 
"I  magnified  my  forces  to  the  enemy,  but  made  known  my  true  strength  to  the 
Department  and  the  Governors  of  States."  He  then  explains  that  he  decided  to 
fight  for  Nashville  at  Donelson,  and  gave  the  better  part  of  his  army  to  do  it, 
retaining  only  fourteen  thousand  to  cover  his  front,  and  giving  sixteen  thousand 
to  defend  Donelson.  And  he  adds  that  while  the  reports  led  him  to  believe  that 
he  had  fourteen  thousand  at  Bowling  Green,  yet  when  this  column  reached 
Nashville  it  was  found  to  number  less  than  ten  thousand.;];  An  average  force, 
therefore,  of  twelve  thousand  at  Bowling  Green  may  be  fairly  said  to  have  held 
back  the  twenty-three  thousand  effectives  whom  Buell  found  awaiting  him  on 
his  arrival,  and  the  re-enforcements  which  more  than  doubled  his  strength  before 
he  moved.  To  leave  the  burden  of  censure  for  this  wholly  upon  General  Buell 
would  be  unjust.  For  he  had  to  deal  with  the  marplot  at  St.  Louis,  who  was  after- 
ward to  harass  the  whole  Nation  for  a  time  from  the  post  of  General-in-Chief  at 
Washington;  and,  as  we  are  soon  to  see,  he  found  co-operation  with  Halleck  a 
thing  not  to  be  attained.  Nor  is  it  clear  that  if  he  had  been  given  permission 
to  carry  out  his  own  plan  with  his  own  forces  alone,  he  would  not  have  attempted 
it.  But  there  had  now  sprung  up  about  the  General  a  clique  of  super-service- 
able defenders,  who  filled  the  newspapers,  and  even  the  councils  of  men  influenc- 
ing the  business  of  the  war,  with  silly  stories  concerning  the  fortifications  at 

*  Buell's  statement  in  Keview  of  Evidence  before  Military  Commission  in  his  case,  p.  2. 
t  Richmond  Official  Edition,  pp.  171,  175. 

t  This  is  explained  by  the  violent  attacks  of  camp  measles,  which  had  so  enfeebled  the  men 
that  four  thousand  of  them  were  unable  to  endure  the  fatigue  of  the  retreat  to  Nashville. 


700  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Bowling  Green-the  Manassas,  as  they  chose  to  style  them,  of  m  West-_the 
nUtar  of  the  country  between  the  mountams  and  the  Great  Eiver  These 
IWMI  fortifications,  it  was  declared,  were  fully  manned  with  a  force  as 
tepM  as  that  which  at  Bull  Kun  had  shattered  McDowell;  and  whoever 
-ed/eed  the  statement  of  the  Kebel  strength  to  a  reasonable  limit,  was  set  down 
as  one  of  the  fanatical  agitators  who  were  bent  on  ruining  the  cause  by  starting 
„  "On  to  Kichmond"  crusade,  with  as  little  preparation,  and  on  a  more 
dangettmB  field.  General  Buell  was  too  cautious  and  too  reticent  a  man  to  say 
these  things;  but  they  were  freely  said  about  his  head-quarters,  and  not  always, 
it  may  well  be  believed,  without  his  tacit  approval. 

While  the  discussion  of  plans  went  on,  the  organization  and  discipline  of 
the  army  were  vigorously  pushed.  Much  as  General  Buell  afterward  did  to 
i.urit  gratefnl  remembrance,  this  was  the  most  valuable  service  he  rendered  to 
the  Nation.  He  took  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  a  disjointed,  undrilied, 
unsoldierly  militia  mob— not  without  excellent  troops,  but  with  a  vast  pre- 
ponderance of  men  who  bore  no  resemblance  to  real  soldiers  save  in  their  uni- 
form. He  left  it  the  best  drilled,  best  disciplined,  most  thoroughly  trustworthy 
of  the  great  armies  that  through  the  four  years'  fighting  upheld  and  advanced 
the  banner  of  the  Republic .* 

Under  General  McClellan  there  had  been  no  army  in  Kentucky  to  drill. 
Under  General  Anderson  little  had  been  accomplished  save  to  gather  the 
inchoate  elements  of  an  army.  Under  General  Sherman  regimental  and  bri- 
gade commanders  had,  in  individual  cases,  made  efforts  at  establishing  disci- 
pline, but  there  was  no  guiding  head,  acting  on  uniform  rules  for  its  enforcement; 
since,  with  all  the  brilliant  qualities  he  was  afterward  to  display,  General  Sher- 
man neither  then,  nor  at  subsequent  periods  of  his  career,  proved  himself  a 
good  disciplinarian.f  Such  was  the  state  in  which  General  Buell  found  his 
force  that  on  the  very  day  after  assuming  command  he  thought  it  necessary  to 
order  reports  of  the  number  and  condition  of  troops  to  head-quarters — there 
being,  as  it  would  seem,  no  data  at  hand  from  which  he  could  satisfactorily 
learn  what  he  had.  A  day  or  two  later  the  growing  evidences  of  irregularities 
made  him  regard  it  as  needful  to  instruct  commanders  as  to  the  drill  of  their 
men,  the  hours  for  reveille,  tatto,  and  taps,  the  mode  of  guard-mounting,  the 
necessity  for  the  presence  of  officers  at  the  daily  drills,  the  importance  of  having 
ammunition  in  the  cartridge-boxes,  and  haversacks  and  canteens  ready  for  the 
march!    At  such  elementary  points  was  it  necessary  to  begin  his  work.  J 

*  That  which  was  afterward  called  the  Array  of  the  Tennessee  was  too  small  a  body  to  be 
included  in  this  comparison;  and  of  other  armies  few  will  suggest  any  that  should  be  named  in 
advance  of  or  even  in  connection  with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  unless  it  be  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  Into  that  comparison  I  do  not  consider  it  needful  to  enter.  For  over  a  year  Buell's 
army  was  known  as  the  "  Army  of  the  Ohio."  I  have  preferred  to  speak  of  it  throughout  by  the 
name  by  which  it  is  best  known. 

t  Through  the  winter  of  1861-2  large  numbers  of  troops  passed  from  West  Virginia  into 
Kentucky,  who  had  already  been  seasoned  to  campaigning  under  the  eye  of  General  Rosecrans. 
To  these  the  description  of  the  condition  of  the  army  in  Kentucky  does  not  so  fully  apply.  Even 
in  their  cases,  however,  there  was  still  ample  room  for  the  enforcement  of  a  rigid  discipline. 

t  General  Order  No.  3,  Department  of  the  Ohio,  20th  November,  1861. 


Don  Caelos  Buell.  701 

A  day  or  two  later  we  find  him  discovering  the  necessity  of  admonishing 
officers  that  they  must  not  appear  on  parade  without  uniforms,  or  live  away 
from  the  encampments  of  the  troops  they  commanded;*  and,  three  days  after- 
ward, that  there  were  regular  military  channels  for  the  conduct  of  official 
correspondence;  that  subordinate  commanders  must  not  assume  to  accept  the 
resignations  of  officers  or  order  the  discharge  of  soldiers;  that  free  passes  over 
railroads  must  not  be  distributed  miscellaneously  by  officers  to  their  friends; 
that  leaves  of  absence  for  long  or  indefinite  periods  could  not  be  accorded  by 
subordinate  commanders;  and  finally,  that  it  was  necessary  to  distribute  and 
read  general  orders !  f 

Beginning  thus  at  first  principles,  General  Bnell  soon  made  the  reins  of 
authority  felt  throughout  his  slowly-forming  army.  Presently  he  organized  the 
artillery.  Then  he  began  weeding  out  incompetent  officers;  ordering  them  before 
courts-martial ;  checking  the  unsoldier-like  performance  of  holding  regimental 
or  company  elections  of  officers  to  fill  vacancies,  for  the  instruction  and  guidance 
of  the  appointing  powers.  J  Then  the  transportation  was  cut  down  to  a  rational 
limit ;  officers  were  taught  that  they  could  not  delay  a  whole  army  that  their 
piles  of  trunks  might  be  hauled  along;  even  Colonels  were  remorselessly  brought 
down  to  a  maximum  of  one  hundred  pounds  of  personal  baggage.  ||  The  cavalry 
was  taken  in  hand,  and  stripped  of  the  load  of  useless  weapons  and  baggage 
with  which  the  troopers  were  burdening  their  horses  like  pack-mules;  officers 
of  infantry  companies  were  stopped  from  riding  while  their  men  walked,  and 
remitted  to  their  proper  places ;  Quartermasters  Avere  held  to  a  rigid  responsi- 
bility for  the  management  of  their  trains;  buggies  and  family  carriages,  which 
acquisitive  camp  followers  had  been  accumulating,  were  driven  out.§  Detailed 
instructions  as  to  marching  were  issued,  and  every  officer  was  required  to  study 
them.  The  duties  of  sentries  and  outposts  were  in  like  manner  enforced.  An 
elaborate  order  was  issued,  embracing  the  pith  of  the  Army  Eegulations  on  the 
whole  subject  of  the  conduct  of  troops  in  a  campaign,  the  order  to  be  observed, 
the  conditions  under  which  private  pro£>erty  might  be  taken,  the  precautions 
against  pillage  or  disorderly  conduct  to  be  required,  the  imperative  necessity 
for  vigilance.  And,  after  a  month  or  two  of  leniency,  the  officers  absent  with- 
out leave  were  suddenly  brought  up  with  all  the  rigor  of  the  army  rules,  and 
dismissed  the  service  without  the  slightest  regard  to  personal  influences  or 
appeals  for  mercy. 

Into  the  details  of  this  great  work  we  can  not  further  enter.  It  is  enough 
to  say  that  in  these  and  similar  ways,  with  the  most  patient  care,  and  with  an 
admirable  administrative  ability,  was  formed  and  shaped  the  basis  of  that  fire- 
tried  organization  of  braVe  men  that,  from  Pittsburg  Landing  to  Mission  Kidge 
and  Kenesaw  and  Nashville,  never  yielded  a  foot  to  the  enemy  without  exacting 
a  bloody  cost,  and  never,  when  properly  led,  failed  to  add  fresh  laurels  to  the 
honored  name  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland. 

*  General  Order  No.  4,  November  22,  1861.  t  General  Order  No.  5,  November  25,  1861. 

$  General  Order  No.  7,  November  26,  1861.  ||  General  Order  No.  8,  December  3,  1861. 

§  General  Order  No.  10,  December  5,  1861. 


702  Ohio   in  the  War. 

While  the  work  of  discipline  went  forward,  and  General  Buell  was  urging 
his  plan/for  an  advance  upon  Nashville,  there  were  two  incursions  into  Ken- 
tu.kv  thai  would  seem  to  have  been  skillfully  planned  with  a  view  to  such  an 
endangering  of  his*  flank  as  would  effectually  prevent  any  forward  movement, 
„nder  Humphrey  Marshall  entered  Eastern  Kentucky  through  Pound  Gap  j 
: her  under  Zollicoffer  crossed  the  Cumberland  Eiver  near  Somerset.  Buell 
had  early  advices  of  each.  Against  Marshall  he  sent  Garfield,  who  routed  him 
and  drove  bim  out  of  the  State.  Against  Zollicoffer  he  sent  George  H.  Thomas, 
then  •  freahly-made  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  but  known  to  all  officers 
(lf  the  old  army  as  a  sturdy,  trustworthy  soldier.  The  victory  which  he  won 
Hill  Springs  was  the  first  considerable  one  in  Kentucky,  and  perhaps  the 
most  important  thus  far  won  in  the  war.  Zollicoffer  was  killed,  his  army  wail 
driven  across  the  river  in  confusion,  fourteen  pieces  of  artillery,  with  stores, 
prisoners,  etc.,  were  captured.  The  success  was  inspiring,  and  the  country,  and 
particularly  the  Kentucky  Unionists,  who  had  the  most  direct  interest  in  his 
operations,  came  to  regard  General  Buell's  plans  with  a  confidence  perfectly 
implicit. 

Meantime,  receiving  little  encouragement  as  to  the  prospect  of  securing  the 
necessary  transportation  for  the  East  Tennessee  campaign,  the  General  was 
directing  his  thoughts  mainly  to  the  advance  upon  Nashville.  "We  have  seen 
that  as  early  as  27th  November,  1861,  he  had  proposed  to  General  McClellan  an 
advance  on  Nashville  around  the  east  flank  of  the  Eebel  force  at  Bowling 
Green,  while  supplies  and  re-enforcements  should  move  rapidly  up  the  Cumber- 
land under  the  convoy  of  gunboats.  On  the  5th  of  December,  after  twice  calling 
on  General  Halleck  as  to  the  necessary  co-operation,  General  McClellan  tele- 
graphed Buell:  "As  soon  as  I  receive  reply  from  Halleck,  will  arrange  details 
with  you."  But,  while  there  was  still  delay  as  to  these  details,  and  while  Buell 
was  placing  his  forces,  one  small  column  at  Munfordsville,  one  at  Green  Eiver, 
on  the  road  to  Glasgow,  one  at  Columbia,  one  at  Lebanon,  and  another — for  the 
purpose  of  deceiving  the  enemy  as  to  the  real  object  of  these  dispositions— on 
the  lower  Green  River,  McClellan  fell  ill.  Thus  the  time  passed  without  action 
till  the  last  day  of  the  year,  wThen  the  President— already  in  sore  distress  at  the 
inaction  of  our  armies  and  the  danger  of  foreign  intervention — telegraphed  to 
Buell  to  inquire  whether  he  and  Halleck  were  acting  in  concert.  The  General 
replied  that  they  were  not,  and  that  he  was  awaiting  orders  from  a  superior 
authority  that  would  insure  such  action.  He  moreover  explained  that  if  his 
movement  against  Nashville  should  be  left  to  be  an  isolated  one,  there  would 
of  course  bo  nothing  to  hinder  the  Rebels  from  concentrating  by  rail  against 
bim  from  all  quarters,  and  particularly  from  Columbus  on  the  Mississippi. 
Thereupon  the  poor  President  replied  that  McClellan  was  too  ill  to  be  disturbed, 
but—"  I  think  you  better  get  in  concert -with  Major-General  Halleck  at  once." 
Now  the  difficulty  in  the  case,  as  the  President  left  it,  was  this :  Halleck  was 
a  Major-General  in.  the  regular  service;  Buell  only  a  Brigadier-General  of  vol- 
Furthermore,  Halleck  was  already  engrossed  with  operations  in 
feouth-western  Missouri;  and,  even  if  he  had  not  been,  he  was  not  a  man  of  such 


Don  Carlos  Buell.  703 

temper  as  to  be  eager  to  enter  upon  the  task  of  furnishing  mere  assistance  in  the 
execution  of  a  plan  devised  by  an  officer  so  greatly  his  inferior  in  rank.  It  was 
more  grateful  to  his  habits  of  mind  to  appropriate  the  plan,  and  try  to  monopo- 
lize the  glory  of  its  execution. 

So  it  came  about  that  -when  Buell,  in  obedience  to  the  President's  sugges- 
tion, opened  a  correspondence  with  Halleck  and  explained  the  details  of  his 
proposed  movement,  he  met  with  a  cold  response.  After  preliminary  dispatches, 
Buell  wrote  at  length  : 

"  Head-Quarters  Department  of  the  Ohio,  Louisville,  January  3,  1862. 

"General:  I  received  your  dispatch,  and,  with  more  delay  than  I  meant,  proceed  to  the 
subject  of  it,  in  compliance  with  your  request,  and  I  may  add  also  at  the  wish  of  the  President. 

"  I  do  not  underrate  the  difficulties  in  Missouri,  but  I  think  it  is  not  extravagant  to  say  that 
the  great  power  of  the  rebellion  in  the  West  is  arranged  on  a  front,  the  flanks  of  which  are  Co- 
lumbus and  Bowling  Green,  and  the  center  about  where  the  railroad  between  these  points  crosses 
the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers,  including  Nashville  and  the  fortified  points  below.  It  is, 
I  have  no  doubt,  within  bounds  to  estimate  their  force  on  that  line  at  eighty  thousand  men, 
including  a  column  about  Somerset,  Kentucky,  in  rear  of  their  right  flank,  it  is  more. 

"Of  this  force,  forty  thousand  may  be  set  down  as  at  Bowling  Green,  twenty  thousand  at 
Columbus — though  you  doubtless  have  more  information  on  that  point  then  I  have — and  twenty 
thousand  at  the  center.  Considering  the  railroad  facilities,  which  enable  the  enemy  to  concen- 
trate in  a  few  hours  on  any  single  point  of  this  front,  you  will  at  once  see  the  importance  of  a 
combined  attack  on  its  center  and  flanks,  or  at  least  of  demonstrations  which  may  be  converted 
into  real  attacks  and  fully  occupy  the  enemy  on  the  whole  front.  It  is  probable  that  you  may 
have  given  the  subject,  as  far  as  Columbus  and  the  center  are  concerned,  more  attention  than  I 
have.  With  reference  to  the  former,  at  least,  I  can  make  no  more  than  the  general  suggestion, 
already  expressed,  that  it  should  be  fully  occupied. 

"  The  attack  upon  the  center  should  be  made  by  two  gunboat  expeditions,  with,  I  should  say, 
twenty  thousand  men  on  the  two  rivers.  They  should,  of  course,  be  organized  with  reference  to  the 
depth  of  water  in  the  rivers,  and  whether  they  should  be  of  equal  or  unequal  strength  would  de- 
pend upon  that  and  other  considerations,  and  can  hardly  be  determined  until  the  moment  of 
departure.  The  mode  of  attack  must  depend  on  the  strength  of  the  enemy  at  the  several  points  and 
the  features  of  the  localities.  It  will  be  of  the  first  importance  to  break  the  railroad  communi- 
cation, and  if  possible  that  should  be  done  by  columns  moving  rapidly  to  the  bridges  over  the 
Cumberland  and  Tennessee.  The  former  probably  would  not  be  reached  at  first,  being  some 
thirty- one  miles  above  the  first  principal  battery  that  I  know  of  at  Dover.  The  other  is 
eighteen  miles  above  Fort  Henry — the  first  I  know  of  on  the  Tennessee.  If  the  expedition 
should  not  be  strong  enough  to  do  the  work  alone,  they  should  establish  themselves  firmly  at  the 
nearest  possible  point,  and  remain  at  least  until  they  ascertained  that  re-enforcements  from  my 
columns  or  some  other  source  would  not  reach  them.  By  uniting  they  could  establish  themselves 
permanently  under  the  protection  of  the  gunboats. 

"  I  say  this  much  rather  to  lay  the  subject  before  you  than  to  propose  any  definite  plan  for 
your  side.  Whatever  is  done  should  be  done  speedily,  within  a  few  days.  The  work  will  become 
more  difficult  every  day.     Please  let  me  hear  from  you  at  once. 

"  Very  truly  yours,  D.  C.  BUELL, 

"  Brigadier-General  Commanding. 

"  General  II.  W.  Halleck,  Commanding  Department  of  the  Missouri." 

To  this  General  Halleck  made  no  immediate  reply— though,  as  subsequent 
events  now  show,  he  gave  it  careful  study.  Waiting  in  all  impatience  for  sev- 
eral days,  General  Buell  then  telegraphed :  "I  am  telegraphed  by  the  President. 
Can  you  fix  a  day  for  concerted  action?"  Halleck  responded  that  he  might  fix  a 
day  for  a  demonstration— he  could  do  nothing  more.    And  a  day  or  two  later  came 


704 


Ohio   in  the  War 


a  letter  which,  though  dated  on  the  0th,  does  not  appear  to  have  been  written 

irly; 

vd-Quarters  Department  of  the  Missouri,  St.  Louis,  January  6,  1862. 
"Brigadier-General  D.  C.  Buell,  Louisville,  Kentucky: 

:  :  I  h.ivt-  delayed  writing  to  you  for  several  days,  in  hopes  of  getting  some  favor- 
able view  from  tht  South-west.  The  news  received  to-day,  however,  is  unfavorable,  it  being 
gtate<1  f|l:i.  making  a  stand  near  Springfield,  and  that  all  our  available  forces  will  be 

ri.min-d  to  dislodge  and  drive  him  out. 

••Mv  last  advioea  from  Columbus  represent  that  the  enemy  has  about  twenty-two  thousand 
men  then.  I  have  only  about  fifteen  thousand  at  Cairo,  Fort  Holt,  and  Paducah,  and  after  leav- 
ing gnaid  at  these  places,  I  could  not  send  into  the  field  over  ten  or  eleven  thousand.  Moreover, 
many  of  these  are  very  imperfectly  armed. 

ler  these  eireunistanees  it  would  be  madness  for  me  to  attempt  any  serious  operation 
against  Camp  Beauregard  or  Columbus.  Probably,  in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  I  will  be  able  to 
idditional  troops  to  Cairo  and  Paducah  to  co-operate  with  you,  but  at  present  it  is  impossi- 
ble ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  if  you  deem  such  co-operation  necessary  to  your  success,  your  move- 
on  Bowling  Green  should  be  delayed.  I  know  nothing  of  the  plan  of  campaign,  never 
having  received  any  information  on  the  subject;  but  it  strikes  me  that  to  operate  from  Louisville 
and  Paducah,  or  Cairo,  against  an  enemy  at  Bowling  Green,  is  a  plain  case  of  exterior  linef,  like 
that  of  McDowell  and  Patterson,  which,  unless  each  of  the  exterior  columns  is  superior  to  the 
enemy,  leads  to  disaster  ninety-nine  times  in  a  hundred. 

"  Very  respectfully  your  obedient  servant,  H.  W.  HALLECK,  Major-General." 

One  or  two  conclusions  that  have  an  important  effect  upon  existing  mili- 
tary reputations  may  be  deduced  from  these  letters.  It  is  plain  that  General 
Buell  suggested  the  campaign  which  led  to  the  fall  of  Forts  Henry  and  Donel- 
son,  and  the  evacuation  of  Bowling  Green,  Nashville,  and  Columbus.  It  is 
equally  plain  that  General  Halleck  sought  to  discourage  it,  and  even  committed 
himself  to  the  absurd  criticism  that  it  would  be  an  operation  on  exterior  lines, 
which,  in  ninety -nine  eases  out  of  a  hundred,  would  lead  to  disaster.  And  it  is 
clear  that  each  of  them  was  completely  deceived  by  the  magnificent  game  of 
brag  which  the  enemy  was  then  playing,  that  each  was  guilty  of  the  McClellan 
weakness  of  viewing  the  opposing  forces  through  a  magnifying  glass  of  inordi- 
nate powers.  When  Sidney  Johnston  had  twelve  to  fourteen  thousand  at 
Bowling  Green,  Buell  estimated  his  strength  at  forty  thousand.  When  he  had 
sixteen  thousand  at  Donelson,  Buell  estimated  his  strength  at  twenty  thousand. 
And  to  complete  the  self-deception,  Halleck  estimated  the  .Rebel  strength  at 
Columbus  at  the  preposterous  number  of  twenty-two  thousand.  Yet  we  shall 
deal  the  more  tenderly  with  such  errors  of  judgment— the  incidents  of  the  uni- 
fcl  rawness,  the  reaction  from  Bull  Run,  and  the  McClellan  spell-when  we 
mber  that  so  able  and  clear-sighted  a  commander  as  Sidnev  Johnston  be- 
d,  in  November,  1861,  that  Buell  then  had  fifty  thousand  men,  an  exagger- 
ation of  not  less  than  two-thirds.* 

General  Halleck's  open  disapproval,  and  the' failure  of  the  Washington  au- 
thority to  give  peremptory  orders  for  co-operation  on  this  plan,  not  unnat- 
u-a.lveaused  General  Buell  to  slacken  his  personal  efforts,  and  to  direct  his 
attention  onee  more  to  the  East  Tennessee  movement.     To  this  same  end  the 
*  Confederate  Report  Com.  on  Surrender  Donelson,  etc.,  p.  172. 


Don   Carlos  "Bit ell.  705 

Government  was  now  exhibiting  renewed  urgency.  Buell 's  plan  was  to  move 
Thomas's  command  from  Somerset.  A  force  was  set  to  work  corduroying  the 
roads;  and  he  strove  to  accumulate  sufficient  transportation,  but  found  difficulty 
in  even  subsisting  ten  thousand  at  this  point  of  departure.  At  last  it  was  ad- 
mitted that,  with  the  existing  resources  of  the  Quartermaster's  Department,  the 
expedition  to  East  Tennessee  in  midwinter  was  impossible. 

The  roads  were  now  far  worse  than  when  General  Buell  had  first  proposed 
the  Cumberland  Eiver  and  Nashville  movement;  and  it  would  seem  that  he 
regarded  the  resistance  likely  to  be  offered  by  the  enemy  as  considerably  in- 
creased. It  was  under  these  circumstances  that,  without  a  word  of  previous 
warning,  he  received,  on  30th  January,  1862,  a  dispatch  from  General  Halleck, 
announcing  that  he  had  ordered  an  advance  on  Forts  Henry  and  Donelson. 
He  made  no  explanation  and  asked  no  co-operation.  Buell,  however,  asked  the 
one  and  offered  the  other — not  without  some  manifestations  of  surprise  that  a 
plan  he  had  sketched  and  proposed  to  execute  should  be  thus  entered  upon 
without  even  giving  him  notice  of  it.  Finally,  after  being  informed  by  Hal- 
leck that  co-operation  at  present  was  not  necessary,  and  receiving  only  vague 
explanations,  he  wrote : 

"Head-Quarters  Department  of  the  Ohio,  Louisville,  February  5,  1862. 
"  General  :  My  plan  of  operations  was  sketched  in  the  letter  I  wrote  you  on  the  3d  ultimo. 
You  have,  I  learn  from-your  letter  and  dispatches,  entered  upon  what  would  have  concerned  it 
on  your  side,  and  that  is  a  very  important  part  of  it.  I  regret  that  we  could  not  have  consulted 
upon  it  earlier,  because  my  work  must  at  first  be  slow.  Besides,  since  I  wrote  you,  those  plans 
have  been  changed,  or  at  least  suspended,  in  consequence  of  the  diversion  of  a  large  part  of  my 
efficient  force  for  other  objects,  which  the  General-in-Chief  urged  as  of  primary  importance, 
namely,  an  advance  into  East  Tennessee.  I  hear,  however,  in  consequence  of  the  want  of  trans- 
portation, and,  more  than  all,  the  impassable  condition  of  the  roads,  urged  him  to  allow  me  to 
resume  my  original  plan,  and,  if  I  am  not  restricted,  shall  enter  on  its  execution  at  once.  My 
troops  have,  however,  been  thrown  somewhat  out  of  positi6n,  and  it  will  take  some  days  to  get 
them  into  place.  My  progress,  too,  must  be  slow,  for  we  are  dependent  on  the  railroad  for  sup- 
plies, and  that  we  must  repair  as  we  go,  the  enemy  having  very  much  damaged  it  between  Green 
River  and  Bowling  Green — forty  miles.     That  will  take  ten  or  twelve  days.     I  must  go  provided 

I    with  a  siege-train,  because  the  enemy  is  strongly  intrenched,  with  heavy  artillery,  behind  a  river, 

i  and  the  condition  of  the  roads  will,  I  fear,  effectually  bar  any  plan  of  attack  which  will  depend 
on  celerity  of  movement. 

"  I  think  it  is  quite  plain  that  the  center  of  the  enemy's  line — that  part  which  you  are  now 
moving  against — is  the  decisive  point  of  his  whole  front,  as  it  is  also  the  most  vulnerable.     If  it 

!  is  held,  or  even  the  bridges  on  the  Tennessee  and  Cumberland  Rivers  destroyed,  and  your  force 
maintains  itself  near  those  points,  Bowling  Green  will  rapidly  fall,  and  Columbus  will  soon  fol- 

|  low.  The  work  which  you  have  undertaken  is,  therefore,  of  the  very  highest  importance,  with- 
out reference  to  the  injurious  effects  of  a  failure.  There  is  not  in  the  whole  field  of  operations 
a  point  at  which  every  man  you  can  raise  can  be  employed  with  more  effect,  or  with  the  pros- 
pect of  as  important  results. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  D.  C.  BUELL. 

"  General  H.  W.  Halleck,  St.  Louis,  Missouri." 

; 

In  this  spirit,  without  waiting  for  a  request,  he  dispatched,  the  next  day,  a 

|  brigade  from  the  mouth  of  Green  Eiver,  and  eight  new  regiments,  to  re-enforco 

the  movement  against  Fort  Henry.     Then,  on  the  7th,  Halleck,  by  this  time 

alarmed  for  the  success  of  his  movement,  asked  for  more  men.     Buell  himself 

Vol.  1.— .45 


706  Ohio  in  the  War. 

now  feared  that  before  he  could  seriously  threaten  Bowling  Green  heavy  re-en- 
might  be  withdrawn  from  it  to  Donelson ;  and  so,  with  a  readiness 
10  weaken  bitowa  column  in  supporting  another— never  too  common  among 
mi|i,:u-v  men.  and  certainly  not  specially  deserved  by  Halleck's  treatment  of 
bim—he  hastily  detached  three  entire  divisions  by  water  to  Fort  Donelson.  In 
all  be  had  sent  twenty-four  regiments,  with  appropriate  artillery,  and  was  in 
the  act  of  sending  more  when  the  fit  11  of  Donelson  was  announced.* 

would  seem  to  have  decided,  since  his  column  was  thus  weak- 
conteni   himself  with  a  demonstration  against  Bowling  Green,  which 
:it  its  detaching  troops  to  Donelson,  and  await  the  action  on  the 
Cumberland  M  sure  to  decide  its  fate.     Moving  rapidly  forward,  with  the  ener- 
getic Mitchel  in  advance,  he  came  before  Bowling  Green  on  the  morning  of  tho 

14th to  find  the  bridge  in  flames  and  the  last  of  the  enemy  moving  out  by 

rail.  Sidney  Johnston  had  decided  upon  its  evacuation  after  the  fall  of  Fort 
ry,  and  had  executed  the  work  with  remarkable  dispatch.f  Crossing  the 
swollen  river  in  midwinter  without  a  bridge  was  found  a  difficult  task,  but  it 
was  vigorously  pressed,  and  after  a  little  the  officers  succeeded  in  getting  a  pon- 
toon bridge,  which  was  at  once  laid  down.  Then,  starting  with  one  thousand 
men  on  cars,  and  leaving  Mitchel  to  push  forward  on  foot,  followed  by  all  that 
was  left  of  the  army,  Buell  started  straight  for  Nashville.  He  had  grasped  in- 
tuitively the  necessities  of  the  position  and  divined  the  certainty  of  the  fall  of 
Na-hville.J  Meantime  he  telegraphed  around  to  Donelson  (wThich  had  now 
fallen)  for  his  troops  there  to  hurry  on  up  the  river.  All  arrived  almost 
together;  and,  after  a  scene  of  wild  confusion,  while  awaiting  the  advent  of 
tho  Yankee  invaders,  the  capital  of  Tennessee  fell  without  a  blow.  || 

•Buell's  Statement  in  Review  of  Evidence  before  Military  Commission  in  his  case,  p.  7} 

Letter  on  Sherman's  speech  at  Planters'  House  banquet,  New  York  World,  5th  September,  1865. 

"The  evacuation  of  Bowling  Green  was  imperatively  necessary,  and  was  ordered  before 

and  was  executed  while  the  battle  was  being  fought  at  Donelson."— Sidney  Johnston's  letter  to 

Jefferson  Davis,  March  18,  1862. 

tTlnt  this  involves  much  praise  maybe  inferred  from. the  state  of  mind  in  which  such 
commanders  as  Halleck  are  known  to  have  been  now  thrown.  General  Halleck,  being  advised 
of  General  Buell's  purpose  to  march  straight  on  Nashville,  made  haste  to  remonstrate: 

»Pr«r»..  i».,  .       r     •    •„      m,  "  St.  Louis,  February  15,  1862. 

N„|,vill.u  Lf™  "."  f°yiUe:nT(i^nm  about  division  relieves  me  greatly.  •  To  move  from  Bowling  Green  on 
Flo  n  c  ,t  iL  n  T8y;  ^T'  and  hClP  "le  take  an<1  h0ld  Fort  D°^s°n  and  Clarksville,  [then!  move  to 
A H  w"  w. 1 I  troon  ™T  «t  Decatur,  and  Nashville  must  be  abandoned,  precisely  as  Bowling  Green  has  been. 
I2fe^?o^i^^^5*^l|,t'W,l  the  eneiUyis  heated  with  scarcely  a  blow  ;  but  I  fear  I  haw 
ll  I  Z  rt,  We  can  le  r  T7nn  '  'glC  "T  ^  at  the  Mme  tIme  °b8erVe  Columbus.  Come  and  help  me  and  all 
iKi>t.    W  e  can  clear  Tennessee  as  we  have  cleared  Kentucky.  H.  W.  HALLECK." 

And  again,  about  the  20th,  General  Halleck  telegraphed  his  subordinates  that  thev  must 
.mlf,8U,  li"  RtrUggIem  the  vicinifcy  <>f  ^hville  as  the  continent  had  never  witnessed  ;  and 
(Clirlnd        8amC  Ume  t0  BUeU  f°r  "^  t0  bG  8ent  t0  Clarksville>  below  Nashville,  on  the 

"OwrRAtBcELi'  Wo.min^..      "  St.  Louis,  February  20,  1S62. 

T*pld.r.  by  forced  ^rchU^S^^^r'^  '£  ***  f0rCe«  wl»  P,Cnty  °f  6U™lieS'  Move  to  «*  ^° 
•ooner  than  by  hind  Don'i  1,  J»„V  J«nction.  Send  all  available  troops  around  that  can  reach  there  by  water 
haW  Memphis  also.    Answer  vis  or  n  m°ment-    lf  you  wU1  come'  we  *™  sure  of  Nashville  and  Columbus,  and  per- 

H.  W.  HALLECK." 
I  February  24th,  1862.  ' 


Don  Carlos   Buell.  707 

General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  a  wary  and  experienced  commander,  fully 
equal  to  the  high  position  to  which  the  Confederates  had  assigned  him,  was  now 
emancipated  from  the  controlling  political  considerations  which  had  enforced 
the  vital  errors  of  his  long  and  weak  defensive  line  from  Bowling  Green  to  Co- 
lumbus. While  the  Eebol  press  was  denouncing  him  in  unmeasured  terms  ho 
was  really  giving  the  crowning  proofs  of  his  capacity.  Gathering  together  the 
fragments  of  his  defeated  or  retreating  forces,  those  from  Donelson,  from  Bowl- 
ing Green,  from  Mill  Springs,  he  presently  had  them  fused  once  more  into  a 
compact  mass,  and  was  crossing  the  Tennessee  at  Decatur  with  them,  having 
left  the  whole  width  of  the  State  between  himself  and  his  pursuers.  He  was 
soon  to  show  what  means  of  offense  yet  remained  within  his  grasp,  on  the  fate- 
ful field  of  Pittsburg  Landing. 

General  Buell  could  make  no  immediate  pursuit,  since  the  country  was 
flooded,  bridges  were  destroyed,  and  there  were  no  adequate  means  for  carrying 
supplies  away  from  rivers  or  railroads.  But  he  soon  sought  once  more,  on  his 
own  motion  as  well  as  under  advice  from  Washington,  to  get  into  co-operation 
with  Iialleck  for  further  operations.  He  had  hitherto  been  disposed  to  urge 
haste.  It  can  not  now  be  said  that  he  was  quite  alive  to  the  dangers  which 
Sidney  Johnston's  rapid  movements  were  threatening.  But  as  soon  as  he  had 
crossed  his  army  at  Nashville,  he  sought  an  interview  with  Halleck,  for  which 
that  officer  professed  to  have  as  yet  no  time.  When  Columbus  fell  he  would  bo 
ready  for  it.  Then,  on  a  further  dispatch  from  McClellan,  advising  him  to  hold 
Nashville  firmly,  feel  toward  Chattanooga,  "arrange  details  with  Halleck,  and 
co-operate  together  fully,"  Buell  again  asked  Halleck  what  he  could  do  to  aid 
him.  Halleck  replied  that  he  would  like  him  to  come  over  to  Savannah  or 
Florence,  to  separate  Eebel  forces  on  the  Mississippi  from  Johnston's  army.  It 
was  on  the  4th  of  March  that  this  proposition  was  made,  and  on  the  5th  that 
Buell  acceded  to  it,  but  suggested  some  slight  modifications.  Precisely  two 
weeks  later  Sidney  Johnston  was  writing  to  the  President  of  the  Confederacy: 
"I  marched  southward  ,  .  .  to  co-operate  or  unite  with  General  Beauregard 
for  the  defense  of  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi.  The  passage  is  almost  completed, 
and  the  head  of  my  column  is  already  with  General  Bragg  at  Corinth.  The 
movement  was  deemed  too  hazardous  by  the  most  experienced  members  of  my 

staff,  but  the  object  warranted  the  risk Day  after  to-morrow,  unless 

the  enemy  intercept  me,  my  force  will  be  with  Bragg The  test  of 

merit  in  my  profession,  with  the  people,  is  success.  It  is  a  hard  rule,  but  I  think 
it  right.  If  I  join  this  corps  to  the  forces  of  General  Beauregard  (I  confess  a 
hazardous  experiment)  then  those  who  are  now  declaiming  against  me  will  be 
without  an  argument."* 

Here  then,  in  those  critical  two  weeks,  was  the  lost  opportunity.  We  are 
now  to  see  who  lost  it. 

The  preliminary  consultations  between  Halleck  and  Buell,  which  might 
have  been  settled  in  a  forenoon's. talk,  dribbled  through  telegraphic  dispatches 
from  the  1st  to  the  10th  of  March.     It  was  agreed  that  Halleck  should  push  a 

*  Confederate  Report,  Com.  on  Surrender  Donelson,  etc.,  pp.  173-175. 


708  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

atron*  force  up  the  Tennessee,  and   that   Buell  should  march  overland  from 

;,,,;;<: join  it  «*,  near  Savannah,  on  the  Tennessee  Kive,*     Buell 

,,,.„„,  L  arrangements  for  this  march  when,  on   the  12th,  came  an  order 

l,im   ,„„lcr  Halleck's  command.     The  obvious  necessity  for  a  common 

!„'„|  to  tk«  movement  now  in  hand,  and  the  superior  rank  of  Halleck  seemed 

10  '„„ke  this  a  necessary,  as  it  certainly  was  an  obvious  measure.     Buell  himself 

Mylcl  it  "eminently  proper."     Yet  its  results  were  not  good. 

•The  dispatche.  possess  historic  interest.    The  more  important  ones  are  as  follows: 

M  St.  Louis,  March  3, 1S62. 
„fMUU  Bvth,    Nashville:  Columbus  is  nearly  turned.    The  mortar  boats  will  bombard  it  this  afternoon,  and 
General  Buell, ,  i»«»i  morning.    .    .    •    I  will  make  an  appointment  to  meet  you  as  soon  as   the 

Pope  will  attack  New  Madrid  to-morrow  morning.  H.  W.  HALLECK." 

Col um but  movement  1b  ended. 

"Nashville,  March  3,  1862. 
«,„-„„  TlALLECE  St   Louis:  What  can  I  do  to  aid  your  operations  against  Columbus?    Remember  I  am  sepa- 
rated from  y.u  by  the  Tennessee  Hirer.    Johnston  is  moving  toward  Decatur,  and  burning  the  brid^es^as^  goes.^ 

"St.  Lovis,  March  4,  1862. 
"General  Buell  Nashville:  If  Johnston  has  destroyed  the  railroad  and  bridges  in  his  rear  he  can  not  return  to 
attack  you  Why  not  come  to  the  Tennessee,  and  operate  with  me  to  cut  Johnston's  line  with  Memphis,  .Randolph,  and 
New  Madrid?  Columbus  has  been  evacuated  and  destroyed.  Enemy  is  concentrating  at  New  Madrid  and  Island  No. 
10  I  am  concentrating  a  force  of  twenty  thousand  against  him.  Grant,  with  all  available  force,  has  gone  up  the  Ten- 
neeeec  to  d.stroy  connection  at  Corinth,  Jackson,  and  Humbuldt.  Estimated  strength  of  enemy  at  New  Madrid,  Ran- 
dolph and  Memphis,  is  fifty  thousand.  It  is  of  vital  importance  to  separate  them  iron.  Johnston's  army.  Come  over 
to  Savannah  or  Florence  and  we  can  do  it.  We  then  can  operate  either  on  Decatur  or  Memphis,  or  both,  as  may  appear 
£jp  H.  W.  HALLECK." 

"Nashville,  March  5,  1862. 

"General  Halleck,  St.  Louis:  Tour  views  accord  with  my  own  generally,  but  some  slight  modifications  seem  to 
Be  necessary.  At  leaat  there  are  details  about  which  we  ought  to  be  able  to  consult  freely.  Can  we  not  meet  at  Louis- 
fille  in  a  day  or  so?  I  think  it  very  important.  The  concentration  of  my  troops  and  transportation  can  not  be  com- 
pleted for  tome  days.  We  have  had  two  formidable  rivers  to  cross,  and  have  forced  ourselves  here  without  transporta- 
tion or  baggage.  The  thing  which  I  think  of  vital  importance  is  that  you  seize  and  hold  the  bridge  at  Florence,  in 
Ibrce.  Johnston  is  now  at  Shelbyville,  some  fifty  miles  south  of  this.  I  hope  you  will  arrange  for  our  meeting  at 
Louisville.  B.  C.  BUELL.  ' 

"  St.  Louis,  March  6,  1862. 

"General  Buell,  Nashville:  I  can  not  possibly  leave  here  at  the  present  time.  Events  are  passing  on  so  rapidly 
that  I  must  be  all  the  time  in  telegraphic  communication  with  Curtis,  Grant,  Pope,  and  Commodore  Foote.  We  must 
consult  by  telegraph.  News  down  the  Tennessee  that  Beauregard  has  twenty  thousand  men  at  Corinth,  and  is  rapidly 
fortifying  it.  Smith  will  probably  not  be  strong  enough  to  attack  it.  It  is  a  great  misfortune  to  lose  that  point.  I 
ahull  re-enforce  Smith  as  rapidly  as  possible.  If  you  could  send  a  division  by  water  around  into  the  Tennessee  it  would 
require  only  a  small  amount  of  transportation  to  do  it.    Would  receive  all  its  supplies  by  the  river. 

"H.  W.  HALLECK." 

"Nashville,  March  9,  1862. 
"General  Halleck,  St.  Louis:  I  did  not  get  your  dispatch  of  the  6th  until  yesterday— that  of  the  8th  to-day.  I 
■nggest  the  following:  The  enemy  can  move  from  one  side  of  the  river  to  the  other  at  pleasure,  and  if  we  attempt  to 
operate  on  both  sides  without  the  same  facility  of  tiausit,  we  are  liable  to  be  beaten  in  detail.  The  point  I  previously 
suggested  is  the  only  one  from  which  we  can  operate  centrally.  That  secured,  we  can  act  according  to  ciicumstances 
either  way.  If  you  occupy  that  point,  I  will  re-enforce  you  by  water  or  join  you  by  land.  Otherwise,  I  may  detach  too 
little  to  serve  you,  or  else  so  much  as  to  endanger  middle  Tennessee,  the  importance  of  which  I  ueed  not  allude  to. 
If  we  could  meet,  I  think  we  could  better  understand  each  other.  D.  C.  BUELL." 

"St.  Louis,  March  10,  1862. 
"Gekeral  Buell,  Nashville:  My  forces  are  moving  up  the  Tennessee  Kiver  as  rapidly  as  we  can  obtain  transpor- 
tation. Florence  was  the  point  originally  designated,  but  on  account  of  enemy's  forces  at  Corinth  and  Humboldt,  it 
Md  best  to  land  at  Savannah,  and  establish  a  depot.  The  transportation  will  serve  as  ferries.  The  selection  is 
kft  to  C.  F.  Smith,  who  commands  the  advance.  Pope  has  turned  Island  No.  10,  but  the  enemy  shows  no  disposition  to 
•racuate.  Curtis  is  asking  for  ro-inforcements  in  Arkansas.  I  must  send  him  some  troops  intended  for  the  Tennessee. 
You  do  not  any  whether  we  are  to  expect  any  re-enforcements  from  Nashville.  H.  W.  HALLECK." 

„_  "Nashville,  March  10,  1862. 

tt   k    h*m  XCK'  *•  LoM":  The  Possession  and  absolute  security  of  the  country  north  of  the  Tennessee  River, 

le  as  a  center,  is  of  vital  importance,  both  in  a  political  and  military  point  of  view.    Under  no  circum- 

nce.  should  it  be  jeopardized.    It  enables  us,  with  the  Tennessee  as  a  base,  to  operate  east,  west,  and  south.    All 

L.T?e('  *  m  t0  a  centra,izilti0"  of  our  force  for  that  object.    We  can  not  tell  now  which  direction  to 

<*«  i  ,.ir  v  "ach  of  the  enemy-  You  can  not  wel1  tel1  what  force  vou  n™y meet  at  the  we8t  i stm  lcss 

",.,'  ,  '  mV  come  in  the  direction  of  Stevenson.  With  this  view  the  establishment  of  your  force  on  this  side 
Tlalw/ ^  h  .£  °r  M  P°SsM^  is  "idently  judicious ;  and  with  the  same  view  it  would  be  unnecessary  and  unad- 

beSer clnH.1T  ,  uV"1  Whkh  *  PrOP°80  to  advance-  I  can  Jol»  ?<>»  a^ost  if  not  quite  as  soon  as  by  water,  in 
toostronclvi. .hIk",  f.reaier  8ecurity  t0  y01""  operations  and  mine.  I  believe  you  can  not  be  too  promptly  nor 
-oo  strongly  established  on  the  Tennessee.    I  -hall  advance  in  a  very  few  days-as  soon  as  our  transportation  is  ready. 

"D.  C.  BUELL." 


Don  Carlos  Buell.  709 

General  Grant  had  been  deprived  of  his  command  in  the  field  by  reason  of 
difficulties  with  Iialleck  and  others,  and  ordered  to  Fort  Henry  ;  while  Charles 
F.  Smith  had  been  given  the  command  of  the  expedition  up  the  Tennessee. 
That  veteran  officer,  however,  had  soon  fallen  ill  of  the  disease  which  in  a  few 
weeks  brought  him  to  the  grave,  and  Grant  had  been  sent  up  to  resume  com- 
mand. Contrary  to  General  Buell's  expectations,  and  to  the  dictates  of  military 
science  or  of  common  prudence,  the  army  had  been  encamped  on  the  further 
side  of  the  swollen  Tennessee,  within  less  than  twenty  miles  of  the  fast-concen- 
trating Rebel  armies  at  Corinth.  Of  this  fact  General  Buell  was  not  advised; 
and  when,  grown  apprehensive,  as  it  would  seem,  on  the  subject,  he  asked  if  he 
were  not  right  in  understanding  Grant's  army  to  be  on  the  hither  side  of  the 
river,  he  received  no  reply. 

Without  orders  from  Halleck,  and  in  pursuance  of  the  general  understand- 
ing attained  while  yet  they  were  independent  commanders,  Buell  moved  on  the 
15th  of  March,  three  days  after  being  placed  under  Halleck's  command.  First 
he  sent  forward  his  cavalry  to  sweep  rapidly  over  the  route  to  be  crossed  and 
prevent  the  small  bodies  of  the  enemy  that  were  known  to  infest  it  from  burning 
the  bridges.  All  were  saved  except  the  important  bridge  across  Duck  River  at 
Columbia.  The  infantry  soon  reached  this  point,  but  was  here  delayed  by  a  stream 
out  of  its  banks  and  without  a  bridge.  The  ample  engineering  supplies  which  a 
year  later  would  have  made  this  a  thing  of  little  moment,  were  not  yet  introduced ; 
the  officers  who  undertook  the  work  were  still  raw  ;  and  though  the  building  of  a 
bridge  was  zealously  prosecuted,  it  was  only  finished  on  the  31st  of  March,  the 
very  day  on  which  (the  flood  having  passed)  the  stream  became  once  more  forda- 
ble.  Nine  days  had  been  given  to  the  march  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  be- 
tween Nashville  and  Duck  River,  and  twelve  days  had  now  been  consumed  here 
in  bridge  building.  Then,  on  being  at  last  able  to  cross,  General  Buell  pushed 
forward  vigorously,  but  in  no  special  haste,  and  with  no  warning  that  there  was 
any  need  for  special  haste.  From  Columbia  to  the  Tennessee  is  ninety  miles. 
He  marched  it,  with  his  army  in  compact  shape,  in  six  days. 

That  this  movement  was  quite  up  to  the  average  of  good  marching  by  the 
best  armies  during  the  war  is  undeniable.  That  it  was  accomplished  over  bad 
roads,  and  at  a  period  of  such  general  rawness  as  March,  1862,  is  the  best  testi- 
mony to  the  masterly  manner  in  which  General  Buell  had  organized  and  disci- 
plined his  army.  But  the  extraordinary  feature  of  the  case  is,  that  neither 
General  Halleck,  who  commanded  both  armies,  nor  General  Grant,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  one  on  which  the  storm  of  Pittsburg  Landing  was  about  to  buist, 
thought  it  needful  to  advise  General  Buell  that  there  was  any  special  occasion 
for  forced  marches.  Halleck  even  suggested  that  Buell  should  halt  at  Waynes- 
boro', thirty  miles  short  of  Savannah  ;  and  Grant,  as  late  as  the  4th  of  April, 
sent  word  to  the  advanced  division  of  Buell's  column  (General  Nelson  com- 
manding), that  it  was  unnecessary  to  hasten  his  march,  as  he  could  not  at  any 
rate  cross  the  river  before  the  8th  !* 

*  Buell's  letter  to  editor  United  States  Service  Magazine,  January  19,  1865.  His  words  are: 
"  The  day  before  his  arrival  at  Savannah,  General  Nelson,  who  commanded  my  leading  division, 


710  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

Great  events  were  to  come  before  the  8th-evento  of  such  a  nature  that 
Buell  was  subsequently  justified  in  saying  to  Grant:  -  Had  I  acted  on  your  dis- 
Lch  to  Generation  .  .  .  the  time  yon  designated  for  me  to  commence 
crossing  the  river  would  have  found  the  remnant  of  your  army  prisoners  in  the 

pi  of  the  enemy." 

On  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  April  the  sleepers  at  Savannah  were  aroused 

wnonading  up  the  river  in  the  direction  of  the  camp.  When  the  continu- 
ance of  the  firing  indicated  a  serious  attack  Buell,  conceiving  that  quite 
I       oral  Grant's  feeling  of  security  might  be  unwarranted,  went  over 

.  head-qnarterf  to  inquire.  He  found  that  Grant  had  just  started  for  the 
field,  k  aving  word  for  Nelson's  division  of  Buell's  army  to  march  np  the  river 
on  the  northern  side.  At  Savannah  the  easy-going  officers  still  maintained  that 
it  was  only  an  affair  of  outposts.  As,  however,  it  continued,  Buell  decided  to 
go  up  in  person.     All  along  the  river  bank  he  encountered  the  crowds  of  fugi- 

■  whose  appearance  too  plainly  told  the  story  of  the  day.  On  his  arrival, 
therefore,  lie  did  not  need  General  Grant's  assurance  of  danger  to  prompt  him 

advised  General  Grant  by  courier  of  his  approach,  and  was  informed,  in  reply,  that  it  was  unnec- 
essary to  hasten  his  march,  as  he  could  not  at  any  rate  cross  the  river  before  the  following  Tues- 
day. Nevertheless  that  division  and  myself  arrived  at  Savannah  on  Saturday,  as  I  had  directed. 
The  next  morning  General  Grant  was  attacked  at  Pittsburg  Landing.'  In  a  long  letter  to  Gen- 
eral Grant,  tartly  commenting  on  the  General's  implied  opinion  that  he  ought  to  have  moved 
more  rapidly  (New  York  World,  April  6,  1866),  Buell  says :  "  Your  dispatch  of  the  4th  of  April 
to  General  Nelson  showed  that  so  far  from  intending  to  be  the  attacking  party  at  an  earlier  day 
than  that  on  which  I  arrived,  you  were  not  even  prepared  to  pass  my  army  over  the  river  for 
three  days  alter  it  commenced  to  arrive." 

In  this  same  letter  General  Buell  produces  an  array  of  dispatches,  between  himself,  Halleck, 
and  Grant,  on  the  various  stages  of  the  movement.  Much  of  the  matter  in  them  is  unnecessary 
now  for  an  understanding  of  the  facts.  He  afterward  condenses  their  substance,  with  entire  fair- 
ness, as  follows: 

"  From  the  foregoing  dispatches  the  following  material  facts  are  to  be  drawn  : 

"  I.  You  wero  ordered  up  tho  Tennessee  Itiver  for  a  specific  object,  and  without  reference  to  any  support  from  me  ; 
lh*t  i«,  according  to  General  Halleck's  dispatch  on  the  4th  of  March,  you  had  '  gone  up  tho  Tennessee  to  destroy  con- 
nection [railroad  connection]  at  Corinth,  Jackson,  and  Humboldt.' 

"2.  On  the  loth,  six  days  later,  according  to  the  same  authority,  you  were  'moving  up  the  Tennessee  River  as 
rapidly  as  you  could  obtain  transportation; '  from  which  it  would  appear  that  you  had  more  troops  than  transporta- 
tion, mH  iihsianding  I  was  sending  you  all  the  boats  I  could  spare  from  the  Cumberland.  In  the  meantime  the  plan 
Of  operations  had  been  changed.  Quoting  again  from  General  Halleck's  dispatches  of  the  10th  :  '  On  account  of  the 
enemy's  forces  at  Corinth  and  Humboldt,  it  was  deemed  best  to  land  at  Savannah  and  establish  a  depot.  The  trans- 
portation would  servo  as  ferries.'  That  is,  your  chief,  General  Halleck,  had  concluded  to  proceed  with  deliberate  prep- 
aration, under  the  shelter  of  the  Tennessee  Itiver,  for  an  attack  on  the  enemy's  position  at  Corinth,  or  elsewhere  in 
H»at  vicinity. 

"3.  On  the  16th,  General  Halleck  reports  you  still  '  concentrating  at  Savannah  ; '  by  which  it  appears  that  he  did 
not  consider  yon  yet  concentrated. 

"  4.  On  the  Nth  ho  reports  that  '  large  re-enforcements  are  being  sent  to  you  ;'  that  is,  the  force  which  he  thought 
necessary  was  still  not  concentrated.  '  We  must,'  he  says,  '  be  ready  to  attack  as  soon  as  the  roads  are  passable  ; '  from 
which  i*  to  he  understood  that  General  Halleck  had  been  informed-for  he  was  not  present  to  see  for  himself— that  at 
that  tiaM  the  roads  from  Savannah  to  Corinth  were  not  in  a  condition  to  admit  of  an  attack. 

I.  The  invitation  to  co-operate  came  from  me  to  General  Halleck,  as  independent  commanders,  he  commanding 

pnrtnent  of  Missouri,  and  I  the  Department  of  the  Ohio;  and  our  consultations  resulted  in  the  designation 

I  Suvumiah.  whic  h  is  on  the  east  bank  of  tho  Tennessee,  and  was  therefore  a  secure  place  for  you,  as  the  point  at 

id  M  w.re  to  form  a  junction  for  our  ulterior  object.    As  late  as  the  5th  day  of  April-the  day  of  my  arrival  at 
h,  and  the  day  before  you  were  attacked-'  future  movements '  were  not  determined  upon  by  General  Halleck, 
yonr  omuinnd  r,  and  at  that  time  mine  also. 

i\  Halleck  and  yourself  were  informed  from  time  to  time  of  tho  progress  of  my  movement,  and  the 
oU  tar  lea  which  retarded  it. 

h .  i  7*  l  T"  '"  J;ommuBication  with  yo«  by  couriers,  and  with  General  Halleck  by  telegraph  ;  and  neither  you  nor 
ne  intornie.i  n,e  of  xour  actual  position,  though  I  telegraphed  him  distinctly  on  that  point ;  far  less  did  you  advise  me 
that  you  NMU«n4  >ourself  in  peril.  On  the  contrary,  on  the  4th  of  April,  you  sent  a  dispatch  to  General  Nelson, 
.(led  the  advance  of  my  column,  telling  him  not  to  hasten  his  march,  as  he  could  not  at  any  rate  com- 
S "^niTh  "*        mer  UntU  ^  f0ll0Wiug  T»<*day,  three  days  after  the  time  which  I  had  appointed  for  him  to  arrive 


Don   Caklos  Buell.  7]] 

to  ask  that  transports  be  at  once  sent  down  for  Crittenden's  division,  then 
arriving  at  Savannah.  He  reconnoitered  the  field  a  little,  then  returned  to  has- 
ten the  movements  of  his  troops. 

We  need  not  repeat  the  sad  story  of  that  first  day's  disaster,  which,  in  other 
pages,  has  been  fully  traced.  Before  Nelson  could  get  up  with  his  advance 
division,  Grant  was  sending  back  earnestly  for  assistance,  and  representing-  the 
force  with  which  he  was  engaged  at  a  hundred  thousand.* 

The  advance  of  Nelson's  division,  after  waiting  for  some  time  opposite  the 
Landing  for  means  of  crossing,  reached  the  field  just  as  the.  Eebels  were  making 
their  last  advance.  It  rapidly  took  post,  under  General  BuelFs  direction,  and 
opened  with  musketry  and  artillery.  No  more  ground  was  yielded,  and  the 
troops  encamped  in  line  of  battle. 

There  was  no  conference  between  the  commanders.  One  of  Grant's  sub- 
ordinates  furnished  Buell  with  a  rough  map  of  the  ground,  and  there  was  a 
common  understanding  that  operations  must  be  renewed  at  daylight.  Through 
the  night  Crittenden's  division  of  Buell's  army  arrived,  and  was  moved  out 
upon  Nelson's  right.  McCook's,  which  arrived  in  time  to  get  into  action  only  a 
little  later  than  the  others,  was  used  for  further  prolongation  to  the  right. 

And  now  was  seen — even  more  conspicuously  than  in  the  steady  march- 
ing— the  results  of  the  fine  discipline  which  Buell  had  been  enforcing.  At 
daybreak  Nelson,  moving  in  line  of  battle,  drove  in  the  enemy's  pickets  and 
engaged  his  artillery.  The  other  divisions  were  then  brought  up,  and  with 
varying  fortune  the  whole  line  advanced.  It  stretched  over  three-fourths  of 
the  battle-field.  The  remainder  was  left  to  the  surviving  fragments  of  Grant's 
army.  There  was  no  straggling  from  that  line;  no  confused  breaking  and 
fleeing  to  the  rear,  on  the  first  onset  of  the  enemy.     Many  of  the  troops  had 

*In  the  public  letter  from  Buell  to  Grant  quoted  from  in  the  last  note,  Buell  gives  this 
curious  document: 

"  Pittsbu&q,  April  6,  1862. 
"Commanding  Offices  Advance  Forces,  near  Pittsbvrg,  Tennessee: 

"General:  The  attack  on  my  forces  has  been  very  spirited  from  early  this  morning.  The  appearance  of  fresh 
troops  on  the  field  now  would  have  a  powerful  effect,- both  by  inspiring  our  men  and  disheartening  the  enemy.  If  you 
will  get  upon  the  field,  leaving  all  your  baggage  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river,  it  will  be  a  move  to  our  advantage,  and 
possibly  save  the  day  to  us. 

"  The  Rebel  force  is  estimated  at  over  one  hundred  thousand  men. 

"  My  head-quarters  will  be  in  the  log  building  on  top  of  the  hill,  where  you  will  be  furnished  a  staff  officer  to  guide 
you  to  your  place  on  the  field.  Respectfully,  etc.,  U.  S.  GRANT,  Major-General." 

After  producing  this  dispatch,  Buell  adds  some  pungent  comments  with  reference  to  the 
charge,  which  he  alleges  to  have  been  encouraged  at  Grant's  head-quarters,  that,  but  for  the 
delay  in  the  arrival  of  Buell's  army,  Grant  would  have  advanced  to  attack  the  enemy  at  Corinth 
before  the  date  of  this  battle: 

"  This  letter  was  sent  by  a  steamer,  and  was  delivered  to  me  probably  between  twelve  and  one  o'clock,  as  I  was 
on  my  way  to  the  scene  of  action.  Of  course  the  estimate  which  it  gives  could  not  have  been  £ased  on  the  nvre  noiso 
of  battle  ;  it  must  ha\e  been  formed  upon  information  previously  obtained.  It  is  true,  I  believe,  that  during  the  Mar 
you  did  not  in  any  instance  move  to  attack  an  enemy  with  less  than  double  his  strength— unless  the  battle  of  Iuka, 
fought  by  General  Rosecrans,  may  be  an  exception.  Now,  our  combined  armies  would  have  amounted  to  some  eighty- 
seven  thousand  men.  Is  it  supposable  that  you  would  have  moved  with  eighty-seven  thousand  men  to  attack,  in 
a  fortified  position,  an  enemy  whose  strength  you  estimated  at  over  one  hundred  thousand  men?  Would  it  have  been 
wise?  Would  it  have  been  in  accordance  with  your  invariable  practice  before  and  since?  You  had  not  the  transpor- 
tation for  such  a  movement,  if  you  had  the  disposition.  Moreover,  General  Halleek  evidently  supposed  the  roads  were 
not  practicable  for  it.  I  do  not  say  that  he  derived  his  information  from  you,  but  it  is  certain  that,  being  himself  in 
St.  Louis,  five  hundred  miles  distant,  you,  who  were  on  the  ground  and  in  command  of  the  troops,  were  the  person  to 
whom  he  should  have  looked  for  information  on  such  a  point.  If  you  gave  it  to  him,  no  one  will  question  that  you 
believod  it,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  was  very  nearly  if  not  entirely  true.  The  fact  that  as  late  as  the  4th  and  5th 
of  April  General  Sidney  Johnston  moved  forty-three  thousand  men  over  those  roads  to  attack  you,  is  no  proof  to  the 
contrary." 


yjj  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

•r  before  been  under  fire;  and  they  were  commanded  by  a  man  who  before 
that  eventful  day  had  never  handled  so  large  a  force  as  a  single  regiment  in 
on.  But  he  was  a  Soldier,  and  he  was  maneuvering  men  of  whom  he  had 
made  soldiers.  An  effort  was  made  to  turn  his  right  flank— he  promptly  threw 
in  ICeOook*!  division  to  check  it.  An  effortwas  made  against  his  left  flank — ho 
parried  it,  then  brought  up  the  reserves  at  that  point,  hurled  the  whole  force 
I nst  Beauregard's  right,  drove  it,  and  so  flanked  the  rest  of  the  Rebel  line, 
wl:  iily  fell  back.     Then  again  the  whole  line  advanced. 

At  no  time  did  the  force  thus  wielded  lose  its  cohesion.  Yet  there  were 
moments  when  the  prospect  looked  gloomy.  A  battery  was  driven,  with  its 
supports,  and  a  caisson  was  lost.  Another  battery  was  driven,  and  several  guns 
wen  lost.  But  the  line  speedily  rallied,  and  they  were  recaptured.  Then  ao-ain 
it  pr&sed  forward.  For  hours  still  the  struggle  continued,  through  the  alternate 
strips  of  woodland  and  little  intervals  of  farmland,  over  wrhich,  the  day  before 
(.rant's  army  had  retreated.  McCook's  division  had  the  honor  of  ending  the 
struggle,  and  its  last  charge  carried  it  into  the  camps  from  which  Sherman  had 
l»rrn  driven.  The  disaster  was  retrieved — at  a  cost  to  Buell's  army  of  two 
thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  An  equal 
or  greater  loss  had  been  inflicted;  and  twenty  pieces  of  Eebel  artillery  had 
been  captured. 

It  was  General  Buell's  singular  fortune  that  his  first  battle  should  be  bis 
test,  and  the  only  one  in  which  he  should  exercise  personal  command  on 
the  field.  His  conduct  here  certainly  warranted  the  expectations  then  generally 
cherished  of  a  brilliant  future  for  him.  His  strategic  ability  had  been  pre- 
viously displayed  in  the  plans  for  the  campaign  that  began  at  Fort  Henry 
II. I  tactical  skill  in  the  management  of  troops  in  action  was  now  exhibited  in 
a  favorable  light.  At  a  time  when  men  who  could  handle  troops  under  fire 
were  rare,  and  the  best  of  our  Generals  were  only  learners,  he  did  not  make  a 
single  imstake;  and  the  soldiers  who  saw  what  he  did  and  obeyed  his  orders 
wc-e  his  warmest  eulogists.     He  came  into  the  action  when,  without  him,  all 

™l0p,!  redCTemed  the  f°rtUneS  °f  thG  fidd'  and  J'ustl^  won  the  title  of  the 
hero  of  Pittsburg  Landing.* 

General  Hallcek  now  took  the  field  in  person;  and  the  solemn  siege  of 

the  document,  in  the ca  e  as  1,11  '      ,T  S°Ught  '°  exl'ibit  the  **»  of  **  ^^  fi- 

lled.   If  Tow  an7»'     „hf  ,     T°,      ,°Wl'vation-  c°»™^  »e  that  the  fact.,  .should  be 

»6>..ing,  »»ould  :;rP  ayin ;  td::sP :: :  8l,gh,t  mrion  °f  °^  «•*  <»  *•»  **«  ** 

I  need  only  point  t„  the  silni    "  „,  r  T ?         ^  8iVe"  '°  General  Eue11'9  Pe.'onnance, 

of  the  field  „,,  to  the  to  ,  twhee'T;  '"TT*  ""'  °f  ba",e>  »«<*  fetched  from  the  left 
'•«!■,,  Wallac^co    m  „dh.    .  C°herent  frag",en,S  °f  G™>"„  anuy  to  join.     Yet 

£«  r,.p„r,,  •I.eae.iJtar  Teeet  d  t  1  C„',eme,  3ft  "/  ^"^  •»"*  -k"™<^>  <"  '- 
J  sht.  The  inference  is  *£!££££  'n  '  '  T^*""8  *  ^"^  °"  BUe"'a 
Grant  had  no  troops  forming  a  line  of ha  e  ffl  T™  "*  °W"  6Xtreme  *&  and  Bllcll> 
this  regiment  should  extend  its  line  for  Wallacel  relit"       C°mPaCt  *°  P''CTent  "'e  necessit^  that 


Don  Carlos  Buell.  713 

Corinth  followed.  General  Buell  kept  his  army  up  with  the  foremost  in  the 
tedious  advance,  held  the  center,  and  did  whatever  Halleck  required.  That 
there  was  no  further  opportunity  for  distinction  before  Corinth  was  not  his 
fault.  His  troops  claim  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  discover  the  evacuation, 
and  to  enter  the  abandoned  stronghold.* 

There  was  now  opened  before  General  Buell  that  campaign  to  which,  from 
the  first,  his  attention  had  been  directed — the  occupation  of  East  Tennessee. 
He  was  to  enter  upon  it  as  a  subordinate;  and  when  he  again  attained  inde- 
pendent command  it  was  to  find  himself  hampered  bj*  restraints  at  "Washington. 

On  the  10th  of  June  (1862)  General  Halleck  advised  him  as  to  the  work 
of  liberating  East  Tennessee,  which  he  was  now  to  undertake — directing  an 
advance  on  Chattanooga  through  North  Alabama.  General  Buell  urged  a  more 
northerly  route,  leading  through  Middle  Tennessee  and  McMinnville,  but  having 
for  its  end  the  occupation  of  the  same  points,  Knoxville,  Chattanooga,  and  Dal- 
ton.  To  this  Halleck  consented.  On  the  12th  he  withdrew  this  consent,  and 
required  the  advance  along  the  line  of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Eailroad, 
with  Corinth  as  the  secondary  base — the  railroad  to  be  repaired  as  he  advanced. 

And  now  began  the  unfortunate  portion  of  General  Buell's  career.  He  had 
about  twenty-five  thousand  men,  and  there  were  subject  to  his  orders  in  Mitch- 
el's  column  in  North  Alabama,  about  sixteen  thousand  more.  With  this  force 
he  was  to  undertake  a  campaign  in  midsummer  against  the  strongest  point  in 
the  chain  of  positions  then  held  by  the  Confederate  armies,  to  guard  his  own 
line  of  supplies,  and  to  locate  this  line,  not  directly  south  from  Nashville,  but 
around  by  Paducah,  up  the  Tennessee,  thence  to  Corinth,  and  thence  eastward 
along  a  ruined  railroad — describing  three  sides  of  a  quadrangle,  through  an 
enemy's  country,  to  accomplish  the  distance  measured  by  the  remaining  side. 
"It  was  my  error  to  believe  at  the  time,"  General  Buell  has  since  frankly  said,f 
"that  the  thing  was  practicable,  and  I  did  not  represent  it  otherwise  when  I 
was  assigned  to  the  execution  of  it;  but  I  must  say  also,  in  extenuation,  that  I 
did  not  anticipate  that  the  enemy  was  to  be  left  so  unemployed  at  other  points, 
that  he  could  devote  his  greatest  effort  against  my  enterprise.  Besides,  I 
regarded  it  as  in  the  highest  degree  important,  and  I  supposed  that  no  larger 
force  could  be  spared  for  it."  For  it  must  be  remembered  that,  while  Buell 
was  left  to  undertake  this  perilous  campaign  against  a  point  where  the  enemy, 
driven  from  Corinth,  was  now  concentrating  the  bulk  of  his  resources,  the  rest 
of  the  great  forces  in  the  South-west  were  practically  doing  nothing.  It  was 
not  until  at  Iuka,  Price  and  Van  Dorn  themselves  chose  to  bring  on  active 
operations  in  Grant's  department,  in  the  last  days  of  August,  that  active  opera- 
tions there  began. 

General  Buell,  indeed,  saw  from  the  outset  that  Nashville,  and  not  Corinth, 
must  be  his  true  base;  and,  with  this  view,  he  gave  orders  that  the  two  rail- 
roads leading  south  from  Nashville  (one  to  Decatur  and  the  other  to  Steven- 

*  Buell's  official  report  of  the  advance  on  Corinth  says  Nelson's  division  was  the  first  to 
enter. 

t  Statement  before  Military  Committee,  p.  14. 


Ohio   in  the  War. 

.1,.  vnrwivod     But  the  task  proved  a  greater  one  than  he 
80„)  sl,.uM  he  promptly  -J""*'  ss  with  8ufflcient  earnest. 

Tnl^t^Sd  ^  Corinth  to  Beeatur-a  wo*,  aS 

'  7,  luerlv  useless      By  the  1st  of  July  his  divisions  began  to 

ISSSStSt**  *-  toerossthe  TenneT;t  Beeatnr, 

()f  CP0Mi!>ff  had  been,  with  no  little  difficulty,  provided. 
NV";::Ml^l:r  Vinous  ^  ■  ■  The  Mi«t  is  not  satisfied  with 
vour  L*r<xa  "     True  to  his  calm  and  methodical  ways,  he  contented  himself 
;vilh  pairing  the  causes  of  the  delays,  and  proceeded  as  ^ore* 

To  concentrate  his  army  at  the  farthest  point  accessible  on  the  route  he 

•  ,  take  would  have  seemed  to  the  impatient  country  like  progress;  but  to 

bemy  it  would    have  clearly  revealed  the  whole  plan.      General    Buell 

wi.,!v    therefore,  avoided  crowding   them   forward    while   the    railroads  were 

Bftder^oing  repairs.     They  were  scattered  at  convenient  points  for  supplies,  em- 

1  in  building  stockades  along  the  lines,  or  transferred  to  Battle  Creek  and 

other  points  where  some  danger  seemed  to  threaten. 

While  these  movements  went  deliberately  on,  John  Morgan  was  bursting 
into  Kentucky  and  spreading  alarm  along  the  Ohio.  The  ease  with  which 
Buell's  lines  of  supply  could  be  cut  was  thus  revealed  to  the  enemy.  Long  be- 
fore this,  our  cautious  General  had  himself  perceived  the  danger.  As  early  as 
the  12th  of  May  he  had  begun  his  appeals  to  the  Secretary  of  War  for  more 

*  The  following  are  the  dispatches.    They  are  not  accessible  in  any  published  form,  but  they 

may  be  found  on  the  files  of  the  War  Department : 

"  Corinth,  July  8,  1862. 
"  M  wor-Genehal  Bcell,  Huntsville :  The  President  telegraphs  that  your  progress  is  not  satisfactory,  and  that 
you  should  move  more  rapidly.    The  long  time  taken  by  you  to  reach  Chattanooga  w ill  enable  the  enemy  to  anticijato 
you  by  concentrating  a  larger  force  to  meet  you.    I  communicate  his  views,  hoping  that  your  movements  hereafter 
will  be  bo  rapid  as  to  remove  all  causes  of  complaint,  whether  well  founded  or  notJ  H.  W.  IIALLECK." 

"  Head-Quarters,  Htjntsville,  July  11,.  1862. 
"  Major-Genkiial  H.  W.  Ham.eck:  I  appreciate  the  importance  of  moving  promptly,  though  it  is  idle  to  sup- 
pose that  theenomy,  with  his  railroad  communications  complete,  and  our  lines  difficult  and  broken,  will  not  always 
be  nidi-  to  anticipate  us  at  any  important  point.    I  regret  that  it  is  necessary  to  explain  the  circumstances  which  must 
make  my  progress  seem  slow,  though,  perhaps,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  they  should  otherwise  be  understood.    I 
understand  what  you  have  given  me  to  do,  and,  if  permitted,  I  expect  to  accomplish  it  without  any  unnecessary  delay, 
and  in  >m  h  a  manner  as  to  neither  jeopardize  my  army  or  its  honor,  nor  trifle  with  loyal  citizens,  betrayed  to  tho 
venc<ancc  of  their  enemies  by  a  promised  protection  and  a  hurried  abandoment.    The  advance  on  Chattanooga  must 
be  made  \,  itli  the  means  of  acting  in  force ;  otherwise  it  will  either  fail  or  prove  a  profitless  and  transient  prize.    The 
railroad  communications  as  far  as  Stevenson  must  be  securely  established.    From  that  point  the  transportation  must 
at  flmt  be  by  wagons  for  twenty-five  miles.    The  river  must  be  crossed  by  a  pontoon  bridge,  which  I  am  now  prepar- 
ing.   It  is  not  possible  to  establish  the  requisite  means  of  communication  by  any  means  of  ferrying  which  we  can  pro- 
Tide.    These  arrangements  are  being  pushed  forward  as  industriously  as  possible.    The  troops  are  moving  forward  to 
the  terminus  of  the  railroad  without  any  unnecessary  delay,  and  one  division  has  already  arrived  there.    It  ought  to 
be  borne  in  mind  that  they  have  had  a  march  of  about  two  hundred  miles  to  make,  with  a  large  train,  in  hot  weather, 
MMBttf  a  wide  river  by  a  ferry.    The  report  of  General  Mitchel  led  me  to  expect  that  the  Chattanooga  road  Mould  bo 
ted  by  ihe  first  of  this  month.    I  do  not  censure  him  for  being  mistaken:    I  have7  since  nearly  doubled  the  force 
on  it,  and  it  can  not  be  finished  before  Monday  next.    The  gap  of  twenty-two  miles  on  the  Decatur  Koad,  the  one  wo 
ndi-nt  upon  for  supplies,  has,  from  the  character  of  the  road,  made  it  more  expeditious  to  take  another  i  oute, 
forty  miles  long;  and  it  requires  every  wagon  that  can  possibly  be  spared  to  keep  the  troops  from  starving,  and  at  that 
we  an- living  from  day.  to  day.    We  consume,  of  provisions  alone,  about  one  hundred  thousand  pounds  daily,  which. 
Ii  our  animals  in  their  present  condition,  it  requires  about  sixty  wagons  to  carry.    The  trips  can  not  be  made, 
going  and  coming,  in  less  than  five  days.    Throe  hundred  and  fifty  Wagons  are,  therefore,  required  to  haul  provisions 
done  over  this  gap.    To  haul  forage  over  the  same  distance,  cveu  at  half  rations  would  require  seven  hundred  wagons 
ore.     We  are   running  about  five    hundred    wagons,  managing,   with  great    difficulty,   to    subsist   our    animals 
r>  the  country  already  nearly  exhausted  of  supplies.    It  will  thus  be  seen  that  we  can  not  advance  beyond  Ste- 
rn until  the  road  is  completed  so  as  to  release  the  wagons  now  absolutely  required  in  rear.    Three  mills  are  get 
ting  out  lumber  for  boats,  which  will  be  finished  as  soon  as  possible.    These  are  matters  of  fact,  which  can  not  be  got 
rid  or  by  sophistry  or  fair  promises,  however  gratifyiug.    The  dissatisfaction  of  the  President  pains  ine  exceedingly. 
I  request  that  this  dispatch  may  be  communicated  to  him.  D.  C.  BUKLL." 


•     Don  Carlos  Buell.  715 

cavalry.*  From  time  to  time  he  continued  the  appeals.  Presently  came  fresh 
incursions  to  re-enfore  his  arguments.  He  was  holding  a  front  of  from  three 
hundred  to  four  hundred  miles  through  the  enemy's  country,  with  a  cavalry 
force  which  the  subsequent  experience  of  his  successor  in  the  same  field,  as  well 
as  his  own  reasonings  and  the  teachings  of  the  whole  war,  were  to  show  to  ho 
inadequate.  Through  one  part  of  the  line  Morgan  had  worked  his  way.  Next 
came  Forrest  before  Murfreesboro',  swooping  down  upon  the  garrison,  and  cut- 
ting the  railroad  connections  of  Buell's  army  with  Nashville.  Brigade  after 
brigade  was  necessarily  detached  from  the  front  to  strengthen  these  exposed 
points  at  the  rear;  the  army  that  was  to  sweep  forward  upon  Chattanooga  was 
undergoing  a  process  of  disintegration,  into  bridge-guards  and  guerrilla-hunt- 
ers, and  the  continued  appeals  for  cavalry  went  unanswered.f 

It  is  now  the  time  to  observe  that  other  causes  had  combined  with  the 
dissatisfaction  at  Buell's  slow  progress,  to  bring  him  into  disfavor  at  Washing- 
ton. It  was  the  season  of  intense  hostility  to  McClellan  in  Administration  cir- 
cles, and  Buell  was  known  as  McClellan's  friend.  The  spirit  of  the  public 
press,  and  the  tone  of  public  feeling,  called  for  harsh  treatment  of  the  conquered 
territory,  and  Buell  insisted  upon  the  laws  of  war.  Most  of  all,  the  people 
were  not  disposed  to  censure  soldiers  too  harshly  for  excesses  committed  in  the 
Bebel  country,  provided  they  exhibited  (or  possessed)  a  willingness  to  fight  the 
Hebel  armies.     Yet  Buell  had  devoted  much  time,  while  awaiting-  the  bridge- 

'  DO 

building  and  railroad  repairs,  in  striving  to  enforce  discipline,  and  to  reduce 
the  somewhat  loose  habits  of  Mitchel's  command  to  the  army  standard.  Courts- 
martial  were  constant,  their  verdicts  in  those  days  appeared  severe,  and  Buell 
seemed  rarely  to  find  fault  with  them,  save  for  undue  lenity.  The  case  of 
Colonel  Turchin  attracted  particular  attention.  He  was  found  guilty  of  per- 
mitting gross  excesses,  and  was  dismissed  from  the  service;  but  the  city  of 
Chicago  accorded  him  a  public  reception  on  his  return,  and  the  President  pres- 
ently signified  (as  it  would  seem)  his  approval  of  the  conduct  Buell  had  pun- 
ished by  appointing  him  Brigadier-General. 

Thus,  while  the  delays  dragged  on  from  the  12th  of  June  to  the  second 
week  in  August,  the  delaying  General  was  steadily  losing  the  confidence  of  the 
Government  and  of  the  country. J  He  was  next  and  suddenly  to  lose  that  of 
the  army. 

*  Statement  before  Military  Commission,  p.  16. 

fOf  numerous  dispatches  with  which  Buell  now  burdened  the  wires,  this  one  may  be  taken 

as  a  sample: 

"  Head-Quarters,  Huntsville,  July  23,  1862, 
"General  Halleck  or  General  Thomas,  Washington,  D.  C:  I  can  not  err  in  repeating  to  you  the  urgent  importanco 
of  a  larger  cavalry  force  in  this  district.  The  enemy  is  throwing  an  immense  cavalry  force  on  the  four  hundred 
miles  of  railroad  communication  upon  which  this  army  is  dependent  for  its  supplies.  I  am  building  stockades  to 
hold  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  men  at  all  bridges,  but  such  guards,  at  best,  only  .give  security  to  certain  points  and 
against  a  small  force.  There  can  be  no  safety  without  cavalry  enough  to  pursue  the  enemy  in  large  bodies.  Twice 
already  our  roads  have  been  broken  up  by  these  formidable  raids,  causing  great  delays  and  embarrassment,  so  that 
wo  are  barely  able  to  subsist  from  day  to  day.  I  am  concentrating  all  the  cavalry  I  can  spare,  to  operate  actively  in 
force.  I  don't  pretend  to  know  whether  you  have  cavalry  that  you  can  spare  elsewhere,  but  if  so,  it  can  find  abun- 
dant and  very  important  service  here.  D.  C  BUELL." 

t  So  grave  had  this  loss  of  confidence  become  that  the  President  seriously  considered  the 


716 


Ohio   in    the   War. 


W-  have  seen  that,  on  the  12th  of  June,  General  Buell  had  received  his 
final  orders  for  the  campaign  against  Chattanooga.  On  the  7th  of  August  he 
general  HaUeek  that  Bragg  had  concentrated  against  him  ac  Chatta- 
nooga a  force  at  least  sixty  thousand  strong.  He  was  then  at  Huntsville,  with 
divisions  of  his  army  occupying  Stevenson,  Battle  Creek,  Decherd,  and  McMinn- 
ville.  A  few  days'  marching  would  bring  him  to  Chattanooga;  and  he  may  still 
haw  beped,  by  falling  on  isolated  wings  of  the  enemy,  to  beat  him  in  detail  and 
attain  the  end  of  his  campaign.  Within  a  week  this  was  impossible;  within  a 
forte f gilt  he  was  laboring  to  concentrate  his  own  forces,  lest  the  enemy  should 
beat  Aim  in  detail. 

For  a  little  there  were  plans  of  concentration  at  McMinnville,  or  at  Alta- 
mont ;  marches  and  counter-marches  that  led  to  nothing.  Meanwhile  Kirby 
Smith  had  marched  through  East  Tennessee  into  Kentucky;  the  railroad  con- 
nections seemed  hopelessly  cut ;  the  army  was  reduced  to  fifteen,  and  finally  to 
ten  days'  supplies,  and  the  country  was  too  poor  to  support  it.  At  first,  as  they 
subsequently  testified,  some  of  his  higher  officers  favored  an  effort  to  give  bat- 
tie  at  6ome  more  advanced  point.  But  even  Geo.  H.  Thomas  soon  acquiesced 
in  the  decision  which  the  cautious  commander  had  already  reached;*  and  the 
army  that  had  been  expected  to  capture  Chattanoga  and  liberate  East  Tennes- 
see was  presently  marching  back  in  all  haste  to  concentrate  at  Murfreesboro',  a 
little  south  of  Nashville. 

The  field  was  thus  left  open.  Kirby  Smith  was  already  in  Kentucky ; 
Bragg  now  made  a  bold  march  to  join  him ;  and  nothing  less  than  the  capture 
of  Louisville  and  the  permanent' occupation  of  the  State  were  the  objects  to 
which  the  Rebel  commander  directed  his  aim. 

So  now,  while  Buell  was  at  Murfreesboro'  and  at  Nashville,  Bragg,  passing  to 
eastward,  was  marching  for  the  exposed   post  of  Munfordsville,  in  Ken- 
tucky.    The  army  saw  the  enemy  it  had  proposed  to  drive  southward  from  Chat- 
question  of  removing  General  Buell.    The  General's  response  to  an  intimation  of  this  nature 
wM  manly  and  patriotic.    The  dispatches  (on  file  in  the  War  Department)  are  as  follows : 

"  Moor-General  Bufli    TJu^^iu  .  « „*•    a*,    j.      ...  "  Washington,  August  18,  1862. 

IB  your  district,  that  I S fZlnL  notfhed  /\  dlS8at,8faction  h«re  at  the  ^parent  want  of  energy  and  action 
further  of  your  moTemeuto010  ^  70U  '^^    *  eot  the  niattei"  de,a>'*d  "»  ™  could  hear 

H.  W.  HALLECK,  General-in-Chief." 

"General  Halleck,  Washinaton    T)   C  \  If.  „  4    v  "  Head-QuaRTErs,  Huntsville   August  18,  1862. 

rehire.  I  beg  that  ron  wT„^n££e  n  m  b'Tai?  ^  ^  8UCh  **  the  --"-dances  seemed  to  me  to 
ground,  which,  I  think  might  to  auDM8ed  iJ  n„T  '    f  contra^  if  th«  dissatisfaction  can  not  ceaee  on 

tioni.  far  too  important  to  £ TJ^^^  ^Z^^^^' ^^  ^T  mV  ^  "**>  "»  ^ 
to  d^med  necemry  for  the  public  good.    In  Iny  event   whltT         J  "?  de8h*e  t0  Stand  '?  the  Way  of  what  -* 

■-  -ufflcient  to  cope  with  the  enemy  wllrv   a  ,'h  J  t  earnestly  "commend  ^  that  a  cavalry  force  bo 

army  I.  dependent  for  ^l^t^  Mi^fZy^^  °^n  lh9tWr  *"***  m0m  °f  raiIroad'  °»  whUb  <his 
•f  the  army  to  protect  its  communication  W  builcHn, It'  \T  e?1«Tored  to  diminis"  the  heavy  drain  on  the  body 
work  of  rebuilding  roads,  ha,  had  to  to  Sone  unae LZtr $  ,'?  "'^  ^  ^  ^^ 8eCUr«-  T1"8'  and  the 
Prehend  that  thoee  heavy  detachment ,  wUl  hav S  n  ^avy  detachments,  and  has  been  tedious.  I  ap- 
jwarming  with  the  enemy',  cavalry,  and  Ian  only  be  nouTTi  We,Rre  OCCUpyin»  line«  of  ««*t  depth.  They  are 
Unceofthi,  matter.  Three  ^^i^^^T'f  J^^l  *  ^  inipossible  to  serrate  the  impor- 
carelry  in  Tennes.ee  and  Kentucky.  re>re8ented  to  the  department  the  necessity  for  eight  more  regiments  of 

•  O  1    Tk  D.  C.  BUELL." 

^£?i£S^X^*»  MimaryCommission  that,  in  his  jud 
«",  however,  ^tu^TCT'^  ^  ™  «^d  a  concentration  there.     Gene'ral  Bu" 
^^O^T^'ZJ^^^*'^**  -  -as  to  the 


Don   Carlos  Buell.  717 

tanooga  passing  by  it  as  an  object  unworthy  of  notice,  and  roaming  almost 
unopposed  through  the  country  north  of  it.  Dissatisfaction  was  general,  and 
it  was  speedily  heightened  by  the  false  reports  that  were  assiduously  circulated, 
to  the  effect  that  General  Buell  was  on  the  point  of  abandoning  Nashville 
itself,  and  that  only  the  remonstrances  of  Provisional -Governor  Andrew  John- 
son  prevented  the  sacrifice* 

On  the  15th  of  September  the  last  of  the  army  that  had  started  south-east- 
ward against  Chattanooga  marched  back  out  of  Nashville  toward  the  Ohio 
Eiver.  But  by  this  time  Bragg  had  thrown  himself  upon  the  garrison  at  Mun- 
fordsville,  had  carried  the  position,  paroled  the  garrison,  and  made  ready  for 
his  connection  with  Kirby  Smith. 

There  was  now  at  last  an  opportunity  for  decisive  battle.  Before  Bragg  got 
away  from  Munfordsville  Buell  was  up.  He  was  behind  the  invader  and  across 
his  line  of  retreat.  To  Bragg,  defeat  would  have  been  destruction.  The  soldiers 
perceived  the  opportunity,  and  the  desire  to  attack  would  seem  to  have  been 
general.  But  Buell,  unmoved  by  the  critical  aspect  of  affairs,  and  as  calm 
amid  the  hurry  of  his  return  as  if  laying  out  a  campaign  in  the  quiet  of  winter 
head -quarters,  looked  farther  ahead.  "An  attack,"  he  says,  "would  not  have 
been  judicious  under  the  circumstances.  ...  I  deemed  it  all-important  to 
force  him  farther  into  the  State,  instead  of  allowing  him  to  fall  back  upon 
Bowling  Green  and  Nashville;  and  I  determined  to  attack  then  rather  than 
allow  him  that  course.  I  believed  the  condition  of  his  supplies  would  compel 
him  to  abandon  his  position;  and  I  was  very  well  content  when  that  proved  to 
be  the  case."f 

And  so  the  rear-guard  of  Bragg  drew  out,  and  the  advance-guard  of  Buell, 
skirmishing  a  little,  marched  in.  The  impatient  soldiers  grew  more  and  more 
indignant  as  they  saw  the  Eebel  army  moving  off  to  its  concentration  with 
Kirby  Smith;  and  the  denunciations  of  their  commander,  which  the  severe  dis- 
cipline in  Northern  Alabama  had  at  first  stimulated,  now  became  open,  bitter, 

•  These  reports  were  long  kept  up,  and  were  supposed  to  originate  with  Mr.  Johnson  him- 
self. General  Buell  finally  thought  it  worth  while,  in  closing  his  review  of  the  evidence  before 
the  Military  Commission,  to  give  them  this  emphatic  contradiction : 

"  Some  months  ago  a  statement  appeared  in  the  newspapers,  on  the  reported  authority  of  Governor  Andrew  John- 
eon,  that  I  had  only  been  prevented,  by  his  resolute  expostulations,  from  abandoning  Nashville  when  I  moved  north 
with  my  army  in  September  last.  He  has  since  mada  the  same  asseitijn  in  a  deposition.  Whenever  I  have  spoken  on 
this  subject  I  have  denounced  this  statement  as  false,  and  I  now  repeat  that  denunciation.  I  am  very  willing  to  bear 
the  responsibility  of  my  own  acts  or  intentions  ;  and  it  given  me  sincere  pleasure  at  all  times  to  acknowledge  any 
assistance  I  may  receive  from  others,  either  in  council  or  action.  If  I  had  determined  to  abandon  Nashville  it  would 
have  been  upon  my  best  judgment,  and  I  should  cheerfully  have  submitted  to  a  verdict  on  the  wisdom  of  my  course. 
I  assert  that  I  never  intimated  to  Governor  Johnson  an  intention  or  wish  to  leave  Nashville  without  a  garrison  ;  that 
there  was  no  discussion  between  us,  pro  and  con,  on -the  subject,  and  that  the  determination  to  hold  the  place  was  my 
own,  uninfluenced  by  him  in  any  manner.  I  had  not  that  confidence  in  his  judgment  or  that  distrust  of  my  own  which 
would  have  induced  mo  to  seek  his  counsel.  On  account  of  his  official  position  I  called  on  him  first  to  Inform  him 
what  I  meant  to  do,  and  last  to  tell  him  what  garrison  I  had  concluded  to  leave.  On  both  occasions,  as  far  as  my 
plans  were  concerned,  I  was  the  speaker  and  he  the  listener.  My  officers  were  far  more  likely  to  know  my  views  than 
he,  and  they  have  stated  that  I  said  always  that  the  political  importance  of  the  occupation  far  outweighed  any  purely 
military  bearing  of  the  question,  and  that  I  should  hold  the  city.  D.  C.  BUELL,  Major-General." 

t  Statement  in  Keview  of  Evidence  before  Military  Commission  in  his  case,  p.  35.  Buell 
also  says,  in  the  same  connection,  that  no  officers  of  high  rank  in  the  army  were  desirous  to 
attack  there,  and  that  the  advantage  of  location,  which  was  with  the  enemy,  as  well  as  the 
exhausted  condition  of  the  supplies,  and  the  danger  of  fighting  a  decisive  battle  while  in  such  a 
a  position  with  reference  to  his  base,  formed  conclusive  reasons  for  not  seeking  battle. 


72g  Ohio   in   the  War. 

and  almost  universal.     The  faces  of  the  army  were  once  more  turned  north - 

wai,i__(;eneral  Buell  holding  it  of  the  first  importance  to  reach  Louisville,  and 

the  heavy  re-enforcements  of  raw  troops  there  assembled  into  his 

•an   army.     On  the  29th  of  September  the  last  of  his   divisions  entered 

Louisville;   on  the  30th  the  consolidation  and  reorganization   had  been  com- 

•  id  the  army  was  marching  out  against,  the  Kebel  force  that  now  had 

undisputed  possession  of  three-fourths  of  Kentucky.     But  before  this  General 

I  had  been  ordered  by  the  indignant  Administration  to  turn  over  his  com- 
mand to  General  Geo.  H.  Thomas,  and,  at  the  special  request  of  that  officer,  had 
been  reinstated.* 

It  has  been  common  to  speak  of  the  army  that  thus  ended  its  march  against 
Chattanooga  at  Louisville  as  being  in  a  demoralized  condition.  Undoubtedly  it 
was  much  dissatisfied,  full  of  unsoldierly  clamor,  noisy  in  denunciation  of  its 
commander.  Yet  General  Buell  said  he  never  doubted  his  ability  to  direct  and 
control  it  as  he  would;  and  those  who  remember  its  exhausted  and  disorganized 
condition  when  it  reached  the  Ohio,  and  the  magic  transformation  which  it 
underwent,  when,  within  a  day  after  the  arrival  of  its  rear-guard,  the  advance 
moved  out  with  compact  ranks,  and  hopes  as  high  as  ever,  against  the  foe  it  had, 
over  three  States,  been  vainly  hoping  to  encounter,  will  not  fail  to  award  the 
General,  who  wrought  this  change,  the  high  praise  he  rightfully  deserves  for  an 
achievement  almost  as  wonderful  as  that  which  led  the  defeated  army  from  the 
field  of  the  second  Bull  Bun  to  the  heights  of  Antietam. 

Spreading  out  his  reorganized  army  into  five  columns,  General  Buell  swept 
the  country  from  Louisville  and  Frankfort  in  converging  lines  upon  Bardstown, 
where  he  knew  Bragg  to  be  rapidly  concentrating.  Near  this  point  there  was 
some  skirmishing,  but  Bragg's  rear-guard  moved  away  eight  hours  before  the 
advance  of  Buell  entered.  A  stand  next  seemed  probable  at  Danville,  and 
thither  the  three  corps  were  directed  once  more  on  converging  roads,  the  cen- 
tral one  leading  through  Perryville.  Then,  as  news  came  that  Bragg  was  con- 
centrating at  Perryville  itself,  the  directions  of  the  wings  were  changed  to 
correspond  with  the  new  movement  thus  required. 

Tl.us  it  happened  that  on  the  afternoon  of  the  7th  of  October  the  central 
corps  was  driving  the  enemy's  pickets  three  miles  north-west  of  Perryville,  and 
•The  following  are  some  of  the  dispatches: 

[Received  Washington  September  29,  1862.] 

"MAJOK-Cmnu  Hit,»rr    n         i-    „,-,  "  Loui8VII'LE'  Kentucky,  September  29,  1852-2.30  P.  M. 

turn  ov, "  J,™;  nd  t  o^Z^^^^^T*'*  "3  "J"  °'  ""  **  **»«  "««■■  ™  » 
in  totter  obedience  to  your  i. ,«  ™««       t   •?«  -    *  LaVe  McoriinS^  turned  over  the  command  to  him,  and, 

MMMftOi  to  your  instructions,  I  shall  repair  to  Indianapolis  and  await  further  orders. 

"D.  C.  BUELL,  Major-General." 

[Received  Washington  September  30.] 
"Gmekal  Hallkck:    I  received  last  «r«»t  .,-  "Louisville,  September  30,  1863-1  F.  M. 

■ram  of  public  duty  I  shall  continue  to  Ai*rZZ Qg*°Y  *1BP!itch  spending  my  removal  from  command.    Out  of  a 
ordered.  "continue  to  d.scharge  the  duties  of  my  command  to  the  best  of  my  ability  until  otherwise 

"D.  C.  BUELL,  Major-General." 


Don  Caklos   Buell.  719 

skirmishing  sharply  for  the  possession  of  some  pools  of  water  in  the  dry  bed  of 
a  tributary  to  Chaplin  River.  Meanwhile  orders  were  sent  in  all  haste  to  Mc- 
Cook's  and  Crittenden's  corps  to  hasten  up  and  take  positions  on  the  right  and 
left  respectively  of  the  central  corps.  Their  commanders  were  then  to  report 
in  person,  and  dispositions  were  made  for  a  combined  attack  on  the  enemy. 
General  McCook  did  not  receive  the  order  till  half- past  two  in  the  morning,  and 
he  marched  at  five  instead  of  three,  as  had  been  directed.  General  Crittenden 
did  not  receive  it  till  some  hours  later,  owing  to  his  having  been  compelled  to 
move  off  the  route  assigned  him  to  secure  water.*  To  the  General  command- 
ing, whose  habitual  movements  were  deliberate,  and  with  whom  thorough  prep- 
aration was  held  an  absolute  essential  preliminary,  these  delays  seemed  sufficient 
cause  for  postponing  the  decisive  attack  until  the  next  day.  Meantime  he  had 
been  apprehensive  of  being  attacked  himself,  while  having  only  one  corps  up; 
but  when  the  morning  passed  in  light  skirmishing,  and  McCook's  corps  began 
to  come  in,  he  considered  the  danger  passed,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  arrange- 
ments for  the  battle  he  intended  to  deliver  on  the  morrow. 

Not  until  four  o'clock  did  the  General  know  of  any  change  in  the  circum- 
stances on  which  this  action  Avas  based.  Artillery  firing  he  heard,  and  sounds' 
as  of  skirmishing,  but  these  had  been  going  on, all  morning;  and  he  rested  on 
his  order  to  the  corps  commanders  to  report  in  person  on  their  arrival. f  Then, 
however,  came  the  startling  message,  borne  by  an  aid  of  McCook's,  that  a 
severe  battle  had  been  going  on  for  several  hours,  that  the  flanks  were  giving 
way,  and  that,  unless  speedily  re-enforced,  he  would  not  be  able  to  maintain  his 

*  There  had  been  a  long  drought,  and  a  great  scarcity  of  water  embarrassed  the  movements 
and  brought  much  suffering  on  the  troops. 

The  order  sent  to  McCook  was  intended  to  get  his  corps  into  position  by  seven  or  eight 
o'clock.  The  delays  above  spoken  of  were  such  that  the  head  of  the  column  did  not  begin 
arriving  till  between  ten  and  eleven  o'clock.     The  following  is  the  text  of  the  order: 

"October  7,  1862— S  P.  M. 
"  General  :  The  Third  Corps  (Gilbert's)  is  within  three  and  a  half"  miles  of  Perryville— the  cavalry  being  nearer— 
probably  within  two  and  a  half  miles.  From  all  the  information  gained  to-day,  it  seems  probable  that  the  enemy  will 
resist  our  advance  into  the  town.  They  are  said  to  have  a  strong  force  in  and  near  the  place.  There  is  no  water  here, 
and  we  will  get  but  little,  if  any,  until  we  get  it  at  Perryville.  We  expect  to  attack  and  carry  the  place  to-morrow. 
March  at  three  oy clod- precisely  to-morrow  morning,  without  fail,  and  move  up  till  the  head  of  your  column  gets  to  within 
about  three  or  three  and  a  half  miles  of  Perryville  :  that  is  to  6ay,  until  you  are  abreast  of  the  Third  Corps.  The  left 
Of  this  corps  rests  near  Bottom's  place.  Perhaps  Captain  Williams,  Jackson's  cavalry,  will  know  where  it  is.  From  the 
point  of  the  road  Gilbert  is  now  on,  across  direct  to  your  road,  is  about  two  and  a  half  or  three  miles.  When  the  head  of 
your  column  gets  to  the  vicinity  designated  (three  or  three  and  a  half  miles  from  town),  halt  and  form  in  order  of 
battle,  and  let  the  rear  close  well  up;  then  let  the  men  rest  in  position  and  be  made  as  comfortable  as  possible,  but  do 
not  permit  them  to  scatter.  Have  the  country  on  your  front  examined,  a  reconnoissance  made,  and  collect  all  the  in- 
formation possible  in  regard  to  the  enemy,  and  the  country  and  roads  in  your  vicinity,  and  theu  report  in  person,  as 
quickly  as  practicable,  to  these  head-quarters.  If  your  men  have  an  opportunity  to  get  water  of  any  kind,  they  must 
lill  their  canteens,  and  the  officers  must  caution  them  particularly  to  use  it  in  the  most  sparing  manner.  Send  to  the 
rear  every  wagon  and  animal  which  is  not  required  with  your  column.  All  the  usual  precautions  must  be  taken,  and 
preparations  made  for  action.  Keep  all  teams  back  except  ammunition  and  ambulances.  Nothing  has  been  heard 
from  yon  to-day.  Send  orderlies  by  bearer  to  learn  the  locality  of  these  head-quarters.  The  General  desires  to  see 
Captain  Williams,  Jackson's  cavalry,  by  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  at  these  head-quarters. 

"Respectfully,  etc.,  JAMES  B.  FRY,  Colonel  and  Chief  of  Staff." 

tit  was  also  sworn  by  large  numbers  of  witnesses  before  the  Military  Commission,  that, 
owing  to  the  direction  of  the  wind  and  the  conformation  of  the  ground,  there  were  no  sounds 
heard  at  the  head-quarters,  to  indicate  more  than  sharp  skirmishing.  General  Grant  was  once 
subjected  to  the  same  misfortune  at  the  battle  of  Iuka.  See  account  of  that  action  in  Lives  of 
Rosecrans  and  Grant. 


jig  Ohio   in  the  Wak. 

ground.     The  news  seemed  so  incredible  that  Euell  could  scarcely  believe  it. 

he  gave  orders  for  rapid  re-enforcements.     Before  they  could  arrive  night 

b.:v\  Middd  the  ill-judged  and  sanguinary  struggle.     The  next  morning  Bragg 

retreating,  and  so  severe  was  the  punishment  he  had  inflicted,  that  he  was 

left  to  retreat  unobstructed. 

The  effective  force  under  Buell's  control  at  Perryville,  was  fifty-fonr  thou- 
sand men  before,  fifty  thousand  after  the  battle.     Bragg  had  sixty  thousand 
lable  at  Harrodsburg,  though  he  brought,  like  Buell,  only  a  portion  of  his 
troops  into  the  action.     What  the  result  of  a  battle  between  forces  thus  bal- 
!  ought  to  have  been,  may  not  be  safely  asserted  in  a  business  so  uncertain 
as  war.    That  Perryville  might  have  been  a  victory,  however,  General  Buell  him- 
self seems  to  believe.   It  was  a  less  decisive  engagement  than  it  should  have  been 
bfl  sajSj  "partly  because  of  unavoidable  difficulties,  which  prevented  the  troops 
inarching  upon  different  roads,  from  getting  on  the   ground    simultaneously, 
but  chiefly  because  I  was  not  apprised  early  enough  of  the  condition  of  affairs 
on  my  left."    He  adds,  "I  can  find  no  fault  with  the  former,  nor  am  I  disposed 
at  this  time  to  censure  the  latter,  though  it  must  be  admitted  to  have  been  a 
grave   error.     I   ascribe   it   to   the   too  great  confidence   of  the  General  com- 
manding the   left   corps  (Major- General  McCook),  which   made    him   believe 
that  he   could  manage  the  difficulty  without  the  aid  or  control  of  his  com- 
mander."* 


ended. 


The  story  of  the  campaign,  and  of  General  Buell's  career,  may  be  briefly 


The  General  believed  that  Bragg'.,  strength  was  a  full  match  for  his  own 
and  that  all  the  Rebel  troops  were  veterans.  He  believed  that  the  invasion  had 
for  .u  object  the  permanent  occupation  of  Kentucky,  He  regarded,  therefore, 
another  and  greater  battle-probably  in  the  vicinity  of  Harrodsbnrg-as  almost 
certa.n.  Somewhat  stunned,  perhaps,  for  the  moment,  by  the  rude  blow  at 
Icrryv,  le,  he  was  certainly  indisposed  to  bring  on  this  new  battle  which  he 
expected  o  be  decisive,  without  perfect  preparation  and  the  complete  ooncen- 
.  .on  of  h,s  army.  When  Bragg  moved  to  Camp  Dick  Robinson  he  still 
he  m  M      "r    n        ""J-'*"*  °"^  for  *«■»»*  g™und  for  battle.     And 

2  r 1: y  tdr cxp,anation  °f  tiie  ^^ — -inch  he  *«, 

d    X     '     "^    MyStUdieShaVC  ton«ht  me  ^  battles  are  only  to  be 

cm         n    ,7,  "T^  °bJeCt;  thal  ~s  *»*  *>  -dered  reasonably 

-  i;^-"'*  ™re  certain  the  better;  that  if  the  result  is  reasonably 

<■  a     i        10  c  ' '  I"'6        S  t'  °r  When  thC  advan^ea  of  a  P°-ible  **»**  far 
b«  a  I 1    r  olei 7^,     "  P''°bable  **"     T"°Se  ""*  ^^  tt«*w«r 

^  s,ud;;:    I! Itti  ^t0°f  mel'e.  b,00dS!,edi  a"d  «"**  **«*  Points 
emendation  to  campa.g™  which  have  been  conducted  over  a 

'Hie,  *  JT"      '  ReViCW  °f  Evide"Ce  before  Mili«"T  Commission,  Offioial  Eeport,  Perry- 


Don   Caklos  Buell.  721 

large  field  of  operations  with  important  results,  and  without  a  single  general 
engagement.  In  my  judgment  the  commander  merits  condemnation  who,  from 
ambition  or  ignorance,  or  a  weak  submission  to  the  dictation  of  popular  clamor, 
and  without  necessity  or  profit,  has  squandered  the  lives  of  his  soldiers." 

Thus  reasoning,  General  Buell  proceeded  with  his  deliberate  and  strictly 
correct  preparations  for  battle,  till  he  discovered  that  Bragg  was  making  off  from 
the  State  with  his  plunder.  Then  he  made  vigorous  but  by  no  means  vehe- 
ment pursuit,  till  he  had  dogged  the  rear-guard  into  the  mountains. 

Meantime  the  Administration,  delighted  with  what  was  called,  in  the  fool- 
ish language  of  those  self-deceiving  days,  the  victory  of  Perry ville,  was  elate 
with  the  vision  of  the  army  rushing  pell-mell  after  the  fragments  of  the 
Eebel  rout  through  the  mountains,  and  relieving  East  Tennessee.  Nothing  less 
than  the  speedy  occupation  of  Knoxville  and  Chattanooga  was  confidently 
expected. 

To  the  President  and  Cabinet,  thus  sanguine  and  jubilant,  »came  a  calm 
letter  from  the  unmoved  commander  of  the  army  in  Kentucky.  He  regarded 
further  pursuit,  he  said,  as  of  little  use;  he  proposed,  therefore,  speedily  to 
turn  the  heads  of  his  columns  toward  Nashville  again  ;  and  for  the  rest,  he  had 
to  remind  the  Government  that  the  present  was,  probably,  as  convenient  a  time 
as  was  likely  to  be  found  for  making  the  change,  which  it  had  seemed  to  think 
needful,  in  the  command  of  this  army!  He  then  explained  (and  subsequent 
events  were  soon  to  vindicate  his  sagacity  in  this  respect)  that  he  had  no  doubt 
Bragg  wTould  soon  be  found  near  Nashville;  so  that,  whether  for  the  immediate 
protection  of  that  city  and  the  re-opening  of  the  severed  lines  of  communica- 
tion, or  for  offensive  operations  against  Bragg,  the  movement  on  Nashville  was 
the  correct  one  for  the  army  to  make.* 

*  The  dispatches  (not  hitherto  accessible  in  any  published  form)  may  be  found  on  the  files 
of  the  War  Department.     They  are  as  follows  : 

[Received  at  Washington  October  17th.] 
[cypher.] 

"  Head-Quarters  Army  of  the  Ohio,  October  16,  1S62. 

"Major-General  Halleck,  General-in-Chief:  You  are  aware  that  between  Crab  Orchard  and  Cumberland  Gap 
the  country  is  almost  a  desert. 

"  The  limited  supply  of  forage  which  the  country  affords  is  consumed  by  the  enemy  as  he  passes.  In  the  day  and  a 
half  that  we  have  been  in  this  sterile  region  our  animals  have  suffered  exceedingly.  The  enemy  has  been  driven  into 
the  heart  of  this  desert,  and  must  go  on,  for  he  can  not  exist  in  it.  For  the  same  reason,  we  can  not  pursue  in  it  with 
any  hope  of  overtaking  him ;  for,  while  he  is  moving  back  on  his  supplies,  and,  as  he  goes,  consuming  what  the  coun- 
try affords,  we  must  bring  ours  forward.  There  is  but  one  road,  and  that  a  bad  one.  The  route  abounds  in  difficult 
defiles,  in  which  a  small  force  can  retard  the  progress  of  a  large  one  for  a  considerable  time,  and  iu  that  time  the 
enemy  could  gain  material  advantage  in  a  move  upon  other  points.  For  these  reasons,  which  I  do  not  think  it  neces- 
sary to  elaborate,  I  deem  it  useless  and  inexpedient  to  continue  the  pursuit,  but  propose  to  direct  the  main  force 
under  my  command  rapidly  upon  Nashville,  which  General  Negley  reported  to  me  as  already  being  invested  by  a  con- 
siderable force,  and  toward  which,  I  have  no  doubt,  Bragg  will  move  the  main  part  of  his  army.  The  railroads  are 
being  rapidly  repaired,  and  will  soon  be  available  for  our  supplies.  In  the  meantime  I  shall  throw  myself  on  my 
wagon  transportation,  which,  fortunately,  is  ample.  While  I  shall  proceed  with  these  dispositions,  deeming  them  to 
be  proper  for  the  public  interest,  it  is  but  meet  that  I  should  say  that  the  present  time  is,  perhaps,  as  convenient  as 
any  for  making  any  change  that  may  be  thought  proper  in  the  command  of  this  army. 

"  It  has  not  accomplished  all  that  I  had  hoped,  or  all  that  faction  might  demand  ;  yet,  composed  as  it  is— one-half 
of  perfectly  new  troops— it  has  defeated  a  powerful  and  thoroughly-disciplined  army  iu  one  battle,  and  has  driven  it 
away,  baffled  and  dispirited  at  least,  and  as  much  demoralized  as  an  army  can  be  under  such  discipline  as  Bragg 
maintains  over  all  troops  that  he  commands. 

"I  will  telegraph  you  more  in  detail  in  regard  to  the  disposition  of  troops  in  Kentucky,  and  other  matters, 
to-morrow.  D.   C.  BUELL,  Major-General." 

[CYPHER.] 

"  Head-Quarters  Army  of  the  Ohio,  Camp  near  Mount  Vernon,  Kentucky,  October  17,  ise2. 
"Major-General  II.  W.  Halleck,  General-in-Chief:  My  advance  has  continued  to  follow  up  the  retreat  of  the 
enemy,  but  the  progress  has  been  slow,  owing  more  to  the  obstruction  placed  in  the  road  yesterday  and  to-day  by  fell- 

Yol.  I.— 46. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

M  President  remonstrated,  and  finally  peremptorily  forbade. 

He  seemed  quite  willing  to  overlook  Buell's  suggestion  as  to  the  propriety  of 

H  '     jmt  be  wMted  to  know  why  the  troops  could  not  march  as  the 

_,„.,,.  liTe  a9  the  enemy  lived,  and  fight  as  the  enemy  fought     And 

,       V.,ur  army  must  enter  East  Tennessee  this  fall 

,.,„.] |    nTii,(l    courteously,    diplomatically,   but    with    an    unan- 

;im,„ts  in  favor  of  his  own  plan.     His  letter  was  written 

m  lllt.  .,mh  o|  |  On  the  24th,  under  the  direction  of  the  President,  an 

m4m  ^  him  from    the  command.      On   the    30th   General 

»„«n~  than  to  the  opposition,  though  more  or  less  skirmishing  has  be*n  kept  up.    The  absence  of  forage  has  com- 
L-d  back  the  greater  part  of  the  cavalry  and  artillery,  and  depend  mainly  on  infantry.    It  is  possible 
LUv  b,.ble  to  strike  the  enemy's  trains  and  rear-guard  coming  in  on  the  Richmond  road,  but  not  much 
Id  If  hr  a*  beyond  London  without  that,  it  will  be  useless  to  continue  the  pursuit ;  and,  as  I  advised  you 
1,1   I  .h.ll  direct  n.y  rm.iu  force  by  the  most  direct  route  upon  Nashville,  where  its  presence  will  certainly  be 
ouir-d  whether  for  offensive  or  defensive  objects.    I  propose  to  take  the  old  divisions  which  I  brought  out  of  Ten- 
MN  brigade  of  which  I  have  added  a  new  regiment,  and  one  other  (Sheridan's),  composed  about  two-thirds 
r  r^lmrnts.    Kentucky  rhuiild  BOl  bs  left  with  less  than  thirty  thousand  men  to  guard  communications  and 
•I  raid*     I  prop**-,  f-r  the  prowit,  to  place  one  brigade  at  Lebanon,  one  at  Munfordsville,  one  division  at  Bowl- 
iof  Cr~n.  l-tid.-s  the  n«  MU]  >•'  id-«-guarda  at  various  points.    General  Wright  has,  I  believe,  moved  one  division 
to  Uxlnirtoii.    Thnt  M  kept  there,  or,  better  still,  as  long  as  the  roads  are  in  condition  so  that  it  can  be 

mppl...l.  rhould  I*-  thrown  forward  to  London.  There  should  be  two  regiments  of  cavalry  at  Lexington,  two  at 
Bowline  Ur<en,  and  two  at  Lebanon.  They  should  be  employed  actively  against  guerrilla  bands,  and  concentrate 
rapidly  afaiti«t  BON  formidable  cavalry  raids.  There  can.  however,  be  no  perfect  security  for  Kentucky  until  East 
TWantucr  is  oeeapied.  Then  has  been  no  time  hitherto  when  that  could  be  done  with  any  prospect  of  permanency 
||M  force  that  was  available.  We  should  have  marched  into  the  very  heart  of  the  enemy's  resources  and  away 
from  onr  own,  just  as  Bragg  did  in  invading  Kentucky ;  and,  with  any  means  that  we  have  hitherto  had,  the  result 
■■•(  have  been  similar.  The  enemy  will  regard  the  invasion  of  East  Tennessee  as  the  most  dangerous  blow  at  the 
rebellion,  and  *  ill,  it  seems  to  me,  turn  his  greatest  efforts  against  it,  limiting  his  operations  in  Virginia,  if  neces- 
sity. '  f  lUclmiond.  From  this  an  estimate  can  be  formed  of  the  force  with  which  it  should  be  under- 
take, or  at  least  followed  up.  D.  C.  BTJELL,  Major-General." 

"Washington,  October  IS,  1862— 3.50  A.  M. 

"Gr.nr.tAi.  Btri.L,  Crab  Orchard:  The  rapid  march  of  your  army  from  Louisville,  and  your'victory  at  Perryville, 

haa  given  gn-at  satisfaction  to  the  Government.    The  great  object  to  be  attained  is  to  drive  the  enemy  from  Kentucky 

and  Kaal  Tenneeaw .    If  *i  Ml  not  do  it  now  we  need  never  hope  for  it.    If  the  country  is  such  that  you  can  not  follow 

tb.  r-  not  msjm  other  practicable  road  that  will  lead  to  the  same  result— that  is,  compel  them  to  leave  the 

muntrjr  ?    By  keeping  between  him  and  Nashville  can  you  not  cover  that  place,  and  at  the  same  time  compel  him  to  fall 

back  lnt.i  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  or  Into  Georgia?    If  we  can  occupy  Knoxville  or  Chattanooga  we  can  keep  the  enemy 

out  of  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.    To  fall  back  on  Nashville  is  to  give  up  East  Tennessee  to  be  plundered,  moreover  you 

MiKWBtidni.ar.rtM  Knnxville,  and  as  near  to  Chattanooga  as  to  Nashville.    If  you  go  to  the  latter  place  and  bear 

to  Bast  Tmnraset.  you  move  over  two  sides  of  an  equilatorial  triangle,  while  the  enemy  hold  the  third.    Again,  may  he 

DM  make  another  raid  into  Kentucky  ?    If  Nashville  is  really  in  danger  it  must  be  re-enforced.    Mor- 

have  been  sent  to  Eastern  Virginia,  but  we  probably  can  very  soon  send  some  troops  up  the  Cumberland. 

I  f.  r  that  purpose  have  been  drawn  off  by  the  urgent  appeals  of  Grant  and  Curtis.    Can  not  some  of  the 

-ville  be  sent  to  Nashville?  H   w   HALLECK  " 


"  Washington,  October  19,  1862-1.30  P.  M. 
.brmal  BurtL,  Mount  Vernon  .-Your  telegram  of  the  17th  received  this  morning   and  has  been  laid  before  the 
enn  in  the  views  expressed  in  my  telegram  to  you  yesterday.    The  capture  of  East  Tennessee   " 
onr  campaign.    You  say  it  is  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  resources,  make  it  the  heart  of 
«r  at  my  can  live  there  if  the  enemy  can.    Yon  i»n.t  in  o  „™.>* u „  .,.. * .__„ 


should 


i  oi  > our  campaign.    You  say  it  is  the  heart  of  the  enemy's  resources,  make  it  the  heart  of  yours. 
I  l.v  there  if  the  enemy  can.    You  must  in  a  great  measure  live  upon  the  country,  paying  for  your  sup- 
■IlSr/^a.    T ,ngc"nlt,,ibution8  w,,e»  necessary.    I  am  directed  by  the  President  to  say  to  you  that  your 
2tMn!v  and  i  .£u!Cn,rSee  !n  l aI1,  ^  **  *  °Ught  *  m°Ve  there  while  the  roa,ls  aie  Passable.    Once  between 
dMtt?  nndtll!  A     \*  °°  8eri0"8  diffiCU,ty  in  ^P^-'S  yonr  communications  with  that  place.    He 

Mt^M^^VrV'^  n<)t  ?a,Ch  aS  the  ene,"y  marche".  »ve  as  he  lives,  and  fight  as  he  fights,  unless  we 
•Slf  tierin  « i  th  tl^Wf  °Ur  GenerRl8-    °nCe  h0ld  the  Villley  of  the  UPPei"  Tennessee,  and  the  oper- 
w Of  fnenillas  in  that  Mate  and  in  Kentucky  will  soon  cease.  H   W   HALLECK  " 


H.  W.  HALLECK. 
[cypher. 


M  M*i^«•G««»AI.HALL^CK,,  cl^T^l™?  V**  °F  ™E  °H1°'  Danville'  Kentucky,  October  20,  1*62  -1  A.  M. 
I  have  al,o  receive,! i  ™.  '"T  .  J  T /-'  &m  T*7  «rateful  *»  theapprobation  expressed  in  your  despatch  of 
tufa  „,.„  .  , n,  "  d'«P«tch  of  yesterday,  conveying  orders  for  moving  into  East.  Tennessee.  Undoubt- 
ed-T  di.p.,ch  .«.oTrl?rr:k'OPPOrtUnityf0rthcra,m'me»t-  Far  from  making  ob;ecti„ns,  the  object 
N«iill.BnDI  coald  5,  proTIdJd  ,J  °  '!«  ,mPortance,  but,  at  the  s.-,me  time,  1  suggested  the  difficulties  bo  that  the 
tenures,  I  mrnnt  that  hc  d  f  ^'  ['  Ia  speak.ng  of  East  Tennessee  as  being  near  the  heart  of  the  enemy's 
Uoo  oriMt  Tennessee  with  a  suitab     f  °°PS  there  raPi(»y-    I  have  no  doubt  you  realize  that  the  occupa- 

taken  unadvlaclly  ,t  will  f»,i     t  Von  J,   .      •"  **  undertakin<s'  of  very  considerable  magnitude,  and  that  if  under- 
••  |f  ti  *  venture  to  give  you  my  views 

•on  to  Ukr  and  hold  it .    IfturTrmv  tS^HSl  S  E"8t  Tenne88ee'  5*  w«'  require  an  available  force  of  eighty  thousand 

en  that  so.rce.    If  yo„  ca„  obtR|u  for,^"    "b8'8t  °un  ,the  Country  80  much  the  better,  but  it  will  not  do  to  rely  solely 

••  enn  do.    Everything  else  must  be  haufed     v°k  *,    °f  ***  broadstuff8-  tnat  f°r  the  present  is  probably  as  much  as 

eu,    aashvule  is  essential  as  a  depot,  afterward  McMinnville.    Gainesboro' 


Don  Carlos   Buell.  723 

fiosecrans  presented  the  order,  and  General  Buell  gracefully  presented  his  suc- 
cessor and  took  his  leave  of  the  army  he  had  organized  so  well  and  led  through 
such  checkered  scenes. 

General  Buell's  career  here  practically  ends.  It  may  be  best  considered  in 
its  three  main  epochs. 

The  first  was  marked  by  the  organization  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  which 
afterward  came  to  be  known  as  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  Of  that  work 
it  would  be  difficult  to  speak  in  terms  of  too  high  praise.  The  second  was 
marked  by  the  origination  of  the  great  Western  campaign  of  1862,  and  the 
rescue  of  the  imperiled  army  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  In  that  General  Buell 
has  his  sure  title — after  some  years  be  past — to  the  regard  and  gratitude  of  the 
country.  The  third  was  marked  by  the  campaign  which  began  with  the  object 
of  liberating  East  Tennessee,  and  ended  with  the  expulsion  of  an  invader  from 
Kentucky.  Of  that  we  may  now  say  that  it  was  fatally  correct.  General 
Buell  followed,  throughout  it,  the  maxims  of  the  science  of  war,  but  he  fol- 
lowed them  after  his  calm,  deliberate  fashion,  with  such  lack  of  vigor  and  such 
excess  of  prudence  as  to  lose  trie  rich  rewards  which  a  more  reckless  com- 
mander might  have  won.  Nevertheless,  if  his  conduct  here  was  not  great,  it 
was  safe ;  and  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  he  was  pursued  by  the  same  ma- 
lignity of  official  ignorance  which   harassed    his    successor  through   half  the 

may  be  an  important  point  for  us  as  soon  as  the  navigation  of  the  Cumberland  opens,  which  may  not  be  for  two 
months.  We  can  procure  all  of  our  forage  and  breadstuff's,  and  some  meat,  from  Middle  Tennessee,  but  Nashville  and 
the  vicinity  must  be  rid  of  the  enemy  in  any  considerable  force  ;  we  can  not  otherwise  collect  supplies.  The  enemy  has 
repaired  and  is  now  using  the  Chattanooga  Railroad  to  Murfreesboro',  and  is  threatening  Nashville  somewhat  seri- 
ously, as  appears  from  a  dispatch  received  to-day  from  General  Negley,  which  I  send  you.  This  danger  has  no  refer- 
ence to  Bragg's  movements.  If  the  enemy  should  not  be  there  in  heavy  force,  it  would  not  be  necessary  or  desirable 
to  go  to  Nashville  in  full  force.  We  could  cross  the  Cumberland  at  various  points  above,  and  go  in  by  Jamestown, 
Montgomery,  Clinton,  or  Kingston,  and  there  is  no  shorter  way,  that  by  Cumberland  Gap  being  out  of  the  question. 

"  The  railroad  to  Nashville  must  be  opened  and  rendered  secure,  because,  until  navigation  opens,  that  is  the  only 
channel  for  supplies.  A  part  of  the  route  to  East  Tennessee  is  mountainous,  and  destitute  of  supplies  of  every  sort. 
As  \vc  advance,  depots  of  forage  to  be  supplied  from  the  productive  region  must  be  established  to  carry  our  trains 
across  the  sterile  region— say  at  McMinnville  and  Cooksville— but  that  will  not  delay  the  advance  of  the  army. 

"  From  these  data  I  make  this  estimate : 

"  Taking  matters  as  they  stand,  twenty  thousand  men,  distributed  pretty  much  as  indicated  in  my  previous  dis- 
patch, should  be  kept  in  Kentucky  ;  twenty  thousand  in  Middle  Tennessee  and  on  the  line  of  communication  to  East 
Tennessee;  and  eighty  thousand  should  be  available  in  any  field  in  East  Tennessee.  Bragg's  force  in  Kentucky  has 
not  fallen  much,  if  any,  short  of  sixty  thousand  men.  It  will  not  be  difficult  for  him  to  increase  it  to  eighty  thousand 
men  on  the  line  of  the  East  Tennessee  Railroad.  1  could  in  an  hour's  conversation  give  you  my  views,  and  explain 
the  routes  and  character  of  the  country,  better  than  I  can  in  a  dispatch,  and  perhaps  satisfactorily  ;  and  if  you  think 
it  worth  while,  I  can  see  you  in  Washington  without  deferring  my  movements,  provided  you  concur  in  the  expediency 
of  moving  first  in  the  direction  of  Nashville.  In  fact  we  must  of  necessity  move  so  as  to  turn  Jamestown  and  Mont- 
gomery. It  will  also  help  to  conceal  our  plans.  I  can  give  good  reasons  .why  we  can  nat  do  all  that  the  enemy  has 
attempted  to  do,  such  as  operating  without  a  base,  etc.,  without  ascribing  the  difference  to  the  inferiority  of  our  Gen- 
erals, though  that  may  be  true.  The  spirit  of  the  rebellion  enforces  a  subordination  to  privations  and  want  which 
public  sentiment  renders  absolutely  Impossible  among  our  troops.  To  make  matters  worse  on  our  side,  the  death 
penalty,  for  any  offeuse  whatever,  is  put  beyond  the  power  of  the  commanders  of  armies,  where  it  is  placed  in  every 
other  army  in  the  world.  The  sooner  this  is  remedied  the  better  for  the  country.  It  is  absolutely  certain  that  from 
these  causes,  and  from  these  alone^  the  discipline  of  the  Rebel  army  is  superior  to  ours.  Again,  instead  of  imitating 
the  enemy's  plan  of  campaign,  I  should  rather  say  that  his  failure  had  been  in  a  measure  due  to  his  peculiar  method. 
No  army  can  operate  effectively  upon  less  than  this  has  done  in  the  last  two  months.  A  considerable  part  of  the  time, 
it  has  been  on  half  rations.  It  is  now  moving  without  tents,  with  only  such  cooking  utensils  as  the  men  can  carry 
and  with  one  baggage  wagon  to  each  regiment,  but  it  can  not  continue  to  do  this  during  the  cold  wet  weather  which 
must  soon  be  expected,  without  being  disabled  by  sickness.  D.  C.  BUELL,  Major-General." 

"Head -Quarters  of  the  Armt,  Washington,  D.  C,  October  24,  1S<52. 
"Major-General  D.  C.  Buell,  Commanding,  etc.: 

"Gknaral:  The  President  directs  that  on  the  presentation  of  this  order  you  will  turn  over  your  command  to 
Major-General  W.  S.  Rosecrans,  and  repair  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  reporting  from  that  place  to  the  Adjutant-Gen. 
eral  of  the  army  for  further  orders. 

"  Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant,  H.  W.  HALLECK,  General-in-Chief." 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

,  a  d  his  obiections  to  such  an  advance  into  East  Tennnessee, 

r£3Ti#£.™  ■»*• than  vindicated  *•*"«* sad— 

rieoco. 

A  military  commission  was  appointed,  after  some  time,  by  the  War  Depart- 
.,ato  General  Buell's  conduct  with  reference  to  the  invasion   of 
uckv     It  sat  in  Cincinnati'  with  closed  doors,  took  volumes  of  testimony, 
d  made  a  report  which,  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  the  Government  was 
I  carefully  keeping  from  the  public.     That  its  conclusions  did  not  touch  Gen- 
eral Buell's  honor  as  a  Soldier,  or  his  fidelity  to  the  cause  of  the  Country,  may 
e  inferred  from  the  fact  that  he  was  subsequently  offered  commands— once 
under   General    Sherman,    his   junior  (and    his    professional    if  not  personal 
\ ■),  and  once  under  General  Canby,  also  his  junior.     Both  of  these  he  de- 
clined.   He  was  some  time  afterward  mustered  out  of  his  rank  in  the  volunteer 
iervico  as  Major-General,  and  he  thereupon  resigned  the  Colonel's  commission, 
which  he  now  hold  in  tho  Adjutant-General's  Corps  of  the  regular  army,  and 
I  to  private  life.    He  became  connected  with  the  late  Eobert  Alexander, 
Mtueky,  in  mining  operations  at  Airdrie,  near  Paradise,  in  the  south-west- 
ern part  of  that  State,  and  to  these  he  devoted  himself  for  some  years. 

Ho  long  remained  very  unpopular  with  the  great  mass  of  the  people  wTho 
supported  the  war.  He  was  accused  of  undue  lenity  to  the  Eebels,  of  too  much 
sympathy  with  them,  and,  indeed,  of  disloyalty  to  the  cause.  This  last  slander 
be  himself  did  something  to  encourage,  by  the  publication  of  a  letter,  obviously 
designed  to  aid  the  Democratic  opposition  to  the  war,  in  which  he  gave,  as  one 
of  his  reasons  for  leaving  the  army,  his  disapproval  of  the  means  whereby  and 
the  manner  in  which  the  war  was  conducted. 

:  sonally,  General  Buell  retains  the  character  described  by  his  playmates 

as  distinguishing  him  in  his  boyhood.    He  is  cultivated,  polished,  and  reticent; 

disposed  to  have  but  few  warm  friendships;  exclusive  and  somewhat  haughty 

in  his  bearing.    No  one  can  study  his  career  without  being  impressed  by  his 

ability.    He  is  one  of  the  most  forcible  and  pungent  writers  among  the  officers 

who  rose  to  distinction  during  the  war.    He  has  studiously  avoided   much  de- 

mse  of  himself  against  the  attacks  with  which,  for  a  time,  the  press  of  the 

ntry  was  burdened;  but  he  has  on  two  occasions  felt  called  to  notice  certain 

ements  of  General  Sherman's,  and  once  to  address  a  public  letter  to  General 

nt     Tho  result  of  these  performances  was  to  convince  all  that,  whatever 

t  be  sa.d  of  tho  military  advantages  of  those  officers,  they  were  no   match 

for  him  wjth  the  pen. 

B^lit^!,7:Geneni1  Budl  i8  a  8tronS  Conservative-having,  perhaps,  his 
irest  affihat.ons  with  what  was  once  known  as  the  Kentucky  Unionist  party. 


Robert  C.  Schenck.  725 


MAJOR-GENERAL  ROBERT  C.  SCHENCK. 


ROBEKTCUMMING  SCHENCK,  Congressman  and  Foreign  Minis- 
ter before  the  war,  Chairman  of  one  of  the  Congressional  Committees 
on  Military  Affairs  since  the  war,  Major-General  of  volunteers,  a  soldier 
of  great  zeal  and  gallantry,  and  one  of  the  ablest  and  most  successful  of  our 
Department  Commanders,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Franklin,  Warren  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  4th  of  October,  1809. 

His  father,  General  William  C.  Schenck,  an  early  settler  in  the  Miami 
Valley,  was  an  efficient  officer  in  the  North-western  Army  under  General  Har- 
rison, and  afterward  was  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State.  He 
died  at  Columbus  in  January,  1821,  while  attending  a  session  of  the  Assembly. 

After  his  father's  death  Eobert  was  placed  under  the  guardianship  of  Gen- 
eral James  Findley,  of  Cincinnati,  but  he  continued  to  reside  with  his  mother, 
at  Franklin,  until  his  fifteenth  year,  when  he  entered  the  Sophomore  Class  at 
Miami  University,  Oxford,  Ohio,  in  November,  1824.  He  graduated  in  Septem- 
ber, 1827,  but  remained  at  Oxford  reviewing  and  extending  his  studies,  and 
employing  part  of  his  time  as  tutor  of  French  and  Latin,  until  1830,  when  he 
received  his  Master's  Degree. 

In  November  of  that  year  he  entered  Thomas  Corwin's  law-office  at  Leba- 
non, and  in  the  following  January  was  admitted  to  the  bar  as  Attorney  and 
Counsellor  at  Law,  and  Solicitor  in  Chancery.  Eemoving  to  Dayton  he  com- 
menced the  practice  of  his  profession  with  Joseph  H.  Crane,  and  three  years 
later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Peter  Odlin,  which  continued  until  the  com- 
mencement of  his  active  political  and  public  life.  He  was  very  successful  in  his 
practice ;  his  legal  acquirements,  tact,  and  ability  as  an  advocate  being  in  ready 
demand. 

In  1838,  young  Schenck,  now  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  was  induced  to 
become  a  candidate  for  Eepresentative  in  the  State  Legislature  for  Montgomery 
County,  on  the  Whig  ticket.  The  Democrats,  however,  were  in  the  ascendancy, 
and  his  competitor  led  him  by  a  small  majority.  Three  years  later,  not  having 
been  a  candidate  for  any  office  in  the  mean  time,  he  was  elected  to  the  lower 
branch  of  the  Legislature.  Having  acquired  considerable  reputation  as  a  pub- 
lic speaker  in  the  celebrated  political  campaign  of  1840,  in  which  but  one  man 
in  Ohio,  the  great  orator  who  had  been  his  teacher  in  the  law,  was  popularly 
held  his  superior,  he  was  at  once  acknowledged  as  a  leader  in  opposing  the 
schemes  of  the  Democratic  majority  in  that  body,  and  at  an  extra  session  in 


..„.  Ohio  in  the   War. 

mm«r  he  by  his  energy  and  ability,  defeated  an  attempt  (which 

SZh  without  consideration  an  obnoxious  apportionment  bill,  by  which, hi 

1    fang    Lo  of  the  day.  the  Congressional  Districts  were  to  be"  Gerry- 

Lander*!  Demoera*  interest.    His  actum  drew  upon  hnn  the  bitter 

D    ..ocratic  leaders,  among  whom  was  the  late  Governor 

.       ,  ,  m  afterward,  Mr.  Schenck,  Governor  Brough,  and  Eufus 

.  .        .••..';  '  sMi..-  ■  tHcer  whom  Schenck  arrested  in  an  attempt  to  put 

the  raotio:  is  harmony  for  the  weal  of  the  nation,  independent  of  any 

party  except  that  of  the  Union. 

Mr.  Schenck  was  re-elected  by  an  increased  majority,  and  he  rendered  val- 
uable  services  to  his  constituents  by  advocating  measures  for  internal  improve- 
ments in  the  State,  and  for  economy  in  its  finances. 

-en  so  rapidly  in  the  estimation  of  his  party  as  to  be  ac- 
cepted almost  by  common  consent  as  the  candidate  for  Congress.  He  carried 
the  usually  close  district  by  more  than  the  full  majority  of  his  party,  and  was 
re. el,  k<-h  succeeding  term  until  1850,  when  he  declined  a  nomination, 

and  at  tho  close  of  his  term  in  1851  was  appointed,  by  President  Fillmore, 
..  Brazil. 
Dning  his  Congressional  career,  Mr.  Schenck  ranked  among  the  first  as  an 
efficieut  and  practical  statesman.    It  was  evident  that  he  understood  every  sub- 
Lpon  which  he  spoke,  and  when  occasion  required,  he  was  quick  at  repar- 
tee, kern,  pugtot)  and  satirical.    He  was  soon  recognized  as  one  of  the  Whig 
leaders  in  the  House,  and  his  reputation  became  National.      He  came  to  be 
known  as  an  ami-slavery  Whig— in  fact,  almost  a  free-soil  Whig.     But  he  was 
It— M  judged  by  the  standard  of  these  times— a  Conservative.     He 
agreed  mainly  with  his  great  teacher  and  friend,  Governor  Corwin.     The  in- 
tensity of  his  nature  and  the  profoundly  earnest  character  of  his   convictions, 
led  to  a  peculiar  bitterness  in  his  attacks  upon  his  opponents,  which  continued 
sriat  him  through  life,  and  the  results  of  which  were  long  to  be  traced 
**  '  ",,th  ******  and  foes  in  his  district.     His  popularity  depended 

•WIStia*    Be  was  too  proud  to  solicit  votes,  to  yi'eld  to  preju- 
dices, or  to  adopt  tho  ordinary  arts  of  the  politician. 

Ifl  Minister  to  Brazil  he  received,  without   solicitation    on    his   part, 

«•  "I  n.tnn-tions  from  the  Secretary  of  State  to  proceed  on  a  diplomatic  mis- 

to  Buenos  Ay  re*  and  to  Montevideo  in  the  Republic  of  Uraguay.     At  the 

-me  he  was  empowered  to  negotiate  with  any  one  who  might  be  author, 

U ^represent  the  Republic  of  Paraguay.    Several  treaties  were  eifected  with 

neterfZ^T'    7 ^  **  UnUed  StateS  would  ha™  g*^  advantages 
^«*»>  ■""*•■■  nation,  but  from  neglect  or  inadvertence  they 
laiied  to  be  ratified  by  the  Senate. 


w.»n  int. :  r*  f,'om  Brazii  in  i854> and  for  —  y»  ***  »o 

t^  eLrSwtin     JT  UnndCr8t°0d  t0  ^P-^iw  with  what  might  be  «,,. 
disCud ■  i  °f  U,C  RepUb!iCan  "»**     ^  "e  personally  disliked  and 

Gc„e,,l  I' .v,„o„t^ feeling, doubtless,  a^ravated  hv  L  i™™.*. 


aggravated  by  his  sympathy 


Robert  C.  Schenck.  727 

with  the  views  of  his  brother,  Commodore  Sehenek,  who,  having  been  on  duty 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  at  the  time,  regarded  General  Fremont's  claim  to  be  con- 
sidered the  conqueror  of  California  as  a  dishonest  pretense,  defrauding  himself 
and  his  friends  of  their  just  fame.  Political  feeling  and  personal  distrust  thus 
combined  to  keep  Mr.  Schenck  out  of  the  Eepublican  contest  for  Fremont  and 
Dayton  in  1856;  and  he  held  aloof  from  politics  through  almost  the  whole  of 
Mr.  Buchanan's  term  of  office.  He  was  engaged  occasionally  in  important  law 
cases,  principally  in  managing,  as  President,  a  line  of  railroad  from  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  to  the  Mississippi  Eiver. 

In  September,  1859,  he  addressed  a  meeting  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  Dayton 
on  the  political  issues  of  that  period.  This  was  on  the  evening  of  the  day  on 
which  Abraham  Lincoln  had  made  a  speech  at  the  same  place.  Allusion  being 
made  to  the  subject  of  the  next  Presidency,  Mr.  Schenck  suggested  that  if  an 
honest,  sensible  man  was  wanted,  it  would  be  well  to  nominate  the  distin- 
guished gentleman  from  Illinois  who  had  addressed  them  that  day.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln always  spoke  of  this  as  the  first  suggestion  of  his  name  for  that  office  be- 
fore any  large  assembly,  or  on  any  public  occasion.  Subsequently,  when  his 
name  did  come  up  at  the  Chicago  Convention,  Mr.  Schenck  was  among  his 
warmest  supporters. 

When  the  attack  was  made  on  Fort  Sumter.  Mr.  Schenck  at  once  tendered 
his  services  to  President  Lincoln,  and  was  commissioned  Brigadier-General  of 
volunteers.  The  appointment  was  vigorously  denounced  as  a  political  one  by 
those  who  held  that  the  volunteer  army  should  be  officered  mainly  by  regulars. 
It  was  claimed  that  young  Lieutenants  who  had  spent  their  time  in  Indian 
lights  on  the  frontier  were  better  fitted  to  command  armies,  by  reason  of  their 
knowledge  of  the  manual  of  arms  and  the  ordinary  regimental  drill,  than  were 
men  of  vastly  superior  intellectual  force,  who  had  never  studied  tactics  as 
school-boys  at  West  Point.  One  leading  newspaj)er  denounced  Schenck's  ap- 
pointment as  an  outrage  upon  the  soldiers,  and  demanded  that  he  should  be 
turned  over  to  some  Orderly  Sergeant  of  the  regular  army  and  "made  to  drill 
like  the  devil  for  a  month."  The  same  coarse  abuse  long  continued  to  follow 
every  act  of  the  new  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  whose  great  misfortune 
now  seemed  to  be  that  before  the  wTar  he  had  been  distinguished. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1861,  General  Schenck  was  ordered  to  take  possession 
of  the  Loudon  and  Hampshire  Eailroad,  as  far  as  Yienna.  Under  instructions 
from  General  Scott  this  road  had  been  reconnoitered  the  day  before  by  General 
Daniel  Tyler,  who,  with  four  hundred  men  upon  cars,  ran  beyond  Yienna  some 
distance,  and,  returning,  reported  no  enemy.  The  General  commanding  wish- 
ing to  secure  the  road;  ordered  General  Schenck  to  send  the  same  cars  used  by 
General  Tyler  with  a  regiment  of  his  brigade,  and  to  establish  guards  at  certain 
points  designated  along  the  road.  These  instructions  were  in  writing,  and  were 
obeyed  implicitly,  General  Schenck  himself  accompanying  the  expedition. 
When  approaching  Yienna  with  two  remaining  companies,  the  train  was  fired 
upon  by  what  was  knowrn  in  the  alarmist  phraseology  of  those  days  as  a  masked 


Ohio  in  the  War 

Mu  ,  ,,„■<  wore  disabled,  ten  men  were  killed  and  two  wounded.    The 

emotive  being  ill  tb«  rear,  the  engineer,  in  a  cowardly  and  treacherous  man- 
ned and  returned  to  Alexandria,  leaving  the  General  with  his  little 
band  in  the  presence  of  a  largely  superior  force ,  supported  by  artillery  and 
cavalry.    General  Behonek  with  great  coolness  rallied  his  few  men,  and  behaved 
ho  much  courage  that  the  Eebels  were  impressed  with  the  belief  that  a 
force  must  be  in  reaerve,  and  accordingly  they  withdrew.     The  Eebels 
numbered  about  eight  hundred,  mainly  South  Carolinians,  and  were  commanded 
I, v  <\,|oikI— since  General— Gregg.   Distorted  representations  of  this  affair  were 
given  to  thogrecdv  press  by  parties  who  found  it  their  interest  to  maintain  that 
none  but  West  Pointers  were  fit  to  hold  office  in  the  army.     Some  of  General 
Schonck's  own  subordinates  were  among  the  readiest  in  this  defamation,  and 
for  a  long  time  they  succeeded  in  convincing  the  public  that  there  had  been 
▼ery  gross  "volunteer"  mismanagement  at  Yienna.     The  General's  political 
opponents  then  took  it  up;  and  to  the  end  of  his  natural  life  it  is  quite  probable 
that  he  will  continue  to  see  himself  sneered  at  in  the  newspapers  of  the  oppo- 
site party  as  the  "hero  of  Vienna."    His  conduct,  however,  was  gallant  and 
ever}*  way  commendable;   he  acted  strictly  in  obedience  to    General   Scott's 
orders,  and  the  veteran  Lieutcnant-General  subsequently  stated  that  he  was  not 
to  be  blamed,  but  rather  to  be  praised  for  his  conduct. 

the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861,  General  Schenck  commanded  a 

igade  in  General  Tyler's  division,  embracing  the  First  and  Second  Ohio,  the 

lecond  Now  York,  and  a  battery  of  six-pounders.     He  was  stationed  upon'  the 

rrenton  Road  near  the  Stone  Bridge.    About  four  o'clock  P.  M.,  bein«-  left 

aaad  by  General  Tyler,  he  determined  to  clear  the  abattis  from  the 

*  and  to  march  to  the  relief  of  some  of  the  National  forces  that  were 

everely  pressed.    For  this  purpose  he  moved  forward  two  twelve-pounders  and 

company  of  pioneers,  and  the  obstructions  were  soon  removed.     At  this  mo 

Zl^ltT  T  ^  rCtreat'  and  General  SchGnck'  f™S  his  brigade, 
brough  off  the  only  portmn  of  that  great  army  that  was  not  "resolved  into  it 
^^M^*    General  Beauregard  in  his  official  report     ^ 

Zl irrri7  pursuit  was  not  made' that  h*  *-  ««*«*&  7Z 

1  ,  Warrenton  Road.  He  had  no  evidence  of  this  otter  Z 
^  k2j-  dom onstration  and  orderly  retreat;  but  for  which,  it 
claimed  the  d.saster  would  have  been  far  greater 

**  ^:  2 ^ :  tha^sn gade  and>'an  to  make  his  d'^- 

^turesof  tberereat     T  "  T** *  ^  °f  the  »******<. 

"tions  in  the  brigade    ^    ed  h         WmmandmK  °ffi—  of  the  several  organi- 

»»d  prated  again* Zt 2  ""l™"'™^  "P-  General  Sehencl, 

b«ded  them,  that  ho  declared  j^  "lcken  ™  this  professed  soldier  who 

"o.r.    Genera.  Schenc;t;  ^  thTa''V,trUCti0n  t0  r6main  there  »»°^ 
"Phed  that  he  d,d  not  believe  the  danger  so  great  as 


ROBEKT     C.    SCHENCK.  729 

their  lively  imaginations  painted  it ;  but  that,  at  any  rate,  he  was  acting  under  pos- 
itive orders.  The  mass  of  the  army  was  in  confusion.  Between  it  and  the  enemy 
he  was  ordered  to  stand  ;  and,  no  matter  what  the  danger,  it  was  his  duty  to  obey. 
The  Colonels  renewed  their  protests.  General  Schenck  remained  inflexible. 
Finally,  under  the  lead  of  one  of  these  uneasy  Colonels,  in  the  fullness  of  their 
contempt  for  the  volunteer  General,  and  their  alarm  lest  the  fearful  "Black- 
Horse  Cavalry"  should  swoop  down  upon  them,  they  declared  their  intention 
to  retreat  in  spite  of  their  commander's  orders.  General  Schenck  expostulated  ; 
pointed  out  the  danger  to  which  they  might  be  exposing  the  disorganized  mass 
behind  them  ;  dwelt  upon  the  solemn  duty  of  a  soldier  to  obey  his  orders.  Finally, 
he  warned  them  that  he  should  bring  them  before  a  court-martial  to  answer  for 
this  gross  insubordination.  Whether  it  was  that  their  terror  overcame  their 
judgment,  or  that  they  knew  so  little  of  military  matters  as  to  suppose  insub- 
ordination a  thing  of  little  moment,  or  that  they  conceived  the  danger  to  be  so 
instant  and  appalling  as  to  warrant  any  breach  of  military  discipline — in  any 
event,  this  is  what  they  did :  Placing  themselves  at  the  heads  of  their  com- 
mands, they  turned  their  backs  upon  the  enemy,  deserted  their  outraged  Gen- 
eral, and  started  straight  for  Washington  !  General  Schenck  was  absolutely  left 
upon  the  spot  he  was  ordered  to  hold  with  only  a  single  orderly  and  his  staff. 

We  now  know  that  this  point  might  have  been  held ;  that  its  abandonment 
was  the  fatal  mistake  which,  drawing  in  its  train  an  expanding  series  of  evils, 
entailed  upon  the  country  the  gloom,  and  upon  the  army  the  delay,  that  make 
Bull  Bun  so  fatal  a  name  in  our  annals.  General  Schenck  fully  intended  to 
bring  the  guilty  parties  before  a  court-martial,  and,  had  he  done  so,  at  least  three 
grave  disasters  in  the  West  that  subsequently  befell  our  armies  might  have  had 
a  different  history.  But,  shortly  after  his  eloping  regiments  began  their  retreat, 
an  order  came  to  the  solitary  General  from  McDowell  to  continue  the  movement 
toward  Washington.  As  the  insubordinate  officers  had  only  anticipated  this 
command,  he  unwisely  spared  them.  It  soon  came  about  that  at  least  one  of 
them  made  this  very  battle,  which  should  have  disgraced  him,  the  occasion  for 
fresh  promotion. 

General  Schenck  was  next  assigned  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in  West 
Virginia,  under  General  Bosecrans,  and  was  actively  engaged  in  the  several 
campaigns  on  the  Kanawha  and  New  Bivers.  In  the  operations  for  the  cap- 
ture of  Floyd  at  the  mouth  of  the  Gauley,  he  was  efficient  and  prompt.  Had 
General  Bosecrans  been  as  well  served  by  all  his  other  subordinates,  the  combina- 
tion would  not  have  ended  in  failure.  He  was  ordered  to  Cumberland,  Mary- 
land, on  the  death  of  General  Lander,  and,  upon  arriving,  found  everything  in 
a  distressing  state  of  confusion.  The  town  was  crowded  with  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers,  and  the  troops  in  the  neighborhood  were  very  much  disorganized. 
The  administrative  abilities  of  the  General  soon  restored  order,  and  his  zeal  and 
justice  will  long  be  remembered  both  by  citizens  and  soldiers. 

From  Cumberland  General  Schenck,  with  a  little  army,  was  ordered  to 
move  up  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac,  and  he  successfully  occupied  and 


-.,,,  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

,      ii,  waa  then  ordered  to  pnsh  on  to  the  relief  ot  General 
well  with  about  four  thousand  men.     To  make  this 
j  to  cross  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac.     The 
.  ,a,  three  feet  deep  at  the  shallowest  place;  the  current  was 
rapid,  and  the  bed  r-kva.M   uneven;  but  after  almost  a   day's  persevering 
,mbor  <iVa,  forded  with  little  loss.     When  beyond  Franklin,  and  about 

D  |feDow4U»4  diepatefc  was  received  from  General  Milroy, 
s|.  v  W;IS  at  least  fourteen  thousand  strong,  and  would  un- 

fcttaek  the  next  morning.  General  Schenck  pushed  onward  with 
,!„  bnsdred  infantry,  one  battalion  of  cavalry,  and  De  Beck's  Ohio 

|  march  was  continued  all  night,  and  daylight  found  the  column 
within  tea  mike  of  McDowell.  On  entering  the  town,  a  consultation  was  held 
wj;  I  Milroy,  and  General  Schenck  was  satisfied  that  with  their  small 

force  and  lack  of  stores  they  could  not  occupy  the  place,  but  instead  of  await- 
ing an  attack,  or  commencing  a  retreat,  a  feint  of  strength  was  made,  and  hard 
fighting  continued  until  dark.  Meantime  baggage  was  sent  off  in  wagon  trains, 
and  General  Milroy 's  army  was  brought  back  to  Franklin  with  slight  loss,  con- 
;  the  odds  against  which  it  contended.  The  commander  of  the  depart- 
ment pronounced  the  march  to  the  relief  of  Milroy,  the  battle  that  ensued,  and 
tin-  inbeeqneal  retreat,  one  of  the  most  brilliant  achievements  that  had  thus  far 
marked  the  campaigns  in  that  region. 

At  the  battle  of  Cross  Keys  General  Schenck  was  assigned  to  the  right  of 

th©  line,  and  the  Rebels  in  heavy  force  immediately  attempted  to  flank  his  posi- 

ho- attempt  was  met  promptly,  and  was  repulsed,  the  enemy  falling  back 

in  eontoion   under  a  well-directed  artillery  fire.     Until  about  three  o'clock  P. 

M.  the  right  continued  to  press  the  enemy,  in  no  instance  giving  back  or  losing 

an}  Lhe  field  assigned  it.     After  the  left  gave  way,  General  Fremont 

ordered  G  khenck,  Milroy,  and  Cluseret  to  fall  back  to  the  strong  posi- 

ion  firM  eoeipied  in  the  morning.     This  was  done  slowly  and   in  good  "order. 

««1  Fremont,  upon  being  relieved  of  his  command,  turned  it  aver  to  Gen- 

elWDCk,  and  during  the  necessary  absence  of  General  Sigel,  he  had 

mand  0/  &l  First  Corps  of  the  Army  of  Virginia. 

l.at  time  until  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  the  General  was  act- 
•gaged  ,„  all  the  fatiguing  marches  along  the  Rappahannock,  and  upon 

iotrr  ,7 ; ofthe  iaborof  watcMn^  *»«**»*  ***  ««^«  ■£» 

rTank0fth°r0Siti0n-     G"  P°l-  abandoned  the  Lppa- 
^:7i°     I*™'  °fAu^S^8^  General  Schenck's  division  ai 

.  ri::  : Generai sigei that at B"n *» *** **• «« *» 

the  en  n  y     1!  Mg  *"*  Md  th&t  **  WOuld  be  in  better  position  to  meet 

His  Ste  £J£^^  enSUGd'  ■*««  ^™  took  an  active  par, 
•eW*  With  great  promptness  and  judgment,  and  he  himself  was 


com- 


Robert  C.  Schenck.  731 

active  in  seeing  them  executed.  General  Pope,  in  his  report  speaks  of  his  con- 
duct in  terms  highly  complimentary.  On  the  second  day  of  the  battle,  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight,  urging  his  men  forward,  he  was  severely  wounded,  and 
was  carried  from  the  field.  Soldiers  of  the  army  still  enjoy  telling  of  the  Gen- 
eral's rage  and  fearful  imprecations  at  the  loss  of  his  sword.  It  had  been  in  his 
hand  at  the  moment  the  ball  struck  his  wrist,  and  it  was  thrown  some  distance 
from  him.  The  position  was  very  exposed,  and  the  staff  wanted  to  carry  him 
instantly  off.  He  refused  to  go  till  his  sword  should  be  found.  Those  about 
him  insisted,  but  he  was  peremptory,  and  the  missing  sword  was  brought  to 
him  before  he  would  suffer  himself  to  be  taken  to  the  hospital. 

He  was  conveyed  to  Washington,  and  the  day  following  his  arrival  the 
President  and  other  distinguished  persons  in  civil  and  military  life  gathered 
around  him  with  cordial  expressions  of  sympathy  and  praise.  Shortly  after- 
ward he  received  his  appointment  as  Major-General  of  volunteers,  and  accom- 
panying it  a  letter  from  Secretary  Stanton,  in  which  he  stated  that  no  official 
act  of  his  was  ever  performed  with  more  pleasure  than  the  forwarding  of  the 
enclosed  appointment.  For  some  time  his  condition  was  critical,  and  he  recov- 
ered very  slowly.  The  right  arm  proved  to  be  permanently  injured,  and  he  has 
never  been  able  to  write  with  it  since.  ' 

General  Schenck's  services  in  the  field  closed  with  the  second  battle  of  Bull 
Bun.  Over  six  months  elapsed  before  he  was  again  fit  for  field  duty.  Mean- 
time his  great  reputation  and  experience  in  civil  affairs  had  suggested  him  as 
the  fit  commander  for  the  troublesome  Middle  Department,  embracing  the  tur- 
bulent Rebels  of  Maryland.  It  had  once  tasked  the  energies  of  Butler.  It  was 
now  to  prove  the  signal  capacity  of  Schenck.  He  was  assigned  by  the  Presi- 
dent' to  the  command  of  the  Middle  Department,  Eighth  Army  Corps,  with 
head-quarters  at  Baltimore,  before  his  recovery  from  his  wound,  on  the  11th  of 
December,  1862.  He  assumed  command  on  the  22d  of  the  month,  and  oa  that 
day,  in  a  general  order,  announced,  briefly,  the  rule  by  which  he  would  regulate 
his  official  conduct  toward  the  citizens.  After  stating  that  in  the  contest  aris- 
ing out  of  the  rebellion  there  could  be  but  two  sides,  with  no  middle  ground,  ho 
proceeded  to  show  the  difference  between  the  loyal  and  the  disloyal,  including  in 
the  latter  class  all  aiders  of,  and  sympathizers  with,  the  rebellion;  and  he  de- 
clared plainly  that  "  any  public  or  open  demonstrations,  or  declarations  of  sym- 
pathy with  treason  would  provoke  a  strict  and  needful  observation  of  the  con- 
duct of  the  party  offending,  and  lead  even  to  punishment  or  restraint,  if  accom- 
panied by  acts  of  complicity,  or  anything  tending  to  danger  or  disorder."  The 
rule  was  clear;  its  enforcement  was  relentless. 

General  Schenck's  administration  in  the  Middle  .Department  was  what 
might  have  been  expected  from  one  of  his  known  executive  ability,  firmness,  and 
determination.  In  some  instances  persons  were  arrested  whose  :' expressions  of 
sympathy"  and  "accompanying  acts  of  complicity"  brought  them  under  the 
rule  so  plainly  laid  down  in  the  General  Order  above  quoted.  One  case,  that 
of  a  newspaper  publisher  in  Philadelphia,  caused  some  excitement,  and  efforts 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

were  ma<i  ''>'  &*  political  effect,  to  bring  about  a  conflict  between  the 

ji|dii.  f  [hi.  state  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  General  Government; 

but  the  disavowal  by  the  arrested  party  of  all   knowledge  of  the  article  which 
.  his  arrest,  his  utter  condemnation  of  its  character,  and  his  pledge  that 
rig  of  a  similar  nature  should  again  appear  in  his  paper,  procured  his  re- 
bate, and  the  excitement  subsided.     Another  case  was  that  of  a  Baltimore 
in,  who  toro  down  and  trampled  upon  the  American  Flag  in   a  public 
ka||  .  congregation  was  in  the  habit  of  worshiping.     In  this  instance, 

also,  the  arrested  party,  having  made  proper  acknowledgments,  and  having 
given  pledges  for  his  future  conduct,  was  promptly  set  at  liberty  * 

During  tho  march  of  Lee  into  the  southern  border  of  Pennsylvania,  in 
Julv,  ISM.  Genera]  Bcaenek  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the  Union  cause.  The 
armed  force  in  his  department  was  numerically  small,  and  was  stationed  in 
detachments  at  various  points  away  from  his  immediate  command.  It  was 
feared,  too,  that  Baltimore  itself  would  be  subjected  to  an  attack  in  case  the 
«-l  army  had  any  success  north  of  the  Potomac.  After  sending  against  Lee 
erery  man  that  could  be  spared,  the  General  at  once  set  about  the  defense  of 
Baltimore,  by  calling  out  the  citizens,  by  barricading  the  approaches,  and  by 
tkrowiag,  with  great  rapidity,  a  defensive  line  of  works  around  the  city. 

The  autumn  elections  in  Maryland  for  members  of  Congress  excited  much 
briefest  It  was  apprehended,  upon  good  grounds,  that  violence  would  bo 
offered  in  some  districts  to  Union  men  if  they  attempted  to  vote;  and  that  men, 
notorious  for  their  disloyalty,  would  not  only  vote,  but  would  seek  to  take  pos- 
session of  the  polls,  and  to  control  the  elections. 

nl  Order  Fifty-Three,"  so  obnoxious  to  all  secession  sympathizers 

was  thereupon  issued.    This  order  provided  that  Provost  Marshals  and   other 

eiy  officers  should  prevent  violence  at  the  polls,  should  support  the  jrfdges 

>f  eect.on  in  requiring  an  oath  of  allegiance  from  any  one  whose  vole  might  be 

*l  enged  on  the  ground  of  disloyalty,  and  that  they  should  report  to  head- 

quarters  any  judge  of  election  who  refused  to  require  the  oath  from  a  voter  so 

«P«i«,Urlyvirule        Fin SiS    *  ?    ^^  *  pr°teCt  them'    In  *W»«»  »W 
■ft*  h.  l^icularlvanno'  '     Tr  an T    T *"  ^  ""  OOCasion  when  ™h  a  display 

*  ft.  u,.„  .«„  MlMted.    ™ '   ™°t  * •  «™>  means     A  number  of  the  moat  noted  women 

•  IUW  color.  coB.picuoUMydispCd.nn.,    T7  her8eIf  ^  elegant1^  as  P°ssib,e>  to  —* 

•  •««  fc.hioo.ble  atreeu  of  the  c  t'     Wl,  u^"'  ^  *°  Spend  •>- time  promenading 

£**••■«*« *. «.  .0  heii  ;le;idaffecrnat:lytas a  "mt°< »»  «» ^  o— * 

"•*  »«  »  napcctable  woman  in  BaltinZ  1    1'       ,  e°'  Was  mar«'™*-    In  less  than  a 

W»«of  .h,  rebellion.    From      ™«™    dared  to  show  herself  in  publie  ornamented  by  any 
«■"!'/"  »«  ««Ued.  ,UBe  t0  the  «*•  »f  Sehenck'e  admi„i.,tratiou  the  "woman 


Robert  C.  Schenck.  733 

challenged.  A  letter  from  the  Governor  of  Maryland  to  President  Lincoln  was 
thus  elicited.  The  Governor  complained  that  this  military  proclamation  inter- 
fered with  his  functions  as  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  State.  In  reply  the  Presi- 
dent changed  the  first  section  of  the  order,  not,  as  he  said,  because  it  was  wrong 
in  principle,  but  because  it  was  liable  to  abuse,  and  then  sustained  the  remainder, 
remarking  characteristically  that  General  Schenck  permitted  a  Rebel  to  vote  if 
he  recanted  upon  oath,  and  that  was  "cheap  enough.'1  A  similar  course  was 
pursued  in  the  election  subsequently  held  in  Delaware,  with  the  hearty  co-opera- 
tion of  the  Governor  of  that  State. 

On  the  5th  of  December,  1863,  General  Schenck  resigned  his  commission 
to  take  a  seat  in  the  lower  house  of  Congress,  to  which  he  had  been  elected 
from  the  Third  Ohio  Congressional  District  in  1862,  defeating  Clement  L.  Val- 
landigham  by  a  handsome  majority,  while  suffering  from  the  wound  he  received 
at  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Bun.  His  administration  of  affairs  in  Maryland 
and  Delaware  received  the  unqualified  approval  of  Union  men  within  the  De- 
partment, and  he  had  been  presented  with  highly-flattering  testimonials  from 
City  Councils,  County  Conventions,  and  Union  Leagues.  He  had  also  been 
warmly  praised  and  indorsed  by  the  War  Department  and  the  President. 

Upon  resuming  his  seat  in  Congress,  a  dozen  years  after  he  had  vacated  it, 
General  Schenck  was  appointed  by  the  Speaker  Chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Military  Affairs.  This  was  a  position  of  much  responsibility,  and  involved  con- 
tinuous and  exhausting  labor.  Nevertheless  the  General  participated  freely  in 
matters  of  legislation,  and  was  one  of  the  most  active  debaters  in  the  House. 

A  history  of  his  course  in  the  Thirty-eighth,  Thirty-ninth,  and  Fortieth 
Congresses  (for  he  was  renominated  by  his  party  without  opposition  at  each 
election),  would  be  a  complete  history  of  the  military  legislation  of  the  country 
through  the  most  eventful  years  of  the  war  and  after  its  close,  and  a  compre- 
hensive account  of  the  whole  course  of  public  affairs  in  Congress  during  that 
period 

Into  that  we  can  not  enter.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  in  military  matters 
he  was  laborious  and  vigilant;  the  firm  friend  of  the  volunteer  as  against  what 
he  thought  the  encroachments  and  assumptions  of  the  regulars ;  the  remorse- 
less enemy  of  deserters;  a  vigorous  advocate  of  the  draft,  and  the  author  of 
the  disfranchisement  of  those  who  ran  away  from  it;  the  champion  of  the  pri- 
vate soldiers  and  subordinate  officers.  He  opposed  for  a  time  the  Lieutenant- 
General  Bill,  on  the  ground  that  the  high  reward  it  offered  should  be  reserved 
till  the  end  of  the  war,  to  be  then  bestowed  upon  him  whom  the  events  of  the 
war  should  show  to  have  deserved  most  of  the  Republic. 

He  not  unfrequently  opposed  the  wishes  of  the  War  Department  and  of  the 
Senate  Committee,  believing  them  to  be  sometimes  too  much  influenced  by  the 
schemes  of  the  West  Point  circle.  He  proved  himself  utterly  fearless  as  to  loss 
of  personal  popularity,  and  championed  measures  which  were  generally  felt  to 
be  needful,  but  from  which  most  of  his  colleagues  shrank  back  through  fear  of 
the  prejudices  of  their  constituents.     He  was  often  in  a  minority  at  the  outset 


Ohio   in   the  War. 

I  ,]t  h€  <ulhered  to  them  with  bull-dog  tenacity ;  fought  for 
on  favorite  measures,      .  ^  ^  ^.^  in  committees  of  con- 

■f^Xl.  defeated  on  any  leading  feature  of  his  military 
Dd  was  nevii       *    j 

Id  oolitic*  he  resumed  his  old  place  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  his 

:ll.    No  man  in  Congress  seemed  so  much  actuated,  not  merely  by 

ZZral  ideas  of  Radical  Republicans,  but  especially  and  consp.cuously  by  a 

Rebels  and  the  rebelhon.     He  soon  learned    o  d,s- 

lent  Johnson,  and  throughout  the  contest  with  the  Executive  he  was 

.  I,.ai!.  -hums  for  the  power  and  policy  of  Congress. 

llKJh  of  his  old  political  bitterness  into  the  House.     This  and 

the  n.  of  nifl  mle  in  Maryland  made  him  especially  odious  to  the  oppo- 

x  ,  man  on  the  Republican  side  was  so  much  hated  by  the  Democratic 

members. 

Many  of  his  characteristics,  as  displayed  in  his  speeches  and  general  con- 
B  use,  are  happily  exemplified  in  the  fairly  ferocious  onslaught 
which  he  made  upon  Mr.  I-Yrnando  Wood,  in  the  spring  of  1864,  in  the  course  of 
upon  the  resolution  for  the  expulsion  of  Mr.  Alexander  Long.  Mr. 
Wood  had  just  closed  a  defense  of  Mr.  Long,  which,  on  several  accounts,  had 
been  peculiarly  obnoxious  to  the  Republicans.  General  Schenck  rose  to  reply, 
speaking,  as  always,  without  notes  : 

-indent  in  natural  history  would  have  much  to  learn  on  this  floor.  Some  specimens  of 
the  snake  family  are  bo  slippery  that  it  seems  impossible  to  classify  them,  or  to  hold  them  to  any 
position. 

"I  lad  myself  at  a  great  loss  to  understand  what  ground  is  occupied  by  the  member  from 

rk,  who  has  just  taken  his  seat.  He  avows  that  he  disagrees  with  the  position  taken  by 
the  memher  from  Maryland  (Mr.  Harris),  who  was  on  Saturday  visited  with  the  censure  of  the 
llou«e;  be  dissents  from  the  arguments  and  propositions  of  my  colleague  (Mr.  Long),  whose  case 
we  ire  now  considering;  and  yet  he  says  to  his  fellow-copperheads — those,  if  any  there  are,  who 
crawl  with  him— that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  a  War  Democrat,  for  a  creation  of  that  kind  is 
01 !     I  n.:iy  1*  pardoned,  therefore,  if  I  have  difficulty  in  comprehending  his  own  nature. 

\  nt  the  close  of  his  remarks,  the  member  from  New  York  seemed  in  some  small  degree 

to  develop  his  peculiar  views  and  purposes.   .   .   .    Being  neither  against  the  war  nor  for  the  war, 

\ie  would  vend  commissioners  to  Kichmond  to  treat  with  those  arrayed  in  arms  against  the  coun- 

b<  in  term*  of  peace.    .    .    .    How  many  others  on  his  side  of  the  House  may  agree 

with  him  I  know  not. 

t  1  do  know  this:     Whenever  any  such  propositions  of  Northern  Democrats  have  ap- 
m  print,  their  oflers  or  suggestions  of  peace  have  invariably  been  received  by  (he  Rebels 
at  Richmond  with  wolfing,  and  repelled  with  scorn.     .     .     . 

Tho  memlKT  and  his  friends,  then,  are  willing  and  propose  to  crawl   on  their  bellies  to  the 
WWl  and  m.M.r-ren.s  in  arms,  and,  looking  up  piteouslv,  to  Pay,  'O,  our  Masters,  not- 
our M»*,g  and  worn,  though  you  n,av  Spurn  us  from  your  presence,  we  im- 
iy  whether  you  will  not  graciously  agree  to  make  some  terms  with   us.'     1  can  not 
comprehend  this  abasement  in  any  other  way. 

I  wnnU  TV'0  ',,g  t0  n°  SUCh  Party  US  that  l     For  the  sake  of  manhood  and  humanity, 

W  not  trust  too  far  those  who  do.    I  never  will  make  peace  with  armed  Rebels.     T  am  for 

no  treaties,  holding  no  conferences  with  insurgent  States  claiming  to  be  an  independ- 

te  nationality.    I  believe  that  the  only  safety  for  this  country  consists  in  noting 


ROBEKT    C.     SCHENCK.  735 

this  war  to  the  end ;  in  suppressing  tin's  rebellion  so  effectually  that  its  hydra  head  will  never  again 
be  raised  in  the  land. 

..."  Upon  this  middle  ground,  upon  which  we  have  agreed  no  patriot  or  true  man  can  stand, 
the  member  from -New  York  selects  his  uncertain  footing.  It  is  the  dark,  oozy,  unwholesome  soil 
between  the  solid  earth  on  either  hand,  over  which  unclassified  copperheads  do  creep  and  mark 
their  slimy  and  doubtful  track.     .     .     . 

"  When  our  difficulties  with  the  South  were  ripening  into  war,  when  hostilities  were  actually 
commenced,  when  it  was  not  known  how  far  disaffection  might  extend  throughout  the  several 
States  of  the  Union,  there  was  a  Mayor  of  New  York  who  proposed  that  the  city  should  secede 
from  the  Government,  and  set  up  for  itself  as  a  free  city." 

Mr.  Fernando  Wood  :  "  Mr.  Speaker  " — 

Mr.  Schenck :  "I  can  not  be  interrupted,  sir,  but  will  continue,  as  the  member  insisted  upon 
doing  just  now,  when  others  sought  to  interrupt  him. 

"Not  that  alone,  sir;  the  same  Mayor  of  New  York,  after  rebellion  was  rampant,  when 
boxes  filled  with  arms  were  stopped  by  the  loyal  city  authorities  on  the  wharves  of  New  York, 
and  not  permitted  to  go  South  that  weapons  might  be  put  into  the  hands  of  those  who  were  seek- 
ing to  overthrow  the  Government  of  the  country,  that  same  Mayor  regretted  that  he  had  no  power 
over  the  matter,  or  he  would  gladly  prevent  any  interference  with  such  transmission  of  these 
munitions  of  war." 

Mr.  Fernando  Wood  :  "  Mr.  Speaker  " — 

Mr.  Schenck:  "Yes,  I  know  that  this  has  been  denied  here,  recently,  by  that  member,  on 
this  floor,  and  without  hearing  him  now,  I  give  him  the  benefit  of  that  denial ;  but  he  shall  also 
have  the  benefit  of  the  positive  proof,  produced  and  published  widely  in  the  papers  of  New 
York,  a  few  days  afterward,  nailing  upon  him  the  falsity  of  the  denial  which  he  presented  to 
this  House." 

Mr.  Fernando  Wood:  "Mr.  Speaker" — 

Mr.  Schenck  :  "  I  am  not  to  be  interrupted  by  that  member." 

Mr.  Fernando  Wood:  "The  gentleman  states" — 

Mr.  Schenck :  "  0,  I  have  met  Rebels  before,  when  they  had  something  more  than  tongues 
with  which  to  contend ;  and  I  am  not  to  be  interrupted  and  put  down  by  the  member  from  New 
York." 

General  Schenck  then  went  on  to  cite  the  proofs  of  nis  charges.  He  next 
recalled  Mr.  Wood's  appearance  as  a  War  Democrat  at  the  great  Union  meet- 
ing at  Cooper  Institute,  after  the  fall  of  Sumter,  and  continued : 

"I  say,  therefore,  that  I  do  not  know  what  kind  of  a  War  Democrat  he  may  be  hereafter; 
whether  he  will  be  against  his  own  people  and  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  as  he  is 
now,  or  against  the  insurgents,  as  he  was  then.  His  present  profession  is  to  be  neither,  but  to 
crawl  along  the  border  between  the  two.     .     .     . 

"  He  would  propose  terms  of  peace,  and  that  peace  he  would  offer  to  those  who  scorn  him. 
But  still  he  will  press  upon  them  his  good  offices.  He  sings  the  siren  song  of  peace,  for  the 
effect  it  may  have  at  home.  For  that  he  is  willing  to  crawl  prostrate  to  the  feet  of  insurgents  in 
arms  and  say  to  them  :  'Do  with  us  as  you  will ;  tear  from  the  flag  of  our  glorious  Union  half 
its  gleaming  stripes;  blot  out  as  many  of  those  stars  as  you  can  reach  and  extinguish;  only  join 
us  again,  that  you  may  help  us  to  save  the  Democratic  party,  so  that  we  may  hereafter,  as  here- 
tofore, enjoy  power  and  the  offices  together.  For  these  we  will  so  humble  ourselves  as  none  of 
God's  creatures  ever  humbled  themselves  before.'     .     .     . 

"  I  can  understand  how  in  the  Revolution,  when  these  States,  then  colonies,  broke  away  from 
the  mother  country,  many  a  man  who  was  attached  to  monarchical  institutions,  fearful  of  rushing 
upon  the  untried  experiment  of  a  new  form  of  government,  to  be  reached  through  the  horrors  of 
war,  might  have  shrunk  back  and  been  a  tory  of  that  day.  But  how,  after  the  better  part  of  a 
century  has  gone  by,  and  this  great  Government,  under  the  constitution  adopted  at  the  close  of 
that  Revolution,  has  gone  on  prospering  and  to  prosper,  when  it  has  made  its  mark  high  on  the 
roll  of  nations,  and  the  hopes  of  a  world  have  clustered  around  it,  how  any  one  with  this  history 
of  this  triumph,  can  to-day  doubt,  or  distrust,  or  bargain  away  his  country's  nationality,  is  more 


738 


Ohio  I*  the  Wae, 


than  I  can  comprehend.    Sir,  I  declare  that  in  my  opinion  the  worst  tory  of  the  Revolution  was 
.  patriot  and  gentleman  compared  with  the  copperheads  of  1864.  .     . 

"Mr  8peaker,  we  are  in  the  presence  of  the  enemy.     Every  man  in  this  Union  is,  in  a  legal 

warn  adliaen-aoldier.    Our  people  are  either  in  the  lines  of  the  Union  army  in'  front  facing  and 

hting  the  foe,  or  they  are  in  the  rear,  striving  by  every  means  possible  to  strengthen  and  ad- 

9  the  common catwe.    Now,  if  a  soldier  marching  with  the  army  toward  the  enemy,  or  hold- 

ig  bit  place  in  the  line  of  battle,     .      .     .     should  turn  to  his  comrades  about  him,  saying  to 

-•  We  can  not  beat  the  enemy;'  to  another,  'We  had  better  lay  down  our  arms;'  to  another, 

•Onr  caoee  i»  wrong  and  we  can  never  conquer;'  to  another,  'Let  us  demand  of  our  commanding 

offiren  to  rtop  shedding  blood  and  have  a  truce  between  the  two  armies'— if  a  soldier  at  such  a 

time  »hoa!d  talk  thus  in  the  ranks,  what  would  you  do  with  him?    You  would  shoot  him  on  the 

•pot. 

■I  i*  a  citi«?n-f»oldier,  who  undertakes  to  breed  distraction  in  the  country,  who  claims 
that  we  can  not  put  down  the  rebellion,  who  insists  that  the  rebellion  is  altogether  right  and  jus- 
tifiable, who  would  temporize,  who  would  compromise,  who  would  have  his  Government  debased 
to  the  condition  of  begging  from  the  insurgents— is  he  less  deserving  execration  and  punishment? 
We  may  not  execute  such  a  man,  perhaps,  on  his  appropriate  gallows,  erected  for  criminals,  yet, 
thank  Godl  there  u  a  gibbet  of  public  opinion,  on  which  we  can  hang  him  as  high  as  Haman 
and  bold  him  there,  to  the  scorn  of  all  the  nations  of  the  world." 

An  eye-witness  of  the  remarkable  scenes  attending  the  delivery  of  this  im- 
passioned  invective,  writes  in  one  of  the  newspapers  of  the  day :  "Standing 
there,  square,  compact,  and  muscular,  his  shattered  right  hand  hanging  idle  at 
his  side,  or  thrust  nervously  into  the  breast  of  his  closely-buttoned  coat,  after  a 
ptfml  attempt  to  use  it  in  gesticulation,  the  sharply-cut  sentences  rattling  like 
quick,  wi-ll-delivered  volleys,  one  can  not  help  thinking  of  him  as  one  of  "those 
old  kuights,  fresh  from  honorable  fields,  who  were  used,  with  all  their  armor 
on,  to  enter  the  old  councils,  and  bring  something  of  the  sharp  cW  of  war  to 
the  ntcni  debate.'' 

The  speech,  however,  was  not  all  invective.     Toward  the  close,  the  orator 
I  to  consider  the  charges  of  violating  the  Constitution,  which  were  con- 
stantly urged  by  the  enemies  of  the  Union,  against  those  who  were  waging  war 
to  save  it:  to  • 

^^Stisiuss'i^  to;hiswho,e  ma,ter  °f  the™ and  « 

«-U.«.ion.l  power  ma, Tome  tfnThn/ I  ^"^  diseaSes>  and  considering  that 

•e»»eMb.F^Uyr.^D^E  p"^  ?ent.'emen  ""»»«  «'ey  *P**k  with  such 
.  i.  Wcon,  i.u ion"  iTll      ConS",,U"on  "'  order  ">  -T.  the  country. 

»rry       ,helr  government.    It  fa,  after  all,  the  form  only  and  not  the 

•^ofl„hw".dlffXnt  a^eneltr  ^  °"  ^"work,  We  pr°vided  fn  i,sdf  the 

**    Th.O.,,-liiuli,m  may  undergo  ;itfr"io"T>,C,SeWaS  ^  c°n'emp!ated  for  the 

"e»"e«d  eternal-    T..  tho.so  then  whT,  n  ',,  na"«™'i<y  for  which  it  was  made, 

"*"«,■» —V *k»  in  Eftj^!*  1/  f  Pe™ittinS  ",is  Nationto  be  destroyed 

*-"  «  -ring  the  c**^  I]! ™  ,e"U''°.n  ln  *«  'east  exceeded,  I  say  that,  under  the  pre- 
P«  '1«  Terr  exigence  of  the  Nation   !J,      °"  T  "'  enraging  those  who  do  make  war 


ROREKT    C.    SCHENCK.  737 

a  candidate  for  the  office  of  United  States  Senator,  to  succeed  Mr.  Chase,  who 
had  just  resigned  to  enter  Mr.  Lincoln's  Cabinet.  His  opponents  were  Mr. 
John  Sherman,  then  Chairman  of  the  Ways  and  Means  Committee  in  the  House, 
and  Mr.  Dennison,  then  Governor  of  the  State.  The  facts  that  he  had  been 
out  of  politics  for  years,  and  that  he  had  not  been  cordial  in  co-operating  with 
the  Eepublican  party  in  its  first  National  canvass,  operated  against  Mr.  Schenck. 
Had  the  Western  Eeserve  members  known  how  radical  he  really  was,  they 
would  have  elected  him,  almost  on  the  first  ballot.  As  it  was,  the  contest 
dragged  on  for  weeks.  Finally,  by  a  curious  illustration  of  the  blindness  that 
often  shrouds  the  vision  of  the  keenest-sighted  in  political  affairs,  Garfield,  Cox, 
and  Monroe,  the  Eadical  triumvirate  of  the  State  Senate,  threw  their  influence 
in  favor  of  the  Conservative  John  Sherman  as  against  the  Eadical  Schenck,  and 
decided  the  contest. 

Mr.  Schenck  has  been  kept  in  Congress  by  the  people  of  his  district  since 
his  return  in  1863,  without  solicitation  or  effort  on  his  part.  He  seems  sure  of 
a  life  representation  of  the  district,  if  he  should  want  it. 

When  Mr.  Sherman's  first  term  in  the  United  States  Senate  was  about  to 
expire,  Mr.  Schenck  became  again  a  candidate  against  him.  The  influence  of 
the  Senator  actually  in  power  was,  however,  too  great  to  be  overcome;  and  in 
the  course  of  the  heated  contest  Mr.  Schenck's  own  management  of  his  interests 
was  probably  unwise.  The  two  causes  insured  his  defeat.  Another  may  have 
increased  the  vote  for  Sherman.  There  was  a  general  feeling  that  Sherman  was 
in  his  place  in  the  Finance  Committee  of  the  Senate,  and  Schenck  in  his  as 
Chairman  of  the  Military  Committee  of  the  House;  and  that  neither  could  well 
be  spared  from  the  position  he  occupied. 

Our  brief  narrative  of  the  events  in  General  Schenck's  career  seems  suffi- 
ciently to  portray  his  character.  In  military  and  in  civil  life  he  has  been  the 
same  bold,  bitter,  fearless  fighter.  He  practices  no  concealments,  displays  little 
strategy,  never  shrinks  from  a  course  because  it  will  increase  the  number  of  his 
enemies,  strikes  with  a  broadsword  rather  than  thrust  with  a  rapier,  hews  his 
way  through  difficulties,  rather  than  take  the  trouble  to  turn  into  an  equally 
good  path  that  may  carry  him  around  them.  He  has  all  the  combative  energy 
of  his  American  birth,  and  all  the  tenacity  of  his  Dutch  ancestry.  When  he 
has  friends,  they  are  warm  friends ;  when  he  has  enemies,  they  never  forgive 
him. 

As  an  effective,  forcible,  hard-hitting  orator  he  has  few  superiors  in  the 
nation.  He  is  very  careless,  however,  as  to  his  productions,  never  revises  the 
reports  even  of  his  most  important  speeches,  and  takes  his  satisfaction  in  cursing 
the  reporters  for  apprehending  his  meaning  so  imperfectly!  As  a  political 
leader  his  judgment  is  excellent,  and  his  counsels  are  always  sagacious ;  but 
his  conduct  is  sometimes  imprudent,  and  is  always  sure  to  lash  his  antagonists 
into  the  display  of  their  utmost  energy.  His  enemies,  and  even  those  who  bear 
him  no  personal  hostility,  generally  speak  of  him  as  selfish ;  his  friends  call 
him  "whole-souled,"  "generous,"  "big-hearted,"  "hospitable."  His  general 
Yol  I.— 47. 


738  Ohio  in  the  War. 

i     „m^M  pomnlain  of  liim  as  being  "  aristoci-atical , " 
i  .  fmo-  thpir  campaigns.     He  is  a  man  of  wide  cul- 

'tory,  an  admirable  French  and  Spanish  scholar,  familiar  with  the  whole 

range  Of  modern  lit rrature. 

Im  military  matters  he  approved  himself  a  good  Corps  Commander.     On  a 
P  scale  he  was  never  tried.    But  there  are  no  blots  on  his  military  record. 
itorr  will  confirm  the  verdict  of  General  Scott,  that  he  deserved  praise  rather 
than  blame  for  his  conduct  at  Vienna.    It  will  award  him  credit  for  aiding  to 
protect  the  routed  army  at  Bull  Eun  and  to  prevent  that  great  defeat  from  be- 
coming also  a  fatal  disaster.    It  will  record  his  unvaried  gallantry  on  every 
t  the  wound  which,  at  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Eun,  too  soon 
removed  him  from  active  service. 

Of  his  administration  of  the  mixed  civil  and  military  affairs  of  the  Middle 
Department,  there  will  be  diversity  of  views.  But  those  who  believe  in  the 
triumph  of  l«»yalty  and  the  punishment  of  treason,  will  never  fail  to  hold  his 
services  in  Baltimore  in  grateful  remembrance.  Winter  Davis  and  the  other 
Union  leaders  of  Maryland  were  accustomed  to  speak  of  him  as  the  savior  of 
tate. 

General  Scbenok  is  of  about  the  middle  height,  square,  compact,  and  broad- 
cheated.    His  rugged  features  fairly  indicate  his  strong  passions  and  inflexible 
will.    He  has  been  for  many  years  a  widower,  and  of  late  has  not  kept  up  an 
establish  men  t  in  Dayton,  residing  for  the  greater  part  of  the  year  with  his  three 
daughters  in  Washington.    In  his  railroad  and  other  operations  he  had  once 
dialed  a  handsome  fortune.    Too  great  willingness  to  oblige  his  friends 
pad  particularly  his  old  teacher,  Governor  Thomas  Corwin,  led  to  the  loss  of  a 
;  art  of  it,  though  he  still  possesses  a  competence.     He  has  several  times 
refused  to  be  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  Governor  of  Ohio,  and  seems  now  to 
-other  ambition  than  to  continue  in  the  service  of  his  native  State  in 
Washington. 


James  A.   G-aefield  739 


MAJOR-GENERAL  JAMES  A.  GARFIELD. 


JAMES  A.  GABFIELD,  Major-General  of  volunteers,  Eepresentative 
in  Congress,  and  the  most  able  and  prominent  of  the  young  politicians 
who  entered  the  army  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,,  and  after  an  honor- 
able career  returned  to  higher  stations  in  the  civil  service  of  the  Government, 
was  born  in  the  village  of  Orange,  Cuyahoga  County,  Ohio  (twelve  or  fifteen 
miles  from  Cleveland),  on  the  19th  of  November,  1831,  the  youngest  of  four 
children,  who  were  orphaned  by  the  death  of  their  father  within  two  years  after 
the  birth  of  this  last  of  them. 

Both  his  parents  were  of  New  England  extraction.  The  father,  Abraham 
Garfield,  though  born  in  Otsego  County,  New  York,  was  of  a  family  that  had 
resided  in  Massachusetts  for  several  generations.  The  mother,  Eliza  Ballou 
(niece  of  Eev.  Hosea  Ballou,  the  noted  Universalist  clergyman),  was  born  in 
Cheshire  County,  New  Hampshire. 

The  death  of  Abraham  Garfield,  in  1833,  left  the  widow  and  her  four  young 
children,  without  fortune,  in  the  backwoods.  But  there  was  a  little  farm,  and 
on  this  they  worked,  the  youngest  by  and  by  coming  to  be  able  to  bear  a  share 
of  the  burden.  In  the  winters  there  was  a  village  school,  with  such  small  store 
of  books  as  the  neighborhood  afforded  for  private  reading.  So  the  winters  and 
the  summers  passed  till  the  family  had  grown  up,  and  the  youngest,  now  sixteen 
years  of  age,  had  learned  a  little  of  the  carpenter's  trade. 

But  this  did  not  prove  very  remunerative.  So,  in  his  seventeenth  year, 
young  Garfield  secured  employment  on  the  Ohio  Canal,  and  from  driver  on  the 
tow-path  rose,  after  a  time,  to  be  boatman.  The  irregular  life  disagreed  with  him, 
and  the  fall  of  1848  found  him  back  under  his  mother's  roof,  slowly  recovering 
from  a  three  months'  siege  of  the  fever  and  ague. 

Up  to  this  time  he  would  seem  to  have  cherished  little  ambition  for  any- 
thing beyond  the  prospects  offered  by  the  laborious  life  he  had  entered.  But  it 
happened  that  this  winter  the  district  school  was  taught  by  a  promising  young 
man  named  Samuel  D.  Bates.*  He  had  attended  a  high  school  in  an  adjacent- 
township,  known  as  the  "  Geauga  Seminary,"  and  with  the  proselyting  spirit 
common  among  young  men  in  the  backwoods,  who  were  beginning  to  taste  the 
pleasures  of  education,  he  was  very  anxious  to  take  back  several  new  students 
with  him.  Garfield  listened  and  was  tempted.  He  had  intended  to  become  a 
a  sailor  on  the  lakes,  but  he  was  yet  too  ill  to  carry  out  this  plan;  and  so  he 
finally  resolved  to  attend   the  high  school  one  term,  and  postpone  sailing  till 

*  Since  an  esteemed  minister  of  the  Gospel  at  Marion,  Ohio. 


Ohio  IK  the  Wae. 

resolution  made  a  scholar,  a  Major- General  and  a  Congress- 
I  of  a  sailor  before  the  mast  on  a  Lake  Erie  schooner. 
raa°S,;  i  young  Garfield  reached  Chester  (the  site  of  the  «  Ge- 

auga aJLj-).  in  eon,,,,  with  a  cousin  and  another  young  man  from  his 
;i!Ti,d  Witb  them  frying-pans  and  dishes,  as  well  as  their 
frw  school  books.    Being  too  poor  to  pay  for  boarding,  they  were  to  "board 
bemselves*'    They  rented  a  room  in  an  old,  nnpainted  frame  house  near  the 
to  work.     Garfield  bought  the  second  Algebra  he  had  ever 
and  began  it.    English  Grammar,  Natural  Philosophy,  and   Arithmetic 
V,  the  li8l  Of  his  studies.    His  mother  had  scraped  together  a   little  sum 
of  money  to  aid  Dim  at  the  start,  which  she  gave  him  with  her  blessing  when 
After  that  he  never  had  a  dollar  in  his  life  that  he  did  not  earn, 
i.egan  to  feel  at  home  in  his  classes,  he  sought  among  the  carpen- 
ters oJ  age  for  employment  at  his  trade.     He  worked  mornings,  evenings, 
■  lays,  and  thus  earned  enough  to  pay  his  way.     When  the  summer 
vacation  came  he  had  a  longer  interval  for  work  ;  and  so,  when  the  fall  term 
opened  he  had  money  enough  laid  up  to  pay  his  tuition  and  give  him  a  start 
again. 

the  end  of  this  fall  term  young  Garfield  had  made  such  progress  that 
the  lad  of  eighteen  thought  he  was  able  to  teach  a  district  school.  Then  his 
future  seemed  easy  to  him.  The  fruits  of  the  winter's  teaching  were  enough, 
with  his  economical  management,  to  pay  his  expenses  for  the  spring  and  fall 
terms  at  the  academy.  Whatever  he  could  make  in  addition,  by  his  mornings' 
and  evenings'  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade,  would  go  to  swell  another  fund,  the 
need  of  which  he  had  begun  to  feel. 

r  the  backwoods  lad,  village  carpenter,  tow-path  canal  hand,  would-be 
had  now  resolved  to  enter  college.     •'  It  is  a  great  point  gained/'  he  wrote 
years  afterward,  when,  in  our  hurrying  times,  "  a  young  man  makes  up  his 
mind  to  devote  several  years  to  the  accomplishment  of  a  definite  work."     It 
was  so  now  in  his  own  case.    With  a  definite  purpose  before  him,  he  began  to 
ill  his  money  and  to  shape  all  his  exertions  to  the  one  end.     Through  the 
summer  vacation  of  1850  ho  worked  at  his  trade,  helping  to  roof  and  weather- 
ed houses  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  academy  benches  on  which  he  had  re- 
itly  been  construing  Latin.    At  the  opening  of  the  next  session  he  was  able  to 
ttlc  ii.  the  world .  he  could  now  abandon  boarding  himself.     But  he  was 
eby  indulging  in  no  extravagance.    He  found  boarding,  lodging,  and  wasti- 
ng, at.  some  miraculously  cheap  house,  for  one  dollar  and  six  cents  per  week. 

"«t  winter  he  taught  again  •  then,  in  the  spring,  removed  to  Hiram, 

itlended  the  -  Institute,"  over  which  he  was  afterward  to  preside.     So  he 

"Ueachtng  a  term  each  winter,  attending  school  through  spring  and 

absent    Br"1  f  ?*  *  C,a8SeS  *  Private  st»^  during  the  time  hS  was 

acTo  a"  that   7    ■  ft**  *****  In8tUute  he  was  the  fi-st  ^in  ™*  ^eek 
•cnolar  that  school  had  ever  seen. 

*  U,e  sun,mer  of  18Mi  our  enter  an(J  tQw  ha(] 

-  *•  high  schools  and  academies  of  his  native  region  could  carry  tin, 


James  A.  Garfield.  741 

He  was  now  nearly  twenty-three  years  old.  The  struggling,  hard-working  boy 
had  developed  into  a  self-reliant  mam.  He  was  the  neighborhood  wonder  for 
scholarship,  and  a  general  favorite  for  the  hearty,  genial  ways  that  .have  never 
deserted  him.  He  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Church  of  the  Disciples,  as  it 
loved  to  call  itself,  of  which  Alexander  Campbell  was  the  great  light.  At  an 
early  age  he  had  followed  the  example  of  his  parents  in  connecting  himself  with 
this  church.  His  life  corresponded  with  his  profession.  Everybody  believed  in 
and  trusted  him. 

He  had  saved  from  his  school-teaching  and  carpenter  work  about  half 
enough  money  to  carry  him  through  the  two  years  in  which  he  thought  he 
could  finish  the  ordinary  college  course.  He  was  growing  old,  and  he  deter- 
mined that  he  must  go  that  fall.  How  to  procure  the  rest  of  the  needed  money 
was  a  mystery ;  but  at  last  his  good  character  and  the  good  will  this  brought 
him  solved  the  question.  He  was  in  vigorous,  lusty  health,  and  a  life-insurance 
policy  was  easily  obtained.  This  he  assigned  to  a  gentleman  who  thereupon 
loaned  him  what  money  was  needed,  knowing  that  if  he  liv»ed  he  would  pay  it, 
and  that  if  he  died  the  policy  would  secure  it. 

Pecuniary  difficulties  thus  disposed  of,  he  was  ready  to  start.  But  where? 
He  had  originally  intended  to  attend  Bethany  College,  the  institution  sustained 
by  the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  presided  over  by  Alexander  Camp- 
bell, the  man  above  all  others  whom  he  had  been  taught  to  admire  and  revere. 
But  as  study  and  experience  had  enlarged  his  vision,  he  had  come  to  see  that  there 
were  better  institutions  outside  the  limits  of  his  peculiar  sect.  A  familiar  let- 
ter of  his,  written  about  that  time,  from  which  a  fortunate  accident  enables  us 
to  quote,  shall  tell  us  how  he  reasoned  and  acted : 

"  There  are  three  reasons  why  I  have  decided  not  to  go  to  Bethany :  1st.  The  course  of 
study  is  not  so  extensive  or  thorough  as  in  Eastern  colleges.  2d.  Bethany  leans  too  heavily 
toward  slavery.  3d.  I  am  the  son  of  Disciple  parents,  am  one  myself,  and  have  had  but  little 
acquaintance  with  people  of  other  views ;  and,  having  always  lived  in  the  West,  I  think  it  will 
make  me  more  liberal,  both  in  my  religious  and  general  views  and  sentiments,  to  go  into  a  new 
circle,  where  I  shall  be  under  new  influences.  These  considerations  led  me  to  conclude  to  go  to 
some  New  England  college.  I  therefore  wrote  to  the  Presidents  of  Brown  University,  Yale,  and 
Williams,  setting  forth  the  amount  of  study  I  had  done,  and  asking  how  long  it  would  take  me 
to  finish  their  course. 

"These  answers  are  now  before  me.  All  tell  me  I  can  graduate  in  two  years.  They  are  all 
brief,  business  notes,  but  President  Hopkins  concludes  with  this  sentence:  'If  you  come  here 
we  shall  be  glad  to  do  what  we  can  for  you.'  Other  things  being  so  nearly  equal,  this  sentence, 
which  seems  to  be  a  kind  of  friendly  grasp  of  the  hand,  has  settled  the  question  for  me.  I  shall 
start  for  Williams  next  week.' 

Some  points  in  this  letter  of  a  young  man  about  to  start  away  from  home 
to  college  will  strike  the  reader  as  remarkable.  Nothing  could  show  more  ma- 
ture judgment  about  the  matter  in  hand  than  the  wise  anxiety  to  get  out  from 
the  Disciples'  influence,  and  see  something  of  other  men  and  other  opinions. 
It  was  notable  that  one  trained  to  look  upon  Alexander  Campbell  as  the  master 
intellect  of  the  churches  of  the  day  should  revolt  against  studying  in  his  college, 
because  it  leaned  too  strongly  to  slavery.     And  in  the  final  turning  of  the  decis- 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

me  f,,,mll,  commonplace  that  closed  one  of  the  letters,  we 
Zcl glimpse  am,  sympathetic  nature  of  the  man,  winch  much  and 

"deex^JTe  of  the  world  in  after  years  has  never  hardened. 

,11  of  1854  the  pupil  of  the  Geauga  Seminary  and  of  the  Hiram 

•  .ite  applied  tor  idmissidn  at  the  venerable  doors  of  Williams  College.     He 

,o  graduate  of  the  college,  and  no  student  attending  it;  and  of  the  Pres- 
et he  had  published  a  volume  of  lectures  which  he  liked  * 
i;lt  he  had  said  a  kindly  word  to  him  when  he  spoke  of  coming. 

carpenter  and  village  school-teacher  received  many  a  shock 
,,.  ha  bed  now  entered.  On  every  hand  he  was  made  to  feel  the 
social  superiority  of  his  fellow-students.  Their  ways  were  free  from  the  little 
awkward  habits  of  the  untrained  laboring  youth.  Their  speech  was  free  from 
the  uncouth  phra#ea  of  the  provincial  circles  in  which  he  had  moved.  Their 
toilets  made  the  handiwork  of  his  village  tailor  look  sadly  shabby.  Their  free- 
I  expenditures  contrasted  strikingly  with  his  enforced  parsimony.  To 
some  tough -filtered  hearts  these  would  have  been  only  petty  annoyances.  To 
the  warm,  social,  generous  mind  of  young  Garfield  they  seem,  from  more  than 

•  lication  of  his  college  life  that  we  can  gather,  .to  have  been   a  source  of 
<•  anguish.    But  he  bore  bravely  up,  maintained  the  advance  standing  in 

the  Junior  Class  to  which  he  had  been  admitted  on  his  arrival;  and  at  the  end 
of  his  two  years'  course  (in  1854)  bore  off  the  Metaphysical  honor  of  his  class — 
reckoned  at  Williams  among  the  highest  within  the  gift  of  the  institution  to 
idlftting  members. 
Be  u>  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in  debt,  and  he  had  only  his  clothes, 
his  books,  and  his  diploma. 

Bat  now  on   his  return  to  his  home,  the  young  man  who  had  gone  so  far 

East  as  to  old  Williams,  and  had  come  back  decorated  with  her  honors,  was 

t  good  enough  for  anything.     He  was  straightway  made  teacher  of  Latin 

•1  Greek  in  the  Hiram  Eclectic  Institute,  in  which  only  two  years  before  he 

i  been  I  pupil;  and  so  he  began  to  work  for  money  to  pay  his  debts.     So 

position  did  he  take,  and  so  popular  did  he  become,  that  the  next  year 

was  made  President  of  the  Institute— a  position  which  he  continued  to  hold 

itOhis  entrance  into  political  life,  but  a  little  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 

aching  (during  which  time  he  married)  left  him  even  with 

•  world.    Through  the  school  year  of  1858-59  he  even  began  to  save  a  little 

f     At  the  same  time  he  commenced  the  study  of  law 

Meant,,,,  h,  had  begun  to  attract  attention  through  wider  circles  than  a 

Z^rtZT*^  T,d  '^  been  GXpeCted  t0  —h-     He  had  the  tern-' 
■  « tor-the  warm  feelings,  the  fervid  imagination,  the  intensity 

+EttJZt£^ copious  fow  of  law' to  wMch  ** 

He  w.,  m         „  ,        7      "*  LatIn  C,aSSiCS  had  *™  <*™Sth  and  purity. 
■  a  student,  but  he  was  already  a  comprehensive  scholar,  versed  I 

Willi.!*  when  hTt^appMn Jt^Z  V  l~*TJ"  ^  y0Un^  Garfield  thi"k  of  ™**  to 
»he  We*  lhlD  Williams        '    *       ^  ^  ™d  Brown>  both  of  which  were  far  better  known  in 


James  A.  Garfield.  743 

an  unusually  wide  range  of  subjects.  His  capacities  and  his  acquirements  thus 
combined  to  make  a  public  speaker  of  him.  As  the  President  of  the  Institute 
it  was  natural  that  he  should  appear  on  the  platform  on  every  public  occasion. 
The  Church  of  the  Disciples,  like  the  Society  of  Friends,  is  accustomed  to  ac- 
cord large  privileges  of  speaking  to  its  laity;  and  so  it  came  to  bo  expected 
that  President  Garfield  should  address  his  pupils  on  Sundays — briefly  even 
when  ministers  of  the  G-ospel  were  to  preach — more  at  length  when  no  one  else 
was  present  to  conduct  the  services.  The  remarks  of  the  young  President  were 
always  forcible,  sometimes  even  eloquent;  and  the  community  presently  began 
toregard  him  as  its  foremost  public  speaker,  to.  be  put  forward  on  every  occa- 
sion, to  be  heard  with  attention  on  every  subject.*  His  pupils  also  helped  to 
swell  his  reputation  and  the  admiration  for  his  talents. 

It  was  thus  quite  natural  that  in  1859  he  should  be  thought  of  by  the 
strong  anti -slavery  people  of  Portage  and  Summit  counties  as  a  suitable  cham- 
pion to  represent  them  in  the  State  Senate.  He  was  elected  by  a  large  major- 
ity; and.  the  speeches  which  he  had  made  throughout  the  district  during  the 
canvass — warm,  fresh,  and  impassioned — had  greatly  added  to  his  popularity. 

Senator  Garfield  at  once  took  high  rank  in  the  Legislature  as  a  man  well-in- 
formed on  the  subjects  of  legislation,  and  effective  and  powerful  in  debate.  He 
seemed  always  prepared  to  speak;  he  always  spoke  fluently  and  to  the  point;  and 
his  genial,  warm-hearted  nature  served  to  increase  the  kindness  with  which  both 
political  friends  and  opponents  regarded  him.  Three  Western  Eeserve  Senators 
formed  the  Radical  triumvirate  in  that  able  and  patriotic  Legislature,  which  was 
to  place  Ohio  in  line  for  the  war.  One  was  a  highly-rated  Professor  of  Oberlin 
College;  another,  a  lawyer  already  noted  for  force  and  learning,  the  son-in-law 
of  the  President  of  Oberlin;  the  third  was  our  village  carpenter  and  village 
teacher  from  Hiram.  He  was  the  youngest  of  the  three,  but  he  speedily  be- 
came the  first.  The  trials  of  the  next  six  years  were  to  confirm  the  verdict  of 
the  little  group  about  the  State  Capitol  that  soon  placed  Garfield  before  both 
Cox  and  Monroe.  The  College  Professor  was  abundantly  satisfied  with  the  suc- 
cess in  life  which  made  him  a  Consul  at  a  South  American  port.  The  adroit, 
polished,  able  lawyer  became  a  painstaking  General,  who,  perhaps,  oftener  de- 
served success  than  won  it,  and  who  at  last,  profiting  by  the  gratitude  of  the 
people  to  their  soldiers,  rose  to  be  Governor  of  the  State,  but  there  (for  the  time 
at  least)  ended.  The  village  carpenter  started  lower  in  the  race  of  the  war  and 
rose  higher,  became  one  of  the  leaders  in  our  National  Councils,  and  confessedly 
one  of  the  ablest  among  the  younger  of  our  statesmen. 

When  the  secession  of  the  Southern  States  began,  National  considerations 
came  to  occupy  a  large  share   of  the  attention  of  the   Senate.     Mr.  Garfield's 

•  The  frequency  of  Mr.  Garfield's  appearance  in  the  pulpit  of  the  Institute  in  the  absence  of 
the  regular  minister,  and  in  accordance  with  the  liberal  usages  of  the  Disciples,  finally  led  the 
outside  public  to  think  of  him  as  actually  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  a  position  which  his  unblem- 
ished character  seemed  to  befit,  as  much  as  his  unusual  abilities  did  to  adorn.  But  he  had 
never  entertained  any  idea  of  becoming  a  minister,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  was  already  at  work — 
just  as  soon  as  he  got  relief  from  the  debts  with  which  his  stay  at  college  had  burdened  him— 
preparing  for  the  practice  of  the  law,  to  which  profession  he  had  long  been  looking  forward. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

i„  «n,l  nntsnoken     He  was  foremost  in  the  very  small  number 

,in  Constitutional  Amendment,  forbidding  Congress  from  ever 
:  slavery  in  the  States.     He  was  among  the  foremost 
right  Of  the  National  Government  to  coerce  seceded  States. 
Id  you  "ivc  Dp  the  forts  and  other  government  property  in  those  States, 
or  would  you  fight  I »intain  your  right  to  them?"  was  his  adroit  way  of  put- 
ting the  question  to  a  Conservative  Republican  who  deplored  his  incendiary 
riews.    He  took  the  lead  in  revising  the  old  statute  about  treason,  with  a  view 
instant  exigencies.     When  the  "Million  War  Bill,"  as  it 
wgg  -               known  at  the  time,  came  up,  he  was  the  most  conspicuous  of  its 
Judge  Key.  of  Hamilton  County  (subsequently  a  noted  member  of 
a  staff),  preluded  his  vote  for  it  with  a  protest  against  the  policy  of 
the  Administration  in' entering  upon  the  war.    It  was  left  to  Garfield  to  make 
ply.    The  newspapers  of  that  day  all  make  mention  of  his  effort  in  terms 
«.t'  the  highest  admiration.     '  He  regretted  that  Senator  Key  should  have  turned 
from  honoring  his  country  to  pay  his  highest  tribute  of  praise,  at  a  time  like 
this,  to  party!    The  Senator  approved  a  defense  of  national  property;  but  de- 
nounced any  effort  to  retake  it  if  only  it  were  once  captured.     Did  he  mean 
-hington  were  taken  by  the  Eebels  he  would  oppose  attempts  to  re- 
gain possession  of  the  National  Capital?    Where  was  this  doctrine  of  non-resist- 
ance to  stop?    He  had  hoped  that  the  Senator  would  not,  in  this  hour  of  the 
ill,  open  the  books  of  party  to  re-read  records  that  ought,  now  at 
least,  to  be  forgotten.    But  since  the  Senator  had  thought  this  a  fitting  time  to 
rust  of  the  President  and  of  the  Cabinet,  and  particularly  of 
Ohio's  honored  representative  in  that  Cabinet,  he  had  only  this  to  say  in  reply : 
that  it  would  be  well  for  that  Senator,  amid  his  partisan  recollections,  to  remem- 
ber whoso  Cabinet  it  was  that  embraced  traitors  among  its  most  distinguished 
members,  and  sent  them  forth  from  its  most  secret  sessions  to  betray  their 
knowledge  to  fair  country's  ruin ! ' 

fhm  the  time  came  for  appointing  the  officers  for  the  Ohio  troops,  the 

Mature  was  still  in  session.    Garfield  at  once  avowed  his  intention  of  enter- 

But  he  displayed  at  the  outset  his  signal  want  of  tact  and  of 

"  advan.mg  his  own  interests.     Of  the  three  leading  Eadical  Senators 

i  had  tho  most  personal  popularity.     Cox  was  at  that  time,  perhaps,  a 

re  compact  and  pointed  speaker-he  had  matured  earlier,  as  (to  change  the 

e  was  to  culminate  sooner.    But  he  had  never  aroused  the  warm  regard 

■  whole-hearted,  generous  disposition  always  excited.     Yet  Cox 

th laT. V  "!  °W  hlS  intere8t8  W6re  t0  be  ad~ d-  ^  abandoned 
ltl^mSr-;  THed  hhnSelf  "  a—-tant  in  the  Governor's  office, 
IIS  ?  I0  ^  rU8h  °f  bU8ine88>  and  —  — inced  the  appointing 
K  a  p  :^  ;r !tUd,e  f°r  f**  *"»■  In  -tnral  sequence  wat 
«  '--lu-Ceneral.  Garfield  was  sent  off  on  a  mission  to 
*ern  States  to  see  about  arms  for  the  Ohio  volunteers,  and  on  his  re- 


James  A.  Gtakfield.  745 

turn  he  was  offered  the  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  one  of  the  Reserve  regiments. 
But  his  making  haste  slowly  was  not  to  injure  his  future  career. 

On  the  14th  of  August,  1861,  some  montli3  after  the  adjournment  of  th* 
Legislature,  and  after  the  successful  close  of  McClellan's  West  Virginia  cam- 
paign, the  ex-Senator  was  finally  appointed  by  Governor  Dennison  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  Forty-Second  Ohio — a  regiment  not  yet  organized,  a  company 
for  which  had  been  recruited  among  the  pupils  of  the  "Hiram  Eclectic  Insti- 
stitute."  It  was  understood  that,  if  he  had  cared  to  push  the  matter,  Garfield 
might  have  been  Colonel;  but  with  a  modesty  quite  unusual  in  those  early  days 
of  the  war,  he  preferred  to  start  low,  and  rise  as  he  learned.  Five  weeks  were 
spent  in  diligently  drilling  the  regiment,  and  finally,  about  the  time  its  organi- 
zation was  complete,  the  Lieutenant-Colonel  was,  without  his  own  solicitation, 
promoted  to  the  Colonelcy. 

It  was  not  until  the  14th  of  December  that  orders  for  the  field  were  re- 
ceived. The  regiment  was  then  sent  to  Catlettsburg,  Kentucky;  and  the  Colonel 
was  directed  to  report  in  person  to  General  Buell.  That  astute  officer,  though 
as  opposite  as  the  poles  to  Garfield  in  his  political  convictions,  soon  perceived 
the  military  worth  of  the  young  Colonel.  On  the  17th  of  December  he  assigned 
Colonel  Garfield  to  the  command  of  the  Seventeenth  Brigade,  and  ordered  him 
to  drive  the  Rebel  forces  under  Humphrey  Marshall  out  of  the  Sandy  Valley,  in 
Eastern  Kentucky. 

Up  to  this  date  no  active  operations  had  been  attempted  in  the  great  De- 
partment that  lay  south  of  the  Ohio  Eiver.  The  spell  of  Bull  Run  still  hung 
over  our  armies.  Save  the  campaigns  in  Western  Yirginia,  and  the  unfortunate^ 
attack  by  General  Grant  at  Belmont,  not  a  single  engagement  had  occurred 
over  all  the  region  between  the  Alleghanies  and  the  Mississippi.  General  Buell 
was  preparing  to  advance  upon  the  Rebel  position  at  Bowling  Green,  when  he 
suddenly  found  himself  hampered  by  two  co-operating  forces  skillfully  planted 
within  striking  distance  of  his  flank.  General  Zollicoffer  was  advancing  from 
Cumberland  Gap  toward  Mill  Spring;  and  Humphrey  Marshall,  moving  down 
the  Sandy  Valley,  was  threatening  to  overrun  Eastern  Kentucky.  Till  these 
could  be  driven  back,  an  advance  upon  Bowling  Green  would  be  perilous,  if 
not  actually  impossible.  To  General  George  H.  Thomas,  then  just  raised  from 
his  Colonelcy  of  regulars  to  a  Brigadier-Generalship  of  volunteers,  was  com- 
mitted the  task  of  repulsing  Zollicoffer;  to  the  untried  Colonel  of  the  raw 
Forty-Second  Ohio,  the  task  of  repulsing  Humphrey  Marshall.  And  on  their 
success  the  whole  army  of  the  Department  waited. 

Colonel  Garfield  thus  found  himself,  before,  he  had  ever  seen  a  gun  fired  in 
action,  in  command  of  four  regiments  of  infantry,  and  some  eight  companies  of 
cavalry*  charged  with  the  work  of  driving  out  of  his  native  State  the  ofiicer 
reputed  the  ablest  of  those,  not  educated  to  war,  whom  Kentucky  had  given  to 
the  rebellion.     Marshall  had  under  his  command    nearly  five  thousand    men, 

•  The  brigade  was  composed  of  the  Fortieth  and  Forty-Second  Ohio,  the  Fourteenth  and 
Twenty-Second  Kentucky  Infantry,  six  companies  of  the  First  Kentucky  Cavalry,  and  two  com- 
panies of  McLaughlin's  (Ohio)  Cavalry. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

stationed  at  the  Tillage  Of  Paintville,  sixty  miles  up  the -Sandy  Valley.     He  was 

^    thi  athoritiei  to  advance  toward  Lexington,  mute  with 

Coffer  and  <  tlie  authority  of  the  Provisional  Government  at  the 

pes  were  led  by  the  recollection  of  his  great  intellectual 

lities,  and  the  soldierly  reputation  he  had  borne  ever  since  he  led  the  famous 

efcarge  of  the  Kentucky  volunteers  at  Buena  Vista. 

Gfcrneld  joined  the  bulk  of  his  brigade  at  the  mouth  of  the  Big 

,vith  it  directly  up  the  valley.     Meantime  he  ordered  the 

mil  force  at    Paris  to  march  overland  and  effect  a  junction  with  him  a  little 

The  force  with  which  he  was  able  to  move  numbered  about 

twenty-two  hundred. 

Marshall  heard  of  the  advance,  through  the  sympathizing  citizens,  and  fell 
b^.jj  .  nhorg,  leaving  a  small  force  of  cavalry  near  his  old  position,  to 

act  as  an  entpoel  and  to  protect  his  trains.  As  Garfield  approached*  he  ascer- 
tained the  position  of  this  cavalry,  and  sent  some  of  hij3  own  mounted  forces  to 
attack  it.  while,  with  the  rest  of  his  column,  he  passed  around  to  the  westward, 
anoissance  in  force  of  the  positions  which  he  still  supposed  Mar- 
shall's main  body  to  occupy.  He  speedily  discovered  Marshall's  retreat;  then 
hastily  sent  word  hack  to  his  cavalry  not  to  attack  the  enemy's  cavalry  until 

:  time  to  plant  his  force  on  its  line  of  retreat.  Unfortunately  the  circuit- 
ous route  delayed  the  courier,  and  before  Garfield's  orders  could  be  delivered 
the  attack  had  been  made,  and  Marshall's  cavalry  had  been  driven  back  in  con- 
siderable oonfasion.  When,  pushing  on  with  the  main  column,  he  reached  the 
road  on  which  he  had  hoped  to  intercept  their  retreat,  he  fouqd  it  strewn  with 

0«tS,  blankets,  and  cavalry  equipments— proofs  that  they  had  already 
passed  in  their  rout.  Colonel  Garfield  pushed  the  pursuit  with  his  cavalry  till 
the  infantry  outposts  were  reached;  then,  drawing  back,  encamped  with  his 
whole-force  at  Paintville.    Here,  next  morning,  he  was  joined  by  the  troops 

id  marched  from  Paris,  so  that  his  effective  force  was  now  raised  to  about 
thirty-tour  hundred  men. 

Siting  a  day  for  rations,  which  were  taken  through  with  the  utmost 

.thYulty.nn  the  9th  of  January  Garfield  advanced  upon  Marshall's  new  posi- 

««"'  MM  I'rcstonburg,     Before  nightfall  he  had  driven  in  the  enemy's  pickets 

1  had  sent  orders  back  to  Paintville  to  forward  the  few  troops-less  than  one 

lousand  ...  all-who  had  not  been  supplied  with  rations  in  time  to  move  with 

the  column.     The  men  slept  on  their  arms,  under  a  soaking  rain. 

,u'  odock  »'  I*"  morningf  they  were  in  motion. 

rshall  was  believed  to  be  stationed  on  Abbott's  Creek.     Garfield's  plan. 

-as  to  get  over  upon  Middle  Creek,  and  so  plant  himself  on  the 

-     Bui  in  fcet  Marshall's  force  was  upon  the  height's  .of  Middle 

a    i  ,    I!    ;'  '   7       °l  ^^  °f  ^^     So,  when  GarLd,  advancing 
-1  up  the  creek,  had  consumed  some  hours  in  these  move 
came  upon  a  semicircular  hill,  scarcely  one  thousand  yards  in  front 
tfwh.cn  was  Marshall  s  posttion,  between  the  forks  of  the  creek.     The  expected 
•January  7,  1>  .  - 

t  January  10,  18G2.. 


James  A.   Gakfield.  747 

re-enforcements  from  Paintville  had  not  yet  arrived;  and,  conscious  of  his  com- 
parative weakness,  Colonel  Garfield  determined  first  to  develop  the  enemy's 
position  more  carefully.  A  small  body  of  picked  men,  sent  dashing  up  the 
road,  drew  a  fire  both  from  the  head  of  the  gorge  through  which  the  road  led 
and  from  the  heights  on  its  left.  Two  columns  were  then  moved  forward,  one 
on  either  side  of  the  creek,  and  the  Eebels  speedily  opened  upon  them  with 
musketry  and  artillery.  The  fight  became  somewhat  severe  at  times,  but  was, 
on  the  whole,  desultory.  Garfield  re-enforced  both  his  columns,  but  the  action 
soon  developed  itself  mainly  on  the  left,  where  Marshall  speedily  concentrated 
his  whole  force.  Meantime  Garfield's  reserve  was  now  also  under  fire  from  the 
commanding  position  held  by  the  enemy's  artillery.  He  was  entirely  without 
artillery  to  reply ;  but  the  men  stationed  themselves  behind  trees  and  rocks, 
and  kept  up  a  brisk  though  irregular  fusilade. 

At  last,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  re-enforcements  from 
Paintville  arrived.  As  we  now  know,  these  still  left  Marshall's  strength  supe- 
rior to  that  of  his  young  assailant;  but  the  troops  looked  upon  their  opportune 
arrival  as  settling  the  contest.  Unbounded  enthusiasm  was  aroused,  and  the 
approaching  column  wTas  received  with  prolonged  cheering.  Garfield  now 
promptly  formed  his  whole  reserve  for  attacking  the  enemy's  right  and  carry- 
ing his  guns.  The  troops  were  moving  rapidly  up  in  the  fast-gathering  dark- 
ness, when  Marshall  hastily  abandoned  his  position,  fired  his  camp  equipage 
and  stores,  and  began  a  retreat  which  was  not  ended,  till  he  had  reached  Abing- 
don, Virginia.  Night  checked  the  pursuit.  Next  day  it  wTas  continued  for 
some  distance,  and  some  prisoners  were  taken ;  but  a  further  advance  in  that 
direction  was  quite  impossible  without  more  transportation,  and  indeed  would 
have  been  foreign  to  the  purpose  for  which  General  Buell  had  ordered  the 
expedition.* 

A  fresh  peril,  however,  now  beset  the  little  force.  An  unusually  violent 
rain-storm  broke  out,  the  mountain  gorges  were  all  flooded,  and  the  Sandy  rose 
to  such  a  height  that  steamboatmen  pronounced  it  impossible  to  ascend  the 
stream  with  supplies.  The  troops  wTere  almost  out  of  rations,  and  the  rough, 
mountainous  country  was  incapable  of  supporting  them.  Colonel  Garfield  had 
gone  down  the  river  to  its  mouth.  He  ordered  the  "  Sandy  Valley,"  a  small 
steamer,  which  had  been  in  the  quartermasters'  service,  to  take  on  a  load  of 
supplies  and  start  up.  The  Captain  declared  it  was  impossible.  Efforts  were 
made  to  get  other  vessels,  but  without  success. 

Finally  Colonel  Garfield  ordered  the  Captain  and  crew  on  board,  stationed 
a  competent  army  officer  on  deck  to  see  that  the  Captain  did  his  duty,  and  him- 
self took  the  wheel.  The  Captain  still  protested  that  no  boat  could  possibly 
stem  the  raging  current,  but  Garfield  turned  her  head  up  the  stream  and  began 
the  perilous  trip.     The  water  in  the  usually  shallow  river  was  sixty  feet  deep, 

»  Speaking  of  these  movements  on  the  Sandy,  after  he  had  gained  more  experience  of  war, 
Garfield  said :  "  It  was  a  very  rash  and  imprudent  affair  on  my  part.  If  I  had  been  an  officer 
of  more  experience  I  probably  should  not  have  made  the  attack.  As  it  was,  having  gone  into 
the  army  with  the  notion  that  fighting  was  our  business,  I  did  n't  know  any  better." 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

nd  the  tree-tops  along  the  banks  were  almost  submerged.     The  little  vessel 
to  stern  at  every  motion  of  the  engines;  the  waters  whirled 
P  about  as  if  she  were  a  skiff;  and  the  utmost  speed  that  steam  could  give  her 
,  three  miles  an  hour.    When  night  fell  the  Captain  of  the  boat  begged  per- 
jtsion  to  tie  up.    To  attempt  ascending  that  flood  in  the  dark  he  declared 
M  madness.    But  Colonel  Garfield  kept  his  place  at  the  wheel.     Finally,  in 
one  of  the  sudden  bends  of  the  river,  they  drove,  with  a  full  head  of  steam, 
into  the  qnJckiand  «>f  the  bank.    Every  effort  to  back  off  was  in  vain.     Mat- 
tocks were  procured  and  excavations  were  made  around  the  imbedded  bow. 
U  she  stuck.    Garfield  at  last  ordered  a  boat  to  be  lowered  to  take  a  line 
across  to  the  opposite  bank.    The  crew  protested  against  venturing  out  in  the 
flood.    The  Colonel  leaped  into  the  boat  himself  and  steered  it  over.     The  force 
of  the  current  carried  them  far  below  the  point  they  sought  to  reach  ;  but  they 
finally  succeeeded  in  making  fast  to  a  tree  and  rigging  a  windlass  with  rails 
snffieiently  powerful  to  draw  the  vessel  off  and  get  her  once  more  afloat. 

It  was  on  Saturday  that  the  boat  left  the  mouth  of  the  Sandy.  All  night, 
all  day  Sunday,  and  all  through  Sunday  night  they  kept  up  their  struggle  with 
the  enrrent,  Garfield  leaving  the  wheel  only  eight  hours  out  of  the  whole  time, 
and  that  daring  the  day.  By  nine  o'clock  Monday  morning  they  reached  the 
camp,  and  were  received  with  tumultuous  cheering.  Garfield  himself  could 
scarcely  escape  being  borno  to  head-quarters  on  the  shoulders  of  the  de- 
lighted men. 

Through  the  months  of  January,  February,  and  March,  several  small  en- 
counters with  guerrillas  in  the  mountains  occurred,  generally  favorable  to  the 
>n  arms,  and  finally  resulting  in  the  expulsion  of  the  bands  of  marauders 
from  the  State.    Just  on  the  border,  however,  at  the  rough  pass  across  the 
mountains,  known  as  Pound  Gap,  eighty  miles  north  of  Cumberland  Gap,  Hum- 
phrey Marshall  still  kept  up  a  post  of  observation,  held  by  a  force  of  about  five 
hundred  men.    On  the  14th  of  March  Garfield  started  with  five  hundred  infantry 
a  couple  of  hundred  cavalry  against  this  detachment.     The  distance  was 
rty  mil,.,  and  the  roads  were  at  their  worst,  but  by  the  evening  of  the  next 
day  he  had  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  two  miles  north  of  the  Gap. 
\  morning  he  sent  the  cavalry  directly  up  the  Gap  Eoad,  to  attract  the 
I  attention,  while  he  led  the  infantry  along  an  unfrequented  foot-path  up 
ndeof  the  mountain.    A  heavy  snow-storm  helped  to  conceal  the  move- 
While  the  enemy  watched  the  cavalry,  Garfield  had  led  the  infantry, 
™*  to  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  their  camp.     Then  he  ordered  an 

I  Ik-  enemy  were  taken  by  surprise,  and  a  few  volleys  dispersed  them. 
The>  ,-,tn,t,  „,  confusion  down  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain,  followed 
wlrTZt  !i  T  giDia  ^ the  CaValr^  Considerable  quantities  of  stores 
h.to  whK  n  T*  FeSted  f°r  the  niSht  in  the  s^J  comfortable  log 

JX r  w  i  „       L'7y    f  bUiU'  and  thG  neXt  morain«  W  them  down,  to 
get.u m        ,v      lh       el8e  left  by  the  enem^  whjch  _d  ^^  ^ 

-.     ::  r;;;  \sssr  receivr  leavea  smai1  ^°» at  pike 

»«  iest  of  the  command  rapidly  to  Louisville. 


James    A.  Garfield.  749 

These  operations  in  the  Sandy  Yalley  had  been  conducted  with  such  energy 
and  skill  as  to  receive  the  special  commendation  of  the  commanding  General 
and  of  the  Government.  General  Buell  had  been  moved  to  words  of  unwonted 
praise .*  The  War  Department  had  conferred  the  grade  of  Brigadier-General, 
the  commission  bearing  the  date  of  the  battle  on  Middle  Creek.  And  the 
country, without  understanding  very  well  the  details  of  the  campaign  (of  which, 
indeed,  no  satisfactory  account  was  published  at  the  timef),  fully  appreciated 
the  tangible  result.  The  discomfiture  of  Humphrey  Marshall  was  a  source  of 
special  chagrin  to  the  Eebel  sympathizers  of  Kentucky,  and  of  amusement  and 
admiration  throughout  the  loyal  West,  and  Garfield  took  rank  in  the  public 
estimation  among  the  most  promising  of  the  younger  volunteer  Generals. 

Later  criticism  will  confirm  the  general  verdict  then  passed  upon  the  Sandy 
Yalley  campaign.  It  was  the  first  of  the  brilliant  series  of  successes  that  made 
the  spring  of  1862  so  memorable.  Mill  Springs,  Fort  Henry,  Fort  Donelson, 
Nashville,  Island  No.  10,  Memphis,  followed  in  quick  succession;  but  it  was 
Garfield's  honor  that  he  opened  this  season  of  victories.  His  plans,  as  we  have 
seen,  were  based  on  sound  military  principles;  the  energy  which  he  threw  into 
their  execution  was  thoroughly  admirable,  and  his  management  of  the  raw  volun- 
teers was  such  that  they  acquired  the  fullest  confidence  in  their  commander,  and 
endured  the  hardships  of  the  campaign  with  a  fortitude  not  often  shown  in  the 
first  field  service  of  new  troops.  But  the  operations  were  on  a  small  scale,  and 
their  chief  significance  lay  in  the  capacity  they  developed,  rather  than  in  their 
intrinsic  importance. 

On  his  arrival  from  the  Sandy  Yalley  at  Louisville,  General  Garfield  found 
that  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  was  already  beyond  Nashville,  on  its  march  to 
Grant's  aid  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  He  hastened  after  it,  reported  to  General  Buell 
about  thirty  miles  south  of  Columbia,  and,  under  his  orders,  at  once  assumed 
command  of  the  Twentieth  Brigade,  then  a  part  of  the  division  under  General 
Thomas  J.  Wood.  He  reached  the  field  of  Pittsburg  Landing  about  one  o'clock 
on  the  second  day  of  the  battle,  and  participated  in  its  closing  scenes. 

The  next  day  he  moved  with  Sherman's  advance,  and  had  a  sharp  encoun- 

*The  following  is  the  text  of  General  BuelPs  congratulatory  order: 

"Head-Quarters  Department  of  the  Ohio,) 
"  Louisville,  Kentucky,  January  20,  1862.         ) 
"General  Orders  No.  40. 

"  The  General  commanding  takes  occasion  to  thank  General  Garfield  and  his  troops  for  their 
successful  campaign  against  the  Bebel  force  under  General  Marshall  on  the  Big  Sandy,  and 
their  gallant  conduct  in  battle.  They  have  overcome  formidable  difficulties  in  the  character  of 
country,  the  condition  of  the  roads,  and  the  inclemency  of  the  season ;  and,  without  artillery, 
have,  in  several  engagements,  terminating  in  the  battle  on  Middle  Creek  on  the  10th  inst.,  driven 
the  enemy  from  his  intrenched  positions,  and  forced  him  back  into  the  mountains  with  the  loss 
of  a  large  amount  of  baggage  and  stores,  and  many  of  his  men  killed  or  captured. 

"These  services  have  called  into  action  the  highest  qualities  of  a  soldier— fortitude,  perse- 
verance, courage." 

t  Aside  from  the  official  reports,  the  most  comple  account  of  the  Middle  Creek  battle  that  I 
have  seen  is  in  Harper's  Pictorial  History  of  the  Rebellion,  Vol.  I,  pp.  221-22-23. 


750  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

w|ih  rear-guard,  a  few  miles  beyond  the  battle-field.     His  brig- 

.deboro  it,  foil  snare  in  the  tedious  siege  operations  before  Corinth,  and  was 
'•  ,.        ......  ill|1IlU.rillg  the  abandoned  town  after  General  Beauregard's 

■  n  when  General  Buell,  turning  eastward,  sought  to  prepare  for  a  new 
aggressive  Campaign  with  his  inadequate  forces,  General  Garfield  was  assigned 
the  task  of  rebuilding  the  bridges  and  re-opening  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railroad  eastward  from  Corinth  to  Decatur.     Crossing  the  Tennessee  here, 
he  advanced  to  Huntsville,  where  he  remained    during    the   rest  of  his  ser- 
in that  campaign.     lie  was  presently  put  at  the  head  of  the  court-martial 
the  trial  of  General  Torchin,  whose  conduct  at  Athens  had  been  the  occa- 
sion ..f  ■  parting  howl  against  General  Mitchel,  and  had  been  one  of  the  earliest 
subjects  forced  upon  the  attention  of  General  Buell  on  his  arrival.*     His  mani- 
fbr  such  work  led  to  his  subsequent  detail  on  several  other  courts- 
martial. 

The  old  tendency  to  fever  and  ague,  contracted  in  the  days  of  his  tow-path 
service  on  the  Ohio  Canal,  was  now  aggravated  in  the  malarious  climate  of  the 
South,  and  General  Garfield  was  finally  sent  home  on  sick-leave  about  the  first 
of  August  Near  the  same  time  the  Secretary  of  War,  who  seems  at  this  early 
day  to  have  formed  the  high  estimate  of  Garfield  which  he  continued  to  enter- 
tain throughout  the  war,  sent  orders  to  him  to  proceed  to  Cumberland  Gap  and 
■■••  General  George  W.  Morgan  of  his  command.  But  when  they  were  re- 
i  he  was  too  ill  to  leave  his  bed.  A  month  later  the  Secretary  ordered 
him  to  report  in  person  at  Washington,  as  soon  as  his  health  would  permit. 

On  his  arrival  it  was  found  that  the  estimate  placed  upon  his  knowledge 
of  law,  his  judgment,  and  his  loyalty,  had  led  to  his  selection  as  one  of  the  first 
memhorsof  the  court-martial  for  the  noted  trial  of  Fitz  John  Porter.  In  the 
duties  connected  with  this  detail  most  of  the  autumn  was  consumed.  General 
Unlaid  was  understood  to  be  one  of  the  clearest  and  firmest  in  the  conviction 
that  General  Porter  had  wilfully  permitted  Pope's  defeat  at  the  second  Bull 
:<m.  and  that  no  less  punishment  than  dismissal  from  the  service  would  be  at 
all  adequate  to  his  offense. 

Intimacy  that  sprang  up  during  this  trial  between  General  Garfield 

wral  Hunter,  the  President  of  the  court-martial,  led  to  an  application 

Wm  for  service  in  South  Carolina,  whither  Hunter  was  about  to  start.     Gar- 

.<  antislavery  views  had  been  greatly  strengthened  by  his  experience 

luring  the  war,  and  the  South  Carolina  appointment,  under  a  * 


>om- 


-  th^^^  and  General  TurcM™  vehemently  cham- 
*  tTEtooTS^S  thos;/Chicago.     The  charges  against  him  were  neglect 

Pillar  .l-Mo^n  o    It  en  °AM  "  ^  ^^  "  "^  the  ™"»  and  d"^ 

-  HJ  »  bote]  bill  1 I*'  ?  bama;j conduct  ^becoming  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  in 
■notation  of  peaceful  da^inl!5  in"ubord™tion  in  disobeying  the  orders  against  the 
««d  mr  •hw.rful  oondurt  T  ^T  ^^  S°me  °f  tho  specifications  particular- 
•entenced  him  to  dismissal  from  U  o*  ^'^  (eXC6pt  aS  t0  the  hotel-biu  storH  and 
encj  on  account  of  winVitin™  "     ^J*™7'    Slx  of  its  members  recommended  him  to  clem- 

««lng  circumstances,  but  the  sentence  was  executed. 


James  A.  Garfield.  751 

mander  so  radical  as  Hunter,  was  on  this  account  peculiarly  gratifying.  But 
in  the  midst  of  his  plans  and  preparations,  the  old  army  in  which  he  had  served 
plunged  into  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver.  A  part  of  the  bitter  cost  of  the  victory 
that  followed  was  the  loss  of  Garesche,  the  lamented  chief  of  staff  to  the  com- 
manding General.  Garfield  was  at  once  selected  to  take  his  place;  the  appoint- 
ment to  South  Carolina  was  revoked ;  and  early  in  January  he  was  ordered  out 
to  General  Eosecrans. 

The  Chief  of  Staff  should  bear  the  same  relation  to  his  General  that  a  Min- 
ister of  State  does  to  his  sovereign.  What  this  last  relation  is  the  most  bril- 
liant of  recent  historians  shall  tell  us  :  "  The  difference  between  a  servant  and  a 
Minister  of  State  lies  in  this:  that  the  servant  obeys  the  orders  given  him, 
without  troubling  himself  concerning  the  question  whether  his  master  is  right 
or  wrong;  while  a  Minister  of  State  declines  to  be  the  instrument  for  giving 
effect  to  measures  which  he  deems  to  be  hurtful  to  his  country.  The  Chancellor 
of  the  Eussian  Empire  was  sagacious  and  politic.  .  .  .  That  the  Czar  was 
wrong  in  these  transactions  against  Turkey  no  man  knew  better.  .  .  .  But, 
unhappily  for  the  Czar  and  for  his  Empire,  the  Minister  did  not  enjoy  so  com- 
manding a  station  as  to  be  able  to  put  restraint  upon  his  sovereign,  nor  even, 
perhaps,  to  offer  him  counsel  in  his  angry  mood."  *  We  are  now  to  see  that  in 
some  respects  our  Chief  of  Staff  came  to  a  similar  experience. 

From  the  day  of  his  appointment,  General  Garfield  became  the  intimate 
associate  and  confidential  adviser  of  his  chief.  But  he  did  not  occupy  so  com- 
manding a  station  as  to  be  able  to  put  restraint  upon  him. 

The  time  of  General  Garfield's  arrival  marks  the  beginning  of  that  period 
of  quarrels  with  the  War  Department,  in  which  General  Eosecrans  frittered 
away  his  influence  and  paved  the  road  for  his  removal.  We  have  seen,  in 
tracing  the  career  of  that  great  strategist  and  gallant  soldier,  how  unwise  he 
always  was  in  caring  for  his  own  interests,  and  how  imprudent  was  the  most  of 
his  intercourse  with  his  superiors.  Yet  he  was  nearly  always  right  in  his  de- 
mands. General  Garfield  earnestly  sympathized  with  his  appeals  for  more  cav- 
alryf  and  for  revolving  arms.  But  he  did  all  that  lay  in  his  power  to  soften 
the  tone  of  asperity  which  his  chief  adopted  in  his  dispatches  to  Washington.  J 
Sometimes  he  took  the  responsibility  of  totally  suppressing  an  angry  message. 
Often er  he  ventured  to  soften  the  phraseology.  But  in  all  this  there  was  a 
limit  beyond  which  he  could  not  go ;  and  when  Eosecrans  had  pronounced  cer- 
tain statements  of  the  Department  "  a  profound,  grievous,  cruel,  and  ungener- 
ous official  and  personal  wrong,"  the  good  offices  of  the  Chief  of  Staff  were  no 
longer  efficacious — the  breach  was  irreparable.  Thenceforward  he  could  only 
strive  to  make  victories  in  the  field  atone  for  errors  in  council. 

lie  regarded  the  organization  of  the  army  as  vitally  defective.     We  have 

»  Kinglake's  Crim.  War,  Vol.  I,  Chap.  XVI. 

t  A  demand  which  General  Buell  had  made,  quite  as  emphatically  as  his  successor,  and  with 
an  accurate  prediction  of  the  evils  that  would  flow  from  its  absence. 

J  For  a  full  illustration  of  the  nature  of  this  correspondence,  see  ante,  Life  of  Eosecrans, 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

already  pointed  out,  in  tracing  the  aetions  of  its  chief,  the  great  mistake  of 
inin*  as  commanders  of  the  wings  such  incapables  as  A.  M.  McOook  and 
,„den     Almost  the  first  recommendation  made  by  General  Garfield 
wt8  ,,  Nil    It  is  gratifying  now  to  know  that  he  was  so  little 

moved  by  popular  prejudice,  and  so  well  able  to  perceive  real  ability  beneath 
concealing  misfortune  that  he  urged  upon  Eosecrans  to  replace  them  by  Irvin 
McDowell  and  Don  Carlos  Buell.  With  George  H.  Thomas  already  in  com- 
mand. wi,th  men  like  these  as  his  associates,  and  with  the  energy  and  genius  of 
Roeecrans  to  lead  them,  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  would  have  been  the  best 
officered  army  in  the  service  of  the  Nation.  But  Eosecrans  was  unwilling  to 
adopt  the  suggestion— for  a  reason  creditable  to  his  kindness  of  heart,  but  not 
to  his  military  character.  Crittenden  and  McCook  ought  to  be  removed— of 
that  he  had  no  doubt,  but— "he  hated  to  injure  two  such  good  fellows."  And 
so  the  "two  good  fellows"  went  on  until  Chickamauga* 

m  4th  January  to  24th  June  General  Eosecrans  lay  at  Murfreesboro'. 
Through  five  months  of  this  delay  General  Garfield  was  with  him.  The  War 
Department  demanded  an  advance,  and,  when  the  spring  opened,  urged  it 
with  unusual  vehemence.  General  Eosecrans  delayed,  waiting  for  cavalry,  for 
re-enforcements,  for  Grant's  movements  before  Vicksburg,  for  the  movements  of 
tho  enemy,  for  the  opinions  of  his  Generals.  The  Chief  of  Staff  at  first  ap- 
proved the  delays,  till  the  army  should  be  strengthened  and  massed  ;  but  long 
before  tin-  delaying  officers  were  ready  he  was  urging  movement  with  all  his 
power.  He  had  established  a  secret-service  system,  then  perhaps  the  most  per- 
fect in  any  of  the  Union  armies.  From  the  intelligence  it  furnished  he  felt  sure 
that  Bragg's  force  had  been  considerably  reduced,  and  was  now  greatly  infe- 
rior to  that  of  Eosecrans.  As  he  subsequently  said,  he  refused  to  believe  that 
this  army,  which  defeated  a  superior  foe  at  Stone  Eiver,  could  not  now  move 
upon  an  inferior  one  with  reasonable  prospects  of  success. 

Finally  General  Eosecrans  formally  asked  his  corps,  division,,  and  cavalry 

\k  la  to  the  propriety  of  a  movement.     With  singular  unanimity,  though 

MM  reasons,  they  opposed  it.     Out  of  seventeen  Generals,  not  one  was 

i  favor  of  an  immediate  advance,  and  not  one  was  even  willing  to  put  himself 

upon  the  record  as  in  favor  of  an  early  advance. 

Wl  QtrteM  collated  the  seventeen  letters  sent  in  from  the  Generals  in 
to  the  questions  of  their  commander,  and  fairly  reported  their  substance, 

T    *  C°gCnt  argUment  again9t  them  and  in  fa™*  of  an  immediate 

lovement.    Thts  report  we  venture  to  pronounce  the  ablest  military  document 

iown  to  have  been  submitted  by  a  Chief  of  Staff  to  his  superior  during  the 

•ion  Vo^l^TTcZ  it;h°Uld1\Vdded  that  °eneral  GarfieM  made  the  -commenda- 
*one  Rive  ,rrh   h  wr    n  7*.  fC°°k  in  the  — se  of  a  discussion  of  the  battle  of 

!**m  in  l^^T^n  Said  '!"*  thGSe  °ffiCerS  '^  Sh°Wn  themSelveS  '~ 
•Pproved  thcn^lvj^'  to  H  t  t  **  ***  *«  gr°Und  that  Bue11  and  McDowell  had 
^ngth^heargu^llth  *  CMn1mand-  th<*  h^  formerly  held;  but,  without  dis- 
-  well  *  ,he  faeuhat  thi   offJ     f  Y  qualifications  for  important  subordinate  positions, 

- '  would  insure  their  erah'!  J ,    ^P?^™^  *<>  come  out  from  the  cloud  under  which  they 
weir  gratitude  and  incite  them  to  their  very  best  efforts. 


James  A.  Garfield.  753 

war.  General  Garfield  stood  absolutely  alone,  every  General  commanding 
troops  having,  as  we  have  seen,  either  openly  opposed  or  failed  to  approve  an 
advance.  But  his  statements  were  so  clear  and  his  arguments  so  forcible  that 
he  carried  conviction.  As  an  interesting  feature  in  the  history  of  a  notable 
campaign,  we  give  this  remarkable  paper  in  full : 

Head-Quarters,  Department  of  the  Cumberland,) 
Murfreesboro\  June  12,  1863.         J 
General:  In  your  confidential  letter  of  the  8th  inst.  to  the  corps  and  division  commanders 
and  Generals  of  cavalry  of  this  army,  there  were  substantially  five  questions  propounded  for 
their  consideration  and  answer,  viz.: 

1.  Has  the  enemy  in  our  front  been  materially  weakened  by  detachments  to  Johnston,  or 
elsewhere  ? 

2.  Can  this  army  advance  on  him  at  this  time  with  strong  reasonable  chances  of  fighting  a 
great  and  successful  battle? 

3.  Do  you  think  an  advance  of  our  army  at  present  likely  to  prevent  additional  re-enforce- 
ments being  sent  against  General  Grant  by  the  enemy  in  our  front? 

4.  Do  you  think  an  immediate  advance  of  this  army  advisable? 

5.  Do  you  think  an  early  advance  advisable? 

Many  of  the  answers  to  these  questions  are  not  categorical,  and  can  not  be  clearly  set  down 
either  as  affirmative  or  negative.  Especially  in  answer  to  the  first  question  there  is  much  indefi- 
niteness,  resulting  from  the  difference  of  judgment  as  to  how  great  a  detachment  could  be  con- 
sidered a  "material  reduction"  of  Bragg's  strength.  For  example:  One  officer  thinks  it  has  been 
reduced  ten  thousand,  but  not  "materially  weakened." 

The  answers  to  the  second  question  are  modified  in  some  instances  by  the  opinion  that  the 
Rebels  will  fall  back  behind  the  Tennessee  River,  and  thus  no  battle  can  be  fought  either  success- 
ful or  unsuccessful. 

So  far  as  these  opinions  can  be  stated  in  tabular  form,  they  will  stand  thus : 

Yes.  No. 

Answer  to  first  question 6  11 

Answer  to  second  question 2  11 

Answer  to  third  question 4  10 

Answer  to  fourth  question 15 

Answer  to  fifth  question 2 

On  the  fifth  question  three  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  this  army  ought  to  advance  as  soon 
as  Vicksburg  falls,  should  that  event  happen. 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  reasons  assigned  why  we  should  not,  at  this  time,  advance 
upon  the  enemy : 

1.  With  Hooker's  army  defeated,  and  Grant's  bending  all  its  energies  in  a  yet  undecided  strug- 
gle, it  is  bad  policy  to  risk  our  only  reserve  army  to  the  chances  of  a  general  engagement.  A 
failure  here  would  have  most  disastrous  effects  on  our  lines  of  communication,  and  on  politics  in 
the  loyal  States. 

2.  We  should  be  compelled  to  fight  the  enemy  on  his  own  ground,  or  follow  him  in  a  fruit- 
less stern  chase;  or  if  we  attempted  to  outflank  him  and  turn  his  position,  we  should  expose  our 
line  of  communication  and  run  the  risk  of  being  pushed  back  into  a  rough  country  well-known 
to  the  enemy  and  little  to  ourselves. 

3.  In  case  the  enemy  should  fall  back  without  accepting  battle  he  could  make  our  advance 
very  slow,  and  with  a  comparatively  small  force  posted  in  the  gaps  of  the  mountains  could  hold 
us  back  while  he  crossed  the  Tennessee  River,  where  he  would  be  measurely  secure  and  free  to 
send  re-enforcements  to  Johnston.  His  forces  in  East  Tennessee  could  seriously  harass  our  left 
flank,  and  constantly  disturb  our  communications. 

4.  The  withdrawal  of  Burnside's  Ninth  Army  Corps  deprives  us  of  an  important  reserve  and 
flank  protection,  thus  increasing  the  difficulty  of  an  advance. 

Vol.  I.— 48. 


.;l  Ohio  in  the  War. 

i  ir,rll„t  his  sent  the  most  of  his  forces  away  to  General  Grant,  thus  leaving 
vinff  our  right  flank  and  rear  open  to  raids  of  the  enemy. 
Wert  Tennessee  un  '  u>  in°  our    ° 

,.:ll  opinions  are  expressed: 
I  ,  officer  thinks  it  probable  that  the  enemy  has  been  strengthened  rather  than  weakened, 
.  I  ITU  '  would  have  a  reasonable  prospect  of  victory  in  a  general  battle. 

One  officer  believe*  the  result  of  a  general  battle  would  be  doubtful,  a  victory  barren,  and 

a  defeat  most  di*a>  ,.  ,   .  ,  .  ,   m. 

|   Tl.r  i  officers  believe  that  an  advance  would  bring  on  a  general  engagement.     Ihree 

others  believe  it  would  not.  - 

4.  Two  officers  express  the  opinion  that  the  chances  of  success  in  a  general  battle  are  nearly 

rid  il 

ft.  One  officer  expresses  the  belief  that  our  army  has  reached  its  maximum  strength  and 
—  a,  i vity  will  seriously  impair  its  effectiveness. 

••i  «ra  i  iv  that  an  increase  of  our  cavalry  by  about  six  thousand  men  would  mate- 
jlgjlv  el  of  our  affairs  and  give  us  a  decided  advantage. 

In  addition  to  the  above  .summary,  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  an  estimate  of  the  strength 
of  Bra jtr's  army,  gathered  from  all  the  data  I  have  been  able  to  obtain,  including  the  estimate 
J  commanding  in  his  official  report  of  the  battle  of  Stone  River  and  facts  gathered 
Tters,  md  refugee*,  and  from  Rebel  newspapers.     After  the  battle  Bragg  con- 
i  many  of  his  decimated  regiments  and  irregular  organizations,  and  at  the  time  of  his 
•ending  re-en lorcements  to  Johnston  his  army  had  reached  its  greatest  effective  strength.     It  con- 
tested of  five  divisions  of  infantry,  composed  of  ninety-four  regiments  and  two  independent  bat- 
talions of  t>li:irp-shooters ;  say  ninety-five  regiments.     By  a  law  of  the  Confederate  Congress, 
ftfhawits  are  consolidated  when  their  effective  strength  fall?  below  two  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
Kvm  the  regiments  formed  by  such  consolidation  (which  may  reasonably  be  regarded  as  the 
must  fall  below  five  hundred.    I  am  satisfied  that  four  hundred  is  a  large  estimate  of  the 
average  strength. 

The  force  then  would  be: 

Infantry,     95  Regiments,  400    each 38,000 

Cavalry,      35        "  say  500     "    17,500 

Artillery,    26  Batteries,      say  100      "    2,600 

Total 58,000 

This  force  has  ken  reduced  by  detachments  to  Johnston.     It  is  as  well  known  as  we  can  ever 

■  ascertain  such  facts,  that  three  brigades  have  gone  from  McCown's  division,,  and  two  or 

Breckinridge^)  say  two.     It  is  clear  that  there  are  now  but  four  infantry  divisions  in 

IraggWmy,  the  fourth   being  composed  of  fragments  of  McCown's  and  Breckinrid-es's  divis- 

i  mu-t  be  much  smaller  than  the  average.     Deducting  the  five  brigades,  and  supposing 

1  of  only  four  regiments  each,  which  is  below  the  general  average,  it  gives  an  in- 

•«.«-.»  of  twenty  regiments,  four  hundred  each:  eight  thousand,  leaving  a  remainder  of 

thirty  thousand.  . 

1  U;K''\r!:'  a;ccrtai,lcd  that  at  least  two  brigades  of  cavalry  have  been  sent  from  Van  Dorn's 

J"    «■!  U  ppt,  and  it  is  asserted  in  the  Chattanooga  Rebel  of  June  11th,  that  General 

-mmand  has  been  permanently  detached  and  sent  to  Eastern  Kentucky.     It  is  not 

.d.  known  how  lar,e  his  division  is,  but  it  is  known  to  contain  at  least  two  brigades. 
Tkktnj  ,h,<  nnn.mum  as  the  fact,  we  have  a  cavalry  reduction  of  four  brigades. 

mmTS^L         "T*  four  rtgimenti  10  the  bris*de>  we  h*ve  a  reduction  *>y  *** 
t^tXn*^:        hUUdred  each'  leavin»  his  *«■"  effective  ***y  *■?  nine 
I  brigade,  of  the  two  arms  thus  detached  it  will  be  safe  to  say  there  have  gone 
6  Batteries,  80  men  each.... 

Uifhaj  him  20  Batteries 48° 

Making  a  total  reduction  of      2'120 

Leading  of  the  three  arms    16'480 

41,080 


James  A.  Garfield.  755 

In  this  estimate  of  Bragg's  present  strength  I  have  placed  all  doubts  in  his  favor,  and  I 
have  no  question  that  my  estimate  is  considerably  beyond  the  truth.  General  Sheridan,  who  has 
taken  great  pains  to  collect  evidence  on  this  point,  places  it  considerably  below  these  fignrea. 
But  assuming  these  to  be  correct,  and  granting  what  is  still  more  improbable,  that  Bragg  would 
abandon  all  his  rear  posts,  and  entirely  neglect  his  communications  and  could  bring  his  last  man 
into  battle,  I  next  ask,  What  have  we  with  which  to  oppose  him? 

The  last  official  report  of  effective  strength,  now  on  file  in  the  office  of  the  Assistant  Adju- 
tant-General, is  dated  June  11th,  and  shows  that  we  have  in  this  Department,  omitting  all  officers 
and  enlisted  men  attached  to  Department,  Corps,  Division,  and  Brigade  head- quarters: 

1.  Infantry — One  hundred  and  seventy-three  regiments;  ten  battalions  sharp-shooters;  four 
battalions  pioneers,  and  one  regiment  engineers  and  mechanics,  with  a  total  effective  strength 
of  seventy  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighteen. 

2.  Cavalry — Twenty-seven  regiments  and  one  unattached  company,  eleven  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  thirteen. 

3.  Artillery — Forty-seven  and  a  half  batteries  field  artillery,  consisting  of  two  hundred 
and  ninety-two  guns  and  five  hundred  and  sixty-nine  men,  making  a  general  total  of  eighty- 
seven  thousand  eight  hundred. 

Leaving  out  all  commissioned  officers,  this  army  represents  eighty-two  thousand  seven  hun- 
dred and  sixty-seven  bayonets  and  sabers. 

This  report  does  not  include  the  Fifth  Iowa  Cavalry,  six  hundred  strong,  lately  armed;  nor 
the  First  Wisconsin  Cavalry;  nor  Coburn's  brigade  of  infantry,  now  arriving;  nor  the  two 
thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety-four  convalescents  now  on  light  duty  in  "  Fortress  Rosecrans." 

There  are  detached  from  this  force  as  follows : 

At  Gallatin  969 

At  Carthage 1,149 

At  Fort  Donelson 1,485 

At  Clarksville 1,138 

At  Nashville 7,292 

At  Franklin 900 

AtLavergne 2,117 

Total 15,130 

With  these  posts  as  they  are,  and  leaving  two  thousand  five  hundred  efficient  men  in  addi- 
tion to  the  two  thousand  three  hundred  and  ninety-four  convalescents  to  hold  the  works  at  this 
place,  there  will  .be  left  sixty-five  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty -seven  bayonets  and  sabers  to 
throw  against  Bragg's  forty-one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty. 

I  beg  leave,  also,  to  submit  the  following  considerations: 

1.  Bragg's  army  is  now  weaker  than  it  has  been  since  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  or  is  likely 
to  be  again  for  the  present,  while  our  army  has  reached  its  maximum  strength,  and  we  have  no 
right  to  expect  re-enforcements  for  several  months,  if  at  all. 

2.  Whatever  be  the  result  at  Vicksburg,  the  determination  of  its  fate  will  give  large  re-en- 
forcements to  Bragg.  If  Grant  is  successful,  his  army  will  require  many  weeks  to  recover  from 
the  shock  and  strain  of  his  late  campaign,  while  Johnston  will  send  back  to  Bragg  a  force  suffi- 
cient to  insure  the  safety  of  Tennessee.  If  Grant  fails,  the  same  result  will  inevitably  follow,  so 
far  as  Bragg's  army  is  concerned.  » 

3.  No  man  can  predict  with  certainty  the  result  of  any  battle,  however  great  the  disparity  in 
numbers.  Such  results  are  in  the  hand  of  God.  But,  viewing  the  question  in  the  light  of  human 
calculation,  I  refuse  to  entertain  a  doubt  that  this  army,  which  in  January  last  defeated  Bragg's 
superior  numbers,  can  not  overwhelm  his  present  greatly  inferior  forces. 

4.  The  most  unfavorable  course  for  us  that  Bragg  could  take  would  be  to  fall  back  without 
giving  us  battle,  but  this  would  be  very  disastrous  to  him.  Besides  the  loss  of  viateriel  of  war, 
and  the  abandonment  of  the  rich  and  abundant  harvest  now  nearly  ripe  in  Central  Tennessee, 
he  would  lose  heavily  by  desertion.  It  is  wellAknown  that  a  wide-spread  dissatisfaction  exists 
among  his  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  troops.  They  are  already  deserting  in  large  numbers.  A 
retreat  would  tzreatlv  increase  both  the  desire  and  the  opportunity  for  desertion,  and  would  very 


--,.  Ohio   in   the   War. 

-'---  reduce  hi,  phvsical  and  moral  strength.  While  it  would  lengthen  our  communica- 
te u»  possession  of  McMinnville,  and  enable  us  to  threaten  Chattanooga  and 
*  and  it  would  not  be  unreasonable  to  expect  an  early  occupation  of  the  for- 


f***  the  chances  are  more  than  even  that  a  sudden  and  rapid  movement  would  compel  a 
ftneral  engagement,  and  the  defeat  of  Bragg  would  be  in  the  highest  degree  disastrous  to  the 


J.  The  turbulent  aspect  of  politics  in  the  loyal  States  renders  a  decisive  blow  against  the  enemy 
■I  tbU  lime  of  the  highest  importance  to  the  success  of  the  Government  at  the  polls,  and  in  the 
enforcement  of  the  Conscription  Act. 

7.  The  Government  and  the  War  Department  believe  that  this  army  ought  to  move  upon 
the  enemr.    The  army  desires  it,  and  the  country  is  anxiously  hoping  for  it. 

M  objective  point  is  the  Rebel  army,  whose  last  reserves  are  substantially  in  the 
Add,  and  an  effective  blow  will  crush  the  shell,  and  soon  be  followed  by  the  collapse  of  the 
Kebel  gnremment. 

9.  You  have,  in  my  judgment,  wisely  delayed  a  general  movement  hitherto,  till  your  army 
eoold  be  maimed,  and  your  cavalry  could  be  mounted.  Your  mobile  force  can  now  be  concen- 
trated in  twenty-four  hours,  and  your  cavalry,  if  not  equal  in  numerical  strength  to  that  of  the 
enemy,  is  greatly  superior  in  efficiency  and  morale. 

K.»r  these  reasons  I  believe  an  immediate  advance  of  all  our  available  forces  is  advisable, 
and,  under  the  providence  of  God,  will  be  successful. 
Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 
[Signed]  J.  A.  GARFIELD, 

Brigadier-General,  Chief  of  Staff. 
Major-Genera  1  Rosecrans,  Commanding  Department  Cumberland. 

E  olve  days  after  the  reception  of  this  report  the  army  moved — to  the 
great  dissatisfaction  of  its  leading  Generals.  One  of  the  three  corps  command- 
ers, Major-General  Thomas  L.  Crittenden,  approached  the  Chief  of  Staff  at  the 
head-quarters  on  the  morning  of  the  advance:  "It  is  understood,  sir,"  he  said,  ' 

be  general  officers  of  the  army,  that  this  movement  is  your  work.  I  wish 
jou  to  understand  that  it  is  a  rash  and  fatal  move,  for  which  you  will  be  held 
responsible." 

This  rash  and  fatal  move  was  the  Tullahoma  campaign— a  campaign  perfect 

1  conception,  excellent  in  its  general  execution,  and  only  hindered  from 

Malting  in  the  complete  destruction  of  the  opposing  army  by  the  delays  which 

bad  too  long  postponed  its  commencement.     It  might  even  yet  have  destroyed 

I  but  for  the  terrible  season  of  rains  which  set  in  on  the  morning  of 'the 

•dvance,  and  continued  uninterruptedly  for  the  greater  part  of  a  month.     With 

week  s  earher  start  it  would  have  ended  the  career  of  Bragg's  army  in  the  war. 

theWa   nr^8PTg?PreneWCd  diffei™ces  between  General  Eosecrans  and 

th   .Tmy  Zl ZT   n  genCral  P°liCy  that  C0Dtr0lled  the  ™"ts  of 

to  iriuiS  J  ^w       US  *"*  *»*  m—  of  conducting  his  defense 

«« o^        partment>  and  did  his  best  to  8°ften  the  ■** 

^^S\S ^  Chicl— V-  Such  had  by  this  time  come  to  be 
He  wrote  every  onl^  iwae^r/,6"17  ^^  C0MUlted  and  °ften  f°llowed- 
-  an  amanuen'i,,  but  rather  on^h  ^  ^  *****  ^  h*  dM  «* 
-omitting  what  he  had  Z2^*  ^T^™  °f  ^  °Wn  J«dSraent>  &*™F* 
P'epaied  to  Kosecrans  for  approval  or  change.     The 


James   A.   Garfield.  757 

one  order  which  he  did  not  write  was  the  fatal  order  to  Wood  which  lost  the 
battle.  The  meaning  was  correct;  the  words,  however,  did  not  clearly  repre- 
sent what  Eosecrans  meant,  and  the  division  commander  in  question  so  inter- 
preted them  as  to  destroy  the  right  wing. 

The  General  commanding  and  his  Chief  of  Staff  were  caught  in  the  tide  of 
the  disaster  and  borne  back  toward  Chattanooga.  The  Chief  of  Staff  was  sent 
to  communicate  with  Thomas,  while  the  General  proceeded  to  prepare  for  the 
reception  of  the  routed  army. 

Such  at  least  were  the  statements  of  the  reports,  and,  in  a  technical  sense, 
they  were  true.  It  should  never  be  forgotten,  however,  in  Garfield's  praise,  that 
it  was  on  his  own  earnest  representations  that  he  was  sent — that,  in  fact,  he 
rather  procured  permission  to  go  to  Thomas,  and  so  back  into  the  battle,  than 
received  orders  to  do  so.  He  refused  to  believe  that  Thomas  was  routed  or  the 
battle  lost.  He  found  the  road  environed  with  dangers;  some  of  his  escort  were 
killed,  and  they  all  narrowly  escaped  death  or  capture.  But  he  bore  to  Thomas 
the  first  news  that  officer  had  received  of  the  disaster  on  the  right,  and  gave  the 
information  on  which  he  was  able  to  extricate  his  command.  At  seven  o'clock 
that  evening,  under  the  personal  supervision  of  General  Gordon  Granger  and 
himself,  a  shotted  salute  from  a  battery  of  six  Napoleon  guns  was  fired  into  the 
woods  after  the  last  of  the  retreating  assailants.  They  were  -the  last  shots  of 
the  battle  of  Chicamauga,  and  what  was  left  of  the  Union  army  was  master  of 
the  field.  For  the  time  the  enemy  evidently  regarded  himself  as  repulsed;  and 
Garfield  said  that  night,  and  has  always  since  maintained,  that  there  was  no 
necessity  for  the  immediate  retreat  on  Eossville. 

Practically  this  was  the  close  of  General  Garfield's  military  career.  A  year 
before,  while  he  was  absent  in  the  army,  and  without  any  solicitation  on  his 
part,  he  had  been  elected  to  Congress  from  the  old  Giddings  district,  in  which  he 
resided.  He  was  now,  after  a  few  weeks  further  service  with  Eosecrans  at  Chat- 
tanooga, sent  on  to  "Washington  as  the  bearer  of  dispatches.  He  there  learned 
of  his  promotion  to  a  Major-Generalship  of  volunteers,  "for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious conduct  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga."  He  might  have  retained  this 
position  in  the  army;  and  the  military  capacity  he  had  displayed,  the  high  favor 
in  which  he  was  held  by  the  Government,  and  the  certainty  of  his  assignment 
to  important  commands,  seemed  to  augur  a  brilliant  future.  He  was  a  poor 
man,  too,  and  the  Major-General's  salary  was  more  than  double  that  of  the  Con- 
gressman. But  on  mature  reflection  he  decided  that  the  circumstances  under 
which  the  people  had  elected  him  to  Congress  bound  him  up  to  an  effort  to  obey 
their  wishes.  He  was  furthermore  urged  to  enter  Congress  by  the  officers  of 
the  army,  who  looked  to  him  for  aid  in  procuring  such  military'legislation  as 
the  country  and  the  army  required.  Under  the  belief  that  the  path  of  useful- 
ness to  the  country  lay  in  the  direction  in  which  his  constituents  pointed,  he 
sacrificed  what  seemed  to  be  his  personal  interests,  and  on  the  5th  of  December, 
1863,  resigned  his  commission,  after  nearly  throe  years'  service. 

In   Congress  General  Garfield  at  once  took  high  rank.     He  was  made  a 


Ohio  in  the  War 

r   .     remittee  on  Military  Affairs,  where,  by  his  activity,  industry, 

'      .  howunLf  the  army,  he  did  as  signal  service  as 

•  "  J!' Zrt  Z  "1*  «  chairman  of  the  select  committee  of  sev.  ap- 

irallds  in  the  money-printing  bureau  of  the     reus- 

He i  became  known  as  a  powerful  speaker,  remarkably 

vo  in  debate.     One  of  his  mAj  performances  gave  him 
,,-  ;,„,,  Mr.  Alexander  Long  delivered  an   exceedmgly 

bio  speech,  proposing  the  recognition  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federal   which  attracted  to  an  unusual  degree  the  attention  of  the  House.     By 
,(  it  wu  left  to  the  young  member  who  had  so  recently  left  the 
army  to  reply.     The  moment  Long  took  his  seat  Garfield  rose.     His  first  sen- 
„  k  the  thrilling  fibers  of  the  House.     In  a  moment  he  was  surrounded 
from  the  remoter  seats;  and,  in  the  midst  of  great  ex- 
„t  ami  the  general  applause  of  his  side,  he  poured  out  an  invective  rarely 
jujumiri  m  t,mt  bod^  for  l)0wcr  or  eleSance: 

■  Mil  Chairman:  I  am  reminded  by  the  occurrences  of  this  afternoon  of  two  characters  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  as  compared  with  two  others  in  the  war  of  to-day. 

••  The  lir.-t  was  Lord  Fairfax,  who  dwelt  near  the  Potomac,  a  few  miles  from  us.  When  the 
great  contort  wan  opened  between  the  mother  country  and  the  colonies,  Lord  Fairfax,  after  a  pro- 
tracted Itnggk  with  his  own  heart,  decided  that  he  must  go  with  the  mother  country.  He  gath- 
exed  hi*  mantle  about  him  and  went  over  grandly  and  solemnly. 

"There  was  another  man  who  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  struggling  colonists,  and  continued 
with  them  till  the  war  was  well-nigh  ended.  In  an  hour  of  darkness  that  just  preceded  the 
glory  of  the  morning,  he  hatched  the  treason  to  surrender  forever  all^that  had  been  gained  to 
the  enemies  of  his  ountry.     Benedict  Arnold  was  that  man  ! 

rfu  and  Arnold  find  their  parallel  in  the  struggle  of  to-day. 

"  Winn  this  war  began  many  good  men  stood  hesitating  and  doubting  what  they  ought  to 
do.  RoU  rt  K.  Lee  sat  in  his  house  across  the  river  here,  doubting  and  delaying,  and  going  off 
at  h*t  almost  tearfully  to  join  the  army  of  his  State.  He  reminds  one  in  some  respects  of  Lord 
Fairfax,  the  stately  royalist  of  the  Involution. 

'•  Itui  now,  when  tens  of  thousands  of  brave  souls  have  gone  up  to  God  under  the  shadow 

of  the  lafi  when  thousands  more,  maimed  and  shattered  in  the  contest,  are  sadly  awaiting  the 

delirerntxf  <>f  death;  now,  when  three  years  of  terrific  warfare  have  raged  over  us;  when  our 

m  pushed  the  rebellion  back  over  mountains  and  rivers,  and  crowded  it  into  narrow 

*,  until  a  wall  of  tire  girds  it;  now,  when  the  uplifted  hand  of  a  majestic  people  is  about 

hurl  the  bolts  of  its  conquering  power  upon  the  rebellion ;  now,  in  the  quiet  of  this  hall, 

(Chad  in  the  lowest  depths  of  a  similar  dark  treason,  there  rises  a  Benedict  Arnold  and  proposes 

urremler  all  up,  body  and  spirit,  the  Nation  and  the  Flag,  its  genius  and  its  honor,  now  and 

W'  Hf      *CCUrRed  traitora  t0  our  countlT !     A"d  that  proposition  comes— God  forgive  and 

uy  beloved  State-it  comes  from  a  citizen  of  the  time  honored  and  loyal  Commonwealth 
01  Ohm!  * 

;c  you,  brethren,  in  this  House,  to  believe  that  not  many  births  ever  gave  pangs 
»»y  mo  her  BW.«jd,  „  8he mttM  when  (hat  tra.tor  was  bom  ,    j  beg  yQu  no(  tQ  belieye 

zz&igxsx?"  growth  hasCTer'def°™ed  *•  *•  *>**■  *■ 

,„,  .    ",timM"1  in  «»  same  sustained  strain  of  polished  and  power- 

«  ZZZ°'  ffIt9(del,iVei'>-°'1  *e  H»«  of  the  moment,  in  immediate  reply  to 

«rp ri^T       ,V,iCh  'la"  takCn  Wm  aswellas  the  rest  of  the  House  by 
•orpnso,  8ta,ni)0ll  Garfield  at  once  as  one  of  the  readiest  and  most  forcible 


James  A.    Garfield  759 

speakers  in  Congress.  This  standing  ho  never  lost.  It  was,  however,  to  prove 
in  some  respects  injurious  to  his  rising  fame.  He  spoke  so  readily  that  mem- 
bers  were  constantly  asking  his  services  in  behalf  of  favorite  measures;  and  in 
the  impulsive  eagerness  of  a  young  man  and  a  young  member,  he  often  con- 
sented. He  thus  came  to  be  too  frequent  a  speaker;  and  by  and  by  the  House 
wearied  a  little  of  his  polished  periods,  and  began  to  think  him  too  fond  of 
talking.  After  a  time  this  little  reaction  in  tho  general  feeling  of  the  House 
toward  him  wore  off. 

Meantime  in  the  committees  he  had  proved  himself  an  invaluable  worker. 
He  was  renominated  by  acclamation  by  the  convention  of  the  party  in  his  dis- 
trict for  the  Thirty-Ninth  Congress,  and  re-elected  by  a  majority  of  over 
twelve  thousand.  So  highly  was  he  now  ranked  in  the  House  that  he  was 
given  a  leading  place  on  its  leading  committee,  that  on  "  Ways  and  Means."* 
Here  he  soon  rose  to  great  influence.  He  studied  the  whole  range  of  financial 
questions  with  the  assiduity  of  his  old  college  days,  and  was  spoken  of  by  the 
Secretary  of  the  Treasury  (who  had  particularly  requested  his  appointment) 
as  one  of  the  best-informed  men  on  such  topics  then  in  public  life. 

Meantime  he  continued  to  be  a  frequent  debater,  and  maintained  his  old 
standard.  This  account  of  his  Congressional  career  may  fitly  close  with  some 
further  extracts  from  some  of  his  most  notable  speeches. 

Beginning  a  brief  speech  in  favor  of  the  Constitutional  Amendment,  pro- 
hibiting slavery  anywhere  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  he  said: 

"'Me.  Speaker:  We  shall  never  know  why  slavery  dies  so  hard  in  this  Republic  and  in  this 
hall  till  we  know  why  sin  is  long-lived  and  Satan  is  immortal.  With  marvelous  tenacity  of  ex- 
istence, it  has  outlived  the  expectations  of  its  friends  and  the  hopes  of  its  enemies.  It  has  been 
declared  here  and  elsewhere  to  be  in  all  the  several  stages  of  mortality,  wounded,  moribund, 
dead.  The  question  was  raised  by  my  colleague  (Mr.  Cox)  yesterday  whether  it  was  indeed  dead, 
or  only  in  a  troubled  sleep.  I  know  of  no  better  illustration  of  its  condition  than  is  found  in 
Sallusfs  admirable  history  of  the  great  conspirator,  Cataline,  who,  when  his  final  battle  was 
fought  and  lost,  his  army  broken  and  scattered,  was  found  far  in  advance  of  his  own  troops,  lying 
among  the  dead  enemies  of  Rome,  yet  breathing  a  little,  but  exhibiting  in  his  countenance  all 
that  ferocity  of  spirit  which  had  characterized  his  life.  So,  sir,  this  body  of  slavery  lies  before 
us  among  the  dead  enemies  of  the  Republic,  mortally  wounded,  impotent  in  its  fiendish  wicked- 
ness, but  with  its  old  ferocity  of  look,  bearing  the  unmistakable  marks  of  its  infernal  origin. 

"Who  does  not  remember  that  thirty  years  ago — a  short  period  in  the  life  of  a  nation — but 
little  could  be  said  with  impunity  in  these  halls  on  the  subject  of  slavery?  How  well  do  gen- 
tlemen here  remember  the  history  of  that  distinguished  predecessor  of  mine,  Joshua  R.  Giddings, 
lately  gone  to  his  rest,  who,  with  his  forlorn  hope  of  faithful  men,  took  his  life  in  his  hand,  and 
in  the  name  of  justice  protested  against  the  great  crime,  and  who  stood  bravely  in  his  place 
until  his  white  locks,  like  the  plume  of  Henry  of  Navarre,  marked  where  the  battle  for  freedom 
raged  fiercest! 

"We  can  hardly  realize  that  this  is  the  same  people,  and  these  the  same  halls,  Where  now 
scarcely  a  man  can  be  found  who  will  venture  to  do  more  than  falter  out  an  apology  for  slavery, 
protesting  in  the  same  breath  that  he  has  no  love  for  the  dying  tyrant.  None,  I  believe,  but  that 
man  of  more  than  supernal  boldness,  from  the  city  of  New  York  (Mr.  Fernando  Wood),  has 
ventured,  this  session,  to  raise  his  voice  in  favor  of  slavery  for  its  own  sake.  He  still  sees  in  its 
features  the  reflection  of  beauty  and  divinity,  and  only  he.     'How  art  thou  fallen  from  heaven, 

•The  committee  which  matures  the  financial  legislation  of  Congress  and  provides  the 
means  of  raising  the  revenue. 


OHIO  in  the   War. 

•      I    TTow  art  thou  cut  down  to  the  ground,  Which  didst  weaken  the 

,rtSon  of  the  morning,     n  ^      many  proud  ones  have  humbled  them- 

"hn'  7"     ,l  c   -"   of  ou/political  sea   these  victims  of  slavery  lie   like 

st  thy  feet !    AH  along  i  freedom.    How  lately  did  its  advocates,  with  impious 

ded  wreck*,  br.,..  .  .  *•  »■-» "£  ^^  and  cherished  as  divine.     It  was  another  and 

bow.—,  nuinuin  «t  -God  -  ^  ^.^  dispensing  its  mercies  to  a  be. 

*».  r.~,  ^^^S  the  Union,  and  since  that  fatal  day  it  has 

Ktt2K^  Like  the  spirit  that  Jesus  cast  out' il  ,,as' since 

*ritoelf  from  ilK'.lf.tl.  it  so  richly  deserves. 

m  lhe  un!rodden  territories  of  the  West,  but,  with  a  whip  of  scorpion, 

WJlureem.n  drove  it  thence.    I  do  not  believe  that  a  loyal  man  can  now  be  found  who  would 

lhat  H  .hould  again  enter  then,     It  has  no  hopes  ofh^rt-It-  no  pro  ec 


!7r  favor  in  t  -  consciences  of  the  freemen  of  the  Republic,  and  has  fled  for  its  last 

>pe#of  safety  U-hi.nl  the  shield  of  the  Constitution.    We  propose  to  follow  it  there,  and  drive 
it  thence  m  8atan  was  exiled  from  heaven." 

:he  qmertiofl  of  reeonstrnetion  and  the  proper  treatment  of  the  negroep,, 
be  said,  in  one  of  his  speeches: 

nhouhl  do  Dotting  inconsistent  with  the  spirit  and  genius  of  our  institutions.  We 
should  do  lotting  for  revenge,  but  everything  for  security;  nothing  for  the  past,  everything  for 
the  preiH-m  and  the  future.  Indemnity  for  the  past  we  can  never  obtain.  The  four  hundred 
thousand  graves  in  which  sleep  our  fathers  and  brothers,  murdered  by  rebellion,  will  keep  their 
■acred  tnwt  till  the  angel  of  the  resurrection  b.ids  the  dead  come  forth.  The  tears,  the  sorrow, 
the  unutterable  anguish  of  broken  hearts  can  never  be  atoned  for.  We  turn  from  that  sad  but 
glorious  past,  and  demand  such  securities  for  the  future  as  can  never  be  destroyed. 

must  recognize  in  all  our  action  the  stupendous  facts  of  the  war.  In  th'*  very  crisis.  o£ 
I  brought  us  face  to  face  with  the  alarming  truth  that  we  must  lose  o-ur  own  freedoms 
or  grant  it  to  the  slave.  In  the  extremity  of  our  distress  we  called  upon  the  Mack  man  to.  help 
o«  nave  the  Republic,  and  amid  the  very  thunder  of  battle  we  made  a  covenant  with  him,  sealed! 
both  with  hi*  blood  ami  out,  and  witnessed  by  Jehovah,  that  when  the  nation  was  redeemed  he- 
should  be  free  and  share  with  us  the  glories  and  blessing  of  freedom.  In  the  solemn  words  of 
the  great  Proclamation  of  Emancipation,  we  not  only  declared  the  slaves  forever  free,,  but  we 
pledged  the  faith  of  the  nation  'to  maintain  their  freedom' — mark  the  Avords,  'to  maintain  their- 
frtedom:  The  Omniscient  witness  will  appear  in  judgment  against  u/  if  we  do  not  fulfill  that 
covenant.  Have  we  done  it?  Have  we  given  freedom  to  the  black  man?  What  is  freedom? 
mm  negation;  the  bare  privilege  of  not  being  chained,  bought  and  sold,  branded  and 
eourged  .'  It  this  bt  all,  then  freedom  is  a  bitter  mockery,  a  cruel  delusion,  and  it  may  v/eLl  be 
questioned  whether  slavery  were  not  better. 

liberty  is  no  negation.    It  is  a  substantive,  tangible  reality.    It  is  the  realisation  of 

t  iaperi»l.ahle  truths  of  the  Declaration  'that  all  men  are  created  equal/  that  the  sanction  of 

lit  government  fa,  'the  consent  of  the  governed.'    Can  these  truths  he  realised  until  each 

.  a  nght  to  be  heard  on  all  matters  relating  to  him^lf?     .      .      „     We  have  passed  the 

W  Sea  of  .laughter;  our  garments  are  yet  wet  with  its  Crimson  spray.    We  have  crossed  the 

femes,  of  war,  and  have  left  our  four  hundred  thousand  heroes  to  sleep,  beside  the 

enem.es  o   the  Republic.    We  have  heard  the  voice  of  God,  amid  the  thunders  of  battle, 

7ZS2ZZ  7    7  uf  °f  iniqUlty'  t0  >°'*chlim  libe^  throughout  all  the  land  unto 

•C^^^ni^r^      M-wespurned  His  counsels  we  were  deflated,  and  the  gulfs  of 

iS,^  5    *  hC?  WG  °beyCd  His  Voice,  He  gave  us  victory.    And  now^at  last, 

j  i^z;     ;:t:r  tots  •;  r  *  rtr  ? gw  to° r  **  *•  «™> of 

tfaosmit  to  our  children's  children?    1  condition  may  it  be  ours  to  enjoy  and 

l^et  us  yum  and  make  deUberate  and  solemn  preparation. 


James  A.  Garfield.  761 

Let  us,  as  Representatives  of  the  people,  whose  servants  we  are,  bear  in  advance  the  sacred  ark 
of  republican  liberty,  with  its  tables  of  the  law  inscribed  with  the  'irreversible  guarant. 
liberty.     Let  us  here  build  a  monument  on  which  shall  be  written  not  only  the  curses  of  the  law 
against  treason,  disloyalty,  and  oppression,  but  also  an  everlasting  covenant  of  peace  and 
ing  with  loyalty,  liberty,  and  obedience;  and  all  the  people  will  say,  Amen." 

In  the  course  of  a  speech  on  confiscation,  he  gave  this  leaf  from  his  army- 
experience: 

"  I  would  have  no  man  there,  like  one  from  my  own  State,  who  came  to  the  army  before  the 
great  struggle  in  Georgia,  and  gave  us  his  views  of  peace.  He  came  as  the  friend  of  Vallandig- 
ham,  the  man  for  whom  the  gentl'eman  on  the  other  side  of  the  House  from  my  State  worked  and 
voted.  We  were  on  the  eve  of  the  great  battle.  I  said  to  him,  'You  wish  to  make  Mr.  Vallandig- 
ham  Governor  of  Ohio.  Why?'  '  Because,  in  the  first  place,'  using  the  language  of  the  gentle- 
man from  New  York  (Mr.  Fernando  Wood),  'you  can  not  subjugate  the  South,  and  we  propose 
to  withdraw  without  trying  it  longer.  In  the  next  place,  we  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  this 
abolition  war,  nor  will  we  give  another  man  or  another  dollar  for  its  support.'  (Remember,  gen- 
tlemen, what  occurred  in  regard  to  the  conscription  bill  this  morning.)  'To-morrow,'  I  contin- 
ued, '  we  may  be  engaged  in  a  death-struggle  with  the  Rebel  army  that  confronts  us,  and  is  daily 
increasing.  Where  is  the  sympathy  of  your  party  ?  Do  you  want  us  beaten,  or  Bragg  beaten?' 
He  answered  that  they  had  no  interest  in  fighting,  that  they  did  not  believe  in  fighting. 

"  Mr.  Noble  :  A  question  right  here. 

"Mr.  Garfield:  I  can  not  yield;  I  have  no  time.  You  can  hear  his  name,  if  you  wish.  He 
was  the  agent  sent  by  the  copperhead  Secretary  of  State  to  distribute  election  blanks  to  the  army 
of  the  Cumberland.     His  name  was  Griffiths. 

"Mr.  Noble:  A  single  question. 

"  Mr.  Garfield:  I  have  no  time  to  spare. 

"  Mr.  Noble :  I  want  to  ask  the  gentleman  if  he  knows  that  Mr.  Griffiths  has  made  a  ques- 
tion of  veracity  with  him  by  a  positive  denial  of  the  alleged  conversation,  published  in  the  Cin- 
cinnati Enquirer. 

"Mr.  Garfield:  No  virtuous  denials  in  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer  can  alter  the  facts  of  this 
conversation,  which  was  heard  by  a  dozen  officers. 

"  I  asked  him  further,  'How  would  it  affect  your  party  if  we  should  crush  the  Rebels  in  this 
battle,  and  utterly  destroy  them?'  '  We  would  probably  lose  votes  by  it.'  'How  would  it  affect 
your  party  if  we  should  be  beaten?'     '  It  would  probably  help  us  in  votes.' 

"  That,  gentlemen,  is  the  kind  of  support  the  army  is  receiving  in  what  should  be  the  house 
of  its  friends.  That,  gentlemen,  is  the  kind  of  support  these  men  are  inclined  to  give  this  coun- 
try and  its  army  in  this  terrible  struggle.  I  hasten  to  make  honorable  exceptions.  I  know  there 
are  honorable  gentlemen  on  the  other  side  who  do  not  belong  to  that  category,  and  I  am  proud  to 
acknowledge  them  as  my  friends.  I  am  sure  they  do  not  sympathize  with  these  efforts,  whose 
tendency  is  to  pull  down  the  fabric  of  our  Government,  by  aiding  their  friends  over  the  border  to 
do  it,  Their  friends,  I  say,  for  when  the  Ohio  election  was  about  coming  off'  in  the  army  at  Chat- 
tanooga, there  was  more  anxiety  in  the  Rebel  camp  than  in  our  own.  The  pickets  had  talked 
face  to  face,  and  made  daily  inquiries  how  the  election  in  Ohio  was  going.  And  at  midnight  of 
the  13th  of  October,  when  the  telegraphic  news  was  flashed  down  to  us,  and  it  was  announced  to  the 
army  that  the  Union  had  sixty  thousand  majority  in  Ohio,  there  arose  a  shout  from  every  tent 
along  the  line  on  that  rainy  midnight,  which  rent  the  skies  with  jubilees,  and  sent  despair  to  the 
hearts  of  those  who  were  'waiting  and  watching  across  the  border.'  It  told  them  that  their  col- 
leagues, their  sympathizers,  their  friends,  I  had  almost  said  their  emissaries  at  the  North,  had 
failed  to  sustain  themselves  in  turning  the  tide  against  the  Union  and  its  army.  And  from  that 
hour,  but  not  till  that  hour,  the  army  felt  safe  from  the  enemy  behind  it. 

"Thanks  to  the  13th  of  October.  It  told  thirteen  of  my  colleagues  that  they  had  no  con- 
stituencies!" 

Beginning  with  another  bit  of  personal  experience,  he  traced  the  slow 
progress  of  legislation  and  practice  regarding  the  negro  : 


Ohio  is  the  Wae. 

■  \m  than  five  years  ago  I  received  an  order  from  my  superior  officer 

,;,  my  camp  for  a  fugitive  slave,  and,  if  found,  to  deliver 

:..  who  claimed  him  as  Ilia  property;  and  I  had   the  honor  to  be, 

n  the  ar.nv  who  peremptorily  refused  to  obey  such  an  order.     We  were 

I  without  hurting  slavery.      1  renumber,  sir,  that  when  we  under- 

•k  u,.7i:mlr  in  the  arn.v  the  question  of  putting  anus  into  the  hands  of  the  slaves,  it  was  said, 

fecfcaatepwii:  U  a  fetal;  it  will  alienate  half  our  army,  and  lose  us  Kentucky.'     By  and  by, 

MOOrMOwiiie*  "«•'"«  inipeiious.  we  ventured  to  let  the  negroes  dig  in  the  trenches,  but  it 

ulU  not  do  lo  put  muskets  Into  their  hands.     We  ventured  to  let  a  negro  drive  a  mule  team, 

a  white  man  or  a  mulatto  just  in  front  of  him  or  behind  him;  all  must 

In  —linn  in  that  train;  you  most  not  disgrace  a  white  soldier  by  putting  him  in  such  company. 

«ome  one  sai.l,  'Rebel  guerrillas  may  capture  the  mules;  so,  for  the  sake  of  the 

il  a  few  muskets  in  the  wagons  and  let  the  negroes  shoot  the  guerrillas  if  they 

3P,,,  U  of  the  mules  we  enlarged  the  limits  of  liberty  a  little.     [Laughter.]     By 

and  by  we  allowed  the  negroes  to  build  fortifications,  and  armed  them  to  save  the  earthworks 

*  had  made— not  to  do  justice  to  the  negro,  but  to  protect  the  earth  he  had  thrown  up.     By 

and  by  we  said  in  this  hall  that  we  would  arm  the  negroes,  but  they  must  not  be  called  soldiers, 

■or  wear  the  national  uniform,  for  that  would  degrade  white  soldiers.     By  and  by  we  said,  'Let 

them  wear  the  uniform,  but  they  must  not  receive  the  pay  of  soldiers.'     For  six  months  we  did 

not  pay  lh  •  to  feed  and  clothe  them;  and  their  shattered  regiments  came  home  from 

Sooth  Carolina  in  debt  to  the  Government  for  the  clothes  they  wore.      It  took^  us  two  years  to 

reaeh  a  point  where*  we  were  willing  to  do  the  most  meager  justice  to  the  black  man,  and  to 

MCOgniie  the  truth  that, 

'A  man 's  a  man  for  a'  that.'  " 

On  another  occasion  he  arrested  the  passage  of  a  resolution  of  thanks  to 
mas  for  the  battle  of  Chickamauga;  and  in  a  few  pregnant  words 
proteatcd  against  the  unjust  slur  thereby  sought  to  be  cast  upon  General  Eose- 
crans,  and  Mtlogtod  his  old  chief. 

In  the  course  of  the  debate  on  the  proposition  to  override  the  New  Jersey 

grant  of  a  railroad  monopoly  between  New  York  and  Philadelphia  to  the  Cam- 

Company,  by  giving  United  States  sanction  to  another  road, 

■i-tlu.-Stato  Sovereignty  "pretense  with  arguments  which  have 

nee  become  so  familiar  that  few  know  to  whom  to  assign  their  credit : 

U-n^U™01'^  TeW,T  Sa>'S  that  abstr»ct  definitions  have  done  more  harm  in  the  world 

I^^Z'V"  T  rTUlted  t0  thi8  nati°n  from  the  abuse  «f  tbe  words  'sovereign-* 
oner^ 7n7iTa.il.  „  -7  *  "2"  M*  '*"*  ™«V«jV  Nothing  more  false  was  et^er 
Stan ^  ex  t,      oT'.        "  ^  *?  "*  ^  °f  this  Union  is  *^™*»-    <*— tt  the 

fe      2Z  ^::tsz:Tlon  of  the  definition  of  w  w 

^Yu^Z'Z'T^  WhUt  righn8°eVer  UleySUbsist'  there  is  and  ™*  ^  *»  ft  of  them 
of  2f«*£  ££?  ^^  Uncont"lled  authority  in  which  the  Jura  lummi  ^ern  or  rights 

cuJwT ST ^^^^^^/^^  S-eignty  has  the  right  to  de- 
co-dude  peace?  Sovereign, h TtZ  .  i  \  "ght  t0  C°ndude  Peace'  Can  New  Jer5e^ 
•boold  anthorixc  and  command  on.  f  '!  ^  ^^  If  the  ^lature  of  New  Jersey 
*ongh  it  should  be  of  so  id  s  Lr  n  TT  l°  ***  a  haIM^>  that  man,  if  he  made  i , 
«l$ng  the  coin  of  the  ^ it^L  \  ^  "P  *  a  fel°n'S  cdl  for  the  «"  of  "«»«* 
*"io«a.  HM  New  Jersev  the  rilf;  T™™*"  llM  the  r^t  to  make  treaties  with  foreign 
"*,late  commerce  with  foreign  1  !  v'  'T^  SovereiSnty  ™  clothed  with  the  right  to 
:'»  P«t  Alps  in  commimion  unnl  n    i "T         ey  haS  n°  8Uch  ri«ht-     Sovereignty  has  the 

would  bT Z Z  S  J**'    Sh°Uld  a  shiP  set  sail  »nder  the  authority 

wed  as  a  smuggler,  forfeited  and  sold.     Sovereignty  has  a  flag. 


James  A.  Garfield.  763 

But,  thank  God,  New  Jersey  lias  no  flag;  Ohio  has  no  flag.  No  loyal  State  fights  under  the  'lone 
star,' the 'rattlesnake,' or  the  'palmetto  tree.'  No  loyal  State  of  this  Union  has  any  flag  bat 
'the  banner  of  beauty  and  of  glory,'  the  flag  of  the  Union.  These  are  the  indrapsaaable  element! 
of  sovereignty.  New  Jersey  has  not  one  of  them.  The  term  can  not  be  applied  to  the  scjMMte 
States,  save  in  a  very  limited  and  restricted  sense,  referring  mainly  to  municipal  and  polio  •  r*g- 
ulations.  The  rights  of  the  States  should  be  jealously  guarded  and  defended.  But  to  claim  thai 
sovereignty  in  its  full  sense  and  meaning  belongs  to  the  States  is  nothing  better  than  rankest 
treason.  Look  again  at  this  document  of  the  Governor  of  New  Jersey.  He  tells  you  that  the 
States  entered  into  the  'national  compact/'  National  compact!  I  had  supposed  that  no  Gover- 
nor of  a  loyal  State  would  parade  this  dogma  of  nullification  and  secession  which  was  killed  and 
buried  by  Webster  on  the  16th  of  February,  1833. 

"There  was  no  such  thing  as  a  sovereign  State  making  a  compact  called  a  Constitution. 
The  very  language  of  the  Constitution  is  decisive:  'We,  the  people  of  the  United  States,  do  or- 
dain and  establish  this  Constitution.'  The  States  did  not  make  a  compact  to  be  broken  when 
any  one  pleased,  but  the  people  ordained  and  established  the  Constitution  of  a  sovereign  Republic; 
and  woe  be  to  any  corporation  or  State  that  raises  its  hand  against  the  majesty  and  power  of  this 
great  nation." 

We  might  prolong  such  extracts  indefinitely;  but  we  have  given  enough  to 
show  What  fruitage  the  life  of  the  village  carpenter  and  rural  school-teacher  is 
bearing.  In  August,  1866,  he  was  renominated  by  acclamation,  and  his  major- 
ity at  the  fall  election  again  ranged  above  ten  thousand.  Through  the  contests 
of  the  Fortieth  Congress  with  the  President,  he  was  firmly  on  the  Eadical  side. 
His  health  had  become  seriously  impaired  by  his  laborious  discharge  of  public 
duties,  and  about  the  close  of  the  summer  session  of  1867,  he  accepted  his  phy- 
sician's advice  and  sailed  for  Europe. 

General  Garfield's  military  career  was  not  of  a  nature  to  subject  him  to 
trials  on  a  large  scale.  He  approved  himself  a  good  independent  commander 
in  the  small  operations  in  the  Sandy  Valley.  His  campaign  there  opened  our 
series  of  successes  in  the  West;  and,  though  fought  against  superior  forces, 
began  with  us  the  habit  of  victory.  After  that  he  was  only  a  subordinate.  But 
he  always  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  immediate  superiors,  and  of  the  Depart- 
ment. As  a  Chief  of  Staff  he  was  unrivalled.  There,  as  elsewhere,  he  was  ready 
to  accept  the  gravest  responsibilities  in  following  his  convictions.  The  bent  of 
his  mind  was  aggressive;  his  judgment  of  purely  military  matters  was  good; 
his  papers  on  the  Tullahoma  campaign  will  stand  a  monument  of  his  courage 
and  his  far-reaching,  soldierly  sagacity;  and  his  conduct  at  Chickamauga  will 
never  be  forgotten  by  a  nation  of  brave  men. 

In  political  life  he  is  bold,  manly,  and  outspoken.  He  seems  to  care  far 
more  for  the  abstract  justice  of  propositions,  than  for  any  prejudices  his  con- 
stituents may  happen  to  entertain  regarding  them;  and  he  has  on  several  occa- 
sions been  willing  to  espouse  very  unpopular  measures,  and  act  with  very  small 
minorities.  He  once  recorded  his  vote,  solitary  and  alone,  against  that  of  every 
other  voting  member  of  the  House,  on  a  call  of  the  yeas  and  nays.  But  he  is 
not  factious;  and,  without  ever  surrendering  his  independence  of  judgment,  he 
is  still  reckoned  among  the  most  trusty  of  the  Eadical  majority. 

Personally  he  is  generous,  warm-hearted,  and  genial.  No  man  keeps  up 
more  cordial  relations  with   his  political  antagonists — a  trait  of  character  in 


->;|  Ohio  in  the  War. 

which  ho  is  the  exact  opposite  of  his  intimate  friend,  General  Schenck-and  no 
„,,„  has  warmer  or  more  numerous  personal  attachments.  He  retains  the  stu- 
ious  habits  of  his  early  life;  and  probably  makes  more  exhaustive  examina- 
tion of  subjects  before  the  House  than  almost  any  other  of  its  leading  members. 
In  comprehensive  and  critic*]  scholarship  no  man  of  his  age  now  in  public  life 
.in  be  compared  with  him;  and,  beyond  Senator  Sumner,  he  is 
probai  it  superiors.    While  in  the  army  he  used  to  carry  the  pocket 

editions  of  ami  Latin  classics,  for  leisure  reading,  as  other  men  would 

the  latest  novels.  He  is  still  poor;  though  he  has  probably  been  able  to  lay  up 
a  little  out  of  bil  Hilary,  and  has  made  a  little  by  some  fortunate  oil  specula- 
tions, suggested  by  what  he  saw  while  in  the  army  on  the  West  Virginia  bor- 
llc  married  in  Hiram  where  he  had  taught  school,  and  he  still  maintains 
his  residence  there. 

In  person  Garfield  is  nearly  or  quite  six  feet  high,  with  a  broad  chest,  and 
somewhat  heavily-moulded  figure.  His  head  is  unusually  large;  and  his  round, 
German -looking  face,  seems  the  very  mirror  of  good  nature. 

Note.— At  the  first  regular  session  of  the  Fortieth  Congress  General  Garfield  was  transferred 
from  the  Ways  and  Means  Committee  back  to  that  on  Military  Affairs,  being  made  its  Chairman 
in  place  of  General  Scheuck,  who  was  made  Chairman  of  Ways  and  Means. 

04JL  $u  i^jlJUiSSU^V, 


William    B.    IIazen.  755 


MAJOR-GENERAL  WILLIAM  B.  HAZEN. 


WILLIAM  BABCOCK  HAZEN  was  born  at  West  Hartford,  Wind- 
sor County,  Vermont,  on  the  27th  day  of  September,  1830.  His 
father,  Stillman  Hazen,  and  his  mother,  Ferone  Fenno,  were  of 
steady  New  England  stock.  Their  ancestors  resided  at  Litchfield* Connecticut, 
were  present  at  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill,  and  served  throughout  the  Bevo- 
lution,  Joseph  Hazen  attaining  the  rank  of  Colonel,  and  Moses  Hazen  that  of 
Brigadier-General. 

In  1833  Stillman  Hazen  removed  to  Huron,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  and  set- 
tled upon  the  farm  he  now  occupies,  where  he  reared  a  family  of  six  children, 
three  sons  and  three  daughters,  the  General  being  next  to  the  youngest.  All  the 
children  received  a  good  common-school  education.  When  nearly  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  William  sought  and  obtained  the  appointment  of  Cadet  at  the  Mili- 
tary Academy  of  West  Point.  He  graduated  in  June,  1855,  and  was  appointed 
Brevet  Second -Lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  LTnited  States  Infantry.  In  September 
of  the  same  year  he  sailed  for  his  regiment,  then  serving  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

Joining  his  company  at  Fort  Beading,  in  the  North  Sacramento  Valley,  he 
moved  in  command  of  it  one  week  afterward  to  the  Eanger  Eiver  country,  in 
Southern  Oregon,  w^here  the  Indian  war  of  that  year  was  being  waged  with 
considerable  energy.  He  served  through  that  war;  and  during  the  year  1856 
built  Fort  YamhilL  Having  been  appointed  a  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Eighth 
Infantry  in  the  spring  of  1856,  he  came  East,  and  in  the  fall  proceeded  to  Texas, 
finding  his  company  at  Fort  Davis.  During  the  two  following  years  Lieutenant 
Hazen  was  engaged  almost  constantly  on  the  plains  of  Western  Texas  and  New 
Mexico,  in  punishing  the  marauding  Indians,  and  was  four  times  complimented 
in  general  orders,  from  the  head-quarters  of  the  army,  for  bravery  and  good 
conduct.  On  the  3d  of  November,  1859,  while  in  a  hand-to-hand  combat  with 
a  Camanche  Indian,  during  an  engagement  with  a  party  of  these  warriors,  he 
received  a  severe  wound  through  the  left  hand  and  right  side,  the  bullet  still 
remaining  in  the  muscles  of  the  back.  This  occurred  about  eighty  miles  north 
west  of  Fort  Inge,  and  it  was  eight  days  before  he  reached  that  post,  or  received 
any  medical  attention.  On  the  1st  of  February,  1860,  having  so  far  recovered 
from  his  wounds  as  to  be  able  to  travel,  he  left  Texas,  and,  on  his  departure, 
was  presented  with  a  sword  by  the  people  of  that  State,  accompanied  with  the 
most  sincere  expressions  of  gratitude  for  the  services  he  had  rendered  on  the 
frontier.  In  July,  1860,  Lieutenant  Hazen  was  brevetted  a  First-Lieutenant 
for  gallant  conduct  in  Texas,  and  on  the  1st  of  April,  1861,  was  promoted  to  a 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

fall    Fi.-t-Lieuten:uu-y  in  Lis   regiment.      On  the    14th  of  May  following  he 

Of  Captain  in  the  Seventeenth   Infantry,  which  he 

r  oeiviiig  a  promotion  to  the  same  grade  in  his  old 

In  February,  1861,  which  was  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  perform  any  diity; 

U    Lssiatant-Professor  of  Infantry  Tactics   at  West  Point, 
AHor  i!  ill  for  volunteer  troops  for  suppressing  the  rebellion,  Captain 

•ant  efforts  to  enter  upon  active  service.     He  was' requested  to 
•atone  command  of  several  volunteer  regiments,  but  could  not  obtain  permis- 
nion  from  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  Army  to  accept.     In  September  Captain 
red  "leave  of  absence,"  with  authority  to  take  command  of  the 
ment  of  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.     During  the  early  part  of 
•■•r  Colonel  Eazen  was  posted  at  Gallipolis,  Ohio,  to  observe  the  move- 
in.  kins,  who  was  then  threatening  to  cross  the  Ohio  Eiver.     He  here 
ted  a  plan  to  defeat  and  clear  the  country  of  these  marauding  bands,  but 
authority  to  execute  it  was  not  granted. 

<  >u  the  20th  of  Xovcmber  he  reported  to  General  Buell  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
l«"  :  wigned  to  General  Nelson's  division,  and,  on  the  6th  of  January, 

1862.  was  appointed  to  command  the  Nineteenth  Brigade  of  the  Army  of  the 
Ohio  In  February  he  marched  with  his  division  to  West  Point,  and,  embark- 
'"-  I  l'>  Nashville.    He  moved  with  General  Bnell's  army  to  Pitts- 

;  Landing,  crossed  the  river,  and  confronted  the  enemy  on  the  6th  of  April, 
ami  opened  the  fight  on  the  succeeding  morning.     He  was  hotly  en-aged   and 
v.n  o'clock  A.  1£.  led  his  brigade  in  a  charge,  capturing  two  batteries 
v  number  of  prisoners,  and  driving  the  enemy  in  his  front  for  to  the  rear 
"-ved  With  the  army  to  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  afterward  served  in 
thernAlabama  until  ordered  to  assume  command  of  the  post  of  Murfrees- 
fPj     When  that  section  of  the  country  was  abandoned,  in  September,   he 
"-eh„l  to  Lou.sville,  and  from  there  to  Perryville,  where  only  his  skirmish- 
b* twm engaged.     He  led  the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  Eebels,  constantly 
^    n.h.ngw.th  and  six  times  sharply  engaging  the  rear  of  Bragg's  arm* 
untd  ,,a(h,ng  London,  the  column  was  deflected  to  Nashville 

M«2^1f*':r^'m2'GeneVid  E°8™'8  -my  moved  toward 

i  «d  on  the  31st  engaged  the  enemy  at  Stone  Eiver.     Colonel 

««*  ™  posted  across  the  pike  and  railroad,  forming  the  extreme 

;  •   •     Here  ,    receded  and  repulsed  four  well-conducted  assaults. 

•      I      C ZlT        Wl"Ch  ^  enth'e  ^  --formed,  reA,sin,  the 

"W*  be  rendered  can  not  L Vn  "'  "d  the  Value  of  the  serviec 

offi-al   report  and  Z2  ^^^^     B°th   ^neral  Polk,   in   his 
**  laabttityto  dialed**  the  loff  V +?    Z  ^-  disPatch^  acknowledged 

^one  River,  Colond  H  "       r°Uted  the  division  Posted  ™  the  north 

Hazen  was  sent  across  the  stream,  where  he  drove 


William  B.  Hazen.  767 

the  enemy  from  the  field.     In  May,  1862,  Colonel  Ilazen  had  been  appointed 

Brigadier-General,  but  the  appointment  had  not  been  confirmed  by  the  Senate. 
After  this  battle  he  was  re-appointed,  and  was  confirmed,  to  rank  from  Novem- 
ber 29,  1862. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1863,  General  Ilazen  was  posted  at  Readyville, 
where  he  skirmished  almost  daily  with  the  enemy  until  the  army  moved  on 
Tullahoma.  After  participating  in  that  campaign  he  moved  with  his  command, 
in  August,  to  the  Tennessee  Valley,  above  Chattanooga,  where  three  more  bri- 
gades were  added  to  his  command;  and,  demonstrating  on  that  part  of  the  river, 
lie  led  the  enemy  to  believe  that  the  entire  army  was  concentrating  there,  while 
in  reality  the  main  portion  crossed  the  river  thirty  miles  below  the  city.  Mov- 
ing across  to  Grayton,  on  the  9th  of  September,  he  there  rejoined  his  division, 
and  participated  in  the  operation  which  resulted  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
On  the  first  da}~  of  that  battle  his  brigade  formed  the  advance  of  Palmer's 
division,  and  attacked  the  forces  of  the  enemy  while  crossing  Chickamauga 
Creek,  and  threw  them  into  disorder.  At  five  o'clock  P.  M.  of  that  day,  when 
Van  Cleve's  division  had  been  forced  across  the  Lafaj-ette  Road,  the  enemy 
gaining  possession  of  it,  he  placed  four  field  batteries  in  position,  enfilading  the 
Eebel  lines,  and,  firing  canister,  drove  them  back  and  regained  the  road  to  Gor- 
don's Mills.  On  the  second  day  General  Hazen  occupied  a  position  on  the  left 
center,  wheie  the  assaults  were  the  fiercest,  but  were  always  repulsed.  At 
three  o'clock  P.  M.  he  moved  across  to  the  right,  where  General  Thomas  in  per- 
son directed  the  battle,  and  was  engaged  sharply  there  until  the  combat  closed. 
Hazen's  brigade  was  the  last  organised  command  to  leave  the  field.  It  arrived 
at  Rossville  at  eleven  o'clock  P.  M. 

At  two  o'clock  A.  M.  on  the  27th  of  October  thirteen  hundred  picked  men, 
under  General  Ilazen,  embarked,  noiselessly,  at  Chattanooga  in  fifty-two  boats, 
floated  past  Lookout  Mountain,  along  seven  miles  of  the  Pebel  picket-line, 
landed  at  Brown's  Ferry  at  about  five  o'clock  A.  M.;  surprised  a  Rebel  picket- 
post,  and  seized  a  ridge  of  hills  about  one  thousand  yards  long.  Slight  defenses 
were  thrown  up  and  an  abattis  cut  before  the  Rebel  brigade,  posted  just  under 
the  hill,  could  prepare  to  contest  its  occupation;  and  after  a  slight  skirmish,  in 
which  the  Rebels  lost  about  one  hundred  men,  they  withdrew,  and  the  siege  of 
Chattanooga  was  virtually  raised.  Two  days  after  General  Hooker,  moving  up 
the  valley  with  his  columns,  completed  the  work,  and  the  army  in  Chattanooga 
had  not  only  the  river,  but  a  short  line  of  railroad,  to  its  supplies  at  Bridgeport. 
The  Richmond  Press,  referring  to  this  affair,  said:  "By  the  admirably  executed 
coup  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  October,  at  Brown's  Ferry,  the  Confederacy 
loses  the  fruits  of  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  The  occupation  of  Chattanooga 
by  the  Federal  army  is  no  longer  problematical." 

General  Ilazen  moved  out  on  the  right  of  the  division  on  the  23d  of 
March,  and  made  a  demonstration  on  Orchard  Knob.  This  position  was  car- 
ried at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  and  the  Twenty-Eighth  Alabama  Infantry, 
with  its  colors,  was  captured.  The  brigade  was  among  the  first  to  reach  the 
crest  of  Mission  Ridge,  and   captured  eighteen   pieces  of  artillery,  with   their 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

IBd  several  hundred  prisoners.     On  reaching  the  summit  of  the 
,    K1.()11   gathered  four  or  five  hundred   men  from  the 
1  :;:;.,,!,.,  and  moving  to  the  right,  cleared  the  crest  of  the 
hore(1  about  Bragg's  head-quarters. 

roiTn ,      &£*- **  Fo-th  Cori)s  moved  t0  the  rclief  of  IW- 

till,  arriving  there  December  7th.    Hazen's  brigade  at  once  joined  in  the  pur- 
suit of  LonJtreet,  and  until  the  15th  of  March,  1864,  was  engaged  in  marching 
d  , ,lltl,  and  skirmishing  in  Eastern  Tennessee. 

H»>  *de  moved  on  the  Atlanta  campaign  May  1st,  and  was  warmly 

^       ""..  ,.    K.   ,...,,.,.  j;:,!,,,..  ,,,.',  again  at  the  battle  of  Resaca,  whore  it.  held 
jj  JjJ  m/im;i!  ,liy  as  to  be  able  to  silence  three  batteries.     At  Pickett's 

If  ills,  on  the  27th  of  May,  the  brigade  formed  the  advance  of  a  column  of  six 
brigade  W»d  moved   against  what  was  thought  to  be  the  right  flank  of  the 
ed   by  a  Rebel   division  and  a  severe  battle  ensued,  in 
which  the  brigade  lost  five  hundred  men.     General  Hazen  was  daily  engaged 
until  the  17th  of  August,  when  he  was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  Ten- 
nessee, and  placed  in  command  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Fifteenth  Army 
Corpe.    On  the  30th  of  the  same  month  the  division  formed  the  advance  in  a 
mowment  from  Fairborne  to  Jonesboro'.     It  seized  and  fortified  a  commanding 
position,  which  proved  to  be  the  key  of  the  battle-field,  and  upon  which  Har- 
TM  charged  and  was  repulsed  with  considerable  loss. 
division  marched  in  pursuit  of  Hood,  and  when  near  Gadsen,  Alabama, 
engaged  Wheeler's  cavalry.     It  afterward  returned  to  Atlanta,  moved  on  the 
Georgia  campaign,  and  was  engaged  with  the  enemy  at  Statsboro',  on  the 
OctM.  and  again  at  the  Cannouchee  River.     General  Sherman's  army 

arrived  before  Savannah  on  the  10th  of  December,  with  its  supplies  exhausted. 
An  abundance  of  provision  had  been  shipped  to  meet  the  army  at  the  coast,  and 
to  obtain  this  \va>  all  that  was  necessary  to  enable  General  Sherman  to  com- 
plete tin-  campaign  successfully.    All  the  inlets  of  the  sea  about  Savannah  were 
commanded  by  forts,  well  armed  and  manned;  one  of  these,  Fort  McAllister, 
touted  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Ogeeche,  at  the  junction  of  the  sea-marsh  and 
and.  completely  commanded  the  river,  which  was  the  inlet  so  much 
needed  (or  the  supply  of  the  army.     On  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  December 
SftJ  Bam,  with  his  division,  was  sent  to  capture  this  fort.     Nine  regi- 
N*1l  were  deployed  in  line  five  hundred  yards  from  the  fort,  and  at  the  sound 
Ifct  begfe  they  advanced  to  the  charge.     In  five  minutes  the  fort  was  carried, 
»  ''"tire  garrison,  twenty-four  pieces  of  ordnance,  and  a  complete  arma- 
for  the  fort,  were  captured. 
General  Hazen  embarked  his  division  at,  Thunderbolt  Bay  for  Beaufort, 
Sooth  Carolina,  on  the  Uth  of  January,  1865,  and  on  the  30th  crossed  Port 
)  Hi  terry  on  the  South  Carolina  campaign.     At  the  Salkahatchie,  South  and 
*MieU> ,  Congarec  Creek,  and   Broad    Elver,  his  troops    were    sharply 
I.    At  Bentonville  General  Hazen's  division  was  moved  to  the  support 
enteral  Slocum,  and  afterward  engaged  the  enemy  on   the  left  of  the  Fif- 
*eneral  Hazen  moved  through  Goldsboro'  to  Raleigh,  then  to 


William  B.  Hazen.  769 

Washington  City,  and  afterward  at  Louisville,  Kentucky.  General  Hazen  was 
appointed  and  confirmed  Major- General,  to  date  from  the  capture  of  Fort  Mc- 
Allister, and  on  the  19th  of  May,  1865,  was  appointed  by  the  President  to  com- 
mand the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps. 

General  Hazen  is  of  medium  height,  and  is  Saxon  in  hair  and  complexion. 
He  carries  himself  erect,  with  a  dignified  bearing,  which  is  so  well  in  keeping 
with  his  profession,  and  which  so  plainly  stamps  him  a  soldier.  As  a  discipli- 
narian he  was  severe,  but  not  harsh ;  and  though  never  familiar  with  his  men ; 
yet,  upon  proper  occasions  and  under  proper  circumstances,  no  man  was  more 
approachable.  In  the  organization  of  his  regiment  he  drew  around  him,  as 
officers,  mostly  young  men,  and  by  instructing  them  thoroughly,  as  a  necessary 
consequence,  made  soldiers  of  them.  The  regiment's  efficiency,  and  the  position 
and  reputation  of  many  of  its  officers  are  flattering  evidences  of  the  ability  of 
its  instructor. 

He  entered  into  the  war  with  enlarged  ideas  of  his  duties  as  a  soldier.  He 
expected  a  desperate  struggle  on  the  part  of  the  South,  but,  in  view  of  the  prac- 
tically inexhaustible  resources  of  the  North,  he  foresaw  what  the  end  must  be. 
But  he  saw  more ;  he  saw  that  the  difficulties  in  regard  to  slavery,  which  peace- 
ful measures  had  failed  to  settle,  must  now  be  settled  by  the  sword.  These 
views,  as  occasion  offered  and  circumstances  demanded,  the  General  did  not 
hesitate  to  express. 

In  the  field  his  record  is  enviable.  Others  have  risen  more  rapidly,  but 
none  more  worthily-.  Others  have  achieved  more  brilliant  successes,  but  none 
have  made  fewer  mistakes.  If  he  thought  at  times  that  his  advancement  was 
slow,  he  remembered  that  he  was  educated  a  soldier,  endured  his  disappoint- 
ment without  murmuring,  and  set  to  work  again  with  greater  determination, 
until,  at  last,  the  honors  came  for  which  he  had  so  long  fought,  and  for  which 
he  had  so  long  waited ;  and  the  measure  of  his  cup  of  greatness  was  filled  when 
he  rode  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue  at  the  head  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps  on  the 
day  of  the  great  review. 

So  long  as  Stone  Eiver,  Chickamauga,  Brown's  Ferry,  Orchard  Knob,  Mis- 
sion Eidge,  Atlanta,  and  Fort  McAllister,  are  remembered— and  can  they  ever 
be  forgotten  ?— the  memory  of  General  Hazen  will  be  preserved  and  cherished. 
Yol.  L— 49 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  JACOB  D.  COX. 


JACOB  DOLSON  COX  was  born  on  the  27th  of  October,  1828.      His 
ptrnitl  were  both   natives  of  the   United   States,  his   mother   being   a 
lineal  descendant  of  Elder  William   Brewster,  of  the   Mayflower.     His 
father  was  a  master-builder  in  the  city  of  New  York,  but  being  engaged  in 
superintending  the  roof-framing  and  carpenter-work  on  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame  in  Montreal,  Lower  Canada,  he  removed  his  family  temporarily  to  that 
place,  and  it  was  during  the  sojourn  there  that  General  Cox  was  born.     His 
turned  to  New  York  in  the  following  year,  and  his  childhood  and  youth 
ipenl  in  that  city.    He  removed  to  Ohio  in  1846,  graduated  at  Oberlin 
College  in  1851,  and  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Warren  in  1852.     He  was 
tad  to  the  Ohio  Senate  from  the  Trumbull  and  Mahoning  District  in  1859, 
hy  t!„  Ilrpul.lican  party,  and  he  held  that  position  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war! 
He  had  for  some  time  held  a  commission  as  General  officer  in  the  State  militia, 
and  .luring  the  hitter  part  of  the  session  of  the  Legislature  he  was  active  in 
•ring   to   prepare  the  State  for  the  coming  storm.      Throughout  that 
rtant  and,  at  times,  stormy  Legislature  he  and  James  A.   Garfield  were 
universally  recognized  as  the  Eadical  leaders  in  the  Senate,  and  both  took  high 
rank,  from  the  ability  they  displayed.     Senator  Cox  was  supposed  to  be  pecu- 
harly  bound  over  to  Radicalism,  not  merely  by  his  general  record,  and  his 

~^^h!^7»bntrtiUmorebyhiB  marriage  with  the  daughter  of 
tno  I  resident  of  Oberlin  College. 

Pr«SercCalitgtthe  T  °f  th6  b0mbard^ t  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  the 
oj  1  the  0  0  T'  nat°r  C°X  aband°ned  aI1  0ther  duties  to  ««  " 
.EX5  Govern  r  I  ?"*  "?  ^  *  ™  °f  ^  1861>  he  *"  — " 
■  *l£?£?^^^«*«  Ohio  Yoiunteers,  in  the 
Governors  of  the  sever*!  I  t  miw  tUt  Ca"  Were  "Planted  by  the 

•ppointed  Ml)     G  *0 font  J^  W-  was  at  the  sa.ne'ti.ne 

N-ton  SehleihWe;'l°h;RV0lU;teer8-and  Genera'S  J°shua  BateS  and 

-pon  Genera.  Cox  was  TS^SSZ^  £*  "^  **  deV0'VinS 
A^nal.  and  in  makin- „«».».*  M°CleIlan  m  an  inspection  of  the  State 

The  arsenal  was  fo„nd"to™rrarmmg  Wld  ^niPPin8  te»  thousand  men. 
toputintothofieidabattalin      r  '  WSS  ser™e^-not  even  enough 

»nd  Seeond  Ohio  Infants  »  ^  W  a  battei7  of  artillery.     The  First 

7  were  organized,  and  dispatched  to  the  defense  of 


Jacob  D.   Cox.  771 

Washington,  unarmed  and  unequipped;  their  arms  and  equipments  being 
drawn  from  the  United  States  arsenals  and  issued  to  them  at  Harrisburg,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Camp  Jackson  was  established  for  the  reception  of  volunteers  at  Columbus, 
and  General  Cox  was  placed  in  command.  However,  a  larger  camp  for  the 
organization  and  instruction  of  recruits  was  evidently  needed,  and  Camp  Dcn- 
nison  was  selected.  On  the  30th  of  April  General  Cox,  with  the  Eleventh  and 
part  of  the  Third  Ohio  Infantry,  took  train  from  Columbus  and  landed  at  the 
new  camp.  The  color-line  was  formed  on  the  west  of  the  railroad,  and  General 
Eosecrans,  at  that  time  a  civil  engineer,  laid  out  the  camp  and  staked  oft'  the 
company  streets.  Lumber  was  soon  on  the  ground,  and  before  night  barracks 
were  nearly  completed.  An  old  barn,  subsequently  used  for  a  hospital,  became 
the  Quartermaster's  and  Commissary's  depot;  camp-kettles  and  mess-pans  were 
issued,  and  Ohio  soldiers  began  their  first  experience  in  real  camp-life — cooked 
rations  having  been  issued  in  all  previous  places  of  rendezvous.  The  two  regi- 
ments were  quickly  followed  by  the  Fourth,  Seventh,  Eighth,  Twelfth,  and 
Thirteenth;  and  a  few  weeks  later  General  Bates  brought  his  brigade  from 
Camp  Harrison,  consisting  of  the  Fifth,  Sixth,  Ninth,  and  Tenth  regiments. 
These  completed  the  contingent  for  Ohio,  assembled  at  Camp  Dennison  under 
the  first  call;  and  until  the  latter  part  of  June  the  time  was  employed  indus- 
triously in  fitting  them  for  the  field. 

The  organization  of  troops  for  three  years  having  begun,  all  of  the  original 
regiments  re-enlisted,  and  General  Cox  was  appointed  by  the  President  Briga- 
dier-General of  Yolunteers,  to  rank  from  the  15th  of  May,  1861.  On  the  6th 
of  July  he  was  ordered  by  General  McClellan  to  take  a  brigade,  consisting  of  the 
Eleventh  and  Twelfth  Ohio,  and  the  First  and  Second  Kentucky,  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Great  Kanawha,  in  West  Yirginia,  where  he  would  be  joined  by  the 
Twenty-First  Ohio,  Cotter's  Ohio  Battery,  and  Pfau's  Cincinnati  Troop  of 
Horse.  The  Valley  of  the  Great  Kanawha  was  formed  into  the  District  of  the 
Kanawha.  General  Cox  was  assigned  to  the  command,  and  upon  arriving  at 
Point  Pleasant,  opposite  Gallipolis,  he  received  orders  to  advance  •  toward 
Charleston  and  Gauley  Bridge.  The  nature  of  the  valley  is  such  that  opera- 
tions were  necessarily  confined  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  river,  and  the 
gorges  through  which  the  roads  pass  afforded  great  advantages  to  the  enemy's 
force,  which  held  the  valley  defensively,  under  General  Henry  A.  Wise.  On 
the  17th  of  July  a  brisk  engagement  took  place  at  Scary  Creek,  between  the 
Twelfth,  with  a  detachment  of  the  Twenty-First  Ohio,  and  the  Rebels.  Having 
resulted  in  a  repulse  it  was  styled  a  reconnoissance.  It  established  the  fact  that 
the  Rebel  position  was  too  strong  to  attack  in  front,  and  as  it  commanded  the 
river,  wagon  transportation  would  be  needed  before  the  principal  column  could 
advance,  as  was  originally  intended,  along  the  north  bank.  Supplies  had 
hitherto  been  carried  on  small  steamers,  which  had  accompanied  the  march  of 
the  troops  along  the  stream. 

A  week  later,  wagons  and  animals  having  arrived,  the  advance  was 
resumed.     General  Cox  crossed  the  Pocotaligo,  and  making  a  detour  to  the  left, 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

•♦•*«    *t  Searv  Creek,  as  well  as  another  at  Tyler  Mountain, 
terned  to  V^^w  Z  north  bank  of  the  Kanawha.     The  enemy, 
IT  "the    a  "  W^tireateBed  in  flank  and  rear,  hastily  abandoned  it, 
::  Xlow  Charleston.    On  the  following  day  General  Cox  advanced^ 

Ld  Wi^vacuatod  Charleston,  burning  the  suspension  bridge  over  Elk  Eiver. 
A  bridge  of  boats  was  built  by  the  engineer  company  of  the  Eleventh  Ohio, 
ler  Captain  P  P  Lane,  of  Cincinnati,  and  the  chase  was  resumed.     Upon 
the  Gauley  General  Cox  was  ordered  by  General  McClellan  to  halt 
the  little  column  having  advanced  as  far  as  was  deemed  prudent  or 
In  tins  pursuit  of  Wise  General  Cox  captured  one  piece  of  artillery, 
.bout  fifteen  hundred  stand  of  small  arms,  and  a  large  number  of  prisoners. 
FIoyd  (ojnad  Wise,  assumed  command  and  ordered  a  new  advance; 

tod  during  the  month  of  August  General  Cox's  little  command  waged  an  unequaj 
conflict  with  nearly  four  times  its  numbers.  The  variousdefiles  leading  out  from 
the  G:t  the  scenes  of  almost  daily  combats  and  skirmishes ;  but  although 

the  R<  rd  times  penetrated  to  the  Kanawha,  below  the  post  occupied  by 

General  Cox.  they  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  a  permanent  foothold,  or  instop- 
i;  ion  with  the  Ohio.    Immediately  after  the  retreat  of  Floyd  from 
General  Cox  advanced  against  Wise,  who  retreated  to  Dogwood 
Gap,  ami  then  to  Sewell  Mountain.    General  Cox  had  been  joined  by  Robert  L. 
McCook's  brigade,  and  with  his  whole  force  he  followed  the  enemy  to  Sewell 
aid,  where  General  Eosecrans  directed  a  halt  until  the  army  could  con- 
centrate, which  it  soon  did  under  that  officer  in  person.     General  E.  E.  Lee 
i  with  lvenforcemcnts  for  Floyd,  and  assumed  command  of  the  Eebels. 
The  weather,  however,  had  become  very  unfavorable  for  active  operations,  and 
but  little  was  done  until  the  latter  part  of  November,  when  a  portion  of  the 
troops  wore  ordered  to  Kentucky,  and   the  remainder  were  concentrated  in 
winter  -quarters,  from  Gauley  Bridge  to  Charleston.'   General  Eosecrans  removed 
his  head-quarters  to  Wheeling,  leaving  General  Cox  in  command  of  the  Ka- 
nawha I>istri«  t.  as  before. 

Diriig  the  winter  of  18G1-2  General  Fremont  assumed  command  in  West 

1  projected  a  plan  for  the  spring  campaign,  in  which  one  column, 

*  Ml  Immediate  command,  was  to  advance  from  Beverly,  and  other  points 

forth-Western    Virginia,    toward    Lynchburg,    simultaneously    with     an 

•aneo  of  General  Cox's  column  up  the  Kanawha  and  New  Eiver  Valleys 

ward  Kewbern.    The  troops  in  the  Kanawha  District  had  been  increased  to 

ij  one,  under  Colonel  Lightburn,  held  the  lower  valley;  one,  under 

Crook,  advanced   toward  Lewisburg  from    Gauley   Bridge;    and    the 

?  two,  commanded  by  Colonel  Scammon  and  Colonel  Moor,  advanced, 

immediate  command  of  General  Cox,  from  Gauley  Bridge  by  Fayette- 

U Mind  Ralegh  toward  Parisburg.     The  campaign  opened  early  in  May  by  a 

eoncer^  movement  of  the  columns.     Colonel  Crook  routed  a  Eebel  brigade 

side  of vp  '  aDd  dl'°Ve  U  fr0ra  Lewi*burg.     The  column  on  the  south 

pro^     TK  TiCrmanded  bj  Genend  °0X  in  l)eraon'  had  als0  made  ra*>id 
Q       bel8  had  been  dl*iven  from  Ealeigh  and  Princeton,  and  the 


Jacob  D.  Cox.  773 

advance-guard  of  General  Cox's  force  had  entered  Pariftburg,  when  the  move- 
ment was  brought  to  a  stand-still  by  the  National  reverses  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley.  General  Fremont  was  called  off  from  his  march  on  Lynchburg  to 
attack  Jackson,  and  General  Cox  received  information  that  the  concerted  move- 
ment was  abandoned,  and  that  he  must  use  his  own  discretion  in  protect™ 
command  against  the  force  in  that  part  of  Virginia,  which  was  now  left  i'vva  to 
concentrate  upon  him.  At  once  the  enemy  assumed  the  aggressive;  a  superior 
Rebel  force,  under  Generals  Humphrey  Marshall  and  Wheeler,  passed  through 
the  East  River  Mountains,  moved  straight  on  Princeton,  and  drove  out  Genera! 
Cox's  rear-guard.  General  Cox  at  once  removed  back  to  Princeton,  drove  out 
the  enemy,  and  re-established  communications  with  the  rear.  It  was  deter- 
mined to  retire  to  Flat  Top,  a  strong  mountain  range  between  Princeton  and 
Raleigh,  and  there  intrench,  and  awTait  the  result  of  Fremont's  movement  in 
the  Shenandoah  Valley.  Accordingly,  on  the  21st  of  May,  General  Cox  went 
into  position  on  Flat  Top  Mountain,  and  Crook's  brigade  took  up  a  strong 
defensible  position  at  Meadow's  Bluff,  a  few  miles  west  of  Lewisburg. 

Near  the  middle  of  August  General  Cox  received  orders  to  send  about  one- 
half  of  his  command  to  the  Army  of  Virginia,  then  operating  near  Culpepper 
C.  II.  At  his  own  request  the  order  was  modified  so  as  to  permit  him  to  accom- 
pany the  portion  of  the  command  thus  detached.  The  division  was  known  as 
the  Kanawha  Division,  comprising  Crook's  and  Scammon's  brigades,  consisting 
of  the  Eleventh,  Twelfth,  Twenty-Third;  Twenty-Eighth,  Thirtieth,  and  Thirty- 
Sixth  Ohio,  Mullins's  and  Simmonds's  batteries,  and  Pfau's  troop  of  horse.  They 
marched  to  the  head  of  navigation  on  the  Kanawha,  a  distance  of  ninety  miles, 
in  three  days  and  a  half,  and  thence  were  transported  by  steamers  to  Parkers- 
burg,  where  they  took  the  cars  for  Washington.  Two  regiments  of  Crook's 
brigade  reaching  Washington  first  were  sent  forward  to  General  Pope,  then  at 
Warrenton  Junction,  and  retreating.  A  break  in  the  railroad  at  Long  Bridge 
prevented  the  remainder  of  the  command  from  following,  and  General  Cox  was 
ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Alexandria,  and  to  report  to  General  McClellan,  who 
was  then  landing  his  troops  from  the  Peninsula.  General  Cox  was  ordered  by 
General  McClellan  to  occupy  Forts  Ramsey  and  Buffalo,  on  Upton'  Hill,  near 
Fall's  Church,  regarded  as  the  key-point  to  the  whole  line  of  fortifications  about 
Washington.  He  remained  here  until  General  Pope's  army  retired  within  the 
line  of  the  defenses  after  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  when  he  was  rejoined 
by  the  two  regiments  from  Crook's  brigade,  and  the  whole  division  was  once 
more  together. 

In  September  the  Kanawha  Division  was  assigned  to  the  Ninth  Corps,  and 
held  the  advance  in  the  movement  of  the  right  wing  of  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac to  South  Mountain.  It  drove  the  Rebels  from  Monocacy  Bridge,  and  out 
of  Frederick  City,  and  was  the  first  of  the  National  army  to  enter,  amidst  the 
most  enthusiastic  rejoicings  of  the  citizens.  On  the  14th  of  September  General 
Cox's  division  again  had  the  advance  in  the  attack  upon  South  Mountain.  It 
carried  the  ridge  by  storm  in  the  morning,  and  the  remainder  of  the  battle  con- 
sisted of  fruitless  attempts  on  the  part  of  the  Rebels  to  retake  the  position 


•  Ohio  in  the  Wab. 

carried  by  the  Kanawha  Division.    General  Reno  was  killed  soon  after  he  came 

>n  the'ii  the  command  of  the  corps  devolved  upon  General  Cox,  who 

is  highly  ,  nted  for  his  successful  efforts  both  by  General  Burnside  and 

al  McClellan.    General  Cox  continued  in  command  of  the  Ninth  Corps 

„h  the  battle  of  Antietam.     His  troops  carried  the  enemy's  position  at  the 

famous  Stone  Bridge,  on  the  National  left,  and  penetrated  to  the  suburbs  of 

Sharpabur  "ore  drawn  off  to  meet  the  attack  of  Jackson  and  Hill, 

advanced  In  rear  of  the  National  left. 

For  sorvices  in  this  campaign,  and  on  the  earnest  recommendation  of  Gen- 
erals Burnside  and  McClellan,  General  Cox  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major- 
■  date  from  October  7th,  1862.  He  was  soon  after  ordered  back  to 
West  Virginia,  to  take  command  of  the  whole  new  State,  from  which  the  Na- 
tional troops  had  recently  been  driven.  In  a  brief  but  active  campaign,  the 
Rebels  were  forced  back,  the  lines  were  re-established  along  the  Alleghany  and 
Flat  Top  Mountain  ranges,  and  many  of  the  troops  were  again  withdrawn  to  be 
used  in  other  departments.  West  Virginia  remained  quiet  during  the  winter 
of  1862-3,  and  was  never  after  seriously  disturbed.  The  list  of  promotions  sent 
in  to  tho  Senato  at  that  session  of  Congress  was  held  to  be  in  excess  of  the  num- 
ber allowed  by  law,  and  the  wThole  list  was  returned  to  the  President,  with  the 
request  that  he  reduce  it  about  one- half,  to  bring  it  within  the  limit  fixed  by 
statute.  Genera]  Cox,  with  many  others,  lost  his  grade  at  that  time,  by  no 
demerit  of  his  own,  but  solely  owing  to  a  misunderstanding  between  the  Presi- 
dent and  Senate  as  to  tho  number  the  former  was  authorized  to  appoint. 

A  new  organization  of  departments  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1863,  and 

General  Cox  was  ordered  to  report  to  General   Burnside,  by  whom   he  was 

assigned  to  the  command  of  the  District  of  Ohio,  with  head-quarters  at  Cincin- 

In  December,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  ordered  into  the  field  in  East 

arriving  at  Knoxville  immediately  after  the  siege  of  that  place.     He 

was  assigned  to  the  Twenty-Third  Corps,  and,  being  the  senior  officer  present, 

in  command  of  tho  corps  during  the  winter  campaign.      When  General 

field  was  assigned  to  the  Department,  General  Cox  acted  for  a  few  weeks 

»iof  of  Staff,  and  then  assumed  command  of  the  Third  Division,  Twenty- 

'orps.    The  winter  and  spring  of  1864  was  a  period  of  constant  activity, 

•important  engagement  occurred.     Early  in  May  the  Twenty-Third  Corps 

the  Georgia  line,  and,  through  the  long  series  of  engagements  which 

Mttto  Atlanta  campaign  an  almost  constant  battle,  at  Eocky  Face,  Eesaca, 

•pe  Church,  Lost  Mountain,  Kenesaw,  Chattahoochie,  Atlanta,  Jones- 

*  Lovejoy,  General  Cox  led  his  division  with  uniform  good  fortune  and 


chased,  V^/^  °f  *******  a"d  durinS  th°  active  campaign  in  October,  in 
s  army  through  Northern  Georgia  and  Alabama,  General  Cox 
^.STo?8  Twe^-Third  Corps,  General  Schofield  being  'tempo- 
Third  Don.  \uu\l  ran'8  advaT,cc  ***  At^nta  to  Savannah,  the  Twenty- 
Interposed  hv  hi*  r  .Teneral  Cox'  was  ordered  into  Tennessee.  At  Columbia  he 
y     8  adVaDCe  betwee»  Hood's  army  and  the  National  cavalry,  and 


Jacob   D.   Cox.  77.', 

prevented  the  Eebel  General  from  occupying  that  town  and  cutting  off  the 
retreat  of  the  National  forces  from  Pulaski.  When  Columbia  was  evacuated, 
with  one  division  General  Cox  held  back  Lee's  corps,  which  was  ordered  to  force 
•a  crossing  of  Duck  Eiver  and  to  unite  with  the  rest  of  Hood's  army,  which  was 
operating  upon  the  rear  of  the  National  army  at  Spring  Hill.  After  a  warm 
engagement,  lasting  through  most  of  the  day  of  the  29th  of  November,  General 
Cox  marched  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  passed  the  rest  of  the  National 
forces  on  the  road,  and  entered  Franklin  before  daybreak  of  the  30th,  having 
marched  twenty-five  miles  during  the  night.  Here  the  corps  was  ordered  to 
intrench  and  to  cover  the  retreat  of  the  army  across  the  Harpeth ;  and  here, 
too,  it  bore  the  brunt  of  Hood's  attack  in  the  desperate  battle  of  the  30th  of 
November.  On  reaching  Nashville  General  Thomas  assumed  command  of  the 
entire  force ;  General  Schofield  returned  to  the  corps,  and  General  Cox  resumed 
command  of  his  Third  Division.  In  the  battle  of  Nashville  it  bore  its  full  part, 
carrying  a  Eebel  position  by  a  determined  charge,  and  capturing  eight  pieces 
of  artillery. 

After  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  Generals  Sherman  and  Schofield  united  in  urging 
the  promotion  of  General  Cox,  and  he  was  a  second  time  appointed  Major-Gen- 
eral, to  rank  from  December  7th,  1864.  The  Nashville  campaign  having 
resulted  in  the  almost  total  destruction  of  the  Eebel  army  in  the  Gulf  States, 
the  Twenty-Third  Corps  was  ordered  to  the  East  in  January,  1865,  and  arrived 
in  Washington  toward  the  end  of  that  month.  On  the  4th  of  February,  Gen- 
eral Cox's  division  sailed  from  Alexandria,  and  on  the  9th  landed  at  Fort 
Fisher.  In  the  advance  upon  Wilmington,  General  Cox's  troops  constituted  the 
land  force,  on  the  south  side,  which  captured  Fort  Anderson,  routed  and  cap- 
tured most  of  Haygood's  Eebel  brigade  at  Town  Creek,  and  by  a  rapid  advance 
opposite  to  Wilmington,  compelled  the  evacuation  of  that  place. 

On  the  26th  of  February  General  Cox  was  ordered  to  Newbern  to  take 
command  of  a  provisional  corps  of  three  divisions,  for  the  purpose  of  advanc- 
ing on  Kingston  and  rebuilding  the  railroad,  with  a  view  to  furnishing  means  of 
supplying  Sherman's  army  when  it  reached  Goldsboro'.  He  arrived  at  New- 
bern on  the  2d  of  March;  the  next  day  was  given  to  the  organization  of  the 
command,  and  on  the  4th  the  movement  began.  The  lack  of  wagon  transpor- 
tation made  it  necessary  to  regulate  the  movement  of  the  troops  by  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  railroad.  On  the  3th,  near  Kingston,  General  Cox  was  attacked  by 
Bragg,  and  although  the  advance  was  driven  back  in  some  confusion  and  with 
considerable  loss  in  prisoners,  the  principal  line  easily  repulsed  the  enemy.  On 
the  10th  Bragg  renewed  the  attack,  his  force  consisting  of  the  remains  of 
Hood's  army  and  Hoke's  division,  in  all  sixteen  thousand  men.  The  Eebels 
were  repulsed  with  great  loss,  and  during  the  night  they  retreated  precipitately 
beyond  the  Neuse  Eiver.  The  next  day  General  Cox  was  joined  by  the 
Twenty-Third  Corps,  and  Kingston  was  occupied  without  further  opposition. 
Goldsboro'  was  occupied  on  the  22d  of  March,  and  there  the  troops  under  Gen- 
eral Schofield  joined  Sherman's  grand  army. 

On  the  27th,  by  order  of  the  War  Department,  General  Cox  was  placed 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

■  i:l„d  of  the  Twenty-Third  Corps,  and  #as  with  the  corps 

in  tl(<  llt  t0  Raleigh.    Upon  the  surrender  of  General  Johnston,  he  was 

i  in  command  of  the  western  half  of  North  Carolina,  where  he  superin- 

|  ;!„•  parol*  of  Johnston's  troops  at  Greensboro'.     In  July  he  was  ordered- 

runnnd  of  the  District  of  the  Ohio,  with  head-quarters  at  Columbus, 

barge  of  the  mustering  out  and  discharge  of  Ohio  soldiers,  till  the 

when,  having  been  elected  Governor  of  the  State,  he  resigned, 

to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  his  new  office. 

military  character  of  General  Cox  may  be  read  in  the  barren  est  record 
He  was  not  a  great  General.  He  was  not  even  a  great  corps 
commander.  He  never  seemed  brilliant,  but  he  was  generally  safe.  He  never 
displayed  the  inspiration  of  war,  but  he  generally  followed  sound  rules  of  war. 
He  was  too  cold  to  be  loved  by  his  troops,  but  when  they  had  been  sometime 
tin. icr  his  command,  they  never  failed  to  respect  him.  He  was  too  tame  and 
methodical  to  be  admired  by  his  commanders,  but  when  they  came  to  know 
him  well  they  never  failed  to  trust  and  to  advance  him.  And  it  can  be  truly 
said  of  him— so  correct  and  prudent  was  he— that  on  the  day  of  his  muster-out 
he  stood  higher  in  the  esteem  of  the  Government  and  the  country,  than  he  had 
on  any  previous  day  throughout  his  military  career. 

To  this  Inst  remark,  perhaps  an  exception  must  be  made.     Before  his  mus- 

cerout  be  had  been  chosen  Governor  of  Ohio.     But  he  had  greatly  embarrassed 

y  which  nominated  him,  and  the  old  friends  whose  faith  in  him  had 

*ed  all  his  previous  political  advancement,  by  an  unexpected  blow  in  behalf 

if  Conservatism.     Some  Oberlin  friends  addressed  certain    inquiries   to   him 

S  h,s  views  of  the  negro  problem,  and  particularly  of  negro  suffrage. 

to  reply  was  skillful,  polished,  and  scholarly;  but  it  greatly  disappointed  them. 

He  had  been  misled  by  a  phase  of  feeling  which  he   had   found   among   his 

'  ta  the  army,  into  the  belief  that  the  men   whose  fighting  saved  the 

Conn  ry  had  prejudices  against  the  blacks  so  strong  that  they  wouM  not  tole- 

2 1 11^  gT  °f  theIr  P0HtiCal  "***     At  the  end  of  the  war  he 

SiSrfiLT"-  th09e-h0>at  its  outbreak,  deluded  themselves  into 

h      he ,  w,sest  settlement  of  the  negro  question  would  be  that  form 

^^tojefbnndin  the  forcible  deportation  of  three  million 

■"•  ^ U ^  mT     J       PUbHCati0n  °f  thiS  letter  -Enraged    his  party, 

hi.  subsequent  course     A«       The  ^Iness  thus  engendered  was  increased  by 

of  VrJJjTZ  I  8°me  °f  thG  m°8t  0^tionable  «nd  extraordinary 

^1^^^     ^^  ^  eSP°*Sed   hi8  —  « '^inst   the 

*  «h.t  p-rty   n      TT688'  and  8tr°Ve  in  -  GlabOTate  ^tter  to  the  mem- 

**«.    Mr  Johnson       T^  Senate  fr0m  0hio>  to  bring  them  over  to 

Cox  found  it  impossible  tofn     &T  "^  t0  extremes  to  which   Governor 

opposition  to  his  antecedents  ,°JT'  \T  ^  remained  strongly  conservative,  in 

him.  entS  and  t0  the  expectations  of  those  who  had  elected 


Jacob  D.   Cox.  777 

It  was,  perhaps,  in  consequence  of  this  feeling  that,  as  the  close  of  his  term 
•approached,  no  general  movement  appeared  for  his  re-nomination.  Doubtless, 
seeing  this  (although  he  assigned  private  business  as  his  motive),  he  declined  in 
advance  becoming  again  a  candidate.  The  convention  of  his  party  nominated 
General  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  of  Cincinnati,  as  his  successor,  but  passed  the 
customary  resolution  of  compliment  to  the  administration  of  the  retiring 
Governor. 

In  personal  appearance  General  Cox  is  trim,  compact,  and  elegant.  His 
accomplishments  correspond  to  the  ideas  which  his  appearance  suggests.  "With- 
out a  spark  of  genius,  he  was  still,  perhaps,  the  most  many-sided  man  in  the 
army.  He  was  a  well-read  lawyer.  He  was  versed  in  belles-lettres.  He  read 
French  fluently,  and  was  as  familiar  with  French  novels  as  with  French  works 
of  tactics.  He  was  learned  in  military  literature — was,  indeed,  before  the  out- 
break of  the  war,  something  of  a  military  scholar.  He  was  well  read  in  remoter 
channels— in  history  and  the  philosophy  of  politics.  He  wrote  with  nervous 
grace  and  force.  His  style  in  extemporaneous  debate  was  a  model  of  condensed 
power  and  skill.  On  the  freer  arena  of  "the  stump,"  he  acquitted  himself 
creditably.  He  was  a  good  horseman.  He  had  a  still  rarer  accomplishment: 
he  fenced  well.  Yet  this  young  "Admirable  Crichton"  of  our  hurrying,  modern 
times,  rarely  excited  more  than  admiration.  He  was  too  cold  for  friendship  or 
popularity.  In  war,  his  soldiers  had  no  enthusiasm  for  him;  in  politics,  his 
party  regarded  him  as  a  dead-weight.  But  he  never  ceased  to  command  re- 
spect, and  his  military  services,  beginning  with  the  first  troops  enlisted  in  Ohio 
and  continuing  till  the  last  were  discharged,  will  never  cease  to  deserve  gratitude. 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 
no 


MAJOR-GENERAL  GEORGE  A.  CUSTER. 


GEORGE   A.  CUSTER  was   born    at  New  Rumley,  Harrison  County, 
Ohio,  on  the  5th  of  December,  1839.     He  obtained  a  good  English  edu- 
then  engaged  in  teaching.      Through    the    influence    of   the 
Honor.-        .      D  A.  Bingham,  he  received  the  appointment  of  cadet  at  West 
He  entered  the  Military  Academy  in  June,  1857,  graduated  in  June, 
1861,  and  was  appointed  Second-Lieutenant,  company  G,  Second  United  States 
airy,  formerly  commanded  by  Robert  E.  Lee. 

vine:  the  Military  Academy  on  the  18th   of  July,  1861,  he  reported  to 
'•    ,  nil  Winfield  Scott  on  the  20th,  the  day  preceding  the  battle  of 
Bull  Run.    The  Commander-in-Chief  gave  Lieutenant  Custer  the  choice  of  a 
position  on  his  staff  or  of  joining  his  company,  then  under  General  McDowell, 
reville.      Longing  to  see  active  field-service,  he  chose  the  latter,  and 
riding  all  night  alone,  he  reached  General  McDowell's  head-quarters  about 
three  o'eloek  on  the  morning  of  the  21st.     Already  preparations  for  the  battle 
bad  begun,  and  after  delivering  dispatches  from  General   Scott,  and  partaking 
breakfast,  he  joined  his  company.     This  company  was  among  the  last 
■   field,  which  it  did  in  good  order,  bringing  off  General  Heintzleman, 
who  h:i  .-.  winded.    He  continued  to  serve  with  his  company  near  Wash- 

ington until  the  lamented  Phil.  Kearney  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of 
TOlanteera,  when  that  distinguished  officer  selected  Lieutenant  Custer  on  his 
II"  Continued  in  this  position  until  an  order  was  issued  by  the  War  De- 
partment, prohibiting  officers  of  the  regular  army  from  serving  on  the  staff  of 
I  of  volunteers.     He  then  returned  to    his  company,  but  not  before  his 
D  the  staff  were  acknowledged  in  a  flattering  manner. 
With  his  company  ho  moved  with  that  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
arched  to  Manassas  upon  the  evacuation  of  that  point  by  the  Rebels. 
in  the  advance,  under  General  Stoneman,  and  encountered  the 
'•v  for  the  first  time  near  Catlett's  Station.     A  call  was  made  for 
Mge  the  enemy's  advanced  post.     Lieutenant  Custer  volunteered, 
ami  ,„  eonunand  of  his  company  made  his  first  charge,  driving  the  Rebels  across 
*  »k,  funding  a  few,  and  having  one  of  his  own  men  wounded  ;  and 

is  drawtng  the  first  blood  in  the  campaign  under  McClellan.     He  accompa- 
.cd  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  the  peninsula,  remaining  with  his  company 
21    °  7n  6C\T  d°Wn  bcf°re  Y<*kt<>wn,  when  he  was  detailed  as  assistant 
■"   ol  the  loft  wing  under  Sumner.     In  this   capacity  he  planned  and 
'  th°  -*«*  "«*  to  the  enemy's  lines.     In   tL  pursuit  of   the 


G-eorge    A.    Custer.  779 

enemy  from  York  town  lie  accompanied  the  advance  under  General  Hancock. 
At  the  battle  of  Williamsburg  he  acted  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  that  General,  and 
captured  the  first  battle-flag  ever  captured  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  When 
the  army  reached  the  Chickahominy  he  was  the  first  person  to  cross  the  river 
which  he  did,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy's  pickets,  by  wading  up  to  his  armpits, 
For  this  act  he  was  promoted  by  General  McClellan  to  Captain,  and  was  made  a 
personal  aid.  He  remained  with  the  General  during  the  entire  peninsula  cam- 
paign, participating  in  all  the  engagements,  including  the  seven  days'  battle. 
In  this  capacity  he  marked  out  the  position  occupied  by  the  Union  forces  in  the 
battle  of  Gaines's  Mills,  and  he  also  participated  in  the  campaign  ending  with 
the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam. 

When  General  McClellan  was  relieved  of  the  command  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  Captain  Custer  accompanied  him  on  his  retirement,  and  so  was  off 
active  service  in  the  field  until  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville,  where  he  served 
as  First-Lieutenant,  company  M,  Fifth  Cavalry,  having  been  mustered  out  as 
Captain  and  additional  Aid-de-Camp.  Immediately  after  the  battle  General 
Pleasanton,  then  commanding  a  division  of  cavalry,  made  Lieutenant  Custer  a 
personal  aid.  In  this  capacity  he  participated  in  numerous  cavalry  engage- 
ments, including  those  at  Beverly  Ford,  Upperville,  and  Barbour's  Cross  Roads. 
When  General  Pleasanton  was  made  a  Major-General  and  assigned  to  a  cavalry 
corps,  he  requested  the> appointment  of  four  Brigadiers  to  command  under  him. 
Upon  his  recommendation,  indorsed  by  Generals  Hooker  and  Meade,  Lieu- 
tenant Custer  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-General.  He  was  immediately  as- 
signed to  a  brigade  composed  of  the  First,  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Seventh  Michigan 
cavalry.  At  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  he  held  the  right  of  the  line,  and  opposed 
his  force  to  Hampton's  division  of  cavalry,  utterly  routing  him  and  preventing 
him  from  reaching  the  train  of  the  Union  army,  for  which  he  was  striking.  In 
this  battle  General  Custer  had  two  horses  shot  under  him.' 

Immediately  after  the  battle  he  was  sent  to  attack  the  enemy's  train,  then 
making  its  way  to  the  Potomac.  His  command  destroyed  upward  of  four  hun- 
dred wagons  (Ewell's  entire  train)  and  captured  eighteen  hundred  prisoners  be- 
tween Gettysburg  and  the  Potomac.  At  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  a  severe  en- 
gagement took  place,  and  General  Custer  again  had  his  horse  shot  under  him  ; 
and  when  the  enemy  finally  crossed  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac  his  com- 
mand was  the  only  one  that  molested  the  crossing.  This  was  at  Falling  Waters, 
where,  with  his  brigade,  he  attacked  the  entire  Rebel  rear-guard.  General  Pet- 
tigrew,  who  commanded  it,  was  killed,  and  his  command  was  routed,  with  a  loss 
of  thirteen  hundred  prisoners,  four  battle-flags,  and  two  pieces  of  cannon. 

During  the  fall  he  was  engaged  constantly  in  skirmishing  with  the  enemy, 
and  during  the  winter  in  picketing  the  Rapidan  between  the  two  armies.  In 
the  spring  of  1864  he  participated  in  the  opening  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  and 
on  the  9th  of  May  set  out  under  General  Sheridan  on  the  raid  toward  Richmond. 
His  brigade,  leading  the  column,  captured  Beaver  Dam,  burned  tho  station  and 
a  train  of  cars  loaded  with  supplies,  and  released  four  hundred  Union  prisoners. 
He  rejoined  Grant's  army  on  the  Pamunkey,  and  participated  in  several  engage- 


Ohio  in  the  Wae, 


m  one  of  which  another  horse  was  shot  under  him.     At  the  battle  of 
lion  he  was  sent  to  surprise  the  enemy's  rear.     He  executed  the 
►mptly,  but  Torbert,  who  was  to  attack  in  front,  delayed,  and  the 
enc,  enabled  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  Custer.     Five  brigades 

rounded  his  one,  and  against  such  odds  the  battle  was  waged  for  three  hours. 
mis  was  captured  twice,  and  each  time  retaken.     His  color-bearer 
killed,  and  the  battle  flag  was  only  saved  from  capture  by  General  Custer 
hims.-l!"  t'-ai ing  it  from  the  standard  and  concealing  it  around  his  body.     The 
arrival  of  Torbert's  force  enabled  him  to  extricate  his  command  with  compara- 
tively little  loss. 

At  the  first  battle  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  near  Shepherdstown,  his  bri- 
gade was  opposed  to  Breckinridge's  corps,  and  was  surrounded  ;  but  it  succeeded 
in  effecting  its  escape.  At  Winchester  the  brigade  was  engaged  from  before 
daylight  until  after  dark,  and  was  the  first  to  break  through  the  enemy's  lines. 
In  this  battle  Custer  captured  nine  battle-flags,  and  a  greater  number  of  pris- 
oners than  he  had  men  engaged.  Again,  at  the  battle  of  Fisher's  Hill,  his  com- 
mand rendered  most  important  service.  When  General  Averill  wras  relieved, 
General  Custer  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Second  Division  of  Cavalry, 
Army  of  the  Shenandoah  ;  but  a  few  days  after,  when  General -Wilson  was  re- 

I  from  the  command  of  the  Third  Division,  to  which  General  Custer  for- 
merly belonged,  he  was  assigned  to  that  division,  and  remained  in  command  of  it 
until  after  Lee's  surrender.  At  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  the  division  was  on  the 
right,  and  was  not  engaged  in  the  rout  of  the  morning.  When  Sheridan  arrived 
on  the  field,  after  his  famous  ride,  he  found  one  command  ready  for  action  ;  and 
his  immediate  orders  were,  "  Go  in,  Custer."  Custer  went  in,  and  did  not  turn 
hack  until  the  enemy  was  driven  several  miles  beyond  the  battle-ground,  The 
division  captured  several  hundred  prisoners,  including  a Major-Gcneral,  and  also 

•ive  pieces  of  artillery  of  the  forty-eight  captured  by  the  entire  army.  For 
his  conduct  in  this  battle  General  Custer  was  brevetted  Major-Gcneral  of  volun- 
teers, and  as  a  further  mark  of  approval,  General  Sheridan  detailed  him  to 
bear  the  report  of  the  battle  and  the  captured  flags  to  Washington. 

On  the  9th  of  October  a  brisk  engagement  occurred  between  General  Cus- 
ter and   General  Rosser,   in  which   the  latter  was  entirely  routed,  with  a  loss 
x  pieces  of  artillery,  two  battle-flags,  his  entire  train,  and  many  prisoners. 
.s  conduct  on  this  occasion  he  received  thanks  and   congratulations  in  a 

I I  order  from  the  War  Department.     The  fall  and  winter  was  spent  in  con- 
Hrfnn,ihing,  and  in  February,   1865,   Sheridan's   cavalry  started  up  the 

A|  Waynesboro'  a  portion  of  Custer's  division,  about  one  thousand 

;  with  two  pieces  of  artillery,  became  engaged  with  the  remnant  of  Jubal 

,;.S;,'",y'  tt*m*»™g  about  two  thousand.     Early  commanded  in  person, 

1     17  WM  ?"  P°StCd  and  Wdl  "^hed.     The  Second  Ohio  Cavalry 

f.        Zu    7V^nrtS' tm>1-d  the -emy's  flank,  and  a  vigorous   charge  in 

.  ~PJW     is  ducomntnre.    A  vigorous  pursuit  resulted  in  the  capture  of 

-  ••-  prisoner*  eleven  battle-flags,  fourteen  pieces  of  artillery,  and 

h-.nd.ed  wagon.,  including  General  Early's  private  baggage.     He  himself 


George  A.  Custer.  781 

only  escaped  capture  by  jumping  upon  a  locomotive  already  steamed  up  and  in 
waiting.     General  Custer  lost  one  man  killed  and  four  wounded. 

After  this  he  moved  to  Petersburg,  preparatory  to  the  final  campaign 
around  Richmond.  At  the  battle  of  Dinwiddie  C.  H.  Custer's  division  reached 
the  field  when  the  Union  forces  were  gradually  yielding  ground.  According  to 
his  common  custom,  he  ordered  the  band  to  strike  up  a  National  air,  and  to  the 
tune  of  Hail  Columbia,  he  threw  his  entire  force  against  the  advancing  column, 
and  not  only  checked  it  but  drove  it  backward  over  the  lost  ground.  At  Five 
Forks  the  division  occupied  the  left  of  the  line,  and  was  the  first  to  cross  the 
enemy's  works.  It  drove  the  enemy  in  utter  confusion  until  darkness  had  set 
in,  and  only  ceased  when  ordered  to  do  so  by  Sheridan's  Chief-of-Staff.  At 
Sailor's  Creek,  the  First  and  Second  Cavalry  Divisions,  commanded  respectively 
by  Generals  Merritt  and  Crook,  were  ordered  to  break  the  enemy's  line,  and  to 
delay  his  retreat  until  the  arrival  of  the  infantry.  After  gallant  but  ineffectual 
attempts  by  both  these  divisions,  Sheridan  exclaimed:  "I  wish  to  God*  old  Cus- 
ter was  here ;  he  would  have  been  into  the  enemy's  train  before  this  time." 
Accordingly  "  old  Custer's "  division  was  ordered  into  the  fight.  The  men 
charged  gallantly,  an<J  actually  leaped  their  horses  over  the  breastworks. 
Lieutenant  T.  W.  Custer,  the  General's  brother  and  Aid,  was  among  the  first  to 
enter  the  works ;  which  he  did  in  the  manner  described.  He  snatched  a  Rebel 
standard  from  its  bearer,  and  received  a  Minie  ball  through  his  cheek  and 
neck;  he  however  retained  his  trophy,  and  shot  down  his  opponent  with  a 
pistol.  The  division  destroyed  a  large  number  of  wagons,  captured  sixteen 
pieces  of  artillery,  thirty-one  battle-flags,  and  five  thousand  prisoners,  including 
seven  general  officers;  among  them,  Custis  Lee,  a  son  of  Robert  E.  Lee,  Semmes, 
brother  of  pirate  Semmes,  and  Ewell.  After  the  battle  Custer  was  riding  up  to 
General  Sheridan,  who  was  surrounded  by  his  staff  and  other  officers  of  rank, 
when  the  latter  and  all  his  staff,  with  caps  waving,  proposed  three  cheers  for 
Custer,  which  were  given  with  a  will. 

When  the  Rebels  fell  back  to  Appomattox  General  Custer  had  the  advance 
of  Sheridan's  command,  when  it  succeeded  in  planting  itself  on  Lee's  line  of 
retreat.  The  fight  at  Appomattox  Station,  which  resulted  in  victory,  lasted,  in 
a  desultory  way,  from  about  an  hour  before  sunset  until  one  o'clock  at  night, 
and  the  enemy  was  driven  back  to  Appomattox  C.  H.f     The  infantry  came  up 

•  General  Custer  is  by  ten  years  the  junior  of  General  Sheridan. 

t  Custer's  share  in  this  action  is  graphically  sketched  in  the  entertaining  account  of  a  Staff 
Officer  "Wjth  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last  Campaign,"  pp.  200,  201: 

"  When  the  sun  was  only  an  hour  high  in  the  west,  energetic  Custer,  in  advance,  spied  the 
depot  and  four  heavy  trains  of  freight  cars  lying  there  innocently,  with  the  white  smoke  of  the 
locomotives  curling  over  the  trees;  he  quickly  ordered  his  leading  regiments  to  circle  out  to  the 
left  through  the  woods,  and  then,  as  they  gained  the  railroad  beyond  the  station  and  galloped 
down  upon  the  astonished  engineers  and  collared  them  before  they  could  mount  their  iron  horses, 
he  led  the  rest  of  his  division  pell-mell  down  the  road,  and  enveloped  the  trains  as  quick  aa 
winking.  Custer  might  not  well  conduct  a  siege  of  regular  approaches;  but  for  a  sudden  dash, 
Custer  against  the  world.  Many  another  might  have  pricked  his  fingers  badly  with  meddling 
gently  with  this  nettle,  but  he  took  it  in  his  hand  boldly  and  crushed  it;  for  it  was  a  nettle,  and 


Ohio  in  the  Was. 

•  u  „„d  the  next  dav  the  surrender  took  place.     General  Custer 
during  the  n,gh.,  and    he  n  ^  ^  ^  ^  fa  by  ^^ 

b0i":  '      o    this  trophy  and  still  retains  it.     After  the  terms 

rrlndh;  Generals  Grant  and  Leo,  General  Sheridan 

„f  .urrcn  er  had 1  bee^ ££«  *  house  the  negotiations  had  been  eon- 

SJ  I*  to  Mrs.  Custer,  with  the  following  autograph  letter: 

"Appomattox  C.  H.,  Va.,  April  9,  1865. 
«uv  nr1R  Madam-  Permit  me  to  present  to  you  the  table  upon  which  were  signed  the 
t  J  oHhe  Army  of  Northern  Virginia,  under  General  Robert  E.  Lee;  and,  in 

S:£E£ ^add  "kno°w  of  no  person  more  instrumental  in  bringing  about  this  most 
durable  event,  than  your  own  most  gallant  husband. 

"  I  am,  madam,  most  truly  your  friend, 

"PHILIP  H.  SHEKIDAN,  Maj.  Gen.,  U.  S.  A." 

"Mas.  Gen.  G.  A.  Custer." 

For  his  conduct  in  these  closing  battles,  General  Custer  was  appointed 
MajorGcneral  of  volunteers ;  and  after  the  review  at  Washington  lie  accom- 
panied General  Sheridan  to  the  Military  Division  of  the  Gulf,  where  he  was 
assigned  to  an  important  command  in  Texas,  with  head-quarters  at  Austin.     His 
lustration  of  civil  affairs  in  that  State  received  the  approval  of  Generals 
i  and  Sheridan;  and  when  he  left  Governor  Hamilton  expressed  by  letter 
ret  at  his  departure.    He  was  relieved  from  command  on  the  15th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1866,  by  muster-out,  when  he  returned  to  service  in  the  regular  army. 

At  the  time  of  his  appointment  as  Brigadier  and  Major-General,  General 
Custer  was  the  youngest  officer  of  his  rank  in  the  army.  He  never  lost  a  gun 
or  a  color;  he  captured  more  guns,  flags,  and  prisoners,  than  any  other  General 
not  an  army  commander;  these  guns  and  flags  were  all  taken  in  action  and  field 
service,  not  in  arsenals  and  deserted  forts;  and  his  services  throughout  were 
brilliant. 

A  good  idea  of  the  "boy  Cavalry  General's"  appearance  may  be  derived 

a  very  keen  one,  as  appeared  in  a  moment  when  there  opened  on  his  slap-dash  party  a  banging 
of  batteries  going  off  like  a  bunch  of  fire-crackers.    Custer  was  a  good  deal  struck  aback  but  not 
opset.    He  kept  his  wits  about  him  enough  to  man  the  trains,  and  start  them  off  toward  Farm- 
tille  for  safe-keeping,  and  they  were  puffing  up  the  road  as  General  Sheridan,  in  the  midst  of 
Custer'a  galloping  division,  reached  the  station.     Then  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  guns,  and 
dashed  into  the  woods  to  see  who  was  firing  so  wildly,  and  to  see  if  it  could  n't  be  stopped.     Gen- 
eral Sheridan  rode  rapidly  to  the  right  to  look  at  the  ground,  and  sent  word  to  Merritt  to  bring 
Ik-vm  op  there  at  a  trot,  and  put  him  to  work  in  the  enemy's  rear,  and  then  returned  to  Custer, 
who,  concluding  that  there  was  more  sound  than  force  in  the  woods,  was  going  in  to  silence  the 
one  and  bag  the  other.    Devin,  under  Merritt's  directions,  took  a  wood-path  to  the  right,  and 
oon  found  a  fine  open  field,  dipping  gently  to  a  broad  valley,  and  rising  again  beyond  to  the 
of  a  commanding  hill,  from  whose  top  the  last  gleams  of  sunset  were  just  ricochetting  into 
!l  k.  k      °Unting  his  men  M  they  came  int0  hne,  he  moved  down  into  the  valley,  where  a 
rsh  bothered  him  some,  and  then  bearing  to  his  left,  went  into  the  woods  on  the  hillside.     He 
He  slow  for  the  crisis,  but  no  harm  came  of  it,  for  Custer  had  meanwhile  scoured  about 
LT  ^    Z  Way'  reckle88]y  ridinS  down  ^1  opposers,  and,  the  force  with  the  guns  proving 
n  ^     Z 7Umerous'  he  had  <^Ptured  nearly  all  of  both  before  Devin  opened  his  fire. 
P  £■  *»  on  together,  mounted  and  dismounted,  driving  before  them,  toward  Appomat- 
tox C.  H.,  the  surprised  and  demoralized  enemy." 


/ 

GrEOEGE   A.    CUSTEE.  783 

from  this  bit  of  a  picture  in  Colonel  Newhall's  "With  Sheridan  in  Lee's  Last 
Campaign  :" 

"The  cavalry  on  the  right  trotted  out  in  advance  of  the  infantry  line,  and  made  ready  tc 
take  the  enemy  in  flank  if  he  should  stand  to  fight,  or  dash  at  his  trains,  which  were  now  in  full 
view  beyond  Appomattox  C.  H.  At  the  head  of  the  horsemen  rode  Custer,  of  the  golden  locks 
his  broad  sombrero  turned  up  from  his  hard,  bronzed  face,  the  ends  of  his  crimson  cravat  floating 
over  his  shoulders,  gold  galore  spangling  his  jacket  sleeves,  a  pistol  in  his  boot,  jangling  spurs 
on  his  heels,  and  a  ponderous  claymore  swinging  at  his  side,  a  wild,  dare-devil  of  a  General,  and 
a  prince  of  advance-guards,  quick  to  see  and  act.  Seeing  him  pass  by,  a  stranger  might  smile 
and  say  'Who's  that?'  as  he  noticed  his  motley  wear,  his  curls,  and  his  quick,  impetuous  way, 
but  would  wonder  to  see  him  in  the  thick  of  a  fight ;  for  Custer  loves  fighting,  and  hated  his 
enemies  then. 

"As  he  is  about  to  strike  a  final  blow  for  the  good  cause,  his  hand  is  stayed  and  his  great 
sword  drops,  back  again  into  the  scabbard,  for  out  from  the  enemy's  lines  comes  a  rider,  '  bound 
on  bound/  bearing  a  white  flag  of  truce,  to  ask  for  time  to  consummate  surrender.  General 
Sheridan  is  just  behind,  and  word  is  sent  to  him  at  once,  though  the  wild  cheers  of  the  men  have 
passed  the  good  news  back  on  the  wind,  and  he  meets  the  messenger  half  way.  The  General 
notifies  General  Ord,  and  the  whole  line  is  halted  on  the  crest  overlooking  Appomattox  C.  H.  and 
the  valley  beyond,  in  which  lies  broken  the  Army  of  Northern  Virginia." 

The  last  words  in  the  first  of  the  above  paragraphs — "hated  his  enemies 
then" — refer  to  the  fact  that  after  the  rupture  between  Mr.  Johnson  and 
Congress,  General  Custer  made  himself  more  conspicuous  than  his  old  chief 
General  Sheridan,  and  many  others  of  his  judicious  friends  approved,  in  his 
indorsement  of  Mr.  Johnson's  policy.  He  even  accompanied  the  President  on 
the  tour  to  the  Douglas  monument  dedication,  which  the  apt  wit  of  a  popular 
caricature  has  embalmed  as  the  "Swinging  round  the  Circle,"  and  was,  on  one  or 
two  occasions,  but  particularly  when  passing  through  his  native  county,  made 
to  feel  somewhat  keenly  the  dissatisfaction  of  a  portion  of  his  old  friends.  In 
pursuance  of  the  same  policy  he  also  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  Philadelphia 
Union  Convention  of  1866,  and  in  the  subsequent  Soldier's  Convention  at  Cleve- 
land. It  was  currently  believed  that  he  hoped  thus  to  secure  high  grade  in  the 
reorganization  of  the  regular  army.  In  this  he  must  have  been  disappointed. 
He  was  only  made  Lieutenant- Colon  el  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  which,  with  a 
brevet  as  Major-General  in  the  regular  service,  was  his  rank  at  the  close  of  the 
year  1867. 

General  Custer's  career  was  active,  highly  energetic,  and  honorable;  but  he 
gave  no  evidences  of  great  generalship.  As  a  subordinate,  to  a  leader  like 
Sheridan,  he  was  in  his  proper  sphere.  In  such  a  capacity,  for  quick  dashes 
and  vigorous  spurts  of  fighting,  he  had  no  superiors,  and  scarcely  an  equal. 
His  career  was  exceptionally  fortunate ;  but  it  is  to  his  credit  that  attention  was 
first  attracted  to  him,  and  his  sudden  and  high  promotion  was  secured  by  the 
fact  that  he  was  found  always  ready  for  fight  and  eager  to  be  among  the  fore- 
most. 


m  Ohio  ih  the  Was. 


MAJOR-€L\ERAL  JAMES  B.  STEEDMAK' 


JAMES  B.  STEEDMAN,  a  noted  Democratic  politician,  and  dnring  the 
war  an  officer  of  volunteers,  always  distinguished  for  energy  and  gal- 
lantry, and  at  times  for  signally  valuable  services,  was  born  in  Xorth- 
uaberiaad  County,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  30th  of  July,  1818.  His  parents  were 
not  in  good  circumstances,  and,  in  the  absence  of  a  good  common  Sche- 
ie**, he  grew  up  with  only  an  indifferent  education ;  but,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
he  was  teat  to  a  school  better  even  than  those  which  the  beneficent  system  of 
Most  of  the  States  now  sets  open  before  the  poorest  of  their  children.  He  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  printing  business  in  a  newspaper  office. 

The  newspaper  was  the  Lewisburg  (Pennsylvania)  Democrat,  then  edited 

by  Judge  George  R  Barrett    Here  the  apprentice  learned  at  once  Democracy, 

rudimentary  branches  of  education,  and  business.     So  well  did  he  improve  his 

opportunities  that  in  a  couple  of  years  he  had  come  to  be  regarded  as  fit  for  a 

■aas  work  and  responsibilities.    About  this  time  an  opportunity  was  offered 

him  to  leave  that  printing  office  and  take  charge  of  a  gang  of  hands  engaged 

the  public  works.    He  succeeded  so  well  that  he  was  emboldened  to 

contracts  on  his  own  account    Eemoving  to  Ohio,  he  estab- 

at  Xapoleon,  in  Henry  County,  and,  while  awaiting  some  open- 

ng»  public  works,  which  he  had  reason  to  expect,  he  purchased  a  printing 

e  at  Deiaace  and  published  the  Xorth-western   Democrat      Meanwhile, 

taf  T  '"IT?  tweDty-on*  jears  of  age,  and  a  country  printer  with  an 

MbJH  S        i*  n*™**-    H»  bride  was  a  young  lady  in  the  village,  Miss 

^tTr^T         i  rem°Yed  thither  from  New  Jers*r-     In  *  s«ort  time 

ITS?!        °°   ^  WabaSh   Mld  Erie   CaMJL     Young  Steedman 

oae  of  t^m^d  presently  had  a  gang  of  three  hundred  men  at  work 

u«  Hw«na  IS9  Nsmb  an  ta!    •«  »A  «.i —  ^l_ 


so  well  as  to  make  the  contract  quite  profit- 
ilar  muluk*!     ,  J  "W  Water'  he  entered  "P°°  »  series  of  sim- 


— —  KSlf  X. ^V*^***  Western  Bailroad  between  Defi- 


...      L    .  ...- 


Ail  this  time  ha  h*A  v 
ham  h,  ""<  . -I     JT.*9  h"  D*"»«m*'  »d  his  newspaper     He  r 

•«*»»  of  his  partj,  was  elected  for  two  successive 


James  B.  Steedman. 

terms  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  State  Legislature,  and  was  presently  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  powers  of  the  party  in  the  State.  He  was  next  made  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Public  Works — an  office  for  which  his  experience  gave 
him  special  fitness.  He  remained  in  the  Board  for  four  years,  daring  three  of 
which  he  served  as  its  President. 

In  1857,  after  a  vigorous  and  protracted  contest,  he  was  elected  public 
printer  at  Washington,  There  had  been  charges  of  corruption  against  other 
candidates,  and  his  election  was  heralded  by  leading  organs  of  the  Democratic 
party  as  a  "great  moral  triumph."  The  defeated  party  chose  to  regard  this  in 
a  jocose  light,  and  for  a  long  time  they  were  accustomed  to  speak  of  the  pub- 
lic printer  as  "  Moral  Triumph  Steedman."  He  took  a  very  active  part  for 
Douglas,  and  was  selected  as  a  delegate  to  the  Charleston  Convention,  in  which 
he  adhered  to  his  candidate  until  the  nomination  was  made  at  Baltimore.  On 
his  return  from  the  convention  he  was  nominated  as  the  Douglas  candidate  for 
Congress,  and  canvassed  the  district  with  his  opponent,  Mr.  Ashley,  who  waa 
elected. 

In  1861,  Mr.  Steedman,  having  disposed  of  his  interests  in  the  public  print- 
ing at  Washington,  was  at  his  home,  which  he  had  now  removed  to  Toledo. 
Among  the  earliest  of  the  patriotic  Democrats  who  forgot  party,  when  the 
country  was  in  peril^  he  telegraphed  to  Governor  Dennison.  offering  a  regiment 
for  the  service,  within  a  day  or  two  after  the  call  for  volunteers.  Within  three 
days  after  his  appointment  as  Colonel,  he  had  the  regiment  ready  for  the  field, 
and  nine  days  after  the  firing  on  Sumter,  he  took  it  from  Toledo  to  Camp  Tay- 
lor, near  Cleveland,  where  it  was  drilled  and  fully  organized. 

What  followed  in  the  history  of  this  Fourteenth  Ohio  Regiment  we  need 
not  here  repeat*  With  its  energetic  Colonel  always  at  its  head  it  was  among 
the  foremost  of  the  State  troops  to  tread  the  soil  of  Virginia :  it  opened  up  the 
Parkersburg  Branch  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  fell  upon  Porterfield 
at  Philippi.  and  in  that  little  skirmish  opened  the  war;  led  in  pressing  upon 
the  enemy  at  Laurel  Hill ;  led  in  the  hot  pursuit,  and  fought,  almost  alone,  the 
sharp  little  action  of  Carrick's  Ford,  in  which  the  Rebel  General  commanding  was 
killed ;  was  recognized  everywhere  as  among  the  trustiest  and  best  of  the  Ohio 
_  meats.  Re-enlisting  for  three  years,  it  entered  into  Kentucky,  took  part  in 
the  affair  at  Wild  Cat ;  was  the  first  to  enter  the  Rebel  works  at  Mill  Springs. 
By  this  time  the  merits  of  Colonel  Steedman  as  an  officer  were  so  well  recog- 
nized that  he  was  withdrawn  from  his  regiment  and  placed  in  command  of  a 
brigade.  In  the  advance  of  Buell's  army  he  had  no  further  opportunity  for 
fighting,  but  he  so  well  handled  his  command  that  there  was  a  general  feeling 
of  approval  in  the  army  when,  on  the  17th  of  July,  1862,  he  waa  appointed  a 
Brigadier-General  of  volunteers. 

His  first  important  action  was  at  Perryville,  Here  he  had  a  large  brigade 
(numbering  forty-one  hundred  muskets)  supporting  McCook,  and  preventing 
the  enemy  from  turning  his  right.    He  came  into  the  battle  at  an  opportune 

*  See  history  regiment,  Voluaie  H. 

Vol.  1.-^50. 


7g6  Ohio   in   the  Wak. 

;     ,„>>  battery,  of  which  the  enemy  was  just  taking  posses- 
reoeifed  the  commendation  of  so  cautious  a  critic  as  Gen- 
erall,  iplimeoted  him  for  his  energy  and  gallantry. 

iman  next  marched  with  the  army  as  far  as  Tunnel  Hill,  whea, 

with  his  brig!  Le,  !><•  was  halted  to  clear  and  repair  two  tunnels— half  a  mile  each 

length— which  had  been  partially  destroyed  by  John  Morgan.     After  putting 

Mil  in  thorough  repair,  he  again  joined  the  army,  and  skirmished  with 

tjie  em.  .  ;4;rv   during  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver,  but  was  not  heavily 

engaged  (taring  My  pert  of  that  action. 

Shortly  after  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver  General  Steedman  was  assigned  to 
the  command  of  a  division  of  infantry.  For  the  next  three  months  he  held  an 
iuck-pcn<k-iit  position  on  the  Nolinsville  Turnpike,  twenty-five  miles  south  of 
Niahvillo,  and  fifteen  miles  away  from  the  main  army — skirmishing  with  the 
enemy  almost  every  day.  General  Thomas,  with  whom  Steedman  was  always 
•  greet  favorite,  now  complimented  him  for  the  energy  and  capacity  he  dis- 
...  lairs,  and  when  obliged  to  supersede  him  on  account  of  rank, 
expressed,  in  written  form,  his  regret  that  "rank  and  the  fortunes  of  war" 
should  deprive  General  Steedman  of  a  command  in  which  he  had  given  so 
much  satisfaction  to  his  commanding  officer. 

In  the  campaign  from  Murfreesboro',  which  forced  Bragg's  army  out  of 
Tullahoma,  General  Steedman  was  in  command  of  a  brigade  which  occupied 
the  Old  Tullahoma  Road,  and  after  heavy  fighting  with  the  Eebels,  who  were 
posted  to  hold  that  approach,  was  the  first  to  enter  the  enemy's  works  at  Tulla- 
homa. When  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  was  concentrated  at  Winchester, 
Bewee,  in  July,  1863,  Steedman  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the   First 

si '  *•  Betenre  Corps.     He  marched  his  division  from  Murfreesboro' 

to  Clmkumauga.  Here  he  took  a  distinguished  part.  He  was  stationed  at 
"Bed  House  Bridge,"  over  the  Chickamauga  Eiver,  and  was  ordered  to  "hold  it 
at  all  hazard.  '  In  front  of  it  there  was  no  enemy.  He  knew  that  Thomas  was 
•ore  pressed,  and  that  his  troops  were  needed;  and  he  took  the  responsibility 
f  d.sobeying  the  orders  requiring  him  to  hold  his  position.  In  going  to 
—  a  Thomas,  having  no  knowledge  of  the  country,  or  the  position  of  either 
arm)  be  „,aroh,,l  to  the  "sound  of  the  cannon."  He  had  severe  skirmishing 
•the  enemy  s  cavalry  on  the  way;  but  he  arrived  just  in  the  nick  of  time 

tLZSS^      T  ""  enCmy  "  ***  mhlUteS  "*«  **«**  to 

In  *k  bet*  (icn.ral  Steedman's  conduct  was  the  subject  of  general  admi- 

tl  ;t:" :  :oldiei'8  of  the  «*  ^  ^  ~*  eulogists.  ** 

*^«  •*«  services  on  the  field,"  made 

in  tto^tfSll  VT  !?  the  Campaign  °f  General  She™*»  wlii^  resulted 

"tending  from        "  ^     Tf,  ?*"»*  °f  *•  "  Distl'ict  <*  the  Etowah," 

*•  railroad  eommunlT         ,  "'  t0  the  Allatoona  fountains,  protecting 

tommumcation.  winch  supplied  General  Sherman's  armv      Durint 


James  B.  Steedman.  787 

this  time  Steedman's  command  had  frequent  fights  and  skirmishes  with  tho 
enemy,  but  one  of  these  actions  deserves  special  mention.  In  June,  1864,  the 
Bebel  General  Wheeler,  with  about  six  thousand  cavalry,  passed  around  the 
flank  of  General  Sherman's  army,  to  cut  the  railroad,  and  attacked  a  little 
garrison  of  four  hundred  of  our  troops  stationed  at  Dalton,  Georgia,  commanded 
by  a  brave  German  Colonel — Liebald,  of  St.  Louis.  Wheeler  drove  Liebald 
into  a  small  earthwork  and  demanded  his  surrender.  The  telegraph  not  being 
cut  Liebald  refused  to  surrender,  and  telegraphed  Steedman  at  Chattanooga. 
Steedman  immediately  started  by  rail  with  twelve  hundred  men — six  hundred 
colored  and  six  hundred  white — to  relieve  the  garrison  at  Dalton.  Within  three 
miles  of  the  enemy  he  took  his  troops  off  the  cars.  After  resting  them  for  an 
hour  or  two,  at  break  of  day  he  fell  upon  Wheeler  with  his  twelve  hundred 
men,  routing' the  six  thousand  cavalry  in  thirty  minutes,  and  saving  the  garri- 
son and  the  railroad. 

When  General  Sherman  started  on  his  "  march  to  the  sea  "  he  left  General 
Steedman  in  command  of  the  "District  of  the  Etowah,''  to  tear  up  the  railroad, 
burn  the  bridges  south  of  Dalton,  and  support  General  Thomas,  if  Hood  attacked 
Nashville.  Hood  crossed  the  Tennessee  Eiver  at  Florence,  Alabama,  and  moved 
on  Nashville.  Steedman,  with  ten  thousand  men  and  three  batteries  of  artil- 
lery, loaded  on  fourteen  trains  of  cars,  moved  from  Chattanooga  by  rail  to  sup- 
port General  Thomas,  reaching  Nashville  with  his  command  just  as  the  enemy 
were  investing  the  place. 

In  the  battle  of  Nashville  General  Steedman  commanded  the  left  wing  of 
the  army,  and  brought  on  the  engagement,  attacking  the  enemy's  right  and 
carrying  his  first  line  of  works  early  in  the  first  day's  fight.  On  the  second 
day  it  was  his  command,  with  that  of  General  Wood,  that  stormed  Overton 
Hill,  the  enemy's  center. 

It  was  in  this  battle,  and  in  successfully  assaulting  the  enemy's  center,  that 
the  colored  troops,  under  the  command  of  General  Steedman,  did  the  brilliant 
fighting  for  which  they  were  complimented  by  most  of  the  officers  of  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  and  especially  by  its  honored  commander,  General  George 
H.  Thomas. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  General  Steedman  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  State  of  Georgia,  which  he  held  until  he  asked  to  be  relieved  from  it. 
The  service  in  time  of  peace  had  become  irksome  and  distasteful;  and,  pre- 
ferring private  life,  he  resigned,  and  his  resignation  was  accepted  July  19, 1866. 
Before  this  time  he  had  been  required,  as  a  last  act,  to  make  a  tour  of  inspec- 
tion through  the  South,  to  examine  the  workings  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau, 
and  report  to  President  Johnson.  His  report  was  tinged  by  his  political  views. 
He  was  now  offered  one  or  two  civil  offices,  which  he  declined ;  but  he  finally 
accepted  the  Collectorship  of  Internal  Eevenue  at  New  Orleans.  He  has  beeu 
often  spoken  of  by  the  President  in  connection  with  the  portfolio  of  the  War 
Department. 

General  Steedman's  career  during  the  war  was  highly  honorable ;  and  it 


;ss  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

cad  scarcely  be  said  that  any  Ohio  General,  not  in  command  of  a  large  army 
rendered  more  valuable  or  distinguished  service.  He  was  a  bold,  energetic 
fighter,  sod  his  voice  was  always  for  fight.  He  never  belonged  to  the  school  of 
delaying  Generals.  His  troops  had  unbounded  confidence  in  and  admiration 
rn.  Personally  he  is  warm-hearted  and  generous,  careless  as  to  appear- 
ances, and  often  neglectful  of  his  own  interests;  hearty  in  his  ways  with 
the  free-and-easy  manners  of  the  people  among  whom  he  grew  up.  He  never 
betrays  a  friend.  Politically  he  is  shrewd,  and,  according  to  the  verdict  of  his 
antagonists,  unscrupulous.  His  own  party  has  great  faith  in  him,  and  he  is 
still  looked  upon  as  one  likely  to  rise  higher  in  its  favors. 


Godfrey    Weitzel.  789 


MAJOR-GENERAL  GODFREY  WEITZEL. 


SECOND  to  none  among  the  younger  members  of  the  Engineer  Corps, 
in  the  value  of  the  services  rendered  during  the  rebellion,  or  in  general 
military  capacity,  stands  Major-General  Godfrey  Weitzel.  He  was  born 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  November  1,  1835.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  city,  and  was  a  member  of  the  first  class  in  the  old  Cen- 
tral High  School. 

Upon  the  recommendation  of  the  Honorable  David  T.  Disney  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  cadet  at  West  Point  in  1851.  He  graduated  in  1855,  standing  second 
in  a  class  of  thirty-three.  He  was  appointed  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  of  En- 
gineers July  1,  1855,  was  promoted  to  Second-Lieutenant  August,  1856,  to  First- 
Lieutenant  July  1,  1860,  and  to  Captain  March  3,  1863. 

On  the  1st  of  November,  1855,  he  reported  to  Captain  and  Brevet  Major  P. 
G.  T.  Beauregard  for  duty  as  assistant  in  the  construction  and  repairs  of  the  forti- 
fications in  Louisiana.  In  August,  1859,  he  was  relieved  and  ordered  to  the 
Military  Academy  as  Acting  Assistant  Professor  of  Civil  and  Military  Engi- 
neering. In  January,  1861,  he  was  ordered  to  report  to  First-Lieutenant  J.  C. 
Duane,  commanding  company  A,  engineers,  and  with  this  company  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Washington  City.  On  the  4th  of  March  it  was  the  body-guard  of 
His  Excellency,  the  President,  during  the  inauguration  ceremonies.  In  April, 
Lieutenant  Weitzel  accompanied  his  command  to  Fort  Pickens,  Florida.  While 
at  this  post  he  twice  crossed  the  bay  and  penetrated  the  enemy's  lines  to  recon- 
noiter,  under  confidential  orders  from  Colonel  Brown.  He  returned  to  West 
Point  on  the  1st  of  October,  1861,  and  soon  after  was  ordered  to  report  to  Gen- 
eral Mitchel,  commanding  the  District  of  Ohio,  as  chief  engineer,  and  also  to 
recruit  for  company  D,  engineers.  On  the  10th  of  December,  1861,  he  was 
ordered  to  report  with  the  engineer  battalion  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
upon  arriving  was  placed  in  command  of  company  C,  engineers.  In  addition, 
he  was  assigned  to  the  special  duty  of  placing  together  some  of  the  pontoon 
trains  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

All  this  while  his  reputation  as  an  engineer  had  been  gradually  rising  in 
the  army,  so  that  now,  when  General  Butler's  expedition  to  New  Orleans  was 
undertaken,  young  Weitzel  was  selected  as  its  engineer,  and  was  ordered  to 
report  to  General  Butler  accordingly,  for  duty  on  his  staff. 

We  have  seen  that  four  years  of  his  army  life  had  been  spent  under  Beau- 
regard in  the  repair  and  construction  of  fortifications  in  Louisiana.  His  inti- 
mate knowledge  of  the  country  below  and  about  New  Orleans,  thus  acquired, 
now  became  of  signal  service. 


790 


Ohio  in  the   Wak 


General  McClellan  had  doubted  the  feasibility  of  any  undertaking  against 
New  Orleans  with  a  force  of  less  than  fifty  thousand.  But  the  entire  force 
available  for  the  expedition  proved  to  be  but  thirteen  thousand  seven  hundred. 
These  rendezvouaed  on  Ship  Island,  one  of  the  inconsiderable  sand-bars  lying  in 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  between  the  mouths  of  the  Mississippi  and  Mobile.  Lieu- 
tenant Weitzel  was  at  once  taken  into  the  consultation  between  Captain  (since 
Admiral)  Farragut  and  General  Butler.  He  described  the  forts  on  the  Missis- 
sippi to  be  passed  before  reaching  New  Orleans,  and  gave  the  commanders  an 
a«,  urate  idea  of  the  nature  of  the  surrounding  country.  He  held  Fort  St. 
Pbilipi  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  the  more  vulnerable  to  attack  by 
the  land  forces,  and  advised  that  it  should  be  either  assaulted  or  turned  by 
means  of  the  shallow  water  approaches  to  Bird  Island  and  points  in  its  rear  and 
above  it.  Before  this  should  be  attempted,  it  was  decided  to  see  what  could  be 
done  by  bombarding  the  forts. 


MISSISSIPPI  Sa 


iassa'l'outre 

IDB. 

fe.p/tss  qx 
A* 


°eiTA 


DEFENSES  OF  NEW  ORLEANS. 

.  Captain  Farragut  accordingly  moved  up  with  his  fleet.  For  three  days  the 
bombardment  went  on.  Then  a  fresh  conneil  of  officers  was  called,  at  which 
be  determination  was  reached  to  run  past  the  forts.     First,  however,  the  great 

"'  6tr'tched  across  the  **  and  supported  by  hulks  anchored  at  regular  dis- 
tances ,„  hne  aci.0S3  the  8tream)  must  ^  cut     Th.s  ^^  doQe  ^  ^^  ^    1 

outs™  damag0  tQ  the  gunboats  wh.ch  nndertook  It     A  further  f 

two  days  gave  tune  to  make  the  necessary  repairs,  and  meantime  the  bombard- 


GODFREY     WEITZEL.  791 

raent  was  kept  up.  Then,  on  the  night  of  the  fifth  day  after  the  appearance  of 
the  fleet  before  the  forts,  they  steamed  up.  A  fierce  conflict  ensued  ;  several  of 
the  vessels  were  seriously  damaged  or  quite  disabled  ;  some  failed  to  get  through 
the  gap  cut  in  the  chain  across  the  stream  ;  others  had  trouble  avoiding  the  fire- 
ships  sent  down  from  above,  and  the  half-finished  gunboats  which  the  Rebels 
employed;  but  Captain  Farragut  finally  found  himself  with  an  effective  squad- 
ron above  the  forts,  with  an  almost  open  road  to  New  Orleans.  He  had  been 
greatly  aided  by  the  suggestions  of  Lieutenant  Weitzel  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
fire  from  the  forts,  and  the  best  way  of  inducing  the  Rebel  gunners  to  overshoot. 

The  moment  the  fleet  passed  the  forts  General  Butler  started  to  put  his 
troops  in  motion.  Lieutenant  Weitzel  conducted  them  to  Bird  Island  ;  then,  in 
small  boats,  through  intricate  bayous  and  channels  not  known  to  another  man 
in  that  army,  to  the  Quarantine  Station  on  the  Mississippi,  five  miles  above  the 
forts.  The  works  which  Farragut  had  passed,  Butler  and  Weitzel  had  now  com- 
pletely turned  and  cut  off  from  the  city  they  were  meant  to  defend.  They  soon 
surrendered,  and  the  troops,  with  the  full  control  of  the  river  behind  them  to 
the  Gulf,  were  ready  to  move  up  to  New  Orleans. 

Within  a  few  days  Lieutenant  Weitzel,  in  consequence  of  his  intimate 
knowledge  of  the  city,  country,  and  people,  not  more,  we  may  well  believe,  than 
because  of  the  sound  judgment  he  had  displayed  in  the  previous  operations,  was 
appointed  Assistant  Military  Commander  and  Acting  Mayor  of  New  Orleans. 
He  was  also  placed  in  charge  of  the  organization  of  troops  in  Louisiana,  and 
under  his  supervision  the  First  and  Second  Louisiana  Infantry,  and  companies  A, 
B,  0,  and  D  of  the  First  Louisiana  Cavalry  were  organized.  After  the  battle  of 
Baton  Rouge,  he  was  ordered  to  report  there  for  temporary  duty,  and  while  at 
that  post  he  laid  out  the  intrenchments  which  have  since  served  as  the  basis  for 
the  fortifications  at  that  point. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1862,  our  young  Lieutenant  was  appointed 
Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  a  promotion  due  to  the  esteem  he  had  inspired 
by  his  services  thus  far,  and  particularly  to  the  warm  friendship  of  General 
Butler.  He  was  immediately  placed  in  command  of  a  brigade,  consisting  of  five 
regiments  of  infantry,  four  companies  of  cavalry,  and  two  batteries.  Of  this 
entire  command  only  one  battery  had  ever  been  under  fire;  one  regiment  of 
infantry  and  three  companies  of  cavalry  had  just  been  organized;  and  the  bat- 
teries were  so  reduced  by  disease,  that  each  could  only  man  one  section. 

Before  the  brigade  was  in  a  condition  anything  like  satisfactory  to  General 
Weitzel,  he  was  ordered  by  General  Butler,  in  connection  with  four  light  gun- 
boats, operating  by  way  of  Berwick's  Bay,  to  clear  the  La  Fourche  District  of 
Rebels.  Accordingly  he  left  Carrollton  on  the  24th  of  October,  and  proceeding 
up  the  Mississippi,  landed  at  Minor's  plantation  six  miles  below  Donaldsonville. 
He  advanced  against  the  town,  and  occupied  it  after  a  slight  skirmish.  After 
collecting  a  sufficient  number  of  transports,  he  moved  down  Bayou  La  Fourche, 
and  on  the  27th  encountered  the  enemy  at  Georgia  Landing,  about  a  mile  and 
half  above  the  village  of  Labadierville.  He  immediately  assaulted  the  position, 
and  after  a  short  resistance  the  enemy  fled,  with  a  loss  of  twenty-five  killed. 


792 


Ohio  in   the    Wae. 


forty  WOttnded,  and  two  hundred  and  sixty  captured;  also  three  pieces  of  artil- 
lery and  a  large  number  of  small  arms.  The  National  loss  was  thirty  killed, 
seventy  wounded,  and  three  captured. 

The  inarch  was  resumed  toward  Thibodeaux,  and  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
below  the  town  the  Rebels  made  another  stand;  but  they  fell  back  without 
waiting  for  an  attack.  This  precipitate  retreat  was  occasioned  by  the  appear- 
anoe  of  the  gunbpat8  off  Berwick's  Bay.  A  northerly  gale  prevented  the  boats 
from  entering  the  bay  and  cutting  off  the  retreat.  With  the  exception  of  a  few 
uiahee  with  the  enemy's  pickets  at  Plaquemine  and  Brashear  City,  General 
WeiUel  beld  andisputed  possession  of  his  district  until  the  following  April,  and 
as  as  safe  for  an  officer  or  soldier  to  go  through  the  country  alone  as  it  was 
to  walk  the  streets  of  New  Orleans.  This  was  the  only  important  military  oper- 
ation undertaken  by  General  Butler  during  his  command  of  the  Department. 

In  April,  18C3,  Weitzel's  brigade,  with  other  troops,  moved  across  the  coun- 
try to  Port  Hudson,  destroying  the  Rebel  navy  in  the  streams  and  bayous  which 
they  crossed,  capturing  fifteen  hundred  prisoners  and  large  quantities  of  arms, 
ammunition,  and  supplies.  During  the  siege  of  Port  Hudson  the  General  com- 
manded sometimes  a  division  and  sometimes  a  brigade.  For  forty  days  his 
troops  were  under  firo,  hard  at  work,  without  tents,  and  with  short  rations. 

After  the  surrender,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  First  Division, 
teenth  Corps,  and  was  ordered  to  Donaldsonville.  From  there  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Xew  Orleans,  and  served  on  a  board,  of  which  General  Franklin  was 
President,  convened  to  prepare  a  general  system  of  defense  for  the  Department, 
After  the  board  was  dissolved  he  was  detained  as  a  witness  before  a  court-mar- 
tial until  August,  when  he  returned  to  the  command  of  his  division. 

lie  left  Baton  Rouge  on  the  2d  of  September  with  the  expedition  to  Sabine 
Texas.  He  was  in  personal  command  of  five  hundred  picked  men  on 
board  the  transport  General  Banks.  His  orders  were  to  follow  the  gunboats 
closely,  and  at  a  certain  time  to  land  and  attack  the  enemy's  works.  However, 
the  two  best  gunboats  were  disabled  and  the  other  two  did  nothing;  and  Gen- 
oral  Franklin  ordered  him  back  without  an  attempt  to  land.  The  two  disabled 
8  struck  to  the  enemy,  and  with  them  went  one  hundred  and  five  men  of 
Wetzel's  division,  detailed  on  them  as  sharp-shooters. 

He  next  moved  with  his  division  on  the  Western  Louisiana  campaign,  the 
operations  apparently  being  only  a  feint  to  enable  General  Banks  to  land  troops 
on  the  coast  of  Texas,  which  was  accomplished.  Ho  was  ordered  to  Ohio  on 
•nmmg  serv.ee  in  December,  1863,  and  upon  returning,  preferring  service 
jader  the  chief  with  whom  he  had  first  risen  to  prominence,  he  applied  to  the  War 
Department  to  be  relieved  from  duty  in  Louisiana.  Until  the  result  of  his  ap- 
phcation  could  be  known,  he  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the  defenses  of  New 

er 


ine  request  was  granted,  and  in  April,  1864,  he  reported  to  General  Bntl 
he  ZnT    (Wa8aSSigDed  t0  dutyiD  two  pities,  as  Chief  Engineer  , 
SiSSf-"^  "  C°mmand  °ftheS— d  Division,  Eighteenth  Corps 
He  part.cpated  ,»  several  skirmishes  near  Petersburg  and  Esmond,  inelud 


Ol 
])S. 


GODFREY    WeITZEL.  793 

ing  the  action  of  Swift  Creek.  In  the  dissensions  between  General  Butler  and 
the  two  noted  engineers  who  were  his  Corps  Generals,  Weitzel  sided  with 
Butler. 

As  Chief  Engineer  of.  the  Department,  he  constructed  the  various  lines  of 
defense,  works,  and  bridges  on  the  James  and  Appomattox  Rivers,  including 
the  approaches  and  piers  for  the  famous  pontoon  bridge  by  which  the  Army 
of  the  Potomac  crossed  the  James.  In  September  he  was  sent  on  a  reconnois- 
sance  to  the  blockading  fleet  at  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  River,  expecting  to 
command  an  expedition  against  Fort  Fisher  during  the  succeeding  three  weeks. 
This  expedition  was  postponed,  chiefly  because  the  enemy  received  information 
of  it,  and  because  troops  could  not  be  spared.  Upon  returning  he  was  assigned 
to  the  command  of  the  Eighteenth  Corps,  numbering  only  five  thousand  and 
one  hundred  effective  men.  He  was  attacked  on  the  30th  of  September  by  two 
Rebel  divisions,  assisted  by  the  entire  fleet  in  the  James.  The  assault  was  re- 
pulsed handsomely,  the  Rebels  losing  over  six  hundred  killed  and  wounded, 
over  two  hundred  captured,  and  eight  battle  flags.  General  Weitzel  lost  only 
fifteen  killed  and  seventy-nine  wounded.  On  the  29th  of  October  he  com- 
manded the  corps  in  a  division  on  the  Williamsburg  and  Nine  Mile  Roads,  to 
favor  a  movement  to  the  left  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  In  this  affair  his 
loss  was  nine  hundred,  mostly  prisoners. 

In  December,  1864,  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Twenty-Fifth 
Corps,  colored.  He  held  the  position  until  the  corps  was  disbanded,  and  he  was 
mustered  out  of  service.  During  this  month,  December,  he  accompanied  the 
first  expedition  to  Fort  Fisher  as  second  in  command,  and  conducted  a  recon- 
noissance  of  the  work,  ordered  by  General  Butler,  to  ascertain  to  what  extent 
the  fire  of  Admiral  Porter's  fleet  had  damaged  it.  The  expedition  was  a  fail- 
ure, through  w^ant  of  co-operation  between  the  army  and  navy.  General  Weit- 
zel's  verdict  was  against  the  proposition  to  assault.  He  found  comparatively 
little  damage  done  by  Admiral  Porter's  fire,  the  sand  embankments  very  well 
resisting  a  bombardment;  and,  with  the  customary  caution  of  the  engineer,  he 
wras  unwilling  to  advise  an  attack  of  great  hazard  and  extremely  doubtful  pros- 
pects of  success.  The  fort  was  subsequently  carried  by  assault,  but  under  cir- 
cumstances which  prevent  the  fact  from  constituting  any  reflection  upon  the 
wisdom  of  General  Weitzel's  counsel. 

He  was  engaged  in  the  final  operations  around  Richmond,  and  was  in  com- 
mand of  all  that  portion  of  the  army  north  of  the  Appomattox  and  James 
Rivers.  It  was  his  rare  good  fortune  to  clutch  the  prize  for  which  for  four  years 
the  armies  of  the  East  had  struggled.  He  entered  Richmond  unopposed,  with 
about  nine  thousand  men,  on  the  3d  of  April,  1865.  He  took  up  his  head-quar- 
ters at  the  residence  of  Mr.  Jeff.  Davis,  abandoned  by  him  only  the  evening  be- 
fore. Here  he  received  President  Lincoln  on  the  occasion  of  his  memorable 
visit  to  the  fallen  Rebel  capital ;  and  here  occurred  the  interviews  with  Judge 
Campbell  and  others,  in  which  the  crafty  Rebel  functionaries  sought  to  secure 
from  Mr.  Lincoln  the  recognition  of  their  State  government.  Under  his  direc- 
tion. General  Weitzel  gave  public  notice  to  the  State  Legislature  that  they  would 


794  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

be  permitted  to  assemble.  A  day  or  two  later,  under  similar  direction,  he  pub- 
tidied  his  orders  withdrawing  this  permission. 

On  the  12th  of  April  he  proceeded  to  concentrate  his  corps  at  City  Point, 
for  removal  to  Texas,  where  he  remained  on  duty,  under  General  Sheridan,  un- 
til February,  1866,  when  he  was  mustered  out  as  Major-General  of  volunteers, 
and  returned  to  his  grade  in  the  engineer  corps  of  the  regular  army. 

During  his  service  in  Texas  he  was,  for  a  large  part  of  the  time,  on  duty  along 
the  Mexican  frontier.  Here  he  cast  his  influence,  in  accordance  with  his  own 
wishes,  as  well  as  those  of  General  Sheridan  and  the  Government,  in  favor  of 
Juarez  against  Maximilian  and  the  Imperialists.  The  notorious  General  Mejia 
having  captured  some  Juarist  prisoners,  was  about,  under  Maximilian's  orders, 
to  execute  them.  General  Weitzel,  on  hearing  of  it,  immediately  addressed  this 
protest  to  the  Imperialist  commander: 

"Head-Quarters,  District  of  the  Rio  Grande,) 
"  Brownsville,  Texas,  January  2,  I860.  ) 

"  Major-General  Thomas  Mejia,  Commanding  line  of  the  Rio  Grande : 

"General:  I  understand  that  you  have  taken  seventeen  prisoners  from  the  Liberal  forces, 
and  that  you  intend  to  execute  them. 

"  In  (he  name  of  the  entire  civilized  world,  I  protest  against  such  a  horrible  act  of  barbar- 
ity.    I  believe  it  will  stamp  the  power  which  you  represent  with  infamy  forever. 

"To  execute  Mexicans  fighting  in  their  own  country,  and  for  the  freedom  of  their  country, 
against  foreign  power,  is  an  act  which,  at  this  age,  will  meet  with  universal  execration. 

"  I  can  not  permit  this  to  be  done  under  the  eye  of  my  Government  without,  on  its  behalf, 
entering  this  solemn  protest. 

"  I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"G.  WEITZEL, 
"  Major-General  Commanding." 

The  following  reply  was  received  on  the  same  day  • 

"Imperial  Army,  Mexico,  Division  Mejia,) 
11  Head-  Quarters,  Matamoras,  January  2.         ) 
"  General:  I  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  communication  dated  this  day. 
"I  find  myself  under  the  necessity  of  repelling  energetically  the  participation  which  you 
pretend  to  take  in  the  internal  concerns  of  this  country. 

"The  business  to  which  the  protest  in  your  note  refers  has  now  been  brought  before  compe- 
tent trihunals,  and  no  one  has  a  right  to  suspend  the  proceedings. 

u  For  your  individual  cognition  I  will  add,  that  the  persons  in  question  are  accused  of  hav- 
ing taken  by  force  of  arms  thirteen  wagons,  twenty-six  mules  and  horses,  and  robbed  thirteen 

panom. 

"  It  would  be  very  strange,  General,  if,  in  the  middle  of  this  nineteenth  century,  the  bandits 
end  fighting  robbers  were  to  receive  help  and  protection  from  the  civilized  world. 

By  the  same  occasion  I  see  myself  obligated  to  remind  you  of  the  contents  of  the  letter 

"inch  1  hud  the  honor  to  address  you  on  the  21st  of  last   December.     I  shall  return  without 

iaacU  ^""^nications  of  the  character  and  couched  in  the  language  of   the  one   now 

.  Accept,  General,  my  esteem  and  consideration, 

"THOMAS  MEJIA, 

«t    *x  •     r,  ,,  "General  Commanding  Line  of  the  Rio  Grande, 

io  Major-General  Weitzel, 

"Commanding  Western  Div:sion  of  Texas,  Brownsville." 


Godfrey  Weitzel.  795 

After  being  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service,  General  Weitzel  was  as- 
signed to  duty  in  the  engineer  corps;  his  most  important  work  being  the  com- 
pletion of  surveys  and  estimates  for  the  consideration  of  Congress  for  a  canal 
around  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio,  on  the  Indiana  side,  opposite  Louisville.  He  was 
engaged  on  this  during  a  great  part  of  the  year  1867. 

General  Weitzel  will  always  be  honored  for  his  share  in  the  suppression  of 
the  great  rebellion.  His  skill  as  an  engineer  commanded  the  confidence  of  his 
corps  and  of  the  army.  He  succeeded  better  than  most  engineers  in  the  com- 
mand of  troops  in  the  field;  and  his  reputation  as  a  good  corps  General  was 
undisputed.  He  was  also  free  from  many  of  the  prejudices  of  the  regular  army, 
particularly  with  reference  to  the  capacity  of  negro  troops.  He  is  still  young, 
and  should  have  a  brilliant  future  in  the  army. 

His  appearance  and  bearing  denote  his  German  descent.  He  was  married, 
shortly  before  the  close  of  war,  to  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Bogen,  a  prominent 
manufacturer  of  Catawba  wines,  in  Cincinnati. 


796 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  DAVID  S.  STANLEY. 


DAVID  S.  STANLEY  was  born  in  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  on  the  1st 
of  June,  1828.  His  father  was  a  farmer.  In  1848  he  was  appointed  a 
cadet  at  West  Point;  and  in  1852  he  graduated,  with  a  standing  suffi- 
ciently high  to  warrant  his  assignment  as  Second-Lieutenant  to  the  Second  Dra- 
goons, now  the  Second  Cavalry.  The  next  year  he  was  employed  as  assistant  on 
the  survey  of  the  Pacific  Railroad  route,  under  Lieutenant,  since  General  Whip- 
ple, and  in  this  service  he  remained  for  two  years.  In  1855  he  was  transferred 
to  the  First  Cavalry,  a  new  regiment  of  which  Sumner  was  Colonel,  Joe  John- 
ston Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  Sedgwick  Major.  McClellan  and  many  others  who 
subsequently  held  important  positions,  were  subordinates  in  this  regiment.  He 
was  engaged  in  maintaining  the  peace  in  Kansas  until  the  spring  of  1857,  and 
during  the  summer  of  that  year  he  accompanied  Colonel  Sumner  on  an  expedi- 
tion against  the  Cheyenne  Indians.  He  was  engaged  in  a  sharp  fight  on  Solo- 
mon's Fork  of  the  Kansas,  in  which  the  Indians  were  defeated  and  compelled 
to  beg  for  peace.  In  1858  he  was  engaged  in  the  Utah  expedition,  and  in  the 
samo  year  he  crossed  the  plains  to  the  northern  boundary  of  Texas.  In  March, 
1858,  he  had  a  successful  fight  with  the  Camanche  Indians,  for  which  he  received 
the  complimentary  orders  of  Lieutenant-General  Scott. 

He  was  stationed  at  Fort  Smith,  Arkansas,  at  the  opening  of  the  rebellion. 
He  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  Fourth  United  States  Cavalry  in  March,  1861, 
and  soon  after  that  the  troops  at  Fort  Smith  and  neighboring  posts  were  com- 
pelled to  evacuate.  They  united  in  one  column  and  marched  through  the  buf- 
falo country  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  On  the  8th  of  May  they  captured 
and  paroled  a  force  of  Rebels  sent  in  pursuit  of  them.  Kansas  City  was  occu- 
pied June  15th,  and  on  the  same  day  Captain  Stanley  was  fired  upon  by  Rebels, 
near  Independence,  Missouri,  while  carrying  a  flag  of  truce.  He  moved  on  the 
expedition  to  Springfield;  and  joined  General  Lyon  at  Grand  River.  Spring- 
field was  occupied  July  12th.  He  was  engaged  in  the  capture  of  Forsythe;  in 
the  defeat  of  the  Rebels  at  Dry  Spring ;  and  in  guarding  the  train  at  the  battle 
of  Wilson's  Creek.  On  the  retreat  to  Rolla  he  was  in  charge  of  the  rear-guard. 
e  participated  in  a  skirmish,  in  which  the  Rebels  were  defeated,  near  Salem, 
souri,  and  in  September,  commanding  his  regiment,  he  joined  General  Fre- 
mont, at  St.  Louis.  He  marched  in  pursuit  of  Price,  from  Syracuse,  and  in 
.November  moved  against  Springfield. 

Captain  Stanley  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers  in  Novem- 
ber, 1861.    He  was  ordered  to  St.  Louis,  and  during  the  winter  of  1861-2  was 


David    S.  Stanley.  797 

a  member  of  a  Military  commission.  He  moved  with  Pope's  army  down  the 
Mississippi,  March,  1862,  and  commanded  the  Second  Division  of  that  army  at 
New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10.  He  participated  in  the  Fort  Pillow  expedition, 
and  on  the  22d  of  April  joined  General  Halleck's  army  before  Corinth.  He 
was  engaged  in  a  skirmish  at  Monterey,  in  the  battle  of  Fartninafton,  and  in  the 
repulse  of  the  Eebels  before  Corinth,  May  28th.  The  Eebels  evacuated  Corinth 
on  the  29th,  and  General  Stanley  was  engaged  in  the  pursuit  to  Booneville. 
During  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August  he  was  in  command  of  the  troops 
on  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Eailroad.  In  the  battle  of  Iuka  he  commanded 
one  of  Eosecrans's  two  divisions,  and  was  specially  commended  in  the  official 
report.  In  the  battle  of  Corinth,  October  4th,  his  division  lost  many  valuable 
officers  and  men.  It  sustained  the  terrible  attack  of  the  enemy  on  batteries 
Williams  and  Eobinett. 

General  Stanley  joined  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  General  Grant, 
at  Grand  Junction,  in  October;  but  in  November  he  was  relieved  from  duty 
there,  and  was  ordered  to  report  to  General  Eosecrans,  commanding  the  Army 
of  the  Cumberland,  who  assigned  him  to  the  command  of  the  cavalry  of  that 
army.  On  the  21st  of  November  he  was  made  Major-General  of  volunteers. 
On  the  15th  of  December  he  skirmished  with  and  defeated  the  Eebels  at  Frank- 
lin, Tennessee.  He  skirmished  again  at  Nolinsville,  and  commanded  the  cav- 
alry in  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver.  In  this  engagement  the  duty  of  the  cavalry 
was  very  arduous.  From  the  26th  of  December  until  the  4th  of  January,  1863, 
the  saddles  were  only  removed  to  groom  the  horses,  and  then  they  were  imme- 
diately replaced.  The  cavalry  pursued  the  Eebels  and  skirmished  with  the  rear- 
guard. General  Stanley's  command  was  again  engaged  at  Bradyville,  March 
1st ;  at  Snow  Hill,  April  2d ;  at  Franklin,  April  10th ;  and  at  Middleton,  May 
21st.  In  the  Tullahoma  campaign  General  Stanley  was  engaged  at  Shelby  ville 
and  Elk  Eiver.  He  moved  on  an  expedition  to  Huntsville  in  July.  He  crossed 
the  Tennessee  Eiver,  in  command  of  all  the  cavalry,  on  an  expedition  into 
Georgia,  and  on  the  9th  of  September  he  skirmished  at  Alpine. 

General  Stanley  was  absent  on  sick-leave,  after  the  battre  of  Chickamauga, 
for  two  months;  and  upon  returning  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
First  Division,  Fourth  Army  Corps.  He  was  stationed  at  Bridgeport,  Alabama, 
until  December,  1863,  and  then  at  Blue  Springs,  East  Tennessee,  until  May, 
1864.  General  Stanley  was  on  the  Atlanta  campaign,  under  Sherman,  from  May 
2d  until  August  25th,  and  was  engaged  at  Eocky  Face  Eidge,  Eesaca,  New 
Hope  Church,  Kenesaw,  Jonesboro',  and  Lovejoy  Station.  He  commanded  the 
Fourth  Corps,  by  appointment  of  the  President,  from  July,  1864,  until  the  close 
of  the  war;  and  during  Hood's  raid  upon  Sherman's  communications,  in  Octo- 
ber, he  commanded  two  corps  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  On  the  27th  of 
October  he  separated  from  Sherman's  army,  and  camped  in  Coosa  Yalley,  Ala- 
bama. He  marched  the  Fourth  Corps  to  Chattanooga,  and  thence  to  Pulaski, 
confronting  Hood's  army,  which  was  then  threatening  Nashville  and  Middle 
Tennessee.  He  fell  back  through  Columbia,  and  at  Spring  Hill  was  engaged 
with  two  corps  of  Hood's  army.     At  the  battle  of  Franklin,  General  Stanley 


798 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


,;1111,  U1„m  the  field  just  as  a  portion  of  the  National  line  was  captured  by  the 

le,     His  timely  arrival  averted  disaster;  and   placing  himself  at  the  head 

brigade,  he  led  a  charge,  whieh  re-established  the  line.     The  soldiers  fol- 

|0Wed  him  with  enthusiasm,  calling  out,  "Come  on,  men;  we  can  go  wherever 

the  General  can.-     .lust  after  retaking  the  line,  and  while  passing  toward  the 

left,  the  Genenil's  horse  was  killed;  and  no  sooner  did  the  General  regain  his 

than  he  was  struck  by  a  musket-ball  in  the  back  of  the  neck.     But  he  still 

remained  Oil  the  field.     This  wound  disabled  him  from  further  service  until  Jan 

nary  24.   1SG3.  when   he  was  placed  on  duty  in  East  Tennessee.     In  July  he 

moved  with  the   Fourth   Corps  to  Texas.     He  commanded  the  corps,  and  the 

Middle  District  of  Texas  until  mustered  out,  February  1,  1866. 

General  Stanley  enjoyed  to  the  fullest  extent  the  confidence  of  his  superior 
officers,  and  General  Thomas,  in  recommending  him  for  promotion,  says :  "A 
more  cool  and  brave  commander  would  be  a  difficult  task  to  find,  and  though  he 
baa  been  a  participant  in  many  of  the  most  sanguinary  engagements  of  the  war, 
his  conduct  has,  on  all  occasions,  been  so  gallant  and  marked  that  it  would 
almost  be  an  injustice  to  him  to  refer  to  any  isolated  battle-field.  I  refer,  there- 
fore, only  to  the  battle  of  Franklin,  Tennessee,  November  30,  1864,  because  it 
is  the  more  recent,  and  one  in  which  his  gallantry  was  so  marked  as  to  merit 
the  admiration  of  all  who  saw  him.  It  was  here  that  his  personal  bravery  was 
more  decidedly  brought  out,  perhaps,  than  on  an}^  other  field ;  and  the  terrible 
destruction  and  defeat  which  disheartened  and  checked  the  fierce  assaults  of  tho 
enemy,  is  due  more  to  his  heroism  and  gallantry  than  to  that  of  any  other  offi- 
cer on  the  field."*  Generals  Sherman  and  Grant  most  cordially  indorse  General 
Thomas's  recommendation,  and  General  Sheridan  also  adds  his  testimony  in 
favor  of  General  Stanley.  The  authorities  at  Washington  acted  upon  these  tes- 
timonials, and  rewarded  General  Stanley's  gallantry  with  the  Colonelcy  of  the 
Twmty-Second  United  States  Infantry,  and  a  Brevet  Major-Generalship  in  the 
United  States  army. 

*  Extract  from  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Hon.  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  Secretary  of  War,  dated 
Head-Quarters  Military  Division  of  Tennassee,  Nashville,  Tennessee,  September  14,  1$65,  and 
signed  George  H.  Tliomas,  Major-General  United  States  Army,  commanding. 


George  Crook.  799 


MAJOR-GENERAL  GEORGE  CROOK. 


GEOEGE  CEOOK  was  born  in  Montgomery  County,  near  Dayton,  Ohio, 
September  8,  1828.  He  entered  West  Point  in  1848,  and  graduated 
July  1,  1852.  He  was  appointed  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  Fourth  United  States  Infantry,  then  serving  in  California.  He 
was  engaged  in  many  scouts  and  skirmishes  in  the  Indian  country,  and  was  once 
severely  wounded.  He  was  promoted  to  Second-Lieutenant  in  1853 ;  to  First- 
Lieutenant  March  11,  1856,  and  to  Captain  May  4, 1861.  He  left  San  Francisco 
for  New  York  in  August,  1861,  and  upon  arriving  was  tendered  the  Colonelcy 
of  the  Thirty-Sixth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  accepted  the  position,  and  applied  him- 
self to  the  work  of  thoroughly  disciplining  his  regiment. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1862  Colonel  Crook  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Third  Brigade  of  the  Army  of  West  Virginia,  and  with  this  brigade,  on  the  24th 
of  May,  he  defeated  the  Eebel  General  Heath,  capturing  all  his  artillery  and 
many  of  his  men.  In  July  Colonel  Crook  was  transferred  to  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  with  his  command  he  took  a  prominent  part  in  Pope's  retreat, 
and  in  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  For  his  services  in  those 
campaigns  he  was  made  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  and  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  Kanawha  Division,  composed  almost  entirely  of  Ohio  troops. 
He  was  again  transferred  to  West  Virginia,  but  he  remained  only  a  few  weeks, 
during  which  time,  under  his  direction,  a  Eebel  camp  was  completely  surprised 
and  captured  by  Major  Powell's  command. 

In  January,  1863,  at  the  request  of  General  Eosecrans,  General  Crook  was 
transferred  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  upon  the  advance  of  that  army 
he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Second  Cavalry  Division.  He  led  this 
division  throughout  the  ensuing  campaign,  and  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga. 
Immediately  after  that  battle  General  Wheeler,  with  a  force  of  cavalry,  crossed 
the  Tennessee  Eiver  with  the  intention  of  cutting  communications  northward 
from  Chattanooga.  General  Crook  was  ordered  by  General  Eosecrans  "to 
pursue  and  destroy  him."  With  twenty-five  hundred  men  he  drove  General 
Wheeler  before  him,  and  in  three  battles  routed  and  defeated  him,  capturing  all 
his  artillery,  and  finally,  after  ten  days'  pursuit,  driving  him  broken  and  disor- 
ganized across  the  Tennessee  and  Muscle  Shoals.  In  these  battles  the  use  of 
the  saber  was  first  introduced  into  the  cavalry  of  that  army,  and  General  Crook 
was  thanked,  in  orders  and  privately,  both  by  General  Eosecrans  and  General 
Thomas,  and  was  also  recommended  for  promotion. 

General  Crook  was  detached  from  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland  in 


SOD 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


uu-v,  1864,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Third  Division, 
utment  of  West  Virginia,  then  lying  in  the  Kanawha  Valley.  The  column 
was  increased  by  a  cavalry  force  under  General  Averill,  and  by  four  regiments 
„f  infantry,  drawn  from  the  troops  stationed  along  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad.  The  cavalry,  under  General  Averill,  commenced  their  movements 
from  Camp  Piatt  on  the  30th  of  April,  and  on  the  2d  of  May  the  infantry 
comprising  three  brigades,  under  General  Crook,  marched  from  Fayetteville, 
and  on  the  morning  of  the  9th  met  the  enemy  in  strong  force  at  Cloyd  Mountain, 
under  eommand  of  General  Jenkins.  The  position  was  well  chosen  on  the  crest 
of  a  hill,  skirted  by  a  small  creek,  difficult  to  cross  on  account  of  its  muddy 
bottom.  Directly  in  front  was  an  open  field  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide, 
v  portion  of  which  was  swept  by  the  enemy's  artillery.  In  addition  to  all 
its  natural  advantages  General  Jenkins  had  greatly  strengthened  his  position  by 
fortifying.  General  Crook  determined  to  attack,  and  directed  Colonel  White  to 
move  his  brigade  over  the  mountain,  to  turn  the  enemy's  right  and  to  charge 
his  flank.  The  movement  was  successful,  and  as  soon  as  White's  guns  were 
heard,  the  other  two  brigades  moved  to  the  attack  in  front.  The  Eebels  lost  two 
pieces  of  artillery,  and  nearly  one  thousand  men  killed,  wounded  and  captured ; 
among  them  General  Jenkins,  who  was  mortally  wounded.  The  National  loss 
waa  about  seven  hundred.  General  Crook  continued  his  march,  and  encountered 
the  Kebels  again  at  New  Eiver.  After  a  light  engagement  the  enemy  was 
driven  from  his  position,  and  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  a  large  amount  of 
ammunition  were  captured.  General  Crook  moved  on  to  Blackburg,  and  there 
learned  that  the  cavalry  had  failed  to  execute  its  part  of  the  campaign.  Inter- 
cepted dispatches  from  General  Lee  reported  that  Grant  had  been  repulsed  in 
the  Wilderness,  and  that  Lee's  victory  was  complete.  Eations  were  exhausted, 
and  the  ambulances  were  loaded  down  with  the  wounded.  General  Crook 
decided  to  place  himself  in  communication  with  the  National  lines,  and  the 
march  of  the  column  was  directed  toward  Meadow  Bluffs.  Greenbrier  Eiver 
wa>  found  to  be  too  deep  for  fording,  and  by  forty-eight  hours  of  continuous 
and  exhaustive  labor  the  command  was  crossed  on  a  single  flatboat. 

Upon  reaching  Meadow  Bluffs  information  was  received  that  General  Hunter 
had  been  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  department,  and  General  Crook's 
force  was  ordered  to  Staunton.  The  infantry  reached  Staunton  on  the  8th  of 
June,  after  a  march  which  had  been  one  continuous  skirmish,  the  Eebels  con- 
testing every  inch  of  the  ground.  The  cavalry  started  two  days  after  the 
Infantry,  and  arrived  on  the  9th,  its  march  being  unobstructed.  General  Crook's 
division  led  the  advance  in  General  Hunter's  movement  upon  Lynchburg,  and 
covered  the  rear  upon  the  retreat.  At  Craig  Valley  information  was  received 
that  the  enemy  was  moving  on  a  parallel  road,  to  strike  the  column  at  New- 
castle; and  General  Crook  was  ordered,  with  his  division,  to  take  the  advance 
o  guard  the  threatened  point.  The  enemy,  however,  did  not  attack,  and  the 
etreat  was  continued  uninterrupted  up  the  Kanawha  Valley.  General  Crook's 
command  had  been  on  foot  almost  constantly  for  two  months;  it  had  marched 
nearly  nine  hundred  miles;  it  had  crossed  different  ranges  of  the  Alleghany 


George  Crook.  801 

and  Blue  Ridge  sixteen  times;  it  had  been  continually  on  short  rations,  fre- 
quently without  any;  it  had  fought  and  defeated  the  enemy  in  five  severe 
engagements;  it  had  participated  in  innumerable  skirmishes;  it  had  killed, 
wounded,  and  made  prisoners,  nearly  two  thousand  Rebels;  and  it  had  captured 
ten  pieces  of  artillery.  It  had  not  lost  one  man  captured;  and  neither  a  gun 
nor  a  wagon  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy;  but  nearly  one-third  of 
its  number  had  been  left  dead  on  the  field  of  battle,  or  had  been  carried  away 
wounded.  The  Kanawha  Division  never  lost  the  right  to  be  called  the  best  in 
an  army  where  all  were  good. 

General  Crook  was  assigned  to  command  the  District  of  the  Kanawha, 
embracing  that  section  of  country  south  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
from  Grafton  to  Parkersburg.  But  the  troops  had  hardly  settled  in  camp  when 
Early's  raid  across  the  Potomac  made  it  necessary  for  them  to  move  to  repel  the 
invasion.  General  Crook  arrived  at  Harper's  Ferry  on  the  15th  of  July,  and 
was  directed  to  assume  command  of  the  troops  then  lying  near  Hillsboro'. 
Upon  the  arrival  of  General  Wright  he,  by  virtue  of  seniority,  assumed  com- 
mand, and  directed  General  Crook  to  move  his  troops  across  the  Shenandoah  at 
Snicker's  Ferry.  It  was  supposed  then  that  the  main  body  of  Early's  army  had 
retired,  leaving  only  the  cavalry  to  guard  the  ford.  General  Crook  forced  a 
passage  about  two  miles  below  the  ferry,  and  occupied  a  strong  position;  but 
soon  discovered  that  instead  of  Early  having  withdrawn  his  troops  he  was 
massing  them,  and  evidently  with  the  intention  of  making  an  attack.  General 
Crook  notified  General  Wright  of  his  situation,  but  was  directed  to  hold  his 
position,  and  was  promised  re-enforcements.  Early  pressed  the  line  closely, 
but  General  Crook's  men  fought  gallantly,  being  encouraged  by  the  arrival  of 
the  Sixth  Corps  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river.  General  Crook  urged  the 
commander  of  the  Sixth  Corps  to  cross  the  river  immediately;  but  for  some 
inexplicable  reason  that  officer  declined  to  advance,  and  General  Crook  was 
compelled  to  choose  between  having  his  command  cut  to  pieces  and  crossing  the 
river  under  fire.  He  chose  the  latter,  and  the  troops  recrossed  in  good  order, 
but  suffered  severely,  losing  nearly  six  hundred  men  killed,  wounded,  and 
captured. 

On  the  20th  of  July  General  Crook  was  brevetteb!  Major-General  "for  dis- 
tinguished gallantry  and  efficient  services  in  the  preceding  campaign;"  and 
being  assigned  to  duty  by  the  President  in  accordance  with  his  brevet  rank,  he 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  forces  of  the  Department  of  West  Virginia,  in 
the  field,  and  was  Ordered  to  pursue  Early  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  to 
destroy  everything  that  could  be  of  service  to  the  enemy.  So  complete  was  to 
be  this  destruction  that,  to  quote  from  the  order  received,  "a  crow  passing  over 
the  country  would  be  obliged  to  carry  his  rations  with  him."  General  Crook 
remonstrated  against  this  plan,  stating  that  his  command  was  much  too  small  to 
execute  successfully  these  orders.  The  Army  of  West  Virginia,  as  General 
Crook's  command  was  styled,  had  a  numerical  strength  of  little  more  than  ten 
thousand  men.  It  consisted  of  two  cavalry  divisions,  each  comprising  two  small 
brigades;  and  of  three  infantry  divisions,  each  comprising  two  brigades.  The 
Vol.  I. — 51. 


802 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


caval 


Iry.  much  disorganized,  worn  out  by  long  marches,  poorly  equipped, 
wivt.-fu-dly  mounted,  and  armed  with  inferior  weapons,  was  almost  worthless. 

j.tion,  however,  should  be  made  to  Colonel  Powell's  brigade  of  Averill's 
division,  but  this  brigade  owed  its  efficiency  solely  to  the  skill,  energy,  and 
oonrago'of  its  commander.  A  portion  of  the  infantry  was  made  up  of  the  debris 
Of  Oftmp  and  rendezvous;  and  one  provisional  regiment  of  eleven  hundred  men 
was  composed  of  detachments  from  fifty-one  different  regiments.  In  addition 
to  this  it  would  probably  have  been  impossible  to  have  found  a  single  soldier 
completely  equipped;  many  were  almost  naked,  and  fully  one-third  were  bare- 
foot. It  was  in  vain  to  hope  for  success  under  such  circumstances;  but  General 
Crook's  orders  were  peremptory.  On  the  23d  of  July  there  was  some  skirmish- 
ing, and  on  the  24th  the  enemy  appeared  in  force.  General  Crook's  command 
made  a  stand,  but  the  enemy  was  greatly  superior  in  numbers.  The  trains  were 
moved  out,  and  slowly  and  deliberately  the  troops  fell  back  to  Harper's  Ferry. 

General  Sheridan  was  now  transferred  to  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  under 
him  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah  was  organized.  The  Army  of  West  Virginia 
was  placed  on  the  extreme  left,  and  moved  with  Sheridan's  forces  to  Cedar 
Creek,  and  after  several  days'  skirmishing,  fell  back,  with  the  entire  army,  to 
Halltown.  Several  reconnoissances  were  made  by  General  Crook's  command 
while  the  army  lay  at  Halltown.  These  were  attended  with  considerable  loss, 
but  were  uniformly  successful.  On  the  1st  of  September  the  Army  of  the 
Shenandoah  again  moved  forward,  and  after  the  fight  at  Berryville  went  into 
camp  for  two  weeks  near  Summit  Point.  General  Crook  had  been  assigned, 
meantime,  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  West  Virginia,  and  he  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  in  making  the  Army  of  West  Virginia  efficient.  The 
much-needed  supplies  were  issued,  recruits  were  brought  up  from  hospitals,  and 
the  work  of  drilling  and  disciplining  went  on  rapidly.  On  the  19th  of  Septem- 
ber the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah  moved  from  its  lines,  with  the  Army  of  West 
Virginia  on  the  right.  At  the  battle  of  Opequan  the  Army  of  West  Virginia 
was  at  first  placed  in  reserve,  but  it  was  soon  ordered  forward,  and  by  a  vigor- 
ous charge  turned  the  enemy's  flank,  and  insured  victory.  In  this  battle  Gen- 
eral Crook's  command  lost  nine  hundred  men  killed  and  wounded.  At  the 
battle  of  Fisher's  Hill  the  Army  of  West  Virginia  executed  a  skillful  flank 
movement,  and,  coming  down  upon  the  enemy's  left  and  rear,  carried  everything 
before  it.  Eighteen  pieces  of  artillery  and  many  prisoners  were  captured. 
General  Crook's  entire  loss  was  less  than  three  hundred  men.  For  gallant  con- 
duct at  the  battles  of  Opequan  and  Fisher's  Hill  General  Crook  was  recom- 
mended by  General  Sheridan,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  for  the  rank  of  Brevet 
Major-General  United  States  Army. 

The  march  was  continued  up  the  Valley,  and  the  cavalry  advanced  as  far 
as  Staunton.  On  the  6th  of  October  the  army  commenced  its  return  march, 
and  on  the  11th  it  went  into  camp  near  Middletown.  At  Cedar  Creek  General 
Crook's  command  occupied  the  portion  of  the  line  between  the  Winchester  Pike 
and  the  river,  on  the  left  of  the  army.  General  Sheridan  went  to  Washington, 
leaving  General  Wright  in  command  of  the  army;    and  General   Crook"  was 


George  Crook  803 

engaged  in  strengthening  his  line,  particularly  his  left  and  rear,  which  he  con- 
sidered most  exposed.  General  Crook  called  General  Wright's  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  fords  of  the  Shenandoah,  below  the  left  of  the  army,  were  not 
guarded.  It  was  agreed  that  they  should  be  strongly  picketed  by  cavalry,  but 
on  the  night  of  the  18th  of  October  a  force  of  Kebels  crossed  at  the  fords  men- 
tioned, about  two  miles  below  the  extreme  left  of  the  infantry  picket-line,  and 
before  daybreak  on  the  19th  made  a  furious  attack  on  the  National  lines,  strik- 
ing an  advanced  division  before  the  men  were  awake,  and  capturing  a  battery 
before  a  shot  could  be  fired.  The  left  was  driven  back  in  confusion  ;  but  a  single 
brigade  of  Hayes's  division  checked  the  enemy  for  a  moment,  and  gave  the 
troops  on  the  right  time  to  form.  About  nine  o'clock  the  Kebel  advance  was 
checked,  and  about  eleven  o'clock  an  attack  was  repulsed.  Preparations  were 
made  for  an  attack  in  return,  when  General  Sheridan  arrived  on  the  field.  His 
presence  did  much  to  restore  confidence,  and  about  four  o'clock  P.  M.  his  lines 
charged  the  enemy,  and  drove  him  in  confusion  through  Middletown,  and  over 
Cedar  Creek.  Many  prisoners,  forty-nine  pieces  of  artillery,  and  a  large  number 
of  wagons  were  captured  ;  and  twenty-four  pieces  of  artillery,  lost  in  the  morn- 
inof,  were  retaken.  General  Crook's  command  lost  over  one  thousand  men ; 
more  than  half  of  these  were  captured.  General  Crook  was  promoted  to  full 
Major-General,  and  about  the  1st  of  January,  1865,  his  army  of  West  Virginia 
went  into  winter-quarters  along  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Eailroad.  The  General 
established  his  head-quarters  at  Cumberland,  Maryland,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
duties  incident  to  a  department  commander. 

About  half-past  two  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  21st  of  February  a  band 
of  seventy  picked  men,  under  Lieutenant  McNeil,  of  guerrilla  notoriety,  crossed 
the  Potomac  three  or  four  miles  above  Cumberland.  The  advance-guard  of  this 
party,  clothed  in  United  States  uniform,  came  upon  the  cavalry  picket  about 
two  miles  from  town,  and  being  challenged,  promptly  answered,  "  Friends;  " 
representing  themselves  as  a  party  of  National  cavalry  returning  from  a  scout. 
While  this  explanation  was  being  made  the  main  force  came  up  and  instantly 
captured  the  entire  picket-line.  The  infantry  pickets,  a  mile  nearer  town,  were 
disposed  of  in  the  same  manner.  The  party  rode  into  town,  and  a  portion  of 
them  went  to  General  Crook's  head-quarters.  The  sentry  challenged;  they 
replied,  "Eelief ; "  and  one  man  advanced  as  if  to  receive  instructions,  but  instead, 
presented  his  revolver,  and  the  sentry  surrendered.  The  negro  watchman  was 
compelled  to  conduct  the  party  to  the  General's  room.  He  was  captured,  placed 
on  a  horse,  and  then  the  party  set  out  on  its  return,  having  been  in  the  town 
less  than  ten  minutes.  So  rapidly  and  so  quietly  was  the  capture  effected,  that 
had  not  one  of  the  staff,  four  of  whom  occupied  a  room  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  hall  from  General  Crook,  been  awake,  the  affair  would  probably  not  have 
been  discovered  for  several  hours.  This  officer,  hearing  a  slight  movement  in 
the  General's  room,  and  thinking  he  might  be  unwell,  crossed  the  hall  and  found 
the  room  vacant.  His  suspicions  were  aroused,  and  throwing  up  the  window  be 
heard  the  clatter  of  hoofs,  and  saw  the  party  disappearing  down  the  street. 
The  alarm  was  instantly  given,  and  parties  were  started  in  pursuit,  but  they 


304  Ohio  in  the  War. 

were  unable  to  recapture  the  prisoners.  General  Crook  was  exchanged  on  the 
20th  of  March,  and  he  again  assumed  command  of  the  Department  of  West 
Virginia  On  'the  next  day,  however,  he  was  directed  to  report  to  General 
Grant,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  cavalry  of  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  with  orders  to  report  to  General  Sheridan. 

General  Crook  participated  in  all  the  movements  of  Sheridan's  cavalry 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  in  the  eleven  days  preceding  General  Lee's  sur- 
render, his  division  lost  one-third  of  its  number  in  killed  and  wounded  alone. 
When  General  Sheridan  was  assigned  to  a  command  in  the  South-West,  General 
Crook  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Cavalry  Corps,  which  he  retained  until 
relieved,  at  his  own  request,  about  the  1st  of  July.  In  August  General  Crook 
was  ordered  to  report  to  General  Schofield,  in  the  Department  of  North  Caro- 
lina. He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  District  of  Wilmington,  and  ho 
remained  in  that  position  until  honorably  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service 
on  the  15th  of  January,  1866. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  WAGER  SWAYNE. 


WAGER  SWAYNE,  eldest  son  of  the  Hon.  N.  H.  Swayne,  Associate 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  was  born  at  Co- 
lumbus, Ohio,  about  the  year  1835.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered 
Yale  College,  where  he  graduated  with  credit,  after  considerable  interruption 
on  account  of  ill  health  ;  and  from  that  time  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  war, 
he  devoted  himself  to  the  study  and  practice  of  law  in  his  native  city. 

In  the  summer  of  1861  Governor  Dennison  offered  him  the  position  of 
Major  in  the  Forty-Third  Ohio  Infantry.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  regi- 
ment at  Mount  Vernon,  and  accompanied  it  to  the  field,  in  February,  1862.  The 
principal  part  of  the  first  summer  was  spent  at  Bear  Creek  and  Clear  Creek,  in 
the  vicinity  of  Corinth.  The  regiment  was  engaged  in  the  battles  of  Iuka  and 
Corinth,  and  in  the  latter  the  Colonel  of  the  regiment  was  killed.  Major 
Swayne  had,  in  the  meantime,  been  promoted  to  the  Lieutenant-Colonelcy,  and 
he  now  succeeded  to  the  Colonelcy.  In  December,  the  regiment  went  into  camp 
at  Bolivar,  Tennessee,  where  the  winter  was  spent.  After  a  brief  raid  into 
Northern  Alabama,  under  General  Dodge,  the  Forty-Third  was  stationed  at 
Memphis.  Here,  for  nine  months,  Colonel  Swayne  held  the  office  of  Provost- 
Marshal,  and  discharged  the  duties  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  loyal  citizens.  After 
the  removal  of  the  regiment  to  Prospect,  in  Middle  Tennessee,  the  order  in  regard 
to  veteran  furloughs  was  received,  and  Colonel  Swayne's  command  was  not  slow 
in  re-enlisting. 


Wager  Swayne.  805 

Soon  after  returning  to  the  field,  the  regiment  moved  on  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign, and  during  all  the  marches  and  battles,  Colonel  Swayne  conducted  him- 
self like  a  true  soldier.  At  Eesaca  he  led  his  men  across  a  bridge,  fully  exposed 
to  Rebel  sharp-shooters,  and  stationed  them  in  an  advanced  position,  with  but 
one  or  two  casualties;  and  on  all  occasions  he  cheerfully  shared  the  dangers  and 
privations  of  the  private  soldier.  Daring  the  interval  of  rest  after  the  capture 
of  Atlanta,  he  commanded  a  brigade,  but  upon  the  march  to  the  sea  he  accom- 
panied his  regiment.  He  moved  on  the  campaign  of  the  Carolinas,  and  at  the 
Salkahatchie  was  wounded  severely  in  the  right  leg.  The  limb  was  ampu- 
tated, and  for  some  time  Colonel  Swayne  was  disabled  for  duty.  He  was  pro- 
moted to  Brigadier-General,  and  subsequently  to  Major-General,  and  in  July, 
1865,  he  reported  for  duty  at  Montgomery,  Alabama,  as  Assistant  Commissioner 
of  Refugees,  Freedmen,  and  Abandoned  Lands. 

Here,  through  the  manifold  troubles  of  the  reorganization,  General  Swayne 
continued  to  bear  himself  no  less  honorably  than  in  the  field.  Recognizing 
clearly  for  what  he  had  fought,  and  fully  resolved  that  no  act  of  his  should  help 
to  cheat  the  nation  out  of  the  fruits  of  its  victory,  he  steadily  cast  his  influence 
in  favor  of  impartial  justice  and  equality  before  the  law  for  all.  The  efforts  of 
the  party  which  sought  to  give  these  principles  practical  recognition  in  the  re- 
organization, found  in  him  a  firm  supporter.  He  was  prominent  in  their  public 
meetings,  and  soon  became  a  civil  as  well  as  a  military  power  in  Alabama. 


806 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  ALEXANDER  M.  McCOOK, 


ALEXANDER  M.  McCOOK  was  born  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio, 
on  the  22d  of  April,  1831.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Carroll 
County,  in  1832,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  was  appointed  a  cadet  at 
West  Point.  He  graduated  July  1,  1852,  with  a  standing  which  entitled  him 
to  appointment  as  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Third  Infantry.  He  reported 
for  duty  at  Newport  Barracks,  September  30th,  and  on  the  14th  of  May,  1853, 
was  ordered  to  Jefferson  Barracks,  Missouri.  He  joined  company  E,  of  the 
Third  Infantry,  in  August,  1853,  and  in  June,  July,  and  August  of  the  following 
year,  he  was  engaged  in  the  campaign  against  the  Apaches.  He  was  promoted 
to  Second  Lieutenant  on  the  30th  of  June,  1854,  and  in  the  following  September 
he  reported  for  duty  at  Fort  Union,  New  Mexico.  In  February,  1855,  Lieuten- 
ant McCook  was  appointed  Commissary  in  a  campaign  against  the  Utah  Indians 
and  other  tribes.  He  served  in  this  campaign  until  September,  participating  in 
the  actions  at  Sawatehie  Pass  and  the  head- waters  of  the  Arkansas.  On  the 
30th  of  September  he  reported  for  duty  at  Cantonment  Buryuni,  New  Mexico. 
In  March,  1856,  he  was  appointed  chief  guide  of  an  expedition  against  the 
Indians  of  Arizona,  and  he  also  served  as  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  command. 
He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Gila  Eiver,  and  in  all  the  skirmishes  of  the  cam- 
paign until  October,  when  he  again  reported  at  Cantonment  Buryuni.  He  was 
in  command  of  that  post  from  July  to  October,  1857,  and  in  December  of  the 
same  year  he  received  sixty  days'  leave. 

He  reported  at  the  Military  Academy  as  Instructor  of  Infantry  Tactics, 
January  14, 1858,  and  remained  there  until  April  22, 1861,  when  he  was  ordered 
to  Columbus,  Ohio,  as  mustering  and  disbursing  officer.  He  was  here  appointed 
Colonelof  the  First  Ohio  Infantry,  a  three-months'  regiment,  and  on  the  29th 
of  April  he  assumed  command  of  the  Ohio  Camp  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 
In  May  he  marched  with  his  regiment  to  the  defense  of  Washington  City. 
Colonel  McCook  was  promoted  to  Captain  in  the  Third  United  States  Infantry, 
May  14,  1861.  He  participated  in  the  affair  at  Vienna,  Virginia,  June  17th, 
and  he  commanded  the  First  Ohio  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Bun,  July  21,  1861, 
receiving  commendation  for  the  handsome  manner  in  which  he  handled  his 
regiment.  In  August  Colonel  McCook  was  again  appointed  Colonel  of  the 
*  irst  Ohio,  now  a  three-years'  regiment,  and  in  December  he  was  commissioned 
.Brigadier-General  of  volunteers. 

He  reported  for  duty  at  Louisville,  and  on  the  14th  of  October  assumed 
command  of  the  advance  of  the  army  at  Nolin  Eiver,  Kentucky.  He  organized, 
equipped,  and  instructed  the  Second  Division,  Army  of  the  Ohio,  and  in  February, 


Alexander  M.  McCook.  807 

1862,  led  that  division  in  Buell's  advance  against  Nashville.  With  the  rest  of 
Buell's  army  he  next  marched  across  Tennessee  toward  Savannah,  and  on  the 
7th  of  April  General  McCook  commanded  his  division  in  the  last  day's  action  at 
the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  again  handling  his  troops  so  as  to  receive  the 
approval  of  his  superiors.  He  commanded  the  reserve  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio 
ic  the  advance  upon  and  siege  of  Corinth.  His  division,  however,  was  engaged 
at  Bridge's  Creek  and  at  Seratt's  Hill.  In  June  General  McCook  marched  with 
his  division  into  East  Tennessee.  On  the  17th  of  July  he  was  appointed  Major- 
General  of  volunteers.  On  the  withdrawal  of  the  army  to  Louisville,  General 
McCook  commanded  a  column,  composed  of  the  Second  Division,  Army  of  the 
Ohio,  and  General  E.  B.  Mitchel's  division,  Army  of  the  Mississippi. 

In  the  advance  from  Louisville  he  commanded  the  First  Corps  of  the  Army 
of  the  Ohio,  consisting  of  Rousseau's  and  Jackson's  divisions.  With  these  he 
brought  on  the  battle  of  Perry ville,  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  his  instructions, 
and  before  the  army  was  prepared  to  sustain  him.  The  commanding  General, 
in  his  official  report,  censured  him  for  having  thus  undertaken  a  task  beyond  his 
strength,  but  left  him  in  command  of  this  corps  during  the  pursuit  of  Bragg  to 
Crab  Orchard,  Kentucky. 

Under  General  Rosecrans,  who  now  assumed  command  of  the  army,  General 
McCook  led  his  troops  to  Nashville  in  the  latter  part  of  October.  On  the  26th  of 
December  he  moved  with  the  arntv  against  the  Rebels  at  Murfreesboro',  and  in 
the  battle  of  Stone  River  he  commanded  the  right  wing,  which  was  so  suddenly 
routed  and  crushed  by  Bragg's  onset.  General  Rosecrans  here  censured  the 
formation  of  his  lines.  He  displayed,  as  he  always  did,  fine  personal  bravery, 
but  few  after  this  battle  believed  in  his  capacity  to  handle  so  large  a  command. 

General  Rosecrans,  however,  retained  him,  and  in  December,  1863,  in  the 
reorganization  of  his  forces,  assigned  General  McCook  to  the  Twentieth  Corps, 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  which  he  led  through  the  Tullahoma  campaign,  par- 
ticipating in  the  action  of  Liberty  Gap,  and  at  skirmishes  at  Tullahoma,  Elk 
River,  and  Winchester.  General  McCook  continued  to  command  the  corps  in 
the  Chattanooga  campaign,  and  in  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  where  again  his 
lines  were  broken,  crushed,  and  driven  in  wild  retreat  toward  Chattanooga.  * 
He  was  now  relieved  from  command,  October  6,  1863.  This  disaster,  added  to 
the  others  which  had  occurred  under  his  management,  led  to  much  public  and 
official  censure.  To  relieve  himself,  General  McCook  asked  for  a  Court  of  In- 
quiry. The  request  was  granted,  and  Generals  Hunter,  Cadwallader,  and  Wads- 
worth,  and  Colonel  Schriver  were  detailed  for  the  Court.  The  following  is  an 
extract  from  the  findings  and  opinions  in  General  McCook's  case: 

"  It  appears  from  the  investigation  that  Major-General  McCook's  command,  on  the  19th  of 
September,  1863,  the  first  day  of  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  consisted  of  Sheridan's  and  Davis's 
divisions,  and  of  Negley's  temporarily,  Johnson's  having  been  detached  to  Thomas's  command. 
The  evidence  shows  that  General  McCook  did  his  whole  duty  on  that  day  with  activity  and  intel- 
ligence. Early  on  the  20th  of  September  General  McCook  had  under  his  command  the  divisions 
of  Sheridan  and  Davis, .the  latter  only  thirteen  to  fourteen  hundred  strong.     .     .     .     The  posting 

*For  the  details  of  this,  which  relieve  General  McCook  from  a  large  share  of  the  blame,  see 
ante,  Life  of  Rosecrans. 


SOS 


Ohio  in   the  War. 


of  these  troops  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  commanding  General,  who,  in  person,  directed  several 
chants  between  eight  and  ten  A.  M.  .  .  .  The  Court  deem  it  unnecessary  to  express  an 
opinion  as  to  the  relative  merits  of  the  position  taken  by  General  McCook,  and  that  subsequently 
ordered  to  he  taken  by  the  commanding  General ;  but  it  is  apparent  from  the  testimony  that  Gen- 
eral McCook  was  not  "responsible  for  the  delay  in  forming  the  new  line  on  that  occasion.  It  fur- 
tlu-r  appears  that  General  McCook  was  impressed  with  the  vital  importance  of  keeping  well  closed 
10  the  left,  and  maintaining  a  compact  center,  but  he  was  ordered  to  hold  the  Dry  Valley  Road; 
this  caused  the  line  to  be  attenuated,  as  stated  in  the  testimony  of  the  commanding  General,  who 
MYI  that  its  length  was  greater  than  he  thought  when  first  assumed.  It  is  shown,  too,  that  the 
cavalry  did  not  obey  General  McCook's  orders.  The  above  facts,  and  the  additional  one,  that 
the  Miiall  force  at  General  McCook's  disposal  was  inadequate  to  defend  against  greatly  superior 
numbers  the  long  line  hastily  taken,  under  instructions,  relieve  General  McCook  entirely  from 
the  responsibility  for  the  reverse  which  ensued.  It  is  fully  established  that  General  McCook  did 
everything  he  could  to  rally  and  hold  his  troops  after  the  line  was  broken." 

The  design  of  this  report,  which  so  carefully  evaded  the  point  on  which  the 
whole  question  turned  (in  failing  to  inquire  whether,  in  this  formation  of  the 
line  which  the  commanding  General  disapproved  the  moment  he  saw  U,  General 
McCook  had  displayed  the  capacity  necessary  in  one  holding  such  a  position), 
was  very  apparent.  But  it  failed  to  accomplish  its  purpose,  either  with  the  War 
Department  or  the  people.  None  questioned  the  General's  bravery  or  his  desire 
to  do  all  he  knew  how  to  repair  disasters,  but  he  was  never  again  trusted  in  any 
position  of  high  responsibility. 

In  November,  1864,  he  was  assigned  to  some  (mostly)  unimportant  duties 
in  the  Middle  Division,  and  on  the  12th  of  February,  1865,  he  was  placed  in 
command  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Arkansas.  On  the  6th  of  the  following 
May  he  was  ordered  to  represent  the  War  Department  in  the  investigation  of 
Indian  affairs,  with  a  committee  from  both  Houses  of  Congress,  in  the  State  of 
Kansas  and  in  the  Territories  of  New  Mexico,  Colorado,  and  Utah.  On  the  21st 
of  October,  1865,  he  was  mustered  out  as  Major-General  of  volunteers,  retaining 
his  rank  in  the  regular  service,  in  which  he  soon  rose,  by  regular  gradations,  to 
a  Lieutenant-Colonelcy .* 

He  has  received  the  following  brevet  commissions  in  the  regular  army: 
Brevet  Major,  for  "gallant  and  meritorious  services"  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Bun, 
July  21, 1861;  Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel,  for  "gallant  and  meritorious  services" 
in  the  capture  of  Nashville,  March  3,1862;  Brevet  Colonel,  for  "gallant  and 
meritorious  services"  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  April  7,  1862;  Brevet 

•General  McCook's  political  views  before  the  war  were  Southern  and  Democratic.  Much 
complaint  once  existed  concerning  his  unpleasant  manifestation  of  these  views,  in  the  manner 
described  at  the  time  by  an  admiring  slaveholder  to  a  Nashville  paper,  whose  account  of  it  Mr. 
c.n-.U.y  has  preserved.  (Amer.  Conflict,  Vol.  II,  p.  245.)  "He  visited  the  camp  of  General 
McCook  in  Maury  County,  in  quest  of  a  fugitive;  and  that  officer,  instead  of  throwing  obstacles 
in  the  way  afforded  him  every  facility  for  the  successful  prosecution  of  his  search.  That  Gen- 
era treated  him  in  the  most  courteous  and  gentlemanly  manner,  as  also  did  General  Johnson 
and  Otptein  Blake,  the  Brigade  Provost-Marshal.  Their  conduct  toward  him  was  in  all  respects 
.  imn  -M  T?  gentleUien'  desirous  of  discharging  their  duties  promptly  and  honorably.  It 
tan  H  «  Tr  G  "7^ rV6nt  SkVeS  fr°m  f°ll0Win»  thein>  but  whenever  the  ^gitives  come 
21 o    th  /  /iff  tUey  ^  SeCU,'ed'  and  a  rGCOrd  is  ™de  of  **  —  «»*  ^e 

1C      Zr 1 T7r  °r  °°k  ^  thC  8laV68;  and  if  hG  finds  «*  that  be]»n«  to  hi">  ^ke  them 
away.      Shorty  after  this  Congress  passed  a  law  prohibiting  army  slave-catching 


Mortimer  D.  Leggett.  809 

Brigadier-General  for  "gallant  and  meritorious  services"  at  the  battle  of  Perry  - 
ville,  to  date  from  the  13th  of  March,  1865,  and  Brevet  Major-General,  for  "gal- 
lant and  meritorious  services"  in  the  field  during  the  war. 

It  was  the  misfortune  of  General  McCook,  that  in  the  universal  rawness  at 
the  outset  of  the  war,  his  familiarity  with  the  subject  of  tactics,  which  he  had 
been  engaged  in  teaching  at  West  Point,  was  mistaken  for  military  genius. 
High  promotions  naturally  ensued  long  before  he  had  any  opportunity  to  grow, 
practically,  up  to  them,  and  as  naturally  the  repeated  disappointments  in  his 
performance  led  to  a  revulsion  which  went,  perhaps,  as  far  to  the  other  extreme. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  MORTIMER  D.  LEGGETT. 


MOKTIMER  D.  LEGGETT  was  born  in  Ithaca,  New  York,  April 
19th,  1831.  His  parents  were  Friends,  and  he  was  educated  in  the 
peculiar  doctrines  of  that  non-resistant  people.  When  he  was  sixteen 
years  old  he  emigrated  to  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Geauga  County.  He  had  few 
opportunities  for  attending  school,  but  he  studied  at  nights,  under  the  direction 
of  his  parents,  and  by  this  means  he  acquired  such  an  education  as  to  secure 
the  voluntary  bestowal  of  literary  degrees  by  several  Western  colleges.  He 
organized  the  first  system  of  union  classified  schools  in  the  State,  at  Akron, 
under  a  special  law.  Though  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  his 
time  was  occupied  entirely  with  the  cause  of  popular  education  until  at  the  age 
of  twenty-eight  he  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Warren,  Trumbull  County, 
Ohio.  In  the  fall  of  1857  he  removed  to  Zanesville,  and  continued  to  practice 
law  and  to  superintend  the  public  schools  of  that  city  until  the  fall  of  1861, 
when  he  was  authorized  by  Governor  Dennison  to  recruit  a  regiment. 

He  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Seventy -Eighth  Ohio  Infantry, 
on  the  18th  of  December,  1861,  and  was  promoted  to  Colonel  on  the  11th  of 
January,  1862.  He  accompanied  his  regiment  to  the  field,  and  arrived  at  Fort 
Donelson  during  the  hard  fighting  on  the  15th  of  February.  Upon  the  surren- 
der of  the  fort,  he  was  appointed  Provost-Marshal.  For  the  efficient  manner 
in  which  he  performed  his  duties  he  received  the  warmest  praise  from  General 
Grant,  and  has  enjo}~ed  ever  since  his  personal  friendship.  At  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing the  regiment  distinguished  itself,  and  was  honorably  mentioned  in  General 
Orders.  In  this  battle  Colonel  Leggett  was  wounded.  He  participated  in  the 
siege  of  Corinth,  and  on  the  16th  of  May,  while  engaged  in  a  spirited  little 
fight,  his  horse  was  shot,  and  in  the  fall  he  himself  was  severely  injured.  How- 
ever, he  immediately  mounted  another  horse,  which,  during  the  battle,  was  also 
wounded. 

After  the  evacuation  of  Corinth  he  was  placed  in  command  of  a  brigade, 


810  Ohio  in   the    War. 

and  was  ordered  to  seize  and  hold  Jackson,  Tennessee.  He  surprised  the  en- 
(.,nv  and  captured  all  his  camp  and  garrison  equipage,  a  large  amount  of  com- 
:\ .  quartermaster,  and  ordnance  stores,  and  many  prisoners.  When  the 
main  body  of  the  army  came  up,  he  was  sent  to  Grand  Junction  and  La  Grange, 
where,  during  the  summer  of  18G2,  he  was  frequently  engaged  in  skirmishes 
with  tlio  enemy,  and  was  uniformly  successful.  On  the  30th  of  August,  at  Bol- 
ivar. Tennessee,  he,  with  eight  hundred  men,  fought  the  Eebel  Generals  Arm- 
strong Jackson,  and  Forrest,  with  seven  thousand  men,  for  more  than  seven 
hours,  and  finally  drove  them  from  the  field.  Here  he  was  again  slightly 
wounded. 

He  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-General  on  the  29th  of  November,  1862. 
He  participated  in  all  the  battles  preliminary  to  the  siege  of  Yicksburg,  and  at 
Champion  Hills  was  severely  wounded  at  the  beginning  of  the  fight.  He  con- 
era  led  the  wound  even  from  his  staff,  and  remained  on  the  field  commanding 
his  troops  throughout  the  battle.  During  the  siege  he  occupied  a  prominent 
position  in  front  of  Fort  Hill,  and  was  wounded  twice,  once  severely.  On  the 
4th  of  July  he  was  honored  with  the  advance  in  entering  the  city. 

General  Leggett  commanded  the  Third  Division,  Seventeenth  Corps,  from 
the  siege  of  Vicksburg  to  the  close  of  the  war,  except  when  temporarily  in 
command  of  the  corps,  which  was  very  frequently  the  case.  He  was  engaged 
at  Bushy  Mountain,  Nicojaek  Creek,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  and  Atlanta  July 
22d  and  28th.  The  battle  of  the  22d  was  fought  principally  by  his  division. 
He  was  on  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea,  and  at  the  taking  of  Pocotaligo,  South 
Carolina.  He  was  brevetted  Major-General  from  July  22d,  1864,  and  was  ap- 
pointed full  Major-General  from  the  15th  of  January,  1865.  He  resigned  on 
the  22d  of  July,  1865,  and  his  resignation  was  accepted  November  1st  of  the 
same  year. 

After  the  siege  of  Vicksburg  he  received  from  his  corps  commander,  as  the 
award  of  a  Board  of  Honor,  a  gold  medal,  inscribed  "Fort  Donelson,  Shiloh, 
Siege  of  Corinth,  Bolivar,  Iuka,  Champion  Hills,  Yicksburg."  He  is  a  strictly 
moral  man,  never  drinks  anything  that  will  intoxicate,  never  smokes  cigars, 
never  chews  tobacco,  never  uses  profane  language,  and  never  plays  cards;  and 
drinking  and  card-playing  were  always  prohibited  at  his  head-quarters.  His 
services  lasted  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  the  war ;  they  were  always 
honorable,  often  arduous,  and  sometimes  distinguished,  so  that  in  the  end  he 
came  to  command  the  trust  of  his  superiors,  the  admiration  of  his  soldiers,  and 
that  gratitude  from  the  country  which  al1  deserve  who  add  capacity  and  skill 
to  their  personal  devotion. 


Charles  W.  Hill.  811 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  CHARLES  W.  HILL. 


CHAELES  W.  HILL  is  a  native  of  Vermont,  though  from  six  year3 
of  age  he  has  resided  nearly  all  the  time  in  Ohio,  and  since  March, 
1836,  in  Toledo.  His  father  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  and  his 
mother  of  Connecticut,  and  their  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers  of 
New  England. 

In  June,  1839,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  on  the  1st  of  October  fol- 
lowing became  a  partner  of  Judge  Tilden,  late  of  Cincinnati,  in  the  practice  of 
the  law.  From  that  time  until  called  into  the  military  service,  in  June,  1861, 
his  practice  was  large. 

From  boyhood  he  had  shown  decided  aptness  for  military  duty,  and 
endeavored  to  keep  well  informed  in  military  matters.  In  April,  1861,  he 
spent  some  time  in  the  instruction  of  the  officers  and  men  of  the  Fourteenth 
Ohio.  Early  in  June  of  that  year  he  was  invited  by  Governor  Dennison  to 
take  command  of  the  Twenty-Fifth  Ohio  (three-years'  regiment),  but  circum- 
stances did  not  then  permit  him  to  leave  home  for  so  long  a  period.  On  the 
15th  of  June  Governor  Dennison  requested  him,  by  telegram,  to  accept  a  Brig- 
adier-General's commission  for  service  in  West  Virginia.  At  Grafton  he 
reported  to  General  McClellan.  About  the  same  time  an  appointment  of  Major 
in  the  Thirteenth  United  States  Infantry  (regulars)  reached  him,  but  he  de- 
clined. He  was  placed  in  command  of  a  district  extending  from  Wheeling  and 
Parkersburg  east  to  the  Cheat  River,  including  both  railroad  lines.  In  General 
McClellan's  instructions  is  the  following :  "  The  Commanding  General  instructs 
me  to  add  that  he  has  intrusted  to  you  the  most  important  duty  next  to  his  own 
in  this  territory,  viz. :  That  of  securing  the  base  of  his  operations  and  line  of 
retreat.  At  any  cost — that  of  your  last  man — you  will  preserve  the  Cheat 
River  line,  Grafton,  and  the  line  thence  to  Wheeling.  On  this  depends  the 
entire  success  of  the  plan  of  operations."  The  performance  of  this  duty 
involved  the  scattering  of  his  troops  over  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of 
posts,  in  small  detachments.  General  McClellan  estimated  the  Kebel  army,  at 
and  near  Laurel  Hill,  at  ten  thousand  men.  For  immediate  service  against 
them  he  appropriated  about  twenty  thousand  troops,  and  was  so  persistent  in 
his  order  to  forward  troops,  and  so  unready  to  comply  with  General  Hill's 
often -repeated  request  (and  his  own  promises)  to  allow  some  disposable  forces 
with  which  to  operate  to  the  east,  in  anticipation  of  the  possible  escape  of  Gar- 
nett's  army,  that  up  to  the  time  of  that  escape  not  a  man  had  been  furnished  to 
General  Hill  available  for  such  service.     Nevertheless,  at  the  risk  of  weaken- 


322  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

lug  General  MeClellan's  "line  of  retreat,"  and  without  being  able  to  get  tho 
approval  of  that  officer,  be  withdrew  portions  of  detachments  from  several  of 
the  posts  and  pushed  them  out  by  way  of  Oakland  and  Cheat  Eiver  to  West 
Union,  under  Colonel  Irvine.     On  the  9th  of  July  Colonel  Irvine  telegraphed 

ral  Hill:  "Our  increased  knowledge  clearly  indicates  the  occupancy  of 
the  .1  unction  (Red  House)  as  the  proper  position  for  our  troops."     He  was  re- 

l  to  the  views  of  the  engineers  already  known  to  him,  and  instructed  to 
act  on  his  best  judgment.  On  the  12th  he  reported  :  "  My  main  force  will  be 
at  (lie  mill  mentioned  (Chisholm's),  eight  miles  from  Oakland,  with  a  strong 
advance  at  the  Red  House— say  two  or  three  hundred  men."     On  the  13th,  at 

ii  A.  M.,  a  telegram  reached  General  Hill  at  Grafton,  dated  12th,  at  Bev- 
erlv.  and  13th,  at  Roaring  Run,  announcing  the  escape  of  the  Rebel  forces 
northeasterly,  via  Lecdsville,  and  directing  General  Hill  to  take  the  field  at 
once  with  all  the  force  he  could  make  available  to  cut  off  their  retreat,  saying 
that  two  Pennsylvania  regiments  at  Cumberland  had  been  ordered  to  report  to 
him  at  Rowlesburg,  and  directing  him  to  withdraw  detachments  on  the  rail- 
roads between  Wheeling  and  Parkersburg,  and  concentrate  by  specials  trains, 
adding:  "It  is  supposed  that  you  will  be  able  to  take  the  field  with,  say,  six 
thousand  men,  including  Colonel  Irvine's  command,  and  at  least  four  guns." 
Believing  Colonel  Irvine  to  be  in  the  position  indicated  by  him  on  the  12th, 
General  Hill  telegraphed  him :  "  The  Rebels  are  driven  out  of  Laurel  Hill,  and 
in  full  retreat  eastward  on  St.  George's  Pike.  Hold  your  position  with  firm- 
ness to  the  last  man.  I  will  re-enforce  you  in  person,  and  with  all  available 
forces,  as  soon  as  possible."  No  Pennsylvania  regiments  came,  or  were  ex- 
pected. The  guns  at  Grafton  were  manned  by  a  new  company,  without  a  sin- 
gle horse  or  set  of  harness.  The  utmost  dispatch  was  had  in  ordering  trains, 
troops,  and  supplies;  but  the  entire  command  was  almost  destitute  of  teams 
with  which  to  move  away  from  the  railroad  lines,  and  only  a  few  could  be  got 
by  impressment.  Having  made  such  arrangements  as  he  could  at  Grafton, 
General  Hill,  with  a  portion  of  his  staff  and  four  companies  of  infantry,  took 
the  first  train  east  to  Oakland.  Thence,  about  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  he 
dispatched  three  companies,  under  Major  Walcott,  to  report  to  Colonel  Irvine 
at  Chisholm's  mill,  himself  remaining  to  hurry  up  troops  by  aid  of  the  tele- 
graph, and  to  move  on  with  them  on  their  arrival.  No'  other  companies 
reached  Oakland  so  as  to  be  disembarked  before  the  14th.  On  reaching  Chis- 
holm's mill  Major  Walcott  found  that  Colonel  Irvine  had  stationed  his  whole 
command  at  West  Union ;  he  had  also  drawn  in  all  his  scouts  and  pickets  on  or 
mar  the  Rebel  line  of  retreat,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  13th,  leaving  a  space 
ght  miles  in  width  entirely  open  to  the  Rebel  army,  whose  rear-guard  passed 
the  Red  House,  going  east,  at  five  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  eighteen 
hours  after  the  time  when  General  Hill  received  his  orders  from  General 
JtcUellan.  Colonel  Irvine  having  news  of  the  passage  of  the  Rebel  army  soon 
atler  six  o  clock  on  the  morning  of  the  14th,  ordered  his  troops  upon  the  pur- 
suit starting  eight  miles  west  of  th*  Red  House.  The  pursuit  was  continued 
fourteen  miles,  at  which  point  General  Hill,  with  six  mounted  men,  overtook 


Charles  W.  Hill  813 

1he  command.  The  Rebel  army  was  reported  at  least  five  miles  in  advance. 
(In  point  of  fact  it  was  eight  miles  in  advance,  and  had  burned  the  bridge  over 
Stony  Kiver.)  There  was  no  possibility  of  moving  toward  the  Rebel  army, 
except  by  following  in  their  track.  The  country  was  sparsely  settled,  and  all 
available  supplies  were  exhausted.  The  troops,  numbering  some  twelve  hun- 
dred, were  without  breakfast,  some  of  them  without  supper  the  night  before  ; 
in  all  their  haversacks  there  was  not  half  a  meal  for  the  command,  and  they 
were  without  transportation.  For  these  reasons  General  Hill  ordered  them 
back  to  the  Red  House.  Most  of  the  troops  ordered  had  come  up  on  the  14th 
and  15th,  and  scouts  on  the  afternoon  of  the  15th  reported  that  the  Rebel  army 
had  encamped  on  the  night  of  the  14th  at  Greenland,  where  it  still  remained, 
and  had  burned  the  bridge  at  the  gap  in  rear  of  its  camp.  Finding  that  the 
position  could  be  turned  by  either  of  two  routes,  General  Hill  dispatched  a  col- 
umn, under  Colonel  Morton,  by  rail  to  New  Creek  Station,  to  move  thence  upon 
the  enemy's  left  flank;  and  at  five  o'clock  P.  M.  of  that  day  moved  with  the 
Fifth  and  Eighteenth  Ohio  from  Oakland,  by  a  diagonal  line,  to  the  bridge  on 
the  North-West  Pike,  over  the  west  branch  of  the  Potomac,  at  which  point  he 
was  to  be  joined  by  Colonel  Irvine's  command  from  the  Red  House,  intending 
to  turn  the  Rebel  right  and  cut  them  off  before  they  could  reach  Petersburg. 
After  his  arrangements  were  all  made,  and  orders  issued,  General  Hill  received 
a  telegram  from  General  McClellan,  dated  the  14th,  at  Huttonsville,  announcing 
the  action  at  Carrick's  Ford  and  the  death  of  Genei-al  Garnett,  and  saying:  "I 
charge  you  to  complete  your  operations  by  the  capture  of  the  remainder  of  his 
force.  If  you  have  but  one  regiment,  attack  and  check  them  until  others 
arrive.  You  may  never  have  such  another  opportunity.  Do  not  throw  it 
away.  Conduct  this  movement  in  person,  and  follow  them  a  Voutrance"  Gen- 
eral Hill  was  executing  this  order  before  he  knew  of  its  existence,  and  marched 
with  his  column  over  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  a  distance  of  thirty-five  and 
one-half  miles,  within  twenty-four  hours  after  leaving  Oakland.  News  carried 
to  the  enemy's  camp  of  the  approach  of  Colonel  Morton,  who  had  been  discov- 
ered from  the  top  of  Knobby  Mountain,  induced  the  Rebels  to  break  up  and 
move  toward  Petersburg.  At  four  o'clock  the  next  morning  General  Hill,  with 
about  eight  hundred  picked  men,  in  light  marching  order,  started  for  an  addi- 
tional forced  march,  but,  after  moving  about  five  miles,  was  overtaken  by  a 
courier  with  a  dispatch  from  General  McClellan,  ordering  him  to  return. 

In  a  communication  from  General  McClellan  to  General  Hill,  dated  the  5th' 
of  July,  General  McClellan  said  :  u  Your  course  thus  far  has  been  in  all  respects 
judicious  and  soldierly."  But  having,  on  the  14th  of  July,  in  an  official  dis- 
patch to  Washington,  declared :  "  We  have  completely  annihilated  the  enemy 
in  Western  Virginia — (when,  in  point  of  fact,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  prison- 
ers he  could  not  account  for  over  one-eighth  of  his  own  estimate  of  the  Rebel 
strength) — and  having,  upon  such  exaggerated  reports,  acquired  a  great  repu- 
tation, General  McClellan  now  found  it  .necessary  to  lay  the  blame  for  the 
escape  of  Garnett's  army  upon  General  Hill. 

In  passing  through  Grafton,  on  his  way  to  Washington,  General  McClel- 


814 


Ohio  in  the    Wae. 


Ian  promised  General  Hill,  in  the  presence  of  General  Rosecrans,  that,  as  soon 
M  be  Shonld  receive  General  Hill's  report,  he  would  examine  the  subject  and 
publicly  announce  his  conclusions.  That  report  was  sent  to  him  before  the  5th 
,,f  Au-.ist,  1861.  He  never  made  a  report  to  the  War  Department  upon  his 
W,,(  Virginia  campaign,  and  never  afterward  publicly  announced,  in  any 
official  way,  any  conclusion  with  reference  to  General  Hill's  acts. 

After  General  Rosecrans  took  command  of  the  Department  of  the  Ohio  he 

tied  General  Hill  to  the  command  of  his  second  brigade  of  three-years1 
troops;  but,  as  the  General  held  only  a  State  commission,  the  order  was  soon 
revoked.  He  was  ordered  to  report  to  the  Governor  of  Ohio,  to  be  assigned  to 
the  command  of  Camp  Chase,  as  a  camp  of  rendezvous  and  instruction.  He 
was  lure  retained  until  the  18th  of  December,  1861,  when,  at  his  own  request, 
he  was  relieved.  He  had  kept  up  an  officers'  school,  and  attended  diligently  in 
person  to  the  instruction,  drill,  and  discipline  of  the  troops. 

General  Hill  was  now  well  supported  in  an  effort  to  secure  an  appointment 
from  the  President  as  Brigadier-General,  but  popular  censure  had  largely  fol- 
lowed in  the  track  of  McClellan's  censure  for  his  conduct  in  West  Virginia. 
This,  and  the  influence  of  McClellan  himself — then  all-powerful  at  Washing- 
ton— prevented  his  success. 

He  was  subsequently  asked  by  Governor  Tod  if  he  would  accept  the 
Colonelcy  of  the  Sixty-Seventh  Ohio,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the 
officers,  and  he  answered  in  the  affirmative,  but  circumstances  prevented  the 
appointment.  A  month  or  two  later  he  was  appointed  Adjutant-General  of 
Ohio. 

In  1862  Ohio  had  been  menaced  by  Rebel  forces  in  Kentucky  and  Vir- 
ginia, and,  to  repel  them,  had  been  forced  to  depend  chiefly  upon  the  "Squir- 
rel Hunters."  These  demonstrations  induced  the  Legislature,  at  the  session  of 
1862-3,  to  pass  a  law  requiring  the  organization  of  the  entire  militia  of  the 
State,  and  also  to  authorize  a  volunteer  force  by  formal  enlistments.  The  con- 
sequent additions  to  the  duties  of  the  Adjutant-General's  office  involved  a  great 
increase  of  work.  Three  hundred  and  ten  regiments  and  battalions  of  militia 
were  organized,  officered,  and  commissioned ;  a  large  force  of  volunteers  was 
enlisted  and  fully  organized,  and  they  and  the  commissioned  officers  of  the 
militia  were  brought  into  camp  and  instructed.  The  returns  for  the  season 
showed  forty-three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  thirty  volunteers  "available  for 
duty ;  but  none  of  these  organizations  were  complete  at  the  time  of  Morgan's 
raid  through  the  State  in  July,  1863.  General  Hill  held  public  meetings  in  the 
larger  towns  and  cities,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  work  of  organizing  the 
militia  with  an  energy  much  beyond  his  power  of  endurance.  At  the  office  his 
whole  time,  except  when  taking  his  meals,  or  getting  a  little  sleep  in  the  late 
hours  of  the  night,  was  occupied  ;  and  even  Sunday  brought  little  rest.  The 
result  of  this  labor  was  serious  illness  in  the  latter  part  of  1863,  from  the 
effects  of  which  he  never  recovered. 

The  volunteer  militia  organized  by  him  was  afterward  known  as  the  Na- 
tional Guard.     His  successor  found  them  ready  for  any  call  on  the  shortest 


Charles  W.  Hill.  815 

notice,  so  that  all  be  had  to  do  in  1864  was  to  issue  his  telegram,  and  the  Na- 
tional Guard  came,  ready  for  the  required  hundred-days'  service. 

Early  in  1864  General  Hill,  now  in  broken  health,  was  given  the  oj:>portu- 
nity  of  commanding  a  regiment,  for  which  he  had  more  than  once  asked,  to  be 
relieved  from  the  duties  of  the  Adjutant-General's  office.  He  was  made  Colonel 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Eighth  Ohio,  for  service  at  Johnson's  Island, 
which  the  Rebel  machinations  in  Canada  had  suddenly  made  a  point  of  consid- 
erable importance.  Before  leaving  Columbus  he  was  invited  by  the  Standing 
Committees  on  Military  Affairs  of  the  two  Houses  to  meet  with  them  and  his 
successor,  and  present  his  views  of  the  policy  to  be  pursued  by  the  State. 
Afterward  a  military  bill,  reported  by  Senator  Connell,  of  the  same  committee, 
was  sent  to  Colonel  Hill  for  his  suggestions.  He  gave  it  thorough  attention, 
proposing  a  large  number  of  amendments,  including  a  change  of  name  of  the 
volunteer  militia  from  "  Ohio  State  Guard  "  to  "National  Guard."  Most  of  his 
amendments  were  adopted  verbatim  by  the  Legislature. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  1864,  Colonel  Hill  assumed  command  of  the  troops  at 
Sandusky  and  vicinity,  with  full  authority  over  the  lake  frontier  in  that  region, 
without  regard  to  seniority  of  rank.  Some  of  the  work  devolved  upon  him 
will  be  seen  in  the  sketch  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty -Eighth  (Yol.  II), 
the  direct  command  of  which  he  retained  during  the  most  of  its  service.  In 
addition  to  his  proper  duties  he  was  required,  by  orders  from  Washington,  to 
receipt  and  be  responsible  for  the  current  money  of  the  Eebel  prisoners,  which 
averaged,  from  da}T  to  day,  about  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  He  was  banker 
for  about  three  thousand  depositors,  having  to  supervise  all  their  financial 
transactions,  and  to  settle  with  and  pay  them  on  being  discharged.  In  the  time 
of  general  discharges  of  prisoners  and  of  considerable  exchanges,  it  was  a 
common  thing  to  settle  with  and  pay  off  over  three  hundred  depositors  each 
day  for  several  days  in  succession  ;  and  scarcely  any  dissatisfaction  was  ever 
manifested  by  the  prisoners  in  their  settlements. 

Colonel  Hill  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  on  the  17th  of  July,  1865. 
During  his  command  at  the  Island  several  offers  were  made  to  ask  a  brevet  for 
him,  but  he  declined  any  kind  offices  in  that  direction  until  the  War  Depart- 
ment should  get  time  to  pass  upon  his  services  in  West  Virginia.  That  time 
came  after  he  left  the  service,  with  a  brevet  commission  of  Brigadier-General, 
and  following  that  a  brevet  commission  of  Major-General,  with  rank  from 
March  13,  1865. 


816 


Ohio   in    the  War 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  C.  TIDBALL. 


JOHN  C.  TIDBALL  was  born  in  Ohio  County,  Virginia,  but  at  an 
early  age  he  emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Belmont  County,  Ohio.  He 
was  brought  up  as  a  farmer,  and  after  receiving  a  common-school  edu- 
cation he  entered  West  Point  in  1844.  In  1848  he  graduated,  standing  eleventh 
in  a  class  of  thirty-eight.  He  was  appointed  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  in  the 
Third  United  States  Artillery,  and  in  the  fall  he  joined  Sherman's  battery  of 
that  regiment.  In  February,  1849,  he  was  appointed  Second-Lieutenant  in  the 
Second  Artillery,  and  in  the  spring  he  joined  his  company  at  Savannah.  In  the 
summer  of  1849,  and  until  the  winter  of  1851,  he  was  in  Florida.  He  was  then 
ordered  to  Charleston  Harbor.  In  March,  1853,  he  was  promoted  to  First-Lieu- 
tenant, and  joined  his  company  at  Fort  Defiance,  New  Mexico.  At  this  post  he 
only  remained  a  few  months,  when  he  was  detailed  to  accompany  Captain  (sub- 
sequently General)  Whipple  in  his  explorations  for  a  Pacific  Railroad  route. 
This  duty  occupied  the  winter  of  1853-4  and  the  ensuing  spring.  The  next  fall 
he  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  Coast  Survey,  and  he  continued  on  this  duty 
until  the  fall  of  1859,  when  he  rejoined  his  company,  then  stationed  at  the  Artil- 
lery School  of  Practice,  at  Fortress  Monroe.  After  a  short  stay  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  company  A,  of  his  regiment,  and  ordered  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas. 

Before  the  opening  of  the  rebellion  the  company  was  ordered  to  Washing- 
ton, to  form  part  of  General  Scott's  force  assisting  at  the  first  inauguration  of 
President  Lincoln.  The  battery,  with  horses  and  equipments,  was  then  dis- 
patched on  the  secret  expedition  for  the  relief  and  re-enforcement  of  Fort 
Pickens.  The  battery  assisted  in  putting  that  post  in  a  defensible  condition, 
and  in  July  returned  to  New  York,  and  was  at  once  hurried  to  Washington  to 
participate  in  the  Manassas  campaign.  Lieutenant  Tidball  had,  in  the  mean- 
time, been  promoted  to  Captain,  May  14,  1861,  and  in  this  campaign  he  com- 
manded the  battery.  Soon  after  the  Manassas  campaign  Captain  Tidball  organ- 
ized his  Light  Battery  into  a  Horse  Battery,  having  all  the  cannoniers  mounted. 
This  was  the  first  battery  of  the  sort  organized  in  the  United  States,  and  as  it 
was  new,  there  were  many  skeptical  critics ;  but  as  the  war  progressed  the  effi- 
ciency of  horse-batteries  became  apparent,  and  others  were  organized. 

In  the  spring  campaign  of  1862  Captain  Tidball,  with  his  battery,  accom- 
panied the  Army  of  the  Potomac  to  the  peninsula,  and  assisted  in  the  siege  of 
Yorktown.  Upon  the  evacuation  of  that  place  he  joined  in  the  pursuit,  under 
Stoneman,  and,  near  Williamsburg,  participated  in  a  skirmish  which  was  the 
forerunner  of  the  battle  of  the  next  day.      Captain  Tidball  continued  in  the 


John    C.    Tidball.  817 

advance  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  pressed  the  enemy  closely,  and  in  an 
action  at  Mechanicsville,  May  23d  and  24th,  his  battery  played  a  conspicuous 
part.  After  the  battle  of  Mechanicsville  General  Porter  directed  Captain  Tid- 
ball to  cover,  with  his  battery,  the  withdrawal  of  the  army  to  a  new  position,  at 
Gaines's  Hill.  In  this  duty  he  was  in  no  way  assisted  or  supported  by  other 
troops,  but  by  successively  retiring  as  the  Rebels  advanced,  and  taking  up  new 
positions,  he  was  able  to  hold  them  in  check,  and  to  rejoin  the  main  for»e,  which 
took  up  its  new  line  of  battle  unmolested.  In  the  battle  of  Gaines's  Hill  Cap- 
tain Tidball  reported  to  General  Sykes,  on  the  right,  where  the  enemy  was 
pressing  upon  the  flank  of  the  National  army.  He  placed  his  guns  on  the  right 
of  Weed's — already  in  position — and  by  their  united  efforts,  six  successive  attacks 
were  repulsed;  and  the  flank  was  held  against  Jackson's  efforts  until  the  other 
portions  of  the  line  were  forced  so  far  back  that  the  batteries  were  in  danger  of 
being  captured.  About  dark  they  were  withdrawn  to  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
On  the  1st  of  July  the  last  of  the  seven  days'  battle  took  place  at  Malvern 
Hill.  Captain  Tidball's  battery  was  held  in  reserve  until  near  the  close  of  the 
day,  when  a  furious  assault  was  made,  and  all  the  reserve  batteries  were  thrown 
forward  in  mass,  and  by  their  fearful  fire  the  enemy  was  checked.  In  this 
movement  Captain  Tidball's  battery  took  most  honorable  part.  On  the  3d  of 
July  the  enemy  made  a  reconnoissance  in  force,  at  Harrison's  Landing,  and 
commenced  shelling  the  National  troops,  who,  on  account  of  the  rain  and  mud, 
had  not  yet  taken  up  the  line  of  defense  fully,  and  now  heard  the  enemy's  guns 
with  considerable  consternation.  Captain  Tidball  was  ordered  out  immediately, 
and  throwing  his  battery  well  to  the  front,  he  succeeded  in  driving  off  the 
enemy.  When  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  withdrew  from  Harrison's  Landing 
Captain  Tidball  remained  with  the  cavalry  to  cover  the  rear,  and  consequently 
was  prevented  from  participating  in  the  second  Manassas  campaign.  He  joined 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  again  on  the  march  to  Antietam,  and  &t  daylight  on 
morning  of  September  15th,  the  day  after  the  battle  of  South  Mountain,  he 
started  with  the  cavalry,  under  General  Pleasanton,  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  enemy. 
The  Rebel  rear-guard  was  overtaken  a  short  distance  beyond  Boonsboro',  and 
after  a  sharp  skirmish  the  National  cavalry  was  driven  back  in  confusion;  and 
it  was  not  until  Captain  Tidball  brought  up  his  pieces  that  order  was  restored, 
and  the  enemy  routed.  Continuing  the  pursuit  toward  Hagerstown  a  circuitous 
march  brought  them  to  Antietam.  General  Richardson,  marching  his  infantry 
division  by  a  shorter  route,  arrived  at  the  same  time,  but  without  his  artillery. 
His  combative  zeal  led  him  to  insist  that  Captain  Tidball  should  place  his  gune 
on  an  eminence  and  open  fire;  which  was  no  sooner  done  than  the  enemy  con- 
centrated all  his  batteries  upon  Tidball,  who  maintained  the  unequal  contest  in 
a  manner  nowise  unfavorable  to  himself.  About  eight  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  Antietam  battle  Captain  Tidball  was  directed  to  cross  the  center  bridge, 
on  the  turnpike  leading  from  Boonsboro'  to  Sharpsburg.  The  Fourth  Pennsyl- 
vania Cavalry  preceded  him,  under  Colonel  Childs,  but  the  Colonel  was  killed, 
and  the  regiment  withdrawn,  leaving  the  Captain  to  drive  back  the  skirmishers 
with  canister,  and  to  establish  his  battery  on  an  eminence  well  advanced  toward 
Vol.  I.— 52. 


818  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

Sharpsburg.  Although  suffering  considerably,  he  held  his  position  until  after 
dark,  ifhen,  the  battle  having  ceased,  he  was  ordered  to  withdraw  from  such  an 
izposed  point.  Captain  Tidball  moved  with  the  cavalry  in  pursuit  of  the  re- 
treating Eebels,  and  at  the  crossing  of  the  Potomac  he  had  a  spirited  artillery 
oontest  with  the  enemy's  batteries,  posted  to  cover  the  crossing. 

Unimportant  marches  and  reconnoissances  occupied  the  time  until  Novem- 
ber 1,  1§G2,  when  Captain  Tidball  was  assigned  to  the  cavalry  division  under 
General  Averill,  who,  in  conjunction  with  General  Pleasanton,  guarded  the 
right  flank  of  the  army,  as  it  moved  from  Harper's  Ferry  to  Fredericksburg. 
The  enemy  was  moving  at  the  same  time  in  a  parallel  direction,  and -a  succession 
of  flank  collisions  took  place.  The  most  important  of  these  were  at  Piedmont, 
Markham.  and  Amissville;  in  all  of  which  Captain  Tidball,  with  his  battery 
was  engaged.  At  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  he  had  no  opportunity  of  parti- 
cipating ;  but  he  was  held  in  readiness  for  any  advantage  that  might  arise. 

When  the  spring  campaign  of  1863  opened,  Captain  Tidball  was  selected  to 
accompany  General  Stoneman  on  his  raid,  preparatory  to  the  advance  which 
resulted  in  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  Owing  to  heavy  rains  and  swollen 
streams  the  expedition  was  much  delayed,  and  consequently  was  not  so  fruitful 
of  results  as  it  otherwise  would  have  been.  Tidball's  battery  was  attached  im- 
mediately to  Averill's  command,  which,  passing  through  Culpepper,  met  the 
enemy  May  1st  in  strong  force,  well  intrenched,  guarding  the  railroad  bridge  and 
ford  across  the  Rapidan.  The  enemy  were  driven  away  sufficiently  to  destroy 
the  bridge,  and  then  the  command,  moving  to  Ely's  Ford,  crossed  the  river  and 
entered  the  National  lines,  at  Chancellorsville,  during  the  battle.  After  the 
battle  of  Chancellorsville  the  horse-batteries,  eight  in  number,  but  afterward 
increased  to  twelve,  were  organized  into  two  brigades ;  one  of  them  was  under 
command  of  Captain  Tidball,  consisting  of  his  own  battery,  with  Graham's 
and  Randall's,  of  the  First  United  States  Artillery,  and  Fuller's,  of  the  Third. 

In  the  Gettysburg  campaign  Tidball's  artillery  brigade  was  attached  to 
Pleasanton's  cavalry  corps,  and  was  engaged  with  the  Rebel  cavalry  at  Aldie's, 
Snicker's,  Ashby's,  and  other  gaps  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  batteries  were  al- 
most constantly  engaged  during  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and  in  the  pursuit 
they  performed  their  duty  with  marked  credit,  particularly  in  the  engagements 
at  Boonsboro',  Funkstown,  Hagerstown,  Falling  Water,  and  Williamsport.  In 
the  month  of  August  the  Governor  of  New  York  appointed  Captain  Tidball 
Colonel  of  the  Fourth  Heavy  Artillery,  from  that  State.  The  regiment  was 
stationed  in  the  defenses  of  Washington,  and  though  an  old  regiment,  was  some- 
what defective  in  discipline  and  instruction ;  but  by  energetic  labor  these  defi- 
ciencies were  corrected,  and  in  the  following  March  Colonel  Tidball  moved  with 
it,  numbering  over  two  thousand  men,  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  where  it 
was  assigned  to  the  Second  Corps,  under  Hancock.  Colonel  Tidball  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  artillery  brigade  of  that  corps,  consisting  of  thirteen  bat- 
teries, in  addition  to  his  own  regiment.  In  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  Colonel 
Tidball,  on  account  of  the  nature  of  the  ground,  could  place  but  three  batteries 
in  position.     These  rendered  valuable  service,  particularly  two  of  them,  posted 


John  C.  Tidball.  819 

near  the  center  of  the  Second  Corps,  where  the  enemy  made  a  desperate  assault 
and  partly  succeeded  in  breaking  the  National  lino.  In  the  battles  around 
Spottsylvania  C.  H.,  which  soon  followed,  Colonel  TidbalTs  batteries  again  had 
ample  opportunities  for  displaying  their  skill  and  hardihood.  At  the  North 
Anna  the  enemy  was  strongly  posted  in  redoubts,  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  for 
the  protection  of  the  bridges.  General  Hancock  determined  to  assault,  and  as 
speedily  as  possible  Colonel  Tidball  placed  sixty  guns  in  position,  and  com- 
menced playing  on  the  enemy's  works:  and,  without  doubt,  his  artillery  lire 
contributed  greatly  to  the  success  of  the  assault.  The  Eebels  did  not  have  an 
opportunity  to  destroy  the  bridge,  but  their  batteries,  placed  about  twelve  hun- 
dred yards  from  the  bridge,  commanded  it  completely,  and  prevented  the 
National  army  from  crossing.  The  batteries  were  so  situated  that  Colonel  Tid- 
ball could  not  silence  them  with  his  field-guns;  but  at  night  he  placed  six 
Cohorn  mortars  in  position,  and  at  daylight  opened  fire  with  them.  This  fire, 
at  once  strange  and  destructive  to  the  enemy,  had  a  magical  effect  in  suppress- 
ing his.  This  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  Cohorn  mortars  were  used  for 
£eld  purposes  in  our  service;  but  from  this  time  onward  they  were  in  great 
demand  for  close  fighting.  Colonel  Tidball  continued  to  participate  with  the 
Second  Corps,  and  at  Cold  Harbor  a  portion  of  his  batteries  were  posted  on  pre- 
cisely the  same  ground  which  had  been  occupied  previously,  in  the  battle  of 
Gaines's  Hill.  After  the  crossing  of  the  James  Colonel  Tidball  placed  his  bat- 
teries close  upon  the  skirmish-line,  and  at  the  "Hare  House"  he  threw  up  a 
light  work,  which  grew  into  the  shapeless  figure  called  Fort  Steedman,  historic 
from  the  fierce  assault  made  upon  it  by  the  enemy  March  25,  1865.  During  the 
severe  fighting  of  the  succeeding  days  his  batteries  occupied  a  position  on  the 
most  advanced  line,  and  sustained  themselves  with  spirit  and  skill. 

After  fifty  days'  campaigning,  with  almost  continuous  fighting,  Colonel 
Tidball  was  appointed  Commandant  of  Cadets  at  the  Military  Academy,  and 
was  ordered  to  repair  to  West  Point  without  delay.  Just  as  Colonel  Tidball  was 
becoming  settled  in  his  duties  an  incident  occurred  which  caused  him  to  be 
immediately  ordered  to  the  field.  A  cadet,  the  son  of  a  former  law-partner  of 
the  Secretary  of  War,  committed  an  offense,  the  penalty  of  which  he  attempted 
to  escape  by  falsehood.  He  was  brought  to  trial  before  a  court-martial,  upon 
charges  preferred  by  Colonel  Tidball;  but  as  soon  as  the  Secretary  heard  of  the 
proceedings  he  ordered  the  trial  to  be  stopped.  The  Judge-Advocate  having 
doubted  whether  this  ought  to  be  done  till  the  examination  was  concluded,  the 
court  went  on.  When  the  Secretary  heard  of  this  neglect  of  his  order  he  dis- 
missed the  Judge-Advocate  from  the  service,  and  ordered  Colonel  Tidball  to  the 
field.  The  Colonel  was  very  soon  reinstated  in  the  good  opinion  of  his  superior 
officers,  and  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  August  1,  1864.  He 
rejoined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the  early  part  of  October,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Artillery  Brigade,  of  the  Ninth  Corps,  then 
occup3'ing  the  extreme  left  of  the  line  on  the  Petersburg  front.  On  the  1st  of 
December  the  Ninth  Corps  exchanged  positions  with  the  Second,  and  occupied 
the  right  of  the  line  from  the  Appomattox  Eiver  to,  and  some  distance  beyond, 


820 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


the  Jerusalem  Plank  Road.  On  this  portion  of  the  line  General  Tidball  had 
ninety  suns  and  forty  mortars,  of  various  calibers;  the  enemy  had  about  an 
equal  amount  of  artillery  opposed.  This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  the  25th 
of  Maivh,  when,  just  before  daylight,  the  enemy  rushed  from  his  works,  and," 
With  but  little  resistance,  captured  Fort  Steedman.  Strong  columns  swept  along 
the  works  to  the  right  and  left,  until,  approaching  the  neighboring  batteries, 
they  were  checked  and  driven  back.  General  Tidball  hastened  to  the  spot,  and 
placed  several  batteries  in  position  on  a  crest  commanding  Fort  Steedman.  All 
organization  among  the  captors  was  destroyed  by  the  batteries.  It  was,  also, 
impossible  for  them  to  escape,  as  the  three  hundred  yards  between  the  lines  were 
exposed  to  a  sweeping  cross-fire  of  artillery.  All  resistance  was  crushed  by  the 
artillery  alone;  and  a  division  of  infantry  marched  into  Fort  Steedman  without 
opposition,  and  captured  a  large  number  of  prisoners. 

On  the  30th  of  March  the  grand  move  commenced.  A  large  portion  of  the 
Army  of  the  James  had  been  united  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  the 
latter,  leaving  the  Ninth  Corps  to  hold  its  position,  swung  off  toward  the  left  to 
Five  Forks.  An  assault  along  the  whole  line,  at  that  time  extending  about 
fifteen  miles,  was  ordered  to  take  place  at  four  o'clock  A.  M.,  April  2d.  To 
accompany  the  assaulting  column  General  Tidball  selected  a  hundred  artillery- 
men, under  spirited  officers.  These  carried  primers,  lanyards,  and  other  imple- 
ments, and  were  to  take  charge  of  any  artillery  that  might  be  captured,  and  to 
turn  it  upon  the  enemy.  Other  parties  carried  tools  to  cut  through  the  parapets, 
to  remove  obstructions,  and  to  prepare  a  road  for  the  artillery,  which  was  held 
in  readiness  to  move.  The  assault  was  intended  to  be  a  surprise,  and  General 
Tidball  did  not  open  fire  until  the  enemy's  guns  announced  that  the  head  of  tho 
column  was  approaching  tho  works.  General  Tidball  immediately  opened  along 
the  whole  line,  and  the  enemy  did  the  same;  and  probably  a  more  terrific  can- 
nonade was  never  heard.  The  assault  was  successful,  and  the  works  were  held 
against  all  attempts  to  retake  them.  The  other  portions  of  the  army  were  like- 
wise successful,  and  the  enemy  was  in  full  retreat  toward  Burksville.  This 
position  of  affaire  threw  the  Ninth  Corps  in  the  rear,  and  while  the  other  corps 
were  pursuing  the  enemy,  the  Ninth  was  charged  with  keeping  open  communi- 
cations with  Petersburg. 

General  Tidball  collected  and  forwarded  to  City  Point  all  the  surplus  artil- 
lery and  ammunition,  and  then  proceeded,  with  the  corps,  to  Burksville.  After 
the  surrender  he  accompanied  the  corps  to  Washington  City,  and  participated  in 
the  grand  review.  He  was  placed  in  command  of  an  artillery  brigade  in  tho 
defenses  of  Washington,  and  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  Forts  Steed- 
man and  Sedgwick,  was  made  Brevet  Major-General  of  Volunteers,  to  date  from 
April  2,  1865.  On  the  1st  of  October  he  accompanied  his  regiment  to  New 
York  harbor,  where  it  was  mustered  out. 

General  Tidball  has  been  brevetted  successively  Major,  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
and  Colonel,  in  the  regular  service.  On  returning  to  his  grade  in  the  regular 
service  ho  was  placed  in  command  of  light  company  A,  Second  Artillery,  sta- 
tioned at  the  Preridio  of  San  Francisco. 


Robekt  S.  Gkanger.  821 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  ROBERT  S.  GRANGER, 


ROBEKT  S.  GRANGEK  graduated  at  West  Point  and  entered  the 
service  of  the  United  States  on  the  1st  of  July,  1838,  and  on  the  28th 
of  the  same  month  he  joined  his  regiment,  the  Second  Artillery,  at 
Chattanooga,  Tennessee.  He  was  transferred  to  the  First  Infantry  in  Novem- 
ber, and  was  engaged  in  the  Florida  war  until  July,  1841.  On  the  13th  of 
January,  1847,  he  left  Fort  Snclling,  Minnesota,  under  orders,  for  Mexico;  trav- 
eled on  the  ice  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  joined  the  army  in  Mexico  on  the  28th 
of  March,  1847.  He  continued  in  Mexico  until  the  close  of  the  war,  in  July, 
1848. 

When  the  rebellion  broke  out  he  was  stationed  in  Texas,  and,  with  other 
officers,  was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  the  Eebels  by  the  treachery  of  General 
Twiggs.  Captain  Granger  earnestly  opposed  the  surrender,  and  recommended 
the  seizure  of  the  vessels  in  the  port,  and  with  them  to  sail  for  Tampico,  Mexico,  or 
the  fortifying  of  Indianola,  which  could  have  been  held  until  relieved  by  the 
United  States  navy.  The  captured  officers  were  paroled,  with  permission  to  go 
north  and  to  perform  duty  outside  of  the  Confederacy.  Captain  Granger  came 
back  to  his  native  State  and  assisted  in  organizing,  drilling,  and  disciplining 
Sherman's  brigade,  at  Mansfield,  from  October  16th  to  December  18,  1861.  He 
was  placed  in  command  of  the  barracks  at  Cincinnati  on  the  27th  of  December, 
and  was  made  disbursing  officer  for  the  State.  In  April,  1862,  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  and  placed  in  command  of  that  post  until  Sep- 
tember. He  was  exchanged  on  the  28th  of  August,  and  on  the  1st  of  September 
was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  State  troops,  by  the  Governor  of  Kentucky; 
but  this  appointment  was  given  up  immediately,  as  he  was  ordered  to  tako 
command  of  a  division  of  National  forces  at  Shepherdsville.  His  services  in 
Kentucky  were  specially  acknowledged  in  a  report  to  the  War  Department. 
He  attacked  and  defeated  a  portion  of  Forrest's  cavalry,  at  Lebanon^  Junction, 
killing  and  wounding  thirty-nine,  and  taking  thirty-one  prisoners,  with  a  loss 
of  only  thirteen  men.  Being  ordered  to  Lawrenceburg  with  a  brigade  of 
infantry  and  one  of  cavalry,  he  drove  the  enemy  from  the  vicinity  of  that 
place,  after  a  short  skirmish,  on  the  20th  of  September,  and  captured  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  prisoners. 

He  joined  General  Buell's  army  at  Crab  Orchard,  and  was  assigned  to  the 
command  of  the  Tenth  Division.  He  was  appointed  Brigadier-General,  for 
meritorious  service  in  Kentucky,  to  date  from  the  20th  of  October,  and  on  the 
31st  of  October  he  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  Bowling  Green,  and  the  dis- 


822 


Ohio   in  the  War 


trfet  to  the  Tennessee  line.  General  Granger  joined  the  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land at  Muri.vcsboro',  Tennessee,  on  the  10th  of  January,  1863,  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  First  Division  of  the  Fourteenth  Corps.  He  was 
ordered  to  the  command  of  Nashville  in  June,  and  of  the  district  north  of  Duck 
River,  from  September  5th  to  December  18th.  During  that  time  General 
Granger'*  <"0,,l,namI  killed  and  WOLinded  over  three  hundred  -Rebels,  captured 
five  hundred  and  twenty-live  prisoners,  and  completely  cleared  the  country  of 
guerrillas.  General  Granger's  services  while  in  command  of  Nashville  were 
specially  noticed  in  orders,  by  the  Major-General  commanding. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1864,  General  Granger  was  assigned  to  the  command 
of  the  District  of  Northern  Alabama.  While  at  Decatur  his  troops  were  fre- 
quent lv  engaged  with  the  enemy  under  Eodd}^  and  others,  on  the  south  side  of 
the  river,  and  were  uniformly  successful.  The  Eebel  General  Patterson's  bri- 
gade was  surprised  at  Courtland,  and  his  train,  entire  camp,  and  a  number  of 
prieonerfl  were  captured.  A  raid  made  by  the  Eebels,  under  Eoddy,  on  the 
railroad  at  Athens,  Sulphur  Trestle,  and  Elk  Eiver,  was  defeated  effectually,  and 
Roddy  was  driven  across  the  Tennessee.  In  August  the  forces  under  Granger 
skirmished  with  Wheeler's  cavalry  at  Linville,  Tennessee,  and  afterward  from 
Lawreneeburg  to  within  five  miles  of  Lexington,  Tennessee.  General  Granger 
was  in  command  at  Huntsville  when  the  garrison  of  that  place  was  summoned, 
by  General  Forrest,  to  surrender.  The  demand  was  treated  with  contempt,  and 
after  exchanging  a  few  shots  the  Eebels  withdrew. 

Hood's  army  invested  Decatur  on  the  27th  of  October,  and  on  the  morning 
of  tho  28th  the  forces  under  General  Granger  attacked  and  carried  the  first  line 
of  rifle-pits,  killing  and  wounding  a  large  number,  and  capturing  one  hundred 
and  twenty  prisoners.  On  the  same  day  a  battery  of  eight  guns  was  captured 
on  the  right  of  the  line,  but  the  enemy  being  heavily  re-enforced  the  guns  were 
spiked  and  abandoned.  The  enemy  acknowledged  a  loss,  during  the  siege,  of 
liitren  hundred  men,  while  the  National  loss  was  one  hundred  and  six  killed 
and  wounded  and  seven  captured.  The  importance  of  the  defeat  of  Hood  at 
Decatur  will  be  appreciated  when  it  is  known  that  Decatur  is  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles  south  of  Nashville,  and  is  connected  with  that  city  by  a  fine  turnpike, 
leading  through  a  country  that  afterward  furnished  supplies  to  Hood's  army. 
Iltul  Hood  captured  Decatur  on  the  28th  he  would  have  been  before  Nashville 
with  his  whole  army  by  the  4th  of  November,  with  nothing  of  importance  to 
impede  his  progress  northward. 

Before  the  close  of  the  war  General  Granger  was  brevetted  Major-General 
of  volunteers ;  and  at  the  close  of  1866  was  in  command  at  Eichmond,  Virginia. 


John  W.   Fuller.  823 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  W.  FULLER 


JOHN  W.  FULLER  was  born  in  Cambridge,  England,  July,  1827.  His 
father  was  a  Baptist  minister,  and  the  nephew  of  Reverend  Andrew 
Fuller,  a  distinguished  Baptist  divine  of  that  day.  John's  father  came 
to  this  country  in  1833,  and  settled  at  Petersboro',  New  York,  where,  for  several 
years,  he  filled  a  pulpit.  John,  then  a  lad  five  years  of  age,  accompanied 
his  father  to  America.  The  next  call  on  Rev.  Mr.  Fuller  was  to  Oneida  County, 
New  York,  from  whence  he  went  to  Oglethorpe,  Georgia,  where  he  died. 

John  W.  Fuller,  while  these  events  in  his  father's  history  were  occurring, 
was  attending  school  at  Florence,  New  York.  In  1840  he  came  west  and  settled 
in  Utica,  New  York.  His  first  occupation  in  Utica  was  as  a  clerk  in  a  book- 
store, and  as  clerk  and  partner  he  remained  in  the  same  store  and  same  business 
for  twenty  years.  For  some  years  he  was  prominent  as  a  politician  in  that  part 
of  New  York,  and  was  elected  by  his  party  for  two  successive  terms  as  treasurer 
of  the  city  of  Utica. 

While  a  resident  of  Utica  he  took  much  interest  in  military  matters,  and 
was  generally  found  at  the  head  of  all  movements  of  that  kind.  A  citizens' 
corps  was  formed,  in  which  he  served  for  several  years  as  First-Lieutenant.  He 
was  known  as  one  of  the  best  tacticians  in  that  part  of  the  country. 

In  the  fall  of  1858  he  removed  to  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  engaged  in  the  pub- 
lishing business,  under  the  firm  name  of  Anderson  &  Co.,  the  Toledo  house 
being  a  branch  of  the  house  of  John  W.  Fuller  &  Co.,  of  Utica,  New  York. 
The  two  firms  combined  built  up  an  extensive  business. 

When  the  rebellion  commenced  the  military  knowledge  possessed  by  Mr. 
Fuller  became  very  valuable,  not  only  to  himself,  but  to  the  State.  His  services 
were  immediately  secured,  and  he  went  to  work  industriously  drilling  and  pre- 
paring the  three  months'  levies  for  the  field. 

General  Chas.  W.  Hill  (Governor  Tod's  Adjutant-General),  of  Toledo,  being 
appointed  by  Governor  Dennison  a  Brigadier-General,  and  ordered  to  Western 
Virginia,  selected  Mr.  Fuller  as  his  Chief-of-Staff.  The  appointment  was 
accepted,  and,  leaving  his  business  and  a  young  family,  he  entered  the  service 
with  the  determination  to  remain  in  it  until  the  cessation  of  hostilities.  His 
first  duty  in  the  new  position  to  which  he  had  been  called,  was  performed  at 
Grafton,  Virginia,  a  noted  point  in  that  early  period  of  the  war.  At  this  place 
he  was  busily  employed  in  drilling  the  raw  regiments  and  recruits  which  were 
then  pouring  across  the  Ohio  River  preparatory  to  an  advance  into  the  enemy's 
country. 


824  Ohio  in  the  War. 

While  at  Grafton  ho  made  the  acquaintance  of  Captain  T.  J.  Cram  (now 
General),  of  the  regular  army,  who,  observing  his  proficiency  in  military  mat- 
ters wrote  to  the  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio,  General  C.  P.  Buckingham,  that 
u there  was  a  young  man  at  Grafton  by  the  name  of  John  W.  Fuller  who 
knew  more  about  military  matters,  the  drilling  of  men,  etc.,  than  any  one  ho 
had  yet  met  with  in  the  service,"  and  "hoped  he  would  recommend  him  to 
Governor  Dennison  as  the  Colonel  of  the  next  Ohio  regiment  sent  to  the  field." 
This  recommendation  was  made  without  the  knowledge  of  Mr.  Fuller,  and  the 
first  intimation  he  had  of  its  success  was  a  telegram  from  Adjutant-General 
Buckingham,  ordering  him  to  repair  to  Columbus  and  assume  the  duties  of  his 
now  position— that  of  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Seventh  Ohio. 

Colonel  Fuller  promptly  reported  at  Columbus,  and  in  less  than  two  weeks' 
time  had  selected  from  a  disorganized  mass  of  two  thousand  troops,  then  in 
Camp  Chase,  a  fine  regiment  of  men,  armed  and  equipped  them,  and  was 
en  route  for  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  This  was  in  August,  1861.  After  two  weeks' 
constant  drill  Colonel  Fuller's  regiment  was  selected  as  a  part  of  the  force 
sent  to  the  relief  of  Colonel  Mulligan,  then  besieged  by  the  Rebel  forces  under 
General  Price,  in  the  city  of  Lexington,  Missouri.  This  expedition,  it  will  be 
recollected,  failed  in  its  purpose,  the  Rebels  having  defeated  Mulligan  and  cap- 
tured Lexington  before  re-enforcements  could  reach  him. 

Colonel  Fuller  marched  his  regiment  to  Kansas  City,  and  lay  in  camp  at 
that  place  for  some  weeks.  In  October  he  received  orders  to  repair  to  Spring- 
field, Missouri,  with  his  regiment,  and  there  join  General  Fremont's  command. 
This  junction  was  effected  near  Springfield,  and  his  regiment  was  a  part  of  the 
force  that  entered  that  place. 

When  Fremont's  army  "fell  back"  from  Springfield  Colonel  Fuller  was  so 
ill  that  it  was  impossible  to  remove  him,  and  he  wTas,  therefore,  left  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  the  enemy.  On  the  evacuation  the  Eebel  General  Ben.  McCullough 
moved  his  forces  into  the  city.  Colonel  Fuller  was  soon  discovered,  and  his 
ease  reported  to  McCullough.  That  noted  personage  immediately  called  upon 
the  Colonel,  and  assured  him  that  he  need  not  feel  uneasy — to  make  himself 
perfectly  easy — that,  under  the  circumstances,  he  would  not  even  claim  him  as 
his  prisoner.  The  result  was,  that  on  his  recovery  Colonel  Fuller  was  provided 
with  an  escort  and  sent,  unharmed,  and  not  even  paroled,  into  the  National 
lines. 

On  February  1,  1862,  Colonel  Fuller  commanded  a  column  of  troops,  sev- 
eral thousand  strong,  which  marched  from  Sedalia  to  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and 
there,  taking  steamers,  sailed  down  the  Mississippi  to  Commerce,  Missouri.  At 
this  place  a  junction  was  formed  with  General  Pope's  forces,  then  moving  on 
New  Madrid.  With  his  regiment  Colonel  Fuller  participated  in  all  the  move- 
ments against  New  Madrid  and  Island  No.  10,  and  was  complimented  in  general 
orders  for  valuable  and  gallant  services  in  that  campaign. 

On  May  1,  1862,  Colonel  Fuller,  with  his  regiment,  was  transferred  with 
General  Pope's  command  to  Hamburg,  on  the  Tennessee  River,  there  formin 


£  a 


John  W.  Fuller.  825 

junction  with  General  Ilallcck's  army.  General  Pope's  command  formed  tho 
left  wing  of  that  army  in  its  advance  on  Corinth. 

In  September.  1862,  Colonel  Fuller  took  part  with  his  brigade  (for  thus 
early  in  his  career,  he  had  been  assigned  to  a  brigade)  in  the  well-contested 
battle  of  Iuka;  but  it  was  at  Corinth,  in  October,  1862,  that  he  won  his  greatest 
renown  as  a  soldier  and  officer,  in  command  of  the  "Ohio  Brigade,''  as  it  was 
termed,  composed  of  the  Twenty-Seventh,  Thirty-Ninth,  Forty-Third,  and 
Sixty-Third  Ohio  regiments.  Eosecrans  was  here  confronted  with  thirty-five 
thousand  veteran  Eebel  soldiers,  to  oppose  which  he  had  only  eighteen  thousand 
men  of  all  arms.  The  Eebel  charging  columns  had  swept  through  and  over  the 
National  lines,  had  made  their  way  deep  into  the  town,  and  to  within  fifty  3'ards 
of  Fort  Eobinett.  They  swept  up  in  four  columns,  under  storms  of  grape  and 
canister,  when  the  Ohio  Brigade,  commanded  by  Colonel  Fuller,  delivered  a 
murderous  volley,  before  which  it  reeled  and  retreated.  Again  they  advanced, 
steadier,  swifter  than  before,  till  they  were  pouring  over  the  very  edge  of  the 
ditch  around  the  fort,  when  a  deadly  musketry-fire  of  the  Ohio  Brigade  broke 
their  formation.  A  moment  later  and,  at  the  word,  the  TwTenty-Seventh  Ohio 
and  Eleventh  Missouri  rose  up  from  the  ground,  charged  tho  disordered  foe,  and 
drove  them  again  to  the  woods.  In  this  charge  fell  the  Texan  Colonel  Eogers, 
who  had  led  his  column  literally  to  the  mouths  of  tho  National  guns.  He  fell 
almost  at  Colonel  Fuller's  feet.  Colonel  Fuller  relates  that  lie  had  a  fair  view 
of  Colonel  Eogers  as  he  came  on  at  the  head  of  his  column.  He  presented  the 
appearance  of  a  drunken  man,  pale  as  a  corpse,  but  intent  on  his  purpose. 
Three  hundred  National  troops  were  lost  in  ten  minutes  in  this  murderous 
charge.     The  Eleventh  Missouri  lost  eighty  men  out  of  three  hundred   engaged. 

In  his  official  dispatches  General  Eosecrans  stated  that  the  charge  which 
broke  the  Eebel  onset  on  Battery  Eobinett  was  made  by  the  Twenty-Seventh 
Ohio  and  Eleventh  Missouri,  led  by  Colonel  John  W.  Fuller.  But  the  compli- 
ment which  the  command  valued  most  was  a  less  formal  one.  When  the  battle 
was  ended,  and  before  the  dead  had  been  removed,  General  Eosecrans  rode  up 
to  the  position  occupied  by  the  Ohio  Brigade,  and  warmly  addressed  it,  saying: 
"  I  take  off  my  hat  in  the  presence  of  men  as  brave  as  those  around  me." 

On  the  last  day  of  1862  three  regiments  of  the  Ohio  Brigade  met  General 
Forrest's  Eebel  cavalry  near  Lexington,  Tennessee,  at  Parker's  Cross  Eoads, 
and,  in  a  skirmish,  captured  seven  pieces  of  artillery,  several  baggage-wagons, 
over  four  hundred  horses,  and  three  hundred  and  sixty  prisoners,  including  two 
officers  of  Forrest's  staff. 

In  April,  1863,  the  Ohio  Brigade  accompanied  General  Dodge's  column 
toward  Decatur,  Alabama,  as  a  cover  to  Straight's  ill-fated  raid  through  Georgia. 
It  was  then  ordered  to  Memphis,  as  guard  to  that  city  during  tho  Yicksburg 
campaign.  In  October,  1863,  it  marched  with  General  Sherman  across  the 
country  from  Memphis  to  Chattanooga.  During  the  winter  of  1863-64  it 
guarded  the  Nashville  and  Decatur  Eailroad  from  Prospect  southward  to  the 
Tennessee  Eiver. 

Early  in  March,  1864,  Colonel  Fuller  crossed  the  Tennessee  Eiver  in  pon- 


8l>f> 


Ohio  in  the  Wae, 


toons  during  the  night  and  captured  Decatur,  Alabama.  He  so  strongly  forti- 
fied the  place  that  when  Hood's  Rebel  army  swept  up  the  country  toward  Nash- 
ville it  was  prudent  enough  not  to  attack  it.  On  May  1,  1864,  the  Ohio  Brigade 
was  divided,  and  Colonel  Fuller  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First 
Brigade,  Fourth  Division,  Sixteenth  Army  Corps,  and  with  it  marched  to  Chat- 
tanooga to  take  part  in  the  Atlanta  campaign* 

At  Resaca  his  command  distinguished  itself,  and  at  Dallas,  where  several 
fine  officers  were  lost.  At  Kenesaw  Mountain  the  regiments  commanded  by 
Colonel  Fuller  were  the  first  to  reach  the  summit  of  the  mountain.  On  July  4th 
his  command  distinguished  itself  by  a  flank  movement  on  the  enemy's  works  at 
Nicojack  Creek,  near  the  Chattahoochie  Eiver.  In  this  bold  and  successful 
charge  several  gallant  officers  were  killed  and  wounded.  Among  the  wrounded 
was  Colonel  Noyes,  of  the  Thirty-Ninth  Ohio,  who  lost  a  leg.  A  few  days 
thereafter  Colonel  Fuller  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Fourth  Division 
of  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  vice  General  Veatch,  sick. 

After  crossing  the  Chattahoochie  Eiver  General  McPherson's  command 
formed  the  left  of  the  National  lines,  and  on  the  21st  of  July  the  Sixteenth 
Corps  was  ordered  to  prolong  the  lines  by  moving  to  the  extreme  left.  While 
executing  this  movement  it  was  suddenly  attacked  from  the  rear  by  Hardee's 
Rebel  corps,  which  had,  during  the  night,  made  a  detour  to  the  east,  and  to  the 
rear  of  the  National  position.  In  the  battle  which  immediately  ensued  Colonel 
Fuller's  command  occupied  a  level  field,  without  obstruction  of  any  kind,  and 
affording  a  fine  view  of  the  conflict.  Two  splendid  charges  were  made,  when  it 
bocame  necessary  to  change  front  so  as  to  meet  a  Rebel  charge  coming  from  the 
rear.  While  making  this  perilous  and  difficult  movement  under  fire,  the  col- 
umn gave  way.  Colonel  Fuller  immediately  grasped  his  regimental  flag,  and 
rushing  with  it  toward  the  enemy,  made  motions  with  his  saber  indicating 
where  he  wished  his  line  formed.  The  Twenty  Seventh  Ohio  gave  a  loud  cheer, 
formed,  and  came  up  in  line.  Others  immediately  followed  this  splendid  ex- 
ample, and  the  enemy  was  badly  repulsed  by  a  determined  bayonet  charge,  led 
by  Colonel  Fuller.  It  was  just  after  this  brilliant  charge  that  the  gallant  Gen- 
eral McPherson  was  killed. 

For  his  brilliant  and  opportune  services  in  this  action  Colonel  Fuller  re- 
ceived his  promotion  as  Brigadier-General. 

On  July  28,  1864,  General  Fuller  was  in  the  battle  of  Ezra  Church,  and  on 
September  1st  at.Jonesboro',  below  Atlanta.  In  October,  when  General  Hood 
made  his  movement  to  the  rear  of  Atlanta,  General  Fuller's  division  fought  him 
at  Snake  Creek  Gap,  and  opened  the  way  for  pursuit  through  the  mountains. 
After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  Fuller's  division  was  assigned  to  General  Blair's  corps, 
and  was  known  thereafter  as  the  First  Division  of  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps, 
It  accompanied  General  Sherman  in  his  march  to  the  sea,  and  when  passing 
through  the  Carolinas  distinguished  itself  at  the  crossing  of  the  Salkahatchie, 

For  a  completer  view  of  the  events  of  this  campaign,  in  their  regular  order  and  conse- 
quence, see  ante  Life  of  Sherman. 


Manning  F.  Force.  827 

at  River  Bridge.  Also,  at  the  crossing  of  the  Edisto,  and  at  Cheraw,  where  it 
captured  a  large  amount  of  stores  and  Rebel  artilleiy. 

At  Bentonville  one  of  General  Fuller's  regiments  captured  a  piece  of  the 
enemy's  artillery,  drove  his  cavalry  from  position,  actually  reaching  General 
Joe.  Johnston's  head-quarters  and  capturing  some  of  his  staff  horses.  From 
Goldsboro'  General  Fuller's  command  marched  with  General  Sherman  in  pur- 
suit of  Joe.  Johnston's  army,  and  was  present  at  the  surrender  of  that  General's 
Eebel  forces.  Then  came  the  march  through  Richmond  to  Washington,  the 
grand  review,  and  the  final  "  muster-out." 

General  Fuller  returned  to  Toledo  and  resumed  the  peaceful  pursuits  in 
midst  of  which  the  war  had.  interrupted  him.  Before  the  close  of  the  war  he 
received  the  brevet  of  Major-General,  which  he  had  so  richly  earned.  His  ca- 
reer was  singular  in  that  the  promotions  which  his  gallant  conduct  always  sug- 
gested came  so  slowly ;  but  this  tardy  appreciation  never  affected  the  zeal  and 
devotion  which  he  carried  into  the  service.  When,  at  last,  his  official  honors 
came,  it  wTas  beyTond  the  power  of  any  to  say  he  had  not  fairly  won  them. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  MANNING  F.  FORCE. 


Mann: 
on  th< 
o  n «.»  A  a  t 


ING  F.  FORCE  was  born  in  Washington,  District  of  Columbia, 
ie  17th  of  December,  1824.  He  completed  a  preparatory  course  at 
academies  in  Georgetown  and  Alexandria,  and  then  entered  the  Har- 
vard University,  and  graduated  with  honor,  both  in  the  classical  and  law  depart- 
ments. He  removed  to  Cincinnati  and  entered  the  office  of  Judge  Timothy 
Walker.  In  a  few  years  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Walker,  Kebler  & 
Force,  and  was  engaged  in  the  successful  practice  of  his  profession  when  the 
rebellion  broke  out. 

He  at  once  began  to  prepare  for  the  crisis  by  assiduous  drilling,  and  in  July, 
1861,  he  was  appointed  Major  of  the  Twentieth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  reported  at 
Camp  Chase  in  August,  and  was  promoted  almost  immediately  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  The  Colonel  of  the  regiment,  an  old  engineer  officer  of  the  regular 
army,  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  fortifications  then  constructing  near  Cincin- 
nati, and  continued  on  detached  service  most  of  the  time  until  he  resigned.  Thus 
the  whole  work  of  drilling  and  disciplining  the  regiment  fell  upon  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Force;  and  the  record  of  the  regiment  shows  that  it  was  well  done. 
It  filled  Up  slowly,  and  was  not  sent  into  active  service  until  the  11th  of  Febru- 
ary, 1862.  It  proceeded  by  way  of  Paducah  to  Fort  Donelson,  arriving  at  that 
point  on  Friday  before  the  surrender.  It  was  one  of  the  regiments  selected  to 
guard  the  prisoners  on  their  way  North.     It  became  separated  into  detachments, 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

Wd  was  not  united    until    the    end    of  March,  at    Crump's    Landing,  on  the 

Ten  in  • - 

On  the  first  day  of  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Force  was  not  engaged,  as  the  division  (General  Lew.  Wallace's)  to  which  he 
belonged  did  not  arrive  on  the  field  until  evening;  but  on  the  second  day  he 
participated  in  all  the  important  movements.  Soon  after  this  battle  the  Colonel 
of  the  Twentieth  resigned  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Force  was  promoted  to  the 
vacancy.  The  Twentieth  was  selected  to  guard  the  communications  of  the 
army,  and  it  remained  on  this  duty  until  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  when  it 
moved  to  Bolivar.  Colonel  Force  passed  through  the  Mississippi  central  cam- 
paign, and  then  moved  to  Memphis.  From  this  point  he  sailed,  with  his  regi- 
ment/down the  Mississippi  on  the  Vicksburg  campaign.  Colonel  Force's  regi- 
ment was  actively  engaged  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  exhibiting  special  bravery 
in  the  battles  of  Raymond  and  Champion  Hills.  It  also  bore  its  full  share  in 
the  siege  operations  around  Vicksburg. 

In  June,  1863,  Colonel  Force  was  placed  in  coommand  of  the  Second  Bri- 
gade, Third  Division,  Seventeenth  Corps;  and  in  August  he  was  appointed  Brig- 
adier-General for  gallant  service  during  the  siege  of  Vicksburg. 

In  November  General  Force  was  placed  in  command  of  the  post  at  Big 
Black  Bridge,  then  considered  the  most  important  outpost  around  Vicksburg. 
lie  remained  here  until  March,  1864,  with  the  exception  of  one  month,  during 
which  he  was  engaged  in  Sherman's  Meridian  expedition.  The  Seventeenth 
Corps  joined  General  Sherman  on  the  Atlanta  campaign  at  Acworth,  Georgia; 
and  from  that  time  until  the  22d  of  July  General  Force  shared  all  the  hardships 
and  dangers  of  the  campaign.  Early  in  the  struggle  in  front  of  Atlanta,  on 
the  22d  of  July,  General  Force  received  a  bullet  through  his  face,  just  below  the 
eye.     He  was  carried  to  the  rear,  and  was  at  once  sent  North. 

Hardly  waiting  until  his  wound  was  healed,  he  hastened  back  to  the  field  in 
October,  and  rejoined  his  brigade  in  time  to  lead  it  to  Savannah.  Just  before 
starting  on  the  march  through  the  Carolinas  General  Leggett,  commanding  the 
Third  Division,  was  taken  sick,  and  General  Force  was  assigned  to  the  division, 
which  he  commanded  so  satisfactorily  that,  on  the  return  of  General  Leggett, 
he  was  transferred  to  the  First  Division.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  Gen- 
erals Blair,  Slocum,  and  Howard,  General  Force  was  brevetted  Major-General 
"for  special  gallantry  before  Atlanta,  to  date  from  March  13,1865."  General 
Force  has  returned  to  private  life,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Cincinnati. 


Henry    B.  Banning.  829 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  HENRY  B.  BANNING. 


HENEY  B.  BANNING-,  the  grandson  of  Eev.  Anthony  Banning,  and 
son  of  James  and  Eliza  Banning,  was  born  at  Banning's  Mills,  in  Knox 
County,  Ohio,  November  10,  1834. 

His  mother,  an  accoir^lished  and  Christian  lady,  superintended  his  early 
education.  As  he  grew  larger  he  attended  the  Clinton  district  school,  the  Mt. 
Vernon  Academy,  and  Kenyon  College. 

He  remained  at  Kenyon  but  a  short  time,  returned  to  his  home,  and  entered 
the  office  of  Hosmer,  Curtis  &  Devin  as  a  law  student,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  At  the  time  the  war  broke  out  in  1861  he  had  acquired  a  good  reputation 
as  a  lawyer,  and  was  doing  a  fine  business  in  his  native  town  of  Mt.  Vernon.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Douglas  Democrat. 

Upon  the  first  call  of  the  President  for  troops,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to 
enlist.  On  the  16th  day  of  April,  1861,  two  companies  were  organized  in  Mt. 
Vernon.  He  was  elected  Captain  of  one,  which  afterward  became  company  B, 
Fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  In  June.  1861,  the  regiment  was  reorganized, 
and  Captain  Banning  was  unanimously  re-elected  Captain  of  his  company. 

At  this  time  Governor  Dennison  offered  him  a  Majority  in  another  regi- 
ment, but  he  declined  it,  saying,  "his  experience  and  military  knowledge  would 
not  justify  him  in  accepting  the  promotion."  He  served  with  his  company 
until  the  spring  of  1862,  taking  part  in  the  battles  of  Eich  Mountain,  Eomney, 
Blue  Gap  (where  his  company  captured  a  stand  of  Eebel  colors),  Winchester, 
and  Cross  Keys.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  General  Shields,  Governor 
Tod  appointed  him  Major  of  the  Fifty-Second  Ohio.  When  he  arrived  at 
Columbus,  the  regiment  had  gone  to  the  field,  and  he  was  placed  in  com- 
mand of  the  Eighty-Seventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  a  three  months'  regi- 
ment. At  the  expiration  of  the  time  of  the  Eighty-Seventh  he  was  made  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Fifth,  with  which  he  served 
until  the  spring  of  1863.  He  was  then  transferred  to  and  made  Colonel  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Twenty-First  regiment,  upon  the  petition  of  all  the  officers 
of  the  regiment.  He  spent  about  two  months  drilling  and  disciplining  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-First,  which  had  been  taken  into  the  battle  of  Perryville, 
in  the  summer  of  1862,  without  discipline  or  drill,  and  armed  with  unserviceable 
arms,  and  had  won  no  enviable  reputation.  During  this  time  he  made  it  one  of 
the  best-drilled  and  disciplined  regiments  in  the  Eeserve  Corps  of  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland.  He  first  led  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-First  to  battle  at 
Chickamauga.     His  regiment  was  the  right  of  Steedman's  division  on   the  ter- 


330  Ohio  in  the  War. 

rific  Sunday  afternoon  charge.  Their  battle-cry  was,  "Wipe  out  Perryville." 
With  his  regiment  Colonel  Banning  held  the  right  all  that  afternoon,  and 
ju-t  at  dark,  when  out  of  ammunition,  in  a  hand-to-hand  contest,  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-First  engaged  the  Twenty-Second  Alabama,  drove  them, 
and  captured  their  colors,  the  only  Eebel  colors  taken  in    the  battle  of  Chick- 

amauga. 

Colonel  Banning  remained  in  command  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
First  throughout  the  Atlanta  campaign,  being  in  Buzzard's  Boost,  Besaca,  Borne, 
Kenosaw  Mountain,  Dallas,  Peachtree  Creek,  and  Jonesboyo',  as  well  as  in  man}- 
hard  skirmishes.  After  the  fall  of  Atlanta,  General  Jeff.  C.  Davis,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Fourteenth  Corps,  in  his  official  report,  recommended  Colonel 
Banning  for  promotion  to  a. Brevet  Brigadier-General  for  gallant  and  meritori- 
ous service  during  the  Atlanta  campaign. 

General  George  H.  Thomas  indorsed  this  recommendation,  and  the  brevet 
was  issued. 

In  the  battle  of  Nashville  he  served  with  his  old  commander,  General  Jas. 
B.  Steedman,  distinguished  himself,  and  was  brevetted  Major-General. 

General  Banning  was  placed  in  command  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety- 
Fifth  Regiment,  and  served  in  the  Yalley  of  Virginia  in  the  spring  and  summer 
of  1865.  He  commanded  the  post  of  Alexandria,  Virginia,  until  December, 
1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  to  take  his  seat  as  a  member  of 
the  Ohio  Legislature,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  from  Knox  County. 

General  Banning's  promotions  were  all  won  upon  the  battle-field.  On  duty 
he  was  a  rigid  disciplinarian,  and  the  very  letter  of  his  orders  had  to  be  obeyed. 
Off  duty  he  rode,  chatted,  and  smoked,  wrestled,  jumped,  and  ran  foot-races,  ate, 
and  almost  lived  with  his  men;  while  his  old  white  hat  and  velveteen  pants 
gave  him  anything  but  a  military  appearance.  His  command  was  always  sup- 
plied with  the  best  the  quarterm aster  and  commissary  departments  afforded. 

His  punishments  were  never  severe.  He  never  court-martialed  or  preferred 
charges  against  a  soldier.  On  the  march  he  would  dismount,  take  some  tired 
soldier's  gun,  and  place  him  on  his  horse.  At  night  he  would  not  sleep  until  he 
had  visited  his  men  and  seen  that  they  were  comfortable,  and  visited  his  pickets 
and  seen  they  were  well  posted. 


Erastus  B.  Tylee.  831 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  ERASTUS  B.  TYLER, 


GENEEAL  TYLEE  was  born  in  West  Bloomficld,  Ontario  County,  New 
York.  Soon  after  his  birth  his  parents  removed  to  Ravenna,  Ohio. 
The  General  was  educated  at  Granville,  Ohio;  and  at  an  early  age  en- 
gaged in  active  business,  which  required  him  to  travel  extensively  in  the  States 
of  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  North  Carolina.  He  was 
a  partner  in  the  American  Fur  Company  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  and 
was  attending  to  the  business  of  the  company,  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia, 
when  Fort  Sumter  was  fired  upon.  Impelled  by  his  sense  of  duty,  as  a  loyal 
citizen,  he  retired  from  his  lucrative  employment,  and,  in  obedience  to  a  tele- 
gram from  Governor  Dennison,  hastened  to  meet  such  requirements  as  his 
country  might  impose  upon  him.  Being  Brigadier-General  of  Militia,  and  in 
command  of  the  division  formed  by  the  Counties  of  Portage,  Trumbull,  and 
Mahoning,  he  repaired  to  his  home  in  Ravenna.  He  opened  a  recruiting  office 
on  April  17,  1861,  and  on  the  22d  he  was  in  Camp  Taylor,  near  Cleveland,  with 
two  companies.  Here  an  election  for  Colonel  was  held  by  the  thirty  officers  of 
the  ten  companies  that  constituted  the  Seventh  Ohio,  and  General  Tyler 
received  twenty-nine  votes.  This  choice  was  confirmed  at  Camp  Dennison  by 
a  vote  of  the  whole  regiment.  The  Seventh  Ohio  was  organized,  at  first,  for 
three  months;  but  after  spending  six  weeks  in  instructing  the  men,  Colonel 
Tyler,  in  one  day,  succeeded  in  re-enlisting  seven  hundred  of  them  for  three 
years;  and,  in  a  few  days,  he  secured  the  requisite  number  for  a  full  regiment. 
It  being  well-known  that  Colonel  Tyler  was  intimately  acquainted  with  the 
whole  region  of  Western  Virginia,  he  was  ordered  to  Grafton  to  advise  with 
General  McClellan.  He  spent  eight  days  in  consultation  with  that  officer,  and 
gave  him  information  as  to  the  mountain  passes,  roads,  streams,  fords,  and  the 
general  topography  of  the  entire  section.  About  the  26th  of  June  Colonel 
Tyler's  regiment  came  forward  to  Grafton,  where  he  took  command  and  proceeded 
to  Clarksburg.  His  first  march  was  to  Weston,  where  were  forty  thous- 
and dollars  in  gold,  in  danger  of  being  captured  by  Wise.  It  was  known  that 
General  McClellan  was  on  his  way  to  Clarksburg,  where,  upon  his  arrival,  Colonel 
Tyler  expected  an  order  to  march  for  Weston.  Accordingly  he  anticipated  the 
order  by  drawing  up  his  men  near  the  depot,  directing  them  to  watch  his  motions 
when  the  train  arrived,  for  if  the  order  was  "march,"  he  would  wave  his  hand- 
kerchief, and  they  were  to  start  immediate!}'.  Upon  the  arrival  of  the  train 
General  McClellan  asked  him  how  soon  he  could  march  for  Weston.  "Look 
yonder  and  I  will  show  you,"  was  Colonel  Tyler's  reply;  and  waving  his  hand- 


832  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

kerchief,  the  regiment  struck  the  double-quick  and    rapidly  disappeared.     The 
gold  was  saved,  and  turned  over  to  the  new  State  of  West  Virginia. 

General  McClclIan,  upon  leaving  Western  Virginia,  placed  General  Tyler 
in  command  of  the  Seventh,  Tenth,  Thirteenth,  and  Seventeenth  Ohio  Regiments, 
the  First  Virginia  Infantry,  Captain  Mack's  Howitzer  Battery,  Captain  Bagg's 
tlcc  Hunters,"  and  a  company  of  Chicago  Cavalry.  The  operations  of  Colonel 
Tyler  in  the  valley  of  the  Great  Kanawha  were  conducted  with  marked 
efficiency.  He  was,  however,  unfortunate  in  having  his  own  regiment  surprised 
at  Cross  Lanes  by  Floyd's  command,  utterly  broken,  routed,  and  scattered  in 
every  direction.  General  Rosecrans,  then  commanding  the  Department  of  West 
Virginia,  was  at  first  disposed  to  blame  Colonel  Tyler  severely  for  this  disaster, 
but  investigation  had  the  effect  to  mitigate,  if  not  wholly  to  do  away  with,  the 
censure. 

On  the  10th  of  December  Colonel  Tyler  was  ordered  to  Romney,  where  he 
united  his  forces  with  those  under  General  Lander,  and  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Third  Brigade  of  Lander's  division.  At  the  death  of  General  Lander 
he  joined  General  Shields  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley.  He  participated  in  the 
battle  of  Winchester,  and  for  bravery  upon  that  occasion,  he  was  appointed  a 
Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  on  May  14, 1862.  He  was  also  engaged  at  Front 
Royal  and  Port  Republic.  In  the  latter  engagement  General  Tyler  with  three 
thousand  troops  resisted  Stonewall  Jackson  with  eight  thousand  for  five  hours, 
when  Jackson  received  a  re-enforcement  of  six  thousand  men.  General  Tyler, 
however,  retired  in  good  order. 

At  the  battle  of  Antietam  General  Tyler  commanded  a  brigade  of  Penn- 
sylvania troops  that  were  enlisted  for  nine  months.  It  was  their  first  battle; 
and  though  not  brought  into  action  until  the  eleventh  hour  they  did  excellent 
service.  He  was  with  his  brigade  at  Fredericksburg  and  Chancellorsville,  and 
soon  after  this  the  brigade  was  mustered  out,  the  term  of  enlistment  having 
expired. 

General  Tyler  was  now  ordered  to  Baltimore,  and  placed  in  command 
of  the  north-western  defenses  of  the  city.  He  assumed  command  at  the  time 
that  General  Lee  was  making  his  invasion  into  Maryland,  and  secessionism  was 
rampant  throughout  the  city.  General  Tyler,  with  great  industry,  set  about 
arming  the  Union  citizens,  and  in  three  days  he  had  ten  thousand  men  at  the 
barricades  ready  to  repel  the  invaders.  The  administration  of  General  Tyler  in 
Baltimore  received  the  unqualified  approbation  of  the  Union  citizens. 

Soon  after  this  General  Tyler  was  stationed  at  the  Relay  House,  in  charge 
<rf  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  the  shores  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  forming 
a  line  of  defense  nearcy  two  hundred  miles  long.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  no 
Rebel  raid  ever  crossed  this  line,  until  the  attempt  which  resulted  in  the  battle 
of  Monocacy.  General  Tyler,  though  not  in  chief  command,  may  claim  a  large 
share  both  in  planning  and  in  fighting  this  battle;  and  though  neither  the 
result  of  long  preparation,  nor  on  so  extensive  a  scale  as  many  others,  it  was 
severe  and  decisive.  Speaking  of  General  Tyler's  part  in  the  Monocacy  battle, 
President  Lincoln  is  reported  to  have  said  to  Mr.  Fitzgerald,  of  Philadelphia, 


Erastus    B.   Tyler.  833 

"The  country  is  more  indebted  to  General  Tyler  than  to  any  other  man  for  the 
salvation  of  Washington."  From  the  Eelay  House  he  was  ordered  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Kanawha  Valley,  and  he  remained  in  this  position  until  the  close 
of  the  war.  The  rank  of  Major-General  by  Brevet  was  conferred  upon  him  for 
meritorious  service. 

Few  have  been  more  exposed  to  danger  than  General  Tyler,  and  yet  he  has 
singularly  escaped  serious  personal  injury.  At  Winchester  seven  balls  passed 
through  his  clothes;  at  Port  Eepublic  he  was  struck  twice  with  ball  and  shell, 
and  his  hat  was  torn  in  pieces;  at  Fredericksburg  he  was  struck  on  the  left 
breast  by  a  ball;  at  Chancellorsville  he  had  a  button  shot  off  the  left  side  of  his 
coat;  and  in  other  battles  he  had  similar  escapes.  He  has  been  the  recipient  of 
many  valuable  presents;  among  the  more  notable  of  these,  bestowed  by  those 
who  knew  him  best,  the  officers  and  men  of  the  First  Brigade,  Third  Division, 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  are  a  magnificent  sword,  sash,  belt,  and  sjmrs,  and  a 
valuable  horse  of  fine  action  and  high  spirit.  General  Tyler  had  been  for  many 
years  a  temperate  man,  even  to  the  extent  of  total  abstinence.  He  maintained 
these  principles  in  the  army,  and  he  succeeded  by  his  example  in  suppressing, 
to  a  great  extent,  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  among  the  men  of  his  com- 
mand. Integrity,  firmness,  and  kindness  of  heart  have  secured  for  him  popu- 
larity ill  every  department  of  the  army  in  which  he  served,  and  the  obedience, 
respect,  and  affection  of  his  men. 
Vol.  I— 53. 


834 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  THOMAS  H.  EWING. 


THOMAS  H.  EWING,  the  third  son  of  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  the  dis- 
tinguished statesman  and  politician,  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Ohio,  August 
11  1829.  He  received  a  liberal  education;  was  graduated  at  Brown 
University,  Rhode  Island;  and  in  March,  1855,  at  the  Cincinnati  Law  School. 
At  both  institutions  he  ranked  high,  and  he  was  generally  believed  to  have  in- 
herited a  large  share  of  his  father's  ability. 

In  1856  he  removed  from  Ohio  to  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  where,  with  one 
of  his  brothers,  and  with  his  brother-in-law,  then  known  as  Captain  Sherman, 
he  began  the  practice  of  law.  He  was  successful  from  the  outset,  and  soon  came 
to  rank  as  the  leading  lawyer  of  the  young  State.  He  also  became  prominent 
in  politics,  and  was  accepted  as  one  of  the  Eepublican  leaders.  He  was  chosen 
Chief-Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and  in  this  position  he  served 
for  a  period  of  two  years. 

On  the  15th  of  September,  1862,  he  recruited  and  organized  the  Eleventh 
liegimeut  of  Kansas  Volunteer  Infantry,  of  which  he  was  appointed  Colonel. 
He  commanded  his  regiment  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Wayne  and  Cane  Hill.  At 
Prairie  Grove  he  had  risen  to  the  command  of  a  brigade,  and  for  his  gallant  serv- 
ices in  this  battle  he  was  promoted  to  be  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers  on 
the  11th  of  March,  1863. 

In  June,  1863,  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  -of  the  District  of  the  Bor- 
der, comprising  all  of  Kansas  and  the  western  tier  of  counties  in  Missouri.  He 
now  began  the  work  of  exterminating  the  guerrilla  bands  which  infested  the 
border  counties,  and  repressed,  with  a  strong  hand,  the  thieving  expeditions, 
which,  through  every  month  of  the  preceeding  summer,  had  desolated  with  im- 
munity the  villages  of  that  unhappy  region. 

In  March,  1864,  the  District  of  the  Border  was  abolished  by  the  creation 
of  the  Department  of  Kansas.  By  request  of  Major-General  Eosecrans,  then 
commanding  the  Department  of  Missouri,  General  Ewing  was  ordered  to  report 
to  him,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  St.  Louis  District. 

On  the  24th  of  September,  it  having  been  ascertained  that  General  Price 
had  entered  the  State  with  a  large  force,  General  Ewing  was  ordered  to  the  post 
at  Pilot  Knob,  with  instructions  to  hold  it  if  possible  against  any  mere  detach- 
ments of  the  enemy,  but  to  evacuate  it  if  menaced  by  Price's  whole  army, 
known  to  be  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  strong. 


Thomas  H.  Ewing.  835 

At  dawn  on  the  morning  of  the  27th  of  September,  he  commenced  one  of 
the  most  stubborn,  and,  for  the  number  engaged,  one  of  the  most  sanguinary 
conflicts  of  the  Avar.  The  enemy  had  entered  the  valley  at  Shut-in  Gap,  a 
narrow  gorge  in  the  mountain,  four  and  a  half  miles  south-east  of  Pilot  Knob. 
The  whole  available  force,  cavalry,  infantry,  and  artillery,  garrisoning  the  pust 
was  one  thousand  and  sixty  effective  men;  six  hundred  of  whom  were  raw- 
troops  scarcely  organized.  But  the  advantages  of  delaying  the  enemy  a  few 
days  in  his  march  northward,  and  of  making  a  stubborn  fight  before  retreating, 
seemed  so  great,  even  if  the  defense  should  be  unsuccessful,  that  General  Ewing 
resolved  to  stand  fast  and  take  the  chances. 

"With  his  meager  forces  he  immediately  attacked  the  advancing  columns  of 
Price,  and  disputed  every  inch  of  ground  between  the  gap  and  the  fort.  By 
two  o'clock  he  had  been  forced  into  the  works.  By  this  time  the  enemy  had 
massed  two  divisions  on  the  mountain  sides,  with  their  artillery  commanding 
the  fort.  The  opening  of  the  battery  on  the  mountain  was  the  signal  for  the 
assault,  and  with  demoniac  yells  at  least  six  thousand  men  precipitated  them- 
selves upon  the  fort.  They  were  met  with  grape  and  canister  from  seven  guns 
and  an  incessant  fire  of  musketry.  The  enemy  wavered,  broke,  and  fell  back, 
leaving  the  ground  strewn  with  their  killed  and  wounded. 

General  Ewing  had  lost  one-fourth  of  his  available  force.  He  felt  assured 
that  the  enemy  would  rally,  and  as  the  fort  was  untenable,  he  resolved,  hazard- 
ous as  it  was,  to  attempt  a  retreat.  Accordingly  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
he  moved  silently  from  the  fort  with  his  six  field  pieces,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
cavalry,  and  five  hundred  infantry.  Two  hours  afterward  the  magazine  ex- 
ploded, a  slow  match  having  been  applied  when  the  troops  left.  He  was  hotly 
pursued  by  Shelby's  and  Marmaduke's  commands,  but  he  succeeded  in  keeping 
them  at  bay  until  he  reached  the  south-west  branch  of  the  Pacific  Eailroad  at 
Harrison — having  marched  sixty-six  miles  in  thirty-nine  hours,  and  maintained 
a  spirited  running  fight  for  twenty  miles. 

At  Harrison  the  General  threw  up  rude  defenses,  got  his  guns  in  position 
during  the  night,  and  for  three  days  kept  at  bay  and  repulsed  several  assaults 
made  by  an  enemy  ten  times  the  number  of  his  own.  On  the  fourth  day  he 
wTas  relieved  by  a  force  from  Eolla,  to  which  place  he  moved  his  diminished 
and  exhausted  command. 

Thus  closed  a  campaign  of  a  week  of  stubborn  fighting,  on  a  comparatively 
small  scale,  but  still  rarely  excelled  during  the  war.  General  Ewing  lost  com- 
paratively few  men,  and  no  guns  nor  munitions  of  war,  save  those  destroyed 
at  Pilot  Knob.  The  enemy  lost  over  one  thousand  five  hundred  men,  and, 
more  than  all,  lost  their  last  hope  of  taking  St.  Louis. 

In  his  official  report  of  this  campaign  against  Price  in  Missouri,  General 
Eosecrans  in  expressing  his  thanks  to  his  various  subordinates,  names  General 
Ew7ing  first,  saying: 

"  General  Ewing  deserves  special  mention  for  military  judgment,  courage,  and  gallantry,  in 
holding  Pilot  Knob  till  he  had  a  certainty  of  the  enemy's  force,  as  well  as  for  the  manner  in 
which  lie  withdrew  his  troops  to  Rolla." 


336  Ohio  in  the  War 

And  in  the  preceding  part  of  the  report,  General  Eosecrans  thus  describes 
,  ,al  Ewing's  share  in  the  campaign: 

"General  Ewing  was  sent  to  Pilot  Knob  with  directions  to  use  his  utmost  exertions  to  find 
not  whether  any  more  than  Shelby's  division  of  Price's  army  was  in  south-east  Missouri,  and  to 
that  end  to  hold  Pilot  Knob  until  he  was  certain.  With  a  soldierly  comprehension  of  the  im- 
portance of  his  duties,  while  reporting  the  current  rumors  of  the  advance  of  Price  with  his  whole 
force,  he  expressed  his  doubts,  and  held  his  position  until  the  27th,  when  he  sustained  a  terrific 
assault  in  Fort  Davidson,  a  small  field-work  in  the  valley,  surrounded  by  hills  within  cannon 
range  which  he  held  with  about  one  thousand  men,  one-half  raw  troops — establishing  beyond 
question  the  presence  of  all  Prices's  command  in  that  quarter.  He  gloriously  repulsed  them, 
killing  and  wounding  some  fifteen  hundred  of  the  enemy,  and  lost  only  twenty-eight  killed,  and 
fifty-six  wounded.  .  .  .  Finding  Marmaduke's  and  Fagens's  Rebel  divisions  before  him,  and 
bis  position  commanded  by  a  numerically  superior  artillery,  he  acted  on  suggestions  made  when 
I  was  discussing  with  him  the  possibilities  of  the  position.  On  the  night  of  the  27th  he  spiked 
his  heavy  guns,  blew  up  the  magazine,  ammunition,  and  supplies,  and  with  the  field  battery  and 
n-uKiins  of  his  command,  retreated  through  the  hills  toward  the  Meramee  Valley,  hoping  to  reach 
a  point  on  the  railroad  whence  he  could  move  to  St.  Louis.  But  the  enemy  pursued  him,  ha- 
rassed his  rear  on  the  march  (which  he  directed  along  a  ridge  where  the  enemy  could  not  flank 
him),  and  overtook  him  near  Harrison's  Station,  where,  seizing  and  extending  the  temporary 
defenses  constructed  by  the  militia,  he  displayed  such  vigor  that,  after  harassing  him  for  thirty- 
six  hours,  and  making  several  attacks,  on  the  approach  of  a  detachment  of  Sanborn's  cavalry, 
the  Rebels  left  him  and  he  escaped  with  all  his  command  to  Rolla." 

General  Ewing  was  brevetted  Major-General  for  his  conduct  in  this  cam- 
paign. The  war  being  practically  ended,  and  no  further  active  duties  being 
required  in  that  department,  he  resigned  his  commission  on  the  12th  of  March, 
1865. 


Emerson  Opdycke.  83' 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  EMERSON  OPDYCKE. 


EMEESON  OPDYCKE  was  born  in  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  January 
7th,  1830.  He  enlisted  as  a  private  on  the  26th  of  July,  1861,  in  the 
Forty-First  Ohio  Infantry;  but  was  made  First-Lieutenant  in  August. 
He  rapidly  acquired  a  knowledge  of  military  tactics,  and  in  the  winter  of  '61-2 
he  was  detailed  to  instruct  the  officers  of  Hascall's  brigade.  His  success  at- 
tracted favorable  notice,  and  in  January,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  Captain.  He 
acted  as  Major  of  the  regiment  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  when  a 
charge  was  ordered  he  seized  the  colors,  which  were  lying  on  the  ground,  the 
color-bearer  having  been  shot,  advanced  a  short  distance,  and  commanded: 
"  Forty-First  Ohio,  follow  your  colors!  "  The  charge  was  made  gallantly,  and 
though  Captain  Opdycke  received  two  wounds,  he  remained  with  the  command 
and  on  duty. 

He  served  in  Nelson's  division  through  the  Corinth  campaign,  and  until 
he  was  ordered  by  Governor  Tod  to  organize  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Fifth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  at  home  upon  this  duty  when  Kirby  Smith 
threatened  Cincinnati,  and  at  the  request  of  his  friends  he  took  command  of 
twelve  hundred  "Squirrel  Hunters,"  and  reported  them  for  duty  at  Covington. 
He  left  the  State  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  well  drilled  and  disciplined  on  the 
3d  of  January,  1863.  He  moved  southward  through  Nashville  and  Franklin, 
and  was  assigned  to  Harker's  Brigade,  Wood's  Division,  Twenty-First  Corps, 
just  previous  to  the  opening  of  Eosecrans's  campaign  of  1863.  He  entered 
Chattanooga  on  the  9th  of  September,  and  was  furiously  engaged  in  the  two 
day's  battle  of  Chickamauga.  Upon  one  occasion  during  the  battle  General 
Thomas  said  to  Colonel  Oj^dyeke,  in  regard  to  a  position  which  the  regiment 
occupied:  "This  point  must  be  held;"  and  the  Colonel  replied,  more  piously 
than  is  usual  under  such  circumstances,  "  We  will  hold  it,  or  go  to  Heaven  from 
it."     Colonel  Opdycke  was  hit  once,  but  was  not  seriously  injured. 

At  the  battle  of  Mission  Eidge  he  commanded  five  regiments,  and  in  the 
assault  he  had  two  horses  disabled.  His  command  captured  seven  pieces  of  ar- 
tillery, a  large  number  of  small  arms,  and  three  hundred  prisoners.  He  served 
next  under  General  Sheridan  in  the  East  Tennessee  campaign.  On  the  8th  of 
May,  1864,  he  effected,  by  a  feint,  a  lodgment  upon  Eocky  Face  Mountain.  He 
planned  and  executed  this  movement  himself.     On  the  14th  of  May  he  was 


838  Ohio  in  the  War. 

severely  wounded  at  Resaca,  and  was  taken  to  the  rear;  but  he  soon  returned, 
:iri(,  only  retire*  with  the  regiment.  He  continued  to  serve  with  the  troops, 
though  suffering  severely  from  Ins  wound.  He  commanded  the  five  regiments 
M-,nn  at  New  Hope  Church,  Muddy  Creek,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Peachtree  Greek, 
and  Atlanta,  until  August  6th,  when  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
First  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Fourth  Corps.  The  brigade  was  engaged  at 
Jonesboro'  and  Lovejoy's,  after  which  the  division  returned  to  Chattanooga. 
The  time  was  occupied  with  minor  operations  about  Bridgeport,  Resaca,  Alpine, 
and  Pulaski,  until  November  30th,  when  Opdycke's  brigade  was  rear-guard  for 

Schofield's  army. 

In  the  battle  of  Franklin,  the  brigade  was  posted  across  the  Columbia 
Kite  oe»r  Carter's  house.  The  Colonel's  orders  were  to  act  upon  his  own  judg- 
ment, and  to  fight  when  and  where  he  might  be  most  needed.      The  Rebels 

jed  heavily  in  front  of  Carter's  Hill,  and  in  the  afternoon  they  captured  the 
fortifications;  as  soon  as  the  Colonel  saw  this  he  shouted  with  all  his  power: 
"  First  brigade,  forward  to  the  works  ! "  The  regiments  charged  grandly.  Bay- 
onets were  soon  bloody,  and  muskets  were  clubbed  in  the  furious  encounter. 
Colonel  Opdycke  fired  all  the  cartridges  from  his  revolver,  and  broke  the  barrel 
by  using  it  as  a  club.  He  then  dismounted  and  fought  with  a  musket  like  a 
common  soldier.  The  contest  was  short;  the  Rebels  were  driven  back ;  eight 
guns  were  retaken  ;  four  hundred  Rebels  and  ten  battle-flags  were  captured.  The 
Rebel  General  Carter  fell,  mortally  wounded,  less  than  a  hundred  yards  from 
where  he  was  born  ;  and  General  Pat,  Cleburne  fell  dead,  his  horse  resting  on 
the  National  breastworks.  At  the  battle  of  Nashville  the  brigade  was  again 
engaged,  capturing  three  pieces  of  artillery,  one  battle-flag,  and  three  hundred 
prisoners. 

Colonel  Opdycke  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  February 
7th,  1805.  Some  months  later  he  received  a  brevet  appointment  as  Major-Gen- 
eral,  to  date  from  November  20th,  1864.  This  unusual  promotion — antedating 
his  brevet  as  Brigadier — was  given  for  "  important  and  gallant  services  at  the 
battle  of  Franklin,"  and  was  understood  to  have  been  mainly  due  to  the  recep- 
tion, from  his  immediate  commander,  of  a  recommendation  for  his  appointment 
as  Colonel  in  the  regular  service,  bearing  the  following  official  indorsement  from 
the  model  soldier  of  the  American  Army: 

"Respectly  forwarded,  strongly  and  earnestly  recommended.  I  agree  in  every  particular 
with  what  Major-General  Wood  has  said  concerning  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Opdycke,  and  I 
consider  him  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  competent  officers  in  the  service.  He  is  brave  and 
gallant,  and  has  distinguished  himself  on  many  of  the  battle-fields  of  the  West,  and  has,  by  his 
zeal  both  in  the  organization  and  discipline  of  his  troops,  as  well  as  by  his  heroism  on  the  field, 
contributed  much  to  secure  the  success  which  has  so  signally  rewarded  the  obstinate  and  per- 
sistent battling*  of  this  army.  Knowing  General  Opdycke  personally,  and  being  fully  informed 
and  convinced  of  his  abilities,  I  do  most  earnestly  request  that  this  appointment  may  be  con- 
ferred upon  him  for  his  meritorious  and  gallant  conduct  in  the  past,  and  that  his  services  may  not 
be  lost  to  the  army  in  the  future.  I  believe  that  in  the  increase  or  reorganization  of  the  army  it 
is  Bound  policy  to  select  or  appoint  only  such  officers  as  are  of  known  integrity  and  ability,  and 
on  these  grounds  I  ask  for  General  Opdycke's  appointment  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States, 


Willakd     Warner.  839 

feeling  assured  that  he  will  do  nothing  but  that  which  shall  reflect  credit  both  on  himself  and 
the  army. 

[Signed]  "GEORGE  H.  THOMAS, 

"Major-General  United  States  Army  commanding." 

Since  his  muster  out  General  Opdycke  has  resided  in  New  York.  He  is  a 
man  of  rigidly  temperate  habits,  having  never  drank  half  a  glass  of  intoxica- 
ting liquors  in  his  life,  and  having  never  used  an  ounce  of  tobacco  in  any  form. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  WILLARD  WARNER. 


WILLAKD  WAENEE  was  born  in  Granville,  Licking  County, 
Ohio,  but  upon  the  death  of  his  mother,  when  he  was  five  years  old, 
he  was  placed  under  the/  care  of  an  uncle  in  ^luskingum  County. 
He  was  graduated  at  Marietta  College  in  1845.  He  devoted  himself  to  agricul- 
ture until  1849,  when  he  went  with  a  company  of  gold  seekers  to  California. 
In  1852  he  returned  successful,  the  sole  survivor  of  the  company.  He  engaged 
in  the  grocery  and  commission  business  in  Cincinnati,  but  in  1854  became  secre- 
tary, treasurer,  and  manager  of  the  Newark  Machine  Works. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  war  he  was  active  in  raising  recruits,  and  in 
December,  1861,  he  accepted  a  commission  as  Major  of  the  Seventy-Sixth  Ohio 
Infantry,  having  previously  refused  a  higher  position  on  the  ground  of  inexpe- 
rience. On  the  9th  of  February,  1862,  he  left  the  State  with  his  regiment  for 
Fort  Donelson,  arriving  in  time  for  Saturday's  fight  and  Sunday's  surrender. 
He  was  with  the  regiment  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  siege  of  Corinth,  Yicksburg, 
and  Jackson  campaigns,  and  at  the  capture  of  the  steamer  Fairplay.  He  led 
the  regiment  from  Yicksburg  to  Chattanooga,  and  through  the  battles  of  Look- 
out Mountain,  Mission  Ridge,  and  Ringgold.  At  the  latter  place,  with  two  hun- 
dred men,  he  broke  General  Pat.  Cleburne's  lines  strongly  posted.  In  this  bat- 
tle Major  Warner  lost,  in  thirty  minutes,  one-third  of  his  men,  killed  and 
wounded.  He  himself,  though  constantly  exposed,  escaped  unhurt,  but  all  be- 
spattered with  the  blood  of  his  fallen  comrades.  He  received  orders  prior  to 
these  battles  to  go  home  on  recruiting  service,  that  he  might  be  with  his  wife, 
who  was,  as  the  sequel  proved,  on  her  death-bed,  but  he  refused  to  avail  himself 
of  his  privileges  until  he  had  commanded  the  regiment  through  them  all.  He 
was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  on  the  14th  of  December,  1863,  and  in 
April,    1864,   was   appointed   by   General    Sherman  Inspector-General    on   his 


840 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


staff.  He  served  in  this  capacity  through  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  on  the 
pursuit  of  Hood  until  Allatoona  was  reached,  when  he  accepted  the  Co- 
lonelcy of  one  of  the  new  regiments.  General  Sherman,  upon  relieving  him 
from  duty,  thanked  him  in  special  orders  for  his  zealous  and  intelligent  service, 
and  complimented  him  "on  his  good  sense  in  preferring  service  with  troops  to 
staff  duty." 

Colonel  Warner  joined  his  new  regiment  at  Decherd,  Tennessee,  and  in 
January,  1865  was  ordered  to  North  Carolina.  After  the  capture  of  Fort  Fisher 
he  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Kingston,  and  upon  the  occupation  of  the 
capital  of  the  "old  North  State  "  he  was  made  Provost-Marshal  of  the  city. 
After  the  surrender  of  Johnston's  army  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  post 
of  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  and  he  continued  in  that  position  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  term  of  service.  Upon  the  recommendation  of  Generals  Cox 
and  Schofield,  his  corps  and  department  commanders,  he  was  brevetted  Briga- 
dier-General in  July,  1865.  Shortly  after  this  he  was  mustered  out  of  service, 
with  the  additional  honor  of  Brevet  Major-Gen eral,  for  "  gallant  and  merito- 
rious conduct  during  the  war,"  to  rank  from  March  13,  1865. 

In  the  fall  of  1865  he  was  chosen  State  Senator  from  the  Sixteenth  Senato- 
rial District,  and  he  soon  proved  himself  as  efficient  in  the  council  as  in  the 
field.    He  resumed  his  old  residence  at  Newark. 


.  »•• 


Charles   R.  Woods.  841 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  CHARLES  R.  WOODS. 


CHAELES    E.  WOODS    is   a   native   of  Licking    County,  Ohio,  and    a 
graduate    of  West    Point.     On   his    completion  of  the    regular  course  in 
that  institution  in  July,  1852,  he  was  appointed   brevet  Second-Lieuten- 
ant in  the  First  Eegiment  Infantry. 

At  the  opening  of  the  rebellion  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Quartermaster 
on  General  Patterson's  staff.  He  was  afterward  assigned  to  General  Banks's 
staff,  and  he  continued  to  serve  as  Quartermaster  until  August,  1861,  when  he 
was  assigned  to  the  recruiting  service  at  St.  Louis.  He  remained  there  until 
the  3d  of  October,  when  he  obtained  a  leave  of  absence  with  permission  to  raise 
a  three  years'  regiment  in  Ohio. 

On  the  7th  of  October  Governor  Dennison  appointed  him  Colonel  of  the 
Seventy-Sixth  Infantry.  The  Forty-Fourth  had  then  its  complement  of  men, 
and  was  lying  in  camp  at  Springfield.  The  Governor  ordered  Colonel  Woods  to 
take  that  regiment  to  the  field.  Accordingly  he  left  Springfield  October  14th, 
in  command  of  the  Forty-Fourth,  and  on  the  18th  he  reached  Camp  Piatt  in  the 
Kanawha  Valley.  He  was  relieved  of  the  Forty-Fourth  by  Colonel  Gilbert,  and 
was  ordered  by  General  Eosecrans  to  take  command  of  the  Tenth  Ohio  Infantry, 
then  without  a  field  officer  present.  Under  General  Benham  he  participated  in 
a  chase  after  General  Floyd,  and  on  the  20th  of  November  he  returned  to  New- 
ark to  complete  the  organization  of  the  Seventy-Sixth. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1862,  he  proceeded  with  his  regiment,  by  way  of 
Cincinnati,  Paducah,  and  Smithland  to  Fort  Donelson.  He  landed  on  the  14th, 
and  was  assigned  to  Colonel  Thayer's  brigade  of  General  Lew.  Wallace's  divis- 
ion. Colonel  Woods  was  actively  engaged  on  the  15th,  the  regiment  losing 
sixteen  men  killed  and  wounded.  On  the  21st  Colonel  Wood  was  assigned  to 
the  command  of  a  brigade  consisting  of  the  Fifty-Sixth,  the  Seventy-Sixth,  and 
the  Seventy -Eighth  Ohio  Eegiments  ;  the  Twentieth  Ohio  was  subsequently 
added  to  the  brigade.  On  the  1st  of  March  the  brigade  moved  across  the 
country  to  Metal  Landing,  on  the  Tennessee,  and  thence  up  the  river  to  Crump's 
Landing.  During  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  Colonel  Whittlesey  of  the 
Twentieth  Ohio,  by  virtue  of  seniority,  commanded  the  brigade,  and  Colonel 
Woods  was  with  this  regiment.  The  brigade  did  not  reach  the  field  until  the 
evening  of  the  6th  of  April,  but  on  the  morning  of  the  7th  it  went  into  action, 
and,  though  not  closely  engaged,  it  was  exposed  to  a  galling  fire  for  nine  hours. 
On  the  25th  of  April  Colonel  Woods  again  assumed  command  of  the  brigade, 
and  participated  in  the  advance  on  Corinth.  About  the  1st  of  June  he  moved 
to  Memphis ;  and  on  the  24th  of  July  he  left  Memphis  for  Helena,  to  join  the 
Army  of  the  South- West. 


842 


Ohio  in  the  War, 


On  the  lGth  of  August  he  moved  down  the  Mississippi,  in  command  of  the 
Second  Brigade  of  Osterhaus's  division.  At  Milliken's  Bend  the  gunboats  cap- 
tured a  Rebel  steamer  loaded  with  arms  and  ammunition,  and  information  was 
received  that  a  Rebel  regiment  was  encamped  on  shore.  Colonel  Woods  landed 
his  command,  but  the  enemy  fled.  Pursuit  was  made,  and  fifty  prisoners  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  guns  were  captured;  in  addition  the  telegraph  line  was 
ycd,  and  a  depot,  containing  a  large  amount  of  sugar  and  bacon,  was 
burned.  In  October  Colonel  Woods  was  engaged  in  an  expedition  from  Helena  to 
Pilot  Knob,  and  in  December  he  moved  with  Sherman's  forces  against  Vicksburg. 
He  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou,  but  was  not  actively  engaged. 
In  the  engagement  at  Arkansas  Post  Colonel  Woods's  regiment  suffered  severely, 
losin<>-  sixty  men  in  less  than  forty  seconds.  For  gallant  conduct  in  this  action 
he  was  recommended  by  General  Sherman  for  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Briga- 
dier-General. 

On  the  15th  of  January,  1863,  Colonel  Woods  embarked  his  command  on 
transports,  and  on  the  23d  arrived  at  Young's  Point  opposite  Yicksburg.  Here 
lie  remained  until  the  2d  of  April,  when  he  moved  up  the  river,  and  on  the  2d 
of  May  commenced  the  march  across  the  country  to  Grand  Gulf.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  all  the  battles  in  the  rear  of  Yicksburg,  and  from  the  time  the  brigade 
left  Grand  Gulf  until  the  23d  of  May  it  lost  two  hundred  men,  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  of  whom  were  killed  or  wounded  on  the  22d  of  May.  During  the 
siege  the  brigade  was  posted  on  the  extreme  right  of  General  Grant's  army, 
near  the  river  above  Vicksburg.  Colonel  Woods  laid  out  the  trenches  in  his 
part  of  the  line  himself,  having  no  engineer  officer  under  his  command. 

On  the  5th  of  July  the  Colonel  moved  his  command  toward  Jackson,  on  the 
Bridgeport  Road,  by  way  of  Bolton  and  Clinton.  Upon  reaching  Jackson  ho 
took  position  in  the  second  line  of  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  and  there  re- 
mained for  some  da}Ts,  sustaining  slight  loss.  From  Jackson  the  brigade  made 
several  expeditions;  to  Canton,  to  Messenger's  Plantation,  and  again  to  Canton, 
finally  going  into  camp  for  the  summer  at  Big  Black  Bridge. 

On  the  22d  of  August  Colonel  Woods  received  his  appointment  as  Brigadier- 
General,  and  his  brigade  was  denominated  the  First  Brigade,  First  Division, 
Fifteenth  Army  Corps.  On  the  23d  of  September  the  corps  moved  for  Chatta- 
nooga, General  Woods  accompanying  it.  Upon  reaching  Chickasaw  on  the 
'IV'iinessee  River,  the  General  assumed  command  of  the  division.  Leaving  this 
point  the  division,  with  a  large  ammunition  and  supply-train,  averaged  eighteen 
miles  a  day,  and  arrived  at  Brown's  Ferry  on  the  23d  of  November.  The  pon- 
toon bridge  being  broken  down,  the  division  reported  to  General  Hooker,  and 
was  placed  in  his  column. 

General  Woods  commanded  his  brigade  in  the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain, 
and  its  conduct  was  unexceptionable.  It  moved  forward  to  the  attack  with  an 
irresistible  energy,  and  held  every  inch  of  ground  with  a  bravery  which  foiled 
the  enemy  in  all  its  attempts  to  dislodge  it.  It  was  also  engaged  at  Mission 
Ridge,  making  captures  of  men,  arms,  and  ammunition.  The  brigade  held  the 
advance  in  General  Hooker's  movement  on  Ringgold,  and  was  hotly  engaged 


Charles  R.  Woods.  843 

with  the  enemy  posted  in  one  of  the  mountain  gaps.  Some  of  the  regiments 
fired  one  hundred  cartridges  per  man,  besides  rifling  the  boxes  of  the  killed  and 
wounded.  General  Wood's  brigade  returned  to  Chattanooga  on  the  1st  of  De- 
cember, and  on  the  3d  it  marched  to  Bridgeport;  the  march  was  continued  to 
Woodville,  where,  in  connection  with  the  First  Division  of  the  Fifteenth  Corps, 
the  brigade  acted  as  guard  to  the  line  of  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  1864,  General  Woods's  command  left  Woodville,  and 
marched  by  way  of  Bridgeport  to  Chattanooga.  The  troops  pressed  on  through 
Snake  Creek  Gap,  and  about  the  12th  of  May  arrived  near  to  Eesaca.  In  the 
battle  at  that  place  General  Woods  handled  his  brigade  with  rare  skill,  and  was 
highty  complimented  by  his  superior  officers.  He  was  next  engaged  at  Dallas, 
and  then  again  at  Kenesaw ;  after  which  there  was  a  series  of  fightings  and 
flankings  in  which  the  General  participated,  until  the  occupation  of  Atlanta. 

General  Woods  led  his  brigade  through  the  Georgia  campaign,  and  also  the 
campaign  of  the  Carolinas.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  accompanied  the  army 
to  Washington  City,  and  participated  in  the  grand  review.  On  the  1st  of  July, 
1865,  by  telegram  from  General  Thomas,  commanding  at  Nashville,  he  was  as- 
signed to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  Alabama,  with  head-quarters  at 
Mobile  ;  where  he  remained  through  that  and  the  ensuing  year. 

General  Woods  has  participated  in  the  following  campaigns,  skirmishes, 
sieges,  and  battles:  Campaign  of  the  Virginia  Yalley  April,  May,  June,  July, 
1861;  pursuit  of  Eebel  forces  in  Kanawha  Yalley,  November,  1861;  battle  of 
Fort  Donelson ;  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing;  siege  of  Corinth  ;  expedition  down 
the  Mississippi,  August,  1862;  battle  of  Chickasaw  Bayou;  battle  of  Arkansas 
Post;  Jackson,  May  15,  1863;  siege  of  Yicksburg  and  assault,  May  22,  1863; 
siege  of  Jackson,  July,  1863;  skirmish  at  Canton,  July,  1863;  skirmish  at  Can- 
ton, July  17, 1863  ;  skirmishes  on  Memphis  and  Charleston  Eailroad,  near  Chero- 
kee Station  and  Tuscumbia,  October,  1863 ;  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain  ;  battle 
of  Mission  Eidge ;  battle  of  Einggold.  In  the  Atlanta  campaign:  Battle  of 
Eesaca;  battle  of  Dallas;  skirmishes  near  Kenesaw;  siege  of  Atlanta  and  bat- 
tles, 22d  and  28th  of  July,  1864;  battle  of  Jonesboro';  skirmish  at  Lovejoy's 
Station.  In  pursuit  of  Hood:  Skirmishes  at  mouth  of  Octoba;  Ship's  Gap;  Lit- 
tle Eiver;  and  Turkeytown.  Georgia  campaign:  Battle  of  Griswoldville;  skir- 
mish at  Wright's  Bridge;  siege  of  Savannah.  Campaign  of  the  Carolinas:  Skir- 
mish at  the  Little  Congaree;  skirmish  and  capture  of  Columbia  ;  and  battle  of 
Bentonville.  During  nearly  five  years  of  service  General  Woods  was  absent 
forty-seven  days  on  leave;  he  wTas  excused  from  duty  on  account  of  sickness  ten 
days;  and  these  constitute  the  sum  of  his  absence.  His  command  was  never 
engaged  in  a  skirmish  or  battle  in  which  he  also  did  not  participate. 

General  Woods  is  portly  in  appearance,  rather  slow  in  movements  and  in 
conversation.  He  gives  those  who  meet  him  the  impression  of  a  steady,  solid, 
judicious,  and  trustworthy  person,  rather  than  one  of  special  brilliancy.  Gen- 
eral Sherman  once  spoke  of  him  as  a  "  magnificent  officer."  Before  the  war  his 
political  sympathies  were  conservative  and  democratic. 


844 


Ohio   in   the  War. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  AUGUST  V.  KAUTZ 


GENEEAL  KAUTZ  was  born  on  the  5th  of  January,  1828,  in  the 
valley  of  Ispringen,  near  Potzheim,  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany. 
Six  months  after  his  birth  his  father  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
and  after  a  residence  of  several  years  in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  moved  to  George- 
town, Brown  County,  Ohio,  and  in  1844  to  the  Ohio  Kiver,  near  Eipley,  where 
he  still  resides.  The  General  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children.  His 
father  was  a  carpenter,  and  sustained  his  family  by  his  trade  until  his  removal 
from  Georgetown,  when  he  commenced  the  production  of  Catawba  wine.  From 
his  eleventh  to  his  fourteenth  year  the  General  was  employed  principally  in  the 
printing  offices  in  Georgetown,  and  from  his  fifteenth  to  his  eighteenth  year  he 
assisted  his  father  at  his  trade  and  at  farming. 

In  June,  1846,  young  Kautz  enlisted  as  a  private  in  company  G,  First  Ohio 
Volunteers,  Colonel  Alex.  M.  Mitchell  commanding.  The  company  was  raised 
under  the  patronage  of  Thomas  L.  Hamer,  afterward  Brigadier- General,  and 
went  to  Mexico.  The  regiment  was  assigned  to  the  First  Yolunteer  Field 
Brigade,  General  Hamer  commanding.  Kautz,  then  only  eighteen  years  old, 
served  out  his  enlistment  of  twelve  months,  and  was  with  his  regiment  at  the 
battle  of  Monterey.  In  1848  he  was  appointed  a  cadet  at  the  West  Point 
Military  Academy  by  Jonathan  D.  Morris,  then  member  of  Congress  from  the 
Sixth  Congressional  District.  In  1852  he  graduated,  and  was  appointed  Brevet 
Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  United  States  Infantry.  He  joined  the  regi- 
ment at  Fort  Vancouver,  Oregon,  in  December,  1852,  and  served  with  it  until 
the  commencement  of  the  rebellion.  In  the  spring  of  1853  he  was  ordered  to 
Fort  Steilacoom,  on  Puget  Sound.  In  May  of  the  same  year  he  was  sent  down 
the  sound  in  a  boat  to  visit  the  Indians.  After  a  month's  absence,  he  returned 
and  found  that  he  had  been  promoted  to  be  a  full  Second-Lieutenant,  and  had 
been  ordered  to  join  his  company  at  Humboldt  Bay,  California. 

He  set  out  by  land,  in  July,  with  a  saddle-horse  and  a  pack-horse.  He 
crossed  the  mountains  through  the  .Nachess  Pass,  and  was  joined  by  two  men 
who  accompanied  him  to  trade  with  the  Indians.  The  greater  portion  of  tho 
distance  to  the  Dalles,  on  the  Columbia  Eiver,  was  made  on  foot,  as  one  of  the 
horses  had  given  out  and  had  to  be  abandoned.  This  region  was  at  that  time 
unexplored.  At  the  Dalles  he  procured  another  horse,  recrossed  the  mountains 
by  the  Emigrant  Eoad,  and  came  into  Fort  Vancouver  at  the  time  that  an  out- 
break among  the  Eogue  Eiver  Indians  occurred,  and  a  piece  of  artillery  was 
called  for  by  Captain  Aldens.     The  distance  was  nearly  four  hundred  miles,  but 


August  V.  Kautz.  845 

Kautz  was  dispatched  with  a  sergeant  and  a  twelve-pounder  brass  field  how- 
itzer and  caisson.  The  march  was  made  in  thirteen  days,  which  was  a  remark- 
ably short  time,  considering  the  condition  of  the  roads  and  the  mountainous 
country  over  which  he  passed.  When  he  reached  Eogue  Eiver  an  engagement 
had  taken  place,  and  the  Indians  had  agreed  to  treat.  Lieutenant  Kautz  re- 
mained a  few  weeks,  and  then  continued  his  journey  to  San  Francisco,  where 
he  arrived  in  October. 

At  San  Francisco  he  received  orders  to  report  to  Fort  Oxford,  which  is 
situated  on  the  Oregon  coast  near  the  California  line,  and  he  remained  in  com- 
mand of  this  post  until  January.  1856.  Lieutenant  Kautz's  term  of  service  at 
this  post  was  a  continuous  series  of  interesting  adventures.  On  the  25th  of 
October,  1855,  while  making  a  reconnoissance  through  the  Coast  Eange  of  mount- 
ains, from  Fort  Oxford  to  Fort  Lane  with  forty  men,  he  encountered  a  large 
force  of  hostile  Indians.  In  an  engagement  with  these  Indians,  Kautz  lost  two 
men  and  all  his  equipments,  and  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  He  was  hit 
with  a  heavy  rifle  ball  in  his  right  side,  and  it  was  only  prevented  from  proving 
fatal  by  striking  a  memorandum  book  in  his  breast  pocket. 

In  December,  1855,  he  was  promoted  to  a  First-Lieutenant,  and  joined  his 
company  at  Fort  Steilacoom  in  the  latter  part  of  February,  1856,  in  time  to 
take  part  in  an  expedition  against  the  Indians,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Casey, 
Ninth  Infantry,  in  which  he  was  wounded  again  in  an  engagement  on  White 
Eiver,  Washington  Territory.  He  served  as  Quartermaster  at  Fort  Steilacoom 
until  October,  1858,  when  he  was  ordered  to  the  North-Western  Boundary  Com- 
mission. In  the  spring  of  1859  Lieutenant  Kautz  received  a  leave  of  absence, 
which  was  extended  for  a  year,  and  during  that  time  he  visited  Europe  and 
spent  the  most  of  his  leave  on  the  Continent.  Upon  his  return  to  the  United 
States  he  was  ordered  immediately  to  accompany  an  expedition  to  convey  re- 
cruits to  Washington  Territoiy.  He  joined  his  company  at  Fort  Cheholis,  on 
Gray's  Harbor,  Washington  Territory,  In  December,  1860. 

In  May,  1861,  he  was  detailed  on  recruiting  service  for  his  regiment,  and 
arrived  in  New  York  a  week  after  the  battle  of  Bull  Eun.  In  the  meantime 
he  had  been  appointed  Captain  in  the  Sixth  Cavalry,  and  he  joined  the  regi- 
ment at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  The  organization  of  the  regiment  was  com- 
pleted at  Washington  City  during  the  winter  of  1861-2,  and  it  made  the  cam- 
paign with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  on  the  peninsula.  Just  before  the  seven 
days'  fighting  Kautz  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  regiment,  and  continued 
in  command  of  it  until  the  following  September,  when  he  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry.  He  joined  the  regiment  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas  in 
October,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  procured  an  order  for  the  regiment  to  return 
to  Ohio  to  refit  and  remount.  The  winter  of  1862-3  was  spent  in  reorganizing, 
and  in  April,  1863,  Kautz  proceeded  with  the  regiment  to  Kentucky.  During 
the  spring  and  summer  he  participated  in  several  sharp  engagements  at  and 
near  Monticello,  and  a  part  of  the  time  commanded  a  brigade  composed  of  the 
Second  and  Seventh  Ohio  Cavalry.  He  was  in  the  pursuit  of  John  Morgan 
through  Kentucky,  Indiana,  and  Ohio  and  Morgan's  defeat  at  Buflfington  Island 


84(i 


Ohio  in  the  Wae: 


lue,  in  n  great  measure,  to  his  judicious  attack.  Upon  returning  to  Ken- 
.  Kautz  was  appointed  Chief  of  Cavalry  of  the  Twenty-Third  Corps,  and 
lin  that  capacity  through  Burnside's  campaign  in  East  Tennessee  and 
through  the  siege  of  Knoxville.  In  January,  1864,  he  was  ordered  to  take 
Charge  of  the  organization  of  the  East  Tennessee  recruits  at  Camp  Nelson,  Ken- 
tucky ;  but,  before  he  could  enter  upon  his  work  at  Camp  Nelson,  he  was  ordered 
to  Washington  City  for  duty  in  the  Cavalry  Bureau,  where  he  remained  until 
just  previous  to  the  great  campaign  of  that  year  against  Eichmond,  when  he 

commissioned  a  Brigadier-General  and  ordered  to  the  Army  of  the  James. 

He  took  command  of  the  cavalry  of  that  army  at  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  in 
the  latter  part  of  April.  His  force  consisted  of  about  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  men.  On  the  5th  of  May  he  set  out  to  cut  the  Weldon  and  Petersburg 
Railroad,  and  on  the  7th  he  struck  the  road  at  Stony  Creek  Station,  captured 
the  guard  and  burned  the  bridge,  water-tank  and  buildings.  The  next  day  he 
burned  the  Notaway  Bridge,  destroyed  the  next  station  south  and  captured 
more  prisoners;  amounting,  with  those  taken  the  day  previous,  to  one  hundred 
and  forty.  He  arrived  with  his  prisoners  at  City  Point  on  the  10th,  his  expedi- 
tion having  proved  entirely  successful.  On  the  11th  of  May  he  crossed  over  to 
Bermuda  Hundred,  and  on  the  12th  started  again  and  struck  the  Eichmond 
and  Danville  Road  at  Coal  Fields,  ten  miles  west  of  Eichmond;  he  destroyed 
the  station,  and  also  Powhatan  and  Chula  stations.  He  then  crossed'over  to 
the  South  Side  Eoad  and  destroyed  Wilson,  Mellville,  and  Black's  and  White's 
Stations,  and  returned  to  City  Point  by  way  of  Jarratt's  Station.  This  expedi- 
tion was  as  successful  as  the  first.  On  the  9th  of  June  General  Butler  planned 
an  expedition  to  surprise  Petersburg.  General  Gillmore,  commanding  the  prin- 
cipal force,  was  to  make  a  demonstration  and  occupy  the  enemy  while  General 
Kautz,  with  his  cavalry  force,  about  thirteen  hundred  strong,  was  to  force  the 
intrench ment  at  some  undefended  point.  General  Kautz  succeeded  in  carrying 
the  fortifications  on  the  Jerusalem  Plank  Eoad,  and  penetrated  to  the  town;  but 
for  want  of  proper  support  he  found  it  necessary  to  withdraw.  On  the  15th 
of  June  General  W.  F.  Smith  made  a  similar  co-operative  movement  with 
Kautz,  with  the  difference  that  Smith  was  to  make  the  actual  attack  and  Kautz 
the  demonstration.  The  result  was  the  capture  of  two  miles  of  the  Eebel 
works  by  General  Smith.  On  the  21st  of  June  an  expedition  under  General 
Wilson,  composed  of  his  own  and  Kautz's  division,  started  to  destroy  the  Peters- 
burg and  Lynchburg,  and  the  Eichmond  and  Danville  Eailroads.  The  expedi- 
tion was  successful  in  destroying  the  railroads,  but  in  returning  it  narrowly 
escaped  capture  at  Eeam's  Station.  The  main  part  of  the  force  escaped,  but 
the  artillery  and  a  few  baggage  wagons  and  ambulances,  with  the  sick  and 
wounded,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  Kautz,  trusting  to  his  woodcraft, 
struck  across  the  country,  ignoring  roads,  and  slept  within  the  National  lines 
that  night.  Wilson,  taking  a  more  circuitous  route,  did  not  get  in  until  tho 
third  day.  During  this  raid  General  Kautz  was  engaged,  sharply,  at  Eoanoke 
Bridge  and  at  Eeam's  Station. 

During  the  summer  of  1864  General   Kautz  served  alternately  with  the 


August  V.  Kautz.  847 

Army  of  the  James  and  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  participated  in  the 
movement  by  the  right  under  General  Hancock,  and  during  August  and  the 
greater  portion  of  September  he  picketed  the  rear  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac, 
from  the  James  Eiver  to  the  left.  On  the  29th  of  September  he  joined  in  the 
movement  that  resulted  in  the  capture  of  Fort  Harrison,  at  Chapin's  Farm.  He 
made  a  demonstration  along  the  interior  line  of  the  enemy's  intrenchments  in 
front  of  Eichmond,  and  penetrated  nearer  to  the  city  than  any  National  troops 
had  ever  gone,  except  as  prisoners.  After  the  capture  of  Chap  in 'a  Farm,  General 
Kautz,  with  his  cavalry,  was  intrusted  with  the  protection  of  the  right  flank  of 
the  Army  of  the  James.  His  head-quarters  were  at  Darleytown,  and  his  pickets 
extended  to  the  Charles  City  Eoad.  The  position  was  an  unfortunate  one,  as 
there  was  a  swamp  in  the  rear  of  the  command,  and  only  one  indifferent  road 
through  it.  General  Kautz  reported  to  his  superior  the  error  in  the  position, 
but  received  no  authority  to  change  it;  he  therefore  strengthened  himself  as 
best  he  could.  On  the  night  of  the  6th  of  October  two  refugees  from  Eichmond 
brought  him  intelligence  which  convinced  him  that  he  would  be  attacked  in 
the  morning.  He  reported  the  facts  to  superior  head-quarters,  and  prepared  his 
own  command  for  battle.  Before  daylight,  on  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the 
enemy  appeared  in  force.  In  the  meantime  Kautz  had  received  no  instructions. 
Two  divisions  of  infantry,  perhaps  numbering  six  thousand  men,  attacked  his 
extended  line,  imperfectly  protected  and  only  fifteen  hundred  strong;  and  one- 
fourth  of  these  were  required  to  hold  the  horses,  while  the  remaining  three- 
fourths  dismounted  and  fought  with  carbines.  The  Eebel  cavalry,  quite  as 
strong  as  his  own,  turned  his  right  flank  and  placed  themselves  between  Kautz 
and  the  Army  of  the  James,  only  two  miles  away.  General  Kautz  held  his 
ground  until  eight  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and  then  fell  back  through  the  Eebel  cavalry. 
This  obstinate  resistance  gave  the  Army  of  the  James  time  to  prepare  for  de- 
fense, and  the  Eebels  were  repulsed  with  heavy  loss.  A  few  days  after  this 
General  Kautz  was  brevetted  a  Major-General  of  Yoiunteers. 

On  the  13th  of  October  General  Kautz  participated  in  a  reconnoissance, 
under  General  Terry,  in  which  the  forces  engaged  sustained  a  heavy  loss. 
During  the  winter  General  Kautz,  with  his  cavalry  division,  guarded  the  right 
flank  of  the  Army  of  the  James.  On  the  10th  of  December  the  enemy  made  a 
reconnoissance  down  the  Darleytown  Eoad,  but  the  position  taken  by  the  cavalry 
was  fortified  so  strongly  that  the  Eebels  did  not  reach  the  intrenchments  occu- 
pied by  the  infantry.  General  Kautz  devoted  himself  to  the  preparation  of 
his  cavalry  for  the  spring  campaign  ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  scarcity  of  forage, 
the  command  was  reported  by  the  Inspectors  to  be  in  fine  condition;  but  in 
March,  1865,  he  was  relieved  from  the  cavalry  division,  and  assigned  the  com- 
mand of  the  First  Division  of  the  Twenty -Fifth  Corps.  The  division  was 
composed  entirely  of  colored  troops,  and  had  an  actual  strength  of  about  seven 
thousand  men.  On  the  3d  of  April  Kautz  marched  into  Eichmond  under 
"Weitzel,  and  remained,  in  command  of  his  division,  in  the  vicinity  of  Eichmond 
and  Petersburg  until  May,  when  he  was  ordered  to  Washington  City,  as  a  member 
of  the  Military  Commission  that  convened  for  the  trial  of  the  assassins  of  Prcsi- 


848  Ohio  in  the   War. 

dent  Lincoln.  When  the  commission  was  dissolved  he  proceeded  to  his  home, 
and  remained  until  an  order  was  issued  in  January,  1866,  mustering  out  all 
Uncial  officers  of  the  volunteer  service.  He  subsequently  served  on  General 
Sheridan's  staff  as  Acting  Judge-Advocate  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  Gulf. 
Among  General  Kautz's  classmates  from  Ohio  were  Generals  Sheridan, 
Crook  Stanley,  C.  R.  Woods,  and  McCook.  These  were  all  the  Ohioans  of  the 
class  that  were  alive  at  the  time  of  the  rebellion,  and  all  were  Major-Generals 
or  Brevet  Major-Generals  in  the  National  army.  General  Kautz  was  married 
on  September  14,  1865,  to  Miss  Charlotte  Tod,  eldest  daughter  of  ex-Governor 
Tod.  During  the  war  he  prepared  the  following  works  on  military  adminis- 
tration:  The  Company  Clerk;  Customs  of  Service  for  Non-commissioned  Of- 
ficers and  Soldiers,  and  Customs  of  Service  for  Officers  of  the  Army.  The  first 
was  verv  successful,  the  second  was  issued  near  the  close  of  the  war,  and  the 
latter  has  been  issued  since  the  war  has  closed. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES. 


RUTHERFORD  B.  HAYES  was  born  at  Delaware,  Ohio,  or  the  4th 
of  October,  1822.  After  a  good  preliminary  education,  he  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Thomas  Sparrow,  Esq.,  of  Columbus.  With 
the  liberal  preparation  here  received  he  entered  the  Law  School  of  Harvard 
College,  where  he  completed  the  regular  course  and  graduated  with  credit. 

For  some  years  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he  had  been  practic- 
ing his  profession  in  Cincinnati.  His  genial  manners  and  his  fine  capacities  as 
a  public  speaker  had  commended  him  to  popular  favor,  and  he  had  more  than 
once  been  elevated  to  responsible  official  positions.  As  city  solicitor  he  had 
enlarged  his  reputation  as  a  lawyer,  and  established  himself  in  the  confidence 
both  of  the  profession  and  of  his  increasing  numbers  of  clients. 

At  the  first  call  for  volunteers  in  1861  he  was  in  the  prime  of  life  (entered 
upon  his  thirty-ninth  year)  and  in  the  height  of  a  successful  practice.  He  prof- 
fered his  services,  however,  at  once,  and  wTas  appointed  Major  of  the  Twenty- 
Third  Ohio  Infantry  on  the  7th  of  June,  1861.  He  served  under  General  Rose- 
crans  in  West  Virginia  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1861,  and  for  a  short  time 
was  Judge-Advocate  on  the  General's  staff.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  on  the  4th  of  November,  1861.  He  took  command  of  the  Twenty-Third 
Regi men t,  and  continued  to  command  it  during  the  spring  campaign  in  West 
Virginia,  and  the  autumn  campaign  under  General  McClellan,  until  he  was  dis- 
abled at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain.  lie  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Sev- 
enty-Ninth Ohio  in  1862,  but  was  prevented  by  the  South-Mountain  wound  from 
joining  the  regiment ;  and  on  the  15th  of  October,  of  the  same  year,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  Colonelcy  of  the  Twenty-Third.     On  the  25th  of  December,  1862, 


Rutherford   B.    Hayes.  849 

Colonel  Hayes  was  placed  in  command  of  the  First  Brigade  of  the  Kanawha 
division,  and  he  continued  in  this  position  until  Sheridan's  victory  at  Winches- 
ter, in  September,  1864,  when  he  took  command  of  the  Kanawha  division,  and 
led  it  through  the  remainder  of  the  active  campaigning  in  that  year. 

In  the  battle  of  Winchester  Colonel  Hayes  was  leading  his  brigade  in  a 
charge,  when  suddenly  they  came  upon  a  morass  some  sixty  yards  wide ;  the 
water  was  waist  deep,  and  in  some  places  overgrown  with  heavy  moss  almost 
strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  a  man,  while  the  bottom  was  soft  and 
miry.  This  seemed  an  impassable  obstacle,  and  the  whole  line  hesitated.  But 
there  was  no  hesitation  on  the  part  of  Colonel  Hayes.  He  immediately  spurred 
his  horse  into  the  slough  under  a  brisk  fire  of  artillery  and  musketry.  When 
about  half  way  across  the  horse  mired  hopelessly,  and  then  the  Colonel  dis- 
mounted and  waded  out,  being  the  first  man  across.  All  through  the  action  he 
was  exposed  continually;  men  fell  all  around  him;  and  his  Adjutant-General 
was  shot  at  his  very  side.* 

In  October,  1864,  Colonel  Hayes  was  appointed  Brigadier-General,  "for 
gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  the  battles  of  Winchester,  Fisher's  Hill,  and 
Cedar  Creek,"  to  take  rank  from  the  19th  of  October — the  date  of  the  battle  of 
Cedar  Creek.  In  the  spring  of  1865  he  was  given  the  command  of  an  expedi- 
tion against  Lynchburg,  by  way  of  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia,  and  was 
engaged  in  preparations  for  that  campaign  when  the  war  closed. 

General  Hayes  was  brevetted  Major-General  at  the  close  of  the  war  for  gal- 
lant and  distinguished  services  during  the  campaign  of  1864,  in  West  Virginia, 
particularly  at  the  battles  of  Fisher's  Hill  and  Cedar  Creek,  to  date  from  March 
13,  1865.  He  was  engaged  in  much  severe  service,  and  he  participated  in  many 
battles.  He  had  three  horses  shot  under  him,  and  was  wounded  four  times, 
once  very  severely. 

Before  the  close  of  the  war  he  had  been  elected  to  Congress  from  the  Second 
Cincinnati  District  by  a  handsome  majority,  and  in  1866  he  was  re-elected. 
Although  a  fine  speaker,  he  preferred  not  to  add  to  the  multitude  of  words 
which  in  Congress  so  often  darken  counsel,  and  in  three  sessions  he  did  not 
make  a  single  elaborate  speech.  His  action,  however,  was  uniformly  in  the  line 
of  policy  of  the  Republican  party,  by  which  he  had  been  elected;  and  his  fidel- 
ity and  sound  judgment  were  greatly  relied  on  by  his  fellow-members. 

At  the  Republican  State  Convention,  in  1867,  he  was  nominated  by  a  hand- 
some majority — almost  indeed,  spontaneously,  —  for  the  Governorship  of  the 
State,  to  succeed  Governor  Cox.  He  thereupon  resigned  his  seat  in  Congress, 
and  entered  actively  upon  the  canvass.  The  contest  was  complicated  by  the 
negro-suffrage  question,  the  bond  question,  and  other  matters,  which  loaded 
down  the  ticket  with  an  unpopular  platform.  General  Hayes  was,  however, 
elected  by  a  majority  of  about  three  thousand;  and  was  all  the  more  highly  es- 
teemed at  the  close  of  the  campaign,  by  reason  of  his  handsome  bearing  through- 
out it. 

•  For  a  fuller  account  of  his  brilliant  conduct  in  this  and  the  other  Shenandoah  battles,  see 
the  sketch  of  his  regiment,  Twenty-Third  Infantry,  in  Vol.  II. 

Vol.  I.— 54. 


850 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  CHARLES  C.  WALCUTT. 

CHARLES  C.  WALCUTT  was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  February 
12th,  1338.  Ho  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  until 
1854^  when  he  was  sent  to  the  Kentucky  Military  Institute,  near  Frank- 
fort Kentucky,  where  he  graduated  in  1858.  Before  the  opening  of  the  rebell- 
ion he  took  much  interest  in  the  State  militia,  and  commanded  a  volunteer 
company  in  Columbus,  called  the  Yidettes.  This  company  subsequently  fur- 
nished several  valuable  officers  to  the  army.  After  graduating,  his  intention  was 
to  become  a  civil  engineer;  but,  on  the  15th  of  April,  1861,  three  days  after  the 
fire  on  Fort  Sumter,  he  commenced  recruiting  a  company,  and  on  the  17th  its 
organization  was  complete.  Governor  Dennison  being  aware  of  young  Wal- 
cutt's  military  knowledge,  appointed  him  Inspector,  with  the  rank  of  Major,  and 
assigned  him  to  duty  with  Brigadier-General  Chas.  W.  Hill,  in  West  Virginia. 

On  the  8th  of  August,  1861,  he  was  appointed  Major  of  the  Forty-Sixth 
Ohio ;  but,  before  the  regiment  was  ready  for  the  field,  he  was  made  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  In  February,  1862,  he  joined  General  Sherman  at  Paducah,  and  in 
March  he  moved  with  the  fleet  up  the  Tennessee.  On  the  first  day  of  the  battle 
of  Pittsburg  Landing  Lieutenant-Colonel  Walcutt  was  wounded  severely  by  a 
ball  in  the  left  shoulder.  He  was  disabled  for  sixty  days,  and  the  ball  still 
remains  in  his  shoulder. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1862,  he  was  made  Colonel  of  the  regiment. 
He  participated  in  the  campaign  under  General  Grant  into  Central  Mississippi, 
and  was  engaged  frequently  in  raiding  in  Northern  Mississippi,  his  command 
being  mounted.  He  was  ordered  to  Vicksburg  on  the  1st  of  June,  1863,  but 
at  the  time  of  the  surrender  he  was  operating  against  General  Johnston,  and 
he  subsequently  participated  in  the  capture  of  Jackson.  Colonel  Walcutt's 
regiment  was  attached  to  the  Second  Brigade,  Fourth  Division,  Fifteenth  Army 
Corps,  and  in  September  he  moved  with  the  corps  to  the  relief  of  Chattanooga. 
At  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge  the  brigade,  under  General  Corse,  assaulted  the 
enemy's  works  on  the  24th  and  25th  of  November.  The  most  severe  assault 
was  on  the  25th,  in  which  General  Corse  was  wounded,  and  the  command  of  the 
brigade  fell  into  the  hands  of  Colonel  Walcutt.  In  his  official  report  General 
Sherman  said:  "The  fight  raged  furiously  about  ten  A.  M.,  when  General  Corse 
received  a  severe  wound  and  was  brought  off  the  field,  and  the  command  of  the 
brigade,  and  of  the  assault  at  that  key-point,  devolved  upon  that  fine,  young, 
gallant  officer,  Colonel  Walcutt,  of  the  Forty-Sixth  Ohio,  who  filled  his  part 
manfully.  He  continued  the  contest,  pressing  forward  at  all  points."  Colonel 
Walcutt's  brigade  shared  in  the  pursuit  of  the  Rebels  from  Mission  Ridge,  and 
then  marched  for  the  relief  of  Knoxville.  "Upon  its  return  it  went  into  winter- 
quarters  in  Northern  Alabama. 

On  the  5th  of  January,  1864,  the  entire  brigade  re-enlisted.     This  action 


Charles   C.  Walcutt.  851 

was  owing  largely  to  the  influence  of  Colonel  Walcutt,  and  he  looks  upon  it 
with  more  pride  than  upon  any  battle  in  which  he  was  ever  engaged.  Upon 
the  expiration  of  the  veteran  furlough  the  brigade  entered  upon  the  Atlanta 
campaign.  It  participated  in  all  the  general  engagements,  and,  in  addition,  had 
several  affairs  of  its  own — at  Kcsaca  and  Dallas,  and  at  New  Hope  Church  on 
the  15th  of  June,  where  it  captured  four  hundred  prisoners.  On  the  27th  of 
June,  though  almost  worn  out  with  incessant  marching,  digging,  and  fighting, 
it  was  one  of  the  brigades  specially  detailed  to  make  the  assault  on  Kenesaw. 
On  the  22d  of  July,  before  Atlanta,  the  day  upon  which  General  McPherson 
was  killed,  the  brigade  performed  most  gallant  service.  Not  once  during  that 
terrific  struggle  did  it  become  disorganized,  and  Colonel  Walcutt  was  assured 
that  his  pertinacious  fighting  did  much  toward  preventing  disaster.  The  men 
fought  to  the  front,  flank,  and  rear;  and  at  one  time  Colonel  Walcutt  was 
ordered  to  retire,  as  he  was  almost  completely  surrounded ;  but,  feeling  con- 
fident of  holding  his  position,  he  disobeyed  the  order,  and,  as  he  was  successful 
in  his  efforts,  his  disobedience  cost  him  nothing.  On'the  28th  the  brigade  was 
again  engaged,  if  possible,  more  severely  than  on  the  22d ;  and  on  the  30th 
Colonel  Walcutt  was  appointed  Brigadier-General.  The  brigade  was  engaged 
at  Jonesboro'  and  Lovejoy;  and  thus  ended  the  Atlanta  campaign,  which  had 
been  to  Walcutt's  brigade  a  continuous  battle. 

The  brigade  was  next  engaged  in  the  chase  after  Hood,  whom  it  followed 
into  Northern  Alabama,  and  then  returned  to  Atlanta  in  time  to  join  "the 
march  to  the  sea."  On  this  campaign  General  Walcutt's  brigade  fought  the 
only  considerable  battle  that  occurred.  General  Wood's  division,  to  which  the 
brigade  belonged,  was  lying  midway  between  Gordon's  and  Griswold's  Stations, 
on  the  Georgia  Central  Eailroad.  General  Walcutt  was  ordered  to  make  a  dem- 
onstration toward  Macon.  During  the  morning  he  engaged  Wheeler's  cavalry 
and  routed  them ;  but  about  noon  he  was  attacked  by  the  Georgia  militia,  under 
General  Phillips,  the  force  consisting  of  three  brigades,  two  independent  bat- 
talions, and  a  full  battery  of  artillery,  in  all  from  eight  to  ten  thousand  men. 
General  Walcutt  had  thirteen  hundred  muskets  and  two  pieces  of  artillery ;  but, 
nothing  daunted,  he  stood  his  ground  and  made  it  a  day  long  to  be  remembered  by 
the  Georgia  militia.  General  Howard,  in  his  congratulatory  letter,  estimated  the 
Rebel  loss  at  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand ;  the  National  loss  did  not 
exceed  eighty.  In  this  affair  General  Walcutt  was  disabled  by  a  shell-wound 
in  the  right  leg,  and,  upon  reaching  Savannah,  he  left  for  his  home  in  Ohio. 

"For  special  gallantry  at  the  battle  of  Griswoldsville,"  Brigadier-General 
I  Walcutt  was  made  Major-General  by  brevet;  and,  upon  recovering  from  his 
wound,  he  reported  for  duty,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First 
)  Division,  Fourteenth  Army  Corps.  He  participated  in  the  subsequent  move- 
1  ments  of  Sherman's  army,  and  in  the  review  at  Washington  City;  after  which 
j  ho  took  the  Western  regiments  in  his  division  to  Louisville,  Kentucky.  By  the 
I  1st  of  August,  1865,  they  were  all  mustered  out,  and  General  Walcutt  was  then 
I  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Missouri.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the 
i   service  January  15,  1866,  having  served  four  years  and  nine  months. 


852 


Ohio  in  the  War 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  KENNER  GARRARD. 


KENNER  GAKRARDis  grandson,  on  the  maternal  side,  of  Israel 
Ludlow,  of  New  Jersey,  one  of  the  founders  and  original  proprietors 
of  Cincinnati.  His  mother — Miss  Sarah  Bella  Ludlow  —  first  married 
the  father  of  the  present  sketch,  Jeptha  Garrard,  Esq.,  long  since  deceased. 
After  remaining  some  time  a  widow,  Mrs.  Garrard  married,  about  twenty  years 
ago,  the  late  Judge  McLean,  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court.  Kenner 
Garrard  was  born  in  Kentucky,  during  a  temporary  visit  of  his  mother  to  that 
State.  He  entered  West  Point  Military  Academy  as  cadet  from  Cincinnati  in 
tho  year  1847.  In  July,  1851,  he  graduated,  and  was  enrolled  in  the  United 
States  service  as  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant,  Fourth  Artillery. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  rebellion  he  was  a  Captain  in  the  Second 
United  States  Cavalry.  He  was  on  duty  in  Texas,  and,  wTith  a  number  of  other 
officers  stationed  in  San  Antonio,  was  seized  and  held  as  a  prisoner  of  war  by 
the  Rebels.  He  was  released  and  allowed  to  go  North  on  a  parole,  which  per- 
mitted him  to  perform  military  duty  out  of  the  field.  He  was  accordingly  on 
duty,  first  in  the  War  Department,  and  afterward  as  commandant  of  the  Corps 
of  Cadets  at  the  Military  Academy.     He  was  exchanged  in  September,  1862. 

He  was  immediately  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
Sixth  New  York,  and  he  served  with  that  regiment  in  the  Second  Division, 
Fifth  Corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac;  participating  in  the  battles  of  Fredericks- 
burg, Chancellorsville,  and  Gettysburg.  For  gallantry  in  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg he  was  made  Brigadier-General  of  Volunteers  on  the  23d  of  July,  1863. 
He  still  continued  to  serve  with  the  Fifth  Corps,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles 
of  Rappahannock  Station  and  Mine  River.  In  January,  1864,  General  Garrard 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Cavalry  Bureau  of  the  War  Department;  but  in 
the  same  month,  at  his  own  request,  he  was  relieved  and  ordered  to  the  field. 

In  February  General  Garrard  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Second 
Cavalry  Division,  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  He  commanded  this  division  on 
the  Atlanta  campaign,  having  the  entire  care  of  one  of  the  flanks  of  General 
Sherman's  army,  and  performing  much  other  duty  pertaining  to  the  cavalry 
arm.  He  thus  rendered  very  signal  service  during  the  operations  which  re- 
suited  in  the  capture  of  Atlanta.  In  November,  at  his  own  request,  he  was 
relieved  from  the  cavalry  service  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Second 
Division,  Sixteenth  Army  Corps.  He  commanded  the  division  in  the  battle  of 
Nashville,  and  was  brevetted  a  Major-General  "  for  conspicuous  efficiency  and 
gallantry  on  the  field  of  battle  before  Nashville,  December  15th  and  16th,  1864. 

General  Garrard  was  engaged  in  the  Mobile  campaign,  and  his  division  was 
especially  distinguished  in  the  assault  on  Fort  Blakely.  lie  remained  in  com- 
mand of  his  division  until  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service. 


Hugh  Ewing.  853 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  HUGH  EWING. 


HUGH  EWING  is  the  son  of  the  Hon.  Thomas  Ewing,  of  Lancaster, 
Ohio,  brother  to  General  Thomas  H.  Ewing,  and  brother-in-law  to 
General  W.  T.  Sherman.  He  fitted  himself  for  the  practice  of  the  law, 
and  was  engaged  in  that  profession  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion.  On 
the  6th  of  May,  1861,  he  received  from  Governor  Dennison  the  appointment  of 
"  Brigade  Inspector  of  the  Third  Brigade,  Ohio  militia,"  with  the  rank  of  Major, 
and  was  engaged  at  Camp  Dennison  in  drilling  the  troops,  instructing  officers 
and  men  in  guard,  patrol,  and  police  duties,  inspection  of  companies,  regiments, 
hospitals,  commissary  and  quartermaster  departments,  and  in  re-enlisting  troops 
for  the  three  years'  service,  until  the  21st  of  June,  when  he  moved  with  General 
Schleich's  brigade  to  join  General  McCiellan's  army  at  Buckhannon,  West  Vir- 
ginia. He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Rich  Mountain  ;  after  which,  on  the  13th 
of  August,  he  was  mustered  out  as  Brigade  Inspector  on  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  service.  On  the  following  day  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Thirti- 
eth Ohio  Infantry,  of  which  he  assumed  command  on  the  15th.  Soon  after  he 
moved  with  his  regiment  to  West  Virginia,  where  he  joined  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Eosecrans  at  Sutton  on  the  5th  of  September.  On  the  night  of  the  10th, 
after  a  brisk  engagement  with  the  enemy  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  Colonel  Ewing  was 
ordered  to  picket  the  front.  He  did  so,  and  in  the  morning,  hearing  that  the 
enemy  had  evacuated,  he  was  ordered  by  General  Eosecrans  to  verify  the  report. 
He  went  with  a  company  into  the  enemy's  works  and  captured  a  picket-guard 
of  fifteen  men,  together  with  the  colors  of  Floyd's  brigade.  After  some  marches 
to  Sewell  and  Cotton  Mountains  in  pursuit  of  the  enemy,  Colonel  Ewing  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  post  at  Fayette. 

During  the  winter  of  1861-62  he  was  ordered  to  Washington  to  procure  arms 
and  to  effect  other  arrangements  for  the  good  of  the  service  in  General  Eose- 
crans's  Department.  While  there  he  was  appointed  by  General  MeClellan  Pres- 
ident of  an  Examining  Board  to  pass  on  the  qualifications  of  army  officers.  At 
his  request  he  was  relieved  in  February  and  returned  to  Fayette,  where  he  was 
detailed  as  President  of  a  Court-Martial  and  also  of  a  Military  Commission 
which  convened  at  Charleston.  In  March  following  he  moved  under  General 
Cox's  command  toward  Dublin  Depot,  but  was  obliged  to  fall  back,  with  the  loss 
of  baggage  and  trains,  to  Flat  Top  Mountain,  where  he  remained  until  the  15th 
of  Augusl,  when  the  troops  of  General  Cox's  division  were  hurried  to  Washing- 
ton, via  Parkersburg.  Moving  through  Washington  and  out  to  ISTew  Market, 
thence  to  Frederick  and  to  Middleton,  where  he  reached  the  enemy's  position. 


8.54 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


On  tho  14th  of  September  he  commanded  his  regiment  in  the  battle  of  South 
Mountain,  where  he  was  engaged  at  the  point  where  Major-General  Eeno,  com- 
manding  the  Ninth  Army  Corps,  fell.  Here  he  executed  the  difficult  maneuver, 
under  fire,  of  changing  front  forward  on  tenth  company  to  charge  a  battery  on 
his  left,  and  then,  finding  a  large  force  on  his  right,  he  reversed  his  position  by 
Changing  front  to  rear  on  the  same  company,  and  presented  his  front  before  the 
enemy  delivered  fire.  In  the  final  charge  on  that  day  his  regiment  was  in  the 
front  line.  At  midnight,  after  the  battle,  he  received  an  order  assigning  him  to 
the  command  of  the  First  Brigade,  and  here  his  connection  with  his  regiment 
ended. 

At  the  battle  of  Antietam  he  commanded  a  brigade  at  the  extreme  left, 
•which,  according  to  General  Burnside's  report,  after  General  Rodman  had  been 
driven  back  "by  a  change  of  front  and  rear  on  his  right  flank,  saved  the 
left  from  being  completely  driven  in."  In  General  Cox's  order,  issued  after 
this  battle,  Colonel  Ewing  was  favorably  mentioned  "for  energy  and  skillful 
bravery. 

Colonel  Ewing  took  his  first  "sick  leave  "  after  this  battle,  and  on  the  23d 
of  October  following,  the  Kanawha  division,  having  been  ordered  back  to  West 
Virginia,  he  re-assumed  command  of  his  brigade.  In  November  he  placed  his 
command  in  winter-quarters.  On  the  29th  of  the  same  month  he  received  the 
appointment  of  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  having  been  recommended  for 
promotion  by  Generals  Schenck  and  Rosecrans  in  January,  and  by  General 
Burnside  after  the  battles  of  South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  A  mo.nth  after  he 
was  ordered  to  report  at  Cincinnati  in  command  of  the  Thirtieth,  Thirty-Seventh, 
and  Forty-Seventh  Ohio,  and  the  Fourth  Virginia  Infantry.  Subsequently  he 
received  orders  assigning  him  to  General  Sherman's  command,  which  he  joined 
as  it  was  coming  back  from  the  capture  of  Arkansas  Post.  He  returned  to 
Vicksburg  and  aided  in  the  widening  of  one  of  the  canals  undertaken  about 
that  city. 

General  Ewing,  while  lying  in  front  of  Yicksburg,  combated  the  influence 
of  disloyal  newspapers  which  were  sent  to  his  camp,  by  causing  them  to  be 
taken  from  the  venders  and  burned.  He  also  broke  up  the  sale  of  bad  whisky 
to  the  soldiers,  by  confiscating  the  liquor  and  arresting  the  dealers.  The  vend- 
ing of  cigars  and  groceries  by  the  soldiers,  which  he  considered  a  demoralizing 
custom,  ho  cured  in  like  manner,  but  he  acknowledged  his  inability  to  check  the 
vice  of  gambling.  In  spite  of  the  confiscation  of  money  and  the  tying  up  of 
the  offenders,  it  always  happened  that  hundreds  of  soldiers  were  foolish  enough 
to  be  swindled  out  of  the  money  which  they  should  have  remitted  to  their 
friends  at  home. 

After  the  successful  running  of  the  batteries,  and  the  passage  of  a  portion 
of  the  troops  below  Vicksburg,  General  Ewing  was  employed  in  forwarding  sup- 
plies. He  participated  in  the  demonstration  on  Haines's  Bluff,  and  after  the 
march  to  the  rear  of  Vicksburg,  joined  the  main  body  on  the  18th  of  May,  hav- 
ing had  in  his  charge  the  supplies,  which  he  safely  conveyed  a  distance  of  ninety 
miles  in  three  days. 


Hugh  Ewing.  855 

His  command  was  engaged  in  an  unsuccessful  assault  on  the  enemy's  works 
on  the  19th,  and  again  on  the  22d  of  May.  After  this  he  held  the  advanced 
position  gained  on  the  22d,  called  Battery  Sherman,  and  was  engaged  in  con- 
structing such  works  as  the  nature  of  the  siege  operations  required.  Every- 
thing was  in  readiness  for  the  final  assault  when  the  welcome  news  of  the  sur- 
render of  Yicksburg  came,  and  the  troops  were  permitted  to  celebrate  the  4th 
of  July  within  the  enemy's  captured  stronghold. 

General  Ewing  moved  with  the  army  in  the  pursuit  of  Johnston,  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  attack  on  the  enemy  at  Jackson,  Mississippi.  After  the  evacu- 
ation he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Capital,  and  made  efforts,  not  altogether 
successful,  to  stop  the  pillaging  of  the  soldiers  among  the  State  records.  On 
the  21st  of  July  he  relinquished  the  command  of  his  brigade  by  order  of  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Fourth  Division  of  the 
Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  composed  of  four  brigades,  then  commanded  by  Colonels 
Hicks,  Cockerill,  Loomis,  and  Sanford.  With  this  command  he  returned  to  the 
vicinity  of  Yicksburg  on  the  25th  of  July.  On  the  11th  of  August  he  was 
appointed  president  of  a  board  to  award  inscriptions  on  banners  in  the  Fifteenth 
Army  Corps.  At  the  close  of  this  duty,  on  the  1st  of  September,  he  received  a 
a  second  leave  of  absence  for  twenty  days.  In  October  following  he  moved 
with  his  command  via  Memphis  and  Corinth,  to  Florence,  Alabama,  and  thence 
to  join  the  forces  at  Chattanooga.  On  the  11th  of  October  General  Ewing  was 
with  General  Sherman  when  he  was  attacked  at  Colliersville,  on  the  Memphis 
and  Charleston  Railroad,  by  a  heavy  force  of  infantry  and  artillery  under  the 
Rebel  General  Chalmers,  and  where,  by  the  splendid  action  of  the  troops  under 
Colonel  Anthony,  of  the  Sixty-Sixth  Indiana,  and  of  General  Sherman's  body- 
guard of  two  hundred  men  from  the  Fifteenth  United  States  Infantry,  this  for- 
midable body  was  put  to  flight. 

After  reaching  the  vicinity  of  Chattanooga,  he  made  a  demonstration  on 
Bragg's  left  by  way  of  the  Lookout  Valley.  Afterward  he  returned,  and  in 
the  final  movement  resulting  in  the  victory  of  Mission  Ridge,  his  command  par- 
ticipated with  General  Sherman's  forces,  operating  against  the  enenry's  right. 
The  loss  of  his  division  in  this  battle  was  eight  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded. 

General  Ewing  went  in  pursuit  of  Bragg  as  far  as  Greyville,  Georgia,  and 
then  turned  on  the  march  to  the  relief  of  Knoxville.  In  this  memorable  move- 
ment the  men  of  his  command  re-enacted  the  often-mentioned  blood-tracked 
march  of  the  Revolutionary  army.  At  Mission  Ridge  they  had  been  compelled 
to  cast  away  overcoats  and  blankets,  and  as  the  quartermasters'  stores  could  not 
replace  them,  nor  furnish  shoes,  many  of  the  men  left  on  the  frozen  ground  the 
stains  of  blood  from  their  shoeless  feet;  and  then,  at  night,  unable  to  lie  down 
and  sleep,  stood  or  walked  about  their  fires  to  keep  warm. 

Returning  to  Scottsboro',  Alabama,  after  this  extraordinary  march,  the 
command  went  into  winter-quarters.  Here  General  Ewing  had  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  his  command,  notwithstanding  the  hardships  they  had  just  endured, 
roused  to  the  utmost  pitch  of  enthusiasm  on  the  subject  of  re  enlisting  as  vet- 
erans under  the  order  of  the  War  Department.     Nearly  every  man  in  his  com- 


g~Q  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

mand  re-enlisted.  The  mustering  in  and  furioughing  of  these  men  occupied 
the  month  of  January,  1864,  and  on  the  5th  of  February  General  Ewing  received 
another  leave  of  absence.  This  severed  his  connection  with  his  division,  for  at 
the  same  time  he  was  tendered  the  command  of  the  District  of  Louisville,  which 

he  accepted. 

This  position  he  retained  until  February,  1865,  when  he  applied  for  assign- 
ment to  duty  in  the  field.  His  request  was  granted,  and  he  was  assigned  to  a 
command  in  the  army  of  General  Sherman,  but  before  he  could  join  the  army 
the  war  ended.  lie  was  then  appointed  President  of  a  Court-Martial  in  Wash- 
ington City,  in  which  service  he  continued  until  in  the  latter  part  of  1865.  He 
was  brevetted  Major-General  "for  meritorious  services  during  the  war,"  to  date 
from  March  13,  1865.  On  the  15th  of  January,  1866,  ho  was  mustered  out  of 
the  service. 

General  Ewing  then  received  the  appointment  of  American  Minister  resi- 
dent at  the  Hague,  and  shortly  afterward  entered  upon  the  duties  of  that  office. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  SAMUEL  BEATTY. 


SAMUEL  BEATTY  was  chosen  Colonel  of  the  Nineteenth  Ohio  Three 
Months'  Regiment,  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  State  militia  regiments  to 
enter  upon  active  service  in  West  Virginia.  At  the  battle  of  Rich 
Mountain,  under  the  eye  of  General  Rosecrans,  he  led  his  raw  command  so  sat- 
isfactorily as  to  secure  for  it,  in  the  official  report,  the  remark  that  "the  Nine- 
teenth distinguished  itself  for  the  cool  and  handsome  manner  in  which  it  held 
its  post  against  a  flank  attack,  and  for  the  manner  in  which  it  came  into  line 
and  delivered  its  fire  near  the  close  of  the  action." 

Under  his  auspices  the  regiment  re-enlisted  for  three  years,  and  by  the 
middle  of  November  he  led  it  into  the  field  in  Kentucky.  In  the  battle  of 
Pittsburg  Landing  he  again  behaved  so  as  to  secure  complimentary  mention  in 
the  official  reports.  By  the  close  of  November,  1862,  he  had  so  risen  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  superiors  as  to  secure  through  their  aid  a  commission  as  Briga- 
dier-General. At  the  battle  of  Stone  River  his  brigade  was  to  have  formed  part 
of  the  turning  column  that  was  to  cross  Stone  River  and  enter  Murfreesboro'; 
but  the  disaster  to  the  right  recalled  it,  and  General  Beatty  got  his  men  into 
position  in  time  to  be  led  in  a  charge  by  Rosecrans  himself.  Beatty  was  here 
again  commended  for  handsome  conduct.  He  passed  through  Chickamauga, 
and  the  march  to  the  relief  of  Knoxville,  and  the  advance  on  Atlanta;  and, 
finally,  returning  in  the  old  Army  of  the  Cumberland  to  confront  Hood,  he  so 
bore  himself  in  the  actions  that  ensued  as  to  receive  (on  13th  March,  1865)  the 
brevet  of  "  Major-General  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  the  battles 
before  Nashville,  Tennessee." 


James  S.  Robinson.  857 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  JAMES  S.  ROBINSON. 


JAMES  S.  EO  BUST  SON  was  born  near  Mansfield,  Ohio,  on  the  14th 
of  October,  1828.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  entered  the 
service  as  a  private  in  the  Fourth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  chosen 
First  Lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  was  soon  after  promoted  to  Captain.  He 
accompanied  his  regiment  to  West  Virginia  in  June,  1861,  and  participated  in 
the  Eich  Mountain  campaign.  In  October  Captain  Eobinson  was  appointed 
Major  of  the  Eighty-Second  Ohio.  He  assisted  in  organizing  the  regiment  at 
Camp  Simon  Kenton,  at  the  town  of  Kenton,  and  in  February,  1862,  he  moved 
with  it  into  West  Virginia.  He  served  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  campaign 
under  Fremont;  in  General  Pope's  campaign,  including  the  second  battle  of 
Bull  Eun;  in  the  Chancellorsville  campaign  ;  in  the  Gettysburg  campaign;  in 
the  Atlanta  campaign ;  in  the  Georgia  campaign ;  and  in  the  campaign  of  the 
Carolinas;  terminating  in  the  march  to  Washington  City,  and  the  grand  review. 
He  has  participated  in  the  following  battles:  Eich  Mountain,  Cross  Keys,  sec- 
ond Bull  Eun,  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg  (in  which  he  was  severely  wounded), 
Eesaca,  Dallas,  New  Hope  Church,  Gulp's  Farm,  Peachtree  Creek,  Averyboro', 
and  Bentonville. 

He  commanded  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Division,  Twentieth  Corps,  from 
the  1st  of  May,  1864,  until  the  dissolution  of  the  corps  at  Washington  City  in 
June,  1865.  He  was  recommended  for  promotion  while  a  Colonel,  for  the  man- 
ner in  which  he  handled  his  brigade  at  Eesaca,  New  Hope  Church,  and  Peach- 
tree  Creek.  At  the  place  first  mentioned,  when  one  division  of  the  Fourth 
Corps  had  been  routed,  Colonel  Eobinson  brought  up  his  brigade  on  the  double- 
quick,  and  by  a  few  well-directed  volleys  checked  the  enemy  and  prevented  the 
capture  of  an  Indiana  battery.  When  the  Secretarj^  of  War  visited  the  army 
after  the  capture  of  Savannah,  it  was  decided  to  appoint  one  Brigadier-General 
from*  each  of  the  corps,  and  Colonel  Eobinson  was  appointed  from  the  Twentieth. 

General  Eobinson  was  a  private,  April  17,  1861 ;  First  Lieutenant,  April 
18,  1861;  a  Captain,  April  27,  1861;  a  Major,  October  26,  1861;  a  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  April,  1862 ;  a  Colonel,  August  29,  1862 ;  a  brevet  Brigadier-General, 
December  12,  1864  ;  a  Brigadier-General,  January  12,  1865  ;  and  a  brevet  Major- 
General,  March  13,  1865. 


858  Ohio  in  the  War. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  JOSEPH  WARREN  KEIFER. 


JOSEPH  WARREN  KEIFER  was  born  in  Clark  County,  Ohio,  on  the 
30th  of  January,  1826.  For  more  than  twenty  years  he  labored  upon 
a  farm,  within  a  few  miles  of  Springfield,  and,  with  a  fair  common- 
school  education,  and  one  term  at  Antioch  College  for  a  basis,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Charles  Anthony,  Esq.,  on  the  2d  of  October, 
1856.  He  was  not  a  brilliant,  but  ho  was  a  diligent  student;  and,  having  mas- 
tered well  his  profession,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  on  the  3d  of  January, 
1858.  He  opened  an  office  in  Springfield  and,  though  brought  into  competition 
with  such  men  as  Samuel  Shellabarger,  Sampson  Mason,  and  Charles  Anthony, 
from  the  very  first  week  he  entered  upon  a  paying  practice. 

President  Lincoln's  first  call  for  troops  found  the  young  lawyer  enjoying  a 
lucrativo  practice ;  but  he  closed  his  office,  hastened  to  Columbus,  and,  just  twelve 
days  after  the  issuing  of  the  call,  was  chosen  Major  of  the  Third  Ohio  Infantry. 
The  Third  was  organized,  originally,  as  a  three  months'  regiment;  but  it  was 
reorganized  at  Camp  Dennison,  on  the  12th  of  June,  1861,  for  three  years,  and 
Keifer  was  again  chosen  Major.  The  regiment  was  ordered  to  West  Virginia, 
and  participated  in  the  series  of  operations  culminating  in  the  victory  at  Rich 
Mountain.  For  his  conduct  at  Rich  Mountain,  on  the  11th  of  July,  and  at  Cheat 
Mountain  and  Elkwater,  on  the  12th  and  13th  of  September,  Major  Keifer  re- 
ceived the  commendations  of  his  superior  officers.  His  energy  and  practical 
good  sense  recommended  him  to  the  General  commanding.  General  Reynolds 
said  of  him,  that  "there  was  not  a  cow-path  in  all  that  region  with  which  he 
was  not  thoroughly  acquainted." 

On  the  19th  of  November  the  Third  Ohio  was  ordered  to  Kentucky  to 
form  part  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  then  organizing  under  General  Buell.  It 
was  assigned  to  the  Third  Division,  commanded  by  General  O.  M.  Mitchel.  *  On 
the  12th  of  February,  1862,  whilo  on  the  march  from  Bacon  Creek,  Major  Keifer 
was  promoted  to  the  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  his  regiment.  He  moved  with  the 
army  to  Nashville,  and  in  General  Mitchel's  brilliant  campaign  to  Huntsville, 
and  along  the  Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad  he  bore  a  conspicuous  part. 
On  the  1st  of  May  he  led  a  small  party  of  soldiers  across  the  Tennessee  from 
Bridgeport,  marched  up  the  Nashville  and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  captured  a 
quantity  of  provisions,  burned  a  number  of  cars  at  Shell  Mound,  destroyed  the 
saltpeter  works  at  Nicojack,  and  returned  safely,  although  the  Rebel  General 
Leadbetter  was  then  in  Chattanooga  with  three  thousand  five  hundred  men. 
Lieutenant-Colonel   Keifer   continued   with    his    regiment    until    Buell's  army 


Joseph   Warren  Keifer.  859 

returned  to  Louisville.  lie  had  been  selected,  however,  by  the  Military  Com- 
mittee of  the  Seventh  Congressional  District,  as  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  Tenth  Ohio,  and  on  the  30th  of  September  he  was  commissioned  to  this 
office. 

He  immediately  assumed  command  of  his  regiment,  then  at  Camp  Piqua, 
and  on  the  19th  of  October  moved  with  it  to  West  Virginia,  the  same  region  in 
which  he  first  drew  his  sword.  For  some  months  the  regiment  was  garrisoning, 
marching,  and  bivouacking.  During  a  portion  of  this  time  Colonel  Keifer  was 
in  command  of  the  post  of  Moorefield.  In  January,  1863,  the  One  Hundred  and 
Tenth  proceeded  to  Winchester,  and  during  the  winter  and  spring  continued 
its  wearisome  round  of  post  and  garrison-duty,  until  some  of  the  men  began  to 
think  that  they  would  never  participate  in  a  battle.  But  at  last  the  battle  of 
Winchester  came  ;  and  one  feeble  division  contended  hopelessly,  for  three  days, 
against  Ewell's  entire  corps.  It  forms  a  sad  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  war, 
but  a  brilliant  event  in  the  life  of  Colonel  Keifer.  On  the  13th  of  June  he 
advanced  with  his  own  regiment,  the  Twelfth  Pennsylvania  Cavalry,  and  two 
pieces  of  artillery,  up  the  Strasburg  Road,  encountered  and  repulsed  a  heavy 
force  of  the  enemy  at  Union  Mills,  and  retired  without  serious  loss.  On  the 
14th,  with  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Ohio,  one  company  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Sixteenth  Ohio,  and  one  battery  of  the  Fifth  United  States  Artillery, 
he  held  the  outworks  between  the  Eomney  and  Pughtown  Eoads,  against  a 
large  force  of  Eebels  with  sixteen  pieces  of  artillery,  until  his  command,  liter- 
ally overwhelmed,  was  driven  out  of  the  works  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
General  Milroy,  in  his  official  report,  estimates  the  Rebel  column,  so  stubbornly 
resisted  by  Colonel  Keifer,  as  u  at  least  ten  thousand  3trong."  On  the  morning 
of  the  15th,  while  the  National  troops  under  cover  of  darkness  were  seeking  to 
escape,  Colonel  Keifer,  at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  executed  a  series  of  charges 
which  broke  the  lines  of  the  famous  Stonewall  Brigade,  and  enabled  the  broken 
battalions  of  Milroy's  division  to  pass  to  a  place  of  safety.  Colonel  Keifer  was 
wounded,  slightly,  in  the  leg  during  the  first  day's  battle,  and  again  in  the  ankle 
on  the  14th  ;  but  neither  wound  kept  him  out  of  the  saddle  for  an  hour. 

After  a  brief  rest  at  Harper's  Ferry,  the  One  Hundred  and  Tenth  was  hur- 
ried to  the  Army  of  the-  Potomac,  and  Colonel  Keifer  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  a  brigade  in  the  Third  Corps,  composed  of  his  own  regiment,  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty-Second  Ohio,  the  Sixth  Maryland,  and  the  One  Hundred 
and  Thirty-Eighth  Pennsylvania.  This  command  participated  in  all  the  opera- 
tions of  the  grand  army,  up  to  the  time  when  Lee  was  driven  into  the  intrench- 
ments  beyond  the  Rapidan.  On  the  15th  of  August  Colonel  Keifer,  with  a  portion 
of  his  brigade,  was  sent  to  New  York  City  to  maintain  the  authority  of  the  Gov- 
eminent,  and,  if  necessary,  to  assist  in  enforcing  the  draft.  While  there  his  pru- 
dence, in  the  discharge  of  his  delicate  duties,  was  universally  remarked.  On  the 
14th  of  September  he  rejoined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  participated  in 
the  advance  to  Culpepper,  and  in  the  retrograde  movement  to  Centreville.  On 
the  8th  of  November  Colonel  Keifer's  command  distinguished  itself  at  Brandy 
Station,  and  on  the  27th,  at  Orange   Grove,  it  carried  by  storm  the  key  to  the 


g£0  Ohio  in  the  War. 

enemy's  position.  Colonel  Keifer,  for  his  skill  and  gallantry,  received  the 
thanks  of  his  corps  commander,  Major-General  French. 

On  the  2d  of  March,  18G4,  the  Third  Army  Corps  was  discontinued,  and 
Colonel  Keifer's  brigade' was  assigned  to  the  Sixth  Corps.  On  the  4th  of  May 
the  Army  of  the  Potomac  crossed  the  Rapidan,  and  engaged  in  the  battle  of  the 
Wilderness.  Colonel  Keifer's  regiment,  alone,  lost  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
men ;  and,  late  in  the  day,  he  himself  was  severely  wounded  ;  both  bones  of 
the  left  fore-arm  being  shattered  by  a  musket  ball.  But  not  until  the  conflict 
was  ended  did  he  relinquish  command  and  retire  from  the  field.  The  Colonel's 
wound  was  both  painful  and  dangerous,  and  he  was  compelled  to  spend  a  short 
time  at  home;  but  on  the  26th  of  August,  against  the  advice  of  his  physicians 
and  the  remonstrance  of  his  friends,  he  set  out  to  join  the  army. 

The  Sixth  Corps  was  then  with  Sheridan  in  the  Yalley  of  the  Shenandoah; 
and,  upon  arriving,  Colonel  Keifer  was  assigned  immediately  to  the  command  of 
his  old  brigade.  At  Opequan  he  fought  with  obstinate  courage,  participated  in 
the  grand  charge  in  the  afternoon,  and,  with  his  command,  was  among  the  first 
to  enter  Winchester  at  the  heels  of  the  fljnng  foe.  At  Fisher's  Hill  General 
Ricketts,  commanding  the  division,  sent  a  staff-officer  with  orders  for  Colonel 
Keifer  to  assault  a  fortification  on  the  left  of  the  enemy's  line;  but  the  Colonel, 
perceiving  the  necessity,  had  ordered  the  assault  himself,  and  the  fortification 
was  captured  before  the  order  was  received.  In  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek  the 
command  of  the  Third  Division  devolved  upon  Colonel  Keifer.  During  the 
whole  of  that  memorable  day  it  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight;  and,  in  the 
advance,  in  the  afternoon  it  broke  the  center  of  the  Rebel  line,  and  was  the  first 
to  plant  the  colors  on  the  works  from  which  it  had  been  driven  in  the  morning. 
The  services  of  Colonel  Keifer  in  these  battles  were  not  overlooked,  and  he  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek. 

In  December  the  Sixth  Corps  returned  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac;  and 
until  the  spring  of  1865  it  maintained,  in  front  of  Petersburg,  an  almost  contin- 
uous struggle  with  the  enemy,  On  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  April  the  Sixth 
Corps  broke  through  the  Rebel  lines,  capturing  whole  brigades  of  Rebels.  In 
this  assault,  which  General  Meade  pronounces  "  the  decisive  movement  of  the 
campaign,"  it  is  claimed  that  General  Keifer's  brigade  was  the  first  to  enter 
the  enemy's  works.  On  the  6th  of  April,  at  Sailor's  Creek,  General  Keifer  led 
his  command  against  the  heaviest  columns  of  the  enemy,  routed  them  wherever 
they  opposed  him,  and  captured  the  naval  brigade  entire,  commanded  by  Com- 
modore Tucker.  For  gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  this  campaign  General 
Keifer  was  brevetted  Major-General,  to  date  from  the  9th  of  April,  the  day  of 
Lee's  surrender. 

On  the  27th  of  June,  1865,  General  Keifer  was  mustered  out  of  the  service. 
He  returned  to  Springfield,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  the  same  offico 
which  he  occupied  before  the  war. 


Eli  Long.  861 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  ELI  LONG. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  graduated  at  the  Kentucky  Military  Institute 
in  June,  1855.  He  then  went  to  Washington  City,  and  was  employed  in 
the  Treasury  Department,  in  the  Bureau  of  Construction,  until  he  was 
appointed  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  First  United  States  Cavalry.  He  joined 
his  regiment  at  Lecompton,  Kansas,  and  remained  on  frontier  duty — with  the 
exception  of  a  five  months'  leave  of  absence  in  1859-60 — until  the  outbreak 
of  the  rebellion. 

Lieutenant  Long  was  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant  March  21st,  and  to 
Captain  May  24,  18G1.  In  August,  1861,  he  surprised  and  captured,  without 
firing  a  shot,  a  well-armed  and  equipped  company  of  thirty-eight  men,  with 
fifty  or  sixty  animals,  en  route  from  Denver  City  to  join  Price  in  Missouri.  On 
this  expedition  Captain  Long,  with  forty-eight  mounted  men,  marched  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  in  thirty-two  hours.  He  went  with  one  squadron 
of  his  regiment  to  Fort  Leavenworth  in  December,   1861,  and  in   February, 

1862,  he  reported  for  duty,  with  the  same  squadron,  to  General  Buell,  at  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky.  He  was  on  duty,  as  escort  to  General  Buell,  until  Buell  was 
relieved  by  General  Rosecrans,  and  ho  continued  to  act  as  escort  to  that  officer 
until  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  where  he  was  wounded  by  a  ball  in  the  left 
shoulder. 

Upon  the  recommendation  of  Generals  Eosecrans  and  Stanley,  Captain 
Long  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  Cavalry.     On  the  9th  of  June, 

1863,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  a  cavalry  brigade,  which  he  led  through  the 
Tullahoma  campaign,  and  in  the  pursuit  south,  having  a  severe  engagement 
with  the  Rebel  cavalry  at  Elk  River,  in  which  the  latter  was  defeated.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  subsequent  cavalry  operations  until  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
where  the  brigade  suffered  severely,  losing,  out  of  nine  hundred  men,  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty-four  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  He  commanded  the  brigade 
in  the  pursuit  of  the  Rebel  General  Wheeler  from  the  Tennessee  River  at  Wash- 
ington, East  Tennessee,  to  the  Tennessee  River  at  Lamb's  Ferry.  Colonel  Long 
led  his  brigade  in  a  charge  at  McMinnville  and  at  Farmington.  At  the  former 
place  his  horse  was  hit,  and  at  the  latter  place  both  horse  and  rider  were  hit. 
He  was  mentioned  in  official  reports  for  gallant  conduct  at  both  these  places. 
During  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge  Colonel  Long,  with  fifteen  hundred  cavalry, 
marched  to  Cleveland,  East  Tennessee,  destroyed  thirty  miles  of  the  Knoxvillo 
and  Chattanooga  Railroad,  burned  a  cap-factory  and  rolling  mill,  destroyed  a 
wagon-train  of  eighty-two  wagons,  captured  two  hundred  and  twenty-threo 
prisoners,  and  returned  to  Chattanooga,  after  an  absence  of  three  days.     For 


862  Ohio  in  the  War. 

this  expedition  he  received  favorable  mention  from  General  Grant.  Soon  after, 
With  the  same  command,  he  reported  to  General  Sherman,  and  marched  two 
days  in  advance  of  the  General's  infantry  column  into  Knoxville.  From  there 
he  moved  through  the  western  part  of  North  Carolina  into  Northern  Georgia, 
marching  four  hundred  and  sixty-three  miles  in  seventeen  days,  with  but  little 
food  for  the  stock  and  less  for  the  men.  For  this  expedition  Colonel  Long  was 
complimented  by  General  Sherman  in  an  autograph  letter. 

Colonel  Long  returned  to  Calhoun,  and  had  a  sharp  engagement  with  Gen- 
eral Wheeler,  capturing  nearly  five  hundred  stand  of  arms  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty -seven  prisoners.  In  February,  1864,  he  participated  in  a  reconnoissance 
on  Dalton,  having  several  sharp  skirmishes.  Soon  after  this  he  went  with  his 
command  to  Cleveland,  and  thence  to  Kinggold.  In  March  he  received  leave 
for  a  month,  and,  upon  returning  to  the  field,  rejoined  his  brigade  at  Columbia, 
Tennessee,  where  it  had  been  ordered  to  refit.  He  joined  General  Sherman's 
main  army  at  Kingston,  and  participated  in  all  the  movements  of  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  until  the  21st  of  August,  when  he  was  wounded  in  the  right  leg  and 
arm;  his  horse  was  shot  in  the  head  at  the  same  time.  He  had  been  appointed 
Brigadier-General  on  the  18th  of  August,  1864,  and,  upon  recovering  from  his 
wound,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  a  cavalry  division.  He  moved  with  his 
division  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  it  was  thoroughly  equipped,  and  on 
the  28th  of  December  he  set  out  with  it  for  Gravelly  Springs,  Alabama.  He 
moved  with  Brevet  Major-General  Wilson  through  Alabama  and  Georgia,  and 
participated  in  the  assault  and  capture  of  Selma.  In  this  engagement  General 
Long  was  wounded  by  a  bullet  on  the  top  and  right  side  of  the  head,  indenting 
the  skull  and  paralyzing  the  tongue  and  right  side  of  the  face,  and  the  right 
arm.  He  still  suffers  from  the  effects  of  this  wound,  and  the  recovery  of  the 
use  of  his  hand  is  extremely  doubtful. 

The  War  Department  has  shown  its  appreciation  of  General  Long's  serv- 
ices by  making  him  Brevet  Major-General  of  volunteers  and  Brevet  Colonel 
United  States  Army,  from  March  30,  1865. 


William  B.  Woods.  863 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  WILLIAM  B.  WOODS. 


WILLIAM  B.  WOODS  is  a  native  of  Newark,  Licking  County,  Ohio. 
He  studied  law  and  soon  became  a  successful  practitioner.  His  fine 
appearance  and  handsome  performance  as  a  public  speaker  commended 
him  to  the  Democratic  party,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  and  he  was  several 
times  elected  to  the  lower  branch  of  the  State  Legislature.  Here  he  speedily 
became  a  leader,  and  in  1858-9  he  was  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives. In  this  position  his  quickness,  familiarity  with  the  rules,  and  fairness 
gave  great  satisfaction.  He  was  returned  to  the  next  Legislature,  but  his  party 
was  now  in  a  minority,  and  so  he  became  the  leader  of  the  opposition.  In  all 
the  political  discussions  which  raged  in  the  Ohio  Legislature  through  the  spring 
of  1861,  he  was  noted  for  the  virulence  of  his  opposition  to  every  measure 
of  Mr.  Lincoln's  administration  and  of  his  party.  Even  after  the  firing  on 
Sumter  he  strenuously  resisted  the  Million  Loan  Bill,  by  the  aid  of  which  it 
was  proposed  to  place  Ohio  in  a  posture  of  defense  and  to  assist  the  General 
Government  in  its  emergency.  Presently,  however,  the  uprising  in  the  State 
reached  the  Capital.  Under  Mr.  Woods's  leadership  the  party  still  delayed  the 
Loan  Bill  in  the  House,  but  in  its  private  caucus  discussions  he  earnestly  urged 
a  change  of  policy,  while  with  the  Republican  leaders  he  plead  that,  by  a  little 
delay,  they  might  be  able  to  gain  the  great  moral  triumph  of  a  unanimous 
vote  in  favor  of  the  bill.  His  efforts  were  successful,  and  on  the  18th  of  April, 
in  moving  the  passage  of  the  bill,  he  signalized  the  change  of  party  policy  by 
an  eloquent  war  speech.  He  had  no  heart,  he  said,  to  discuss  the  causes  of  the 
troubles  that  were  upon  the  country.  They  stood  on  the  dread  threshold  of 
civil  war,  and  must  act.  The  Government  at  Washington  was  his  Government, 
and  by  it,  in  peace  or  in  war,  right  or  wrong,  he  would  ever  stand.  The  flag 
of  our  hearts — he  would  maintain  to  the  last.  The  soil  of  Ohio  or  of  the  North 
must  not  be  invaded.  In  its  defense  he  would  spend  the  last  farthing  of  treas- 
ure and  the  last  drop  of  blood,  and  locking  shields  with  its  friends,  would  stand 
or  fall  by  "our  country."  Mr.  Woods  was  greeted  by  loud  applause  from  his 
fellow-members  at  the  close  of  this  speech;  and  when,  soon  afterward,  the  vote 
was  reached,  the  bill  was  unanimously  passed.* 

Thus  far,  however,  he  had  only  pledged  himself  to  a  war  in  defense  of  the 
territory  of  the  North.  As  the  war  progressed  his  views  enlarged,  and  on  the 
11th  of  November,  1861,  he  was  ready  to  enter  the  United  States  service  (in 
which  his  brother,  Charles  R.  Woods,  of  the  regular  army,  was  already  actively 

♦Cincinnati  Daily  Gazette,  19th  April,  1861. 


864  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

engaged),  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Seventy-Sixth  Ohio.  In  this  and  his 
subsequent  military  positions  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Fort  Donelson, 
Pittsburg  Landing,  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post  (in  which  he  was  slightly 
wounded),  Eesaca,  Dallas,  Atlanta  (July  22d  and  28th),  Jonesboro',  Lovejoy  Sta- 
tion, and  Bentonville,  and  in  the  sieges  of  Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  and  in  many 
minor  affairs  and  skirmishes.  He  marched  with  General  Sherman's  army  from 
Atlanta  to  Savannah,  from  Savannah  to  Kaleigh,  and  thence  to  Washington 
City.  During  active  hostilities  his  entire  service,  excepting  three  months,  was 
in  the  field,  at  the  front,  and  in  command  of  troops. 

On  the  10th  of  September,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the 
Seventy-Sixth  Ohio  Infantry.  On  the  12th  of  January,  1864,  he  was  brevetted 
Brigadier-General,  "for  faithful  and  continued  service  as  an  officer  in  the  Atlanta 
and  Savannah  campaigns."  On  the  31st  of  May,  1865,  he  was,  on  the  recom- 
mendation of  Generals  Grant,  Sherman,  and  Logan,  promoted  to  the  full  rank 
of  Brigadier-General;  and  subsequently,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  service 
during  the  war,"  to  the  brevet  rank  of  Major-General,  honors  which  his  faith- 
ful and  able  service  abundantly  warranted. 

General  Woods  was  mustered  out  on  the  17th  February,  1866. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  JOHN  W.  SPRAGUE. 


JOHN  W.  SPRAGUE  was  born  in  Washington  County,  New  York,  April 
4,  1817.    When  quite  young  he  removed  with   his  father  to  Troy,  New 

York,  where  he  remained  until  May,  1845,  when  he  removed  to  Huron, 
Ohio,  and  engaged  in  lake  commerce  and  railroad  enterprise  until  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rebellion. 

Under  the  first  call  for  troops,  he  raised  a  company  and  reported  at  Camp 
Taylor,  near  Cleveland.  On  the  19th  of  May,  1861,  the  company  was  assigned 
to  the  Seventh  Ohio  Infantry,  which  was  soon  ordered  to  Camp  Dennison.  Here 
the  regiment  reorganized  for  three  years,  and  was  ordered  to  West  Virginia. 
On  the  11th  of  August,  1861,  while  Captain  Sprague  was  proceeding  from  Som- 
ervillo  to  Clarksville,  under  orders,  with  an  escort  of  four  mounted  men,  he 
was  captured,  when  near  Big  Birch  River,  after  a  sharp  chase  of  about  three 
miles,  by  a  detachment  of  the  Wise  Legion,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Crohan.  Captain  Sprague  was  taken  to  Richmond,  and  was  confined  about  six 
weeks  in  a  tobacco  house.  He  was  then  transferred  to  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina, and  was  confined  first  in  Castle  Pinckney  and  then  in  the  Charleston  jail. 
On  the  1st  of  January,  1862,  he  was  sent  to  Columbia,  on  the  5th  he  was  taken 
to  Norfolk  for  exchange,  and  on  the  10th  he  reached  Washington  City. 


John  W.  Spkague.  865 

While  on  his  way  to  join  his  regiment,  which  was  still  in  Virginia,  Captain 
Sprague  received  from  Governor  Tod  a  commission  as  Colonel  of  the  Sixty- 
Third  Ohio  Infantry.  This  regiment  was  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  but  its  organiza- 
tion was  incomplete.  This  was  rapidly  completed,  and  on  the  10th  of  February 
Colonel  Sprague  moved  with  his  regiment  to  report  to  General  Sherman  at 
Pad  a  cab,  Kentucky.  Immediately  upon  arriving  he  was  ordered  to  report  to 
General  Pope,  at  Commerce,  Missouri.  Under  that  officer  Colonel  Sprague  par- 
ticipated in  the  operations  at  New  Madrid  and  Island  Number  Ten,  and  then 
joined  the  army  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  He  moved  with  the  army  against  Cor- 
inth, and  subsequently  commanded  his  regiment  in  the  Battle  of  Iuka,  but  was 
only  slightly  engaged.  Colonel  Sprague  was  again  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
Corinth,  October  3d  and  4th,  1862.  On  the  4th  the  regiment  was  posted  on  the 
right  of  Battery  KobineU,  and  lost  more  men,  in  proportion  to  its  strength, 
than  any  other  on  the  field.  Over  one-half  of  the  men  were  killed  or  wounded, 
and  but  three  line  officers  escaped  unharmed. 

For  some  time  Colonel  Sprague  was  engaged  in  various  operations  of  minor 
importance.  In  the  latter  part  of  1863  the  regiment  re-enlisted.  Of  the  men 
present  only  seven  declined  to  re-enlist.  Colonel  Sprague  always  looked  upon 
this  almost  unanimous  act  of  his  regiment  as  equal  in  importance,  and  worthy 
to  be  placed  side  by  side,  with  any.  of  its  deeds  on  the  field  of  battle.  Indeed, 
no  regiment  could  be  more  devoted  to  the  country  than  was  the  Sixty-Third. 
Most  of  the  men  were  Democrats,  yet  when  Mr.  Yallandigham,  as  candidate  for 
Governor,  asked  for  their  suffrages,  only  three  men  out  of  the  entire  regiment 
were  willing  to  indorse  him. 

In  the  latter  part  of  January,  1864,  Colonel  Sprague  was  assigned,  by  Gen- 
eral Dodge,  to  the  command  of  a  brigade,  consisting  of  the  Forty-Third  and 
Sixty-Third  Ohio,  the  Twenty-Fifth  Wisconsin,  the  Thirty-Fifth  New  Jersey, 
and  the  Third  Michigan  Battery.  In  April  the  brigade  marched  from  Chatta- 
nooga, with  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  under  General  McPherson,  forming 
part  of  the  Grand  Army  under  General  Sherman.  Colonel  Sprague  was  act- 
ively engaged  during  the  entire  Atlanta  campaign,  and  at  Kesaca,;at  Dallas,  at 
Nicojack  Creek,  and  at  Decatur,  on  the  22d  of  July,  he  was  conspicuous  for  cool- 
ness and  bravery.  At  the  place  last  mentioned  Colonel  Sprague  was  covering 
and  guarding  the  train  of  the  entire  army,  consisting  of  over  four  thousand 
wagons,  containing  almost  all  the  supplies  for  the  army.  He  was  attacked  by 
superior  numbers,  and  the  contest  continued  for  more  than  four  hours;  but  by 
his  own  bravery  and  ability,  no  less  than  by  the  courage  and  prompt  obedi- 
ence of  his  men,  the  enemy  was  finally  repulsed,  and  only  one  wagon  was  lost. 
Colonel  Sprague's  brigade  lost  two  hundred  and  ninety-two  men  killed  and 
wounded. 

Colonel  Sprague  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  on  the  29th  of  July, 
1864.  After  the  fall  of  Atlanta  he  moved  with  General  Sherman  to  Savannah, 
and  thence  northward  on  the  campaign  of  the  Carolinas.  After  the  surrender 
of  the  Kebel  armies,  he  moved  from  Goldsboro,  through  Kaleigh  and  Kichmond, 
to  Washington   City,   where   he  participated  in  the  Grand  Eeview.     He  was 

Vol.  I.— 55. 


366  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

relieved  of  his  command  in  the  army,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  by  the  Secretary 
af  War  M  Assistant  Commissioner  for  the  Bureau  of  Eefugees,  Freedmen,  and 
Abandoned  Lands,  with  head-quarters  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  The  district  under 
his  charge  comprised  the  States  of  Missouri  and  Kansas,  and,  subsequently,  the 
Indian  Territory.  In  September,  1865,  General  Sprague's  head-quarters  were 
roinoved  to  Little  Bock,  Arkansas,  where  he  remained  until  November,  when 
he  resigned.  In  the  meantime,  he  was  offered  the  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  the 
Forty-First  United  States  Infantry,  which  he  declined  to  accept,  and  he  was  also 
brevetted  Major-General  of  volunteers,  to  date  from  the  13th  of  March,  1864. 

General  Sprague  is  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance,  tall,  straight,  and 
well-proportioned.  His  character  as  a  soldier  is  unimpeachable,  and  his  influ- 
ance  with  his  regiment,  and  afterward  with  his  brigade,  was  almost  unbounded. 
No  one  who  knew  him  as  a  soldier,  failed  to  esteem  and  love  him.  He  waa 
always  prompt,  efficient,  and  brave.  On  leaving  the  service  ho  took  charge  of 
the  Winona  and  St.  Peter  Railroad  in  Minnesota. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  BEN.  P.  RUNKLE. 


BEN.  P.  RUNKLE  was  born  near  West  Liberty,  Ohio,  September  3, 
1836.  The  family  was  closely  connected  by  marriage  with  that  of  the 
Piatts,  of  Logan  County.  He  was  educated  at  Miami  University,  where 
he  graduated  in  July,  1857.  He  studied  law  under  General  Samson  Mason,  at 
Springfield;  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  June,  1859,  and  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  at  Urbana.  In  the  same  season  he  was  candidate  for  State 
Senator  from  his  district  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  was  signally  defeated. 

Upon  receiving  the  news  of  the  bombardment  of  Fort  Sumter,  he  immedi- 
ately volunteered,  as  did  every  member  of  the  Douglas  Guard,  a  militia  com- 
pany of  which  he  was  Captain.  He  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  Thirteenth 
Ohio  Infantry,  April  19, 1861,  and  he  again  entered  the  regiment  when  it  was  re- 
organized for  three  years.  He  served  in  West  Virginia  under  General  Rosecrans, 
and  shortly  after  the  battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry  was  promoted  to  Major.  He 
was  next  engaged  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  where  he  distinguished  himself  by  an 
almost  reckless  bravery,  and  was  borne  off  the  field  mortally  wounded,  as  was 
supposed,  being  shot  through  the  face  and  feet;  the  greater  portion  of  his  jaw, 
and  a  part  of  Ins  tongue,  being  shot  away.  He  returned  to  Ohio  until  he  should 
recover r  from  his  wounds;  but  immediately  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the 
oi ty-r- ,1th  Ohio.  At  once  he  set  about  recruiting  and  organizing  his  regiment, 
*nd  before  h,s  wounds  were  healed  he  was  again  in  the  field. 


Ben.  P.  Runkle.  807 

Colonel  Runkle  continued  to  serve  with  credit  in  Kentucky,  part  of  the 
time  commanding  a  brigade,  until  June,  1863,  when,  having  been  sun-struck, 
and  still  suffering  from  his  old  wounds,  he  returned  to  Ohio.  Notwithstanding 
his  debilitated  condition,  at  the  request  of  Governor  Tod,  he  assumed  command 
of  the  Ohio  Militia  in  the  John  Morgan  raid.  Colonel  Runkle's  command 
guarded  the  line  of  the  Cincinnati  and  Marietta  Railroad,  the  fords  of  the  Ohio 
from  Parkersburg  to  Steubenville,  and  continued  to  harass  the  raiders  until 
they  were  captured.  The  exposure  and  anxiety  of  this  campaign  brought  on  a 
serious  attack  of  fever,  and  Colonel  Runkle  being  unable  to  return  to  the  field, 
was  ordered  to  report  to  the  Governor  of  Ohio  for  duty  on  his  staff.  In  the 
spring  of  1864,  Colonel  Runkle  rejoined  his  command  at  Mount  Sterling,  Ken- 
tucky, and  was  placed  in  command  of  a  brigade.  He  joined  the  army  of  the 
Ohio  in  front  of  Tunnel  Hill,  Georgia,  and  continued  to  serve  with  that  army 
untii  the  Etowah  River  was  crossed,  when  he  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  a 
brigade  in  East  Tennessee.  Feeble  health  forced  him  to  retire  from  active 
service,  and  on  the  21st  of  July,  1864,  he  was  discharged  "on  account  of 
wounds  received  in  action." 

On  the  22d  of  August  he  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Twenty- 
First  Regiment  Yeteran  Reserve  Corps,  and  he  continued  to  command  the  regi- 
ment until  January,  1866,  when  the  men  were  discharged.  Colonel  Runkle  in 
the  meantime  having  been  brevetted  Brigadier-General,  was  assigned  to  duty  in 
the  Bureau  of  Refugees,  Freedmen,  and  Abandoned  Lands  for  the  District  of 
West  Tennessee.  Here  he  displayed  good  administration  and  executive  ability, 
and  during  the  Memphis  riots  he  appeared  in  full  uniform  among  the  rioters, 
and  did  all  in  his  power  to  protect  the  colored  people.  He  afterward  served  as 
President  of  the  Military  Commission  which  investigated  the  riots.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1866,  General  Runkle  was  appointed  Major  of  the  Forty-Fifth  United 
States  Infantry,  and  has  since  been  brevetted  Major-General  of  volunteers. 

In  becoming  a  soldier,  General  Runkle  has  adopted  the  profession  for  which 
he  is  by  nature  fitted.  Gifted  with  a  firm  will,  energy,  talents,  and  a  cultivated 
mind,  he  has  entered  upon  his  duties  with  an  alacrity  which  can  not  fail  to 
secure  success. 


8V8 


Ohio  in  the  War 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  AUGUST  WILLICE 


AUGUST  WILLICH  was  born  in  1810,  near  Koenigsberg,  in  Eastern 
Prussia.  His  father  was  a  Captain  of  Hussars,  serving  in  the  French 
war  and  in  the  Polish  insurrection.  Being  disabled  by  wounds  ho 
was  appointed  to  a  civil  office  in  one  of  the  Prussian  departments  until  his 
death  in  1813. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  years  August  Willich,  choosing  to  be  a  soldier  like  his 
father,  entered  the  military  academy  at  Potsdam.  Three  years  later,  in  1825, 
he  entered  the  military  academy  at  Berlin,  and  in  1828  he  completed  his  educa- 
tion, and  was  commissioned  Second-Lieutenant  of  the  Royal  Artillery.  In  1841 
he  passed  the  requisite  examination,  and  received  a  commission  as  Captain. 

The  officers  of  the  brigade  to  which  he  was  attached  wrere  strongly  republi- 
can in  their  views,  and  in  1846  a  conflict  arose  between  them  and  the  Govern- 
ment. Willich  at  once  tendered  his  resignation,  but  it  was  not  accepted,  and 
he  was  assigned  to  duty  at  a  distant  point  in  Pomerania.  He  refused  to  act 
under  the  King's  order,  and  regularly  renewed  his  application  for  a  discharge 
every  month.  At  the  end  of  a  year  he  sent  an  open  letter  to  the  King,  for 
which  he  was  court-martialed.  His  comrades  wrere  not  willing  to  punish  him, 
and  they  decreed  that  he  be  discharged  from  the  service. 

Willich  at  once  entered  into  active  co-operation  with  the  revolutionists,  and 
commanded  the  forces  at  the  battle  of  Candarn,  where  he  was  defeated.  In 
1849  he  commanded  a  corps  in  the  German  revolution,  but  the  campaign  of 
fourteen  weeks  proving  unsuccessful,  he  fled  to  Switzerland,  and  afterward  to 
England. 

In  1853  he  came  to  the  United  States,  where  he  at  first  thought  of  collect- 
ing a  force  to  move  upon  Hamburg;  but,  abandoning  that  idea,  and  being,  like 
most  political  refugees,  almost  penniless,  he  began  work  as  a  carpenter,  at 
which  trade  he  wrought  about  a  year  in  Eastern  New  York. 

He  finally  procured  a  position  on  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  under 
Captain  Maffit  (afterward  commander  of  the  Confederate  iron-clad  Florida). 
In  1858  he  became  the  editor  of  the  Republikana,  a  working-men's  paper  in 
Cincinnati. 

In  the  very  beginning  of  the  war  he  entered  the  service  as  a  private  in 
the  Ninth  Ohio,  which  regiment  he  drilled.  He  was  soon  appointed  Adjutant, 
and  afterward  Major.  With  this  regiment  he  served  in  West  Virginia,  being 
in  the  engagement  at  Rich  Mountain. 


August  Willich.  869 

He  was  then  called  to  Indiana,  where  he  organized  the  Thirty-Second 
Indiana,  of  which  regiment  he  was  appointed  Colonel. 

His  first  engagement  was  at  Munfordsville,  where,  with  five  hundred  men, 
he  repulsed  the  attack  of  Hindman's  Texan  Bangers,  and  a  battery  of  artillery. 
At  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  he  was  still  commanding  his  regiment. 
Being  in  McCook's  division  of  Buell's  army  he  did  not  reach  the  field  until  the 
second  day.  Coming  to  the  support  of  Lew.  Wallace  at  an  opportune  moment, 
he  was  directed  to  make  a  charge,  which  he  did  in  such  effective  and  brilliant 
manner  as  to  win  for  him  a  Brigadier's  commission. 

General  Willich  was  then  placed  in  command  of  a  brigade,  consisting  of 
the  Fifteenth  and  Forty-Ninth  Ohio,  and  the  Thirty-Second  and  Thirty -Ninth 
Indiana.     The  Eighty-Ninth  Illinois  was  afterward  added  to  it. 

At  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver  he  was  sent  late  in  the  evening  of  the  first  day 
to  the  right,  and  placed  in  rear  of  Kirk's  brigade.  In  the  morning  he  went  to 
division  head-quarters,  and  while  he  was  gone  the  enemy  broke  through  Kirk's 
brigade,  and  came  upon  his  command  before  they  could  make  any  resistance. 
Hearing  firing,  he  rode  rapidly  back  to  where  he  had  left  his  troops,  but  found 
himself  in  the  presence  of  General  McCall,  commander  of  the  Eebcl  left  wing. 
He  was  captured,  and  after  spending  four  months  as  a  prisoner,  was  exchanged. 

In  the  opening  of  Bosecrans's  campaign  against  Bragg,  in  1863,  General 
Willich  took  Liberty  Gap  with  his  brigiide,  supported  by  two  regiments  from 
another  command.  He  characterizes  this  as  the  finest  fighting  he  witnessed  in 
the  war.  The  maneuvering  of  the  brigade  was  managed  by  bugle  signals,  and 
the  precision  of  the  movements  was  equal  to  a  parade. 

Chickamauga  was  the  next  battle  in  which  General  Willich  participated. 
When  the  division  to  which  he  belonged  (Johnson's  of  McCook's  corps)  was 
ordered  from  the  extreme  right  to  the  support  of  Thomas,  Willich's  brigade 
moved  in  advance.  By  an  order  directly  from  General  Thomas,  General  Wil- 
lich, with  his  brigade  and  another,  made  a  charge  which  broke  the  enemy's  line, 
and  resulted  in  the  capture  of  some  artillery.  In  following  up  this  charge  the 
General  found  himself  nearly  a  mile  in  front  of  Thomas's  main  line,  and  in 
this  position  the  enemy  turned  his  left  flank.  By  a  bayonet  charge  to  the  rear 
Willich  succeeded  in  keeping  from  being  cut  off,  and  maintained  his  ground 
until  evening,  when  the  enemy  in  renewed  force  made  an  assault.  After  losing 
one-third  of  the  command,  General  Willich  was  repulsed  and  forced  to  fall  back 
to  the  main  line. 

On  the  second  day  his  command  was  again  engaged,  and  in  the  evening, 
by  direction  of  General  Thomas,  he  was  left  to  cover  the  retreat.  He  main- 
tained this  position  on  the  third  day  until  the  whole  army  arrived  safely  at 
Chattanooga. 

Here  he  remained,  enduring  with  the  rest,  the  sufferings  incident  to  that 
state  of  siege,  until  the  battle  of  Mission  Bidge.  On  the  first  day  of  this 
engagement  Willich's  and  Hazen's  brigades  opened  the  battle,  and  captured  the 
first  portion  of  the  enemy's  works,  being  the  point  afterward  occupied  by  our 
Generals  as  field  head- quarters,  and  known  as  Bald  Knob. 


g7Q  Ohio  in  the  War. 

In  tho  action  on  the  third  day,  when  Sherman  had  made  his  unsuccessful 
charges,  and  Grant  gave  the  well-known  order  for  the  center  to  take  the  enemy's 
works  at  the  foot  of  the  Eidge  and  stay  there,  Willich's  and  Hazen's  brigades 
were  in  the  front,  with  Sheridan's  and  other  divisions  in  echelon  to  the  rear. 
The  whole  line  moved  in  double-quick  through  woods  and  fields,  and  carried 

the  works Willich's  brigade  going  up  under  the  concentrated  fire  of  batteries 

at  a  point  where  two  roads  met. 

At  this  point  General  Willi ch  says  he  saw  that  to  obey  General  Grant's  order, 
and  remain  in  the  works  at  the  foot  of  the  Ridge,  would  be  the  destruction  of 
the  center.  To  fall  back  would  have  been  the  loss  of  the  battle,  with  the  sac- 
rifice of  Sherman.  In  this  emergency,  with  no  time  for  consultation  with  tho 
division  General,  or  any  other  commander,  he  sent  three  of  his  aids  to  different 
regiments,  and  rode  himself  to  the  Eighth  Kansas  and  gave  the  order  to  storm 
the  top  of  the  Ridge.  How  brilliantly  the  order  was  executed  the  whole  world 
knows. 

After  this  General  Willich  went  with  his  command  to  East  Tennessee. 
Here  he  obtained  leave  of  absence  to  undergo  a  surgical  operation,  and  did  not 
rejoin  his  command  until  at  the  beginning  of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  in  1864. 
He  participated  in  the  engagement  at  Buzzard's  Roost,  and  a  few  days  after- 
ward, at  Resaca,  while  in  the  act  of  charging  upon  the  enemy's  works,  he 
received  a  bullet  in  his  right  shoulder,  which  terminated  his  active  military 
career. 

He  was  afterward  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  District  of  Cincinnati, 
which  post  he  held  until  his  corps  (the  Fourth)  was  ordered  to  Texas.  Upon 
application,  he  was  ordered  to  join  the  corps,  which  he  did,  serving  in  Texas 
until  October,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  service. 

General  Willich  was  afterward  promoted  to  Brevet  Major-General.  On 
returning  to  resume  his  residence  in  Cincinnati,  he  was  elected  Auditor  of 
Hamilton  County,  on  the  Union  ticket. 


Charles  Griffin.  071 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  CHARLES  GRIFFIN. 


CHARLES  GRIFFIN  was  born  in  Licking  County,  Ohio,  about  the 
year  1827.  He  attended  an  institution  of  learning  in  Bardstown,  Ken- 
tucky, and  afterward,  July  1,  1843,  he  received  the  appointment  of  cadet 
at  West  Point.  Four  years  later  he  graduated  in  the  class  with  Generals  Burn- 
side  and  Ayres,  and  received  the  appointment  of  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  in 
the  Fourth  Artillery. 

The  war  with  Mexico  being  then  in  progress,  the  young  officer  was  at  once 
ordered  to  active  duty,  and  thus  commenced  a  military  career  of  more  than 
ordinary  variety  of  service.  In  Mexico  he  marched  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Puebla  in 
command  of  a  company  attached  to  the  force  commanded  by  General  Patterson. 
From  Mexico  he  was  ordered  to  Florida,  in  January,  1848,  and  to  Old  Point 
Comfort  in  the  following  December.  Here  he  remained  until  July,  1849,  when 
he  was  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant  of  the  Second  Artillery,  and  was  ordered 
to  New  Mexico  in  command  of  a  cavalry  company.  In  scouting  and  other 
duties  of  frontier  life  his  time  was  occupied  until  1854.  Next  he  spent  three 
3'ears  in  garrison  duty  at  Fort  McHenry,  Maryland,  in  command  of  a  battery. 
In  1857  he  was  engaged  in  conducting  recruits  from  Carlisle  Barracks,  Penn- 
sylvania, to  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas  ;  was  in  garrison  at  Fort  Independence, 
Missouri ;  on  frontier  duty  at  Fort  Snelling,  Minnesota,  and  afterward  in  com- 
mand of  the  escort  which  accompanied  the  Governor  of  New  Mexico  to  Santa 
Fe.  Returning  through  Texas,  he  rejoined  his  command  at  Fort  Leavenworth, 
and  remained  there  and  at  Fort  Riley  until  in  the  latter  part  of  1859,  when  he 
received  a  leave  of  absence,  continuing  until  some  time  in  1860.  In  September 
of  this  year  he  was  ordered  to  West  Point  and  appointed  assistant  instructor  of 
artillery,  a  position  for  which  he  was  well  fitted  from  his  previous  experience 
in  that  arm  of  the  service.  This  post  he  held  until  January,  1861,  when,  among 
the  earliest  movements  of  the  war,  he  was  ordered  to  Washington  with  the 
West  Point  battery.  This  was  one  authorized  to  be  attached  to  the  Fifth  Cav- 
alry, and  was  afterward  known  as  Griffin's  battery.  He  remained  in  command 
of  it  until  June  26,  1862,  when  he  received  his  commission  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral of  volunteers,  and  assumed  command  of  his  brigade  as  it  was  marching 
to  the  battle-field  of  Mechanicsville.  He  at  once  rendered  himself  conspicuous 
for  his  gallantry  in  that  action ;  and  subsequently,  at  the  battle  of  Gaines's 
Mill,  he  displayed  a  heroism  that  challenged  the  admiration  of  the  enemy.  At 
Malvern  Hill  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  artillery,  which  was  supported 
by  his  own  brigade,  and  posted  at  the  point  of  attack  by  the  forces  of  the  Rebel 

1 


872 


Ohio  in  the  War 


General  Magruder.  By  his  skillful  use  of  the  artillery  he  threw  Magruder's 
troops  into  confusion,  and  thus  contributed  much  to  the  good  results  of  the  en- 
gagement. In  addition  to  these  battles,  he  participated  in  almost  every  battle 
and  skirmish  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  beginning  with  the  first  battle  of 
Ball  Run  and  ending  with  the  battle  of  Five  Forks.  He  was  engaged  at  Bull 
Run,  July  21,  18G1 ;  at  Secessionville ;  at  Yorktown,  May  4,  1862;  Meehanics- 
ville,  June  26th;  Hanover  Junction,  June  27th;  Gaines's  Mill,  June  27th; 
Malvern  Hill,  July  1st  and  August  4th;  Bull  Run,  August  29th  and  30th  ;  An- 
tietam,  September  16th  and  17th;  Sharpsburg,  September  19th;  Fredericks- 
burg, December  13th ;  Chancellorsville,  May  2,  3,  and  4, 1863 ;  Gettysburg,  July  3d 
(returning  from  a  sick  leave);  Williamsport,  July  6th;  Culpepper,  July  13th; 

Morton's  Ford, ;  Wilderness,  May  5,  1864;  Laurel  Hill,  May  8th  and  13th  ; 

Spotsylvania,  May  18th  and  19th;  Jericho  Ford,  May  23d ;  Anderson's  Farm, 

;  Tolopotomoy,  May  29th  ;  Shady  Grove,  May  30th  ;  Bethesda  Church,  June 

2d  and  3d;  Petersburg,  June  19th;  Weldon  Railroad,  August  18th,  19th,  and 
21st;  Hatcher's  Run  (Nos.  1  and  2),  February  7th  and  8th  and  March  25, 1865; 
Quaker  Road,  March  27th  ;  White  Oak  Road,  March  31st ;  Fair  Oaks,  April 
1st;  Appomattox  C.  H.,  April  8th  and  9th. 

When  the  surrender  of  Lee  was  agreed  upon  General  Griffin  was  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  to  arrange  the  details. 

His  command  in  the  war  was  at  first  a  battery,  then  a  brigade,  afterward 
a  division  ;  and,  on  the  battle-field  of  the  Five  Forks,  when  Sheridan  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  entire  force,  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Filth  Corps,  which  he  retained  until  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  disbanded. 
After  this  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Military  Division  of  the  State 
of  Maine,  with  head-quarters  at  Portland,  where  he  made  many  warm  friends. 

When  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  volunteer  service  he  received  a  promotion 
in  the  regular  army  to  Colonel  of  the  Thirty-Fifth  United  States  Infantry,  and 
Brevet  Major-General.  He  was  then  ordered  to  the  command  of  the  State  of 
Texas;  and  when,  in  March,  1867,  General  Sheridan  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Fifth  Military  District,  he  retained  General  Griffin  in  command  of 
that  State.  When  General  Sheridan  was  relieved  of  his  command,  General 
Griffin,  as  the  next  in  rank,  succeeded  him.  He  had  discharged  the  duties  of 
this  high  place,  however,  but  for  a  short  time,  when  he  was. attacked  by  yel- 
low fever.  The  terrible  disease  soon  ran  its  course  to  a  fatal  termination.  He 
died  September  15,  1867. 

From  his  first  march  in  Mexico  to  his  last  work  in  Texas  there  is  found  but 
one  leave  of  absence  in  General  Griffin's  military  record ;  and  it  has  already 
been  said  that  he  participated  in  every  battle  and  skirmish  in  which  his  com- 
mand engaged  with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  To  have  moved  with  his  com- 
mand to  the  defense  of  Washington,  even  before  the  actual  beginning  of 
hostilities— to  have  remained  in  active  and  dangerous  service  throughout  the 
war,  and  to  have  finally  fallen  a  victim  to  a  pestilence  while  in  the  work  of 
restoring  the  self-exiled  States  to  their  places  in  the  Government,  is  to  have  a 
record  which  of  itself  is  an  honorable  monument. 


Charles   ©biffin.  873 

In  the  delicate  position  in  Texas,  as  the  agent  to  carry  out  the  provisions 
of  the  reconstruction  laws  of  Congress,  General  Sheridan  ever  found  in  him  a 
faithful  co-worker.  In  April,  1867,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Throckmorton  on 
the  subject  of  registration,  he  said:  "I  am  very  anxious  to  see  the  laws  impar- 
tially carried  out,  and  no  effort  shall  be  spared  on  my  part  to  bring  out  the 
full  number  of  legal  voters  in  the  State.  If  the  citizens  accept  the  situation, 
come  forward  and  yield  a  cheerful  obedience  to  the  laws,  there  can  be  no 
trouble."  Among  his  last  orders  was  one  which  directed  that  there  should  ho 
no  distinction  made  in  Texas  on  account  of  race,  color,  or  previous  condition, 
by  railroads  or  other  chartered  companies  which  were  common  carriers.  His 
letter  to  General  Hartsuff,  the  Adjutant-General  of  General  Sheridan  (written 
only  a  few  days  before  the  fever  attacked  him),  showed  that  he  was  fully  in 
sympathy  with  that  commander's  views  : 

"  Head-Quarters  Department  of  Texas,) 
Galveston,  Texas,  September  6,  1867.     J 
"  Brevet  Major-General  Geo.  L.  Hartsuff,  A.  A.  G., 

"  Head-  Quarters  Fifth  Military  District,  New  Orleans,  Louisiana : 
"  General  :  I  desire  that  you  transact  all  business  and  issue  orders  in  the  same  manner 
that  you  would  have  done  had  General  Sheridan  remained  in  command  and  received  his  antici- 
pated leave  of  absence.  It  is  uncertain  when  I  can  go  to  New  Orleans,  as  I  am  threatened  a 
little  with  yellow  fever,  and  my  physician  advises  me  not  to  leave.  All  papers  requiring  my 
official  signature  please  forward  to  these  head-quarters. 

"  I  am,  General,  etc.,     . 

"  CHAS.  GRIFFIN,  Brevet  Major-General." 

General  Griffin,  though  often  in  great  danger,  escaped  unhurt  in  all  his 
battles.  He  had  several  horses  shot  under  him  at  different  times,  and  once  had 
the  visor  of  his  cap  torn  away  by  a  musket-ball.  At  another  time  the  folded 
strap  of  his  boot  served  as  a  shield  to  stop  the  force  of  a  bullet,  which  other- 
wise would  have  pierced  his  leg;  and  at  another  time  a  ball  struck  his  sword 
with  such  violence  as  to  break  it. 

He  was  married,  December  10,  1861,  to  Miss  Sallie  Carroll,  of  Maryland,  a 
lady  whose  ancestry  were  favorably  known  in  the  history  of  our  country — one 
being  a  signer  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  another  one  of  the 
members  of  the  convention  which  formed  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States.  The  wedding  ceremony,  which  took  place  at  the  residence  of  the  bride's 
father,  Hon.  Wm.  T.  Carroll,  was  distinguished  by  the  presence  of  President 
Lincoln,  with  many  prominent  officers  of  the  Government  and  representatives 
of  foreign  nations. 


S74  Ohio  in   the  War. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  HENRY  J.  HUNT. 


HENRY  J.  HUNT  was  one  of  the  old  officers  in  the  regular  army,  of 
excellent  standing,  and  specially  noted  for  familiarity  with  the  artillery 
arm  of  the  service,  who  rose  to  prominence  under  the   auspices  of  Gen- 
oral  McClellan. 

He  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  appointed  a  cadet  to  West  Point  in  July,  1835. 
In  1839  he  graduated  with  such  standing  as  to  warrant  his  appointment  as  Sec- 
ond-Lieutenant in  the  Second  Artillery.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  he  had 
risen  through  the  grades  of  Lieutenant  and  Captain.  On  the  14th  of  May, 
1861,  he  became  Major  in  the  Fifth  Artillery.  Some  months  later  he  was  ap- 
pointed Colonel  and  additional  Aid-de-Camp  on  the  staff  of  General  McClellan. 
On  the  15th  of  September,  1862,  he  was  made  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers. 
He  served  for  a  time  as  Chief  of  Artillery  to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
the  close  of  the  war  found  him  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  Third  Artillery,  Brig- 
adier-General of  volunteers,  and  Brevet  Major- General  in  the  regular  army. 


BREVET  MAJOR-GENERAL  B.  W.  BRICE. 


BENJAMIN  W.  BRICE,  Paymaster-General  of  the  army  of  the  United 
States,  a  native  of  Virginia,  was  appointed  a  cadet  to  West  Point  from 
Ohio  in  1825.  He  was  graduated  as  a  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  in  the 
Third  Infantry,  in  1829.  The  war  found  him  in  the  Paymasters'  Department, 
where  he  had  held  the  rank  of  Major  since  1852.  He  rose  through  the  various 
grades  of  the  department  till,  on  the  29th  of  November,  1864,  he  became  its 
head.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  a  Brevet  Brigadier-General  in  the  regu- 
lar army.     He  has  since  received  the  brevet  of  Major-General. 


Robert  L.  McCook.  875 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ROBERT  L.  McCOOK. 


EIGHT  brothers,  in  one  capacity  or  another,  through  the  war,  served 
to  make  the  name  of  McCook  a  dear  one  to  all  who  loved  the  army 
and  the  country.  Few  of  them  displayed  brilliant  military  ability, 
but  all  exhibited  patriotism  and  devotion;  nearly  all  were  dashing,  hard- 
hitting fighters,  and  three  of  the  best  sealed  their  labors  with  their  blood.*  It 
was  the  hard  fortune  of  the  ablest  of  them  to  fall,  not  in  battle,  as  he  would 
have  wished,  but  at  the  hands  of  Kebel  assassins,  as  he  lay  stretched  upon  a 
sick  bed.  Cut  off  thus  almost  at  the  threshold,  he  has  not  left  us  a  rounded, 
2)erfect  career  in  the  war  to  admire;  but  he  has  left  enough  to  deepen  the  gen- 
eral regret  at  his  loss,  and  to  insure  his  permanent  place  in  the  affectionate 
remembrance  of  his  countrymen. 

Eobert  Latimer  McCook  was  the  fourth  son  of  Major  Daniel  McCook,  and 
was  born  in  Columbiana  County,  Ohio,  on  the  28th  of  December,  1827.  Thirty- 
six  years  later,  the  father,  white-haired  and  feeble  with  age,  but  inflamed  with 
the  warlike  ardor  he  had  bestowed  upon  his  family,  and  resolved  to  avenge  the 
death  of  his  murdered  son,  rode  to  his  own  death  at  the  head  of  John  Morgan's 
pursuers  in  the  action  at  Buffington  Island. 

Eobert  was  a  perfectly  healthy  lad,  physically  and  intellectually.  He 
could  endure  remarkable  fatigue  of  body  and  bear  up  under  long-continued 
mental  application.  His  father  was  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Carroll  County.  The 
boy  was  sent  to  school  till  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  then  was  taken  into  his 
father's  office  as  a  deputy,  and  was  found  full}*  competent  for  the  place.  Al- 
ready he  had  the  quiet,  grave  manners  that  always  distinguished  him  from  his 
brothers;  was  always  sober,  judicious,  and  devoted  to  his  work.  Even  as  a 
lad  at  school,  people  had  been  accustomed  to  speak  of  him  as  "an  old-fashioned 
child,  sober  beyond  his  years." 

Practice  in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  court  soon  familiarized  him  with 
the  forms  of  legal  proceedings.  Presently  he  conceived  the  desire  to  be  a  law- 
yer himself.  Hon.  Ephraim  E.  Eckley  (since  member  of  Congress  from  that 
district)  took  charge  of  his  studies.  After  a  time  ho  removed  to  Steuben- 
ville,  completed  his  legal  course  in  the  office  of  a  notable  firm,  that  of  Messrs. 

*  Charles  Morris  McCook,  private  company  F,  Second  Ohio,  killed  21st  July,  1861,  in  the 
first  battle  of  Bull  Run  ;  Brigadier-General  Robert  L.  McCook,  mortally  wounded  on  his  sick 
bed  by  guerrillas  in  Tennessee,  5th  August,  1862;  Brigadier-General  Daniel  McCook,  mortally 
wounded  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  June  27,  1864.  To  this  sad  list  may  be  added  the  father  of  these 
boys,  Major  Daniel  McCook,  mortally  wounded  at  Buffington  Island,  July  21,  1863. 


s7(.  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Slanton  &  McCook,  and  begun  the  practice  of  law  under  their  auspices.     He 


NV:is  soon  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
,n  good  time  he  came  to  be  known  as  one  of  the  hard-working,  faithful,  rising 
lawyers  of  the  State.  He  removed  to  Columbus,  and,  after  practicing  his  pro- 
fession there  for  a  time,  finally  settled  in  Cincinnati.  His  standing  was  now 
Bach  that  he  was  able  to  form  a  partnership  with  Judge  Stallo,  one  of  the  most 
noted  (Jcrman  lawyers  in  the  city,  and  the  firm  of  Stallo  &  McCook  soon  had 
:ill  the  business  it  could  transact.  Here  the  war  found  the  future  General  and 
victim. 

The  first  call  to  arms  brought  into  the  service  the  majority  of  the  family. 

it  was  among  the  foremost.  His  partnership  with  Judge  Stallo,  and  his 
consequent  relations  to  the  German  population  of  Cincinnati,  gave  him  a  spe- 
cial influence  among  them,  and  the  Germans  at  once  thought  of  him  as  the 
Colonel  of  their  first  regiment.  He  knew  nothing  of  military  matters,  but 
they  had  plenty  of  experienced  officers  among  their  number  who  could  drill 
them.  What  they  wanted  in  their  Colonel  was  a  man  in  whom  they  could 
trust,  and  whose  standing  and  character  with  the  authorities  would  secure 
them  from  the  annoyances  which,  as  citizens  of  foreign  birth,  and  mostly  igno- 
rant of  the  English  language,  they  feared  they  would  otherwise  encounter. 
This  they  thought  Robert  L.  McCook  peculiarly  qualified  to  do ;  and,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  wishes  and  his  own  earnest  desire  to  enter  the  service  as  soon 
as  possible,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  regiment  he  had  helped  to 
raise,  the  first  German  regiment  given  by  Ohio  to  the  war,  on  April  28,  1861. 
Jlis  regiment  was  numbered  as  the  Ninth  Ohio. 

It  was  soon  taken  to  Camp  Dennison,  and  here  speedily  became  noticeable 
as  the  one  regiment  in  all  that  encampment  that  had  no  complaints  to  make. 
Its  men  had  everything  they  wanted.  If  bad  bread  was  issued,  their  Colonel 
was  on  the  spot  to  observe  it,  and  he  was  the  most  pertinacious  of  men  in  keep- 
ing up  his  outcry  till  every  abuse  was  corrected.  The  men  were  kept  drilling 
under  the  competent  subordinate  officers,  while  Colonel  McCook  devoted  himself 
to  their  comfort,  saw  to  their  supplies,  the  condition  of  their  camp,  and  the  wants 
of  their  sick.  The  morale  of  the  regiment  was  thus  kept  up  at  the  very  time 
when  the  question  of  re-enlistment  for  three  years  was  disorganizing  almost 
every  other  command  in  the  camp.  The  men  promptly  re-enlisted,  and  Colonel 
McCook  had  the  pleasure  of  leading  them,  well  drilled,  perfectly  equipped,  and 
in  the  best  of  spirits,  among  the  first  of  the  three  years'  regiments,  into  West 
Virginia. 

The  history  of  Colonel  McCook  through  the  next  few  months  may  be  best 
read  in  the  history  of  the  Ninth  Ohio  *  It  need  only  be  added  here  that  the 
regiment  was  in  a  fine  state  of  discipline  (with  the  single  exception  that  from 
the  outset  the  Colonel  suffered  them  to  act  on  the  theory  that  they  were  enti- 
tled to  anything  they  could  find  in  the  country  that  would  help  them  to  make 
camp-life  more  comfortable)  ;  that  it  marched  well  and  fought  well;  and  that 
♦See  Vol.  II. 


Robert  L.  McCook.  877 

its  commander  rose  rapidly  in  the  confidence  first  of  McClellan  and  then  of 
Rosecrans.  At  the  action  with  Floyd,  in  the  autumn  of  1861,  at  Carnifex  Ferry, 
Colonel  McCook  led  his  men  with  especial  gallantly  under  the  ej^e  of  Rosecrans 
himself.  Those  whose  memories  go  back  to  these  early  days  of  the  war,  recall 
also  with  infinite  amusement  another  trait  of  character  which  Colonel  McCook 
developed.  His  "  Bully  Dutchmen,"  as  he  was  wont  to  call  them,  must  always 
have  the  best  and  the  most  of  everything.  "Supplies,  clothing.  pa}T,  transporta- 
tion, everything  was  to  be  found  in  prompt  abundance  where  Colonel  McCook 
commanded.  Where  his  wagons  came  from  he  never  explained,  but  he  gener- 
ally had  twice  as  many  as  any  other  Colonel  in  the  department.  Rosecrans 
once  ordered  the  extra  transportation  to  be  turned  in  to  his  staff  quartermaster, 
McCook  complied  as  promptly  as  the  rest,  but  the  next  day  he  still  had  double 
as  many  wagons  for  his  "Bully  Dutchmen  "  as  the  envious  regiments  on  either 
side  of  him  could  secure. 

He  was  commissioned  a  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers.  He  was  at  once 
assigned  to  the  command  of  an  excellent  brigade  in  Buell's  Army  of  the  Ohio, 
in  which  he  insisted  that  his  old  Ninth  Ohio  should  not  fail  to  find  a  place. 
When  the  long  delays  in  Kentucky  gave  way  to  the  rapid  movements  that  fol- 
lowed the  opening  of  the  Fort  Donelson  campaign,  General  McCook's  brigade 
marched  with  the  rest  of  Buell's  army  across  Tennessee  from  Nashville  to  the 
field  of  Pittsburg  Landing.  In  the  skirmishes  which  alone  varied  the  peaceful 
monotony  of  Halleck's  advance  on  Corinth,  he  displayed  the  activity,  zeal,  and 
military  capacity  that  had  already  secured  his  promotion,  and  were  now  to 
cause  him  to  stand  still  higher  in  the  esteem  of  his  superiors. 

Then,  after  the  fall  of  Corinth,  Buell's  weakened  army  was  turned  east- 
ward to  essay  the  reduction  of  Chattanooga.  In  other  pages  we  have  traced 
the  tedious  delays  and  the  final  retrograde  movement,  almost  without  fighting, 
to  the  Ohio  River.  Long  before  this  dispiriting  termination  General  McCook 
had  met  his  untimety  fate. 

He  had  been  disposed  from  the  outset  to  rely  on  his  hardy  constitution,  and 
to  believe  that  he  could  safely  undertake  any  labor  or  exposure  of  the  cam- 
paign. For  a  time  his  health  remained  perfectly  good,  but  at  last  he  was  pros- 
trated by  camp  dysentery.  His  surgeons  urged  him  to  go  to  Nashville  and 
remain  there  in  quiet  till  he  should  recover,  but  he  refused  to  leave  his  troops, 
and  although  unable  to  sit  up,  insisted  upon  accompanying  them  on  the  march. 
A  camp  cot  was  fitted  into  an  ambulance,  and  in  this  he  moved  with  his  bri- 
gade, continuing  to  direct  its  movements. 

It  was  the  time  when,  finding  little  to  endanger  them  at  the  front,  the 
Rebels  improved  the  opportunity  for  incursions  upon  the  rear  of  Buell's  com- 
mand. John  Morgan  burst  suddenly  into  Kentucky.  Points  between  Nash- 
ville and  the  army  were  threatened;  and  to  meet  one  of  these  sudden  dangers 
the  division  to  which  McCook's  brigade  was  attached  was  ordered  from  Athens, 
Alabama,  to  Decherd,  Tennessee.  There  was  even  yet  an  opportunity  for  the 
sick  General  to  return  to  Nashville,  but  he  persisted  in  accompanying  his  men. 
On  the  morning  of  the  5th  of  August,  1862,  he  started,  as  the  day  before,  in  his 


878  Ohio  in  the  War. 

ambulance  in  the  middle  of  his  brigade.  At  a  point  where  two  roads  met  the 
officer  in  command  of  the  advance  marched  one  regiment,  with  its  train  and 
baggage;  on  the  wrong  road.  General  McCook,  on  coming  up,  discovered  the 
mi»tak«,'an«l  ordered  the  column  to  be  halted  and  turned  upon  the  right  road. 
The  head-quarters  train,  however,  was  now  in  the  way,  so  that,  to  clear  the 
road,  General  McCook  passed  through  it  and  went  slowly  ahead,  expecting  to 
be  speedily  overtaken  by  the  troops.  Then  he  became  engrossed  in  looking  for 
a  good  ground  for  encamping.  He  sent  part  of  his  escort  ahead  to  seek  for 
some  spot  where  water  would  be  abundant,  and  another  part  back  on  a  similar 
errand.  While  thus  left  almost  unprotected,  he  wTas  suddenly  attacked  by  a 
party  of  mounted  guerrillas,  including  about  forty  "partisan  rangers"  and 
about  sixty  of  the  Fourth  Alabama  Cavalry,  who,  as  it  seems,  had  been  lying 
in  wait  for  an  opportunity  to  attack  a  train.  With  the  first  shot  General  Mc- 
Cook divined  the  nature  of  the  attack,  ordered  the  few  remaining  members  of 
the  escort  to  keep  back  the  assailants  as  well  as  possible,  and  had  the  ambulance 
turned  back,  at  full  speed,  toward  the  advancing  brigade.  The  attacking  party 
could  see  that  it  contained  only  a  sick  man  and  an  unarmed  attendant  (the  cur- 
tains being  rolled  up  on  all  sides),  but  they  opened  a  sharp  fire.  The  team  ran 
about  half  a  mile.  By  this  time  the  top  of  the  ambulance  was  knocked  ofT,  and 
some  forty  or  fifty  shots  had  been  fired.  General  McCook,  seeing  the  impossi- 
bility of  escape,  now  ordered  the  driver  to  run  his  team  against  the  bank  at 
the  side  of  the  road,  and  held  up  his  hands  in  token  of  surrender.  Three  shots 
were  fired  after  this  by  the  Eebels  who  were  now  surrounding  the  ambulance — 
two  of  them  by  Captain  Frank  Gurley.  One  of  these  last  shots  struck  General 
McCook  in  the  side,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  A  score  of  weapons  were  after- 
ward levelled  upon  him,  but  Captain  Hunter  Brooke,  of  his  staff,  who  was  in 
the  ambulance,  begged  them  not  to  shoot  a  sick  and  wounded  man,  and  General 
McCook  himself  exclaimed  that  it  was  idle  to  shoot  now — he  was  already  mor- 
tally wounded.  He  was  taken  into  a  neighboring  house  and  there  abandoned, 
the  staff  officer  being  dragged  off  a  prisoner  while  trying  to  bathe  the  wound 
of  his  dying  chief. 

The  General  lingered  in  great  agony  until  the  next  day.  He  remained 
rational  to  the  last;  sent  kindly  messages  to  the  family;  gave  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  attack  to  those  about  him,  and  dictated  to  Colonel  Van  Derveer  his 
will— directing  that  his  favorite  horses  should  be  divided  between  his  brothers 
Alexander  and  Daniel,  and  that  his  other  property  should  be  given  to  his 
mother.     About  noon  on  the  6th  of  August  he  expired.* 

The  following  official  report  of  the  murder  was  made  by  Colonel  Van  Derveer,  the  next  in 
command  of  the  brigade: 

"  Head-Quarters,  Third  Brigade,  Army  of  tee  Ohio,        "i 

■«  — -  -. "  Camp  near  Decherd,  Tennessee,  August  9,  1S62.  ) 

Ma  Jon  Gkokok  E.  Flyxt,  A .  A .  G.,  Chief  of  Slctf: 

Ohil'vT  VbeC0T%mymeIaUC'h0lydutyt0rep0ltthivtwhilea  of  tho  Third  Brigade,  composing  the  Ninth 

"  ,  '  ,"f™'  ;he  S,'cond  Minnesota,  and  the  Thirty-Fifth  Ohio  Volunteers,  under  the  command  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
Teiin  £1C™' 7ere  on  th^  march  from  Athens,  Alabama,  to  this  point,  at  a  point  near  the  southern  line  of 

of  hi.  IT'  Ue"eial  McU,°k,  who  was  sick  and  riding  in  an  open  carriage  upon  his  bed,  about  three  miles  in  advance 
iJhllZ  nCC°mVi\m"d  by  Captaiu  Hunter  Brooke  of  his  8t»ff  ««»d  M*Jor  Boynton  of  the  Thirty-Fifth  Ohio,  to- 
one  and  two  hm  h1UT  0*hi*eacort<  *•■  suddenly  attacked  by  a  band  of  mounted  guerrillas,  numbering  between 
one  and  t*  o  hundred  men,  about  noon  on  the  4th  inst. 


Robert   L.  McCook.  879 

What  the  promising  officer  thus  cruelly  cut  off  might  have  become,  we  can 
not  venture  to  say.  It  is  enough  for  his  fame  that  he  entered  the  war  at 
the  outset,  that  he  was  always  at  his  post,  devoted  to  the  welfare  of  his  men, 
gallant  in  action,  energetic  on  the  march,  and  equal  to  every  task  with  which 
he  was  entrusted — that  he  was  striving  from  a  sick  bed  to  direct  the  movements 
of  his  brigade — that  in  the  midst  of  his  devoted  service  he  fell — a  martyr  to  his 
zealous  fidelity  to  the  cause. 

General  McCook  was  personally  a  man  of  warm  disposition  and  hearty 
attachments.  No  man  was  more  beloved  by  his  soldiers  or  deplored  by  his 
State.  His  abilities  were  fine,  his  standing  among  his  brother  officers  and  in 
the  esteem  of  his  commanders  was  of  the  best,  and  there  was  every  reason  to 
predict  for  him  a  brilliant  future. 

"Major  Boynton,  with  one  of  the  escort,  and  a  citizen  as  a  guide  mounted  upon  the  horse  of  another,  had  been 
sent  half  a  mile  to  the  rear,  and  three  members  of  the  escort,  including  the  sergeant,  a  like  distance  to  the  front,  in 
search  of  suitable  camping  grounds  for  the  brigade,  thus  leaving  but  four  of  the  escort  with  General  McCook,  one  of 
whom  was  dismounted,  and  Captain  Brooke,  who  was  unarmed  and  in  the  carriage  attending  upon  the  General,  when 
the  attack  began. 

"  The  General  succeeded  in  turning  his  carriage,  but  not  until  the  guerrillas  were  within  range  and  firing.  He  was 
soon  overtaken  and  surrounded,  although  his  horses  were  running  at  the  top  of  their  speed.  In  reply  to  the  oft-re- 
peated cry  of  '  stop  !  '  stop  ! '  the  General  arose  in  his  bed  and  exclaimed  :  '  Do  n't  shoot,  the  horses  are  unmanageable; 
we  will  stop  as  soon  as  possible.'  Notwithstanding  this  surrender,  those  riding  within  a  few  feet,  by  the  side  of  th» 
carriage,  fired,  one  ball  passing  through  his  hat,  and  one  inflicting  a  mortal  wound  in  the  abdomen,  which  produced 
death  in  twenty-four  hours  after,  at  noon  of  August  6th. 

"The  alarm  having  reached  the  column  it  was  hurried  up  at  double-quick,  and  almost  immediately  encountered 
the  advance  of  the  band,  but  a  few  shots  from  the  head  of  the  Thirty-Fifth  scattered  them  instantly. 

"General  McCook  was  found  in  a  house  near  where  he  was  shot,  whither  he  had  been  carried  by  Captain  Brooke 
and  the  driver. 

"  Of  those  in  advance,  Captain  Brooke,  two  members  of  the  escort,  and  two  teamsters  of  the  Ninth  Ohio  were  cap- 
tured, and  one  member  of  the  Ninth  Ohio  band  was  wounded  by  a  saber  cut  on  th»  head. 

"The  condition  of  General  McCook  could  not  but  have  been  known  to  the  attacking  party,  as  he  was  on  his  bed 
divested  of  all  outer  clothing,  except  a  hat  used  as  a  shade,  and  the  curtains  of  the  carriage  being  raised  on  all  sides. 

"There  are  good  reasons  for  supposing  that  the  attack  was  planned  solely  for  General  McCook's  capture  or  mnr- 
der.  Infuriated  by  this  cowardly  assassination,  many  of  the  soldiers  of  the  brigade  spread  themselves  over  the  coun- 
try before  any  measures  could  be  taken  to  check  them,  and  burned  nearly  all  the  property  of  Rebels  in  the  vicinity,  and 
shot  a  Rebel  Lieutenaut  who  was  on  furlough  and  supposed  to  be  connected  with  the  gang. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  F.  VAN  DERVEER,  Colonel  Thirty-Fifth  0.  V.  I.,  Commanding  Third  Brigade." 

Some  additional  particulars  are  given  by  a  staff  officer: 

•The  people  in  the  house  where  General  McCook  was  left,  when  Captain  Brooke  was  carried  off,  tried  to  conceal 
him,  lest  if  the  Yankee  should  die  on  their  hands  their  premises  would  be  burned.  The  advance  of  the  brigade,  how- 
ever, soon  discovered  him,  and  gave  bim  every  attention.  Recovering  from  a  paroxysm  General  McCook  said  to  Cap- 
tain Burt :  '  Andy,  the  problem  ot  life  will  soon  be  solved  for  me.'  In  reply  to  Father  Betty's  question  if  he  had  any 
message  for  his  brother  Alexander,  he  said  :  '  Tell  him  and  the  rest  I  have  tried  to  live  as  a  man,  and  die  attempting 
to  do  my  duty.  To  Captain  Burt  he  said  :  '  My  good  boy,  may  your  life  be  longer  and  to  a  better  purpose  than  mine.' 
Father  Betty,  the  brigade  wagon -master,  was  with  him  in  his  last  moments.  Clasping  his  hand  in  the  death-struggle, 
he  said  to  him  ;  '  I  am  done  with  life  ;  yes,  this  ends  it  all.  You  and  I  part  now,  but  the  loss  often  thousand  such 
lives  as  yours  or  mine  would  be  nothing,  if  their  sacrifice  would  but  save  such  a  Government  as  ours.' 

"  Before  his  death,  the  General  sent  for  Colonel  Van  Derveer,  who  drew  up  his  will.  In  it  he  directed  that  his  two 
favorite  horses  should  be  given  to  his  brothers  Aleck  and  Daniel,  and  the  remainder  of  his  property  to  his  mother. 

"  The  personal  devotion  of  his  troops  to  Gen.  McCook  was  scarcely  equalled  during  the  war,  and  in  spite  of  the  best 
efforts  of  their  commanders,  after  his  death,  they  inflicted  dire  vengeance  upon  the  country  surrounding,  and  W©r» 
only  checked  by  the  danger  of  the  Rebels  hanging  Captain  Brooke  and  his  fellow-prisoners  in  retaliation.  Captain 
Frank  Gurley,  who  killed  General  McCook;  was  subsequently  captured,  tr.jd,  and  found  guilty  of  murder— with  the 
sentence  of  death— but  for  some  unknown  cause  the  case  was  never  finally  acted  upon  by  President  Lincoln.  Ho  re- 
mained in  prison  for  eighteen  months,  when  by  some  error  he  was  sent  forward  for  regular  exchange.  After  the  sur- 
render of  Lee  he  returned  to  Madison  County,  and  because  of  his  murderous  notoriety  was  almost  unanimously  eltwtdd 
sheriff  of  the  county.  President  Johnson,  finding  out  the  error  as  to  his  exchange,  and  incensed  at  the  insult  of  his 
election,  ordered  him  arrested  and  placed  in  irons,  but  subsequently  ordered  his  release  upon  parole,  but  prohibited 
him  from  holding  bis  office." 


880 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WILLIAM  H.  LYTLE. 


WILLIAM  HAINES  LYTLE  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  November 
2,  1826.  He  was  descended  from  a  family  distinguished  for  its 
military  proclivities.  His  great-grandfather,  William  Lytle,  held  a 
commission  in  the  French  War  of  1779,  and  afterward  rendered  valuable  service 
against  the  Indians  in  Kentucky.  His  grandfather,  General  William  Lytle, 
d  throughout  the  Indian  War  of  the  West,  and  was  noted  for  his  intrepidity 
and  executive  ability.  His  father,  General  Eobert  Lytle,  was  for  many  years 
an  influential  politician.  He  represented  the  Cincinnati  district  in  Congress, 
and,  under  President  Jackson,  he  held  the  office  of  Surveyor-General.  He  was 
ever  known  as  a  frank,  courteous,  generous  gentleman,  and  he  was  admired  and 
respected  even  by  his  political  opponents. 

William  H.  Lytle  graduated  at  the  old  Cincinnati  College  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  and,  under  the  influence  of  his  friends,  selected  the  law  as  his  profession, 
although  his  own  predilections  were  in  favor  of  West  Point.  Yet  the  martial 
spirit  still  burned  beneath  the  surface,  and  revealed  itself  occasionally  in  boyish 
effusions  of  prose  and  verse.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican  War  his  mili- 
tary ardor  could'be  restrained  no  longer,  and,  though  but  twenty  years  of  age, 
he  at  once  proffered  his  services,  and  was  elected  Captain  in  the  Second  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  with  distinction  during  the  war,  and  then 
returned  to  the  practice  of  law,  but  was  elected  very  soon  to  the  Ohio  Legisla- 
ture. In  1857  he  was  commissioned  Major-General  of  the  Southern  District  of 
the  Ohio  Militia,  a  position  previously  held  by  his  father  and  grandfather.  At 
the  opening  of  the  rebellion  he  offered  his  services  to  the  Government,  and  with 
great  promptness  and  efficiency  organized  Camp  Harrison,  the  first  organized 
camp  in  the  West,  He  was  proffered  the  Colonelcy  of  the  Tenth  Ohio  Infantry, 
which  he  accepted,  and  left  Camp  Harrison  June  24,  1861,  for  active  field-ser- 
vice, proceeding  to  West  Virginia,  where  he  served  under  Eosecrans. 

The  campaign  in  this  rugged  and  mountainous  country  was  most  arduous; 
but  Colonel  Lytle  ever  shared  the  hardships  and  privations  of  his  men,  thus 
winning  their  warmest  love,  while  his  true  soldierly  qualities  and  innate  dignity 
commanded  their  deepest  respect.  Having  missed  Eich  Mountain  by  only  a 
few  hours,  to  the  great  disappointment  both  of  the  Colonel  and  the  regiment, 
they  were  first  engaged  at  Carnifex  Ferry.  The  Tenth  Ohio  surprised  an 
advance-guard  of  the  enemy,  and  drove  the  Eebels  from  their  position,  when 
suddenly  it  found  itself  within  range  of  a  parapet  battery  and  a  long  line  of 
palisades  for  riflemen.     Colonel  Lytle,  though  with  only  a  handful  of  men  at 


William  H.  Lytle.  881 

his  command  led  a  furious  onslaught  with  telling  effect;  but  a  well-directed 
shot  brought  him  to  the  ground,  while  his  gallant  steed,  infused  with  the  spirit 
of  the  rider,  and  maddened  by  a  wound  from  the  same  bullet,  pushed  forward, 
leaped  the  parapet,  and  fell  dead  within  the  enemy's  intrenchments.  On  this 
occasion  the  Eebels  acknowledged  "the  courage  displayed  by  Colonel  Lytle 
even  at  the  cannon's  mouth,"  and  some  admitted  that  "but  for  his  fall  the  works 
would  probably  have  been  carried." 

Colonel  Lytle  had  not  recovered  entirely  from  his  wound  when  he  witfJ 
placed  in  command  of  a  Camp  of  Instruction  at  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  where 
he  remained  for  three  months,  having  ten  thousand  men  under  him  during  a 
great  portion  of  the  time.  He  was  then  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Sev- 
enteenth Brigade,  of  Mitchel's  division,  and  was  with  that  officer  during  his 
Alabama  campaign.  He  enjoyed  to  a  great  degree  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  General  Mitchel,  and  was  assigned  by  him,  durjng  his  absence,  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  division.  To  Colonel  L}'tle  was  also  intrusted  the  evacuation  of 
Huntsville;  and,  with  his  command,  he  brought  up  the  rear  of  General  Buell's 
army  on  the  march  to  Kentucky,  and  for  his  services  he  received  from  General 
Buell  the  warmest  commendations.  At  the  battle  of  Perryville  Colonel  Lytle 
again  was  wounded.  In  this  engagement,  as  in  all  others,  Colonel  Lytle  liter- 
ally led  his  men;  and  when  they  saw  him  fall,  as  they  supposed,  dead,  they 
involuntarily  fell  back,  and  before  they  could  regain  the  ground  the  Eebels 
had  carried  him  off  the  field  to  their  own  hospital,  where  he  was  cared  for 
as  kindly  as  their  resources  admitted.  The  next  day  the  enemy  retreated, 
carrying  Colonel  Lytle  with  them.  Upon  reaching  Harrodsburg  some  of 
his  loyal  friends  procured  his  parole,  and  he  was  once  more  restored  to  his 
family. 

After  this  battle  Colonel  Ly tie's  promotion  came,  and  he  was  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  First  Brigade,  Sheridan's  division,  Army  of  the  Cumber- 
land. This  brigade  was  composed  of  troops  to  whom  General  Lytle  was  an 
entire  stranger,  and  it  had  previously  been  commanded  by  General  Sill.  Yet 
the  soldiers  soon  discovered  the  true  mettle  in  their  commander,  and  were  ever 
ready  to  follow  his  lead.  About  this  time  General  Lytle  was  urged  by  his 
friends  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  Governor  of  Ohio,  but  he  de- 
clined. He  had  entered  the  army  from  a  sense  of  duty  to  his  beloved  country, 
and  as  he  had  been  in  at  the  birth,  so  he  desired  to  remain  until  the  death  of 
the  rebellion. 

A  few  weeks  before  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  Lytle's  old  regiment,  then 
on  duty  as  head-quarter-guard  for  General  Kosecrans,  presented  him  with  an 
elegant  testimonial  of  their  regard,  in  the  shape  of  a  Maltese  cross  of  gold, 
studded  with  diamonds  and  emeralds.  The  spot  selected  for  the  presenta- 
tion was  a  most  picturesque  valley  among  the  Alabama  hills,  and  sur- 
rounded by  his  present  and  his  old  command,  and  by  ladies,  and  officers  of 
rank.  The  hero,  with  a  graceful  elegance  so  peculiarly  his  own,  acknowledged 
the  tribute. 

On  the  2d  of  September,  1863,  General  Lytle  was  ordered  to  break  up  his 
Vol.  I.— 56. 


j 
g32  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

camp  at  Bridgeport,  and  to  commence  the  march  which  led  to  the  fetal  field  of 
Chiekamauga.  After  seventeen  days  of  incessant  marching,  either  under 
scorching  suns  or  in  heavy  rains,  he  came  to  Lee  and  Gordon's  Mills,  Septem- 
ber 19th.  The  march  was  particularly  arduous  for  General  Lytle,  as  a  brigade 
from  each  division  was  detailed  as  a  guard  for  the  corps-train,  the  whole  under 
his  command.  The  troops  had  hardly  laid  down  for  their  night's  rest  at  Chiek- 
amauga, when  General  Lytle  was  ordered  to  move  his  brigade  to  the  Widow 
(llcnn's  house.  He  was  much  pleased  with  his  new  position,  but  was  ordered 
to  move  on  the  double-quick  to  the  support  of  General  Thomas,  on  the  left. 
Simultaneously  almost  with  this  movement  the  fatal  break  in  the  line  of  battle 
occurred,  through  which  the  enemy  poured,  flushed  with  triumph,  and  opened 
a  galling  fire  upon  Lytle's  brigade.  There  was  no  time,  then,  to  re-cri force 
Thomas.  In  a  moment  General  Lytle  brought  his  command  from  the  order 
in  column  to  the  order  in  battle,  and  though  subjected  to  an  inconceivably 
murderous  fire,  and  flanked  on  right  and  left,  the  brigade  pushed  onward  and 
forward,  further  and  deeper  into  the  midst  of  the  blazing  carnage  and 
bloody  havoc.  General  Lytle  saw  from  the  first  that  the  case  was  hopeless; 
but  he  remarked  to  one  of  his  staff,  that  if  they  were  to  die  they  would  die 
in  their  tracks,  with  harness  on;  hastily  adding  that  he  was  wounded  in  the 
spine,  and  he  feared  lest  he  should  be  compelled  to  leave  the  field.  Again 
he  ordered  another  charge,  which  was  bravely  executed.  Then  the  brigade 
was  forced  back  a  little,  but  with  desperate  valor  General  Lytle  rallied  his 
men,  and  led  them  forward  until,  pierced  by  three  bullets,  he  fell  at  the 
head  of  his  charging  column.  Captain  Howard  Green,  a  volunteer-aid, 
sprang  from  his  horse,  received  the  General  in  his  arms,  and  was  rewarded 
with  a  smile  of  grateful  recognition.  Several  officers  and  orderlies  attempted 
to  bear  him  off  the  field.  The  peril  of  this  undertaking  may  be  imagined 
since  two  of  the  orderlies  were  killed,  and  Colonel  William  B.  McCreary  was 
wounded,  and  left  for  dead  on  the  field.  General  Lytle  repeatedly  opened 
his  eyes  and  motioned  to  his  friends  to  leave  him  and  save  themselves. 
Finally,  upon  coming  to  a  large  tree  upon  a  green  knoll,  they  laid  him  down. 
He  then  handed  his  sword  to  one  of  the  orderlies,  and  waving  his  hand 
toward  the  rear,  he  thus  tried  to  express  with  his  last  breath,  that  his  well- 
tried  blade  should  never  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  So  closed  the 
life  of  the  poet-soldier— Lytle.  His  death  found  him,  as  he  prophetically 
wrote  years  before, 

"On  some  lone  spot,  where,  far  from  home  and  friends, 
The  way-worn  pilgrim  on  the  turf  reclining, 
His  life,  and  much  of  grief,  together  ends." 

Having  many  friends  in  the  Eebel  army,  General  Lytle  was  recognized, 
and  his  remains  were  treated  with  every  mark  of  respect.  They  were  placed 
m  a  coffin  and  buried  near  Crawfish  Springs,  there  to  rest  until  they  could 
be  sent  North  through  the  lines.  It  may  be  truly  said  of  General  Lytle  that 
"his  mourners  were  two  hosts— his  friends  and  his  foes."     When  the  remains 


William   H.   Lytle 


883 


were  conveyed  to  his  home,  every  honor  was  paid  to  them  along  the  entire 
route.  At  Chattanooga,  especially,  where  his  old  command  was,  the  funeral 
obsequies  were  most  imposing.  At  Cincinnati  the  body  lay  in  state  in  the 
rotunda  of  the  court-house  for  a  day,  and  was  visited  by  crowds  of  people, 
one-half  of  whom  were  ladies.  He  was  buried  with  military  honors.  The 
pageant  was  large  and  imposing.  All  classes,  ages,  and  sexes,  seemed  anxious 
to  pay  their  last  tribute  to  the  illustrious  dead.  The  houses  were  draped  in 
mourning,  the  bells  tolled  solemnly,  and  the  flags  hung  at  half-mast.  Just  as 
the  moon  was  gilding  the  tombs  of  Spring  Grove  Cemetry  with  mellow  light, 
the  sorrowful  cortege  slowly  wound  its  way  through  the  avenues,  until  it 
reached  the  tomb  of  his  fathers,  and  there,  amid  the  sobs  of  loving  friends, 
and 

"  By  the  struggling  moonbeam's  misty  light, 


General  "William  Haines  Lytle  was  laid  to  rest. 

In  figure  General  Lytle  was  graceful  and  well-developed.  His  head  was 
well-proportioned,  and  was  covered  with  masses  of  long  silken  brown  hair. 
His  complexion  was  so  fair  as  to  be  almost  effeminate  j  but  it  was  relieved  by  a 
flowing  beard.  A  high,  intellectual  brow,  expressive  gray  eyes,  delicately 
curved  nostrils,  and  a  resolute  mouth,  made  up  an  agreeable  face,  illuminated 
with  the  light  of  genius,  and  toned  down  by  that  unaffected  modesty  which 
ever  distinguished  him.  Till  the  outbreak  of  the  war  poetry  was  to  him  a  fre- 
quent occupation  and  amusement;  and  some  of  his  fugitive  pieces — like  the 
well-known  one,  "Antony  and  Cleopatra,"  (first  published  in  the  Cincinnati 
Enquirer),  with  which  we  may  fitly  conclude  this  sketch — are  likely  to  retain  a 
prominent  place  in  our  lighter  literature: 


I  am  dying,  Egypt,  dying, 

Ebbs  the  crimson  life-tide  fast, 
And  the  dark  Plutonian  shadows 

Gather  on  the  evening  blast ; 
Let  thine  arm,  oh  Queen,  enfold  me, 

Hush  thy  sobs  and  bow  thine  ear, 
Listen  to  the  great  heart  secrets, 

Thou,  and  thou  alone,  must  hear. 

'Though  my  scarred  and  veteran  legions 

Bear  their  eagles  high  no  more, 
And  my  wrecked  and  scattered  galleys 

Strew  dark  Actiuni's  fatal  shore; 
Though  no  glittering  guards  surround  me, 

Prompt  to  do  their  master's  will, 
[  must  perish  like  a  Roman, 
Die  the  great  Triumvir  still. 

'  Let  not  Caesar's  servile  minions 

Mock  the  lion  thus  laid  low ; 
'T  was  no  foeman's  arm  that  felled  him, 

'T  was  his  own  that  struck  the  blow— 
His  who,  pillowed  on  thy  bosom. 

Turned  aside  from  glory's  ray— 
His  who,  drunk  with  thy  caresses, 

Madly  threw  a  world  away. 


"  Should  the  base  plebeian  rabble 

Dare  assail  my  name  at  Rome, 
Where  the  noble  spouse,  Octavia, 

Weeps  within  her  widowed  home. 
Seek  her;  say  the  gods  bear  witness, 

Atlars,  augurs,  circling  wings, 
That  her  blood,  with  mine  commingled, 

Yet  shall  mount  the  thrones  of  Kings. 

"And  for  thee,  star-eyed  Egyptian! 

Glorious  sorceress  of  the  Nile, 
Light  the  path  to  Stygian  horrors 

With  the  splendors  of  thy  smile ; 
Give  the  Caesar  crowns  and  arches, 

Let  his  brow  the  laurel  twine, 
I  can  scorn  the  Senate's  triumphs, 

Triumphing  in  love  like  thine. 

"I  am  dying,  Egypt,  dying; 

Haik!  the  insulting  foeman's  cry, 
They  are  coming ;  quick,  my  falchion. 

Let  me  front  them  ere  I  die. 
Ah,  no  more  amid  the  battle 

Shall  my  heart  exulting  swell; 
Isis  and  Osiris  guard  thee, 

Cleopatra,  Rome,  farewell !  " 


8g4  Ohio  In  the  War. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WILLIAM  SOOY  SMITH. 


rpiIE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Tarleton,  Pickaway  County,  Ohio, 

on  the  22d  of  July,  1830.  His  father  was  a  captain  in  the  war  of  1812, 
-■-  and  his  grandfather  was  a  revolutionary  soldier.  Both  belonged  to  the 
Society  of  Friends,  but  they  severed  their  connection  with  their  sect  to  fight  for 
their  country. 

In  September,  1844,  the  father,  yielding  to  the  desires  of  his  son,  gave  him 
two  shillings  and  his  blessing,  and  permitted  him  to  go  to  Athens,  the  seat  of 
the  Ohio  University.  The  young  student  attended  a  select  school  for  one  year, 
and  then  entered  the  Preparatory  Department  of  the  College.  He  rang  the 
bell,  swept  the  halls,  carried  coal,  attended  to  the  grounds,  in  short,  was  a  veri- 
table "professor  of  dust  and  ashes,"  and  received  sufficient  salary  to  pay  his 
expenses.  He  graduated  in  1849,  and  through  the  influence  of  the  Faculty  and 
other  friends,  he  obtained  an  appointment  as  Cadet  in  the  West  Point  Military 
Academy.  McPherson,  Sill,  Schofield,  Terrill,  and  other  distinguished  officers, 
were  classmates,  and  the  two  first  mentioned  were  his  roommates.  During  two 
years  out  of  the  four  which  he  spent  at  the  academy,  Cadet  Smith  was  reported 
as  one  of  the  distinguished  members  of  his  class;  and  upon  graduation,  he  was 
assigned  as  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  to  the  Third  Artillery.  When  he  became 
full  Second-Lieutenant,  he  was  transferred  to  the  Second  Artillery;  but  finding 
army-life  in  time  of  peace  rather  monotonous,  he  soon  resigned. 

Buffalo,  New  York,  then  became  his  residence,  and  for  two  years  he  taught 
a  select  school,  and  then  commenced  civil  engineering.  In  this  he  was  very 
successful;  he  travelled  through  almost  all  the  States,  the  Canadas,  and  the  West 
Indies.  When  the  war  broke  out  he  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  a  bridge 
over  the  Savannah  River,  where  it  is  crossed  by  the  railroad  leading  from  Savan- 
nah to  Charleston;  but,  ten  days  before  the  attack  upon  Sumter,  he  escaped  to 
the  North,  and  entered  the  volunteer  service  as  Assistant  Adjutant-General, 
with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  was  very  soon  made  Colonel  of  the 
Thirteenth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  he  immediately  moved  with  the  regiment  to  West 
Virginia,  where  he  participated  in  the  campaigns  of  the  summer  and  fall  of 
1861,  under  McClellan  and  Rosecrans.  In  the  reports  of  the  battle  of  Carnifex 
Ferry  he  was  specially  mentioned  for  gallantry,  and  in  the  pursuit  of  Floyd  he 
led  the  advance,  and  three  times  engaged  the  enemy's  rear-guard,  for  which  he 
was  again  honorably  mentioned  in  official  reports. 

His  regiment  was  transferred  from  West  Virginia  to  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  Army  of  the  Ohio  under  General  Buell.    Colonel  Smith 


William  Sooy  Smith.  885 

participated  in  the  advance  on  Bowling  Green  and  Nashville,  and  in  the  battle 
of  Pittsburg  Landing  he  commanded  the  Fourteenth  Brigade,  and  on  the  7th  of 
April  was  engaged  from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  the  close  of  the  bat- 
tle. The  same  ground  was  fought  over  three  times.  The  brigade  captured 
Standiford's  Mississippi  batteiy  twice,  and  finally  held  it;  many  prisoners  also 
were  captured,  among  them  Colonel,  afterward  General,  Battle,  of  Tennessee. 
Six  hundred  and  ten  dead  Eebels  were  counted  in  front  of  the  brigade,  but  some 
of  these  were  killed  the  day  before.  The  brigade  lost  one-fifth  of  its  number 
killed  and  wounded,  but  none  were  captured.  Colonel  Smith  was  again  men- 
tioned in  official  reports  for  gallantry  and  meritorious  conduct,  and  was  pro- 
moted to  Brigadier-General,  to  rank  from  the  7th  of  April,  1862. 

General  Smith  had  already  been  emploj',ed  in  opening  the  railroad  from 
Bowling  Green  to  Nashville  and  from  there  southward,  and  now,  upon  the  evac- 
uation of  Corinth,  he  was  directed  to  open  the  railroad  from  that  point  to  Deca- 
tur. This  he  accomplished  in  three  weeks,  by  the  aid  of  the  First  Michigan 
Engineers.  He  was  then  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Third  Division,  Army 
of  the  Ohio.  Soon  after  this  the  Rebel  cavalry,  under  Morgan  and  Forrest, 
began  to  make  destructive  raids  on  the  National  lines  of  communication  in 
Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  General  Smith  was  placed  in  command  of  about  fif- 
teen thousand  troops,  stationed  upon  the  triangle  of  railroads  having  its  ver- 
tices at  Nashville,  Decatur  and  Stephenson,  and  was  busily  engaged  in  building 
stockades  and  forts  to  protect  the  lines,  when  Bragg  advanced  into  Kentucky. 
General  Smith  concentrated  at  Nashville,  and  was  ordered  to  assume  command 
of  Bowling  Green  and  defend  it  to  the  last.  With  four  companies  of  cavalry  as 
an  escort,  General  Smith  marched  eighty  miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  and  reached 
Bowling  Green  safely.  Here  he  remained  until  Bragg's  army  attacked  Mun- 
fordsville  and  the  main  body  of  the  National  army  arrived,  when  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  Fourth  Division,  and  continued  in  command  of  it  during 
the  remainder  of  the  campaign.  He  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Perryville, 
and  participated  in  the  pursuit  of  the  Rebel  army;  beyond  Wild  Cat  he  led  the 
advance,  and  had  several  sharp  skirmishes.  During  the  pursuit  General  Smith's 
division  received  the  surrender  of  about  six  hundred  Rebel  soldiers,  and  captured 
four  hundred  fat  cattle  from  the  enemy's  supply  train.  When  the  pursuit  ended, 
the  division  moved  to  Nashville. 

Just  before  the  advance  on  Murfreesboro',  General  Smith  was  relieved  by 
General  Rosecrans,  to  make  room  for  his  senior.  At  his  own  request  he  was 
transferred  to  General  Grant's  army,  and  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
First  Division  of  the  Sixteenth  Corps,  stationed  along  the  Memphis  and  Charles- 
ton Railroad,  from  Memphis  to  Grand  Junction.  He  remained  here  until  Vicks- 
burg  was  invested,  in  the  meantime  making  many  raids  into  the  Rebel  territory 
between  the  Coldwater  and  the  Tallahatchie.  Enough  horses  and  mules  were 
captured  to  remount  the  cavalry,  and  to  supply  the  trains  with  good  draught 
animals.  The  General  suggested  the  Grierson  raid,  and  prepared  the  command 
for  its  adventurous  ride.  Upon  the  investment  of  Vicksburg,  General  Smith 
was  assigned  the  duty  of  holding  Haines's  Bluff.     Here  Smith's  and  Kimball's 


ggg  Ohio  in  the  War. 

divisions  dug  six  miles  of  rifle-pits  and  constructed  six  strong-  batteries  in  one 
week,  for  which  they  were  highly  commended  by  General  Grant.  Immediately 
after  the  surrender  of  Yicksburg,  General  Smith  moved  with  his  division 
against  General  Johnston,  at  Jackson.  He  participated  in  several  sharp  skir- 
mishes, and  in  one  of  them  lost  eighty  men  in  five  minutes.  After  this  he  was 
assigned  to  duty  on  General  Grant's  staff  as  Chief  of  Cavalry,  and  in  that  ca- 
pacity accompanied  the  General  to  Nashville  and  Chattanooga. 

About  this  time  General  Smith  was  ordered  to  collect  all  the  available 
cavalry  at  Memphis  and  to  move  southward,  and  to  effect,  if  possible,  a  junc- 
tion with  General  Sherman's  forces  at  Meridian,  on  the  celebrated  raid  to 
(hat  point.  There  was  at  least  twelve  thousand  Rebel  cavalry  which  could  be 
concentrated  against  General  Smith;  and  it  was  definitely  understood  between 
General  Sherman  and  General  Smith,  that  the  latter  was  not  to  risk  a  sacri- 
fice of  his  command  to  cut  his  way  through,  General  Sherman  stating  that 
his  own  success  was  not  contingent  upon  a  junction  of  the  forces.  It  was 
thought  that  a  junction  could  be  effected  at  Meridian  by  the  10th  of  February; 
but  the  cavalry  did  not  concentrate  as  rapidly  as  was  expected,  and  General 
Smith  did  not  leave  Memphis  until  the  10th.  At  the  very  start  the  advance 
was  confronted  by  General  Forrest,  who  disputed  the  crossing  of  the  Talla- 
hatchie. Leaving  a  brigade  of  infantry  to  engage  Forrest,  General  Smith  threw 
his  whole  cavalry  force  up  the  river  thirty  miles,  and  crossed  without  firing  a 
gun.  Passing  through  Pontotoc  toward  Huston,  he  approached  a  swamp  over 
which  the  road  passed  on  a  corduroy  causeway.  This  road  was  held  by  a 
strong  force,  and  as  it  was  impossible  to  flank  the  swamp,  General  Smith 
changed  his  course,  and  turning  to  the  left  struck  Okaloona,  and  sweeping  down 
the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Koad  destroyed  thirty-five  miles  of  railroad,  thirteen 
bridges  and  trestles,  two  trains  of  cars,  five  million  bushels  corn,  and  seven 
thousand  bales  of  Confederate  cotton.  Negroes  came  in  from  every  direction, 
bringing  with  them,  in  many  instances,  the  horses  and  mules  which  their  mas- 
ters had  sent  them  into  the  woods  to  secrete.  When  the  expedition  reached 
West  Point,  at  least  five  thousand  negroes  and  three  thousand  head  of  stock 
were  collected.  At  the  Octibbeha  General  Smith  again  encountered  Forrest's 
entire  force.  The  river  was  fordable  at  only  one  point,  and  that  was  guarded 
by  a  force  fully  equal  to  General  Smith's.  He  was  now  one  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  in  the  Rebel  territory;  he  was  encumbered  by  his  captures,  and  a  Rebel 
brigade  was  moving  upon  his  rear;  accordingly  he  commenced  to  retire,  and 
for  the  first  sixty  miles  there  was  continuous  fighting.  The  Rebels  acknowl- 
edged a  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  of  five  hundred  (among  them  was  For- 
rest's brother,  a  Colonel  commanding  a,  brigade),  and,  in  addition,  they 
lost  two  hundred  and  fifty  captured.  The  National  loss  was  two  hundred 
and  fifty  killed,  wounded,  and  missing.  General  Smith  reached  Memphis 
safely  with  the  stock,  negroes,  and  prisoners,  and  on  reporting  to  General 
Grant  at  Nashville,  he  was  commended  for  the  skill  with  which  he  managed  the 
enterprise. 

W  hen  General  Sherman  succeeded  General  Grant  in  the  command  of  the 


C.  P.  Buckingham.  887 

Military  Division  of  the  Mississippi,  General  Smith  remained  Chief  of  Cavalry, 
and  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  to  prepare  the  cavalry  for  the  coming  cam- 
paign. Horses  were  issued  at  the  rate  of  five  thousand  per  month,  and  arms 
and  accoutrements  were  urged  forward  in  great  haste.  But  the  excessive 
fatigue  endured  by  General  Smith  in  his  Mississippi  raid  so  shattered  his  sys- 
tem as  to  bring  on  an  attack  of  inflammatory  rheumatism  in  July,  1864,  and  for 
six  weeks  he  lay  on  his  bed,  unable  to  move  even  a  finger.  His  physician 
informed  him  that  he  never  would  be  fit  for  active  service,  and  though  he 
might  here  perform  post-duty,  he  had  no  relish  for  so  inactive  a  position.  Hav- 
ing given  eight  years  of  his  life  to  the  military  service  of  his  country,  he  ten- 
dered his  resignation,  feeling,  as  he  himself  expressed  it,  that  he  had  done  but 
little,  and  regretting  that  he  could  not  do  more,  in  a  cause  to  which  he  would 
have  freely  given  his  life.  The  country  he  served  will  not  rate  his  work  so 
cheaply. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  C.  P.  BUCKINGHAM. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  March  14,  1808,  at  Putnam,  then 
Springfield,  Muskingum  County,  Ohio.  His  father,  Ebenezer  Bucking- 
ham, was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  the  State,  and  his  mother  was  a 
daughter  of  General  Eufus  Putnam,  a  soldier  in  the  Eevolution,  the  first  Chief 
Engineer  in  the  United  States  Army,  and  the  first  man  to  lead  a  band  of  settlers 
to  Ohio.  Young  Buckingham  was  appointed  a  Cadet  by  President  Monroe,  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  entered  West  Point.  His  application  was  such  that 
at  the  end  of  one  year  he  was  appointed  Acting  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathe- 
matics, and  for  two  years,  besides  prosecuting  his  own  studies,  he  spent  several 
hours  each  day  in  teaching.  At  the  end  of  four  years  he  graduated  second 
in  Mathematics,  Philosophy,  and  Engineering;  and  sixth  in  general  merit. 
Among  his  classmates  were  General  Eobert  E.  Lee,  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  O.  M. 
Mitchel,  Thomas  A.  Davis,  James  Barnes,  Thomas  Swords,  and  others  of  less 
celebrity. 

In  1829  he  was  commissioned  by  President  Jackson  as  Second-Lieutenant 
in  the"  Third  United  States  Artillery,  and  before  the  expiration  of  the  usual 
furlough  he  was  ordered  to  join  a  party  engaged  in  surveying  Green  Eiver, 
Kentucky,  with  a  view  to  render  it  navigable.  The  next  winter  was  spent  in 
Washington  completing  maps  of  the  survey,  and  in  the  following  September, 
after  a  furlough  of  four  months,  he  was  ordered  to  West  Point  as  Acting  Assist- 
ant Professor  of  Natural  Philosophy.     After  serving  one  year  in   this  capacity, 


888 


Ohio  in  the   War. 


Licucenant  Buckingham  decided  to  quit  the  service  and  to  devote  himself  to 

civil  pursuits. 

In  1838  he  was  culled  to  the  Professorship  of  Mathematics  and  Natural 
Philosophy  in  Kenyon  College,  Gambier,  Ohio,  which  position  he  held  for  three 
refiTO'  and  upon  his  retirement  he  was  chosen  a  trustee  of  the  institution. 
Professor  Buckingham  settled  in  Mount  Yernon,  Ohio,  and  in  1849  became  the 
senior  partner  in  the  Kokosing  Iron  Works.  In  1856  he  removed  temporarily 
to  Chicago,  where  he  spent  two  years  in  building  and  putting  in  operation  the 
grata  bouses  of  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  ro- 
ped to  Ohio  and  resumed  the  management  of  the  Kokosing  Iron  Works. 
A  few  days  after  the  fall  of  Sumter  Governor  Dennison  offered  Mr.  Buck- 
ingham the  position  of  Assistant  Adjutant- General  of  Ohio,  and  he  at  once  re- 
paired to  Columbus  and  reported  for  duty.  At  that  time  the  State  of  Ohio  was 
organizing  twenty-two  regiments.  These  troops,  to  the  number  of  seventeen 
or  eighteen  thousand,  were  collected  in  several  camps  and  fed  by  contract  at 
the  rate  of  fifty  cents  per  day  for  each  man.  The  necessity  for  an  organized 
Commissary  Department  was  very  urgent,  and  within  a  week  after  arriving  in 
Columbus,  Mr.  Buckingham  was  appointed  Commissary-General  of  the  State. 
Ho  immediately  established  depots  of  ])rovisions,  purchased  supplies,  appointed 
assistant  commissaries,  and  within  two  weeks  the  troops  were  put  upon  regular 
army  rations,  and  were  fed  at  an  average  cost  of  fourteen  cents  per  day  for 
each  man. 

After  the  Commissary  Department  was  ftilly  organized,  General  Carrington. 

the  Adjutant-General  of  the  State,  was  commissioned  in  the  regular  army,  and 

General  Buckingham  was  appointed  to  succeed  him;  and  for  nine  months  he 

labored    incessantly  in  raising   regiments  and   forwarding  them    to    the   field. 

Special  difficulties  arose  between  the  State  authorities  and  the  authorities  at 

Washington  in  regard  to  the  recruiting  service,  and  to  give  a  minute  account 

of  General  Buckingham's  efforts  to  bring  order  out  of  confusion  ;  to  establish  a 

in  of  recruiting  on  fixed  principles;  to  organize  and  arrange  the  records  of 

i!k-  Office  so  that  the  information  which  they  contained  should  be  reliable  and 

easily  aooestiblej  to  bring  the  War  Department  into  proper  relations  with  the 

Stat,-  authorities;  to  reconcile  the  conflicting  claims  of  officers,  and,  in  a  word, 

to  meet  all  the  wants  and  requirements  of  his  position— to  give  a  minute  account 

of  all  this  would  require  the  publication  of  a  voluminous"  correspondence,  and 

•»'  enumerable  number  of  official  documents.     It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  by  the 

end  of  the  year  eighty  thousand  men  had  been  organized  and  equipped  for  the 

three  years'  service.     Upon  the  accession  of  Governor  Tod,  General  Bucking- 

W  still  continued  in  his  position,  and  nothing  ever  occurred  in  his  private 

"<l  Offloial  intercourse  either  with  Governor  Dennison  or  with  Governs  Tod 

0  interrupt  for  a  moment  the  confidence  that  existed  between  them. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  1862.  General  Buckingham  was  offered,  and  he  accepted, 

"  P0?K,0w  "igadiCr-GCneraI  of  Volunteers,  with  special  reference  to  ser- 
nee  m  the  War  Department.  General  Buckingham's  duty  was  of  a  very  mis- 
cellaneous character.     Two  or  three  examples  will  be  sufficient  to  give  an  idea 


C.    P.    Buckingham.  889 

of  its  nature.  In  July,  1862,  when  the  National  affairs  on  the  James  River  wore 
their  most  gloomy  aspect,  it  was  decided  that  strenuous  efforts  should  be  made 
to  raise  a  large  additional  force.  Experience  had  shown  the  necessity  of  a  com- 
plete understanding  between  the  War  Department  and  the  State  authorities; 
and  to  effect  this  the  Secretary  of  State  set  out  to  visit  several  of  the  Govern- 
ors, and  to  have  interviews  with  them  upon  the  subject.  General  Buckingham 
was  directed  to  accompany  him,  with  authority  from  the  War  Department  to 
remove  so  far  as  possible  any  impediments  which  the  State  authorities  might 
find  in  the  way  of  recruiting.  Together  they  conferred  with  the  Governors  of 
Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  Massachusetts;  and  then  General  Buckingham 
proceeded  alone  to  Cleveland,  where  he  met  the  Governors  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Michigan,  and  Wisconsin  ;  and,  without  doubt,  the  arrangements  thus  made 
greatly  facilitated  the  business  of  recruiting. 

In  October,  1862,  General  Buckingham  was  ordered  to  repair  to  Columbus, 
Indianapolis,  and  Rock  Island,  to  select  sites  for  the  arsenals  authorized  at  the 
preceding  session  of  Congress.  He  performed  this  duty  by  selecting  those  now 
occupied  by  the  Government  at  Columbus  and  Indianapolis,  and  by  recommend- 
ing that  Rock  Island,  already  owmed  by  the  Government,  be  selected  for  the 
third.     His  report  was  adopted  in  every  particular. 

The  first  conscription  was  ordered  in  July,  1862,  and  General  Buckingham 
was  selected  to  organize  and  arrange  the  details,  and  to  set  the  machinery  in 
motion.  While  engaged  in  this  duty  his  attention  wTas  directed  to  the  enormous 
amount  of  desertion  and  straggling,  and  also  to  the  necessity  of  some  means  by 
which  the  Government  could  reach  and  control  the  recruiting  system  at  all 
points.  To  this  end,  he  suggested  to  the  Secretary  of  War  the  propriety  of 
appointing  Provost-Marshals;  and  subsequently  the  Provost- Marshal's  Bureau 
was  established  mainly  upon  General  Buckingham's  plan. 

In  February,  1863,  Congress  determined  to  pass  a  conscription  law,  and  the 
Senate  Military  Committee  requested  General  Buckingham  to  meet  them,  and 
to  make  such  suggestions  as  would  assist  them  in  drawing  up  a  bill.  After 
hearing  the  views  of  General  Buckingham,  whose  past  experience,  both  as  a 
State  officer,  and  as  having  charge  of  the  conscription  during  the  previous  sum- 
mer, had  made  him  quite  familiar  with  the  subject,  the  Committee  requested 
him  to  take  the  papers  and  memoranda  to  his  office  and  to  draw  up  a  bill  to  be 
submitted  to  them.  This  he  did;  and  the  bill  as  it  passed  Congress  varied  but 
little  from  the  one  which  he  reported  to  the  Committee. 

About  this  time  General  Buckingham's  private  affairs,  which  he  had  almost 
wholly  neglected  since  the  opening  of  the  war,  demanded  his  attention ;  and 
accordingly  he  tendered  his  resignation,  and  once  more  returned  to  civil  life. 
His  services  through  the  war  were  not  of  the  kind  that  figure  largely  in  the 
public  eye  or  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  but  a  large  share  of  the  credit 
which  Ohio  won  for  her  promptitude  infilling  her  quotas,  and  for  the  admirable 
organization  of  her  troops  is  due  to  General  Buckingham  ;  and  his  name  will 
ever  deserve  prominent  mention  in  her  list  of  those  who  served  and  honored 
their  native  State  through  the  trials  of  the  Great  Rebellion. 


890 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  FERDINAND  VAN  DERVEER, 


FERDINAND  VAN  DERYEEE,  a  brave  and  trusty  officer  from 
the  opening  to  the  end  of  the  war,  was  born  in  Butler  County,  Ohio, 
27th  February,  1823,  and  was  educated  at  Farmers'  College,  Ohio. 

In  May,  1S46,  he  volunteered  as  a  pnvate  in  the  company  of  the  First  Ohio 
(Colonel  Alexander  M.  Mitchell),  raised  in  Butler  County,  for  the  Mexican  war. 
By  October  4,  1846,  he  had  passed  through  all  the  grades,  Orderly-Sergeant, 
Second  and  First-Lieutenant,  and  had  become  Captain  of  his  company.  His 
company  was  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  assaulting  columns  in  the  storming  of 
Monterey,  and  his  own  conduct  was  conspicuously  handsome.  He  continued  to 
serve  under  General  Taylor  until  1847,  when  his  regiment  was  mustered  out. 

Returning  to  Hamilton,  Ohio,  he  first  entered  politics,  and  was  presently 
elected  sheriff  of  his  native  county.  He  subsequently  entered  upon  the  prac- 
tice of  law. 

Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the 
Thirty-Fifth  Ohio.  He  recruited  his  regiment  in  six  weeks,  and  was  the  first 
to  take  the  field  on  the  Central  Kentucky  line.  Leaving  Hamilton  on  the  26th 
of  September,  1861,  he  reached  Cynthiana,  Kentucky,  on  the  night  of  the 
same  day. 

His  experience  in  Mexico  caused  every  step  taken  in  the  rapid  drill  and 
discipline  of  his  men  to  be  of  the  most  practical  character,  and  the  six  weeks 
spent  in  camp  in  Ohio  and  Kentucky  were  given  assiduously  to  preparation  for 
active  field  service. 

In  the  field  his  first  care  was  to  see  for  himself  that  his  picket-lines  were 
properly  established,  at  any  cost  of  fatigue  and  reconnoissance.  '  His  care  of  all 
the  interests  of  his  men  was  unceasing,  and  no  effort  on  his  part  was  ever  spared 
to  promote  their  comfort.  From  the  men  up  through  ail  grades  of  officers  with 
whom  he  served,  confidence  in  his  judgment  was  general.  Though  suffering 
from  attacks  of  a  chronic  disease  contracted  in  Mexico,  he  was  often  in  the  sad- 
dle when  he  should  have  been  in  bed.  At  the  battle  of  Mill  Springs  he  got  out 
of  a  s.ck-bed,  where  he  had  lain  for  weeks  dangerously  ill,  and  rode  to  the  field 
with  his  regiment. 

Colonel  Van  Derveer  remained  in  the  command  of  his  regiment,  following 
the  fortunes  of  Buell's  army  through  Tennessee  to  Pittsburg  Landing  and  Cor- 
inth, and  back  toward  Nashville,  till,  in  September,  1862,  the  death  of  General 
KobertL  McCookleftto  him  the  command,  of  the  brigade  of  that  lamented 
officer.     With  the  exception  of  only  a  few  months,  he  continued  to  command 


Ferdinand    Van    Derveee.  891 

this  brigade  until  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  in  September,  1864.  It 
was  the  brigade  originally  organized  by  General  George  II.  Thomas,  shortly 
before  the  battle  of  Mill  Springs,  which  was  always  a  part  of  his  command, 
and  an  object  of  his  especial  pride. 

Soon  after  assuming  command  of  the  brigade,  Colonel  Van  Derveer  gave 
close  attention  to  its  drill  as  such,  and  long  before  these  evolutions  were  com- 
mon in  the  army  to  which  he  was  attached,  his  regiments  were  skilled  in  all  the 
movements  of  line  which   would  be  of  practical  use  in   battle. 

The  separate  regiments  making  up  the  command  arrived  at  a  point  where 
each  had  perfect  confidence  in  the  ability  of  the  other  .to  execute  any  maneuver. 
The  result  was,  that  in  the  first  general  battle  after  his  assuming  command  his 
brigade  was  a  unit,  and  through  both  days  of  that  hot  fight  performed  all  of  its 
evolutions  as  promptly  as  if  on  parade.  It  moved  habitually  in  two  lines,  the 
one  relieving  the  other  as  the  ammunition  became  exhausted,  or  as  the  front 
became  fatigued.  From  first  to  last  it  gave  no  foot  of  ground  to  the  enemy, 
and  on  each  day  drove  the  enemy  in  its  immediate  front  a  full  third  of  a  mile 
when,  regarding  the  field  generally,  the  Eebel  line  was  advancing.  ' 

How  Colonel  Yan  Derveer's  conduct  at  the  head  of  his  brigade  was  esteemed 
in  the  army  may  be  best  seen,  perhaps,  in  the  official  reports  of  his  superiors. 
General  J.  M.  Brannan,  in  his  report  on  Chiekamauga  to  General  Thomas,  said, 
with  reference  to  the  extreme  right  of  his  line,  after  the  rout  of  the  rest  of  the 
army  had  left  it  exposed : 

"  Finding  that  this  latter  point  was  the  key  to  the  position  so  desired  by  the  enemy,  I  made 
every  preparation  to  defend  it  to  the  last,  my  command  being  somewhat  increased,  .  .  .  and 
most  opportunely  re-enforced  by  Colonel  Van  Derveer's  brigade  (Third),  which  having  success- 
fully, though  with  great  loss,  held  its  precarious  position  in  the  general  line  until  all  in  its  vicin- 
ity had  retreated,  retired  in  good  order,  actually  cutting  its  way  through  the  Rebels  to  rejoin  my 
division.  This  gallant  brigade  was  one  of  the  few  who  maintained  their  organization  perfect 
through  the  hard-fought  passes  of  that  portion  of  the  field.  .  .  .  Where  the  conduct  of  all 
is  so  commendable,  it  is  hardly  possible  for  me  to  select  any  for  particular  mention.  Yet  I  can 
not  conclude  this  report  without  bringing  to  the  special  notice  of  the  commanding  General  the 
gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  of  Colonel  F.  Van  Derveer,  Thirty-Fifth  Regiment  Ohio  Vol- 
unteer Infantry,  commanding  Third  Brigade,  whose  fearlessness  and  calm  judgment  in  the  most 
trying  situations  added  materially  to  the  efficiency  of  his  command,  which  he  handled  both  days 
in  the  most  skillful  manner,  punishing  the  enemy  severely."     .     .     . 

General  A.  Baird,  who  succeeded  General  Brannan  in  the  command  of  the 
latter  division,  in  his  report  to  General  Thomas  regarding  the  storming  of  Mis- 
sion Ridge,  says : 

"  To  my  brigade  commanders,  Brigadier-General  Turchin  of  the  First,  and  Colonel  Van 
Derveer  of  the  Second,  I  invite  your  attention.  To  their  skill,  bravery,  and  high  soldierly  qual- 
ifications we  are  greatly  indebted  for  the  results  we  were  able  to  accomplish.  I  hope  that  their 
services  will  be  rewarded." 

And  after  the  Atlanta  camj)aign,  General  Baird  reported  to  General  Thomas: 

"On  the  27th  (June,  1864),  Colonel  Van  Derveer,  commanding  my  Second  Brigade,  who 
had  long  been  suffering  from  disease,  was  compelled  to  go  North  for  relief,  and  turned  over  the 
command  of  the  brigade  to  Colonel  Gleason,  Eighty-Seventh  Indiana,  who  has  since  retained  it. 


892  Ohio  in  the   Wak. 

"  In  losing  Colonel  Van  Derveer  my  command  and  the  service  generally  was  deprived  of 
one  of  its  inost^allant  and  best  officers,  and  most  accomplished  gentlemen.  Always  prompt, 
judicious,  and  brave,  he  had  distinguished  himself  on  many  fields,  and  his  promotion  had  been 
.strongly  urged  upon  the  Government,  but  unaccountably  overlooked. 

"  The  long  record  would  be  incomplete  should  I  fail  to  mention  especially  the  five  officers 
who,  as  brigade  commanders,  have  been  my  chief  assistants  in  the  campaign. 

"Colonel  F.  Van  Derveer,  Thirty-Fifth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  the  bruve  and  accom- 
plidMd  commander  of  the  Second  Brigade  at  Chickamauga  and  at  Mission  Kidge,  remained  with 
da-  command  until  the  end  of  June.  He  also  has,  by  expiration  of  term  of  service,  been  re- 
turned to  civil  life." 

Just  before  the  line  broke  on  the  second  day  at  Chickamauga  there  came 
an  occasion  for  testing  the  General's  mettle  and  the  nerve  of  his  troops.  His 
brigade  being  in  reserve  was  ordered  to  the  left  to  re-enforce  a  hard-pressed 
point.  Deploying  his  battalion,  which  was  closed  in  mass,  he  marched  rapidly 
toward  the  threatened  point.  The  line  of  march  lay  through  a  forest  skirting 
the  road  to  Chattanooga.  He  had  no  knowledge  of  any  force  of  the  enemy 
having  gained  the  rear.  However,  just  as  his  front  line  was  marching  through 
some  thick  underbrush  and  coming  out  in  the  road,  it  received  a  brisk  musketry 
fire  exactly  enfilading  both  lines,  delivered  by  a  heavy  skirmish  line  of  an  en- 
tiro  division  of  Eebels  advancing  rapidly  down  the  road,  their  line  crossing  it 
at  light-angles.  Without  replying  to  the  fire,  the  General  in  an  instant  sent  a 
staff  officer  to  each  regiment,  and  while  the  ranks  were  actually  melting  away, 
the  brigade  in  two  lines  changed  front,  both  lines  lay  down,  and  received  the 
full  front  fire  from  the  Eebels.  The  remnant,  however,  delivered  a  volley  which 
cheeked  the  Eebel  line  at  less  than  a  hundred  yards,  when,  upon  an  order,  the 
rear  line  (Thirty-Fifth  and  Ninth  Ohio  regiments)  rose,  and  with  a  cheer  to 
whieh  they  had  been  trained,  without  firing  a  shot,  charged  on  a  full  run  di- 
rectly into  the  whole  Eebel  division,  which  turned  and  fled,  followed  closely  for 
a  full  third  of  a  mile  by  Van  Derveer's  entire  brigade.  Many  prisoners  were 
captured,  and  the  army  saved  from  being  cut  in  two  at  the  point  attacked. 

Oddly  enough,  the  Eebel  division  proved  to  be  that  of  Breckinridge— a 
gentleman  whom  Colonel  Van  Derveer  had  often  expressed  a  desire  to  meet  in 
the  field,  that  he  might  get  satisfaction  for  having  voted  for  him  for  the  Presi- 
dency. 

Alter  his  muster-out  in  the  fall  of  1864,  Colonel  Van  Derveer  was  appointed 
a  Brigadier-General  and  assigned  to  the  Fourth  Army  Corps,  then  operating  in 
Tennessee.     In  this  position  he  served  through  the  brief  remnant  of  the  war. 

General  Van  Derveer  possessed  many  of  the  most  valuable  characteristics 
of  an  officer.  Though  never  "spoiling  for  a  fight,"  he  was  always  anxious  for 
any  duty  that  would  tell  on  the  operations  of  the  campaign.  He  was  quick  to 
s.eze  upon  all  the  features  of  a  position-for  fortifications,  attack,  pickets.  He 
always  pa.d  special  attention  to  selecting  comfortable  camps;  gave  personal  at- 
tention to  every  thing  connected  with  the  well-being  of  his  troops ;  always  had 
the  best  transportation,  and  took  pride  in  keeping  it  in  prime  order;  knew  all 
his  men  by  name,  and  generally  had  a  joke  that  each  would  appreciate  when 


Fernando  Van  Derveer.  893 

he  met  him  ;  had  the  faculty  of  organizing  his  men  so  as  to  gain  speed  in  field- 
work  of  all  kinds;  was  so  unceasingly  vigilant,  that  from  the  day  he  entered 
the  field  a  surprise  to  his  camp  would  have  been  an  impossibility.  In  action 
he  was  a  cool  and  close  observer.  He  was  always  close  along  the  fighting  line, 
always  on  horseback,  and  generally  exposed  more  than  any  of  his  men. 

He  was  a  volunteer,  and  as  such,  was  in  the  habit  of  criticising  freely  the 
orders  he  received,  sometimes  carrying  his  objections  and  expostulations  to 
what  a  regular  would  call  the  verge  of  insubordination.  A  signal  instance  of 
this  occurred  almost  at  the  outset  of  his  career  in  Kentucky.  He  received  from 
General  Sherman  one  of  the  first  and  least  justifiable  of  those  panic-stricken 
orders  on  which  many  officers  of  the  army  based  (and  still  base)  their  belief 
that  General  Sherman  was  insane.  It  was  an  order  to  destroy  the  railroad  at 
Cynthiana,  abandon  every  thing,  and  march  back  to  Cincinnati !  Yan  Derveer 
knew  that  the  alarm  was  groundless;  and,  furthermore,  he  saw  the  absurdity 
of  destroying  the  railroad  and  marching  back  to  Cincinnati,  when  he  might  so 
much  easier  go  back  by  rail,  if  a  retreat  became  necessary.  He  accordingly 
took  the  responsibility  of  flatly  disobeying  the  order. 

Before  the  war  he  had  been  a  strong  Breckinridge  Democrat — a  friend  and 
supporter  of  Yallandigham.  Soon  after  reaching  Cynthiana,  Kentucky,  whose 
citizens  made  great  outcry  because  his  regiment  had  violated  the  laws  of  the  State 
in  bringing  free  negroes  into  the  place,  he  ordered  all  black  servants  brought 
from  Ohio  to  be  taken  back.  "With  these  early  sentiments,  he  was  still  one  of 
the  first  to  learn  the  lesson  of  the  war  as  it  stood  related  to  slavery ;  and  long 
before  his  term  expired  he  ranked  with  the  advance  of  the  most  earnest  War- 
Democrats.  Though  the  majority  of  his  regiment  felt  as  he  did  politically  when 
it  took  the  field,  in  the  great  campaign  between  Brough  and  Yallandigham  the 
latter  did  not  receive  a  single  vote  in  his  regiment.  This  was  in  great  measure 
due  to  the  decided  position  taken  by  its  first  commander. 

On  leaving  the  service  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  Eepublican  campaign 
of  1865,  stumping  the  old  Yallandigham  district  and  carrying  with  him  a  large 
number.  Just  before  the  break  between  Congress  and  the  President  occurred, 
he  received  the  appointment  of  Collector  of  the  Third  Ohio  District.  This  was 
given  at  the  time  wholly  on  his  military  record  and  without  any  pledges  what- 
ever. In  the  canvass  which  followed  the  President's  defections,  though  strongly 
urged  by  the  old-time  Democratic  friends  to  take  the  stump  for  Johnson,  he 
steadily  refused. 


yc^  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  GEORGE  P.  ESTE. 


/"^  EO.  PEABODY  ESTE,  an  officer  in  the  service  from  the  outbreak 
I  y  till  the  close  of  the  war,  with  a  record  always  good  and  sometimes 
^  brilliant,  was  born  at  Nashua,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  30th  of  April, 
1830.     He  was  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1846,  at  the  age  of  sixteen. 

Shortly  after  his  graduation,  in  consequence  of  a  brain  fever,  which  left 
him  in  feeble  health,  he  made  a  trip  to  California,  where,  with  true  Yankee  "go- 
aheadativeness,"  the  young  college  lad  speedily  began  to  interest  himself  in 
mining  operations;  in  which,  however,  he  gained  more  experience  than  money. 
While  speculating  in  gold  mining  he  also  read  law. 

In  1850  he  returned  to  "  the  States,"  paid  a  visit  to  the  old  homestead,  then 
went  to  Galena,  Illinois,  and  there  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  with  con- 
siderable success.  In  1856  he  removed  to  Toledo,  where  he  continued  in  the  prac- 
tice, in  the  office  of  M.  E.  Waite,  the  acknowledged  leader  of  the  bar  in  Toledoy 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  In  1859  he  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  of 
that  county  on  the  Republican  ticket,  in  spite  of  obstacles  which  seemed  to  in- 
sure his  defeat  in  advance.  He  was  in  those  days  a  Republican  of  somewhat 
radical  views,  approaching  more  nearly  to  the  position  of  Mr.  Chase  than  to 
that  of  any  of  the  other  party  leaders  in  the  State. 

When  the  news  of  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  reached  the  North  he  was  on  a 
business  visit  at  Troy,  New  York.  He  immediately  sent  a  dispatch  to  his  per- 
sonal friend  and  political  enemy,  James  B.  Steedman,  of  Toledo,  then  conspicu- 
ous as  the  Democratic  leader  of  the  north-western  section  of  the  State.  "Are 
you  for  your  country,"  ran  the  dispatch,  "after  this  news,  or  for  your  party?" 
ECe  added  that  he  would  take  the  first  train  home,  and  that  meantime  he  hoped 
Steedman  would  call  a  war  meeting. 

Steedman  did  call  the  meeting,  and  by  the  time  Este  arrived  the  war  fever 
had  r.sen  so  high  that  Steedman  felt  authorized  in  telegraphing  to  Columbus 
ie  offer  of  a  full  regiment  within  ten  days-the  first  regiment  offered  for  the 
war.  He  now  proposed  that  Este  should  take  the  Colonelcy.  This  Este  refused, 
and,  in  the  hope  of  stimulating  enlistments,  himself  volunteered  as  a  private  in 
the  ranks.  When  the  regiment  was  full,  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel 
(Steedman  himself  being  chosen  Colonel),  but  this  also  he  declined  at  first  In 
>ome  ten  days,  however,  he  accepted  the  position,  and  entered  upon  its  duties, 
henceforward,  for  some  years,  his  history  is  that  of  the  Fourteenth  Ohio. 
He  crossed  with  it  into  West  Virginia,  at  Parkersburg,  when  the  occupation  of 
that  State  was  determined  upon ;  with  it  led  the  way  along  the  broken  railroad 


George    P.  Este.  895 

to  Grafton;  with  it  fell  upon  Porterfield's  fleet  Virginians  at  Philippi.  in  the 
first  skirmish  of  the  war;  with  it  advanced  on  Laurel  Hill,  led  the  pursuit  of 
Garnett,  and  routed  his  rear-guard  at  Carrick's  Ford  ;  with  it  was  transferred 
from  Western  Virginia  to  Buell's  army,  and  advanced  from  Pittsburg  Landing 
on  Corinth. 

After  having  been  in  constant  service  with  the  regiment  until  the  fall  of 
1862,  as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  he  then  took  command  of  it,  on  the  return  from 
Corinth  to  Deeherd — Colonel  Steedman  having  by  this  time  been  assigned  to 
higher  duties. 

From  this  time  he  led  the  regiment  through  all  the  battles  of  the  Army  of 
the  Cumberland,  with  one  exception,  until  he  was  able  to  lead  it  back  on  its 
veteran  furlough.  The  exception  was  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  which  he 
missed  by  reason  of  the  urgent  calls  from  Ohio  which  had  induced  General 
Bosecrans  to  order  him  back  to  Ohio,  nominally  on  recruiting  duty,  that  he 
might  participate  in  the  campaign  against  Vallandigham. 

He  was  now  able  to  accomplish  the  work  which,  out  of  his  whole  military 
service,  he  himself  most  values.  He  saw  very  clearly,  as  the  expiration  of  the 
terms  of  enlistment  began  to  approach,  the  necessity  of  securing  the  continued 
services  of  the  large  body  of  instructed  soldiery  who  made  up  the  best  part  of 
the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  ;  and  to  the  task  of  obtaining  their  re-enlistment 
as  veterans  he  devoted  himself.  For  some  time  the  work  was  a  difficult  one, 
but  it  was  at  last  happily  accomplished.  To  Colonel  Este,  as  much,  at  least,  as 
to  any  officer  of  his  grade,  more  perhaps  than  to  any  other,  was  due  this  suc- 
cess ;  and  for  it  he  received  the  grateful  acknowledgments  of  his  superiors. 

At  the  expiration  of  the  veteran  furlough,  Colonel  Este  took  back  his  regi- 
ment to  the  field,  rejoining  the  army  at  Chattanooga. 

He  was  then  put  in  command  of  the  Third  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Four- 
teenth Army  .Corps,  comprising  the  Fourteenth  Ohio,  Thirty-Eighth  Ohio,  Tenth 
Indiana,  and  Eleventh  Kentucky  Infantry.  This  brigade  he  continued  to  lead 
through  the  Atlanta  Campaign,  the  march  to  the  sea,  the  campaign  of  the  Car- 
olina?, and  the  Grand  Eeview. 

He  was  in  all  the  battles  of  his  corps  :  Snake  Gap,  Eesaca,  Kenesaw,  the 
Chattahoochie,  Peachtree  Creek  (in  which,  however,  his  command  only  skir- 
mished), and  at  Jonesboro'.  At  the  Chattahoochie  he  was  slightly  wounded  in 
the  lt'g,  and  his  horse  was  shot  under  him ;  and  at  Jonesboro'  he  was  again 
slightly  wounded,  and  another  horse  was  shot  under  him.  The  number  of  his 
narrow  escapes  in  this  campaign  was  something  remarkable.  He  started  out 
with  a  pair  of  high,  glazed  cavalry  boots ;  by  the  time  he  reached  Atlanta  they 
were  fairly  shot  to  pieces,  and  he  had  received  repeated  contusions  from  half- 
spent  balls  which  they  served  to  check ;  so  that  it  came  to  be  a  saying  in  the 
division  that  Este's  boots  were  a  better  coat  of  mail  than  the  patent  bullet- 
proof vests  which  the  agents  and  sutlers  had  been  trying  to  introduce. 

At  Jonesboro'  Colonel  Este  and  his  brigade  were  particularly  distinguished. 
After  the  repulse  of  the  regulars,  he  led  them  up  to  the  attack,  stormed  two 
lines  of  works  held  by  Hardee's  command,  captured  four  hundred  and  twenty- 


sl,(;  Ohio  in  the  War. 

six  prisoners,  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  three  battle-flags,  and  lost  in  the  brief 
aaumlt  three'hundred  and  thirty  killed  and  wounded,  out  of  one  thousand  and 
fcwenty  engaged.  So  brilliant  was  his  conduct,  and  that  of  his  brigade  in  this 
action,  as  to  draw  from  the  division  commander  the  following  unusually  eulo- 
io  notice  in  his  official  report : 

"  This  charge  of  my  Third  Brigade,  one  of  the  most  magnificent  on  record,  and  the  first, 
during  this  campaign,  in  which  works  upon  either  side  have  been  assaulted  and  carried,  was  pro- 
ductive of  the  greatest  results,  in  opening  the  way  for  the  advance  of  the  troops  on  our  right 
and  left,  and  destroying  the  morale  of  the  boldest  and  most  confident  troops  in  the  Eebel  army. 

"The  losses  sustained  attest  the  severity  of  the  struggle.  Out  of  eleven  hundred  officers  and 
men  who  went  into  the  action,  seventy-five  were  killed,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  wounded, 
nearly  one  out  of  every  three  being  hit,  and  all  in  a  space  of  thirty  minutes'  time.  Among  those 
who  fell  was  the  gallant  Colonel  Choate,  of  the  Thirty-Eighth  Ohio,  who  has  since  died.  Major 
Wilson  commanding  the  Fourteenth  Ohio,  lost  his  leg;  and  numerous  others  of  our  best  officers 
and  men  on  this  glorious  occasion,  sacrificed  themselves  upon  the  altar  of  their  country.  For 
the  names  of  those  who  particularly  distinguished  themselves,  I  refer  to  the  reports  of  brigades 
and  regiments. 

"  On  no  occasion  within  my  own  knov/ledge  has  the  use  of  the  bayonet  been  so  well  authenticated. 
Three  brothers,  named  Noe,  of  the  Tenth  Kentucky,  went  over  the  Eebel  parapet  together,  and 
two  of  them  pinned  their  adversaries  to  the  ground  with  the  bayonet,  and  as  an  officer  of  the 
Seventy-Fourth  Indiana  was  about  to  be  bayoneted  by  a.  Rebel,  a  soldier  warded  off  the  blow 
and,  after  some  moments  fencing,  transfixed  his  antagonist.  These,  as  the  wounded  Rebels  show, 
are  but  isolated  instances. 

"  The  brigade  captured  four  hundred  and  twenty-six  prisoners,  including  fifty-five  officers, 
from  the  rank  of  Colonel  down.  They  were  from  the  Second,  Fourth,  Fifth,  Sixth,  and  Ninth 
Kentucky;  the  Sixth,  Seventh,  and  Eighth  Arkansas;  the  Twenty-Eighth,  Thirty-Fourth,  and 
Forty-Sixth  Alabama;  the  Twenty-Fourth  South  Carolina,  and  the  Sixty-Third  Virginia  Regi- 
ments. It  also  captured  the  battle-flags  of  the  Sixth  and  Seventh  Arkansas  Regiments,  and  the 
battle-flag  heretofore  spoken  of. 

"In  closing  the  report  of  this  battle,  and  whilst  testifying  to  the  heroic  conduct  of  all  officers 
and  men  of  the  brigade,  I  can  not  overlook  the  splendid  gallantry  of  Colonel  Este,  commanding 
it.  His  horse  was  shot  under  him,  and  his  clothing  torn  with  bullets,  yet  he  retained  the  utmost 
coolness,  and  managed  his  command  with  a  high  degree  of  judgment  and  skill.  I  hope  that  he 
will  receive  the  reward  which  his  service  merits. 

"A.  BAIRD, 
11  Brigadier-General,  Commanding  Division." 

Before  this,  on  the  20th  November,  1862,  Colonel  Este  had  been  promoted 
to  the  Colonelcy  of  his  regiment,  and  had  been  recommended  by  General  Geo. 
H.  Thomas  for  a  Brevet  Brigadier-Generalship.  Thomas  and  Sherman  now 
united  in  recommending  him  for  a  full  Brigadiership,  and  the  commission  was 
accordingly  issued,  although  he  did  not  receive  it  till  during  the  campaign  of 
the  Carol  in  as. 

In  the  march  to  the  sea  General  Este's  brigade  supported  the  cavalry  dur- 
ing the  operations  on  the  left  wing,  and  participated  in  the  little  affairs  brought 
on  by  the  enemy's  cavalry  on  that  flank. 

In  the  campaign  of  the  Carolinas,  just  before  the  battle  of  Bentonville, 
General  Este  was  sent  back  to  take  charge  of  the  army  trains,  numbering  some 
one  thousand  three  hundred  wagons,  which  were  supposed  to  be  in  considerable 
danger. 


Joel  A.  Dewey.  897 

Shortly  after  participating  in  the  Grand  Eeview  he  resigned  his  commis- 
sion, to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  law  in  Washington  City,  in  connection  with 
Judge  James,  of  Cincinnati. 

General  Este  passed  for  one  of  the  handsome  men  of  the  army.  He  is  tall, 
portly  but  compact,  with  good  head,  and  an  open,  manly  countenance.  Yet, 
three  years  after  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  still  a  bachelor. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOEL  A.  DEWEY. 


JOEL  A.  DEWEY,  a  resident  before  the  war  of  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio, 
and  one  among  the  youngest  Brigadiers  in  the  service,  was  born  on  the 
20th  of  September,  1840. 

He  entered  the  service  as  a  Second-Lieutenant  of  the  Fifty-Eighth  Ohio, 
on  the  10th  of  October,  1861.  Early  in  1862  he  was  transferred  to  the  Forty- 
Third  Ohio,  and  mustered  in  as  Captain.  After  service  here  until  1864,  he  was, 
in  February  of  that  year  transferred  to  the  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eleventh  United  States  Colored  Infantry.  In  April,  1865,  he  be- 
came Colonel  of  the  same  regiment.  In  November,  1865,  he  was  appointed  a 
full  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  in  which  capacity  he  continued  to  serve 
until  his  honorable  discharge,  on  the  31st  of  January,  1866.  He  then  settled  in 
the  town  of  Dandridge,  Tennessee. 
Yol.  I.— 57. 


gg8  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  BENJAMIN  F.  POTTS. 


GRNBRAL  POTTS  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  on  January  29, 
1836.  His  parents  were  farmers.  He  received  a  good  English  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  county,  and  when  seventeen 
years  old  entered  the  dry -goods  store  of  Charles  Boies  at  Wattsville,  Ohio,  as 
clerk.  In  about  a  year  he  left  the  store  and  entered  Westminster  College,  at 
Now  Wilmington,  Pennsylvania.  He  remained  at  college  during  1854-5  but, 
his  funds  becoming  exhausted,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  engaged  in  teaching 
school  and  reading  law. 

Although  only  twenty  years  of  age  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  political 
contest  of  1856,  and  addressed  numerous  meetings  in  favor  of  Mr.  Buchanan 
and  the  Democratic  party.  In  September,  1857,  he  entered  the  law  office  of 
Colonel  E.  K.  Eckley,  Carrollton,  Ohio  (late  Colonel  of  the  Eightieth  Ohio 
Infantry,  and  now  member  of  Congress  from  the  Seventeenth  Congressional 
District),  where  he  remained  devoting  his  whole  time  to  the  study  of  law  until 
May,  1859.  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  by  a  full  bench  of  the  District 
Court  at  Canton,  Ohio.  He  immediately  opened  a  law  office  in  his  native 
county  and,  by  energy  and  application,  soon  obtained  a  good  practice. 

In  November,  1859,  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Charleston  Convention. 
He  was  present  at  Charleston  and  Baltimore  and  voted,  first  and  last,  for 
Stephen  A.  Douglas. 

Upon  the  fall  of  Sumter  the  Douglas  Democrat,  following  the  example  of 
his  political  leader,  declared  for  his  country,  advocated  vigorous  war  measures, 
raised  a  company,  and  entered  the  Thirty-Second  Ohio.  He  was  mustered  as 
Captain  on  August  29,  1861.  He  served  with  the  regiment  in  West  Virginia, 
and  was  present  at  Cheat  Mountain  and  Greenbrier.  He  was  engaged  in 
scouting  with  his  company  during  a  portion  of  the  winter  of  1861-62;  and  in 
the  spring  of  1862  he  accompanied  the  regiment  in  the  advance  under  General 
Milroy,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battles  at  McDowell  and  Franklin.  He  accom- 
panied General  Fremont  in  his  campaign  up  the  Shenandoah  Valley  in  pursuit 
of  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  was  present  at  Cross  Keys  and  Port  Eepublic. 

In  July,  1862,  Captain  Potts  was  detached  with  his  company,  and  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  battery  of  light  artillery.  He  was  stationed  at  Winchester 
until  the  evacuation  of  that  place  in  September,  1862,  when  he  fell  back  with 
the  army  to  Harper's  Ferry.  For  gallant  conduct,  during  the  siege  of  Harper's 
Ferry,  the  company  was  transferred,  by  order  of  the  War  Department,  to  the 
artillery  arm  of  the  service,  and  was  afterward  known  as  the  Twenty-Sixth 


Benjamin    F.    Potts.  899 

Ohio  Battery.  Captain  Potts  was  now  (August,  1862,)  appointed  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  but  he  declined 
to  leave  his  company  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  remained,  and  was  captured 
at  Harper's  Ferry  September  15,  1862.  He  was  paroled,  was  sent  to  Annapolis, 
Mainland,  and  thence  to  Camp  Douglas  near  Chicago. 

Owing  to  the  resignation  of  one  and  the  dismissal  of  another  of  the 
Field-Officers  of  the  Thirty-Second,  the  regiment  became  demoralized  and  many 
of  the  men  returned  to  their  homes.  At  the  request  of  Captain  Potts  the 
regiment  was  ordered  to  Cleveland  for  re-organization,  and  it  arrived  at"  its 
destination  on  the  1st  of  December  with  an  aggregate  of  twenty-five  officers  and 
fifty-five  enlisted  men.  On  the  2d  of  December  Captain  Potts  was  commissioned 
Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  regiment.  The  work  of  re-organization  was  at  once 
commenced,  ttnd  in  twelve  days  there  were  eight  hundred  men  in  camp  ready 
for  the  field.  On  the  25th  of  December  he  was  commissioned  full  Colonel,  and 
on  January  20,  1863,  he  left  Cleveland  with  the  regiment  under  orders  to  report 
to  General  Grant  at  Memphis,  Tennessee.  At  Memphis  the  regiment  was  as- 
signed to  the  Third  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Seventeenth  Army  Corps.  On  the 
20th  of  February  Colonel  Potts  moved  with  his  regiment  on  the  Vicksburg 
campaign.  At  Port  Gibson  he  was  complimented  for  gallantry  by  General  J. 
D.  Stevenson,  the  brigade  commander;  and  at  Raymond,  Jackson,  and  Cham- 
pion Hills  he  received  the  thanks  of  General  Logan.  At  the  latter  place  Col- 
onel Potts  charged  with  his  regiment,  and  captured  an  eight-gun  Rebel  battery 
and  about  one-half  of  an  Alabama  brigade  that  was  guarding  it.  He  was  at 
the  front  during  the  entire  siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  was  in  command  of  the 
skirmish-line  the  day  that  Generals  Grant  and  Pemberton  negotiated  the 
surrender. 

In  August  Colonel  Potts  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Third  Bri- 
gade, Third  Division,  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  and  he  accompanied  an  expedi- 
tion to  Monroe,  Louisiana.  In  November  he  was  transferred  by  General 
McPherson,  and  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Second  Brigade,  Third  Division, 
Seventeenth  Army  Corps.  On  General  Sherman's  Meridian  expedition  Colonel 
Potts  led  the  advance  of  the  Seventeenth  Army  Corps  across  Baker's  Creek, 
routed  the  Rebels  under  Wirt  Adams,  and  drove  them  into  Jackson.  He  com- 
manded the  forces  that  destroyed  Chunkeyville  and  the  railroad  from  Meridian 
south.  On  March  4,  1864,  Colonel  Potts  with  his  regiment  left  Vicksburg  for 
Columbus,  Ohio,  on  veteran  furlough;  and  on  the  expiration  of  the  furlough  he 
reported  at  Cairo  to  General  Crocker.  He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the 
Second  Brigade  of  the  Tennessee  River  expedition,  which  was  to  make  a  cam- 
paign in  pursuit  of  the  Rebel  General  Forrest.  The  expedition  arrived  at 
Cliffton,  Tennessee,  on  the  1st  of  May;  but  Forrest  had  made  his  escape,  and  so 
the  expedition  marched  to  Huntsville,  Alabama.  The  Seventeenth  Corps,  to 
which  Colonel  Potts  was  now  attached,  joined  Sherman's  army  at  Acworth, 
Georgia,  on  the  10th  of  June,  and  participated  in  the  movements  at  Big  Shanty 
and  Kenesaw. 

On  the  10th  of  July  Colonel  Potts  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  First 


900 


Ohio  in  the   Wak. 


Brig***,  Fourth  Division,  Seventeenth  Army  Corps.  He  participated  in  the 
battle*  Dew  Atlanta  on  the  20th,  21st,  22d,  and  28th  of  July;  and  was  com- 
plimcntcd  highly  by  Generals  Blair  and  Smith  in  their  official  reports,  and 
General  Giles  A.  Smith,  commanding  the  Fourth  Division,  said  in  a  private 
letter:  "Colonel  Potts  did  more,  on  the  22d  of  July,  1864,  to  save  the  good 
name  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  than  any  other  one  man."  The  official 
report  of  the  campaign  that  closed  with  the  capture  of  Atlanta,  showed  that 
Colonel  Pott's  brigade  had  been  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  and,  within  ninety 
days,  had  been  reduced  in  numbers  more  than  one-half.  Colonel  Potts  par- 
ticipated in  the  battles  of  Jonesboro'  and  Lovejoy  Stations,  and  returned  with 
his  command  to  East  Point  to  enjoy  a  brief  rest;  but  no  rest  was  allowed  him, 
as  he  was  detailed  immediately  as  President  of  a  Court-Martial  at  General 
Smith's  head-quarters. 

He  moved  with  the  army  to  the  sea-coast.  At  the  Occonee  Eiver  he  drove 
the  Rebels  across  the  river  on  the  railroad  bridge,  and  held  the  crossing  until 
pontoons  were  laid.  On  the  10th  of  December  he  commanded  the  advance 
brigade  of  General  Sherman's  army,  drove  the  enemy  into  the  works  around 
Savannah,  and  cut  the  Charleston  an.d  Savannah  Railroad.  During  the  siege 
of  Savannah  he  commanded  the  post  at  King's  Bridge.  He  was  present  at  the 
review  in  Savannah,  December  24, 1864,  and  at  the  taking  of  Pocotaligo  Station, 
South  Carolina,  January  15,  1865. 

Colonel  Potts  had  been  recommended  repeatedly  for  promotion,  and  at  this 
place  he  received  his  appointment  as  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers.  He 
accompanied  Sherman's  army  through  the  Carolinas,  was  present  at  the  cap- 
ture of  Orangeburg  and  Columbia,  and  with  his  brigade  was  the  first  to  enter 
Fayetteville.  He  participated  in  the  battle  of  Bentonville,  and  again  was 
present  at  the  capture  of  Raleigh.  After  the  surrender  of  the  Rebel  forces  he 
moved  with  the  army  to  Washington  City,  and  led  his  command  in  the  grand 
review.  On  the  7th  of  June  he  embarked  his  troops  on  cars  for  Louisville, 
and  upon  arrival  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Fourth  Division,  Seven- 
teenth Army  Corps.  General  Pott's  command  was  mustered  out  of  the 
service  on  the  22d  of  July,  and  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  his  home  and 
report^  by  letter  to  the  Adjutant-General  of  the  Army.  He  was  discharged 
from  service  January  15,  1866,  and  he  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  at 
Carrollton,  Ohio. 

General  Potts,  though  a  volunteer  officer,  stands  recommended  by  Generals 
Sherman,  Howard,  Logan,  Smith,  and  Blair  for  a  Colonelcy  in  the  Regular 
Service.  He  is  full  six  feet  and  one  inch  in  height,  weighs  two  hundred  and 
thirty  pounds,  and  possesses  wonderful  muscular  strength  and  great  energy. 
General  Sherman  said  to  General  Potts  at  Richmond,  that  he  wished  to  show 
him  to  the  Foreign  Ministers  at  Washington  City,  as  evidence  that  he  had  not 
starved  his  army  while  campaigning  in  the  South;  and  General  Sherman  act- 
ually did  point  out  General  Potts  at  the  head  of  his  brigade,  on  review  in  front 
ot  the  Presidential  mansion,  as  his  "Sample  Vandal  " 


Jacob    Ammen.  901 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JACOB  AMMEN. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Botecourt  County,  Virginia,  Jan- 
uary 7,  1808.  When  about  ten  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to 
Brown  County,  Ohio.  His  father  established  the  first  printing  office  in 
that  county,  and  published  ;' The  Benefactor,"  a  weekly  paper,  at  a  little  village 
called  Levanna.  In  this  office  Jacob  learned  the  printer's  art,  and  followed  it 
for  some  years. 

In  June,  1827,  he  entered  West  Point  Academy,  graduated  at  that  institu- 
tion in  July,  1831,  and  was  assigned  to  the  First  United  States  Artillery  as  Bre- 
vet Second-Lieutenant.  Among  his  classmates  at  West  Point  were  Henry  Clay, 
jr.,  Samuel  K.  Curtis,  Andrew  A.  Humphreys,  and  William  H.  Emory.  In  June, 
1833,  he  became  a  full  Second-Lieutenant,  and  served  with  his  company  at  Cas- 
tle Pinckney,  Charleston  harbor,  during  the  nullification  excitement  of  that 
day.  In  October,  1834,  he  was  ordered  back  to  West  Point  on  academic  duty. 
He  continued  to  serve  there  as  Acting  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics,  and 
then  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Natural  and  Experimental  Philosophy,  until  No- 
vember 30,  1837,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  Professorship  of  Civil  Engin- 
eering in  Bacon  College  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky.  From  this  date  until  1861, 
he  was  engaged  as  professor  in  various  colleges  of  the  South  and  West. 

On  April  17,  1861,  two  days  after  the  first  gun  was  fired  at  Fort  Sumter, 
he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier,  but  was  chosen  Captain  the  next  day.  He 
reported  with  his  company  at  Columbus,  April  24th.  The  compapy  was  at  once 
assigned  to  the  Twelfth  Ohio  Infantry,  and,  on  the  organization  of  that  regi- 
ment, Captain  Ammen  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  was  transferred 
from  the  Twelfth,  and  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Fourth  Ohio  by 
Governor  Dennison,  June  22,  1861.  The  Twenty-Fourth  was  placed  in  Camp 
Chase,  and  Colonel  Ammen  immediately  commenced  organizing  and  preparing 
his  regiment  for  the  field. 

On  July  26th  he  left,  with  his  regiment,  for  Western  Virginia,  and  partici- 
pated in  the  affair  at  Cheat  Mountain  Summit,  September  12th,  and  in  the  en- 
gagement at  Green  Briar,  Virginia,  October  3d.  On  November  18th  he  was 
ordered,  with  his  regiment,  to  Louisville,  Kentucky,  arriving  at  that  place  on 
the  28th.  On  November  30th  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Tenth  Brigade, 
Fourth  Division,  Army  of  the  Ohio,  then  under  General  Buell. 

Beaching  Nashville  on  the  25th  of  February,  1862,  the  brigade  went  into  a 
temporary  camp.  On  March  17th  it  left  Nashville  on  its  advance  to  Pittsburg 
Landing.     On  the  arrival  at  Duck  Eiver,  near  Columbia,  it  was  discovered  that 


902  Ohio  in  the    War. 

the  enemy  had  destroyed  the  bridge  over  that  stream.  Its  banks  were  high  and 
precipitous,  and  the  water  was  at  a  stage  which  rendered  it  almost  impossible  to 
cross  without  bridge  facilities.  General  Nelson  (in  charge  of  the  division  in 
which  Colonel  Ammen's  command  was  brigaded),  impatient  of  delay,  ordered 
Colonel  Ammen  to  devise  some  means  whereby  he  could  place  his  men  on  the 
other  side  of  the  stream,  and  in  that  way  gain  the  advance.  Colonel  Ammen  at 
once  commenced  his  operations,  and,  marching  his  men  to  the  bank  of  the  creek, 
ordered  them  to  strip,  place  their  clothes  on  the  points  of  their  bayonets,  and 
make  their  way  to  the  opposite  bank.  This  order  was  promptly  and  success- 
fully accomplished,  and  thus  the  delay  was  overcome. 

Colonel  Ammen,  with  his  brigade,  reached  Savannah,  twelve  miles  below 
Pittsburg  Landing,  and  was  there  personally  met  by  General  Grant,  who  said 
to  him  :  "  Colonel  Ammen,  I  hardly  think  we  will  need  your  troops.  I  do  not 
think  we  will  have  an  engagement  short  of  Corinth.  Keep  your  men  in  hand 
at  this  point,  and  I  will  send  the  boats  down  for  you." 

At  daylight  the  next  morning  (6th  of  April)  the  heavy  guns  of  the  con- 
tending forces  at  Pittsburg  Landing  were  heard,  and  an  hour  or  two  later  came 
orders  to  march  to  the  battle-field.  Through  difficult  swamps  the  column  made 
its  way,  and,  on  the  evening  of  the  6th,  reached  a  point  on  the  river  opposite 
the  battle-field.  Crossing  on  steamers,  it  took  position,  and  the  next  morning 
the  command  hotly  engaged  the  enemy. 

Colonel  Ammen  participated  in  the  tedious  approach  to,  and  siege  of,  Cor- 
inth, and  took  part,  with  his  command,  in  the  numerous  affairs  of  that 
approach. 

On  July  16,  1862,  Colonel  Ammen  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  Briga- 
dier-General "for  valuable  services  on  the  march  to,  and  gallant  conduct  in,  the 
battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing."  On  August  17th  he  was  placed  in  command  of 
the  Fourth  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  head-quarters  at  McMinnville, 
Tennessee.  With  this  command  he  accompanied  General  Buell's  army  on  its 
memorable  march  to  Louisville,  in  chase  of  Braxton  Bragg. 

While  at  Louisville,  in  September,  1862,  General  Ammen  was  relieved  from 
active  duty  in  the  field  on  account  of  bad  health.  From  this  time  until  Decem- 
ber, 1863,  he  was  in  command  at  Camp  Nelson,  and  at  other  points  in  Kentucky. 
ITo  was,  also,  for  a  period  of  six  months,  in  command  of  the  District  of  Illinois, 
head-quarters  at  Chicago,  a  responsible  and  arduous  position.  In  these  various 
posts  General  Ammen  performed  valuable  service  in  organizing  and  dispatching 
needed  re-enforcements  to  the  field.  His  military  education  at  West  Point  emi- 
nently fitted  him  for  this  description  of  duty. 

From  April,  1864,  until  after  the  battle  of  Nashville,  he  was  in  command 
of  the  Fourth  Division  of  the  Twenty-Third  Army  Corps.  While  stationed  at 
Knoxville  he  took  part,  with  his  command,  in  numerous  skirmishes  and  affairs 
with  the  enemy,  who  were  at  that  time  making  demonstrations  in  that  quarter 
of  Tennessee,  in  aid  of  General  Hood's  movement  on  Nashville.  For  a  time,  at 
Knoxville,  matters  assumed  a  serious  shape.  If  Thomas  had  been  defeated,  Gen- 
oral  Ammen's  position  would  have  been  critical  in  the  extreme.     The  General 


Jacob    Ammen.  903 

held  matters  with  a  firm  hand,  and  invariably  defeated  the  Eebel  bands  of  cav- 
alry who  were  operating  around  Knoxville. 

"While  there  he  also  had  many  chances  to  observe  the  action  of  quasi  Union 
men,  in  their  efforts  to  supply  the  Eebels  with  provisions.  Their  most  approved 
plan  was  to  deceive  Parson  Brownlow  (then  Treasury  Agent  at  Knoxville),  get  a 
permit  to  bring  "hogs  and  salt"  through  Cumberland  Gap,  and,  at  a  convenient 
point  on  the  road,  contrive  to  get  "gobbled"  by  the  Eebels.  General  Ammen, 
by  his  personal  watchfulness,  soon  put  a  stop  to  this  rascality.  At  one  time  he 
dressed  himself  as  a  common  soldier,  contrived  to  get  into  conversation  with 
several  of  these  "Union  shriekers,"  and  thereby  learned  their  plans. 

This  was  the  last  service  General  Ammen  performed  in  the  "War  of  the 
Eebellion.  He  remained  at  Knoxville  until  the  middle  of  January,  1865,  when, 
the  war  being  virtually  ended,  he  resigned  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Ohio. 

His  present  residence  is  on  his  beautiful  country  place,  near  Lockland, 
Hamilton  County.  Here  he  proposes  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days,  devoted 
to  the  culture  of  fine  fruits,  with  which  his  grounds  are  bountifully  stocked. 
When  on  duty,  General  Ammen  was  a  stern,  unbending  disciplinarian. 
When  off  duty  ho  was  ever  among  his  men,  listening  to  their  complaints  and 
supplying  their  wants.  No  officer  in  the  field  was  more  beloved  by  the  soldiers, 
and  the  name  of  "Uncle  Jake  Ammen"  will  ever  be  held  in  grateful  remem- 
brance by  thousands  of  brave  men  who  had  the  honor  to  serve  under  him. 


904 


Ohio   in  the  War 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  DANIEL  McCOOK. 


DANIEL  McCOOK,  one  of  the  martyrs  of  the  war,  and  the  third  of 
his  family  to  fall  in  battle,  was  the  sixth  son  of  Judge  Daniel  McCook. 
He  was  born  in  Carrollton,  Carroll  County,  Ohio,  on  the  22d  of  July, 
1834.  Unlike  his  lamented  brother  Robert,  he  was  delicate  and  nervous  from 
childhood.  He  early  manifested  a  liking  for  books,  had  a  fine  memory,  famil- 
iarized himself  with  poetry  and  would  recite  it  by  the  page,  read  history,  kept 
a  diary — in  short,  had  the  ways  and  characteristics  of  a  thoughtful,  studious 
lad.  The  surviving  members  of  the  family  also  describe  him  as  affectionate, 
warm-hearted,  unselfish,  and  devoted  to  his  mother.  He  was  sent  to  a  college 
at  Florence,  Alabama,  where,  after  a  four  years' course,  he  graduated  in  1857. 
Ho  next  studied  law,  and  in  1858  was  admitted  to  practice.  He  settled  in  Leav- 
enworth City,  and  became  a  member  of  a  notable  firm — E wings,  Sherman  &  Mc- 
Cook— the  several  members  of  which  were  to  make  some  figure  in  the  country 
a  few  years  later.  "While  here  young  McCook  was  married  in  December,  1860, 
to  Miss  Julia  Tibbs,  of  Platte  County,  Missouri* 

He  had  a  militia  company,  the  Shield  Greys.  When  news  came  of  the 
firing  on  Sumter,  he  marched  this  company  to  the  fort,  and  forthwith  entered 
the  service.  A  little  later  he  left  Leavenworth  City  to  report  to  General  Lyon, 
then  at  Wilson's  Creek.  "Here's  for  a  General's  star  or  a  soldier's  grave,"  was 
his  joyous  exclammation  as  he  bade  good-by  to  family  and  friends  at  starting. 
He  was,  alas,  to  win  both. 

Some  time  after  Wilson's  Creek,  his  brother  Alexander,  then  a  Brigadier, 
commanding  a  division  in  Buell's  army,  asked  for  an  appointment  for  him  as 
Adjutant-General  on  his  staff.  In  November,  1861,  he  received  this  appoint- 
ment, and  he  continued  to  serve  in  this  capacity  for  nearly  a  year,  accompany- 
ing his  brother  through  the  advance  on  Nashville,  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Land- 
ing, and  a  part  of  the  inconsequential  campaign  against  Chattanooga  that 
followed. 

In  May,  1862,  he  was  called  to  Columbus  by  Governor  Tod,  who  wished 
h«m  to  undertake  the  recruiting  of  the  Fifty-Second  Ohio.  The  work  went  on 
slowly,  but  by  August  the  regiment  was  full,  just  in  time  to  answer  the  sudden 
call  for  troops  in  Kentucky  at  the  time  of  Kirby  Smith's  invasion. 

Thenceforward  Colonel  McCook's  career  may  be  best  read  in  the  history  of 

^^ttT^J^}"!^^  lad^  has  married  Hgain-the  widow  of  General  Daniel 

army. 


Morv^i,  k       7    7  "usoana  tms  Jady  has  married  again— the  wid 

McCook  becoming  the  wife  of  Major  Wm.  B.  Locke,  formerly  of  the  Rebel 


Daniel  McCook.  905 

his  regiment.  He  led  it  for  a  time  with  acknowledged  success;  was  then  made 
commander  of  a  brigade  containing  it  and  three  other  new  regiments;  kept  it 
with  him  through  all  the  active  campaign  that  followed,  from  Perryville  to  Ken- 
esaw,  and  at  the  last  bore  only,  on  the  field  on  which  he  fell,  the  title  of  Colo- 
nel of  the  Fifty-Second  Ohio. 

At  Perryville  Colonel  McCook's  brigade  was  in  the  division  of  Sheridan, 
which  was  advanced  from  the  central  corps  to  the  relief  of  General  A.  M.  Mc- 
Cook's imperiled  command.  General  Sheridan  compliments  the  Colonel  in  his 
official  report.  At  Stone  Eiver  he  was  sent  to  look  after  the  ammunition  train, 
and  General  Rosecrans  in  person  complimented  him  for  having  saved  it  in  the 
hand-to-hand  encounter  with  Wheeler's  men.  Through  the  Tullahoma  cam- 
paign he  led  his  brigade,  not  failing,  as  he  passed  the  spot  where  his  brother 
Robert  had  been  murdered,  to  detail  a  detachment  instructed  to  desolate  the 
entire  locality.  At  Chickamauga  his  brigade  held  the  extreme  left  of  Thomas's 
position  and  maintained  its  ground  to  the  last.  It  was  in  Sherman's  command 
at  Mission  Ridge,  and  participated  actively  in  the  pursuit.  It  moved  to  the 
relief  of  Burnside  at  Knoxville,  and  then  returned  in  time  for  the  Atlanta 
campaign. 

Through  this,  too,  Colonel  McCook  continued  to  lead  it  till,  at  last,  in  the 
fatal  assault  on  Kenesaw  Mountain,  he  fell  mortally  wounded.  "If  Harkerand 
Daniel  McCook  had  lived,"  wrote  Sherman  afterward,  "I  believe  I  should  have 
carried  the  position." 

A  little  before  he  died  a  dispatch  was  brought  him  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment, announcing  his  promotion  to  a  Brigadier- Generalship  of  volunteers,  for 
distinguished  gallantry  in  battle.  He  had  won  the  star  he  set  out  for,  and  the 
soldier's  grave  as  well. 

To  the  bare  outlines  thus  presented  we  can  do  no  better  than  add  this 
tribute,  from  the  pen  of  George  D.  Prentice : 

[From  a  private  letter  to  the  author  of  this  work.J 
"  I  first  met  Daniel  McCook  at  the  house  of  General  Rousseau  in  this  city,  and  was  very 
much  pleased  with  his  gentleness,  his  urbanity,  his  intelligence,  and  his  ardent  patriotism.  I 
felt,  before  we  had  been  fifteen  minutes  together,  that  we  were  friends.  I  next  met  him  on  the 
northern  bank  of  Green  River,  where  the  army  of  his  brother,  General  Alexander  M.  McCook, 
was  stationed.  Dan.  saw  that  I  had  an  especial  regard  for  him,  and  he  did  whatever  he  could 
to  make  my  time  pass  pleasantly.  There  had  just  been  a  fight  on  the  southern  bank  of  Green 
River,  and  although  the  Confederates  were  still  pretty  thick  upon  that  bank,  and  for  a  considerable 
distance  beyond,  he  invited  me  to  make  with  him  a  horseback  incursion  into  the  doubtful  terri- 
tory. We  rode  several  miles,  beholding  at  two  points  the  marks  of  battle;  and  I  could  not  fail 
to  understand  that  he  was  far  more  concerned  for  me  than  for  himself.  While  I  was  at  the 
Green  River  encampment  a  little  incident  occurred  that  may  illustrate  in  some  small  degree  one 
phase  of  Daniel  McCook's  disposition.  He  was  a  pale  and  feeble-looking  young  man ;  one 
whom  you  might  expect  to  die  of  consumption.  He  has  in  his  command  a  brave  but  reckless 
and  lawless  soldier.  The  soldier  committed  a  great  offense.  It  was  reported  to  McCook.  The 
latter  summoned  him  in  front  of  the  troops  (simply  a  company,  I  believe),  and  told  him  that  he 
could  have  him  tried  and  punished  with  the  utmost  severity.  "  But,"  he  added,  "  I  prefer  pun- 
ishing you  myself  without  trial.  I  will  give  you  a  fight.  Do  the  best  you  can,  and  whether  I 
whip  you  or  you  whip  me,  your  offense  shall  be  forgiven."  Daniel  whipped  him  awfully,  and  he 
assured  us  months  afterward  that  the  offending  soldier  would  at  any  time  from  the  date  of  the 
whipping  have  died  for  him. 


iW 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


"In  one  of  the  battles  or  skirmishes  south  of  Muri'reesboro',  Daniel  McCook  shot  my  son. 
Colonel  Clarence  J.  Prentice,  inflicting  a  very  severe  and  even  dangerous  wound.  A  short  time 
afterward  and  while  my  son  was  still  confined  to  his  bed,  I  met  my  friend  Dan.  at  a  hotel  in 
Nashville.  He  knew  that  I  knew  that  it  was  he  who  had  wounded  my  son.  He  advanced  to 
me,  but  not  with  his  accustomed  alacrity,  a  prehensive,  as  he  afterward  told  me,  that  I  might 
not  wish  to  speak  to  him.  But  when  I  heartily  grasped  his  hand,  he  gave  utterance  to  all  the 
joyousness  of  his  nature.  He  told  me  that  he  had  always  liked  me  and  admired  me,  and  that 
he  should  thenceforth  like  and  admire  me  more  than  ever.  And  he  was  kind  enough  to  say  (I 
am  sure  in  all  sincerity)  that  if  he  had  recognized  my  son  in  the  fight  he  should  have  fired  his 
pistol  in  some  other  direction. 

"  My  impression  of  Daniel  McCook  is  that  he  was  one  of  the  noblest,  bravest,  and  most 
generous  spirits  that  I  ever  knew.  I  know  not  where  he  sleeps,  but  I  should  love  to  lay  a  flower 
upon  his  grave.  Yours  respectfully,  GEO.  D.  PKENTICE." 

General  McCook  was  buried  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  near  Cincinnati. 
The  family  group  thero  sleeping  was  to  receive  yet  another  accession  beforo  the 
war  should  end. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  J.  W.  FORSYTH. 


JAMES  W.  FOESYTH  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  appointed  a  cadet  to 
West  Point  from  Maumee  City  in  1852.  He  was  graduated  in  1856,  and 
commissioned  as  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  of  the  "Ninth  Infantry.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  war  he  had  risen  to  be  a  First-Lieutenant,  and  in  October,  1861, 
he  was  promoted  to  a  Captaincy  in  the  Eighteenth  regulars,  a  new  regiment, 
then  recruiting  under  the  management  of  General  Carrington  at  Columbus. 
From  service  with  this  regiment  he  was  detached  for  staff  duty,  and  was  ulti- 
mately attached  to  the  staff  of  General  Sheridan,  with  whom  he  served  through 
the  active  campaigns  in  the  Shenandoah  and  in  the  pursuit  of  Lee,  and  after- 
ward in  the  civil  administration  in  the  South-west.  He  was  promoted  to  a 
Ungadier-Generalship  of  volunteers,  and  was  brovetted  a  Brigadier  in  the  reg- 
ular  service  in  April,  1865.  In  the  autumn  of  1867  he  was  married  to  the  eldest 
daughter  of  ex-Governor  Donnison. 


Ralph    P.   Buckland. 


907 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  RALPH  P.  BUCKLAND. 


GENEEAL  BUCKLAND  was  born  about  1812  or  '13.  He  studied 
law  and  when  quito  a  young  man  settled  at  Lower  Sandusky,  now 
Fremont,  Ohio,  where  he  has  continued  to  reside  ever  since.  Ho 
was  elected  twice  to  a  seat  in  the  State  Senate,  and  served  with  honor  to  him- 
self and  with  satisfaction  to  his  constituents. 

In  October,  1861,  ho  began  to  organize  the  Seventy-Second  Ohio  Infantry, 
and  in  three  months  it  was  ready  for  the  field  with  full  ranks.  He  left  Camp 
Chase  on  February  19,  1862,  and  reported  with  his  regiment  to  General  W.  T. 
Sherman  at  Paducah,  Kentucky.  He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  tho 
Fourth  Brigade  of  Sherman's  Division.  On  the  7th  of  March  he  moved  up  the 
Tennessee  Eiver,  and  on  the  17th  encamped  at  Pittsburg  Landing;  the  left  of 
the  brigade  resting  at  Shiloh  Church.  On  the  3d  of  April  he  made  a  reconnois- 
sance  with  his  brigade  some  four  miles  to  the  front,  and  on  the  4th  he 
participated  in  a  skirmish  with  some  of  the  enemy's  advanced  forces.  On  the 
morning  of  the  6th  Colonel  Buckland's  brigade  was  in  line  full  half  an  hour 
before  the  hard  fighting  began.  He  advanced  his  lines  about  two  hundred  yards 
on  the  left  and  about  four  hundred  on  the  right,  and  met  the  enemy.  The 
fighting  was  desperate  for  two  hours,  and  then  the  Eebels  gradually  fell  back. 
During  this  time  Colonel  Buckland  was  riding  along  the  line  continually,  en- 
couraging officers  and  men  by  words  and  example.  When  the  firing  ceased  in 
front  of  the  brigade  it  retired  to  the  color-line,  obtained  a  fresh  supply  of  am- 
munition, and  was  advancing  again  when  orders  were  received  from  General 
Sherman  to  fall  back  and  to  form  on  the  Purdy  Eoad.  While  forming  this  line  the 
troops  to  tho  left  of  Colonel  Buckland's  brigade  gave  way,  and  ran  in  great 
confusion  through  the  half-formed  lines  of  the  brigade,  causing  it  to  fall  back. 
Colonel  Buckland  at  the  first  opportunity  rallied  his  command,  and  reported  to 
General  Sherman  for  orders.  During  the  second  day  of  the  fight  the  Colonel 
was  continually  in  the  saddle,  and  three  times  did  he  drive  the  Eebels 
from  his  immediate  front.  General  Low.  Wallace  remarked  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, while  riding  over  the  ground  in  front  of  the  brigade,  that  "Judging  from 
the  dead  bodies  here  seems  to  have  been  the  best  and  hardest  fighting."  Col- 
onel Buckland's  horse  received  a  slight  wound  in  the  neck,  but  he  himself 
escaped  uninjured. 

Tho  Colonel  continued  in  command  of  the  brigade  during  the  advance 
on  Corinth  until  about  the  16th  of  May,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  General  J. 
W.  Denver.      At   Memphis,  Tennessee,  in   November,  Colonel   Buckland    was 


903  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

assigned  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in  General  Lauman's  division,  and  he  ac- 
companied his  brigade  on  the  Tal  ahatchie  expedition.  In  March,  1863,  he  received 
his  commission  as  Brigadier- General  to  rank  from  November  29,  1862.  He  letl 
phifl  on  the  20th  of  March  and,  joining  General  Sherman's  corps  in  front 
of  Vicksburg,  he  participated  in  that  scries  of  battles  which  occurred  in  the 
movement  to'the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  When  the  Eebels  were  driven  into  their 
fortification  General  Buckland  walked  at  the  head  of  his  command,  and  led  each 
regiment  to  its  proper  position,  while  shot  and  shell  fell  thick  about  him.  One  of 
the  color-bearers  having  faltered  in  moving  forward  to  his  designated  position, 
General  Buckland  took  the  colors  in  his  own  hand  and  planted  them  on  the  line 
which  he  wished  the  regiment  to  maintain.  During  the  siege  he  was  always  active 
and  vigilant,  and  was  at  times  much  exposed.  One  day,  while  he  was  standing 
within  twelve  inches  of  an  artillery  officer,  a  ball  passed  between  their  faces; 
and  at  another  time,  while  he  was  examining  the  works  in  front  of  his  com- 
mand, a  Minie  ball  struck  the  body  of  a  tree  just  above  his  head,  and  fell  at 
his  feet.  He  picked  it  up  and  remarked  that  he  would  keep  that,  as  it  seemed 
to  be  intended  for  him.  During  the  months  of  August,  September,  and  October 
his  command  was  in  the  rear  of  Vicksburg.  About  the  1st  of  October  General 
Buckland's  right  wrist  was  broken  by  his  horse  falling ;  and  in  consequence  of 
this  injury  he  was  incapacitated  for  active  field-service  for  months. 

His  command  arrived  at  Memphis  on  the  12th  of  November,  and  was  re- 
tained there  by  General  S.  A.  Hurlburt.  On  January  26,  1864,  General  Buck- 
land  was  assigned,  by  direction  of  Major-General  W.  T.  Sherman,  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Post  of  Memphis,  where  his  administrative  abilities  were  exem- 
plified and  his  integrity  of  character  was  clearly  manifested.  At  the  time  of  the 
Forrest  raid  into  Memphis  General  Buckland,  though  commanding  the  post,  did 
not  have  control  of  the  defenses.  Forrest  captured  the  cavalry-patrols,  rushed 
over  the  infantry -pickets,  and  was  in  Memphis  before  daylight.  As  soon  as 
General  Buckland  knew  of  the  danger  he  ordered  the  signal -gun  fired,  and  in 
an  hour  the  enemy  was  driven  from  the  city.  General  Buckland  then  rode 
to  the  front  and,  in  another  hour,  the  line  was  clear  and  the  Rebels  were  mov- 
ing to  the  south.  He  remained  in  command  of  the  Post  of  Memphis  until 
December  24,  1864,  eleven  months;  when  having  been  elected  to  Congress  from 
the  Ninth  District,  he  asked  to  be  relieved,  and  immediately  afterward  he 
resigned. 

General  Buckland  never  sought  popularity  in  the  field  or  elsewhere;  and 
he  was  strictly  conscientious  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty.  He  did  not  ask  the 
nomination  for  Congress,  and  he  did  not  go  home  to  forward  his  election.  He 
was  continually  on  duty,  except  when  sick  or  disabled,  from  the  time  he  entered 
the  service  until  he  resigned;  and  on  every  battle-field,  and  in  every  campaign , 
he  proved  himself  a  brave,  energetic,  and  reliable  officer.  In  Congress  his  course 
harmonized  with  that  of  the  Radical  wing  of  the  Republican  party;  and  his  con- 
stituents manifested  at  once  their  approval  of  his  course  and  their  regard  for  the 
man,  by  returning  him  to  the  Fortieth  Congress  with  an  increased  majority. 


' 


William  H.   Powell. 


909 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WILLIAM  H.  POWELL. 


WILLIAM  H.  POWELL  was  born  in  South  Wales,  Great  Britain, 
on  the  10th  of  May,  1825.  When  he  was  only  five  years  old  his 
parents  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  and  settled  in  New  Jersey. 
He  removed  from  there  after  a  year's  residence,  and  spent  two  years  in  Penn- 
sylvania. In  the  spring  of  1833  he  removed  to  Nashville,  Tennessee  ;  in  the 
spring  of  1843  to  Wheeling,  Virginia  ;  and  in  the  spring  of  1853  to  Ironton, 
Lawrence  County,  Ohio.  When  the  rebellion  broke  out  he  was  employed  as 
financial^  agent  and  general  superintendent  of  an  extensive  iron  manufactory  in 
the  State  of  Ohio. 

In  August,  1861,  he  relinquished  his  position  and  organized  a  company  for 
a  regiment  which  was  recruited  in  the  counties  of  Jackson,  Lawrence,  Athens, 
Vinton,  Meigs,  Washington,  Morgan,  and  Monroe.  Governor  Dennison  was 
requested  to  assign  this  regiment  to  the  cavalry  service,  but  the  request  was 
refused,  in  consequence  of  an  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War,  directing  the 
muster  out  of  all  cavalry  in  the  United  States  service  in  excess  of  forty  regi- 
ments. Application  was  then  made  to  Governor  Picrpont,  of  West  Virginia, 
who,  by  special  permission  from  the  War  Department,  accepted  the  organization, 
and  denominated  it  the  Second  Eegiment  (Loyal)  West  Virginia  Cavalry.  Thus 
the  State  of  Ohio  lost  the  credit  of  an  entire  organization  of  seven  hundred  and 
ninety  enlisted  men  and  thirty-nine  officers.  In  June,  1862,  Captain  Powell  was 
promoted  to  Major.  In  the  following  fall,  with  one  officer  and  twenty-five  men 
from  his  own  regiment,  he  charged  a  Eebel  camp  of  two  hundred  men,  captured 
one  hundred  and  seventeen  prisoners,  including  two  commissioned  officers,  five 
hundred  stand  of  arms,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  horses.  For  gallantry  in 
this  action  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  soon  after  was  made 
Colonel.  He  led  his  regiment  on  the  Wytheville  Paid  and  charged  into  the 
town,  capturing  two  pieces  of  artillery  and  eighty  prisoners.  The  enemy  was 
routed,  but  unfortunately  Colonel  Powell  was  wounded  and  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Eebels.  He  was  taken  to  Eichmond,  and  it  being  reported  that  he  had 
burned  the  property  and  maltreated  the  families  of  Eebels  in  West  Virginia, 
he  was  confined,  without  bed  or  bedding,  for  thirty-seven  days,  and  was  kept  on 
bread  and  water.  During  that  time  he  succeeded  in  sending  a  letter  to  the 
Eebel  General  Jenkins,  commanding  the  Department  of  South-Western  Virginia, 
who,  in  reply,  made  such  representations  to  the  authorities  at  Eichmond,  as 
induced  them  to  allow  Colonel  Powell  the  privileges  of  a  prisoner  of  war. 
After  suffering  the  hardships  and  indignities  of  a  Eebel  prison  for  six  months, 


910  Ohio  in  the  War. 

he  obtained  a  special  parole  for  thirty  days,  went  North,  and  succeeded  in  effect- 
[M  an  exchange  for  the  Rebel  Colonel  Richard  H.  Lee.  Colonel  Powell  again 
assumed  command  of  his  regiment,  and  participated  in  General  Hunter's  move- 
ment again*  Lynchburg,  and  it  was  Colonel  Powell's  brigade,  the  Third  of  the 
d  Cavalry  Divieion,  that  opened  the  engagement  in  front  of  Lynchburg. 
Upon  returning  to  the  Kanawha  Valley,  Colonel  Powell  was  complimented  by 
General  Arerttl  fer  his  part  in  the  expedition.  On  the  20th  of  July,  1864,  his 
command  was  engaged  at  Stevenson's  Depot,  on  the  22d  at  Newtown,  and  on 
the  84th  at  Winchester.  As  a  brigade  commander  he  passed  through  ail  the 
battles  from  Mooreneld,on  the  7th  of  August,  to  Winchester,  on  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember, including  also  the  engagement  at  Fisher's  Hill.  Colonel  Powell  suc- 
ceeded General  Averill  in  the  command  of  the  Second  Cavalry  Division,  and  led 
it  in  all  the  movements  in  the  neighborhood  of  Port  Republic,  Wafer's  Cave, 
and  Brown  Gap. 

He  had  been  recommended  for  promotion  b}^  Generals  Averill,  Crook,  and 
Sheridan,  and  these  recommendations  had  been  favorably  indorsed  by  President 
Lincoln.  Finally,  on  the  19th  of  October,  1864,  Colonel  Powell  was  made  Brig- 
adier-General for  gallant  conduct  in  the  battles  of  Winchester  and  Fisher's  Hill. 
He  was  next  engaged  at  Nineveh,  where  he  attacked  General  Lomax.  He  killed 
twenty  and  wounded  twenty-five  of  the  enemy,  captured  sixty -one  prisoners, 
including  twenty  commissioned  officers,  two  battle-flags,  and  all  the  enemy's 
artillery  and  train.  His  own  loss  was  two  killed  and  fifteen  slightly  wounded. 
On  the  22d  of  November  General  Powell  charged  his  division  against  Early's 
whole  army,  deployed  in  three  lines  of  battle — the  center  covered  with  artillery 
and  the  flanks  protected  by  cavalry — and  brought  off  his  command  in  good 
order,  with  the  loss  of  only  a  few  men  killed.  In  consequence  of  family  afflic- 
tions General  Powell  tendered  his  resignation.  Very  reluctantly  it  was  ap- 
proved, and  passed  through  the  regular  channels  to  Washington.  The  Secretary 
of  War  received  an  official  protest  against  its  acceptance,  based  on  the  fact  that 
the  cavalry  could  not  afford  to  lose  so  well-trained  and  so  gallant  an  officer,  who 
had  been  looked  up  to  with  confidence  by  his  soldiers  from  the  time  he  was  in 
the  line  until  ho  attained  the  grade  of  a  general  officer.  But  General  Powell 
pushed  the  matter  and  his  resignation  was  finally  accepted.  He  issued  his  fare- 
well address  on  the  10th  of  January,  1865;  this  drew  forth  a  reply  from  the 
division,  from  General  Torbert,  Chief  of  Cavalry,  and  from  General  Sheridan, 
all  expressive  of  regret  and  esteem ;  and  so  General  Powell  left  the  service, 
enjoying  in  the  highest  degree  the  affection  of  his  inferiors,  and  the  confidence 
of  his  superiors. 


John  G.  Mitchell.  911 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOHN  G.  MITCHELL 


JOHN  G.  MITCHELL  was  born  in  Piqua,  Ohio,  November  6,  1838. 
He  entered  Kenyon  College  in  1855,  graduated  in  1859,  immediately 
commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Sloan,  Andrews  &  Noble,  at 
Columbus,  and  was  ready  for  admission  to  the  bar  in  the  early  part  of  1861. 

On  the  27th  of  June  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  first  battalion  of  Ohio 
Reserves,  then  on  duty  in  the  south-eastern  part  of  the  State.  On  the  29th  of 
July  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  Dennison  First-Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  of 
the  Third  Ohio  Infantry.  He  joined  his  regiment  in  West  Virginia,  and  partici- 
pated with  it  in  the  campaign  under  Rosecrans.  In  the  fall  of  1861  the  Third 
Ohio  was  transferred  to  Kentucky,  and  was  assigned  to  General  O.  M.  Mitchcl's 
command.  On  the  21st  of  December  Adjutant  Mitchell  was  commissioned  Cap- 
tain, and  in  that  capacity  he  served  during  General  Mitchei's  campaign  in  Ten- 
nessee and  Alabama.  He  participated  in  the  action  at  Bridgeport,  and  in  other 
engagements  which  occurred  during  that  period. 

Captain  Mitchell  was  ordered  to  Ohio  on  recruiting  service  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  summer  of  1862,  and  while  on  that  duty  he  was  appointed  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Ohio.  He  accompanied  the 
regiment  to  Kentucky,  which,  after  guarding  railroads  for  a  short  time,  was 
ordered  to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  for  several  months  was  stationed 
at  Franklin,  Tennessee.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Mitchell  was  promoted  to  the  Col- 
onelcy of  the  regiment  April  29,  1863.  In  June  the  regiment  was  attached  to 
the  Reserve  Corps,  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  and  it  participated  in  all  the  hard- 
ships and  marches  incident  to  the  Tullahoma  campaign,  and  the  pursuit  of 
Bragg.  After  the  occupation  of  Chattanooga  the  Third  Division  of  the  Reserve 
Corps  was  brought  up  to  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  main  army,  in  order  to 
give  assistance  in  case  the  result  of  the  impending  battle  should  render  support 
necessary.  Upon  the  solicitation  of  General  Steedman,  commanding  the  divis- 
ion, Colonel  Mitchell  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Second  Brigade. 
During  the  first,  and  the  morning  of  the  second,  day  of  the  battle  of  Chicka- 
mausa,  Steedman's  division  was  stationed  at  Rossvillo  Gap,  and  at  MeAfie's 
Church,  on  the  Ringgold  Road,  protecting  the  left  flank  of  the  army.  About 
noon  on  the  second  day  the  division  moved  in  the  direction  of  the  sound  of  the 
artillery,  and  arrived  on  the  field  of  battle  just  in  time  to  check  the  victorious 
course  of  the  Rebels.  Mitchell's  and  Whittaker's  brigades  at  once  went  into 
action,  and  drove  back  the  Rebels  that  were  pressing  General  Thomas's  right. 
This  diversion  enabled  the  army  to  make  sure  its  retreat,  and,  perhaps,  saved  it 


rgj  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

from  destruction.     In  the  official  reports  Colonel  Mitchell  was  especially  men- 
i   and  was  recommended  for  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General. 

In  the  reorganisation  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  Colonel  Mitchell's 
brigade  fell  to  General  John  Beatty,  and  was  known  as  the  Second  Brigade, 

nd  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps.  At  the  battle  of  Mission  Eidge  the  division 
supported  General  Sherman's  column,  and  upon  the  retreat  of  Bragg,  led  in  the 
pursuit  having  a  warm  tight  with  the  Bebel  rear-guard  near  Chickamauga  Sta- 
tion. The  division  moved  to  the  relief  of  General  Burnside,  at  Knoxville,  and 
upon  re-turning,  went  into  winter-quarters  at  Eossville.     Previous  to  the  Atlanta 

aign  General  Beatty  resigned,  and  Colonel  Mitchell  again  assumed  com- 
mural  of  the  brigade.  In  the  Atlanta  campaign  the  brigade  was  assigned  to 
many  difficult  and  responsible  duties.  It  led  the  advance  at  Eocky  Face  Eidge, 
suffered  severely  at  Resaca,  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  capture  of  Eome,  and 
in  the  battles  of  Dallas  and  New  Hope  Church.  At  Kenesaw  Mountain  Mitch- 
ell's brigade,  in  conjunction  with  Colonel  Daniel  McCook's,  led  an  assault,  and 
suffered  terribly  in  an  attempt  to  break  the  enemy's  center.  One  single  regi- 
ment, the  One  Hundred  and  Thirteenth  Ohio,  lost  one  hundred  and  fifty  men 
within  twenty  minutes.  At  the  battle  of  Peachtree  Creek  the  Second  Division 
was  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  army,  and  Mitchell's  brigade  had  a  severe  fight 
in  forcing  a  crossing  at  the  mouth  of  the  stream.  In  the  subsequent  move- 
ments about  Atlanta  the  Second  Division  generally  operated  on  the  right,  and 
participated  in  the  sanguinary  struggles  which  marked  the  close  of  the  cam- 
paign. At  Jonesboro'  the  Second  Brigade  captured  several  pieces  of  artillery,  a 
large  number  of  small  arms,  and  several  hundred  prisoners,  including  one  gen- 
eral officer.  In  the  official  reports  of  the  campaign,  the  commander  of  the  Second 
Brigade  was  again  complimented,  and  recommended  for  promotion. 

When  General  Sherman  moved  from  Atlanta  on  his  march  to  the  sea,  Colo- 
nel Mitchell  was  at  the  North,  and  so  was  prevented  from  joining  him.  He 
reported  to  General  Thomas,  at  Nashville,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  de- 
tachment of  the  Fourteenth  Corps  which  remained  there.  With  his  command 
Colonel  Mitchell  participated  in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  and  in  the  pursuit  of 
Hood.  After  this  Colonel  Mitchell  hastened  around  by  New  York,  and  joined 
his  corps  at  Sister's  Ferry,  South  Carolina.  There  he  found  awaiting  him  a 
Brigadier-General's  commission,  bearing  date  January  12,  1865.  This  was  one 
of  the  appointments  made  by  Secretary  Stanton  during  his  visit  to  Sherman  at 
Savannah.  General  Mitchell  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  his  old  brigade, 
and  he  led  it  through  the  campaign  of  the  Carolinas.  It  was  engaged  at  Averys- 
boro'  and  Bentonville,  and  at  the  latter  place  the  Second  Brigade  was  the  first  to 
break  the  impetuous  advance  of  the  Rebels,  and  though  compelled  to  refuse  the 
left  until  it  was  at  right  angles  to  the  right,  and  to  fight  at  times  on  both  sides 
of  the  works,  it  never  left  its  ground,  and  at  the  close  of  the  battle  found  it 
occupying  the  same  position  which  it  had  taken  at  the  opening.  After  the  sur- 
render of  Johnston  General  Mitchell  accompanied  his  brigade  to  Washington, 
and  upon  the  disbanding  of  the  army  he  tendered  his  resignation,  and  returned 
to  Columbus,  Ohio,  which  he  made  his  place  of  residence. 


Ohio  in  the  War.  913 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  A.  SANDERS  PIATT. 


GENEEAL  PIATT  was  born  at  Cincinnati  on  May  2,  1821.  He  re- 
ceived a  thorough  education  at  the  Athenaeum,  subsequently  called  St. 
Xavier,  in  his  native  city.  After  graduating  he  chose  the  life  of  a 
farmer,  and  retired  to  his  lands  in  the  rich  valley  of  the  Macacheek,  where, 
surrounded  by  books  and  friends,  he  was  tilling  the  soil  and  indulging  in  poetry 
and  politics,  the  latter  more  as  a  pastime  than  as  a  pursuit,  when  the  rebellion 
broke  upon  the  country.  He  entered  earnestly  into  the  strife,  offering  his  serv- 
ices in  any  capacity  to  the  Government. 

On  April  30,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  as  Colonel  of  the  Thirteenth  Ohio 
Infantry,  then  organized  in  Camp  Jackson,  near  Columbus.  From  this  camp  he 
was  ordered  to  Camp  Dennison,  where  he  remained  until  the  regiment  enlisted 
for  the  three  years'  service.  An  order  from  the  Governor  authorized  an  election 
for  officers;  but  Colonel  Piatt,  unwilling  to  receive  as  constituents  the  men  whom 
he  had  sought  to  command  as  soldiers,  declined  appearing  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Colonelcy.  He  solicited  and  received  authority  from  Mr.  Lincoln  to  enlist  a 
brigade  for  the  war.  Eelying  upon  his  own  means  he  selected  a  camp,  and  or- 
ganized the  first  Zouave  regiment  (so-called,  though  for  no  reason  save  that  they 
wore  a  fancy,  red-legged  uniform  which  they  were  soon  forced  to  discard)  in 
Ohio.  He  subsisted  his  regiment  for  one  month  and  six  days,  and  was  then 
commissioned  as  Colonel  and  ordered  to  Camp  Dennison.  The  regiment  was 
designated  the  Thirty-Fourth.  He  continued  recruiting,  with  permission  from 
the  State  authorities,  and  a  second  regiment  was  subsequently  organized  and 
designated  the  Fifty-Fourth.  This  second  regiment  was  being  rapidly  filled  up, 
and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  brigade  would  soon  have  been 
completed,  when  Colonel  Piatt  was  ordered  to  report,  with  the  Thirty-Fourth,  to 
General  Eosecrans,  then  commanding  in  Western  Virginia.  He  proceeded  as 
far  as  Camp  Enyart,  on  the  Kanawha  Eiver,  where,  for  lack  of  transportation,  he 
was  compelled  to  remain.  On  the  23d  of  September  he  led  a  portion  of  his  own 
regiment  and  a  detachment  from  a  Kentucky  regiment  across  the  Kanawha,  in 
search  of  an  organized  band  of  Eebels,  known  to  be  encamped  at  some  point 
south,  and  to  be  preparing  to  obstruct  the  navigation  of  the  river.  On  the  24th 
the  detachment  from  the  Kentucky  regiment  was  sent  up  Cole  Eiver,  while  Colonel 
Piatt  continued  his  march  to  Chapmansville,  where  he  arrived  at  three  o'clock  P. 
M.  on  the  25th  and  found  the  Eebels  strongly  fortified.  After  making  a  reconnois- 
sance  he  attacked  and  drove  the  enemy,  in  utter  rout,  from  his  position,  and 
wounded  and  captured  the  commander  of  the  force.  Colonel  J.  W.  Davis. 
Yol.  I.— 58. 


,,!  i  Ohio  in  the  War. 

During  the  return  march  the  troops  were  overtaken  by  a  storm,  almost  unpar- 
ilfeledfbr  severity  in  the  history  of  the  valley;  Camp  Enyart  was  submerged, 
Mid  they  went  into  quarters  at  Camp  Piatt. 

Colonel  Piatt  next  attacked  and  defeated  a  Eebel  force  at  Hurricane,  which 
Go-operating  with  General  Floyd,  then  at  Cotton  Hill ;  and  on  the  24th  of 
iber  ho  went  into  winter-quarters  at  Barboursville.     In  March,  1862,  by 
r  of  General  Cox,  he  removed  to  Gauley  Bridge;  where,  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  month,  he  was  taken  ill  with  typhoid  fever.     He  returned  on  leave  to  his 
homo  in  Ohio,  where  he  remained  until  he  recovered  sufficiently  to  report  for 
duty.    During  this  sickness  he  was  commissioned  Brigadier-General,  and  was 
ordered   to  report  to   General    Fremont.     He  joined    that    officer   at    Harri- 
sonburg in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and  was  assigned  a  brigade   in   General 
Schenck's  division.    When  General  Sigel  succeeded  General  Fremont,  General 
Piatt  was  ordered  with  his  brigade  to  Winchester,  and  was  directed  to  fortify 
and  to  command,  that  post.     He  enjoyed  the  satisfaction  of  having  his  works 
inspected  and  approved  by  General  Sigel. 

On  the  28th  of  July  he  was  directed  to  report  to  General  Sturgis  at  Alex- 
andria, and  was  assigned  to  a  brigade  in  General  McClellan's  army,  which  was 
then  returning  from  the  Peninsula.  Shortly  after  organizing  his  brigade  Gen- 
eral Piatt  received  information  from  the  division  General,  that  in  the  press  for 
transportation  he  had  succeeded  in  securing  only  twenty  cars;  that  these  should 
be  at  the  disposal  of  the  first  regiments  ready  to  take  possession  of  them,  and 
that  they  would  thus  be  privileged  to  go  to  the  front.  General  Piatt  immedi- 
ately took  possession  of  the  track,  and  as  soon  as  the  cars  arrived  ordered  his 
men  into  them.  He  arrived  at  Warrenton  Junction  at  midnight,  and  the  next 
day,  August  26th,  he  reported  to  General  Pope. 

On   the  evening  of  the   27th   General   Piatt   was   ordered    to   march   to 
Manassas  Junction.    He  immediately  put  his  troops  in  motion  and  had  pro- 
ceeded three  miles,  when  General   Sturgis  ordered    his  return  to  Warrenton 
Junction  to  protect  that  point  from  an  expected  attack.     On  the  morning  of  the 
28th  he  was  again  ordered  to  Manassas  Junction.     He  reached  the  junction  at 
oon  on  the  29th,  having  been  seriously  delayed  by  trains  and  troops  in  his 
tent.    Ho  marched  a  mile  and  a  half  towards  the  battle-field  on  the  Manassas 
*ap  Poad,  and  was  then  ordered  back  to  the  junction;  but  before  reaching  the 
unction  he  was  directed  to  march  toward  the  gap.     He  went  into  camp  for  the 
nt,  and  in  the  morning  received  an  order  to  report  to  General  Porter.     He 
had  proceeded  but  a  few  hundred  yards  when  he  met  a  brigade  belonging  to 

PiaT! mi       fl  TP8'  Wh,'Ch  Wa8   marchinS  t0  J°in  the  command.      General 

ollowed  the  brigade  and  found  that  it  led  him  to  Centerville.     Here  he 

h     brigade  while  the  one  in  front  marched  on  toward  Washington     Gen- 

di    cU  n  iner\     t0^1161"1  ***"  *«  he  had  ^e  far  onongh  in  that 

IS;?:ra'  ^rter,  and  that  with  his  permission  he  would 

the  sound  of  t?  f  •    He  th6n  °rdered  hi8  men  int0  *e  road  and,  guided  by 

lllock  P  M     Tl  "?   "^  hC  anMVed  at  the  ^tie-ground  of  Bull  Eun  at  two 

•     Hie  brigade  went  into  action  on  the  left,  and  acquitted  itself 


Eliakim  P.  Scammon.  915 

with  great  courage.  General  Pope  in  his  official  report  complimented  General 
Piatt  highly,  for  "the  soldierly  feeling  which  prompted  him,  after  being  misled 
and  with  the  bad  example  of  the  other  brigade  before  his  eyes,  to  push  forward 
with  such  zeal  and  alacrity  to  the  field  of  battle." 

On  the  4th  of  September  General  Piatt  reported  to  General  Morril  on 
Minor's  Hill,  and  remained  there  until  ordered  to  Harper's  Ferry.  He  reported 
at  that  post,  and  marched  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  army  under  General  Mc- 
Clellan,  in  its  flank  movement  against  the  Eebels  at  Winchester.  At  Manassas 
Gap  he  was  ordered  by  General  McClellan  to  make  a  reconnoissance  of  the  gap, 
which  he  did  successfully.  It  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  General  Piatt  occu- 
pied the  right,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  assured  by  his  superior  officer 
that  his  brigade  performed  well  the  duty  assigned  it. 

General  Piatt  entered  the  army  with  no  intention  of  making  it  his  profes- 
sion, and  now  that  a  large  family  of  motherless  children  demanded  his  atten- 
tion and  care,  he  tendered  his  resignation  and  retired  from  the  service. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ELIAKIM  P.  SCAMMON. 


ELIAKIM  P.  SCAMMON  was  born  at  Whitefield,  Lincoln  County, 
Maine,  December  27,  1816.  His  father  was  the  Honorable  Eliakim 
Scammon,  and  he  was  the  fourth  son  in  a  family  of  eight  children. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  obtained  a  cadetship  at  West  Point,  where  he  gradu- 
ated in  June,  1837,  standing  seventh  in  a  class  of  forty-six  members.  Among 
his  classmates  were  Generals  Benham,  Hooker,  and  Sedgwick,  of  the  National 
army,  as  well  as  the  Eebels  Bragg,  Pemberton,  and  Early.  He  was  commis- 
sioned Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Fourth  Artillery,  but  in  the  summer  of  1838 
was  transferred  to  the  Corps  of  Topographical  Engineers.  Immediately  upon 
graduating  he  was  assigned  to  duty  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Mathematics  at 
West  Point,  where  he  remained  until  September,  1838,  when  he  was  ordered  to 
Florida,  where  he  served  one  year,  under  General  Taylor,  in  the  Seminole  War. 
He  was  then  ordered  on  the  Military  Survey  on  Lake  Ontario,  and  thence  to 
Washington,  where  he  remained  two  years,  assisting  the  celebrated  French 
astronomer  and  topographer,  Nicolet,  then  employed  by  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment. In  1847  he  married  Margaret  Stebbins,  of  Springfield,  Massachusetts, 
and  about  the  same  time  was  appointed  Assistant  Professor  of  Ethics  at  West 
Point,  where  he  remained  five  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  went  as  aide- 
de-camp  with  General  Scott  to  Yera  Cruz,  where  he  remained  until  after  the 
capture  of  that  city,  when,  his  health  failing,  he  was  ordered  north  by  the  com- 


916  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

mander  in-chief,  as  bearer  of  dispatches.     At  Washington   he  was  directed  to 

rt  to  CoIoimI  Kearney  for  duty  on  the  Lake  Survey,  at  Detroit,  Michigan. 
II.  re  he  served  eight  years,  and  during  that  time  was  promoted  to  a  Captaincy. 

In  1850  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  became  Professor  of  Mathematics 
in  Mount  Saint  Mary's  College,  near  Cincinnati.     When  the  rebellion  broke  out 

m  Principal  of  the  Polytechnic  College,  of  Cincinnati.  He  immediately 
offered  his  services  to  the  Government,  and  was  commissioned  by  Governor 
Donnison  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Fourth  Ohio  Infantry.     He  was  soon  trans- 

1  to  the  Twenty-Third,  and  with  this  regiment  he  performed  brilliant  and 
valuable  services  in  West  Virginia,  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Eun,  and  at 
South  Mountain  and  Antietam.  With  two  regiments  he  held  the  ,enemy  in 
check  at  Bull  Eun  Bridge  during  General  Pope's  retreat,  in  September,  1862. 
H«-  was  made  Brigadier-General  "for  gallantry  and  meritorious  services"  at 
South  Mountain;  and  at  Antietam  he  commanded  a  division.  After  that  he 
constantly  commanded  a  division  or  a  district — generally  a  district.  On  the  3d 
of  February,  1864,  he  was  captured.  He  was  returning  from  an  official  visit  to 
the  department  commander,  General  Kelly,  to  his  own  head-quarters  at  Charles- 
town,  West  Virginia.  Ho  took  the  boat  at  Gallipolis,  expecting  to  reach  his 
destination  before  daylight.  After  he  had  retired  the  night  grew  dark  and  tem- 
pestuous, and  the  captain  of  the  boat  "tied  up"  below  Ked  House  Shoal,  in  the 
Kanawha.  Here  a  party  of  Kebels  surprised  and  captured  the  boat,  and  hur- 
ried off  the  General  to  Richmond.  After  three  months'  confinement  in  Libby 
Prison,  he  was  transferred  to  Danville,  then  to  Macon,  Georgia,  and  finally  to 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  where  he  was  exchanged  on  the  3d  of  August.  On 
the  19th  of  September  he  was  ordered  to  report  to  Major-General  Foster,  com- 
manding the  Department  of  the  South,  and  by  him  was  assigned  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  District  of  Jacksonville,  Florida. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  war  General  Scammon  held  radical  views  on  the 
subject  of  slavery,  believing  that  it  was  the  cause  of  the  war,  and  that  it  was 
doomed  to  perish  with  it.  He  is  a  person  of  affable  and  winning  manners  ;  to 
his  equals  just  and  kind,  but  not  familiar,  and  to  his  inferiors  a  rigid  discipli- 
narian.   In  religion  he  is  a  sincere  and  earnest  Eoman  Catholic. 


Chakles   Gr.    Haekee.  917 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  CHARLES  G.  HARKER. 


CHARLES  G.  HAEKEE  was  born  at  Swedesborough,  Gloucester 
County,  New  Jersey-,  December  2,  1825.  His  father  died  when  he  was 
still  quitO'  young,  leaving  a  widow  and  a  large  family  of  children. 
Charles  enjoyed  the  advantages  of  a  common-school  education  until  he  was 
twelve  or  thirteen  years  old,  when  he  removed  to  Mullica  Hill,  and  entered  the 
store  of  the  Honorable  Nathan  T.  Stratton,  as  clerk.  At  an  early  age  he  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  it  was  his  intention,  should  circumstances 
permit,  to  enter  the  ministry.  Shortly  after  entering  Mr.  Stratton's  employ 
that  gentleman  was  elected  to  Congress,  and,  being  called  upon  to  nominate  a 
suitable  person  from  his  district  for  the  cadetship  at  West  Point,  he  nominated 
Charles  G.  Harker. 

He  entered  the  Military  Academy  in  1854,  and  graduated  in  1858  with  dis- 
tinction. He  was  assigned  as  brevet  Second-Lieutenant  to  the  Second  Infantry 
in  July,  and  in  August  he  was  promoted  to  a  full  Second -Lieutenancy  in  the 
Ninth  Infantry.  Lieutenant  Harker  joined  his  regiment  on  the  frontier,  where 
he  remained  until  the  summer  of  1861,  when  he  was  detailed  for  special  duty  at  a 
camp  of  instruction  in  Ohio.  While  there,  by  permission  from  the  Secretary  of 
War,  he  accepted  the  Colonelcy  of  the  Sixty-Fifth  Ohio  Infantry;  and  at  the 
same  time  he  was  promoted  to  a  Captaincy  in  the  Eegular  Army. 

He  joined  General  Buell's  arm}*,  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Pittsburg 
Landing  and  the  siege  of  Corinth;  and  commanded  a  brigade  in  the  campaign 
against  Bragg  in  Kentucky.  At  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver  he  distinguished  him- 
self greatly,  and  was  recommended  for  promotion.  At  the  close  of  this  cam- 
paign he  received  a  leave  for  twenty  days.  He  rejoined  the  brigade  at  the 
expiration  of  his  leave,  and,  under  General  Thomas,  he  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Chickamauga.  Two  horses  were  shot  under  him,  but  he  himself  escaped 
without  injury.  He  was  again  recommended  for  promotion,  and  was  commis- 
sioned a  Brigadier,  to  date  from  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  At  Mission  Ridge 
his  horse  was  killed,  and  he  was  slightly  wounded.  At  Resaca  he  again  had  his 
horse  killed,  and  was  again  slightly  wounded;  and,  finally,  he  was  mortally 
wounded  in  an  assault  at  Kenesaw  Mountain,  June  27,  1864.  His  remains  were 
forwarded  to  the  scenes  of  his  childhood,  and  though  no  gorgeous  pageant 
followed  them  to  the  grave,  yet  a  large  assembly  of  friends  gathered  to  pay 
their  sad  tribute  of  respect  to  one  they  loved  so  well. 

General  Harker's  courage  was  of  no  ordinary  quality;  and  the  estimation 
in  which  he  was  held  by  his  superiors,  will  be  seen  by  an  extract  from  a  letter 


918  Ohio  in  the  Wak. 

from  General   Howard  to  Colonel   Buell  of  fc* F^-Bi  f*   f  &***'•     "At 

,,„ ,.v  ,.-,,,.  where  his  division  wrested  one-half  of  that  wonderful  wall  of 
Lh  from  the  Eebels;  at  Besaca  where  he  tenaciously  held  a  line  of  works 
close  under  th,  Rebel  fire;  at  Dallas  where  he  hammered  the  Eebel  works  at 
less  than  one  hundred  yards;  at  Mud  Creek  where  he  re-enforced  the  skir- 
mishers, and  directed  their  movements  with  so  much  skill  and  vigor  as  to  take 
an(1    hoM  %  line  of  the  enemy's  earthworks;    in  fact,   in   every  place 

re  the  corps  has  been  engaged  this  noble  young  man  earnestly  and  heartily 
,m6d  his  part     God  grant  that  we  may  live  like  him,  and  if  called  to  die 
have  as  good  an  earnest  of  an  enduring  peace  in  heaven  as  our  lamented  Gen- 
eral Ilarker." 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  J.  W.  REILLY. 


BRIGADIEE-GENEEaL  J.  W.  EEILLY  was  born  in  Akron,  Sum- 
mit County,  Ohio,  May  21,  1828.  His  father,  Thomas  Eeilly,  was  for 
many  years  a  contractor  on  the  public  works  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania, 
and  died  in  1852  in  Ireland.  General  Eeilly  was  educated  at  Mount  St.  Mary's, 
Emmettsburg,  Maryland.  In  1847  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  Wellsville, 
Ohio,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1851.  In  1861  he  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  from  Columbiana  County,  by  the  Eepublican  party. 

In  July,  1862,  he  was  tendered  the  Colonelcy  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Fourth  Ohio  by  the  military  committee  of  the  district  comprising  Summit, 
Stark,  Portage,  and  Columbiana  counties.  Accepting  the  trust  he  went  vigor- 
ously to  work  to  fill  the  ranks  of  the  regiment.  By  the  9th  of  August  he  had 
recruited  one  thousand  eight  hundred  men.  The  recruits  rendezvoused  at  Camp 
Massillon,  and  from  them  a  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  on  the  29th 
and  30th  of  August,  1862.  Colonel  Eeilly  reported  his  regiment  to  General 
Lew.  Wallace  at  Covington,  on  the  2d  of  September,  and  thereafter  took  it  to 
Lexington,  Kentucky.  N 

In  August,  1863,  he  led  his  command  to  Knoxville,  Tennessee.  With  Gen- 
eral Burnside's  forces  it  participated  in  the  taking  of  Cumberland  Gap  and  the 
Biege  of  Knoxville.     Colonel  Eeilly  commanded  the  reserve  during  that  siege. 

Jl  tnle  at  Knoxville,  before  the  siege,  he  was  ordered  to  organize  and  com- 
mand  the  East  Tennessee  troops,  then  pouring  into  the  National  ranks.  In  the 
pursuit  of  Longstreet  Colonel  Reilly  commanded  the  First  Brigade,  Third  Di- 
I^T'tt  Wenty"Third  Army  CorPS,  and  remained  in  East  Tennessee  until  April, 
1S64.  He  then  went  with  General  Schofield  to  Dalton,  Tennessee,  and  participated 


Joshua  W.  Sill.  919 

with  his  command  in  all  the  engagements  of  the  Atlanta  campaign.  Upon  the 
recommendation  of  Generals  Cox  and  Schofield,  Colonel  Reilly  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  a  full  Brigadier,  July  30,  1864. 

With  his  brigade  he  joined  in  the  pursuit  of  Hood's  Eebel  forces  into 
Northern  Alabama,  and  thence  to  Rome,  Georgia.  Ho  then  joined  General 
Thomas's  command  in  Tennessee,  and  went  with  him  to  Nashville.  From 
Nashville  he  went  to  Pulaski,  Tennessee,  and  participated  in  the  engagements 
with  Hood's  forces  at  Columbia  and  Franklin.  In  the  battle  of  Franklin  Gen- 
eral Reilly  commanded   the   Third  Division  of  the  Twenty-Third  Army  Corps. 

His  next  service  was  in  the  last  fighting  around  Nashville,  but  before  the 
final  battle  he  left  Nashville  on  a  leave  of  thirty  days  for  Ohio.  At  the  expira- 
tion of  his  furlough  he  was  ordered  to  join  his  troops  at  "Wilmington,  North 
Carolina,  and  on  his  arrival  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Third  Division 
of  the  Twenty-Third  Army  Corps.  With  it  he  marched  from  Wilmington  to 
Kingston,  and  made  connection  with  General  D.  C.  Cox's  forces  at  Wise's  Forks, 
below  Kingston.  He  then,  with  the  rest  of  the  army,  moved  on  to  Goldsboro', 
North  Carolina. 

At  the  end  of  the  war  General  Reilly  tendered  his  resignation — on  the  20th 
of  May,  1864 — returned  to  Ohio,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his  profession. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOSHUA  W.  SILL. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOSHUA  W.  SILL  was  born  at  Chil- 
licothe,  Ohio,  December  6,  1831.  His  father  is  a  lawyer  of  distinction, 
who  early  settled  at  Chillicothe,  where  he  continued  to  reside  for  years 
after  the  war.  He  lost  his  mother  in  his  infancy,  and  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated at  home  under  the  eye  of  his  father.  His  taste  for  literature  and  science 
developed  rapidly,  and  in  1850  he  was  appointed  a  cadet  at  West  Point.  He 
graduated  in  1853,  standing  third  in  his  class.  He  was  appointed  immediately 
Second-Lieutenant  of  Ordnance  at  the  Watervliet  Arsenal,  but  was  soon 
ordered  back  to  West  Point  as  instructor,  where  he  remained  until  the  next 
year,  when  he  was  sent  to  Oregon  to  supervise  the  construction  of  magazines 
and  fortifications.  During  the  Indian  war  in  Oregon  Lieutenant  Sill  was  Chief 
of  Ordnance  to  General  Harney,  and  performed  the*  duties  of  his  office  with 
energy  and  efficiency.  A  difficulty  arising  between  himself  and  the  General, 
he  applied  for  and  obtained  an  exchange ;  and  in  the  fall  of  1859  he  was  again 
at  Watervliet.     He  was  ordered  from  there  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  where  he 


920 


Ohio  in  the  Wak 


ained  until  the  spring  of  1860,  when,  weary  of  the  monotony  of  military 
lift  in  time  of  peace,  he  resigned,  and  accepted  the  Professorship  of  Mathemat- 
ics ami  Engineering  in  the  Polytechnic  College  at  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

This  position  he  filled  with  ability  until  the  opening  of  the  war.  He  was 
offered  and  urged  to  accept  the  Colonelcy  of  several  New  York  regiments,  but 
lu-  returned  to  his  native  State,  entered  the  Adjutant-General's  office,  and 
assisted  in  organizing  aud  equipping  the  Ohio  regiments  until  the  summer  of 
1861,  when  he  assumed  command  of  the  Thirty-Third  Ohio  Infantry,  and  ac- 
companied General  McClellan  to  the  Kanawha  Yalley.  From  this  time  until 
his  death  on  the  field,  he  was  constantly  in  active  service;  under  Nelson  and 
Thomas  in  Eastern  Kentucky ;  Mitchel  in  Alabama  j  and  Buell  and  Eosecrans 
in  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  In  every  sphere  of  military  duty  to  which  he 
was  called  he  proved  himself  a  thorough  soldier,  a  skillful  officer,  and  an  hon- 
orable gentleman.  He  was  idolized  by  his  regiment  while  its  Colonel,  and 
upon  promotion  he  still  retained  the  affection  of  his  men.  He  commanded  a 
brigade,  however,  from  the  first,  and  in  the  winter  of  1861  he  was  nominated 
and  confirmed  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  con- 
duct on  the  field.  On  the  organization  of  Buell's  army  at  Bardstown,  Gen- 
eral Sill  was  placed  in  command  of  a  division  in  McCook's  corps,  which  he 
continued  to  hold  until  his  death.  He  was  killed  at  Murfreesboro'  December 
31,  1862. 

Of  slight  frame,  mild  and  pleasing  address,  of  sterling  and  extraordinary 
merit  both  as  a  soldier  and  a  scholar,  yet  reserved  almost  to  a  fault — from  mod- 
esty, not  from  pride— he  seemed  to  court  obscurity  rather  than  notoriety.  The 
simplicity  and  kindness  of  his  manners,  his  perfect  and  stainless  integrity,  and 
the  singular  purity  of  his  life,  endeared  him  beyond  measure  to  all  who  were 
happy  enough  to  know  him;  and  the  State  will  not  fail  to  keep  green  his  mem- 
ory among  the  lists  of  her  sons  "dead  on  the  field  of  glory.' 


Nathaniel  C.  McLean.  921 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  N.  0.  McLEAK 


"VTATHANIEL  C.  McLEAN,  son  of  Hon.  John  McLean,  of  Ohio,  As- 
\  sociate  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
February  2,  1815,  in  Warren  County,  Ohio.  At  sixteen  years  of  age 
he  graduated  at  Augusta  College,  Kentucky,  and  went  immediately  to  Harvard 
College,  where  he  passed  through  the  studies  of  the  senior  class  as  a  resident 
graduate,  and  then  entered  the  law  school.  After  completing  the  course  pre- 
scribed in  this  branch,  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Ohio,  and  in  a  short  time 
commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  in  Cincinnati. 

In  1838  he  married  the  daughter  of  Judge  Burnet,  of  Cincinnati.  He  con- 
tinued the  practice  of  his  profession  successfully  until  his  health  failed,  when, 
by  the  advice  of  his  physicians,  he  took  a  sea  voyage  and  visited  Europe.  His 
health  was  benefited,  but  not  fully  restored,  by  this  trip,  and  he  was  compelled 
to  abandon  his  profession  and  seek  employment  in  business  which  would  enable 
him  to  lead  a  more  active  life. 

After  remaining  in  active  business  for  a  number  of  years,  his  health  seemed 
to  be  entirely  re-established,  and  he  again  returned  to  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession. He  had  not  made  the  change  in  his  business  many  months  before 
meeting  with  a  sore  affliction  in  the  loss  of  his  wife,  who  died  suddenly,  after  a 
short  illness,  leaving  four  children. 

In  1858  he  again  married,  his  second  wife  being  the  daughter  of  Phillip  E. 
Thompson,  of  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  was  engaged  successfully  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  In  conjunction  with  the  late  Colonel  Eobert  Eiley, 
of  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  under  authority  received  from  General  Fremont,  he 
commenced  the  organization  of  the  Seventy-Fifth  Ohio.  On  the  18th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1861,  he  was  commissioned  as  its  Colonel. 

In  January,  1862,  Colonel  McLean  was  ordered  with  his  regiment  to  West 
Virginia.  He  reported  to  General  Milroy,  and  commanded  the  regiment  per- 
sonally in  all  its  operations  under  Generals  Milroy,  Schenck,  and  Fremont,  up 
to  and  through  the  battle  of  Cross  Keys,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  com- 
mand of  a  brigade,  consisting  of  four  Ohio  regiments.  This  brigade  Colonel 
McLean  commanded  through  all  the  campaigns  of  General  Pope  in  Virginia, 
from  the  time  of  his  taking  command  up  to  the  retreat  upon  Washington  after 
the  second  battle  of  Bull  Kun.  During  this  period  of  several  months — from 
the  battle  of  Cross  Keys  to  the  retreat  upon  Washington — his  conduct  had  been 
such  that  he  secured  the  approbation  of  his  commanding  officers,  and  they 
warmly  recommended  his  promotion. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

On  the  29th  of  November,  1862,  Colonel  McLean  was  commissioned  as 
Brigadier-Genera).  He  remained  with  his  command  in  the  Army  of  the  Poto- 
mac, under  Generals  McClellan,  Burnside,  and  Hooker,  participating  in  all  its 
rations  through  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville.  General  McLean  then 
bo  bo  relieved  of  his  command,  and  ordered  to  report  to  General  Burn- 
side  in  the  Department  of  the  Ohio.  By  General  Burnside  he  was  placed  upon 
duty  as  Provost-MarshaJ  General  of  his  Department.  When  General  Burnside 
relieved  of  the  command  of  his  department  by  General  Schofield,  General 
IfcLean  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in  the  field  in  Tennessee, 
where  ho  joined  the  corps  of  General  Schofield,  and  active^  participated  in  all 
thf  operations  of  the  army  under  General  Sherman,  up  to  within  a  short  period 
of  the  taking  of  Atlanta.  After  the  battles  of  Kenesaw  and  Lost  Mountains  he 
Applied  to  be  relieved  of  his  command,  and  ordered  to  Kentucky.  There  he 
was  placed  in  command  of  a  district,  where  he  remained  several  months,  par- 
ticipating, in  the  meantime,  in  the  raid  upon  Saltville,  Virginia.  He  was  sub- 
sequently ordered  to  Tennessee  to  take  command  of  a  brigade.  Sherman  was 
thee  marching  across  the  country,  and  our  army  under  General  Thomas  was 
pushed  up  the  Tennessee  Kiver.  After  some  time,  however,  the  orders  were 
changed,  and  this  command  was  ordered  to  North  Carolina,  by  way  of  Wash- 
ington City,  and  at  Alexandria  the  troops  were  embarked  on  transports,  and 
convoyed  to  the  coast  of  North  Carolina,  landing  at  Fort  Fisher.  From  this 
time  they  steadily  advanced  up  to  their  junction  with  General  Sherman,  when 
the  surrender  of  Lee  virtually  ended  the  war.  Believing  that  the  war  was  now 
over,  and  that  his  services  were  no  longer  needed,  General  McLean  sent  in  his 

nation  which  was,  after  a  short  period,  accepted. 

Dnring  the  whole  war  General  McLean  was  off  duty  for  the  space  of  only 
thirty  days,  having  had  leave  of  absence  once  for  twenty,  and  again  for  ten 
days.  Since  the  war  he  removed  to  the  State  of  Minnesota,  where  he  retired 
to  the  quiet  occupation  of  a  farmer. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WILLIAM  T.  H.  BROOKS. 


Wl  I.UAM  T.  H.  BROOKS,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  one  of  her  cadets 
•it  West  Point,  was  graduated  from  the  Academy  in  July,  1841,  and 
•ppointwi  Brevet  Second-Lieutenant,  Third  Infantry.     He  had  risen 
to  a  Cnphumy  when  the  war  broke  out,  and  by  March,  1862,  to  one  of  the 
Majors  commissions  in  the  Eighteenth  Infantry.     He  was  made  a  Brigadier- 
General  of  volunteers  in  September,  1861.    In  July,  1864,  he  resigned. 


George  W.  Morgan.  923 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  GEORGE  W.  MORGAN. 


GEOEGE  W.  MOEGAN,  a  Democratic  politician  of  prominence  and  a 
Brigadier- General  of  volunteers  during  a  part  of  the  war,  best  known 
by  his  evacuation  of  Cumberland  Gap,  was  born  in  Washington,  Wash- 
ington County,  Penns}Tlvania.  He  is  a  descendant,  on  the  paternal  side,  of  a 
Eevolutionary  soldier,  whose  name  is  still  preserved  in  the  history  of  the  coun- 
try, and,  on  the  maternal  side,  of  the  Duanes. 

He  evinced  military  proclivities  at  an  early  age.  When  only  eighteen 
years  old  he  entered  the  army  of  General  Houston,  in  the  war  for  the  inde- 
pendence of  Texas,  and  served  throughout  that  struggle  with  such  courage  as 
to  attract  the  special  notice  of  his  superiors.  On  his  return  he  received  a  com- 
mission as  cadet  at  West  Point,  but  he  left  the  Academy  before  graduating. 

When  volunteers  were  asked  for  the  war  with  Mexico  he  at  once  raised  a 
company  and  marchpd  with  it  to  Camp  Washington,  near  Cincinnati.  Upon 
the  organization  of  the  Second  Ohio  Eegiment,  he  was  elected  its  Colonel. 
With  this  command  he  served  under  General  Taylor  on  the  Eio  Grande  till  the 
expiration  of  the  term  of  service  of  the  regiment.  President  Polk  then  ap- 
pointed him  Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  Eegular  Infantry,  and  this  he  commanded 
with  distinction  till  the  close  of  the  war.  In  the  battle  of  Contreras  he  was 
severely  wounded.  He  had  been  in  high  favor  with  the  Democratic  party,  and 
President  Polk  now.  gave  him  a  consular  appointment  in  Portugal,  and  after- 
ward made  him  Minister  Plenipotentiary. 

Colonel  Morgan  only  returned  to  the  United  States  shortly  before  the  out- 
break of  the  war.  Uniting  with  the  war  wing  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  at 
once  offered  his  services  to  the  Government,  and,  on  the  credit  of  his  past  mil- 
itary experience,  he  was  made  a  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  his  commis- 
sion dating  from  12th  November,  1861. 

When  General  Buell  first  proposed  to  occupy  Cumberland  Gap  he  directed 
General  Morgan  to  go  there.  He  moved  vigorously,  fortified  the  place  se- 
curely when  he  gained  possession  of  it,  and  was  supposed  to  have  a  sure  foot- 
hold. But  when  Kirby  Smith,  passing  by  Cumberland  Gap,  entered  Kentucky 
in  the  summer  of  1862,  General  Morgan  considered  his  position  compromised. 
Destroying  his  works  as  well  as  he  could,  he  abandoned  the  gap  and  began  a 
hasty  retreat  to  the  Ohio  Eiver.  John  Morgan's  Eebel  cavalry  was  sent  to 
hang  upon  and  harass  his  flanks,  but  he  succeeded  in  extricating  his  command. 
His  operations,  however,  were  not  satisfactory  to  the  Government,  and  he  held 
no  further  important  place.  General  Morgan  is  a  man  of  soldierly  appearance 
and  a  fluent  speaker.  His  manners  are  polished  and  popular,  and  his  political 
friends  still  have  hopes  of  further  advancement  for  him. 


924 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOHN  BEATTY. 


JOHN  BEATTY  was  born  at  Sandusky  City,  Ohio,  in  1828.  For  sev* 
eral  years  prior  to  the  rebellion  he  was  engaged  in  banking  at  Card- 
Kflgton,  and  in  1860  he  was  Presidential  Elector  for  the  Thirteenth 
sessional  District  on  the  Eepublican  ticket. 

After  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  he  at  once  abandoned  his  business,  and  early 
in  April,  18G1,  enlisted  as  a  private  in  a  company  raised  in  his  own  town.  Of 
this  company  he  was  immediately  and  unanimously  elected  Captain,  and  on  the 
10th  of  the  month  he  reported  his  men  for  duty  to  the  Adjutant-General  of 
Ohio.  Eight  days  later  he  was  elected  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Third  Ohio 
Infantry,  of  which  his  company  was  a  part.     It  was  originally  a  three  months' 

nent;  but  on  the  12th  of  June,  previous  to  taking  the  field,  it  reorganized 
for  the  three  years'  service;  the  field-officers  remaining  the  same.  On  the  23d 
of  Juno  the  Third  Ohio  was  sent  to  West  Virginia,  and,  during  a  summer  and 
full  campaign  in  that  wild  and  mountainous  region,  at  Middle  Fork,  at  Eich 
Mountain,  at  Cheat  Mountain,  and  at  Elkwater  it  illustrated  its  own  excellence, 
and  the  skill  and  bravery  of  its  officers. 

Transferred  to  Kentucky  in  November,  the  regiment  had  the  good  fortune 
to  be  assigned  to  the  old  Third  Division  of  the  Army  of  the  Ohio,  commanded 
by  General  0.  M.  Mitchel.  While  at  Bacon  Creek,  Kentucky,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Beatty  was  promoted  to  the  Colonelcy  of  his  regiment,  and  in  that 
capacity  he  accompanied  General  Mitchel  through  his  campaign  in  Southern 
Kentucky,  Middle  Tennessee,  and  Northern  Alabama.  In  the  fight  at  Bridge- 
port, and  in  the  operations  about  Decatur  and  Point  Eock,  Colonel  Beatty  took 
a  conspicuous  and  useful  part.  Selected  by  General  Mitchel  as  Provost-Marshal 
of  Huntsville,  he  discharged  the  delicate  and  difficult  duties  of  that  office  with 
fidelity  and  tact. 

Keturning  to  Louisville  with  General  Buell  in  September,  18G2,  he  joined 
in  the  pursuit  of  Bragg  through  Kentucky,  and  on  the  8th  of  October  fought  at 
the  head  of  his  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Perryville.     Here  he  first  attracted 

Ml  attention.  Holding  the  extreme  right  of  General  Eousseau's  division  his 
regiment  was  assailed,  both  in  front  and  flank,  by  an  overwhelming  force;  and 
)ugh,  in  an  hour's  time,  one-third  of  his  men  were  killed  and  wounded,  Colo- 
re Beatty  refused  to  yield  an  inch  of  ground  until  relieved  by  Colonel  Pope, 
with  the  Fifteenth  Kentucky. 

On  the  26th  of  December  Colonel  Beatty  assumed  command  of  the  old  Sev- 
enteenth Brigade,  which  had  been  formed  previously  with  such  leaders  as  Lytle 


John    Beatty.  925 

and  Dumont.  On  Wednesday,  the  31st  of  December,  at  Murfreesboro',  this 
brigade  forming  the  third  part  of  Eousseau's  division,  assisted  checking  the 
onset  of  Hardee.  Colonel  Beatty  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  but  he  came 
out  uninjured.  On  Saturday  night,  January  3,  1863,  he  was  ordered  to  attack 
the  enemy's  works  lying  near  the  Murfreesboro'  Turnpike.  Placing  himself  at 
the  head  of  his  brigade,  he  charged  over  the  Eebel  works  and  carried  them  at 
the  point  of  the  bayonet.  On  the  12th  of  March,  1863,  Colonel  Beatty  was 
commissioned  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  to  rank  from  the  29th  of  No- 
vember, 1862. 

Being  assigned  to  the  First  Brigade  of  Negley's  division,  he  participated  in 
the  Tullahoma  campaign,  and  after  the  Eebels  had  been  driven  out  of  that 
stronghold  he  led  the  column  which  pursued  them,  skirmishing  successfully  with 
their  rear -guard,  until  he  gained  the  lofty  plateau  of  the  Cumberlands.  In  the 
Chattanooga  campaign  General  Beatty  had  the  honor  of  being  the  first  to  lead 
his  command  to  the  summit  of  Lookout  Mountain.  The  Eebels,  after  a  feeble 
resistance  at  Johnson's  Creek,  retired  rapidly  before  him.  In  the  masterly 
retreat  from  Dug  Gap,  which  elicited  warm  commendation  both  from  General 
Eosccrans  and  General  Thomas,  General  Beatty  was  assigned  by  General  Neg- 
ley  to  the  responsible  and  difficult  duty  of  protecting  and  bringing  away  a  large 
wagon -train  in  the  face  of  an  immense  force  of  Eebels.  Not  a  single  wagon 
fell  into  the  enemy's  hands. 

In  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  it  was  General  Beatty's  fortune  to  commence 
the  fighting  both  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  September ;  the  first  day  upon  the 
extreme  right,  and  the  second  upon  the  extreme  left  of  the  line.  Assailed  early 
on  the  morning  of  the  19th,  he  handsomely  repulsed  the  enem}^,  after  a  fight  of 
three  hours'  duration,  and  held  his  ground  until  ordered  to  the  center  of  the 
line,  late  in  the  afternoon.  On  Sunday  morning  he  reported  to  General  Thomas 
with  his  command,  and  was  placed  on  the  extreme  left  along  the  Lafayette  road, 
with  orders  to  hold  it  at  all  hazards.  Hour  after  hour,  with  his  comparatively 
feeble  force,  he  maintained  his  position  against  the  masses  of  the  foe  which 
surged  around  him.  He  was  re-enforced  at  last  by  Colonel  T.  E.  Stanley,  with 
his  brigade,  and  in  conjunction  they  charged  and  drove  the  Eebels  half  a 
mile,  capturing  a  large  part  of  General  Adams's  Louisiana  brigade,  with  its 
leader  at  its  head.  Later  in  the  day  General  Beatty  was  among  the  heroes 
who  held  the  last  position  against  the  combined  efforts  of  the  Eebel  army. 
Again  on  the  21st,  while  in  position  near  Eossville,  a  heavy  reconnoitering  col- 
umn attacked  General  Beatty's  brigade,  but  it  was  driven  back  with  consid- 
erable loss. 

In  the  reorganization  of  the  army  General  Beatty  was  assigned  to  the 
Second  Brigade  of  Davis's  division,  and,  during  the  operations  which  resulted 
in  the  expulsion  of  the  Eebels  from  Mission  Eidge  and  Lookout  Mountain,  his 
command  held  the  left  of  the  line.  Though  not  actively  engaged  at  that 
time,  it  joined  with  great  vigor  in  pursuit  of  the  retreating  foe.  On  the  20th 
of  November  General  Beatty,  in  conjunction  with  Colonel  Daniel  McCook,  over- 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

,  '     ft,  Rebel  General  Maury  at  Graysville,  and,  after  a  sharp  conflict,  entirely 

{U"''Tl!Cut  of  December  General  Davis's  division  commenced  its  march 

t,  J  ','  K  n.xville  for  the  relief  of  General  Burnside,  not  returning  to  its  camp 

,„;„,„  until  the  18th  of  the  same  month.      General  Beatty  partici- 

itZ  ma^h,  sharing  fully  the  fatigues  and  hardships  of  the  humblest 
iriv:it,  soldior  in  the  command.     On  the  13th  of  January,  1864,  he  tendered  his 
resignation  for  reasons  of  a  private  nature.  < 

General  Beatty  was  never  absent,  during  his  entire  term  of  service,  from 
MI1v  conmnml  to  which  he  had  been  assigned,  while  that  command  was  actively 
engaged  He  was  thoroughly  impressed  with  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of 
his  position,  and  his  soldierly  reputation  was  stainless.      In  fact,  so  marked 

'  his  honesty  and  open-hearted  integrity,  that  his  name  became  a  synonym 
for  these  qualities  among  his  men ;  and  when  they  wished  to  express  their 
unquestioning  trust  in  any  one,  they  said  he  was  "  as  honest  as  John  Beatty." 

Pal  Beatty  remarked  to  General  Thomas,  after  he  had  tendered  his 
resignation,  that  he  hoped  there  would  be  no  misunderstanding  of  the  motives 
which  induced  him  to  resign.  General  Thomas  replied  :  "  General,  we  know  you 
too  well  to  suspect  your  motives  in  anything."  In  the  camp,  in  the  bivouac,  or 
upon  the  field  of  battle,  it  is  said  that  he  never  laid  down  or  closed  his  eyes  in 
sleep,  without  first  reading  a  passage  in  the  Bible  and  commending  himself,  his 
soldiers,  and  his  country  to  Cod  in  earnest  prayer.  An  orderly  whose  business 
took  him  around  to  various  places,  said  that  General  Beatty 's  were  the  only 
head-quarters  which  he  ever  visited  where  he  never  heard  an  oath.  Mirth  and 
amusement  were  by  no  means  unknown  at  these  head-quarters ;  but  gaming, 
and  intemperance  were  utter  strangers;  and  on  no  pretense  could  General 
Beatty  bo  induced  to  consent  to  the  sale  of  liquor  within  his  command. 

His  power  of  endurance  was  wonderful.  When  occasion  demanded  he 
could  perform  the  longest  and  most  fatiguing  marches  without  complaint,  and 
Memioglj  without  suffering  the  slightest  inconvenience  from  wTant  of  food 
or  sleep.  Changes  of  temperature  were  nothing  to  him  ;  and  snow,  rain,  and 
hlcct  were  equally  unable  to  affect  his  equanimity.  Whatever  was  the  soldier's 
bed,  that  also  was  his  couch  ;  and  whatever  was  the  soldier's  fare,  he  also  par- 
took of  it.  A  soldier  once  said,  "If  we  were  compelled  to  eat  the  bark  of 
trees  I  believe  General  Beatty  would  find  it  delicious  food."  The  evening 
before  leaving  Chattanooga  he  received  a  communication  from  the  commanders 
of  the  several  regiments  in  his  brigade,  tendering  their  sincere  thanks  for  his 
kind  and  generous  bearing  toward  all,  and  expressing  their  high  appreciation 
of  his  valuable  services.  Indeed,  it  did  not  often  happen  that  the  resignation 
of  an  officer  excited  more  universal  regret  than  did  that  of  General  Beatty. 


William  W.  Burns.  927 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  WILLIAM  W.  BURNS. 


WILLIAM  W.  BUENS  entered  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point  as  a  Cadet  from  Ohio,  his  native  State,  in  the  year  1843. 
He  graduated  in  1847,  and  was  brevetted  Second-Lieutenant  Third 
United  States  Infantry  on  the  1st  of  July  of  the  same  year.  During  July 
and  August  he  was  stationed  with  a  company  of  sappers  and  miners  at  West 
Point,  and  in  September  of  the  same  year  he  sailed  for  Mexico.  In  1848  he 
returned  from  Mexico  and  marched  for  Arkansas.  In  1851  he  was  promoted  to 
First-Lieutenant  in  the  Fifth  Infantry,  and  was  ordered  to  Texas.  In  1854  he 
was  on  recruiting  service  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  1857  he  was  engaged  in  the 
Florida  campaign.  He  was  Depot  Commissary  at  Fort  Myers,  and  afterward 
was  Eegimental -Quartermaster  in  the  Fifth  Infantry.  He  participated  in  the 
Utah  campaign,  and  in  1858  was  appointed  Captain  and  Commissary  of  Subsist- 
ence. In  1859  he  was  Chief  Commissary  for  the  Arkansas  and  Texas  frontier. 
He  escaped  capture  at  Fort  Smith  in  1861,  and  was  appointed  Chief  Commis- 
sary on  the  staff  of  General  McClellan,  for  the  Department  of  Ohio.  He  was 
with  General  McClellan  in  West  Yirginia  until  after  the  capture  of  Eich  Mount- 
ain and  Laurel  Hill,  when  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  as  Chief  Commissary,  De- 
partment of  the  Ohio. 

In  September,  1861,  he  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  and 
was  ordered  to  report  to  General  McClellan,  at  Washington.  He  was  assigned 
to  the  brigade  formerly  commanded  by  Colonel  Baker.  General  Burns  was 
member  of  a  Board  of  Examiners  for  Stone's  division,  and,  after  that,  was  Pres- 
ident of  a  General  Court-martial.  In  February,  1862,  he  made  a  campaign  to 
Winchester,  Yirginia,  and  was  then  transferred  to  the  peninsula.  He  made  the 
first  reconnoissance  in  front  of  Yorktown,  and  was  engaged  at  Hanover  C.  H., 
Fair  Oaks,  Old  Town,  Peach  Orchard,  Savage  Station,  Glendale,  and  Malvern 
Hill.  On  the  5th  of  July  he  was  granted  a  leave  of  absence,  in  consequence  of 
a  severe  wound.  Upon  returning  to  the  field  he  made  the  campaign  in  White 
Plains  Yalley,  and  was  engaged  at  Snicker's  Gap.  He  assumed  command  of 
the  First  Division,  Ninth  Corps,  November  3d,  and  on  the  12th  and  13th  of 
December  participated  in  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg.  On  the  10th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1863,  General  Burns  was  ordered  to  report  to  General  Bosecrans,  and  on 
the  12th  he  was  notified  by  the  Secretary  of  War  of  his  appointment  as  Major- 
General  ;  but  on  the  6th  of  March  he  resigned  his  commission  of  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral, preferring  to  return  to  his  former  rank  of  Major  and  Commissar}1-  of  Sub- 
sistence in  the  regular  army.  His  course  in  this  respect  was  much  regretted  by 
rnan}^,  who  believed  he  had  shown  the  capacity  to  make  an  excellent  officer  of 
volunteers,  and  to  win  distinction  in  the  army. 


928  Ohio   in   the  War. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOHN  S.  MASON. 


JOHN  S.  MASON  was  born  at  Steubenville,  Ohio,  August  21,  1824.  His 
father  was  a  prominent  physician,  and  a  surgeon  in  the  war  of  1812. 
John  Mason's  early  years  were  spent  at  school  in  Steubenville,  and  in 
1840  he  entered  Kenyon  College,  where  he  remained  until  the  winter  of  1842, 
when  he  went  to  Washington  College,  Pennsylvania.  In  1843  he  entered  West 
Point,  and  in  1847  he  graduated,  standing  ninth  in  a  class  of  thirty-eight. 
Among  his  classmates  were  Generals  Burnside,  Gibbon,  Griffin,  Wilcox,  Ayres; 
and  A.  P.  Hill  and  Henry  Heath  of  the  Eebel  army.  While  a  cadet  he  always 
held  one  of  the  highest  military  offices  in  the  class,  and  he  graduated  second 
in  tactics. 

He  was  appointed  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Third  Artillery,  and  he  joined 
his  company  at  Tampico,  Mexico.  Soon  after  arriving  he  was  attacked  with 
yellow  fever,  and  when  convalescent  he  was  ordered  to  Cincinnati  for  his 
health,  where  he  spent  the  winter  in  assisting  Major  Shover  to  prepare  his 
battery  for  the  field.  He  returned  to  Puebla,  Mexico,  with  recruits  in  April, 
1848,  and  there  he  remained  as  Commissary  of  Subsistence  until  peace  was 
declared,  when  he  joined  Shover's  battery,  and  after  a  perilous  passage  reached 
New  Orleans,  where  he  was  again  attacked  with  yellow  fever.  He  proceeded 
to  his  homo  in  Ohio,  and  upon  regaining  his  health,  repaired  to  Fort  Adams, 
Rhode  Island,  where  he  remained  until  January,  1852 ;  in  the  meantime  being 
promoted  to  First-Lieutenant,  September,  1850. 

%  Having  suffered  in  health  ever  since  his  return  from  Mexico  he  applied  for 
a  transfer,  and  was  ordered  to  California.  He  sailed  with  the  first  detachment 
of  troops  that  over  crossed  the  isthmus,  and  in  February,  1852,  arrived  at  San 
Francisco.  He  was  stationed  for  some  months  at  Monterey,  and  was  then 
ordered  to  San  Diego,  where  he  was  engaged  in  garrison  duty  and  in  scouting 
against  the  Indians.  In  December,  1853,  he  was  ordered  to  Fort  Yama,  at  the 
junction  of  the  Gila  and  Colorado  Rivers,  and  from  that  point  he  made  a  scout 
to  the  head  of  the  Gulf  of  California.  In  July,  1854,  having  been  appointed 
Regimental  Quartermaster,  he  proceeded  to  the  head-quarters  of  the  regiment 
at  Benecia  Barracks,  where  he  remained  until  June,  1858,  when,  at  his  own 
request,  he  was  detailed  on  recruiting  service.  He  was  assigned  to  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  but  was  soon  ordered  to  Newport  Barracks  as  commandant  of 
recruits  at  that  rendezvous.  In  July,  1860,  after  a  short  leave,  he  joined  his 
regiment  at  Vancouver,  Oregon. 

In  the  summer  of  1861  he  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  Eleventh  Infantry, 


John  S.  Mason.  929 

and  about  the  same  time  Governor  Dennison  offered  him  the  Colonelcy  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  Infantry,  which  he  accepted.  He  assumed  command  of  the  regi- 
ment at  Camp  Pendleton  on  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  and  joined  General 
Kelly  in  his  attack  on  Romney.  The  Fourth  Ohio  led  the  advance,  and  after  a 
sharp  skirmish  the  Eebels  were  driven  from  the  town.  In  January  Eomney 
was  evacuated,  and  the  command  fell  back  to  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad 
at  Patterson's  Creek.  While  at  this  point  Colonel  Mason  was  appointed  Chief 
of  Artillery  to  General  Lander,  and  during  the  winter  he  was  engaged  in  reor- 
ganizing that  arm  of  the  service.  Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  division 
under  General  Shields,  the  senior  officer  of  artillery  was  made  Chief  of  Artillery, 
and  Colonel  Mason's  regiment  was  assigned  to  Colonel  Kimball's  brigade.  Col- 
onel Mason  remained  with  General  Shields  himself,  and,  with  a  force  of  infantry, 
artillery,  and  cavalry,  was  engaged  in  reconnoissance-duty  around  Middletown, 
Strasburg,  and  Winchester.  General  Shields,  in  his  reports  and  letters,  made 
frequent  mention  of  Colonel  Mason  for  efficiency  and  gallantry,  and  there  was 
scarcely  a  movement  of  the  division  in  which  he  did  not  participate. 

The  brigade  was  ordered  to  Harrison's  Landing,  where  Colonel  Mason 
remained  until  that  place  was  evacuated,  when,  after  re-enforcing  General  Pope 
at  Centerville,  he  marched  to  Georgetown,  where  the  regiment  was  withdrawn 
from  the  field,  in  consequence  of  disease  contracted  at  Harrison's  Landing.  It 
rejoined  the  brigade  at  Harper's  Ferry,  after  the  battle  of  Antietam,  and 
marched  with  the  army  to  Falmouth.  At  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  Colonel 
Mason  was  in  command  of  three  regiments,  which  composed  the  advance  line 
of  skirmishers  for  Couch's  corps.  General  Kimball  being  wounded  early  in  the 
action  Colonel  Mason  assumed  command  of  the  brigade,  and  held  a  position  on 
the  front  line  until  near  nightfall,  when  the  brigade  being  out  of  ammunition 
was  withdrawn. 

A  few  weeks  after  this  Colonel  Mason  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-General. 
His  health  having  failed  from  severe  exposure,  he  obtained  a  sick  leave,  and  at 
its  expiration  was  transferred  to  the  Department  of  the  Ohio,  and  assigned  to 
the  command  of  the  District  of  Ohio;  but  upon  the  arrival  of  General  Cox,  his 
senior,  he  was  transferred  to  the  command  of  the  troops  at  Columbus.  Hia 
health  would  not  admit  of  his  returning  to  the  field,  and  in  November,  1863, 
he  was  ordered  on  duty  at  San  Francisco. 

Yol.  I.— 59. 


930 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  S.  S.  CARROLL. 


GENERAL  CARROLL  is  a  native  of  Washington  City.  He  grad- 
uated at  West  Point  in  1856,  and  was  a  Captain  in  the  Tenth  United 
States  Infantry  at  the  opening  of  the  war.  He  was  appointed  Colonel 
of  the  Eighth  Ohio  Infantry  in  December,  1862,  and  assumed  command  of  the 
regiment  at  Romney,  West:  Virginia.  It  was  serving  then  under  Kelly  ;  and  it 
subsequently  served  under  Lander  and  Shields. 

Colonol  Carroll  commanded  his  regiment  in  the  first  battle  of  Winchester, 
and  6oon  after  he  joined  General  McDowell's  corps  at  Fredericksburg.  There 
he  took  command  of  a  brigade,  and  moved  with  General  Shields  to  the  Luray 
Valley.  He  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Port  Republic,  and  was  badly  injured 
by  his  wounded  horse  falling  upon  him,  and  partly  dislocating  his  right 
shoulder. 

Colonel  Carroll's  brigade  was  transferred  to  Rickett's  division  of  McDowell's 
corps,  and  it  participated  in  the  battles  of  second  Bull  Run  and  Cedar  Mount- 
ain, and  in  General  Pope's  Virginia  campaign.  The  Colonel  was  badly  wounded 
on  the  Rapidan  while  inspecting  the  picket  line.  After  Antietam  the  brigade 
was  transferred  to  Whipple's  division,  Third  Corps,  and  was  engaged  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Fredericksburg.  In  the  spring  of  1863  Colonel  Carroll  was  transferred 
to  the  First  Brigade,  Third  Division,  Second  Corps,  and  was  engaged  in  the 
battles  of  Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  Bristow  Station,  Mine  Run,  and  Morton's 
Ford. 

In  the  reorganization  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  in  the  spring  of  1864, 
ho  wao  assigned  to  the  Third  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Second  Corps.  He  was 
wounded,  May  5th,  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness,  through  the  right  arm ; 
again,  May  10th,  in  the  right  leg;  and  again,  May  13th,  through  the  left  elbow- 
joint,  permanently  losing  the  use  of  the  arm.  He  was  promoted  to  Brigadier- 
General  on  the  12th  of  May,  1864. 

He  continued  in  the  service  until  the  close  of  the  war,  and  was  a  portion 
of  the  time  in  temporary  command  of  the  Department  of  West  Virginia. 


Henry  B    Carrington.  931 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  HENRY  B.  CARRINGTON. 


HENEY  B.  CAEEINGTON  was  born  at  Wallingford,  Connecticut, 
March  2,  1824.  In  1840  he  exhibited  a  marked  taste  for  military 
studies,  but  on  account  of  ill-health  he  abandoned  them  and  entered 
Yale  College,  where  he  graduated  in  1845,  and  from  the  Law  School  in  1848. 
He  removed  to  Ohio  in  the  same  year,  and  began  the  practice  of  law  at  Colum- 
bus, at  first  in  partnership  with  A.  F.  Perry,  and  afterward  with  Honorable 
William  Dennison. 

In  1857  he  was  placed  upon  Governor  Chase's  staff,  and  he  remained  Adju- 
tant-General of  Ohio  until  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Eighteenth  United 
States  Infantry.  This  appointment  was  made  without  the  solicitation,  and  even 
without  the  knowledge  of  Colonel  Carrington,  for  services  rendered  in  the 
organization  of  troops,  and  for  aiding  in  the  inauguration  of  the  first  West  Vir- 
ginia campaign.  Lieutenant-General  Scott  was  one  of  the  prominent  army  offi- 
cers who  interested  themselves  in  this  appointment.  Colonel  Carrington  had 
given  evidence  of  military  ability  while  Adjutant-General  of  the  State.  At  a 
military  convention  held  in  Cincinnati  in  1859,  Generals  Lytle,  Hildebrand,  and 
Fyffe,  on  the  part  of  the  Volunteer  Militia,  presented  him  with  a  fine  sword  and 
a  brace  of  revolvers. 

In  November,  1862,  Colonel  Carrington  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-General 
of  volunteers.  He  served  mostly  in  the  district  of  Indiana,  and  took  an  active 
part  in  the  border  defense,  and  in  the  destruction  of  secret  societies  with  trea- 
sonable ends.  When  mustered  out  of  the  service  as  Brigadier-General  in 
August,  1865,  General  Carrington  was  assigned  to  duty  in  Kentucky,  where  he 
remained  till  November,  when  he  was  ordered  to  the  Indian  frontier.  He  was 
placed,  at  first,  in  command  of  Fort  Kearney,  then  of  the  East  Subdistrict  of 
Nebraska,  and  finally  of  the  Mountain  District,  Department  of  the  Platte.  He 
was  charged  with  the  building  of  forts  and  the  opening  of  a  new  line  to  Vir- 
ginia City,  through  Dacotah  and  Montana.  General  Carrington  was  still  on 
duty  in  that  section  of  country,  when  a  disaster  to  a  small  detachment  of  his 
command,  which  was  met  by  hostile  Indians,  a  short  distance  from  the  fort,  and 
cut  to  pieces,  led  to  his  being  relieved  from  command  for  an  investigation  into 
the  cause  of  the  disaster. 

General  Carrington 's  field  service  during  the  war  was  not  considerable,  but 
his  administration  in  Indiana  was  wise,  active,  and  able,  and  greatly  endeared 
him  to  the  loyal  people  of  that  State.  His  efforts  to  unearth  the  machinations 
of  the  Knights  of  the  Golden  Circle  and  the  like  secret  treasonable  organiza- 
tions, were  most  efficient.     Nexl  to  General  Eosecrans  more  is  due  to  General 


932 


Ohio  in  the  War 


Carrington  than  to  any  other  one  man  for  the  exposure  and  defeat  of  formidable 
gchemes,  aiming  at  revolution  in  the  North.  His  course  in  the  trial  of  the  Indi 
ana  conspirators  was  bitterly  denounced  by  the  opposition ;  but  it  was  sustained 
by  the  army,  by  the  public  sentiment  of  the  country,  and  by  the  Government. 
Tho  case  was  ultimately  carried  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States, 
whore  a  majority  of  the  Justices  held  that  his  court,  being  held  within  a  State 
not  in  rebellion  and  not  the  theater  of  war,  was  illegal,  and  that  the  case  should 
have  been  tried  before  the  ordinary  civil  tribunals.  This  decision  never  affected 
tho  popular  approval  of  General  Carrington's  course,  or  the  general  gratitude 
for  his  unshrinking  service  in  the  premises.  At  the  oubreak  of  the  war  his 
eoalous  and  faithful  labors  as  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio  well  deserved  similar 
returns;  though  they  would  have  been  more  valuable  had  he  possessed  more 
system.  Of  the  nature  and  extent  of  these  labors,  we  have  spoken  at  greater 
length  in  the  preceding  sketch  of  Governor  Dennison's  administration.* 

In  person,  General  Carrington  is  below  the  medium  gize,  slender,  nervous, 
and  active.    Ho  has  a  finely-cultivated  mind  and  good  literary  acquirements. 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  MELANCTHON  S.  WADE. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Cincinnati  on  the  2d  of  Decem- 
ber,  1802.      Ho    is    descended    from   the    old    Eevolutionary    stock,    his 
father,  D.  E.  Wade,  having  participated  in  that  struggle,  and  having  suf- 
fered imprisonment  in  the  prison-ship  and  in  the  old  sugar-house  at  New  York. 
Melancthon  S.  Wade,  upon  arriving  at  manhood,  became  identified  with  the 
volunteer  militia  companies  of  the  city,  and  rose  by  regular  gradation  from 
Bccond-Scrgeant  to  Brigadier-General.     He  was   in  commission  from  1825  to 
1849,  and  he  always  evinced  a  lively  interest  in  the  citizen-soldierv.     Upon  the 
break.ng  out  of  the  rebellion  ho  at  once  tendered  his  services  to"  the  Govern- 
ment and,  at  the  recommendation  of  General  O.  M.  Mitchel,  he  was  commis- 
sioned Bngadier-General  of  volunteers  by  President  Lincoln,  and  was  assigned 
to  duty  as  commandant  of  Camp  Dennison,  then  the  rendezvous  for  the  great 
majority  of  Ohm  troops.     In  this  position  General  Wade's  arduous  and  respotf- 
b  e  dut.es  were  faithfnlly  performed.     The  camp  literally  swarmed  with  vol- 

Wad'HHT?0  ^  driHed'  eqU,'PPed'  and  8ent  t0  the  fi<^     AH  this  General 

vol  LJ       ,w      8ati8factio"both  of  his  superiors  and  of  his  inferiors.     His  se- 

on    itut-o'        TT  °f  tl<e  Camp'  and  ad™™ng  Jears,  were  too  much  for  his 

Liln! t  *        ^  thre°  m°nth8'  8GrViCe    h0  WaS  COmpelled  t0  tCnd0r  hi3 

resignation,  which  was  accepted. 

•Part  I,  History  of  the  State  and  her  War  Administration. 


John  P.  Slough.  933 


BRIGADIER-GENERAL  JOHN  P.  SLOUGH. 


JOHN  P.  SLOUGH  was  born  in  Cincinnati  in  1829.  His  father,  Martin 
Slough,  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  West,  having  removed  to  Cincin- 
nati as  early  as  1806.  The  son  obtained  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
iof  Cincinnati,  except  one  year  in  the  Cincinnati  College,  before  it  burned  down. 
He  afterward  graduated  from  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  and  for  a  number  of 
}*ears  was  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  County  bar,  a  local  politician,  and  for  a 
time  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Legislature,  in  which  his  belligerent  tendencies  in- 
volved him  in   some  trouble. 

In  1861,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war,  he  was  in  Denver  City,  Colorado 
Territory.  He  at  once  organized  a  company  for  the  Union  service.  It  was 
afterward  increased  to  a  regiment  and  he  was  appointed  its  Colonel.  He  par- 
ticipated in  the  engagement  at  Port  Union,  New  Mexico,  and  for  gallantry  there 
was  promoted  to  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  and  was  called  to  the  East,  where 
he  served  at  Harper's  Ferry  during  its  seige.  He  was  afterward  promoted  to  a 
full  Brigadier-Generalship  and  placed  in  command  at  Alexandria,  where  he 
remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  His  administration  at  Alexandria  was 
vigorous,  and  the  post  was  important.  His  strenuous  efforts  to  preserve  order 
brought  upon  him  the  hostility  of  influential  classes,  and  particularly  of  the 
liquor-sellers;  and  concerted  efforts  were  several  times  made  for  his  removal. 
But  he  passed  successfully  through  every  investigation,  and  retained  the  confi- 
dence of  the  Government  to  the  last. 

After  the  war  he  was  for  a  time  in  Ohio,  but  he  ultimately  returned  to 
Colorado. 


Ohio  in  the   War. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  B.  C.  LUDLOW. 


BKXJAMIN  CHAMBEKS  LUDLOW  was  born  in  the  year  1832, 
Ludlow  Station,  Hamilton  County,  Ohio;  was  educated  at  Carey's 
lomy,  College  Hill,  near  Cincinnati,  and  at  Kenyon  College,  Gam- 
bier,  Ohio.  He  studied  medicine,  and  graduated  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  Philadelphia,  in  1854.  He  practiced  his  profession  in  the  city  of  New 
York  for  a  year;  but  ill  health  compelling  him  to  seek  some  milder  climate,  ho 
tailed  for  California,  and  thence  went  to  Mexico,  where  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Returning  to  Cincinnati,  he  was  appointed,  by  the  Trustees  of  the  Long- 
view  Lunatic  Asylum,  assistant  physician  in  that  institution,  in  November,  1859. 

Educated  from  childhood  to  a  hatred  of  slavery,  Dr.  Ludlow  had  held  him- 
self always  ready  for  any  action  that  should  wipe  out  that  blight  upon  our  Na- 
tional honor,  and  he  hailed  with  enthusiasm  the  call  of  the  President  in  April, 
1861.  He  raised  a  company  of  cavalry  and  went  to  Washington,  hoping  to  get 
an  order  to  some  place  of  immediate  usefulness.  Armed  with  letters  of  recom- 
mendation to  Mr.  Cameron,  he  obtained  an  audience  with  that  gentleman,  but 
was  met  with  these  words  for  an  answer:  "No  cavalry  will  be  raised  or  re- 
quired; General  Scott  thinks  that,  with  the  regular  regiments  (four)  filled  to 
their  maximum,  there  will  be  sufficient  for  all  purposes  in  putting  down  tho 
rebellion." 

A  few  days  later  he  heard  that  Carl  Schurz  had  authority  to  raise  one  cav- 
alry regiment;  and,  calling  to  see  that  gentleman,  was  told  that  he  wanted  to 
raise  two  companies  in  the  West;  would  be  in  Cincinnati  soon  on  that  business, 
and  would  then  see  him. 

Dr.  Ludlow  returned  to  his  duties  at  the  Asylum  for  a  time;  but  tho  news 
of  the  authority  given  to  Fremont,  for  raising  a  great  Western  army,  decided 
him  to  go  to  St.  Louis  and  offer  his  services  there. 

General  Fremont  gave  him  a  commission  as  First-Lieutenant,  and  after- 
ward as  Captain  of  his  company,  which  composed  part  of  the  regiment  of 
•  Fremont  Hussars,"  raised  under  the  immediate  direction  of  Colonel  G.  E. 
Waring.  The  Fremont  Hussars  marched  to  Springfield  under  Fremont,  and 
back  again  to  St.  Louis  under  Hunter.  Under  General  Curtis  they  marched 
again  to  South-western  Missouri,  in  February,  1862.  At  Lebanon,  one-half  of 
the  Fremont  Hussars,  under  Captain  Ludlow,  were  detailed  to  occupy  that 
t,  an  important  one,  to  maintain  the  line  of  communication  with  the  grand 
•my.  Fighting  guerrillas,  breaking  up  their  strongholds,  taking  some  of  tho 
most  noted   of  them   prisoners,  having  some   brave  men   killed   and   others 


Benjamin    C.  Ludlow.  935 

wounded  (being  wounded  himself  and  having  his  horse  shot  under  him),  con- 
stituted the  dangerous  and  uncomfortable  duty  of  those  long  months,  while 
their  companions  shared  in  the  glory  of  Pea  Eidge.  On  being  reunited,  they 
moved  to  Helena,  where  they  remained  all  summer.  In  the  fall  the  regiment 
was  ordered  to  Pilot  Knob,  Missouri,  and  there  consolidated  with  the  Fifth 
Missouri  Cavalry,  and  Captain  Ludlow  was  made  Major  of  the  new  organiza- 
tion. In  December,  1862,  he  received  the  appointment  of  Major  in  the  Seventh 
Ohio  Cavalry,  but  it  was  declined,  in  consequence  of  his  being  ordered  to  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  Major-General  Hooker.  Major  Lud- 
low acted  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  General  Hooker  at  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville. 
and  until  that  officer  was  relieved  by  Major-General  Meade.  By  an  order  of 
the  Adjutant-General  of  the  army  he  was  retained  on  the  staff  of  the  General 
commanding,  as  Inspector  of  Artillery,  and  performed  honorable  service  at 
^Gettysburg,  Williamstown,  Mine  Eun,  Eappahannock,  Bristow  Station,  and 
other  battles  fought  by  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  between  the  last  of  June, 
1863,  and  February,  1864.  At  this  time  his  regiment  of  hussars  enlisted  as  vet- 
erans, and  Major  Ludlow  received  the  appointment  of  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

In  February,  1864,  Colonel  Ludlow  was  ordered  to  report  to  Major-General 
Butler,  and  was  appointed  Chief  of  Cavalry  in  the  Department  of  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina.  In  the  siege  of  Eichmond  the  gunboats  and  monitors  were 
of  no  avail,  except  in  keeping  the  James  Eiver  free  from  guerrillas  to  the  base 
of  operations,  Fortress  Monroe.  This  was  owing  to  a  bar  at  the  head  of  Devil's 
Eeacli,  and  a  strong  battery  which  the  Eebels  had  constructed  at  what  was 
called  "  Howlet  House,"  which  commanded  the  James  at  that  point.  General 
Butler  proposed  to  cut  a  canal  through  a  narrow  strip  of  land  made  by  the 
windings  of  the  river,  known  as  Dutch  Gap.  If  this  could  be  accomplished  the 
gunboats  could  j)ass  up  the  river  above  the  point  commanded  by  the  Howlet- 
House  batteries,  and  give  material  aid  in  the  taking  of  Eichmond.  To  do  this 
it  was  not  only  necessary  to  have  a  strong  working  party,  but  enough  troops 
to- retain  possession  of  a  position  which  would  become  the  most  advanced  post 
of  our  line  then  investing  Eichmond.  By  order  of  General  Butler  Colonel 
Ludlow  was  placed  in  command  of  this  undertaking.  Fifteen  hundred  infantry 
took  possession  of  the  position,  and,  before  the  enemy  discovered  their  inten- 
tion, fortifications  were  thrown  up  strong  enough  to  meet  any  attack  made 
upon  them  by  land.  A  one-hundred-pound  Parrott  gun  was  placed  to  protect 
the  position  from  the  Eebel  gunboats,  which  cast  their  huge  projectiles  into 
the  works.  A  battery  of  light  guns,  three  eight-inch,  and  two  twenty  four- 
pound  mortars,  and  three  Gatlin  guns  were  added  to  Colonel  Ludlow's  com- 
mand. From  the  mortar  batteries,  placed  b}'  the  enemy  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  shells  were  thrown  night  and  day  into  the  works  of  defense,  as  well 
as  into  the  canal ;  and  for  this  reason  all  troops,  when  not  on  duty,  were 
obliged  to  be  protected  by  bomb-proofs.  This  confinement  was  so  destructive 
of  health  that  the  troops  were  frequently  changed.  The  work  was  commenced 
in  August,'  1864,  and  finished  the  following  December.  In  the  latter  month, 
owing  to  the  attacks  upon  Fort  Fisher,  the  gunboats  which  had  been  stationed 


936  Ohio  in  the  War. 

on  James  River  had  been  ordered  to  more  southern  points;  and  Captain  Nich- 
ols, commander  of  tho  Fifth  Division  of  the  North  American  Squadron,  in  a 
communication  to  Colonel  Ludlow,  requested  him  not  to  open  the  canal  at  that 
time,  for  fear  the  Rebel  vessels  would  take  advantage  of  the  opening  and  attack 
his  (Captain  Nichols's)  reduced  naval  force.  The  blowing  out  of  the  bulkhead 
of  the  canal,  which  had  been  prepared  by  a  mine,  in  the  center,  of  nine  thousand 
pounds  of  powder,  was  delayed  until  the  1st  of  January.  The  explosion  cleared 
away  tho  bulkhead  and  allowed  tho  water  to  pass  through  the  canal.  This 
canal  shortened  the  distance  to  Richmond  six  miles  and  a  half,  and  was  used 
after  tho  fall  of  Richmond  for  small  side-wheel  steamers  and  tugs.  Its  width 
had  been  proportioned  for  the  passage  of  the  double-turreted  monitor  Onon- 
daga, and  it  was,  therefore,  not  wide  enough  for  large  steamers. 

On  tho  28th  of  October,  1864,  Colonel  Ludlow  was  appointed  Brigadier- 
General  by  brevet,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  Dutch  Gap  and  for 
his  attack  upon  the  enemy's  works  at  Spring  Hill,  Virginia.  The  latter  engage- 
ment occurred  while  ho  was  in  command  at  Dutch  Gap. 

By  special  orders  of  tho  War  Department,  and  by  direction  of  President 
Lincoln,  Goneral  Ludlow  was  assigned  to  duty,  according  to  his  brevet /rank, 
December  9,  1864.  He  was  placed  in  command  of  the  James  River  and  York 
River  defenses,  head-quarters  at  Fort  Magruder,  which  ho  held  at  the  time  of 
Lee's  surrender.  Afterward  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Eastern 
District  of  Virginia,  with  head-quarters  at  Williamsburg,  comprising  the  terri- 
tory between  tho  James  and  Rappahannock  Rivers. 

General  Ludlow  resigned  in  August,  1865,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  Cincinnati.  His  career  throughout  was  honorable  and  laborious. 
Ho  served  in  a  great  variety  of  positions  and  on  widely  separated  theaters  of  the 
war,  never  failing,  in  any  station,  to  command  the  confidence  of  his  superiors 
and  the  admiration  of  his  soldiers.  He  was  notable  for  refusing  to  avail  him- 
self of  family  influence  to  secure  promotions  (he  is  brother-in-law  to  Chief-Jus- 
tice Chase,  and  a  member  of  one  of  tho  oldest  families  in  Cincinnati),  and  for  a 
modesty  not  often  displayed  in  the  scramble  for  place.  His  personal  presence 
was  fine;  and  in  battle  he  displayed  a  chivalric  bearing  which  those  who  saw 
him  at  Gettysburg,  or  in  other  engagements  of  tho  Army  of  tho  Potomac,  will 
never  forget. 


Andrew  Hickenlooper.  937 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ANDREW  HICKENLOOPER. 


ANDKEW  HICKENLOOPER,  a  meritorious  artillery  and  engineer 
officer,  of  varied  and  always  valuable  service,  but  best  remembered  in 
the  army  by  his  connection  with  the  lamented  McPherson,  -was  born 
in  Hudson,  Ohio,  August  30,  1837.  His  youth  was  spent  mainly  at  school,  till 
in  1854,  about  the  close  of  his  seventeenth  year,  he  entered  the  office  of  Mr.  A. 
W.  Gilbert,  the  city  engineer  of  Cincinnati.  After  three  years  spent  here  he 
was  admitted  to  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Gilbert.  In  1859  he  became  city  sur- 
veyor of  Cincinnati,  in  which  position  he  confirmed  the  opinion  that  had  al- 
ready become  general,  concerning  his  efficienc}*-  and  energy  as  an  engineer. 

In  August,  1861,  he  recruited  an  artillery  company,  first  known  as  Hicken- 
looper's  Cincinnati  Battery,  and  afterward  as  the  Fifth  Ohio  Independent  Bat- 
tery. This  was  raised  under  the  auspices  of  General  Fremont,  and  in  October 
was  taken  to  Jefferson  City,  Missouri.  Here,  under  special  instructions  from 
General  Fremont,  he  was  presently  appointed  Commandant  of  Artillery  at  the 
post. 

In  March,  1862,  Captain  Hickenlooper  returned  to  the  command  of  his 
battery,  and  with  it  was  transferred  to  General  Grant's  army  at  Pittsburg 
Landing.  Here  he  participated  in  the  bloody  battle  that  soon  followed,  behav- 
ing so  creditably  as  to  attract  the  instant  attention  of  his  superiors.  Three  days 
after  the  battle  General  McKean  appointed  him  Division  Commandant  of 
Artillery. 

In  this  capacity  he  continued  to  serve  until  after  the  battles  of  Iuka  and 
Corinth,  when,  his  conduct  having  still  further  secured  the  confidence  of  his 
superiors,  he  was,  on  the  26th  of  October,  1862,  ordered,  by  General  Grant,  to 
report  for  staff  duty  to  General  McPherson.  The  connection  thus  began  which 
was  only  terminated  by  the  untimely  death  of  his  chief.  McPherson  at  first 
made  him  Chief  of  Ordnance  and  Artillery,  with  special  instructions  to  com- 
plete the  fortifications  at  Bolivar ;  then  in  February,  when  about  to  start  down 
to  Vicksburg,  changed  his  position  and  made  him  Chief  Engineer  for  the  Sev- 
enteenth Army  Corps,     i 

He  was  with  his  chief  throughout  the  masterly  movements  by  which  the 
besieging  army  was  planted  in  the  rear  of  the  defenses  of  Vicksburg,  and  won 
especial  praise,  after  the  battle  of  Champion  Hills,  by  the  rapid  construction  of 
a  bridge  of  cotton  bales,  across  the  Big  Black,  over  which  the  hurrying  pursuit 
followed  on  the  heels  of  Pemberton  until  he  took  refuge  within  the  defenses  of 
Yicksburg — not  to  emerge  save  as  a  paroled  prisoner. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

Throughout  the  siege  Captain  Hiekenlooper  had  charge  of  the  engineer 
operations  OH  the  front  of  the  corps,  and  conducted  them  so  well  as  to  elicit  the 
warm  approval  of  so  competent  and  critical  an  engineer  as  McPherson  himself. 
The  approaches  were  pushed  up  until  some  of  the  enemy's  guns  were  silenced, 
and  a  mine— the  first  important  one  of  the  war— was  run  under  one  of  the 
!  works.  McPherson  named  one  of  the  forts  "Battery  Hiekenlooper,"  in 
nonor,  and  made  special  mention  of  him  in  official  reports  and  letters  of 
recommendation  as  follows : 

"  Captain  A.  Hiekenlooper  .  .  .  deserves  special  mention  for  his  ability,  untiring  en- 
ergy and  skill  in  making  reconnoissances  and  maps  of  the  routes  passed  over,  superintending  the 

:s  and  construction  of  bridges,  etc.,  exposing  himself  constantly,  night  and  day.  He  merits 
•ome  substantial  recognition  of  his  services."— From  McPherson's  Offi.  Eep.  Operations  in  ap- 
proaching Rear  of  Vicksburg. 

"  I  write,  without  solicitation,  to  urge  the  claims  for  promotion,  by  brevet  or  otherwise,  of 
one  of  the  best  and  at  the  same  time,  one  of  the  most  modest,  officers  on  my  staff,  Captain  An- 
drew Hiekenlooper,  Fifth  Ohio  Battery.  ...  I  first  made  his  acquaintance  at  Jefferson 
City,  in  the  winter  of  1861-2,  and  was  most  favorably  impressed  with  his  intelligence  and  mili- 
tary bearing.  ...  On  assuming  command  at  Bolivar,  Tennessee,  in  October,  1862,  I  was 
very  much  in  need  of  an  engineer  officer,  and  knowing  his  qualifications  (as  no  regular  engineer 
could  be  spared),  I  applied  to  Major-General  Grant,  and  had  him  assigned  to  me  as  Chief  of 
Artillery  and  engineer  officer.  .  .  .  He  has  made  a  reputation  commensurate  with  the  repu- 
tation of  the  corps.  As  all  the  Ohio  batteries  of  light  artillery  are  "independent  batteries," 
there  is  no  chance  for  him  to  obtain  promotion  in  that  branch  of  the  service ;  and  I  think  it  but 
due  that  the  General  commanding  should  give  him  some  token  of  its  appreciation,  cheering  to 
the  heart  of  a  soldier.  I  therefore  respectfully  request  that  you  will  present  his  name  for  a 
brevet  commission  of  Colonel  or  Lieutenant-Colonel." — From  letter  to  Halleck,  then  General-in- 
Chief,  by  McPherson. 

After  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  the  "Board  of  Honor"  of  the  Seventeenth 
Corps  awarded  him  the  gold  medal,  with  the  inscription,  "Pittsburg  Landing, 
Siege  of  Corinth,  Iuka,  Corinth,  Port  Gibson,  Eaymond,  Jackson,  Champion 
Hills,  Vicksburg." 

When  McPherson  took  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee,  Captain 
Hiekenlooper  was  made  Judge-Advocate  on  his  staff,  and  a  little  later  Chief  of 
Artillery  for  the  Department  and  Army  of  the  Tennessee.  In  this  position  he 
accompanied  his  chief  through  the  Atlanta  campaign.  After  McPherson's 
death,  when  General  Howard  took  command  of  the  army,  he  was  accompanied 
by  his  own  Chief  of  Artillery.  Hiekenlooper  was  therefore  returned  to  his 
duties  as  Judge  Advocate,  and  made  Assistant  Chief  of  Artillery.  From  this 
he  was  relieved  at  the  request  of  General  F.  P.  Blair  to  accept  the  position  of 
Assistant  Inspector  General  Seventeenth  Army  Corps,  which  carried  with 
it  promotion  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  After  the  campaign  of  the 
Carol.nas  was  nearly  over,  in  the  little  rest  at  Goldsboro',  the  opportunity  was 
taken  to  recommend  him  for  a  Brigadier-Generalship— General  Howard  indors- 
ing that  he  "knew  of  no  officer  in  the  service  whom  he  would  more  cordially 
and  heartily  recommend;"  General.  Sherman  saying,  "He  served  long  and  faith- 
ally  near  General  McPherson,  and  enjoyed  his  marked  confidence ;  is  young, 
vigorous,  and  well  educated,  and  can  fill  any  commission  with  honor  and  credit 


Thomas    K.  Smith.  B30 

to  the  service;*'  and  General  Grant  saying,  i;He  has  proved  himself  one  of  the 
ablest  and  most  energetic  volunteer  officers,  no  one  having  the  confidence  of  his 
superiors  in  a  higher  degree." 

He  was  appointed  a  Brevet  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers  (20th  May, 
1865),  and  assigned  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  composed  of  the  Eleventh, 
Thirteenth,  Fifteenth,  and  Sixteenth  Iowa  Veteran  Volunteers. 

After  the  muster-out  of  the  troops  he  was  warmly  recommended  by  Blair, 
Logan,  Howard,  Sherman,  and  Grant  for  a  commission  as  Major  of  Artillery  in 
the  regular  arjny,  or  for  the  office  of  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Southern 
District  of  Ohio.  He  was  appointed  to  the  latter  position,  was  soon  confirmed, 
and  at  once  entered  upon  its  duties,  being  at  the  time  still  under  thirty  years 
of  age. 


BRIGADIERGEXERAL  THOMAS  KILBY  SMITH. 


THOMAS  KILBY  SMITH  was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  the 
year  1821.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  George  Smith,  who  followed  the  seas 
for  many  years  as  captain  in  the  East  India  trade. 

At  an  early  age  young  Smith  removed,  with  his  parents,  to  Hamilton 
County,  Ohio,  where,  after  a  brief  business  life  in  Cincinnati,  his  father  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Colerain  Township.  Thomas  was  educated  at  Woodward  College, 
in  Cincinnati,  studied  law  with  Salmon  P.  Chase,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1346.  In  1853  he  was  called  to  fill  a  responsible  position  in  the  Post-Office 
Department  at  Washington  City.  In  1856  President  Pierce  gave  him  the  ap- 
pointment of  United  States  Marshal  for  the  Southern  District  of  Ohio,  which 
position  he  retained  until  the  accession  of  President  Buchanan.  From  that 
time  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  filled  with  ability  the  position 
of  deputy  clerk  of  Hamilton  County.- 

In  the  summer  of  1861  Governor  Dennison  appointed  him  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  Fifty-Fourth  Ohio,  but  before  the  regiment  went  to  the  field  he 
was  promoted  to  be  its  Colonel,  October  31,  1S61,  a  position  he  accepted  with 
some  reluctance,  owing  to  his  lack  of  military  knowledge,  and  to  his  self-dis- 
trust. But  he  inherited  the  fearlessness  of  his  sailor  father,  and  his  subsequent 
career  showed  that  he  underrated  himself,  for.  after  a  series  of  severe  tests  in 
the  familiar  path  of  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee — at  Pittsburg  Landing,  the 
advance  on  Corinth,  Chickasaw  Bayou.  Arkansas  Post,  Champion  Hills.  Big 
Black  Bridge,  and  the  assaults  on  Yieksburg.  in  all  of  which,  by  his  conspicu- 
ous bravery,  he  won  the  highest  admiration  of  his  command  and  the  warmest 
confidence  of  his  superior  officers — he  was  among  the  first  to  receive  the  reward 
of  promotion.    His  commission  as  Brigadier  General  dated  from  August  11, 1863. 

In  consequence  of  sickness  contracted  by  exposure  in  the  service.  General 
Smith  was  compelled  to  abandon  field  duty  early  in  1864.  In  the  latter  pari 
of  1SG6  he  was  appointed  and  confirmed  United  States  Consul  at  Panama. 


940 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  B.  D.  FEARING. 


B 


ENJAMIN  DANA  FEARING  was  born  in  Harraar,  Ohio,  in  1837. 
His  paternal  grandfather,  Hon.  Paul  Fearing,  came  out  with  the  first 
colony  of  the  "Ohio  Companj^,"  and,  at  the  first  court  organized  in  the 
North-west  Territory,  held  in  the  block-house  at  Campus  Martins,  now  Mari- 
etta, in  1788,  "was  admitted  an  attorney,"  and  was  the  first  lawyer  in  the  Ter- 
ritory. He  was  also  afterward  the  first  delegate  from  the  Territory  to  the  Na- 
tional Congress.  Through  his  maternal  grandfather,  Benjamin  Dana,  Mho  was 
also  a  member  of  the  "  Ohio  Company,"  and  one  of  the  first  colony  that  founded 
Marietta,  ho  is  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  fourth  generation  from  General 
Israel  Putnam. 

His  youth  was  spent  in  his  native  place,  mostly  in  attendance  upon  schools ; 
and,  in  1856,  at  the  ago  of  nineteen,  he  graduated  from  Marietta  College.  The 
two  years  subsequent  to  his  graduation  he  spent  in  business  in  Cincinnati,  and 
the  three  following  in  Philadelphia.  While  on  a  visit  to  Cincinnati,  in  1861, 
news  came  of  the  firing  upon  Fort  Sumter.  On  the  second  day  following, 
young  Fearing  enlisted  in  the  "Zouave  Guards,"  which,  immediately  upon  its 
organisation,  started  for  Washington;  and,  npon  the  organization  of  regiments 
at  Hamsburg,  Pennsylvania,  became  Company  D,  of  the  Second  Ohio."  With 
this  regiment  he  proceeded  to  the  capital,  and  thence  into  Virginia,  under  com- 
mand of  General  Schenck.  On  this  march  he  received  his  first  promotion,  be- 
ing made  Fourth  Corporal. 

entid  ,l'°  req"C6t/,  Lieutenant-C«  Clark  and  Major  Andrews,  he  next 
-a  the  camp  of  the  Thirty-Sixth  Ohio,  to  assist  them  in  drilling  that  regi- 

Mat   AnSdtr  .1  *°  ^^^^ '  S1— r,  and  as  Adjutant  to 

"e  I Lied  2  •'"  C°mmand  °f  the  Thirty-Sixth.     While  in  tin     service 

Thi  d  Oh0  'edai,p01nt;iCnt  of  ^-Lieutenant  and  Adjutant  to  the  Si,*- 
~Z£2£JZ  T:  r,aPP°intment-  ***>  with  orders  from  Gov- 
^v,Uh  r  !  Int  t  M  u  t  HUdebl'and'  thCn  reCruitinS  «"  «-» ty- 
Donclsen^d:  ;:f;a;;  •Whi'e  GOneral  *"*  »"  in  «°»*  of  *o* 
»nd  report  to  G  n  I,  S.  T"^  l°  m0Ve  "  °nC°  t0  Paducah.  **»*»<** 
-pcrio.  offils  be  „i  1  TV-^  *  *****  t0  k"°W  "H™  **>«'"  The 
n.M. rain  and  fi,t  W  1  '  T  *****  **>"*"  :  "l»  a"  hour."  By 
n n-dered  f    „    01 1  l™  ^  ™*  "*  W«to«i  *"  *•  **  out  of  the 

-pedition  forde   ro!-n:  17°^      ^  *****  SWman  wae  -«*  a" 
-tio„»gth,  bridges  on  the  railroad  near  luka,  sudden  rains 


Benjamin  D.  Feaeing.  941 

caused  a  rise  in  a  bayou  putting  into  Yellow  Creek,  which  threatened  to  cut 
off  the  return  of  his  division  to  the  boats.  Major  Fearing  was  detailed  to  con- 
struct a  bridge,  and  performed  his  work  so  rapidly  as  to  elicit  a  complimentary 
notice  from  the  General. 

At  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Colonel  Hildebrand  being  in  command 
of  a  brigade,  the  command  of  the  regiment  devolved  upon  the  Major,  who  was 
posted  at  Shiloh  Church  (the  line  ofk  the  regiment  being  across  the  main  Corinth 
road),  which  was  regarded  by  General  Sherman  as  the  key-point  to  his  posi- 
tion. Kealizing  the  importance  of  his  post  he  held  it  till  the  lines  both  upon 
his  right  and  his  left  were  broken.  He  repelled  the  charges  of  the  enemy  for 
the  capture  of  Taylor's  battery,  till  orders  came  for  its  withdrawal,  when  he 
protected  its  retirement  to  the  new  line. 

Major  Fearing  was  now  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
being  mustered  out  of  the  Seventy-Seventh  for  that  purpose,  reported  to  his 
new  command  in  Ohio,  the  Ninety  Second  Ohio.  Colonel  Van  Vorhes  being 
compelled  by  ill-health  to  resign,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Fearing  was  promoted 
to  the  Colonelcy.  He  led  his  regiment  in  the  fight  at  Hoover's  Gap,  and  with 
it  took  part  in  the  engagements  of  the  Fourth  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps.  At 
the  battle  of  Chickamauga  his  regiment  formed  a  part  of  Turchin's  brigade. 
While  advancing  to  repel  a  charge  of  the  enemy,  Colonel  Fearing  was  severely 
-wounded,  a  Minnie-ball  having  passed  through  the  front  part  of  his  right  and 
the  thick  portion  of  his  left  thigh.  When  sufficiently  recovered  for  partial  duty 
he  was  detailed  on  several  courts-martial  at  Cincinnati  and  Louisville,  where  he 
remained  till  March,  18G4,  when  he  returned  to  his  command  at  Einggold, 
Georgia.  In  the  subsequent  engagements  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  Colonel 
Fearing's  regiment  took  a  part,  fighting  in  Turchin's  brigade  and  Baird's  divis- 
ion, as  also  in  those  following  in  the  march  to  the  sea,  At  Savannah  he  received 
a  commission  from  President  Lincoln  as  Brigadier-General  by  brevet,  bearing 
date  of  December  2,  1864,  for  "gallant  and  meritorious  service  during  the  long 
campaign  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  and  from  Atlanta  to  Savannah." 

General  Fearing  was  assigned  to  duty  in  General  Morgan's  division  of  the 
Fourteenth  Corps,  as  commander  of  the  Third  Brigade,  a  body  of  troops  famil- 
iarly known  in  the  arm}' as  "Colonel  Dan.  McCook's  Brigade."  With  it  he 
participated  in  the  campaign  in  the  Carolinas,  and  at  Averysboro'  held  the  left 
of  the  line.  General  Davis  ordered  General  Fearing  "to  check  the  enemy  and 
hold  them  if  it  cost  his  whole  brigade."  The  charge  of  General  Fearing  was 
made  with  spirit  and  accompanied  with  hard  fighting.  The  General  had  his 
horse  shot  under  him,  and  was  himself  wounded,  a  Minnie-ball  having  passed 
through  his  right  hand  from  the  wrist  forward,  carrying  away  the  thumb,  fore 
finger,  and  left  portion  of  the  hand.  Being  permanently  disabled  by  this 
wound  General  Fearing,  now  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  was  mustered 
out  of  the  service,  having,  as  a  private,  taken  part  in  the  first,  and  as  com- 
mander of  a  brigade,  in  the  last  important  battle  of  the  war. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 
I'll: 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  HENRY  F.  DEVOL 

HENRY  F.  DEVOL  was  born  near  Waterford,  Washington  County, 
Ohio,  in  1831.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  began  to  speculate  in  the  South, 
and  was  in  New  Orleans  in  May,  1861.  With  much  difficulty  he  reached 
the  North.  Soon  after  arriving  he  commenced  recruiting  a  company,  and  in 
August  he  was  mustered  into  the  service  as  Captain  of  Company  A,  Thirty- 
Sixth  Ohio  Infantry. 

II.'  entered  the  field  in  West  Virginia,  and  was  engaged  at  Carnifex  Ferry, 
and  in  the  following  spring  at  Lewisburg,  when  Crook's  brigade  routed  the 
Rebels  under  Heath.  In  August,  1862,  the  regiment  joined  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac  at  Warrenton  Junction,  and  Captain  Devol  was  engaged  in  the  battle 
which  soon  ensued.  He  was  present  at  South  Mountain  and  Antietam,  and  in 
September  ho  accompanied  the  regiment  to  Clarksburg,  where  he  was  promoted 
to  Major,  and  soon  after  to  Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  was  transferred,  with  the 
regiment,  to  the  West,  joining  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  at  Carthage,  Ten- 
nessee. At  Chickamauga  he  was  in  Turchin's  brigade,  Keynold's  division,  Four- 
teenth Corps,  and  was  warmly  engaged.  For  gallantry  in  this  battle  he  was 
made  Colonel.  He  participated  in  a  reconnoissance  in  front  of  Chattanooga  in 
which  he  was  slightly  wounded;  and  was  also  in  the  affair  at  Brown's  Ferry. 
He  was  again  transferred  to  West  Virginia  with  his  command,  and  after  an  ex- 
pedition against  the  enemy's  communications  by  the  Virginia  and  Tennessee 
Railroad,  in  which  he  was  engaged  at  Cloyd's  Mountain,  he  joined  General 
Hunter  on  the  Lynchburg  raid.  Then  followed  a  series  of  battles  with  Early's 
force  at  Snicker's  Ford  and  Kearnstown.  In  the  campaign  of  the  valley  Colo- 
nel Devol  was  engaged  at  Berryville  and  Opequan,  where  he  was  given  a  bri- 
gade, which  he  commanded  during  subsequent  operations,  including  the  battle 
of  Cedar  Creek.  This  was  the  end  of  his  active  field  service.  He  was  mustered 
out  at  Wheeling  on  the  31st  of  July,  1865,  and  soon  after  was  brevetted  Briga- 
dier-General, "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  during  the  war." 

During  four  years  he  had  but  twenty-five  days'  leave  of  absence,  and  never 
missed  a  march,  scout,  skirmish,  or  battle  in  which  the  regiment  was  engaged. 


Israel   Garrard. 


943 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ISRAEL  GARRARD. 


ISEAEL  G-AKKAKD  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  and  is  the  eldest  son  of 
Jeptha  D.  Garrard  and  Sarah  Bella  Ludlow,  bis  wife.  He  is  a  descend- 
ant on  the  paternal  side  of  James  Garrard,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
and  Governors  of  Kentucky;  and  on  the  maternal  side  of  Israel  Ludlow,  one 
of  the  original  proprietors  of  the  town  site  of  Cincinnati. 

He  was  a  pupil  of  Ormsby  M.  Mitchel ;  afterward  was  student  at  Cary's 
Academy  and  at  Bethany  College  in  West  Virginia.  He  read  law  with  Judge 
Swayne  at  Columbus,  and  graduated  in  the  Law  School  at  Cambridge.  Being 
fond  of  an  adventurous  life,  he  sought  pleasure  and  occupation  in  the  West,  and 
spent  much  time  in  Missouri,  Texas,  and  Minnesota.  In  May,  1856,  he  married 
the  eldest  daughter  of  George  Wood,  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  New  York.  The 
war  found  him  deeply  engaged  in  property  interests  in  Minnesota. 

During  the  siege  of  Cincinnati  he  served  on  the  staff  of  Major  McDowell, 
commanding  the  organization  of  the  city  and  State  forces.  On  the  18th  of  Sep- 
tember he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Seventh  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  from  that 
time  until  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  absent  from  the  field  but  eight  days,  and 
then  his  command  was  in  camp  recruiting.  He  commanded  a  brigade  much  of 
the  time,  and  after  the  capture  of  Stoneman  on  the  Macon  raid  before  Atlanta, 
he  commanded  a  division.  He  was  promoted  to  Brigadier-General  by  brevet  on 
the  21st  of  June,  1865,  and  on  the  4th  of  July  of  the  same  year  he  was  mus- 
tered out. 

On  taking  leave  of  his  regiment  he  was  presented  with  a  cavalry  standard, 
on  which  was  embroidered  the  following  epitome  of  his  service :  Carter  Baid, 
Dutton  Hill,  Monti  cello,  West's  Gap,  Buffington  Island,  Cumberland  Gap,  Blue 
Springs,  Blountsville,  Bogersville,  Morristown,  Cheek's  Cross  Boads,  Bean's  Sta- 
tion, Dandridge,  Massy  Creek,  Fair  Garden,  Cynthiana,  Atlanta,  Duck  Biver, 
Nashville,  Plantersville,  Selma,  and  Columbus.  On  a  plate  on  the  staff  is  an 
inscription,  expressing  the  regiment's  confidence  in  him  as  a  leader  and  its  re- 
spect for  him  as  a  patriot  and  a  gentleman. 

General  Garrard  is  now  enjoying  the  quiet  retirement  of  agricultural  life 
at  Frontenac,  on  Lake  Pepin,  Minnesota. 


n,(  Ohio  in  the   War. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  DANIEL  McCOY. 

DANIEL  McCOY  was  born  at  Rainsboro',  Highland  County,  Ohio, 
Of  humble  parentage.  He  received  but  little  more  than  an  ordinary 
common -school  education,  and  on  the  1st  of  June,  1861,  he  was  sworn 
into  the  service  as  a  private  soldier.  The  company  was  assigned  to  the  Twenty- 
Pburth  Ohio  Infantry.  Private  McCoy  was  appointed  Third-Sergeant,  and  in 
that  capacity  he  participated  in  the  battles  of  Greenbriar  and  Cheat  Mountain. 
The  regiment  was  transferred  to  the  West,  and  Sergeant  McCoy  was  promoted 
to  First-Sergeant.  In  the  battle  of  Stone  River  his  company  officers  were  dis- 
abled, and  he  commanded  the  company  through  the  principal  part  of  the  battle. 
Sergeant  McCoy  was  struck  in  the  knee,  but  he  immediately  struggled  to  his 
feet,  and  remained  on  the  field  until  the  close  of  the  battle.  For  gallantry  upon 
this  occasion  he  was  promoted  to  Second-Lieutenant. 

He  was  soon  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant,  and  he  continued  in  command 
of  the  company  until  after  the  battle  of  Chickamauga.  In  that  engage- 
ment, ho  received  nine  bullet  holes  through  his  clothing,  and  at  last  he  was 
struck  in  the  leg  by  a  minnie  ball,  which  brought  him  down.  He  received  a 
short  leave,  and  soon  started  again,  crutch  in  hand,  for  his  command.  By  order 
of  General  Sherman,  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  exchange  barracks  at  Nash- 
ville, where  he  remained  until  June  24,  1864,  being  promoted  in  the  mean  time 
to  tho  rank  of  Captain. 

He  was  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  but  he  immedi- 
ately commenced  organizing  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventy-Fifth  Ohio  Infantry, 
and  on  the  10th  of  October,  1864,  he  returned  to  the  field  in  command  of  the  reg- 
iment, with  the  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel.  The  regiment  went  on  duty  at 
Columbia,  Tennessee,  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  McCoy  was  placed  in  command 
of  the  post.  Here  he  remained  until  the  advance  of  Hood's  army;  and  upon 
the  retreat  of  the  Union  army,  Lieutenant-Colonel  McCoy  was  charged  with 
the  duty  of  covering  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops.  This  he  did  with  skill,  and 
bj  .are  good  management  he  was  able  to  rejoin  his  command.  In  the  battle  of 
Franklin,  Lieutenant-Colonel  McCoy  held  the  regiment  firmly  to  its  place,  and 
put  il  through  tho  manual  of  arms  under  fire.  He  received  three  severe  wounds, 
and  was  borne  from  the  field  insensible. 

Alter  tho  battle  of  Nashville  Lieutenant-Colonel  McCoy  received  a  leave, 
and  spent  a  short  time  in  Ohio  recuperating  his  health.  He  was  recommended 
forpm.not.on .to  the  rank  of  Brevet  Brigadier-General  by  General  George  H. 
Thomas  and  by  General  Rousseau.  ThVTenncsscc  Legislature  made  a  similar 
rocom.nondat.on,  which  was  approved  and   forwarded  by  Governor  Brownlow, 


W.  P.  Richardson.  945 

and  accordingly  Lieutenant-Colonel  McCoy  was  appointed  Brigadier-General  of 
volunteers  by  brevet,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  during  the  war,  par- 
ticularly in  the  battles  before  Nashville,  Tennesse." 

General  McCoy  was  now  but  twenty-four  years  of  age,  being  one  of  the 
youngest  officers  of  his  rank  in  the  army.  He  was  assigned  to  the  command  of 
the  forces  at  Columbia,  Tennessee,  where  he  remained  until  July  8,  1865,  when 
he  was  honorably  mustered  out  of  service,  having  passed  through  twenty- 
seven  battles,  having  been  wounded  severely  five  times,  and  having  been  struck 
in  his  clothes  and  person  fourteen  times.  After  muster-out  he  went  into  busi- 
ness at  Wheaton,  Du  Page  County,  Illinois. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  W.  P.  RICHARDSON. 


WP.  RICHARDSON  was  born  in  Washington  County,  Pennsylva- 
nia, May  25,  1824,  and  was  educated  at  Washington  College,  in  that 
•  county.  In  1846  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Third  Ohio  In- 
fantry, and  served  out  the  term  of  his  enlistment  in  the  Mexican  War.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Cadiz,  Ohio,  in  August,  1852,  and  in  1853  he  commenced 
the  practice  of  the  law  at  Woodsfield,  Monroe  County,  Ohio.  In  1855  he  was 
elected  prosecuting  attorney,  and  he  continued  to  hold  that  office  until  he  en- 
tered the  service  in  1861.  He  was  also,  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion,  a 
Brigadier  General  in  the  Ohio  Militia. 

Immediately  after  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter,  he  raised  two  companies, 
but  Ohio's  quota  was  filled  before  he  could  get  them  accepted.  They,  however, 
changed  the  term  of  their  enlistment  from  three  months  to  three  years,  and 
were  assigned  to  the  Twenty-Fifth  Ohio  Infantry,  of  which  regiment  W.  P. 
Richardson  was  appointed  Major.  On  the  10th  of  June,  1861,  he  was  promoted 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  with  that  rank  he  went  to  the  field.  On  the  10th  of 
May,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  the  Colonelcy  of  his  regiment.  On  the  2d  of 
May,  1863,  he  was  wounded  severely  through  the  right  shoulder  at  the  battle  of 
Chancellorsville.  This  wound  deprived  Colonel  Richardson  of  the  use  of  his 
right  arm,  which  he  has  never  fully  recovered.  He  was  not  on  duty  again  until 
January,  1864,  when  he  was  detailed  as  president  of  a  court-martial  at  Camp 
Chase.  On  the  11th  of  February  he  was  placed  in  command  of  that  post, 
where  he  remained  until  the  last  of  August,  1865. 

In  the  fall  of  1864,  Colonel  Richardson  was  elected  Attorney-General'of  the 
State  of  Ohio,  and  it  was  his  intention  to  retire  from  the  army;,  but  upon  the 
representations  and  solicitations  of  Governor  Brough  he  remained  in  the  service, 
and  in  December,  1864,  he  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General.      In  September, 

Yol.  I.— 60. 


946  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

1865    General  Richardson   joined    his  command  in  South   Carolina,   and  was 
.  r  |  Mib-district,  with  head-quarters  at  Columbia.     He  was  afterward 
nlaoed  in  command  of  the  District  of  East  South  Carolina,  with  head-quarters 
at  Darlington. 

As  a  commanding  officer  General  Eichardson  possessed  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  his  men.  His  service  in  detached  positions  has  been  frequently  com- 
mended, and  during  his  five  years  service  no  charges  or  complaint  of  any  kind 
has  ever  been  made  against  him. 


BREVET   BRIGADIER-GENERAL  G.  F.  WILES. 


GF.  WILES  entered  the  service  on  the  26th  of  October,  1861,  as 
First-Lieutenant  in  the  Seventy-Eighth  Ohio  Infantry.      He  soon  be- 

•  came  the  best  drill  officer  in  the  regiment,  and  in  May,  1862,  was  ap- 
pointed regimental  drill-master.  He  was  promoted  to  Captain  in  May,  1862, 
and  soon  after  was  detailed  by  General  John  A.  Logan  to  command  the  division 
engineer  corps.  The  long  marches  and  tedious  sieges  in  which  the  army  was 
engaged  made  his  position  very  arduous,  but  he  displayed  spirit  and  ability, 
and  won  the  confidence  and  applause  of  all. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  May,  1863,  he  received  his  commission  as 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  immediately  took  command  of  the  regiment,  and  an 
hour  later  he  was  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  at  Champion  Hills.  His  coolness, 
skill  and  bravery  in  that  engagement  were  particularly  noticed  by  his  com- 
manding officer.  He  was  present  at  the  siege  of  Yicksburg,  and  contributed 
his  share  to  the  capture  of  the  city.  He  accompanied  General  Sherman  to 
Jackson,  but  the  communications  being  threatened,  he  was  ordered  to  Clinton 
to  hold  the  pace  against  any  force  that  might  come  against  him.  He  had 
bare  y  posted  Ins  command  when  he  was  attacked  by  superior  numbers,  but  the 
enemy  was  repulsed. 

tuttZ^V  t0  C0l0ne'' SePtemb- 1,  1863,  and  was  in  command  of 

Sw^Crt^-i^  m°8t  °f  th6  time  »ntil  the  close  of  the  war. 
*e  was  b^cttcd  Br.gad.er-General  for  meritorious  conduct. 

BoH  vr  TuVrSatCd  "  t  '°"°Wing  baU,e8  =     PiU8W  Landi"g.  Con'"*, 

Mou  ,  1    Ke'ncs     T    9         '  Raym°nd'  JaCks°n>  ChamPion  A  *"*7 

8avan::,aK:nZt2UontaHn;  At'anta  ?5  «*  ™>  ^^  *^ 
Gene  ,1  Wi Z S  ™*  mUStered  out  July  «,  1865. 

pearance   t!  Zr^^tclr  ^  "  °f  ^N  W*jg  % 
tary  in  form  and  feature!  P'oport.oned,  erect,  and  eminently  mili- 


Thomas  M.  Vincent.  947 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  THOMAS  M.  VINCENT. 


THOMAS  M.  VINCENT  was  born  in  Green  Township,  near  Cadiz, 
Harrison  County,  Ohio,  November  15,  1832.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he 
entered  West  Point,  and  in  1853  graduated  eleventh,  in  a  class  of  fifty- 
five.  While  at  the  Military  Academy  he  passed  through  the  grades  of  private, 
corporal,  sergeant,  Lieutenant,  and  Captain  of  Cadet  Infantry  Battalion,  and 
during  the  academic  year  1852-53  he  was  Chief  Cadet  Officer  of  Cavalry. 

Among  his  classmates  from  Ohio  were  James  B.  McPherson,  Joshua  W. 
Sill,  William  S.  Smith,  William  McE.  Dye,  Philip  H.  Sheridan,  Elmer  Otis,  and 
Robert  F.  Hunter. 

His  first  service  was  against  the  Indians  in  Florida,  sometimes  with  his 
regiment,  and  sometimes  on  the  staff,  as  Assistant  Adjutant- General,  Assistant 
Quartermaster,  and  Assistant  Commissary.  He  was  stationed  at  Fort  Hamil- 
ton and  Plattsburg,  New  York,  from  December,  1856,  until  August,  1859,  when 
he  was  detached  as  Assistant  Professor  of  Chemistry,  Mineralogy,  and  Geology 
at  West  Point. 

In  1861  he  served  against  the  rebellion  in  the  Army  of  North-Eastern  Vir- 
ginia as  Assistant  Adjutant-General,  and  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run, 
July  21,  1861.  He  was  in  the  War  Department,  Adjutant-General's  office,  in 
charge  of  the  recruiting  service  for  the  regular  army  until  June,  1862,  and  after 
that  was  in  charge  of  the  organization,  recruiting,  and  miscellaneous  business 
of  the  volunteer  armies  of  the  United  States. 

The  following  is  the  record  of  his  promotion: 

Second-Lieutenant,  Second  Artillery,  October  8,  1853. 

First-Lieutenant,  Second  Artillery,  October  20,  1855. 

Captain,  Eighteenth  Infantry,  May  14,  18C1  (declined). 

Regimental  Quartermaster,  Second  Artillery,  June  1,  1861. 

Brevet  Captain,  staff  (Assistant  Adjutant-General),  July  3,  1861. 

Captain,  staff  (Assistant  Adjutant-General),  August  3,  1861. 

Major,  staff  Assistant  Adjutant-General),  July  17,  1862. 

Captain,  Second  Artillery,  July  25,  1863 ;  vacated  regimental  commission,  by  resignation, 
June  11,  1864. 

Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel,  United  States  Army,  for  "faithful  and  meritorious  services  during 
the  war,"  September  24,  1864. 

Brevet  Colonel,  United  States  Army,  for  "  faithful  and  meritorious  services  during  the  war," 
September  24,  1864. 

Brevet  Brigadier-General,  United  States  Army,  for  "  faithful  and  meritorious  services  during 
the  war,"  March  13,  1865. 


Ohio  in  the  Wab. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  J.  S.  JONES. 


JOHN  S.  JONES  was  born  in  Champaign  County,  Ohio,  February  12, 
1836.  Ho  was  educated  at  the  Ohio  Wesley  an  University,  and  after  gradu- 
ating studied  law  with  Judge  Powell  of  Delaware,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  in  June,  1857.  He  was  elected  prosecuting  attorney  in  1860,  but  in 
1861  he  resigned  his  office  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Fourth  Ohio  Infantry. 
El  was  soon  appointed  First-Lieutenant,  to  rank  from  April  16,  1861. 

Upon  the  reorganization  of  the  regiment  for  the  three  years'  service,  Lieu- 
tenant Jones  retained  his  position,  and  with  his  regiment  entered  the  field  in 
West  Virginia.  He  was  at  Bich  Mountain  and  at  Eomney.  At  the  latter  place 
ne  participated  in  a  charge  made  by  the  infantry  through  the  bridge,  and  upon 
a  battery  posted  on  the  opposite  side.  In  March,  1862,  he  was  detailed  upon  the 
staff  of  General  Shields,  and  was  by  the  General's  side  when  he  was  wounded 
at  Winchester.  At  Mount  Jackson  he  received  the  special  thanks  of  General 
Shields  for  leading  a  cavalry  charge  against  Ash  by.  He  participated  in  the  en- 
gagements at  Front  Koyal  and  Port  Eepublic,  and  finally  joined  his  regiment  at 
Harrison's  Landing,  on  the  22d  of  July,  1862.  He  was  promoted  to  Captain  on 
the  5th  of  September,  1862,  and  was  next  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Fredericks- 
burg. At  Chancellorsville  he  acted  as  Major  of  the  regiment,  and  was  specially 
mentioned  in  brigade  orders.  He  was  engaged  at  Gettysburg,  at  Bristow  Station, 
and  at  Mine  Eun,  where  he  was  wounded.  On  the  22d  of  January,  1864,  he 
was  detailed  for  recruiting  service,  but  he  rejoined  the  regiment  in  May,  and 
was  present  at  the  North  Anna  Eiver,  at  Prospect  Hill,  and  at  Cold  Harbor. 
IK-  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  on  the  21st  of  June,  1864. 

He  was  nominated  by  the  Union  Convention  for  the  Legislature,  but  he 
declined  the  nomination,  and  was  mustered  into  the  service  as  Colonel  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Seventy-Fourth  Ohio  Infantry,  on  the  21st  of  September, 
1864.    The.  regiment  entered  the  field  in  the  South-west,  and  was  engaged  at 
Overall's  Creek  near  Murfrecsboro',  and  in  the  battle  of  Wilkison's  Pike.     In 
this  latter  engagement  it  was  complimented  by  General  Eosseau  in  special  orders. 
Colonel  Jones  was  transferred  with  his  command  to  the  East,  and  after  par- 
king in  the  battle  of  Kingston,  joined  General  Sherman  at  Goldsboro'.     He 
"o,i  with  Sherman's  army  until  after  the  surrender  of  Johnston,  when  he 
ordered  to  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  where  he  was  President  of  an  Ex- 
nng  Board  for  a  time,  and  then  was  in  command  of  the  post,  and  then  of  a 
**•*»    He  was  hrevetted  Brigadier-General  on  the  27th  of  June,  1865,  for 
gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  during  the  war,  and  discharged  at  Columbus, 


Stephen  B.  Yeoman.  949 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  STEPHEN  B.  YEOMAN. 


THIS  officer  is  a  native  of  "Washington,  Fayette  County,  Ohio.  His  great- 
grandfather served  with  credit  as  Captain  in  the  Revolution,  and  his 
grandfather  as  First-Lieutenant  in  the  War  of  1812.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
Stephen  B.  Yeoman  shipped  as  a  sailor.  He  visited  New  Zealand,  and  different 
points  in  South  America,  Asia,  and  Africa.  After  enjoying  many  adventures 
and  undergoing  many  hardships,  he  finally  returned  to  the  United  States. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  rebellion  he  volunteered  as  a  private  in  Company  F, 
Twenty-Second  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  appointed  First-Sergeant  of  his  com- 
pany, and  with  this  rank  he  made  a  three  months'  campaign  under  Rosecrans 
in  "West  Virginia.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service  he  immediately 
commenced  recruiting,  and  he  returned  to  the  field  in  September,  1861,  as  Cap- 
tain of  Company  A,  Fifty-Fourth  Ohio  Infantry.  Captain  Yeoman  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  breast  and  left  leg  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing;  at  Rus- 
sel's  House  he  was  again  wounded  in  the  left  leg;  on  the  picket-line  he  was 
wounded  in  the  arm  and  abdomen;  and  in  the  battle  of  Arkansas  Post  his  right 
arm  was  struck  by  a  shell,  and  amputation  became  necessary.  For  distinguished 
services  he  was  promoted  to  Major,  but  his  wound  prevented  him  from  return- 
ing to  the  field,  and  accordingly  he  declined  promotion  and  resigned. 

He  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps,  and  in  May,  1864, 
he  was  made  Colonel  of  the  Forty-Third  United  States  Colored  Infantry.  He 
was  detailed  at  Camp  Casey  as  Superintendent  of  Recruiting  Service,  and  Chief 
Mustering  Officer  of  the  North-East  District  of  Virginia.  He  joined  his  regi- 
ment November  29,  1864,  on  the  Bermuda  Front,  and  led  it  in  all  subsequent 
engagements  until  the  capture  of  Richmond.  During  a  portion  of  the  time  he 
commanded  the  Third  Brigade,  First  Division,  Twenty-Fifth  Corps.  He  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  during  the 
war." 

General  Yeoman  has  participated  in  the  following  engagements :  Pittsburg 
Landing,  Russel's  House,  Easel's  House,  Corinth,  July,  1862,  Holly  Springs, 
July,  1862,  Chickasaw  Bayou,  Arkansas  Post,  Siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  capture 
of  Richmond  ;  and  in  at  least  fifteen  skirmishes.  He  possesses  by  nature  many 
of  the  qualities  necessary  for  a  soldier,  and  among  them  his  personal  bravery  is 
by  no  means  the  least.  His  empty  sleeve  will  ever  be  touching  evidence  of  his 
loyalty  and  courage,  and  his  sure  title  to  the  regard  of  his  fellow-citizens. 


Ohio  in  the   "Wab. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  F.  W.  MOORE. 


AT  the  first  call  for  volunteers  in  April,  1861,  the  subject  of  the  present 
skrtc-h  assisted  in  organizing  company  G  of  the  Fifth  Ohio  Volunteer 
In  tan  try.  and  was  chosen  Second-Lieutenant  of  the  same  company. 
With  tho  Fifth  Ohio  Infantry  he  went  to  Western  Virginia,  and  subsequently 
to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac— in  the  meantime  being  promoted  to  First-Lieu- 
tonant  and  Captain.  In  the  spring  of  1862,  with  his  regiment,  he  took  part  in 
the  campaign  of  Banks  and  Shields  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  For  his  conduct 
in  the  battle  of  Port  Republic,  the  Governor  appointed   him   Colonel  of  the 

;y-Third  Infantry.  At  that  time  (July,  1862),  he  was  about  the  youngest 
officer  of  the  grade  of  Colonel  in  the  army,  having  just  attained  the  age  of 
t  unity-one.  In  September  following  he  led  his  regiment  into  Kentucky  to 
rcHist  the  Rebel  forces  of  Kirby  Smith.  In  November  his  regiment  became  part 
of  General  Sherman's  army  operating  against  Vicksburg;  and  took  part  in  the 
first  assault  of  the  works  in  December,  1862;  and  subsequently  in  the  siege  and 
final  assault  of  that  place.  His  conduct  throughout  the  whole  was  such  as  to 
«'li<it  the  commendation  of  the  General  officers  in  command. 

The  record  of  his  career,  from  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  to  the  end  of  the  year 
1864,  shows  him  to  have  been  engaged  in  all  the  campaigns  of  the  Department 
of  the  Gulf,  and  in  the  Red  River  expedition  under  General  Banks.  Part  of  the 
time  he  commanded  the  Fourth  Division,  Thirteenth  Army  Corps. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1865  Colonel  Moore  was  placed  in  command  of  the 
Third  Brigade,  Second  Division,  Thirteenth  Army  Corps — a  new  organization 
which  composed  a  part  of  the  army  under  General  Canby,  operating  against  the 
defenses  of  the  City  of  Mobile.  In  that  campaign  General  C.  C.  Andrews 
speaks  of  him  in  a  voluntary  recommendation  to  the  War  Department  as  follows: 
'  In  tho  campaign  of  Mobile— involving  severe  marches,  the  siege  of  the  works 
at  Blakely,  Alabama,  and  final  taking  of  them  by  assault— he,  as  a  brigade  com- 
mander, was  equal  to  all  his  duties.  He  was  always  punctual,  reliable,  ener- 
getic; never  cast  down  or  despondent  on  account  of  obstacles,  but  addressed 
limsclf  to  critical  and  difficult  duties  with  the  alacrity  of  a  true  soldier;  and 
in  the  triumphant  assault  of  the  enemy's  works  on  the  9th  instant,  his  personal 
conduct  was  gallant  and  praiseworthy." 

He  was  made  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  and  sent  with  his  brigade  to  Gal- 

-n,  Texas;  where  he  remained  in  command  of  the,  post  till  mustered  out  in 
August,  1865.    He  subsequently  studied  and  entered  upon  the  practice  of  law. 


•-.    •••• 

••    :  . 

i  *  •  • ••  • 


Thomas  F.  Wildes.  951 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  THOMAS  F.  WILDES, 


THOMAS  F.  WILDES  was  born  at  Racine,  Canada  West,,  June  1,  1834. 
His  parents,  who  were  natives  of  Ireland,  emigrated  to  America  in  1832. 
His  grandfather,  Thomas  Wildes,  was  an  ardent  revolutionist,  and  for 
this  offense  suffered  confiscation  of  his  goods  and  had  to  flee  to  France  to  save 
his  life.  Young  Wildes  came  with  his  father  to  Portage  County,  Ohio,  in  1839, 
where  he  remained  on  a  farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  of  age.  At  this 
time  he  left  home  with  an  education  limited  to  reading  and  writing.  For  some 
years  he  worked  during  the  summers  for  farmers  near  Ravenna,  and  went  to 
school  in  the  winter  time.  He  was  also  aided  in  efforts  for  an  education  by  a 
daughter  of  one  of  his  employers,  Miss  Elizabeth  M.  Robinson,  to  whom  he  was 
afterward  (1860)  married.  He  attended  the  Twinsburg  Academy  and  also  an 
academy  at  Marlboro',  Stark  County,  Ohio.  He  afterward  (1857-58)  spent 
two  years  at  Wittenburg  College,  Springfield.  He  became  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Woostcr  Graded  School  during  the  years  1859  and  1860.  On  the  1st  of 
January,  1861,  he  purchased  from  Nelson  H.  Yan  Yorhes,  the  "Athens  Messen- 
ger," at  Athens,  Ohio,  which  paper  he  edited  until  August,  1862,  when  he  en- 
tered the  service  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Ohio 
Infantry.  With  this  command  he  served  in  Yirginia  at  Moorefield,  Romney,  in 
the  Shenandoah  Yalley  under  Sigel,  participating  in  the  battles  of  Piedmont, 
Snicker's  Gap,  Berryville,  Opequan,  Fisher's  Hill,  and  Cedar  Creek.  During 
all  this  time  Colonel  Wildes  was  with  his  regiment  in  every  march,  skirmish, 
and  battle,  in  which  it  was  engaged.  At  the  battle  of  Piedmont  he  was  injured 
by  concussion  from  a  shell,  and  at  Winchester  he  was  seriously  hurt  by  being 
thrown  from  his  horse. 

During  a  portion  of  the  Shenandoah  campaign,  including  the  battle  of 
Cedar  Creek  and  other  minor  engagements,  he  commanded  the  First  Brigade, 
First  Division,  of  the  Army  of  West  Yirginia.  He  retained  this  command  until 
Februaiy,  1865,  when  he  was  promoted  to  Colonel  of.  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-Sixth  Ohio.  With  this  regiment  he  went  to  Nashville  and  afterward  to 
Cleveland,  Tennessee,  where  he  received  his  commission  as  Brevet  Brigadier- 
General  "for  gallant  conduct  at  Cedar  Creek,  Yirginia,  October  19,  1864,"  to 
date  from  March  11,  1865.  He  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  at 
Chattanooga,  which  he  retained  until  his  muster  out  in  September,  1865. 

General  Wildes  entered  the  Law  School  at  Cincinnati,  and  graduated  in 
1866,  after  which  he  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Athens. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  C.  H.  GROSVENOR. 


CHARLES  H.  GROSVENOR  was  born  in  Porafret,  Connecticut,  Sep- 
tember 20,  1833,  and  five  years  after  was  brought  with  his  father's 
family  to  Athens  County,  Ohio.  '  His  grandfather,  Colonel  Thomas  Gros- 
vcnor,  was  an  officer  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  serving  first  as  a  Lieutenant 
un.hr  Putnam,  then  on  the  staff  of  General  Warren  (he  was  wounded  at  Bunker 
Hill),  then  as  Colonel  of  the  Second  Connecticut  Regiment  of  the  Line,  and 
finally  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of  General  George  Washington. 

Major  Peter  Grosvenor,  the  father  of  Charles  H.  Grosvenor,  served  as  a 
private  soldier  in  the  war  of  1812.     His  title  as  Major  was  from  militia  service. 

General  Grosvenor  entered  the  service  July  30,  1861,  as  Major  of  the 
Eighteenth  Ohio  Infantry^  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  March  16, 
1863,  and  to  Colonel  April  8,  1865.  He  served  first  under  General  Mitchel  until 
he  was  relieved,  then  in  the  campaign  to  Nashville  and  Huntsville.  Ho  was 
not  in  the  battle  of  Stone  River  with  his  regiment,  being  then  in  Ohio  to  obtain 
recruits. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  Atlanta  Campaign,  his  regiment  being  in  garri- 
son at  Chattanooga,  General  Grosvenor  obtained  permission  to  accompany  the 
army,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  on  the  staff  of  General  Turchin  of  Baird's  divis- 
ion in  the  Fourteenth  Corps.  He  remained  with  the  army  until  in  June,  when 
he  returned  to  Chattanooga,  and  participated  with  General  Steedman  in  his  cam- 
paign in  East  Tennessee,  and  afterward  was  engaged  against  Forrest  at  Pulaski, 
Tennessee. 

At  the  battle  of  Nashville,  in  December,  1864,  he  was  in  command  of  a 
Invade  and  made  an  assault  in  which  he  lost  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight 
men  in  fifteen  minutes. 

He  was  for  some  time  commander  of  the  post  at  Chattanooga.  When  Gen- 
eral Steedman  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  Department  of  Georgia, 
ral  Grosvenor  was  detailed  as  Provost-Marshal  General  on  his  staff,  in  which 
position  ho  remained  until  mustered  out  October  28,  1865.  His  brevet  rank 
dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

He  was  in  the  service  from  the  beginning  to  the  end,  and  throughout  the 
war  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  fighting  stock  from  Which  he  came. 


Isaac  R.  Sherwood.  953 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ISAAC  R.  SHERWOOD. 


ISAAC    E.  SHEEWOOD  entered  the  army  on  the  18th  of  April,  1861, 
and  served  as  a    private  for   four  months  in  West  Virginia,  participating 
in  skirmishes  at  Laurel  Mountain  and  Cheat  Eiver,  and  in  the  fight  at 
Carrick's  Ford. 

He  received  a  commission  as  First-Lieutenant  in  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eleventh  Ohio  Infantry,  was  appointed  Adjutant,  and  served  in  that  position 
through  the  Buell  campaign  in  Kentucky.  On  the  1st  of  February,  1863,  at 
the  unanimous  request  of  the  field  and  line  officers,  he  was  promoted  from  Ad- 
jutant to  Major.  He  participated  in  Morgan's  campaign,  and  in  the  East  Ten- 
nessee campaign.  He  commanded  the  skirmishers  of  Burnside's  army  on  the 
retreat  from  Huff's  Ferry  to  Lenox,  and  commanded  the  regiment  at  Huff's 
Ferry,  Siege  of  Knoxville,  Campbell's  Station,  Blair's  Cross-Eoads,  Dandridge, 
Strawberry  Plains,  Mossy  Creek,  and  Loudon.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel on  the  12th  of  February,  1864,  and  from  that  time  until  the  close  of 
the  war  was  constantly  in  command  of  the  regiment. 

He  was  engaged  at  Eocky  Face,  Eesaca,  Burnt  Hickory,  Dallas,  Pine  Mount- 
ain, Lost  Mountain,  Kenesaw  Mountain,  Chattahoochie,  Decatur,  Peachtree 
Creek,  Utoy  Creek,  Atlanta,  Lovejo}r,  Columbia,  Duck  Eiver,  and  Franklin. 

For  gallantry  in  the  latter  engagement  he  was  made  a  Brevet  Brigadier- 
General.  He  was  transferred  to  the  East,  and  was  through  the  North  Carolina 
campaign.  At  Saulsbury  he  went  before  a  board  of  officers  and  was  recom- 
mended for  promotion  and  retention  in  the  service.  Accordingly  he  was  made 
Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-Third  Ohio  Infantry,  and  was  ordered 
by  the  War  Department  to  report  to  Major-General  Saxton  for  duty,  according 
to  brevet  rank,  as  Commissioner  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau  for  the  State  of 
Florida.  The  General,  however,  immediately  tendered  his  resignation  and  left 
the  service. 


954 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  R.  K  ADAMS. 


EOBERT  N.  ADAMS  was  born  in  Fayette  County,  Ohio,  near  Green- 
field, in  1835.  He  is  a  descendant  of  the  Douglas  family,  coming 
from  the  Scottish  Presbyterian  stock,  whose  traditional  firmness  of 
purpose  and  uprightness  of  character  he  inherits.  His  early  life  was  spent  on 
the  f:irm,  and  in  preparing  himself  for  college  at  the  Greenfield  school. 

In  1858  he  entered  Miami  University,  where  he  remained  until  near  the  close 
of  his  junior  year,  when  the  rebellion  broke  out,  and  he  joined  the  "University 
Rifles,"  a  company  organized  at  Oxford,  in  which  he  served  as  a  private  in  the 
Twentieth  Ohio  through  the  three  months'  service.  In  August,  1861,  he  organ- 
ized a  company  at  Greenfield,  of  which  he  was  made  Captain.  It  joined  tho 
Eighty-First  Ohio  Infantry.  On  May  7,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  and  August  8, 1864,  to  Colonel  of  the  regiment.  In  these  different  grades 
he  served  with  his  regiment,  first  in  Missouri,  under  Fremont,  and  afterward 
with  tho  Fifteenth  and  Sixteenth  Corps,  of  the  the  Army  of  the  Tennessee. 
During  the  latter  portion  of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  through  the  march  to 
Savannah,  and  to  Washington,  he  commanded  a  brigade.  His  appointment  as 
Brevet  Brigadier-General  was  made  in  May,  1865,  to  date  from  March  13,  1865. 

In  July,  1865,  he  was  musterod  out  with  his  regiment.  He  participated  in 
the  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  Corinth,  Town  Creek,  Eesaca,  Dallas,  Kene- 
Baw  Mountain,  Nicojack  Creek,  Atlanta,  July  22d  and  28th;  Jonesboro'  (at 
which  place  he  was  slightly  wounded),  and  Hobkirk's  Hill. 

After  tho  war  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  theology,  a  design  which  ho 
had  cherished  for  years. 


B.  B.  Eggleston.  955 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  MOSES  B.  WALKER. 


MOSES  B.  WALKEE  was  born  in  Fairfield  County,  Ohio,  July  16, 
1819.  He  was  educated  at  Yale  College,  and  after  graduating  studied 
and  practiced  law  in  Montgomery  County  for  twenty  years. 

At  the  opening  of  the  war  he  was  appointed  Captain  in  the  Twelfth 
United  States  Infantry.  On  the  4th  of  August,  1861,  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  Thirty-First  Ohio  Infantry,  and  in  September  he  led  the  regi- 
ment to  Camp  Dick  Eobinson,  Kentucky.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  was  placed 
in  command  of  the  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fourteenth  Corps,  which  he 
continued  to  command  until  after  the  fall  of  Atlanta.  He  was  then  at  home  for 
twenty  days  on  leave,  and  upon  returning  to  the  field  served  as  President  of 
the  Military  Commission  of  the  Department  of  the  Cumberland  for  seven 
months. 

He  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers,  and  also  Major  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  in  the  regular  army,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  service 
during  the  war."  He  was  wounded  by  a  shell  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga, 
by  which  his  spine  and  left  shoulder  were  injured  permanently;  and  in  conse- 
quence of  this  ho  has  been  retired  from  active  duty  in  the  regular  army,  and  is 
now  at  his  home  in  Findlay,  Ohio. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  B.  B.  EGGLESTON. 


THE  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  Corinth  Township,  Saratoga  County, 
New  York.  He  entered  the  army  as  private  at  Circleville,  Ohio,  in  the 
First  Ohio  Cavalry,  on  the  8th  of  August,  1861,  and  was  promoted  to  Cap- 
tain on  the  1st  of  September.  On  the  25th  of  July,  1862,  he  was  captured,  and 
upon  rejoining  his  regiment  was  promoted  to  Major,  and  soon  after  to  Colonel. 
After  the  re-enlistment  of  his  regiment  as  veterans,  Colonel  Eggleston  was 
placed  in  command  of  a  brigade,  which  he  continued  to  command  at  intervals 
until  after  the  Atlanta  campaign.  He  participated  in  the  cavalry  campaign 
under  General  Wilson,  and  by  order  of  that  officer  received  the  surrender  of 
the  post  of  Atlanta.  He  then  proceeded  to  Orangeburg,  South  Carolina,  and 
was  appointed  by  General  Gillmore  Chief  of  Staff  for  the  Department,  which 
position  ho  held  until  mustered  out,  September  13,  1865.  He  was  brevetted 
Brigadier-General  on  the  6th  of  March,  1865. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


BREVET  BRIGADIER-GENERAL  ISAAC  MINOR  KIRBY. 

ISAAC  MINOR  KIRBY  was  born  at  Columbus  in  1834.  He  enlisted 
April  18,  1861;  was  elected  Captain  and  mustered  into  the  Fifteenth  Ohio 
Volunteer  Infantry.  He  served  with  that  regiment  in  Western  Virginia, 
and  then  in  Buell's  Army  of  the  Ohio.  He  marched  with  it  to  Pittsburg  Land- 
it,-  and  participated  in  the  battle  there,  assisting  Major  Wallace  in  commanding 
Um  regiment.  He  resigned  in  May,  1862,  and  in  July  raised  another  company 
for  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio,  in  which  he  was  again  commissioned 
Captain.  He  joined  Buell's  army  at  Louisville,  and  in  October,  1863,  was  pro- 
moted Major. 

Colonel  Stem  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wooster  fell  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  first  day's  tight  at  Stone  River.  Major  Kirby  thus  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  regiment  during  the  remainder  of  that  battle.  Immediately  after- 
ward he  was  promoted  to  Colonel.  He  continued  in  command  of  the  regiment 
until  the  early  part  of  the  movement  on  Atlanta,  when  he  was  given  command 
of  the  First  Brigade,  First  Division,  Fourth  Army  Corps,  which  he  led  through- 
out the  campaign.  Colonel  Kirby  was  now  recommended  by  superiors  in 
official  reports  for  promotion.  He  commanded  the  brigade  during  the  retreat 
of  Thomas's  army  before  Hood  to  Nashville,  and  through  the  battles  of  Franklin 
and  Nashville.  In  the  latter  he  led  the  first  assault  on  the  enemy's  main  line 
of  works.  He  was  now  again  recommended  for  promotion,  and  he  finally  re- 
ceived a  commission  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General. 

General  Kirby  continued  in  command  of  the  First  Brigade,  First  Division, 
Fourth  Army  Corps,  until  the  close.  He  was  mustered  out  of  the  service  at 
Nashville  in  June,  1865,  having  been  constantly  in  the  field  from  the  commence- 
ment till  the  end  of  the  war. 


Askew— Baldwin.  957 


BREVET   BRIGADIER-GENERALS; 


MOSTLY    OF   LATE   APPOINTMENTS,    AND    NOT    EXERCISING    COMMANDS 
IN   ACCORDANCE   WITH    THEIR   BREVET   RANK. 


Franklin  Askew  was  born  at  St.  Clairsville,  Ohio,  January  9,  1837.  He 
graduated  at  Michigan  University  in  1859,  and  then  began  the  study  of  the  law. 
When  the  war  broke  out  he  entered  the  Seventeenth  Ohio  Infantry — threo 
months'  regiment — in  which  he  served  as  Second-Lieutenant  and  First-Lieu- 
tenant. He  then  organized  a  company  for  three  years,  and  entered  the  Fif- 
teenth Ohio  as  Captain,  September  13,  1861.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  October  24,  1862,  and  to  Colonel  July  22,  1864. 

He  participated  in  every  battle  and  skirmish  in  which  his  regiment  was 
engaged.  At  Stone  River  he  was  severely  wounded,  and  he  received  a  slight 
wound  at  the  battle  of  Nashville.  He  accompanied  his  regiment  to  Texas,  and 
for  a  short  time  was  in  command  of  the  post  of  San  Antonio.  His  appointment 
as  Brevet  Brigadier-G-eneral  dates  from  July  14,  1865. 

William  H.  Baldwin  was  born  at  New  Sharon,  Maine,  in  1832.  His 
father  was  once  a  member  of  the  Slate  ^legislature,  and  at  various  times  held 
several  other  offices  of  trust  in  the  State.  His  grandfather,  Nahum  Baldwin, 
was  a  soldier  throughout  the  Revolutionary  War. 

He  graduated  at  Union  College,  New  York,  in  1855,  and  in  the  Law  Depart- 
ment of  Harvard  University  in  1858.  Soon  after  he  commenced  the  practice 
of  law  in  Cincinnati,  but  in  1860  he  went  to  Europe,  and  was  with  the  army 
of  Garibaldi  in  most  of  its  important  movements. 

He  returned  home  upon  hearing  of  the  war  of  the  rebellion,  and  was  com- 
missioned Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Eighty-Third  Ohio  Infantry  in  September, 
1862.  He  served  with  this  regiment  in  the  expedition  down  the  Mississippi; 
was  engaged  at  Chickasaw  Bluffs,  Arkansas  Post,  Yicksburg,  and  Jackson.  He 
also  participated  in  the  Red  River  expedition,  and  in  the  severe  service  which 
the  Eighty-Third  Ohio  performed  in  Louisiana  in  1864.  In  1865  he  was  with 
his  regiment  in  the  operations  about  Mobile,  arriving  in  the  vicinity  of  Blakely 
on  the  2d  of  April.  The  storming  of  the  enemy's  works  at  this  place  was 
attended  with  peculiar  difficulties.  The  approach  was  protected  with  heavy 
abattis,  and  with  rifle-pits,  in  addition  to  which  the  enemy  had  planted  torpe- 
does in  the  way. 

Colonel  Baldwin  asked  permission  to  take  his  regiment  into  the  works  in 


958  Ohio  in  the  War. 

his  front,  as  the  advanced  line,  which  was  granted.  Ho  sent  for  axes  and  gave 
one  tQ  Btftfc  company,  putting  them  in  the  hands  of  musicians  to  cut  through 
aba'  ing  orders  to  form  in  single  rank  and  to  align  by  the  colors,  he 

ordered  the  color-bearers  to  follow  him.     At  the  appointed  signal  the  order  of 

:mcc  was  given  and  the  regiment  sprang  forward,  led  by  their  commander. 
The  Confederate  rifle-pits  were  soon  reached,  but  there  was  no  delay  to  take 
prisoners.  The  guns  of  those  who  were  captured  were  broken,  and  the  men 
Wtrt  left  to  be  taken  up  by  those  following.      On   the  line  went,  preserving 

alignment  as  well  as  could  be  until  the  abattis  was  reached.  The  axes  were 
used,  and  then  the  line  moved  on,  and  in  a  short  time  reached  redoubt  No.  4. 
In  in  instant  the  works  were  scaled  and  Colonel  Baldwin  cried  out,  "Surren- 
der!" "To  whom?"  asked  the  Confederate  commander.  "  To  the  Eighty- 
Third  Ohio,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  believe  we  did  that  once  before,"  said  he,  which 
was  triio.  as  this  was  Cockeriirs  Missouri  brigade,  which  had  stacked  arms 
in  front  of  the  Eighty-Third  Ohio  at  Vicksburg. 

Colonel  Baldwin  placed  Captain  Garry,  who  was  the  first  officer  inside  the 
works,  in  charge  of  the  prisoners,  and  hastened  in  pursuit  of  the  Ecbels  who 
were  attempting  to  escape.  Seven  hundred  and  ninety-nine  prisoners  were 
captured  by  the  regiment,  besiacs  a  quantity  of  artillery  and  small  arms.  The 
loss  of  the  Eighty -Third  in  this  assault  was  seven  killed  and  twenty-one 
wounded.  Both  flag-staffs  were  shot  off  and  the  flags  riddled  with  balls.  The 
rest  of  the  brigade  came  up  afterward,  losing  but  four  killed  and  seventeen 
wounded  out  of  four  regiments! 

For  his  gallantry  at  this  place  he  was  brevetted  Colonel,  and  subsequently 
Brigadier  General.  The  latter  commission  was  "for  gallant  services  in  the 
charge  against  the  Rebel  works  at  Biakely,  Alabama,"  and  bore  date  from 
August  22,  1865. 

After  the  fall  of  Mobile  he  served  at  Sclma  and  Mobile,  Alabama,  and  Gal- 
veston, Texas,  until  mustered  out  in  August,  1865.  General  Baldwin  resumed 
the  practice  of  law  in  Cincinnati  in  partnership  with  his  brother. 

W.  II.  Ball  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Second  Ohio  October  8,  1862.  He  resigned  February  3,  1865.  His  regiment 
served  m  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  with  Butler  at  Bermuda  Hundred;  in 
7 .,  *  the  time  of   the  riot*;    and  in  the   Shenandoah  Valley   with 

Bhendan.     H,s  commission  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General  dates  from  October 

dred^T  M'  PARBER  Wa8  pointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  One  Hun- 
a^JS^*  0hi0'  AprU  12'  1865  <havinS  P-viously  served  as 
out  w    h  C°mpany  °f  indeP-d-t  sharp-shooters),  and  was  mustered 

ment  as  Brevet  Bngad.er.Gencral  is  March  13,  1865. 

James  Barnett  was  a  resident  of  Cleveland  en-ffed  in 


Pursuits  when  the  war  broke  out.    He  had  tak 


&"&' 


successful  business 
en  great  interest  in  the  or/jani- 


B  I  G  G  S-B  O  Y  N  TO  N.  959 

zation  of  the  militia  under  Governor  Chase's  administration,  and  had  been  the 
Colonel  of  what  was  called  a  regiment  of  light  artillery,  though  it  really  com- 
prised only  guns  and  men  for  one  battery.  lie  entered  the  service  at  tho  first 
call.  One  of  his  guns  fired  the  first  cannon  shot  in  the  war  in  the  West — in  the 
affair  at  Philippi,  "West  Virginia.  He  re-organized  his  command  for  the  three 
years'  service  and  remained  at  its  head  throughout.  Its  varied  and  always  hon- 
orable service  is  elsewhere  (Yol.  II)  traced  in  detail.  Colonel  Barnett  was 
besides  employed  on  a  great  variety  of  detached  and  staff  service,  mostly  relat- 
ing to  artillery,  and  was  always  ranked  as  a  cool,  efficient,  and  very  valuable 
officer.  He  was  mustered  out  October  20, 1864.  His  rank  as  Brevet  Brigadier- 
General  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Robert  H.  Bentley  was  born  at  Mansfield,  Ohio,  August  8,  1835.  His 
grandfather,  Robert  Bentley,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Richland 
County,  Ohio;  was  an  officer  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  subsequently  a  Major- 
General  of  Ohio  militia,  and  a  member  of  the  State  Senate. 

General  Bentle}^  went  into  the  service  April  16,  1861,  as  a  private  in  Cap- 
tain Wm,  McLaughlin's  company  of  the  First  Ohio  Infantry.  He  came  out  of 
the  three  months'  service  a  second  sergeant,  and  was  soon  after  appointed  Reg- 
imental Quartermaster  of  the  Thirty-Second  Ohio  Infantry.  After  the  capture 
at  Harper's  Ferry  the  regiment  was  reorganized,  and  he  was  made  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  With  this  regiment  he  went  through  the  Vicksburg  campaign,  and  in 
the  battles  which  preceded  the  capture  of  that  city  won  the  special  commenda- 
tion of  General  Logan,  his  division  commander. 

After  the  capture  of  Yicksburg  he  resigned  his  position  in  the  Thirty- 
Second  Infantry,  and  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Ohio 
Cavalry,  and  remained  with  the  regiment  to  the  close  of  the  war.  In  the  raid 
upon  the  Virginia  Sail-Works,  and  in  the  great  Stoneman  raid  through 
Alabama,  Georgia,  and  the  Carolinas,  he  was  in  command  of  the  regiment,  and 
for  services  thus  rendered  was  brevetted  a  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers. 
In  July,  1865,  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  since  that  time  has  been  in 
business  at  Washington  City  as  an  attorney  for  the  prosecution  of  claims. 

J.  Biggs,  Brevet  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Third  Ohio,  was 
appointed  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  March  13,  1865. 

John  R.  Bond  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Elev- 
enth Ohio,  August  28,  1862;  honorably  discharged,  October  18,  1864;  appointed 
Brevet  Brigadier-General  to  date  from  March  13,  1864. 

Henry  Van  Ness  Boynton  was  born  in  Berkshire  County,  Massachusetts, 
Juty  22,  1835.  He  removed  with  his  father's  family  to  Cincinnati  in  1846.  He 
graduated  at  the  Kentucky  Military  Institute  in  1858,  and  was  Professor  of 
Mechanics  and  Astrononvy  at  this  institution  during  the  years  1859-60. 

He  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Thirty-Fifth  Ohio  Infantry,  July  29, 
1861 ;  and  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  July  13,  1863.     He  commanded  the 


lH  Ohio  in  the  War. 

regiment  at  Chiekamauga,  Mission  Kidge,  and  Buzzard's  Eoost.  At  the  storm- 
jnK  .11  BUlge  ho  was  severely  wounded. 

He  was  brevettcd  Brigadier-General,  March  13,  1865,  "for  good  conduct  at 
the  battles  of  Chickamauga  and  Mission  Kidge."  He  resigned  at  Chattanooga, 
Tennessee,  September  8,  1864,  on  account  of  disability  arising  from  wounds, 
and  rttproed  from  the  field  with  the  first  detachment  of  the  regiment  mustered 
out  immediately  after  the  captnre  of  Atlanta. 

(i,  ii.-nil  Boynton  was  in  many  respects  a  model  officer — faithful  to  his  men, 
devoted  to  the  cause  for  which  he  fought,  always  at  his  post,  thoroughly  versed 
in  his  duties,  gallant  in  action,  and  judicious  in  handling  his  troops.  He  was  a 
man  of  lingular  sincerity  of  purpose,  and  intense  in  his  hostility  to  slavery  and 
hatred  of  Rebels.  At  the  request  of  the  author  of  this  wrork  the  General  was 
appointed  his  successor,  as  chief  Washington  Correspondent  of  the  Cincinnati 
Gazette,  and  of  the  Western  Republican  Press  Association.  Into  this  new  field 
he  ferried  the  same  ideas,  for  which  he  had  fought  and  struggled  for  their  tri- 
umph, with  the  same  fervid  zeal.  He  also  displayed  fine  literary  powers,  and 
took  high  rank  in  the  journalistic  profession.  He  is  a  son  of  Eev.  Dr.  C.  B. 
Boynton,  Chaplain  of  the  House  of  Representatives  at  Washington,  and  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Naval  School  at  Annapolis. 

R08LIFT  Brinkerhoff  was  born  in  Cayuga  County,  New  York,  June  28, 
1828.  He  belongs  to  one  of  the  old  Dutch  families  of  that  State,  which  date 
back  for  their  origin  in  America  to  the  earliest  times  in  the  New  Netherlands. 

ancestor  on  his  mother's  side  (Louis  Bouvier)  was  one  of  that  noble  band 
of  Huguenot  refugees,  who  fled  from  their  native  France  after  the  revocation  of 
the  IMi.tof  Nantes,  and  sought  safety  from  religious  persecution  among  the 
tolerant  and  sympathizing  Hollanders  of  the  New  World. 

In  1850  he  removed  to  Ohio,  and  completed  a  course  of  law  studies  with 
his  kinsman,  the  Hon.  Jacob  Brinkerhoff,  of  Mansfield.  In  1852  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  continued  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Mansfield 
■*«  **  opening  of  the  war.  During  this  period,  however,  he  varied  the 
monotony  of  legal  life  by  three  or  four  years'  experience  as  editor  and  propri- 
f  the  Mansfield  Herald,  in  which  capacity >  won  a  State  reputation  as  a 
writer  and  orator  in  the  preliminary  political  contests  which  preceded  the  great 
rebellion.  & 

1"  SvptcmW,  1861,  he  entered  the  military  service  M  First-Lieutenant, 
-      ^nnenta!  Quartermaster  of  the  Sixty-Fourth  Ohio  Volunteers.     In  No- 

7£L?£££*J»  z  p"°;oted  t0  the  1,osition  of  Captain  and 

Kentucky      lZ7       '  S  ^  Wtat«  Wa8  0n  daiy  •*  Bardstown, 

X  on  land  an         T^f"'^^  *"  WM  »*"  *  ch^e  <*  ^ 

the  Anny  of  the  Ohio  fT*  '"  ^  °f  ^  *"  «»**»«■«■*  of 

^£^^^SS£  r  **  «•  s* furloush' and  4 

8  aS  Chlcf  Quartermaster  in  that  State.     Subsequently 


Brown-Burnett.  961 

he  was  transferred  to  Washington  City  as  Post  Quartermaster,  and  remained 
on  that  duty  until  June,  18G5,  when  he  was  made  Colonel  and  Inspector  of  the 
Quartermaster's  Department.  He  was  then  retained  on  duty  at  the  War  Office, 
by  Secretary  Stanton  until  November,  when  he  was  ordered  to  Cincinnati  as 
Chief  Quartermaster  of  that  department. 

In  September,  1866,  he  was  brevetted  a  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers. 
Shortly  after  this  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  was  mustered  out  of 
service  on  the  1st  of  October,  having  completed  five  years  of  continuous  service 
in  the  army. 

General  Brinkerhoff  deservedly  ranks  as  one  of  the  most  competent  officers 
of  the  staff  corps  of  the  army,  having  won  every  grade  of  his  department 
below  its  chief,  by  meritorious  and  efficient  service. 

General  Brinkerhoff  is  the  author  of  the  book  entitled  "The  Volunteer 
Quartermaster,"  which  is  still  the  standard  guide  for  the  officers  and  employees 
of  the  Quartermaster's  Department.  After  his  retirement  from  the  army  he 
returned    to    the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Mansfield. 

Charles  E.  Brown  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  July  4,  1834.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  entered  Miami  University,  and  graduated  in  1854.  He  studied  law, 
and  commenced  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  Louisiana;  but  in  1859  he 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  opened  an  office  in  Chillicothe. 

On  the  23d  of  October,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  a  Captain,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  Sixty-Third  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  under  General  Pope  in 
Missouri,  and  participated  in  the  movements  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of 
New  Madrid  and  Island  Number  Ten.  He  was  in  the  siege  of  Corinth,  and  was 
engaged  at  Iuka,  and  at  Corinth,  October  3  and  4,  1862.  For  gallant  and  sol- 
dierly conduct  in  these  engagements  Captain  Brown  was  particularly  mentioned 
in  the  official  reports.  At  Corinth  he  was  the  only  officer  in  the  left  wing  of 
the  regiment  who  was  unhurt. 

He  was  promoted  to  Major  for  meritorious  conduct,  March  20,  1863,  and  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  May  17,  1863.  He  commanded  the  regiment  in  the  Atlanta 
campaign,  and  was  engaged  at  Snake  Creek  Gap,  Eesaca,  Dallas,  and  Kenesaw 
Mountain.  On  the  22d  of  July,  in  front  of  Atlanta,  he  lost  his  left  leg,  and 
while  recovering  from  his  wound  served  as  Provost-Marshal  of  the  Eighteenth 
Ohio  District. 

He  was  promoted  to  Colonel,  June  6,  1865,  and  was  subsequently  brevetted 
Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  March  13,  1865,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious 
conduct  in  the  campaign  before  Atlanta,  Georgia."  He  resumed  the  practice  of 
law  at  Chillicothe. 

Jefferson  Brumback  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Nintey-Fifth  Ohio, 
August  10,  1862;  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  October  4th;  mustered  out 
August  14,  1865.  His  appointment  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General  dated  from 
March  13,  1865. 

Henry  L.  Burnett  was  appointed  Judge  Advocate,  August  10, 1863,  under 
the  act  of  July  17,  1862.     He  conducted  the  famous  treason  trials  at  Indianap- 
Yol.  I.— 61. 


9G2  Ohio  in  the  War. 

olis,  an. I  was  also  associated  with  Hon.  John  A.  Bingham,  in  the  trial  of  the 
assassination  conspirators  at  Washington.     His  appointment  as  Brevet  Briga- 

. -nil  was  "for  meritorious  service  in  the  Bureau  of  Military  Justice," 
to  date  from  March  13,  1865. 

•  Laving  the  army  he  resumed  the  practice  of  law  in  Cincinnati,  in 
partnership  with  Hon.  T.  W.  Bartley,  late  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Ohio. 

Joski'ii  W.  Burke  entered  the  service  as  Major  of  the  Tenth  Ohio  Three 
Months'  Regiment.  He  continued  in  the  same  rank  in  the  three  years'  organi- 
sation ;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  January  9,  1862,  and  to  Colonel, 
January  20,  1863.  He  was  mustered  out  June  17,  1864;  but  he  afterward 
entered  the  Invalid  Corps.  His  rank  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General  was  from 
March  13,  1865.  He  was  a  gallant  fighting  officer,  and  was  more  than  once 
severely  wounded.  He  had  great  influence  among  his  fellow  Irishmen  of  Cin- 
cinnati.  ami  used  it  well  and  wisely. 

John  Allen  Campbell  was  born  in  Salem,  Ohio,  October  8,  1835.  He 
<  ntored  the  service  as  Second-Lieutenant  of  the  Nineteenth  Ohio  in  April,  1861 
and  served  in  that  capacity  until  the  following  August,  when  he  was  mustered 
out.  He  then  entered  the  First  Ohio  Infantry  as  First-Lieutenant.  He  served 
as  Ordnance  officer  on  the  staff  of  General  A.  M.  McCook  until  after  the  evac- 
uation of  Corinth,  in  1862,  then  as  Acting  Assistant  Adjutant-General  until 
November  26,  1862,  when  he  was  promoted  to  Major  and  Assistant  Adjutant- 
General.  In  March,  1863,  he  was  transferred  to  the  staff  of  General  Schofield 
where  he  served  till  the  end  of  the  war.     He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant- 

nel  ,n  January,  1865,  and  was  brevetted  Colonel  and  Brigadier-General 
March  13,  1865,  "for  courage  in  the  field  and  marked  ability  and  fidelity  " 

He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Rich  Mountain,  Pittsburg  Landing  Perry- 
v,lle,  Stone  River,  all  the  battles  of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  Franklin,  Nashville, 
and  WUmmgton  After  being  mustered  out  as  a  volunteer  officer,  he  was 
appointed  Second-Lieutenant  of  the  Fifth  United  States  Artillery.  He  is  an 
ewneet  member  of  the  Republican  party. 

ber  ??8618  ^T*  7  Wm"Woned  ^^  °f  the  W-S&*  Ohio  »{&£ 

-^^zz^T^^r^ 8ervice  *■  7>  1861< as  *£ 

lervioe  h.  kai  i  ,i  regiment  was  reorganized  for  the  three 

^sJEftE:  :;i;  TeT  r^ 1862- in  A« i862' 

resigned  April  30  ffi T  Hundred  and  Third  Ohio  Infantry; 

8       Apr.l  30,  1865.    Hi.  brevet  rank  dates  from  January  25,  1865 

6,  l2l7S.(SS  TT  th6  ^  0hi0  -J  ^ptain,  August 
•n.      64     o  Co,      ,   TaJOr  N0Vember  2'  1862->    t0   Lieutenant-Coione! 

*^m'£^&£jg\ he  resi^d  Se>tember  *»* 

"""  M'  °IST  WiW  b°m  iD  «**»**  and  is  a  son  of  Charles  Cist,  Esq., 


Coates-Cowen.  963 

(well-known  as  an  early  journalist,  and  compiler  of  "Cincinnati  in  1841,"  and 
"Cincinnati  in  1851.")  He  entered  the  Seventy -Fourth  Ohio  as  First- Lieuten- 
ant October  22,  1861.  May  22,  1864,  he  was  appointed  Captain  and  Assistant 
Adjutant-General  of  volunteers,  and  afterward  promoted  to  Major.  He  was 
brevetted  Brigadier-General  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  at  the  battle 
of  Stone  Eiver,  and  in  the  campaign  under  General  Eosecrans,  terminating  in 
the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  and  for  meritorious  services  generally  throughout 
the  war,"  to  date  from  March  13,  1865. 

Benjamin  F.  Coates  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Ninety- 
First  Ohio,  August  10,  1862;  was  promoted  to  Colonel  December  9,  1864,  and 
was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment,  June  30,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  was  from 
March  13,  1865. 

James  M.  Comly  was  born  in  Perry  County,  Ohio,  March  6,  1832.  He 
entered  the  United  States  service  in  June,  1861,  and  on  the  12th  of  August  was 
appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty-Third  Ohio  Infantry.  After  some 
time  spent  at  Camp  Chase,  he  gave  up  the  Lieutenant-Colonelcy  of  the  Forty- 
Third,  for  the  appointment  of  Major  of  the  Twenty-Third  Ohio  Infantry,  then 
in  the  field,  for  the  sake  of  getting  more  speedily  into  active  service.  He  was 
mustered  as  Major  on  the  31st  of  October,  1861,  and  he  commanded  the  regi- 
ment in  every  action  in  which  it  was  subsequently  engaged,  except  for  a  short 
time  in  the  morning  at  the  battle  of  South  Mountain.  He  was  eventually  made 
Colonel  of  the  regiment,  and  Brevet  Brigadier- General  (to  date  from  March  13, 
1865),  the  latter  position  having  been  earned  by  gallant  and  faithful  service  in 
the  field.  General  Comly,  after  the  war,  became  editor  of  the  Ohio  State 
Journal,  at  Columbus,  where  he  displayed  marked  ability  as  a  writer  and  poli- 
tician, and  came  to  exert  large  influence.  His  history  in  the  field  may  be  best 
read  in  the  history  of  the  regiment  he  commanded  so  long,  and  led  to  so 
much  honor.  During  the  war  he  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Surgeon-General 
Smith,  of  Columbus. 

Henry  S.  Commager  was  commissioned  Captain  of  the  Sixty-Seventh  Ohio 
Infantry,  November  10,  1861;  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Major  July  29,  1862; 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel  August  28,  1862;  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Eighty-Fourth  Ohio  February  22,  1865.  Brevet  rank  dates  from  February 
27,  1865. 

H.  C.  Corbin  was  appointed  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Seventy-Ninth 
Ohio  November  12,  1862;  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant  in  1863;  he  resigned 
November  15,  1863,  and  afterward  became  Colonel  of  the  Fourteenth  United 
States  Colored  Infantry.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Benjamin  Eush  Cowen  was  born  August  15,  1831,  in  the  village  of  Moore- 
field,  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  to  which  place  his  parents  had  emigrated  in  1825, 
from  Washington  County,  New  York.  His  mother  was  a  daughter  of  Judge 
Wood,  of  the  latter  county.  His  father,  Judge  B.  S.  Cowen,  gave  up  the  prac- 
tice of  medicine  for  that  of  law.  and  has,  since  1832,  resided  at  St.  Clairsville, 


964  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

m  \n  uncle   Hon.  Esek  Cowen,  was  Chief  Justice  of  the  New  York  Court 

7Z£Zi  -as  the  author  of  "Cowen's  Treatise,"'     Cowen's  Eeports,"  and 

berGerrlrCowen  received  an  English  and  classical  education  at  -Brooks's 
Institute"  and  another  school  of  like  character  in  St.  Clairsville.  This  was 
Lpkmented  by  a  practical  printer's  education  in  the  office  of  the  Belmont 
Chronicle  He  became  local  editor  of  that  paper  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and 
four  years  later  became  sole  editor  and  proprietor.  During  this  time  he  also 
studied  medicine  with  Dr.  John  Alexander,  but  he  never  practiced  in  that  pro- 
fession  In  September,  1854,  he  married  Miss  Ellen  Thoburn,  of  Belmont 
County.  Three  years  afterward  he  disposed  of  the  Chronicle,  and  removed  to 
Bellair.  There  he  was  in  mercantile  business  until  1860,  having,  in  the  mean- 
time, served  as  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  Clerk  of  the  House  of  Kepre- 

tentative*. 

His  first  military  appointment  was  that  of  Engineer-in-Chief,  with  the 
rank  of  Colonel,  on  Governor  Dennison's  staff.  This  post  he  resigned  upon  the 
fall  of  Fort  Sumter,  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain  Wallace's  company,  in 
tho  Fifteenth  Ohio.  He  did  not,  however,  sever  his  connection  with  the  Legis- 
lature, which  was  then  in  session,  until  its  adjournment,  when  he  joined  his 
regiment  at  Zanesville.  He  was  commissioned  First-Lieutenant  May  24th,  and 
assigned  to  duty  as  Assistant-Commissary  of  Subsistence.  In  the  summer  of 
1861  ho  received  the  appointment  as  Additional  Paymaster,  dating  from  June 
1.  He  served  at  Washington  and  in  West  Virginia  in  this  capacity.  He  also 
served  at  the  same  time  as  Pay  Agent  for  Ohio,  in  forwarding  soldiers'  pay  to 
their  friends  at  home. 

In  December,  1863,  he  was  ordered  to  New  Orleans,  as  chief  paymaster  of 
the  Department  of  the  Gulf;  but  before  leaving  for  that  post  he  was  tendered 
the  position  of  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio,  by  Governor  Brough.  He  accepted 
tli is,  and  having  obtained  leave  of  absence,  with  suspension  of  pay  and  allow- 
ances, ho  entered  upon  his  new  duties  in  January,  1864.  In  this  position  there 
was  the  greatest  need  of  a  man  thoroughly  systematic  and  prompt,  as  well  as 
untiringly  energetic,  to  accomplish  its  manifold  duties.  To  General  Cowen's 
intelligent  labors  in  this  department  is  due  much  of  the  efficiency  of  the  mili- 
tary force  of  Ohio.  Perhaps  the  most  striking  instance  of  his  ability  was  dis- 
played in  his  management  of  the  calling  out  and  equipment  of  the  "National 
Guard;"  where,  in  twelve  days,  thirty-five  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  men  were  organized,  mustered,  clothed,  equipped,  and  turned  over  to  the 
United  Suites  military  authorities.  It  was  "for  meritorious  services  while 
acting  as  Adjutant-General  of  the  State  of  Ohio  in  organizing,  equipping,  and 
Rewarding  to  the  field,  the  troops  known  as  the  Ohio  National  Guards,"  that 
ho  received  the  successive  appointments  of  Brevet  Lieutenant  Colonel,  Brevet 
Colonel,  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  March  13,  1865.  Gen- 
eral Cox  retained  General  Cowen  in  the  same  position. 

In  politics  General  Cowen  was  originally  a  Whig,  having  advocated  the 
election  of  General  Taylor  in  1848,  and  having  voted  for  General  Scott  in  1852. 


Cummins-Eaton.  965 

Upon  the  dissolution  of  the  Whig  party  he  became  a  Eepublican.  He  was  Sec- 
retary of  the  anti-Nebraska  Convention  which  assembled  in  Columbus  in  1854, 
and  in  1856  was  a  delegate  to  the  Philadelphia  Convention  which  nominated 
General  Fremont  for  President.  He  has  since  that  time  acted  with  the  Eepub- 
lican party. 

John  E.  Cummins  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Ninety- 
Ninth  Ohio  August  9,  1862.  He  was  afterward  transferred  to  the  Fiftieth  Ohio, 
and  was  promoted  to  Colonel  of  the,  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-Fifth  Ohio 
February  15,  1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  November  4,  1865. 

J.  E.  Cockerill  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Seventieth  Ohio,  to  rank 
from  October  2,  1861.  He  resigned  April  13,  1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates 
from  March  13,  1865. 

Andrew  E.  Z.  Dawson  entered  the  Fifteenth  Ohio  Infantry  as  Captain 
September  11,  1861  (having  served  as  First-Lieutenant  in  the  same  regiment 
in  the  three  months'  service).  He  was  promoted  to  Major  July  22,  1864,  and 
was  mustered  out  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service.  On  March  2,  1865, 
he  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-Seventh  Ohio, 
and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  in  January,  1866.  His  brevet  rank 
dates  from  November  21,  1865. 

Azariah  N.  Doane  entered  the  Twelfth  Ohio  in  the  three  months'  service, 
and  on  the  12th  of  June,  1861,  was  promoted  to  Captain.  He  resigned  October 
18,  1861.  He  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Seventy-Ninth  Ohio 
August  19,  1862,  and  promoted  to  Colonel  June  8,  1865,  but  was  mustered  out 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Francis  Darr  entered  the  Tenth  Ohio  as  Second-Lieutenant  June  3,  1861, 
and  on  the  3d  of  August  following,  he  received  the  appointment  of  Commissary 
of  Subsistence,  with  the  rank  of  Captain.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  January  1,  1863,  and  afterward  to  Brevet  Colonel.  He  served  with  Gen- 
eral Eosecrans  in  West  Virginia;  then  with  General  Buell  in  Kentucky,  subse- 
quently with  Eosecrans  again  in  Kentucky,  and  afterward  on  the  Atlantic 
coast,  always  ranking  as  an  efficient  and  very  capable  officer.  His  appointment 
as  Brevet  Brigadier-General  was  "for  meritorious  conduct  in  the  Subsistence 
and  Provost-Marshal-General's  Departments,"  to  date  from  March  13,  1865. 

Charles  G.  Eaton  entered  the  Seventy-Second  Ohio  as  Captain  November 
30,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  April  6,  1862;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Novem- 
ber 29,  1862,  and  to  Colonel  April  9,  1864.  He  was  mustered  out  with  his  regi- 
ment in  September,  1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

John  Eaton,  Jr.,  entered  the  service  August  15,  1861,  as  Chaplain  of  the 
Twenty-Seventh  Ohio.  He  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Sixty-Third  United 
States  Colored  troops  October  10,  1863.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13, 
1865.  After  the  war  he  settled  in  Tennessee,  became  editor  of  a  new  Eadical 
Eepublican  journal  called  the  Memphis  Post,  and  rose  to  be  one  of  the  leaders 


jgg  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

of  the  dominant  Radical  party  of  Tennessee.  He  was  elected  Superintendent 
"ublic-  Education  in  1866,  on  the  State  Radical  ticket. 

John  J.  Elwell  was  born  in  Warren,  Trumbull  County,  Ohio,  June  22, 
1820.     In  the  year  1846  he  graduated  as  a  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and  soon  after 

oved  to  Orwell,  Ashtabula  County,  Ohio,  where  he  practiced  for  about  nine 
years.  In  1855  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  removed  to  Cleveland,  where 
he  established  "The  Western  Law  Monthly."  He  also  wrote  a  work  on  Medi- 
cal Jurisprudence. 

He  was  appointed  Assistant- Quartermaster  August  3,  1861,  and  began  his 
duties  at  Cleveland,  in  equipping  several  cavalry  regiments  with  horses.  In 
the  Hummer  of  1862  he  was  appointed  a  Division-Quartermaster  in  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  South.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Secessionville  he  was  ele- 
vated to  the  post  of  Chief-Quartermaster  of  that  department,  with  the  rank  of 

tenant-Colonel.  "Besides  attending  to  his  regular  duties  in  this  department 
he  acted  at  the  battle  of  Secessionville  as  volunteer  aid-de-camp  to  General 
Benham,  and  at  the  assault  on  Fort  Wagner  he  aided  in  rallying  the  men. 

In  the  spring  of  1864,  being  reduced  in  health,  he  was  transferred  to 
Elmira,  New  York,  where  he  had  charge,  as  Quartermaster,  of  the  great  "draft 
rendezvous,"  and  of  the  prison  camp,  and  was,  besides,  connected  with  the 
Cavalry  Bureau,  in  which  connection  he  purchased  and  forwarded  to  Washing- 
ton seventeen  thousand  horses. 

In  the  early  part  of  1866  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  returned  to 
Cleveland.    His  rank  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General  dates  from  March,  1865. 

J.  M.  Frizell  organized  the  Ninety-Fourth  Ohio,  and  was  commissioned 
Colonel  August  14,  1862.  He  resigned  February  22,  1863.  He  had  previously 
served  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Eleventh  Ohio  from  April  29,  1861,  to  De- 
cember 21,  1861.    His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Joseph  S.  Fcllerton,  a  native  of  Ross  County,  Ohio,  and  a  graduate  of 
Miami  University,  was  a  resident  of  St.  Louis  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war.  He 
was  appointed  Assistant  Adjutant-General  with  the  rank  of  Major  March  11, 
1863.  He  served  on  the  staff  of  General  O.  0.  Howard  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign. His  brevet  rank  was  conferred  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct 
during  the  Atlanta  campaign,"  to  date  from  March  13, 1865.  His  last  military 
lenrice  was  in  a  tour  of  inspection  of  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  ordered  by  Pres- 
ident Johnston,  in  which  he  assisted  Major-General  Steedman. 

Edward  P.  Fyffe  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Sixth  Ohio  Regi- 
ment June  10, 1861.  He  was  honorably  discharged  December  18,  1863,  and 
allerward  appointed  in  the  Veteran  Reserve  Corps.  His  brevet  rank  dates 
from  March  13,  1865. 


Horatio  G.  Gibson  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Second  Ohio  Heavy  Artil- 
^ugust  15,  1863.     He  was  mustered  out  wit 
H»s  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1^65. 


1865     ifuvJ. I1863,'    ,He  WaS  mustered  oufc  with   his  regiment,  August  23, 


Gibson— Hamilton.  967 

Wm.  II.  Gibson  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Forty -Ninth  Ohio  August  31, 
1861.  He  was  mustered  out  on  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  September  5, 
1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865.  His  career  was  active  and 
honorable,  and  he  was  highly  esteemed  by  his  superior  officers.  He  entered  the 
service  under  a  cloud,  having  been  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  been 
ejected  from  his  office  by  Governor  Chase  for  a  defalcation  of  nearly  three-quar- 
ters of  a  million  dollars.  His  fault  was  not  in  taking  the  money,  but  in 
concealing  the  fact  that  it  had  been  taken,  before  his  entry  into  office,  by  his 
predecessor  and  relative,  Mr.  Breslin.  General  sympathy  was  felt  for  him,  and 
it  was  felt  that  his  entry  into  the  military  service  was  a  manly  effort  to  wipe 
out  the  stigma  which  weakness  rather  than  intentional  guilt  had  placed  upon 
him.     His  career  did  this,  and  gave  him  an  honored  name  among  the  soldiers 

of  the  State. 

f 
Samuel  A.  Gilbert  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Forty-Fourth  Ohio  Octo- 
ber 14,  1861.     He  resigned  April  20,  1864.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
13,  1865. 

Josiah  Given  entered  the  service  June  3,  1861,  as  Captain  of  the  Twenty- 
Fourth  Ohio.  He  was  transferred  to  the  Eighteenth  Ohio,  and  promoted  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel  August  17,  1861  ;  was  transferred  to  the  Seventy-Fourth 
Ohio,  and  promoted  to  Colonel  May  16,  1863.  He  resigned  September  29,  1864. 
His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

William  Given  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Second 
Ohio  August  18,  1862,  and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment,  June  30,  1865. 
His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

James  H.  Godman  entered  the  service  as  Major  of  the  Fourth  Ohio  April 
26,  1861.  He  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  January  9,  1862,  and  to  Colo- 
nel November  29,  1862.  He  was  honorably  discharged  (after  receiving  severe 
wounds)  July  28,  1863.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865.  He  was 
elected  Auditor  of  Ohio  on  the  Kadical  Eepublican  ticket  in  1863,  and  re-elected 
at  the  elections  in  1865  and  1867.  As  a  State  official  he  fully  sustained  the  high 
character  which  his  conduct  in  the  field  had  won  him. 

Henry  H.  Giesy  entered  the  Forty-Sixth  Ohio  as  Captain,  December  26, 
1861,  and  was  promoted  to  Major  September  16,  1862.  He  was  killed  May  28, 
1864,  at  Dallas,  Georgia;  and  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle 
of  Dallas,"  he  was  given  the  brevet  rank  of  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Colonel,  and 
Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  May  28,  1864. 

William  Douglas  Hamilton  was  born  in  Scotland  May  24,  1832.  He 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  1838,  and  settled  in  Muskingum  County,  near 
Zanesville.  He  was  educated  at  the  Wesleyan  University,  Delaware,  Ohio,  and 
subsequently  studied  law  in  the  Cincinnati  Law  School,  graduating  in  the  class 
of  1859. 

At  the  opening  of  the  rebellion  he  was  practicing  law  in  Zanesville,  but  he 


938  Ohio  in  the  War 

,ioned  his  profession  and  raised  the  first  three  years'  company  in  that  part 

thc.  Btat6      He  was  assigned  to  the  Thirty-Second  Ohio  Infantry,  and  served 

through  the  West  Virginia  and  Shenandoah  campaigns,  but,  fortunately,  was  at 

bome OB  tm uiting  service  when  his  regiment  was  surrendered  at  Harper's  Ferry. 

In  December,  1862,  Captain  Hamilton  was  directed  by  Governor  Tod  to 
recruit  the  Ninth  Ohio  Cavalry,  and  of  this  regiment  he  was  appointed  Colonel. 
He  served  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  on  the  march  to  the  sea,  and  in  the 
pfcmpftigo  of  the  Carolinas.  His  military  services  extend  over  a  period  of 
far  years;  one  with  infantry  and  three  with  cavalry.     He  was  made  Brevet 

Mier- General  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  rendered  during  the 
rainjoi-n  ending  in  the  surrender  of  the  insurgent  armies  of  Johnston  and 

Lre." 

Andrew  L.  Harris  was  Captain  in  the  thre,e  months'  organization  of  the 
Twentieth  Ohio.  He  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Seventy-Fifth  Ohio 
November  9,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  January  12,  1863;  to  Colonel  May 
3,  1863  ;  and  was  mustered  out  January  15,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from 
March  13,  1865. 

James  H.  Hart  was  commissioned  First-Lieutenant  of  the  Seventy -First 
Ohio  October  7,  1861 ;  promoted  to  Captain ;  to  Major  April  6,  1862 ;  to 

'fiiant-Colonel  April  2,  1864  ;  and  to  Colonel  November  29,  1865.  His  bre- 
ve t  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Russell  Hastings  was  commissioned  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Twenty- 
Third  Ohio  Infantry  June  1,  1861;  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant  March  23, 
1862;  to  Captain  August  8,  1863;  and  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  March  8,  1865. 
He  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
14, 1865,  and  was  given  "  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battle  of 
Opequan,  Virginia." 

Thomas  T.  Heath  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Fifth  Ohio 
Cavalry  August  26,  1861 ;  promoted  to  Colonel  August  11,  1863  ;  and. mustered 
out  with  the  regiment  October  30,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  December 
15,  1864. 

<iKOROE  W.  Hoge  was  born  in   Belmont  County,  Ohio,  on  the  22d  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1832.    During  the  early  part  of  the  war  he  was  chief  clerk  to  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  State  of  Ohio,  but  in  August,  1862,  he  gave  up  his  position  and 
•d  an  appointment  as  First-Lieutenant  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
Sixth  Ohio  Infantry.     In  June  of  the  next  year  he  was  promoted  to  Captain. 
p  bit  regiment  ho  participated  in  the  following  battles:  Wilderness,  Spott- 
»ia.  Cold  Harbor,  Monocacy,  Winchester,  Opequan,  Fisher's  Hill,  and  Cedar 
During  the  whole  or  a  portion  of  six  of  these  engagements   CaDtain 
loge  commanded  the  regiment.     He  was  struck  five  times  by  the  enemy's  balls, 
MMI  several  times  was  mentioned  favorably  in  official  reports. 

On  the  17th  of  November,  1864,  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hun- 
ted and  Eighty-Third  Ohio  Infantry.     He  at  once  assumed  command  of  the 


Holloway— Jones.  969 

regiment,  and  twelve  days  later  was  engaged  at  Spring  Hill  and  Franklin.  Ho 
was  again  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Nashville,  and  after  that  was  transferred  to 
the  East,  joining  General  Sherman's  army  at  Goldsboro',  North  Carolina.  He 
was  mustered  out  in  July,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  bears  date  from  March 
13,  1865. 

E.  S.  Holloway  was  commissioned  First-Lieutenant  in  the  Forty-First 
Ohio  October  10,  1861 ;  promoted  to  Captain  September  8,  1862 ;  to  Major  No- 
vember 26,  1864;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  March  18,  1865,  and  to  Colonel  May  31, 
1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Marcellus  J.  W.  Holton  was  commissioned  First-Lieutenant  in  the  Fifty- 
Ninth  Ohio  September  27,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  Captain  May  9,  1864;  mus- 
tered out  October  29,  1864.  He  entered  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-Fifth 
Ohio  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  March  16,  1865,  and  was  afterward  appointed  Bre- 
vet Colonel.     His  rank  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Horace  N.  Howland  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Third  Ohio  Cav- 
alry August  15,  1861 ;  promoted  to  Major  January  5,  1863;  to  Lieutenant-Colo- 
nel November  23,  1863,  and  to  Colonel  April  8,  1865.  He  was  mustered  out 
with  his  regiment.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Lewis  C.  Hunt  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Sixty-Seventh  Ohio  Reg- 
iment September  1,  1862;  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  March  18,  1865,  and 
was  mustered  out  September  1,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
13,  1865. 

Samuel  H.  Hurst  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Seventy-Third  Ohio 
Infantry  November  1,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  Major  June  21,  1862;  to  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel February  17,  1864,  and  to  Colonel  July  13,  1864.  He  was  mustered 
out  with  his  regiment  July  20,  1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

R.  P.  Hutchins  was  commissioned  Captain  of  the  Ninety-Fourth  Ohio  July 
22,  1862;  was  promoted  to  Major  February  22,  1863,  and  to  Lieutenant-Colonel 
October  8,  1863.  He  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  June  6,  1865.  His 
brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Walter  F.  Herrick  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Forty-Third  Ohio 
January  21,  1862;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  October  12,  1862,  and 
afterward  to  Brevet  Colonel.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

John  S.  Jones  entered  the  service  April  16,  1861,  as  First-Lieutenant  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  Infantry  in  the  three  months'  service.  When  the  regiment  was 
reorganized  for  the  three  years'  service,  he  went  into  the  new  organization,  and 
was  promoted  to  Captain  June  25,  1862.  He  was  mustered  out  with  the  regi- 
ment in  1864.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Seventy-Fourth  Ohio,  a  regiment  organized  for  one  j^ear's 
service.  He  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  June  28,  1865.  His  brevet 
rank  dates  from  June  27,  1865. 


((;n  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

IODOB1  Jones  was  commissioned   Lieutenant-Colonel   of  the   Thirtieth 
Ohio  Infantry  August  2,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Colonel  November  29,  1862,  in 
I.  rank  ho  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment,  August  13,  1865.     His  bre- 
*nk  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Wklls  S.  Jones  entered  the  service  as  Captain  in  the  Fifty-Third  Ohio  In- 
fantry October  4,  1861,  and  was  promoted  to  Colonel  April   18,  1862.     He  was 
I  out  with  his  regiment  August  11,  1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from 
roh  18,  l- 

John  11.  Kelly  was  appointed  Major  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fourteenth 
Ohi...  Aii-u-t  22, 1862;  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  February  6, 1863,  and  to 
Del  September  20,  1863,  in  which  rank  he  was  mustered  out  with  his  reg- 
iment in  July,  1865.    His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865,  "for  gallant 
and  meritorious   services  during  the  campaign  of  Mobile  and  for  faithful  serv- 
-  during  the  war." 

1 1   P,  Kennedy  was  at  college  in  Connecticut  at  the  commencement  of  the  re- 
bellion.    He  hastened  to  his  home  in  Ohio  and  joined  the  Twenty-Third  Ohio  as 
mi-Lieutenant,  June  1, 1861.     On  February  9, 1862,  he  was  promoted  to  First- 
Lieutenant,  and  served  as  Assistant  Adjutant-General  on    General   Scarnmon's 
at  the  battles  of  Cub  Run,  South  Mountain,  and  Antietam.     On  October  7, 
'   lie  was  appointed  Assistant  Adjutant-General  of  United  States  volunteers' 
■rfth  the  rank  of  Captain,  and  assigned  to  duty  on  General   Crook's  staff.     He 
1  i"  this  eapacity  during  the  campaign,  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland 
from  immediately  after  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver  until  after  the  battle  of  Mis- 
sion liulge,  in  November,  1863. 

Captain  Kennedy  served  on  General  Kenner  Garrard's  staff  through  the  At- 
lanta Campaign,  and  at  the  close  of  it  was  ordered  by  General  Grant  to  the  De- 
partment,, \\  *«  Virginia,  and  was  made  Adjutant-General  of  that  department. 
I  ".  November  17,  1864,  he  was  promoted  to  Major  and  Assistant  Adjutant- 
ral  of  volunteers,  and  Lieutenant  Colonel  by  brevet.     He  served    n  this 
JT-   -J  staff  of  General  Crook,  commanding  the  department 

U.«l  and  Nmely-Sixth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.    He  was  mustered 
'*•  '  * '  «■  bounty,  Ohm.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

5SS??1  ""  COmmi8Si0ned  ^eond-Lieutenant  in  the  Forty- 
J»nuarv  1  1866    to  P  f'  1  ff*%W**°**9,  1862;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel, 
8  Urevet  rank  dates  March  13,  1865. 

2EJXSES  ^e  three  months' 8ervice  APrfl  27-  **«  « 

—1  for    1    ,  !      °Ur  e0,,t1'  °1,i0  *■**»*     ***  «*  regent  was  re- 

.       717,  18C2,  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  December  21,  1862;  mus- 


Jackmo.n.^- 


MooraWlstacli&Baiawn.1 


Cincinnati  &.  NewYork 


Lane— Langdon.  971 

tered  out  November  7,  18G4.  He  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Eighty -Ninth  Regiment  March  7,  1865.  Brevet  rank  dates  from 
March  10,  1862. 

John  Q.  Lane  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Ninety-Seventh  Ohio,  Septem- 
ber 2, 1862,  and  was  mustered  out  with  the  regiment  June  12,  1865.  His  brevet 
rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

E.  Bassett  Langdon  was  born  February  27,  1827,  near  Linwood,  a  station 
on  the  Little  Miami  Eailroad,  about  three  miles  from  the  corporation  line  of 
Cincinnati.  His  father,  Eev.  Oliver  Langdon,  died  in  September  of  the  follow- 
ing year.  Bassett  Langdon  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm  where  he  was  born, 
but  he  displayed  such  a  fondness  for  intellectual  pursuits  that  his  mother  often 
said  of  him:  "Bassett  was  never  intended  for  a  farmer."  He  attended  the  pub- 
lic school  in  the  neighborhood  for  a  short  time,  and  then  was  sent  to  Woodward 
College,  in  Cincinnati,  where  he  passed  three  years.  After  this  he  entered  Mi- 
ami University,  where  he  remained  two  years,  but  did  not  graduate.  He  then 
returned  to  the  farm,  and,  notwithstanding  his  mother's  prediction,  he  remained 
in  charge  of  it  until  he  was  twenty -five  years  of  age,  when  he  was  placed  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  for  member  of  the  Legislature,  and  was  elected.  He  was 
twice  re-elected  to  the  same  office,  and  afterward  he  served  one  term  as  Senator 
from  Hamilton  County.  During  the  leisure  hours  of  his  legislative  career,  he 
pursued  the  study  of  the  law,  and  at  its  close  was  prepared  by  Hon.  William  S. 
Groesbeck  for  admission  to  the  bar.  He  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, in  which  he  was  engaged  at  the  time  of  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion. 

Upon  the  organization  of  the  First  Ohio  Infantry  for  the  three-years'  serv- 
ice, he  was  commissioned  its  Major.  In  this  capacity  he  served  in  all  the  move- 
ments of  the  regiment  until  after  the  evacuation  of  Corinth,  in  1862,  when,  at  the 
urgent  request  of  General  A.  M.  McCook,  he  accepted  the  position  of  Inspector- 
General  on  McCook's  staff.  After  the  battles  of  Perryville  and  Stone  River, 
upon  the  promotion  of  Colonel  Parrott  to  the  command  of  a  brigade,  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Langdon  (he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  June  2,  1862) 
returned  to  the  command  of  his  regiment.  He  retained  thfe  command  through 
the  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Mission  Ridge,  and  Lookout  Mountain.  He  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment,  and  was  afterward  breve  tied  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at  the  battles  of  Pittsburg  Landing, 
Chickamauga,  Chattanooga,  and  Mission  Ridge,"  to  date  from  March  13,  1865. 
After  the  war  he  received  the  appointment  of  Assessor  of  Internal  Revenue  in 
the  First  District  of  Ohio.  His  nomination  was  opposed,  and  it  was  not  until 
the  third  effort  that  it  was  confirmed  by  the  Senate.  This  opposition  embit- 
tered the  last  days  of  his  life.     He  held  the  office  at  the  time  of  his  death,  May 

30,  1867. 

This  is  a  brief  record  of  his  life  of  forty  years.  Of  mis  character  no  word 
of  reproach  was  ever  spoken.  It  is  related  of  him  that  no  act  of  un kindness 
or  of  disobedience  ever  pained  the  heart  of  his  widowed  mother.  That  he  pos- 
sessed a  tender  and  thoughtful  regard  for  the  members  of  his  household,  and 
that  he  was  actuated  by  the  highest  motives  in  entering  the  service  of  his  coun- 


OfllO    IX    THE    WaE. 

retnrncd  to  New  England  in  the  autumn  of  the  same  year  and  became  con- 
nected with  the  Boston  Courier  and  Bee.     In  the  spring  of  1858  he  again  took 
a  position  on  the  Cincinnati  Gazette.     During  the  political  campaign  of  1860  he 
took  an  active  part  as  a  public  speaker,  and  was  also  commandant  of  the  "  Wide 
organization  in  Cincinnati.     In  the  spring  of  1861,  being  on  a  visit  to 
Washington  City,  he  aided  in  the  organization  of  the  "  Clay  Guards"  for  the 
of  the  Capital  after  the  fall  of  Sumter  and  until  the  arrival  of  troops 
from  fJew  York.    He  at  once  received  an  appointment  as  Captain  in  the  Nine- 
teenth United  States  Infantry,  and  was  ordered  on  recruiting  duty  until  Octo- 
ber, 1861,  when  he  went  into  the  field  in  Kentucky  with  companies  A  and  B  of 
his  regiment    He  served  in  the  Department  of  the  Ohio  until  November  1862 
when  he  was  ordered  on  recruiting  duty  in  Cleveland.     In  the  following  sprino- 
he  rejoined  the  army  at  Murfreesboro',  and  was  appointed  Commissary  of  Mus- 
Of  the  Twenty-First  Army  Corps.     In  September,  1863,  he  was  sent  from 
Chattanooga  to  Nashville  to  assist  in  the  organization  of  negro  troops  ;  first  as 
Mtterfog  officer  under  Major  George  L.  Stearns,  and  afterward  as  the  officer  in 
charge  of  the  whole  matter  of  the  organization  of  colored  troops  in  East  and 
Middlo  Tennessee,  which  command  he  retained  until  March  1,  1865.     In  June, 
1MU.  hu  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundredth  Eegiment  of  colored 
pa,  which  was  the  first  regiment  of  that  class  openly  enlisted  in  Kentucky. 
Daring  his  command  he  organized  about  ten  thousand  troops.     During  his  stay 
I  ashville  he  wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  Mayor  of  that  citv,  in  response 
to  an  invitation  to  take  part  in  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration.     His  troops  were 
DO!  invite*,  but  the  commanders  of  white  troops  were  requested  to  parade  with 
their  commands. 

"Head-Qoabters  Commanding  Organization  U.  S.  Colored  Troops,  1 
■Ma.  W.  S.  Cheatham,  Chairman  C»mmUtee,  etc,  "  ^"^  Ju'y  3'  1864'  ' ' 

«1,ZT:  V'""  V  e.h°7  '°  acknowledSe  an  imitation  for  'the  pleasure  of  mv  company  at  the 
fT™Cu«ra'  anniV<!raary  °"  l"e  e"SUing  F°U'th  °f  ?*  -  FO"  GiUeVon  Af! 

ha«bl  connec*     and  who  „  d  ^         I  *,       "*  *>  "'e  ^  With  W''°Se  organization  I 
Vi1.e.    Yonr  comm  ,ee  hi  sin  fi,  ,  \°  '^  P°rti°n  ™™™"y  «f  the  forces  at  Nash- 

ua portion  £ZX£™"  '°  °T  lhrJr"m  ltS  inVitati°n  <°  »,aKlde-     With  ">at  omit- 

n«.i.„  .i.hVrv.'^r^r1'  i : by  which  you  ad<wd  me  ™™s  fr°m  »*  «- 

".-ir  ..|,,,„r„„,i,ie.  well  dHll .  ™  "i       *'  ^^  *  8°°d  apPearanre'  and  ™,  considering 

> y  virtue  of  m^L^JZZ?™  '"  °mUtia*  the»  and  «»*»»«  -,  who  am  nothing 

'  "f^^Zut^^^  *****  >>»****  or  betrays  a  lamentably 
dUplay  »|,,r,  ,„|,     cjonel.  m.^l.  ll  Ca"  n<"'  S"''  aceept  a"v  invitation  to  a  military 

"Tk.  Declaration of  itt  r  '^^  W'"le  "lille  are  eluded. 

•Birn»  a.  an  axiom,  that  all  27a„         ^T"  *?*  ^"P"0"  maUeS  thc  Fourth  of  Jnly  sacred, 

«■  » amenta!  truth  till  ™a !,       T     u       '  ^  'mM  y°"'  *•  and  *"'  committee  learn 

your  celebration,  be  they  black  or  h,7  ,•  *  defenders  o(  their  country  to  participate  in 
are  working  knm,  insult,  to  ,|„  ill  *f  ,"*'  y°'"'  'celebrations  of  our  National  anniversary' 
Wood  all  „atio,ls  of  f0     '"? ''  aStn0U,a  dead>  ^  blasphemy  to  Him  who  hath  made  •  of  one 

•»H  be  •  durable'  to  you     iti  °"  **  °f  *he  earth-'     *  d°  not  thi"k  »J  P^nce 

t.on,  beiwew,  ,|,e  defender  of  their?  ^  T''1  "0'  be  '°  me-  50  Ion«  as  vou  make  distinc- 
jrowiwrioliam,  and  your  C hri.ti.nh t,     *J'  ™  aHke  ^editable  to  your  humanity, 

a""y  ;  ^""cttons  which  show  that  you  do  not  know  the  letter 


Neff  —  Nettleton.  9 


1 1 


nor  comprehend  the  spirit  of  the  document  whose  ratification  you  propose  to  celebrate ;  or,  that 
knowing  and  comprehending  both  letter  and  spirit,  you  designedly  ignore  the  one  and  violate  the 
other.  I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant,  R.  D.  MUSS  FY, 

"  Colonel  100th  U.  S.  Colored  Inf 't.,  Comd'g  Org.  U.  S.  C.  T." 

At  the  time  of  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln  he  was  in  Washing- 

o 

ton,  making  arrangements  with  the  Secretary  of  War  for  the  relief  of  the  wants 
of  the  freedmen  in  Tennessee.  At  the  request  of  Mr.  Johnson  he  remained  as 
his  confidential  secretary  until  the  following  November,  when  he  resigned, 
partly  to  settle  some  unfinished  military  business  in  Tennessee,  and  partly 
because  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  tendencies  of  Mr.  Johnson's  policy.  In  De- 
cember of  the  same  year  he  resigned  his  position  in  the  army,  at  which  time  he 
was  holding  the  rank  of  Captain  and  Brevet  Colonel  United  States  army,  and 
Colonel  and  Brevet  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers.  He  afterward  settled  in 
Washington,  and  went  into  the  practice  of  the  law.  General  Mussey  is  said  by 
Adjutant-General  Lorenzo  Thomas  to  have  been  the  first  regular  officer  who 
asked  permission  to  raise  negro  troops.  He  submitted  to  the  War  Department, 
in  the  winter  of  1862-63,  a  plan  therefor,  the  essential  feature  of  which — raising 
them,  not  as  State,  but  as  United  States  troops — was  adopted  by  the  Govern- 
ment. 

George  W.  Neff  was  born  in  Cincinnati  January  5,  1833.  He  was  the 
youngest  son  of  George  W.  Neff,  who  settled  in  Cincinnati  in  1824.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  old  Cincinnati  and  Woodward  colleges,  and,  after  the  death 
of  his  father  in  1850,  he  became  a  partner  with  his  brother  in  business.  He 
was  one  of  the  original  members  of  the  "Rover  Guards,"  a  much-admired  mili- 
tary company,  which  was  among  the  first  to  volunteer  under  the  call  of  the 
President.  In  April,  1861,  after  a  few  days'  service  as  commandant  of  Camp 
Harrison,  near  Cincinnati,  he  organized  the  Second  Kentucky  Infantry  (com- 
posed almost  exclusively  of  Ohio  troops),  and  was  commissioned  Lieutenant- 
Colonel.  With  this  regiment  he  served  in  West  Virginia  but  a  few  days,  until 
he  was  captured  at  the  battle  of  Scarry  Creek  July  17,  1861.  From  this  cap- 
tivity he  was  not  released  until  in  August  of  the  following  year,  having,  in  the 
meantime,  suffered  terrible  hardships  in  bad  treatment  and  starvation  at  Rich-» 
mond,  Charleston,  South  Carolina  (where  Colonels  Neff,  Wilcox,  Corcoran, 
Woodruff,  and  Major  Potter,  were  thrust  into  cells  in  the  county  jail,  four  feet 
square,  as  hostages  for  the  pirates  captured  by  our  navy);  Columbia,  Rich- 
mond again.  Salisbury,  North  Carolina;  and  Belle  Isle.  Soon  after  being 
exchanged,  and  while  at  home  in  Cincinnati  on  leave  of  absence,  Kirby  Smith's 
raid  was  made,  and  Colonel  Neff  volunteered  his  services  to  General  Wallace 
and  served  on  his  staff.  He  was  afterward  assigned  to  the  command  of  Camp 
Dennison,  where  he  had  the  opportunity  of  defending  the  place  against  John 
Morgan.  He  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Eighty-Eighth  Ohio  Infantry 
July  29,  1863,  and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  July  3,  1865.  His  bre- 
vet rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

A.  B.  Nettleton  entered  the  Second  Ohio  Cavalry  as  Captain  May  10, 
Yol.  L— 62. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

M  promoted  to  Major  June  25,  1863;  to  Lieutenant- Colonel  November 
|  i".(;i.  an.l  to  Colonel  April  22,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
i:;.  1865. 

Edwabd  Follensbee  Noyes  was  born  at  Haverhill,  Massachusetts,  October 
|   L8tt,     His  parents  having  both  died  in   his  infancy,  at  the  age  of  thirteen 
,shc  was  apprenticed  by  his  guardian  as  a  printer-boy  in  the  office  of  the 
Morning  Star,  a  religious  newspaper  published  at  Dover,  New  Hampshire.     In 
portion  he  remained  four  and  a  half  years,  and  then  began  preparing  for 
college,  at  Kingston   Academy,  Eockingham  County,   New   Hampshire.       He 
rlll(.|vi|  Dartmouth  College  in  1853,  and  four  years  after  he  graduated,  ranking 
j.M,,tl,  in  a  class  numbering  fifty -seven.     He  immediately  removed  to  Cincinnati, 
:  studied  law  with  M.  E.  Curwen,  Esq.,  graduating  in  the  Cincinnati  Law 
S.liool  in  1858.     The  same  year  he  began  the  practice  of  law,  and  was  in  the 
successful  prosecution  of  his  profession  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion. 
On  the  Hth  of  July,  1861,  his  law  office  was  changed  to  recruiting  head-quarters, 
and  in  less  than  one  month  a  full  regiment  was  raised  and  ready  for  the  field. 
Of  this  regiment  (the  Thirty-Ninth  Ohio  Infantry)  he  was  commissioned  Major, 
t«»  rank  from  July  27,  1861.     In   this  rank  he  continued  with   the  command 
•hiring  all  its  marches  in  Missouri,  and  under  General  Pope  during  the  advance 
upon  and  final  capture  of  Now  Madrid  and  Island   No  10.     Still   under  Pope's 
command,  he  took  part  in  all  the  skirmishes  and  engagements  of  General  Hal- 
leek's  left  wing  in  front  of  Corinth,  and  on  the  heights  of  Farmington.     Upon 
the  resignation  of  Colonel  Groesbeck,  and  the  promotion  of  Lieutenant-Colonel 
(Jilhert,  he  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  July  8,  1862,  and  in  this  rank 
took  part  under  General  Rosecrans  in  the  battle  of  Iuka  September  19,  1862, 
and  in  the  bloody  engagements  at  Corinth  October  3d  and  4th.     On   the  1st  of 
October,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel,  vice  Gilbert  resigned,  and  in  De- 
hor following  he  commanded  the  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Parker's  Cross 
Roads,  where  the  Eebel  forces  under  General  Forrest  were  defeated  with  great 
loss.    From  this  time  until  the  beginning  of  the  Atlanta  campaign,  he  com- 
#  Bunded  his  regiment  in  its  various  movements  and  its  garrison-duty  at  Cor- 
inth, Memphis,  and  its  bridge  building  on  the  railroad  in  Middle  Tennessee. 
While  engaged   in   this  latter  duty  at  Prospect,  Tennessee,  the  subject  of 
it*  re-enlistment  began  to  engage  the  attention  of  the  troops.       Colonel 
ee,  with  a  quick  perception  of  its  necessity,  threw  the  whole  weight  of  his 
influence  into  the  work  of  re-enlisting  his  regiment.     He  was  so  earnest  in  the 
*»&*>  and  so  industriously  advocated  it  that  he  fully  aroused  the  spirit  of  his 
excellent  regiment,  and  as  a  result  the  Thirty-Ninth  Ohio  gave  to  the  country  a 
much  larger  number  of  veterans  than  any  other  Ohio  regiment.     His  zeal  had 
ect  also  on  other  officers  in  the  command,  and  was  doubtless  instrumental 
n  rendering  the  veteran  movement  so  popular  in  General  Dodge's  district.     In 
the  Atlanta  campaign  he  took  part  until  July  4,   1864,  being  in  the  engage- 
its  at  Hesaca,  May  9th,  Hth,  15th,  and  16th ;  at  Dallas,  and  at  Kenesaw  Mount- 
'        4th  of  July>  "*MK  in  command  of  an  assault  on  the  enemy's  works 


O'Dowd-Parry.  979 

near  Buff's  Mills,  on  Nicojack  Creek,  he  received  a  wound  which  resulted  in 
the  loss  of  a  leg.  This  compelled  him  to  relinquish  for  the  first  time  his  active 
connection  with  his  command.  After  having  partially  recovered  from  two  am- 
putations, and  while  yet  on  crutches,  he  reported  for  duty  to  General  Hooker, 
and  was  by  him  assigned  to  the  command  of  Camp  Dennison,  where  he  remained 
until  April  22,  1865,  when  he  resigned  to  accept  the  position  of  attorney  (city 
solicitor)  for  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  an  office  to  which  he  had  been  elected  while 
absent  in  the  army.  In  October,  1866,  he  was  elected  Probate  Judge  of  Hamil- 
ton County  on  the  Bepublican  ticket.  Colonel  Noyes  was  with  his  regiment 
on  every  march,  and  in  every  battle  and  skirmish  in  which  the  command  was 
engaged  from  the  time  of  entering  the  service,  in  July,  1861,  until  he  lost  a  leg 
in  battle,  July  4,  1864.  That  he  had  the  love  and  respect  of  his  men  is  evident 
from  the  fact  already  stated  that  he  induced  so  many  of  them  to  re-enlist.  He 
enjoyed  the  confidence  of  his  superior  officers,  as  is  shown  by  the  warm  recom- 
mendations he  received  for  promotion  from  Generals  John  Pope,  W.  S.  Bose- 
crans,  D.  S.  Stanley,  G.  M.  Dodge,  and  W.  T.  Sherman.  The  latter  says:  "I 
was  close  by  when  Colonel  No}Tes  was  shot.  We  were  pressing  Johnston's  army 
back  from  Marietta  when  he  made  a  stand  at  Sn^rna  camp  ground,  and  I 
ordered  his  position  to  be  attacked.  It  was  done  successfully  at  some  loss,  and 
Colonel  Noyes  lost  his  leg.  He  fully  merits  this  honorable  title."  Colonel 
Noyes  was  a  strict  disciplinarian,  and  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  in  some  way 
managed  to  have  a  greater  number  of  men  "present  for  duty"  than  any  other 
equal  regiment  in  the  command.  Yet  he  was  impartial  and  uniformly  kind  to 
all  who  were  disposed  to  do  their  duty.  While  he  insisted  upon  being  implicitly 
obe}Ted  by  his  subordinates,  he  was  always  ready  to  obey  without  questioning 
the  commands  of  his  superiors,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing,  when 
the  war  was  over,  that  his  regiment  never  turned  their  backs  to  the  enemy  in 
any  battle  or  skirmish  from  first  to  last. 

Having  been  recommended  for  promotion  to  the  full  rank  of  Brigadier- 
General  before  he  was  wounded,  he  received,  after  he  was  disabled  for  active 
service,  a  commission  as  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  to  date  from  March  13, 1865. 

John  O'Dowd  entered  the  Tenth  Ohio  as  Captain  April  19,  1861.  He 
remained  in  the  regiment  until  July  13,  1862,  when  he  resigned.     In  October, 

1864,  he  aided  in  organizing  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty-First  Ohio,  and  was 
appointed  Colonel  October  15,  1864.     He  was  honorably  discharged  May  27, 

1865.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865,  "for  gallant  conduct  in  the 
defense  of  Murfreesboro',  Tennessee,  at  the  attack  of  General  Hood's  forces  dur- 
ing the  siege  of  Nashville,  and  for  highly  meritorious  services  during-  the  war." 

Augustus  C.  Parry  was  of  English  parentage,  but  was  born  at  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  in  1828.  He  removed  with  his  parents  to  Cincinnati  when  quite 
young,  and  soon  after  was  left  an  orphan.  He  was  apprenticed  by  his  guardian, 
Dr.  Emmert,  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  tinner,  and  afterward  established  himself  iu 
that  business,  in  which  he  was  engaged  when  the.  war  began.  He  entered  the 
service  April  16,  1861,  as  Major  of  the  Second  Ohio  Infantry,  and  was  at  once 


Ohio   in    the   War. 


ordered  to  Washington  City.  At  the  battle  of  Bull  Kim  he  was  placed  in  com- 
,d  of  his  regiment  early  in  the  action,  and  on  the  retreat  of  the  army  he 
i>  lulled  the  attacks  of  the  enemy's  cavalry.  On  the  30th  of  July,  1861,  he 
returned  to  Ohio,  and  on  reaching  Cincinnati  in  command  of  his  troops,  received 
such  a  welcome  as  the  overflowing  patriotism  of  the  people  prompted.  It  was 
estimated  that  one  hundred  thousand  people  took  part  in  the  reception  exer- 
cises. On  August  23,  1861,  he  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Forty -Seventh 
Ohio  Infantry,  and  before  the  close  of  the  month  he  again  entered  the  field  in 
Virginia,  joining  the  command  of  General  Eosecrans.  He  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Carnifex  Ferry,  and  afterward,  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1861-62, 
was  feftgaged  in  a  number  of  minor  engagements  and  reconnoissances  in  the 
vicinity  of  Cotton  and  Sewall  Mountains.  In  August,  1862,  he  was  promoted 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel.  In  September  following  he  was  sent  to  dislodge  the 
enemy  from  Cotton  Mountain,  and  to  relieve  the  garrison  at  Fayette  C.  II., 
which  was  .successfully  done.  The  troops  at  Fayette  C.  H.  were  enabled  to  join 
the  main  body  in  the  retreat  down  the  Kanawha.  During  this  retreat  Colonel 
Parry  had  charge  of  the  rear-guard  nearly  all  the  time,  and  successfully  checked 
the  advance  of  the  enemy  until  the  stores  were  all  secured  or  burned.  At 
Charleston  he  maintained  his  position  in  the  front  line  for  six  hours  against  a 
superior  force. 

In  January,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  Colonel.  The  regiment  was  then 
-terred  to  Vicksburg,  where  Colonel  Parry's  practical  abilities  were  of  much 
benefit  to  the  command.  At  one  time,  having  been  called  on  by  General  Stuart 
for  a  plan  of  a  bridge  across  a  break  in  a  levee,  he  submitted  one,  according  to 
which  he  built  a  bridge  in  fourteen  hours,  on  which  the  troops  crossed.  During 
the  advance  via  Port  Gibson  to  the  rear  of  Vicksburg  he  was  temporarily  in 
command  of  a  brigade  in  the  absence  of  General  Ewing.  In  the  assaults  on 
the  works  at  Vicksburg  on  the  19th  and  22d  of  May,  Colonel  Parry  took  a 
prominent  part,  being  in  the  advance  line.  In  the  fell  of  1863  he  marched 
with  his  command  to  Chattanooga,  where  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Mission 
R.dge  and  in  the  pursuit  of  Bragg.  He  also  moved  to  Knoxville  to  the  relief 
of  the  forces  there,  and  subsequently  returned  to  Larkinsville,  Alabama,  where 
the  regiment  went  into  winter-quarters.  At  this  place  Colonel  Parry  took  com- 
mand of  the  brigade^and  subsequently  was  appointed  temporarily  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  Second  Division,  Fifteenth  Army  Corps.  He  went  with  his 
•egunent  ,n  the  Atlanta  Campaign,  in  1864,  through  the  battles  of  Eesaca, 
I>a Has,  and  Kenesaw  Mountain.  At  the  latter  place  he  was  severely  wounded, 
but  recovered  in  time  to  go  on  the  march  to  the  sea.  He  was  the  first  field  offi- 
II  il*  ,  "  eDemy'8  W°rk8  at  the^orming  <>i  Fort  McAllister  by  Gen- 
13,  186^     8  "'    He  WaS  brCVetted  BriS*di<*-General,  to  date  from  March 

Republic^  ticket  and'  had  T  ***  ^^  °f  FamiUOn  C°Unt^  on  the 


Pardee— Raynok.  981 

Don  A.  Pardee  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Forty-Second  Ohio,  Sep- 
tember 5, 1861;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  March  14,  18G2,  and  was 
mustered  out  October  26,  1864.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Oliver  H.  Payne  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Twenty-Fourth  Ohio  January  1, 1863.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Chick- 
amauga,  and  resigned  November  1,  1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
13,  1865. 

John  S.  Pearce  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Ninety-Eighth  Ohio, 
August  13,  1862 ;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant  Colonel  October  7,  1862,  and  to 
Colonel  November  5,  1863.  He  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  June  3, 
1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

William  S.  Pierson  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  One 
Hundred  and  Twenty -Eighth  Ohio,  August  25,  1863.  This  regiment  was  en- 
gaged in  guard-duty  at  Johnson's  Island,  Ohio.  Colonel  Pierson  resigned  July 
15,  1864.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Orlando  M.  Poe,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  then  a  young  Lieutenant  of  Engi- 
neers, six  years  out  of  West  Point,  was  the  first  regular  officer  from  Ohio  to 
offer  his  services  to  Governor  Dennison.  He  was  sent  to  make  some  examina- 
tions as  to  the  defensibility  of  sundry  exposed  points  along  the  Ohio  Eiver,  and 
was  then  assigned  to  engineer  duty  on  General  McClellan's  staff.  After  some 
West  Virginia  and  Eastern  service,  he  was  sent  to  the  Western  armies  in  the 
same  capacity,  and  by  the  close  of  the  Atlanta  Campaign  he  had  risen  to  be  the 
Chief  Engineer  to  General  Sherman.  He  was  repeatedly  offered  a  Brigadier- 
General's  command, but  he  preferred  his  engineer's  position,  and  remained  in  it 
to  the  end,  maintaining  a  high  place  in  the  confidence  of  Sherman,  the  Engineer 
Corps,  and  the  Government.  He  was  made  a  Brevet  Brigadier-General  in  the 
regular  army,  and  a  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers.  He  rose,  by  the  close  of 
the  war,  to  be  next  to  the  ranking  Captain  of  his  corps,  standing  just  below 
Godfrey  M.  Weitzel. 

Eugene  Powell  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Sixty-Sixth  Ohio,  October 
22,  1861,  having  previously  served  in  the  Fourth  Ohio;  was  promoted  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel,  May  24,  1862.  He  was  discharged  to  accept  the  Colonelcy 
of  the  One  Hundred  and  Ninety-Third  Ohio,  his  commission  being  dated  April 
25,  1865.  He  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment  August  4,  1865.  His  brevet 
rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

E.  W.  Eatliff  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Ohio  Cavalry 
November  24,  1863;  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet  rank 
dates  from  March  13, 1865,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  under  Generals 
Burbridgeand  Stoneman  in  South-west  Virginia." 

W.  H.  Eaynor  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Fifty-Sixth 
Ohio,  September  28,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Colonel  April  2,  1863.  He  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

Ameeicus  V.  Rice  entered  the  service  April  27,  1861,  as  Captain,  of  the 
Twenty -Fir.t  Ohio  Infantry  in  the  three-months'  service,  was  mustered  out  Au- 
gust 12,  18C1,  by  reason  of  expiration  of  term  of  service.  September  2,  1861, 
conn. lissioned  Captain  of  the  Fifty-Seventh  Ohio  Infantry,  it  having  just  began 
iUi  organization.  February  8,  1862,  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and 
April  16,  1863,  to  Colonel  of  the  regiment.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  May 
31,  18C5. 

Orlando  C.  Risdon  was  commissioned  First-Lieutenant  of  the  Forty-Sec- 
ond Ohio,  October  7,  1861,  but  was  afterward  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Fifty- 
Third  United  States  Colored  Infantry.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13, 
1865,  for  "gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  the  battles  of  Eich  Mountain, 
Middle  Creek,  Tazeville,  Arkansas  Post,  Chickasaw,  Port  Gibson,  Champion 
Hills,  Big  Black  Bridge,  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg." 

Thomas  W.  Sanderson  was  appointed  Major  of  the  Tenth  Ohio  Cavalry, 
January  15,  1863;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant -Colonel  April  20,  1864,  and  to 
Colonel  January  30,  1865,  and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet 
rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Franklin  Sawyer  entered  the  Eighth  Ohio  Infantry  as  Captain,  April  20, 
1861 ;  he  was  promoted  to  Major  July  8,  1861 ;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Novem- 
ber 25,  1861,  and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet  rank  dates 
from  March  13,  1865. 

Lionel  A.  Sheldon  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty-Second 
Ohio,  September  6,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Colonel  March  14,  1862,  and  mus- 
tered out  with  his  regiment.    His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Thomas  C.  H.  Smith  entered  the  service  August  23,  1861,  as  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  First  Ohio  Cavalry.  Was  promoted  to  Colonel  December  31, 
1862.  This  promotion  was  revoked,  as  he  had  been  appointed  Brigadier-Gen- 
eral by  the  President,  November  29,  1862.  He  served  on  the  staff  of  Major- 
General  John  Pope,  sharing  the  varied  fortunes  of  that  officer  till  sometime 
after  the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  was  mustered  out  of  the  service. 

G.  W.  Shurtlifp  entered  the  Seventh  Ohio  Three  Months'  Eegiment  as 
ain,  April  22,  1861,  and  resigned  March  18,  1863.     He  was  afterward  ap- 
pointed Colonel  of  the  Fifth  Eegiment  United  States  Colored  Troops.     His  bre- 
vet rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

A    /kAT^°K  SLEVIN  Wa8  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  One  Hun- 
dredth Ohm   August   8,  1862;  was   promoted  to  Colonel,  May  13,  1863,   and 

Zxh130,rI865diSCha^ged,  N°VembCr  30>  1864'     HiS  bl'eVet  rank  datCS  fr°m 

Tw^SMx.T  L-  STH  WaS   aPP°inted   <#«&   of  the    One    Hundred    and 
of  2  Fi  st  o»  Ptember  10'  1862'  haVhlg  ********  §erVed  a9  C0l0nel 

otticei  of  the  regular  army,  and  a  fine  disciplinarian. 


Slocum-Ste  adman.  983 

Willard  Slocum  entered  the  Twenty-Third  Ohio  June  1,  1861,  as  Cap- 
tain, and  resigned  July  17  following.  He  was  appointed  First-Lieutenant  of 
the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth  Ohio  August  25,  1862;  promoted  to  Major 
February  18,  1863,  and  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  September  8,  1863.  He  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Orland  Smith  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Seventy-Third  Ohio  October 
3,  1861.  He  resigned,  February  17,  1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
13,  1865.  He  was,  both  before  and  since  his  military  service,  connected  with 
the  Marietta  and  Cincinnati  Eailroad. 

Orlow  Smith  entered  the  service  as  a  Captain  of  the  Sixty-Fifth  Ohio 
November  25,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  Major  September  23,  1863 ;  to  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel October  10,  1865,  and  to  Colonel  November  24,  1865.  He  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Joab  A.  Stafford  served  in  the  First  Ohio  Infantry  from  the  beginning 
of  its  organization  as  a  three  months'  regiment,  and  was  mustered  out  as  Major 
in  1864.  He  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Seventy- 
Eighth  Ohio  September  26,  1864.  He  was  mustered  out  after  the  discharge  of 
the  regiment  in  June,  1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Anson  Stager  served  as  additional  aid-de-camp,  reaching  the  rank  of 
Colonel.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865.  He  is  the  Superintend- 
ent of  the  Great  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company,  and  through  the  war 
w\as  the  superintendent  of  military  telegraphs.  His  relations  were  necessarily 
of  the  most  confidential  nature  with  the  President,  the  Secretary  of  War,  and 
the  General-in-Chief.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  telegraphing,  his  earnest- 
ness, prudence,  and  devotion,  made  his  services  in  this  capacity  invaluable;  and 
his  brevet  rank  is  due  to  the  high  estimate  placed  upon  them  by  the  leading 
officers  of  the  Administration.  He  was  in  the  war  from  the  very  first,  having 
accompanied  General  McClellan  to  the  field  in  the  first  West  Virginia  cam- 
paign.    He  resides  in  Cleveland. 

Timothy  It.  Stanley  was  Colonel  of  the  Eighteenth  Ohio  in  the  three 
months'  service,  his  commission  bearing  date  May  29,  1861.  He  was  re-com- 
missioned Colonel  of  the  same  regiment  in  the  three  years'  service,  August  6, 
1861.  He  was  mustered  out  November  9,  1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from 
March  13,  1865.  He  is  an  influential  politician  of  the  Republican  party  in  his 
district,  and  has  represented  it  in  the  State  Senate. 

William  Steadman  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  Sixth  Ohio  Cavalry 
October  21,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  August  3,  1863;  to 
Colonel  January  1,  1864;  mustered  out  October  6,  1864.  His  brevet  rank 
dates  from  March  13,  1865.  General  Steadman  is  one  of  the  Western  Eeserve 
Radicals,  and  has  been  repeatedly  required  by  his  fellow-citizens  to  serve  them 
in  the  State  Legislature. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

William  Stough  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Ninth  Ohio  Cavalry; 
was  promoted  to  Major  September  8,  1864;  and  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  October 
I  ]v,  |  i|,.  uas  mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from 
March  18  1865,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  in  the  battle  of  Fayette- 
villo,  North  Carolina." 

Silas  A.  Strickland  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Fiftieth 
Ohio  August  17,  1862,  and  was  promoted  to  Colonel  October  16  following.     He 

MiiMriv.l  out  with  his  regiment.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  May  27, 1865. 

Edgar  Sowers  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Eigh- 
teenth Ohio  August  13,  1862;  was  promoted  to  Major  October  12,  1864;  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel  January  6,  1865,  and  to  Colonel  June  20,  1865.  He  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Peter  J.  Sullivan  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Forty - 
Eighth  Ohio  November  23,  1861,  and  was  promoted  to  Colonel  January  23, 
1862.    He  resigned  August  7, 1863.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13, 1865. 

Jacob  E.  Taylor  was  commissioned  Captain  of  the  Thirtieth  Ohio  Au- 
gust 22,  1861 ;  was  promoted  to  Major  of  the  Fortieth  Ohio  October  29,  1861  ; 
then  to  Lieutenant-Colonel;  and,  on  February  5,  1863,  to  Colonel,  and  was  mus- 
tered out  October  7,  1864.  On  the  4th  of  March,  1865,  he  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighty -Eighth  Ohio,  with  which  he  served 
till  September,  1865,  when  he  was  mustered  out.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from 
March  13,  1865. 


Thomas  T.  Baylor  was  commissioned  Captain  of  the  Forty-Seventh  Ohio 
August  28,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  December  30,  1862;  to  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  June  15,  1865,  and  to  Colonel  August  10,  1865.  His  brevet  rank  dates 
l'rom  March  13,  1865. 

David  Thompson  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Eighty-Second  Ohio 
November  14,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  April  9.  1862;  to  Lieutenant-Col- 
onel August  29,  1862.  He  was  afterward  appointed  Brevet  Colonel,  and  was 
mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet  rank  as  Brigadier-General  dates 
from  March  13,  1865. 

c  i  J°,HN,t   mURLEY'  °f  Portsmouth>  Ohio,  was  commissioned   Lieutenant- 
Colonel  of  the  Twenty-Second  Ohio  April  23,  1861.     He  served  with  this  regi- 

'1  1       I  t8?f  *  ^^  m°nth8'  8ervi-     He  ™  appointed  Lieutenant. 

Stol^T^™0  AUgUSt  19<  1861'  b^  *5**  »** nber  1st 

or     e  aame  year     He  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Ninety-First  Ohio  August 

862,  jUh  winch  regiment  he  served  until  November  4,  1864,   when  he 

17  18  4       S°n  T"'  °f  W°UndS  reCeiVGd  in  atti0n  — '  ^nchburg,  June 

Lewis  Von  BlES8INGh  served  as  Captain  in  the  Fonrteenth  Ohio  in  the 


Von  Schraeder— Ward.  985 

three  months'  service.  He  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  Thirty-Seventh 
Ohio  September  6,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  October  2,  1861, 
and  was  mustered  out  with  his  regiment.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March 
13,  1865. 

Alexander  Yon  Schraeder  was  commissioner!  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the 
Seventy-Fourth  Ohio  December  10,  1861.  He  was  appointed  Colonel  May  16, 
1863,  but  he  declined  promotion.  He  resigned  April  8,  1865.  He  was  appointed 
Major  and  Assistant  Adjutant-General  February  1,  1865,  which  position  he  held 
until  after  the  close  of  the  war.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865, 
"for  gallant  and  meritorious  conduct  at  the  battles  of  Stone  Eiver,  Chicka- 
mauga,  during  the  Atlanta  campaign,  and  particularly  for  the  battle  of  Jones- 
boro'."  He  was  a  German  of  military  education,  soldierly  disposition,  and 
noble  birth.  In  this  country,  however,  he  had  been  reduced  to  great  poverty, 
and  had  for  some  time  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war  earned  his  livelihood  as 
the  conductor  of  a  car  on  one  of  the  street-railroads  of  Cincinnati.  He  died 
some  time  after  the  close  of  the  war. 

Durbin  Ward  was  born  at  Augusta,  Kentucky,  February  11,  1819.  His 
father  served  in  the  war  of  1812,  and  was  under  the  flag  which  furnished  the 
occasion  for  Key's  poem,  "The  Star-Spangled  Banner."  His  grandfather  (his 
mother's  father)  also  served  in  the  same  war,  with  the  Kentucky  troops  who 
fought  in  the  North-west.'  In  1823  his  his  father  removed  to  Fayette  Count}-, 
Indiana,  where  Durbin  received  a  limited  common  school  education.  He  after- 
ward spent  two  years  at  Miami  University,  supported  by  his  own  exertions,  but 
left  the  institution  without  graduating.  He  then  took  up  the  studj-  of  the  law 
at  Lebanon,  Ohio,  first  with  Judge  Smith,  and  afterward  with  Governor  Corwin, 
with  whom  he  formed  a  partnership  in  1843.  In  1845  he  was  elected  Proseeu- 
ting-Attorney  of  Warren  County,  an  office  to  which  he  was  re-elected  succes- 
sively for  six  years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  in  1851-52.  In  1855 
he  gave  up  his  ancient  Whig  faith,  arid  united  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
was  a  bitter  opponent  of  "KnowT-N"othingism."  In  1856  he  was  defeated  as  a 
candidate  for  Congress,  and  in  1858  he  was  again  defeated  as  a  candidate  for 
the  office  of  Attorney-General  of  the  State  on  the  Democratic  ticket.  At  the 
Charleston  and  Baltimore  Conventions,  of  which  he  was  a  member,  he  was  a 
firm  adherent  to  Douglas,  whose  doctrine  of  popular  sovereignty  Mr.  Ward  sup- 
ported in  a  pamphlet  published  in  the  fall  of  1860. 

Durbin  Ward  claims  to  have  been  the  first  volunteer  in  his  district,  having 
begun  to  raise  a  company  before  President  Lincoln's  proclamation,  in  the  belief 
that  war  would  ensue  upon  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter.  He  served  through  the 
three  months'  service  as  a  private  in  the  Twelfth  Ohio,  though  during  a  portion 
of  the  time  he  was  detailed  as  a  member  of  the  staff  of  General  Schleich.  At 
the  end  of  his  three  months'  term  he  was  appointed  Major  of  the  Seventeenth 
Ohio,  with  which,  in  October,  1861,  he  took  the  field  in  Southern  Kentucky. 
He  participated  in  the  battles  of  Wild  Cat,  Mill  Springs,  Corinth,  Perryville, 
Stone    Eiver,   Hoover's    Gap,   Tullahoma,   Chickamauga,   and  throughout  the 


086  Ohio  in  the  War. 

.  .luring  which  he  commanded  his  regiment  with  his  left  arm 

tVo.n  the  effect  of  the  very  severe  wound  he  received  at  the  battle  of 

i  ,,.a.     Having  accidentally  injured  this  arm  at  the  close  of  that  cam- 

,  Bnd  fearing  the  effect  upon  it  of  Sherman's  march  to  the  sea,  he  resigned 

er  8,  1864.    Nevertheless  he  remained  at  Nashville  when  Hood  threat- 

and  acted  as  volunteer  aid  on  the  staff  of  General  Schofield.     He  was 

i  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  in  Fehruary,  1863,  and  to  Colonel  the  following 

November.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  October  18,   1865,    "for  gallant  and 

meritorious  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Chickamauga." 

r  the  war  he  opened  an  office  in  Washington  City  for  the  prosecution 
of  claims.  Being  a  supporter  of  the  policy  of  President  Johnson  he  took  part 
in  the  National  Union  Convention  at  Philadelphia,  and  the  Soldiers'  Convention 
at  Cleveland  in  1866.  He  was  placed  in  nomination  for  Congress  in  the  Third 
Ohio  District  against  General  Schenck,  but  was  defeated.  On  October  18,  1866, 
be  received  the  appointment  of  District-Attorney  for  the  Southern  District  of 
Ohio.  He  was  married  November  27th  of  the  same  year  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
Probasco.  Throughout  his  military  career  he  was  a  bold,  zealous,  fighting 
officer,  having  the  full  confidence  of  his  men.  In  political  action  he  then  sym- 
pathized with  the  Union  party;  and  some  of  the  most  fervid  and  effectivo 
addresses  from  the  army  to  the  voters  at  home  came  from  his  pen.  His  belief 
in  the  intellectual  inferiority  of  the  negro  race,  and  his  hostility  to  negro  suf- 
frage, had  much  to  do  with  his  return  to  the  Democratic  party  after  the  close 
of  the  war. 

rs  B.  Warner  was  commissioned  Major  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Thir- 
teenth  Ohio  September  8,  1862;  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  April 
20.  1863,  and  to  Colonel  February  23,  1865.  He  resigned  June  6,  1865.  His 
brevel  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865,  "for  gallant  and  meritorious  services  at 
the  battle  of  Kenesaw  Mountain." 

George  E.  Welles  was  commissioned  First- Lieutenant  of  the  Sixty-Eighth 
Ohio  October  29,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  July  5,  1862;  to  Jjieutenant- 
Coloncl  May  16,  1863,  and  to  Colonel  January  16,  1865.  He  was  mustered  out 
with  the  regiment  July  10, 1865.     His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

HlHM  \l.  West  entered  the  service  October  3,  1861,  as  Second-Lieutenant 
in  the  Sixty  Second  Ohio  Infantry.  He  was  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant  De- 
<<»>ber  18,  1861;  to  Captain  SeptembeV  18,  1862;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  October 
16,  1864;  to  Colonel  April,  1865,  and'  finally  to  Brevet  Brigadier-General.  He 
JM  participated  in  the  following  engagements:  Winchester,  March  23.  1862; 

'  Republic,  Fort  Wagner,  Port  Waltham  Junction,  Deep  Eun,  Deep  Bottom, 
'arket   Road,   Darbytown    Eoad,  and    Petersburg.     He   received    three 

nds-one  at  Fort  Wagner,  one  at  Deep  Eun,  and  one  at  Eice's  Station.  He 
—  mattered  out  of  the  service  on  the  15th  of  December,  1865. 

Horatio  K.  Whitbeck  was  commissioned  Captain^of  the  Sixty-Fifth  Ohio 
&er  2,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  October  7,  1862;  and  to  Lieuten- 


White— Wood.  987 

ant-Colonel  March  22,  1863.     He  resigned  August  16,  1865.     His  brevet  rank 
dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Carr  B.  White  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Twelfth  Ohio 
June  28,  1861,  and  was  promoted  to  Colonel  September  10th  following.  He  was 
mustered  out  July  11,  1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865,  "for 
gallant  and  faithful  services  at  the  battle  of  Cloyd's  Mountain,  Virginia." 

James  A.  Wilcox  was  born  at  Columbus,  September  23,  1828.  ne  is  the 
son  of  P.  B.  Wilcox,  Esq.,  for  many  years  a  distinguished  lawyer  in  Ohio.  He 
graduated  at  Yale  College  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law  at  Columbus  in 
1852.  In  September,  1862,  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirteenth  Ohio  Infantry.  In  the  following  December  he  took  the  regiment  to 
Kentucky,  and  for  some  time  was  engaged  in  guarding  the  bridges  over  Big  Run 
and  Sulphur  Fork,  on  the  Louisville  and  Nashville  Railroad.  In  February, 
1863,  the  regiment  moved  to  Nashville,  and  thence  to  Franklin,  where  it  con- 
stituted a  part  of  the  reserve  of  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland.  In  April,  1863, 
Colonel  Wilcox,  on  account  of  domestic  affliction  and  impaired  health,  was  com- 
pelled to  resign  and  return  home.  In  May,  1863,  he  was  appointed  Provost- 
Marshal  of  the  Seventh  District  of  Ohio;  in  which  capacity  he  served  until 
September  3,  1864,  when  he  was  made,  by  the  War  Department,  Acting  Assist- 
ant Provost-Marshal  General,  Chief  Mustering  Officer,  and  Superintendent  of 
Recruiting  for  Ohio,  and,  when  General  Cox  took  his  seat  as  Governor  of  the 
State,  he  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  District  of  Ohio.  On  the  19th  of 
October,  1865,  Colonel  Wilcox  was  brevetted  Brigadier-General  '-for  meritorious 
services  in  the  recruitment  of  the  armies  of  the  United  States." 

Aquila  Wiley  was  a  Captain  in  the  Sixteenth  Ohio  in  the  three  months' 
service;  was  commissioned  Captain  of  the  Forty-First  Ohio  September  19,  1861; 
he  was  promoted  to  Major  March  1,  1862 ;  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  November  20, 
1862,  and  to  Colonel  November  29  following.  He  was  honorably  discharged 
June  7, 1864.  His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865  "for  gallant  and  meri- 
torious services  at  the  battles  of  Mission  Ridge,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  and 
Chattanooga,  and  faithful  services  during  the  war." 

William  T.  Wilson  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the. Fifteenth 
Ohio  August  6,  1861,  and  resigned  August  11,  1862.  On  the  26th  of  September, 
1862,  he  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Third  Ohio, 
with  which  regiment  he  served  until  it  was  mustered  out  June  12,  1865.  His 
brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 

Oliver  Wood  served  during  the  three  months'  service  as  First-Lieutenant 
in  the  Twenty-Second  Ohio;  entered  the  same  regiment  in  the  three  years' 
service  as  Captain  August  21,  1861;  was  promoted  to  Major  May  9,  1862,  and  to 
Colonel  September  22,  1862.  After  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  service  of  tho 
regiment  he  served  as  Colonel  of  the  Fourth  United  States  Veteran  Volunteers. 
His  brevet  rank  dates  from  March  13,  1865. 


ggm  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

Thomas  L.  Young  was  born  on  the  14th  of  December,  1832,  near  Belfast,  in 
north  of  Ireland.  He  came  to  this  country  when  very  young,  received  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  was  graduated  at  the  law  school  of  the  Cincinnati 
When  not  quite  sixteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  United  States 
regular  array  during  the  last  year  of  the  Mexican  War.  During  his  ten  years 
service  in  the  army— five  years  of  which  time  he  was  Orderly  Sergeant  of  com- 
pany "A,"  Third  Kegiment  of  Artillery,  commanded  most  of  that  period  by 
Captain  and  Brevet  Major  John  F.  .Reynolds  (afterward  Major-General  com- 
manding the  First  and  Second  Corps,  and  killed  at  Gettysburg) — he  was  con- 
luiUd  with  an  exploring  expedition  through  the  Western  Territories  of  Kansas, 
Nebraska,  Montana,  Utah,  Oregon,  Nevada,  and  Arizona,  and  served  several 
years  on  the  frontiers  among  the  Indians.  Becoming  tired  of  the  aimless  life  of 
a  soldier  in  time  of  peace,  he  returned  to  Pennsylvania  and  engaged  in  mercan- 
tile pursuits  until  1859,  when  he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  was  soon  afterward 
appointed  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  House  of  Refuge  Reform  School, 
which  position  he  held  until  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  rebellion. 

Mr.  Young  claims  to  have  been  the  first  volunteer  from  Hamilton  County, 
as  on  the  18th  of  March,  1861,  twenty-five  days  before  the  Rebels  fired  on  Fort 
Sumter,  foreseeing  the  inevitable  result  of  the  state  of  feeling  between  the  people 
of  the  North  and  the  leaders  of  the  South,  he  wrote  a  letter  volunteering  his 
military  services  as  an  assistant  to  help  organize  the  volunteer  forces,  to  Licu- 
Unant-General  Winfield  Scott,  to  whom  he  was  personally  known;  and  to  which 
letter  ho  received  the  following  reply,  in  the  handwriting  of  the  old  chieftain  : 

"  Head-Quaeters  of  the  Army,     ^ 
"Washington,  March  22,  1861.  } 
"Dear  Sir:  I  have  received  your  friendly  patriotic  note  of  the  18th  inst.     I  appreciate  the 
■cntimcnUi  of  your  communication  which  are  worthy  of  a  faithful  old  soldier,  but  I  sincerely 
truBt  that  no  occasion  may  arise  to  require  your  military  service*.     Peace  is  the  interest  of  all 
our  countrymen,  and  it  is  my  prayer  that  peace  may  be  preserved. 
M  .  "I  remain  your  friend  and  fellow-citizen, 

Thomas  L.  Young,  Esq.,  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  WINFIELD  SCOTT." 

On  the  18th  of  April  Mr.  Young  assisted  in  the  organization  of  a  volunteer 

company  of  Home-Guards,  and  drilled  it,  but  as  a  company  it  never  went  into 

I"  August,  1861,  he  received  the  appointment  of  Captain  in  Fremont's 

iwd.  and  served  in  it  until  about  the  1st  of  January,  1862,  when  the 

•iran.zat.on  was  disbanded  by  General  Halleck.     Eeturning  from  Missouri,  in- 

at  the  Administration  for  removing  General  Fremont  in  whoee  honesty 

W  1-urposo  and  military  genius  Mr.  Young  had  at  that  time  great  confidence,  he 

|™  *«  editor  of  a  Democratic  paper  at  Sidney,  Ohio,  and  while  he  opposed 

'e  acts  of  the  Administration,  and  condemned  the  weak-kneed  policy 

";      PW"ed  toward  the  Eebels,  he  never  swerved  nor  faltered  in  advocating 

P-  rZ8  7Tt[T  °f  thC  Wai*-     He  had  bee»  W««W*  with  the  Democratic 

•  tiom  the  time  he  was  old  enough  to  have  political  opinions  until  the  foil 

*~  1-  considered  that  the  Democracy  ignored   their  principles,  and 

2  K2S 1  countly' he  then  united  ** the »»»  W 

*  sr,  i«D.,he  again  volunteered  and  was  appointed  Captain  to  recruit 


Zahm— Zeiglee.  989 

a  company  for  the  One  Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Regiment,  and  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  regiment  he  was  its  first  Major.  While  holding  this  rank  he  was 
detached  to  act  as  provost-marshal  at  several  points  in  Kentucky,  where  his 
name  was  held  in  fear  and  detestation  by  the  Rebels' and  their  sympathizers. 
In  February,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel.  The  Colonel  of  his 
regiment  being  in  command  of  a  brigade,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Young  commanded 
the  regiment  through  the  whole  campaign  in  East  Tennessee.  In  April,  1864, 
his  Colonel  having  resigned,  he  was  commissioned  Colonel  and  served  as  such 
until  the  14th  of  September  following,  when  he  was  honorably  discharged  for 
disability  caused  by  disease  contracted  during  the  Atlanta  campaign. 

At  the  battle  of  Resaca  Colonel  Young  led  the  first  charge  on  the  center  of 
the  enemy's  works,  where  his  regiment  was  repulsed  with  great  slaughter,  losing 
one  hundred  and  sixteen  men  out  of  two  hundred  and  seventy  in  a  few  minutes. 
For  this  and  other  acts  of  gallantry  the  President,  on  the  13th  of  March,  1865, 
brevetted  him  Brigadier-General  of  volunteers.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
was  elected  from  Hamilton  County  to  the  State  Legislature,  where  he  took  an 
important  part  especially  in  military  legislation.  In  October,  1867,  he  was 
elected  Recorder  of  Hamilton  County. 

Lewis  Zahm  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  Third  Ohio  Cavalry  August 
6,  1861,  and  was  honorably  discharged  January  5,  1863.  His  brevet  rank  dates 
from  March  13,  1865. 

George  M.  Zeigler  was  commissioned  Second -Lieutenant  of  the  Forty- 
Seventh  Ohio  Infantry  August  28,  1861;  was  promoted  to  First-Lieutenant  De- 
cember 6,  1861;  to  Captain  December  28,  1862;  and  to  Colonel  of  Fifty-Second 
Regiment  United  States  Colored  Troops  December  22,  1864.  His  brevet  rank 
dates  from  March  13,  1865. 


OUR  HEROIC    DEAD. 


COLONEL  MINOR  MILLIKIN. 


THUS  far  references  to  personal  knowledge  by  the  author  of  his  sub- 
jects has  been  in  the  main  avoided;  but  I  can  not  bring  myself  to 
write  impersonally  of  Minor  Millikin.  He  was  my  long-time  friend— 
his  death  was  the  cruellest  personal  bereavement  which  the  war  brought  to  me. 
If  I  write  of  him,  therefore,  with  a  disproportionate  warmth,  I  must  beg  that 
the  excuse  be  therein  found. 

Colonel  Millikin  was  the  eldest  son  of  Major  John  M.  Millikin,  formerly  3 
lawyer  of  Hamilton,  and  long  known  as  the  President  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture,  and  one  of  the  foremost  among  that  body  of  retired  professional  men 
of  wealth  and  culture  who  adorn  the  vocation  of  Ohio  farmers.  Minor  was 
bom  on  the  9th  of  July,  1834.  His  early  education  was  acquired  in  the  high 
schools  of  Hamilton,  and  under  the  watchful  eyes  of  his  parents.  In  1850  he 
was  sent  to  Hanover  College,  Indiana,  where  he  passed  through  the  course  of 
study  of  the  Freshman  and  Sophomore  classes.  In  1852  he  went  to  Miami  Uni- 
versity, and  there  completed  his  collegiate  education. 

Be  ranked  foremost  among  all  the  students  then  in  that  honored  old  insti- 
tution.    He  was  not  known  as  a  remarkable  scholar,  nor  was  he  ever  popular. 
But   there  was  about   him   an'  individuality  so  intense   and    so   striking  that 
wherever  he  was  placed  he  was  the  center  of  attention.     Nothing  could  exceed 
his  personal   independence,  his  uniform  regard  for  the  rights  and   feelings  of 
others,  his  peremptory  requirement  that  under  all  circumstances,  in  all  places, 
from  ill  persons  a  similar  regard  should  be  extended  to  his  own.     Professor  or 
Went  might  infringe  upon  them,  but  never  without  an  instant  and  indig- 
nant protest,  which  proceeded  upon  the  simple  basis  that  he  was  a  gentleman, 
and  do  college  official  could  be  more.     Colleges  not  yet  being  perfection,  it  was 
quite  natural  that  all  this  should  involve  him  in  difficulties.     He  was  repeatedly 
•ought  before  the  Faculty,  and  more  than  once  threatened  with  suspension  or 
-.  but  he  never  failed  to  maintain  his  position  and  carry  his  points.     He 
was  known  as  the  athlete  of  the  institution-the  best  jumper,  foot-ball  player, 
xer,  fencer,  rider.    He  was  the  most  nervous  and  original  writer,  and  alto- 
(990)  ° 


HEROIC 


Moore 


JHoaers.  Sc.  2T.Y 

"WxLstack  8=  - 


•  •  ••  • 

•  <  •  •  ■ 

•  •  •  •  • 


Minor   Millikin.  991 

gether  the  most  striking  debater  in  his  society.  Withal  he  was  a  ladies'  man, 
but  after  an  independent  fashion  of  his  own  that  brought  down  upon  him  the 
wrath  of  the  respectable  Doctor  of  Divinity  at  the  head  of  the  Female  College. 
Students  of  Miami,  of  those  days,  still  recall  with  amusement  the  revenge  of  the 
young  Senior.  He  was  the  "honor  orator"  of  his  society  at  the  winter  exhi- 
bition then  about  to  be  given.  The  President  of  the  Female  College  was  in 
attendance  with  large  numbers  of  his  fair  pupils.  Thereupon  the  orator  aban- 
doned his  announced  speech,  took  prevailing  systems  of  female  education  for  his 
subject,  and  made  perfectly  courteous,  but  all  the  more  delicious,  fun  of  the  good 
doctor's  methods  for  an  hour  before  his  pupils.  To  these  traits  of  Young  Milli- 
kin's  college  life  it  should  be  added  that  he  was  an  unaffectedly  devout  Chris- 
tian ;  and  that  in  the  delicate  refinement  of  his  language  and  habits,  and  even 
in  the  faultless  elegance  of  his  toilet,  he  was  more  like  a  lady  than  the  muscular 
champion  of  his  class. 

He  was  graduated  with  high,  though  not  distinguished,  standing  in  1854. 
He  went  immediately  to  the  Harvard  Law  School.  Here  he  came  to  be  best 
known  by  his  prominence  in  the  exciting  discussions  of  the  slavery  questions 
of  the  time  in  the  Law  School  Moot  Congress.  An  attempt  was  made  by  the 
Southern  students  to  adopt  the  bullying  tone  then  prevalent  at  Washington,  and 
to  break  up  the  debates.  Two  young  men  led  the  firm  and  successful  opposi- 
tion to  this  attempt.  One  was  Geo.  W.  Smalley  (son-in-law  to  Wendell  Phillips), 
the  other,  Minor  Millikin. 

The  next  year  he  returned  to  Cincinnati  and  entered  the  law  office  of  his 
father's  friend,  Thomas  Corwin.  A  year  later  he  married  Miss  Mollyneaux,  of 
Oxford,  to  whom  he  had  been  engaged  while  at  college,  and  started  to  Europe 
on  a  bridal  tour,  which  was  prolonged  for  a  twelvemonth. 

On  his  return  he  purchased  the  Hamilton  Intelligencer,  the  Republican 
organ  of  his  native  county,  and  for  the  n£xt  two  years  edited  it.  He  had  never 
intended  to  practice  his  profession,  but  he  improved  the  opportunities  of  leisure 
now  afforded  him  to  review  and  extend  his  studies.  Then,  disposing  of  his 
newspaper,  he  retired  to  his  farm,  near  that  of  his  father,  in  the  vicinity  of 
Hamilton,  and  was  engaged  in  improving  it,  and  building,  when  the  war  broke 
out.  He  was  a  young  husband  and  a  father;  he  was  comparatively  wealthy; 
was  engaged  in  the  pursuits  most  to  his  taste;  was  less  exposed  to  the  allure- 
ments which  the  chances  for  advancement  in  the  army  offered  than  the  most. 
But  from  the  day  on  which  the  war  was  begun  he  gave  himself  up  to  it. 

His  tastes  and  his  superb  horsemanship  naturally  inclined  him  to  the  cav- 
alry service.  There  was  great  difficulty  at  first  in  getting  cavalry  companies 
accepted,  and  recruiting  was  consequently  discouraged.  But  he  enlisted  him- 
self as  a  private,  and  soon  had  the  nucleus  of  a  company.  The  Government 
could  not  be  induced  to  furnish  horses  in  time,  and,  to  get  the  company  off  for  the 
West  Virginia  campaign,  he  advanced  the  funds  to  purchase  twenty-four  out  of 
his  own  pocket.  His  recruits  were  united  to  Captain  Burdsall's  Cincinnati  com- 
pany, and  Millikin  presently  became  sergeant,  and  then  Lieutenant.  He  re- 
turned from  the  three  months'  campaign  in  West  Virginia  with  the  confidence 


992  Ohio  in   the  War 

of  his  ,mn.  and  the  indorsement  of  his  commanders  as  the  best  of  the  cavalry 
officers  on 'duty  iii  that  department.  Thus  recommended  he  was  soon  ap- 
pointed a  Major  in  the  first  regiment  ot  Ohio  cavalry  raised  for  the  three  years' 

service. 

Here  Major  Million's  old  habits  of  personal  independence  and  frank  ex- 
pression of  opinions,  coupled  with  his  unconcealed  distaste  of  the  coarse  habits 
of  some  of  his  associates,  bred  troubles  from  which  he  escaped  only  a  little  be- 
fore his  death.  Of  the  way  in  which  these  troubles  arose,  this  unique  letter  to 
his  Colonel  may  afford  a  suggestion : 

"Colonel  O.  P.  Eansom— Bear  Sir:  It  is  with  extreme  reluctance  I  bring  myself  to  write 
this  letter.  In  the  beginning  I  beg  you  to  believe  that  nothing  but  the  strong  sense  of  duty,  too 
long  smothered  by  a  desire  to  avoid  even  a  suspicion  of  fault-finding  or  disaffection,  now  moves 
me  to  its  compositon.  At  last  thoroughly  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  my  acting  on  the  convic- 
tions I  have  for  weeks  entertained,  I  shall  no  longer  try  to  avoid  any  pain  these  convictions  may 
bring. 

"Your  habits,  Colonel  Ransom,  your  intemperate  excesses,  are  of  such  a  character  as  entirely 
to  negative  my  faith  in,  and  respect  for  your  other  good  qualities.  Since  in  command  of  this 
regiment  they  have  oftener  than  twice  or  thrice  brought  all  your  ability  into  contempt,  all  your 
nobleness  into  humiliation,  all  your  dignity  into  ridicule.  Even  while  commandant  of  this  post, 
you,  my  Colonel,  have  been  so  beneath  and  unlike  yourself  as  to  share  alike  the  sneers  of  your 
inferiors  and  the  blushes  of  your  friends.  For  while  your  enemy  has  had  no  absolute  rule  over 
you,  it  has  incapacitated  you  from  advance  and  crippled  all  your  energies.  The  genuine  admi- 
ration which  your  many  brilliant  and  attractive  qualities  have  drawn  from  the  officers  under  you 
(amounting  in  my  own  case  to  something  like  affection),  has  been  by  your  unfortunate  conduct 
first  checked  and  latterly  changed  into  misgivings  and  distrust.  Even  the  privates  make  you  an 
excuse  for  conduct  you  would  be  the  first  to  condemn,  while  officers  of  other  regiments  and  citi- 
zens make  sueh  comments,  suggest  such  sneers,  and  often  ask  such  questions  as  your  subalterns 
dare  not  answer  with  truth,  or  pass  unnoticed  with  self-respect.  Over  all,  I  have  the  terrible  re- 
flection (gathered  from  your  easy  yielding  to  temptation  in  camp,  which  I  know  will  be  a  hun- 
dred-fold increased  in  the  field),  that  when  my  reliance  on  your  invariable  self-command  ought 
to  be  greatest,  my  mistrust  of  my  superior  officer  will  be  most  painful  and  pernicious. 

"Under  the  circumstances  I  do  not  consider  it  my  duty  to  serve  under  you.  I  believe  it 
would  be  unjust  to  you,  unjust  to  my  own  character,  unjust  to  those  who  love  my  life,  unjust  to 
the  many  lives  under  us,  unjust  to  the  great  cause  for  which  we  fight.  Either  my  Colonel  or  my 
Colonel's  habits  must  be  changed.  I  have  only,  then,  to  say  that  on  any  recurrence  of  your  un- 
fortunate habit  I,  with  other  officers  of  the  regiment,  will,  prefer  charges  against  you  in  such  a 
manner  as  will  be  effectual. 

"I  do  not  fear,  Colonel  Ransom,  that  you  will  find  any  touch  of  unkind ness  or  disrespect  in 
this.  You  are  too  generous  for  that.  Though  far  your  junior  in  years,  I  have  seen  too  much  of 
life  to  be  very  self-righteous— far  too  much,  dear  sir,  to  feel  any  otherwise  than  charitable  and  for- 
giving toward  your  misfortune.  God  has  been  too  good  to  me  that  I  should  put  in  a  single  shade 
of  conceit  or  severity  toward  my  fellows.  Besides  you  have  all  my  past  conduct  since  with  you 
as  the  best  interpreter  of  my  present  words.  Neither  will  you  suspect  me  of  any  selfish  or  sinis- 
ter designs.  I  was  put  here  without  solicitation,  without  even  knowing  of  my  promotion,  until 
it  was  made,  and  I  certainly  have  nothing  to  gain  or  lose  by  anything  which  may  happen  you. 

Your  conduct  toward  me  has  always  been  of  the  kindest.  I  recognize  in  you  the  bearing 
ot  a  genuine  gentleman.  I  have  not  one  single  objection  to  make  here  to  your  management  of 
the  regiment  as  Colonel,  and  if  I  have,  I  have  too  much  respect  for  strict  discipline  even  to 
a  low  it  expression  You  must  always  have  seen  in  me,  sir,  a  strong  desire  to  please  you.  I  am 
glad  to  say  here  that  I  shall  always  be  proud  to  deserve  your  good  opinion-both  as  an  officer 
tZuTT  ^    ?  Unif0m  Pleasant  relation8  between  us  wil1  always  continue,  and  I  par- 

ncv  of  vo°uPeT°Ur  ?         "  ;elati°n8  WlU  remain  ™<*-ged,  when  I  consider  the  utter  incompe- 

oneltt  defLn^rr"  /''  C°l0ne1'  in  "*  matter  a11  other  considerations  are  merged  in 
one—  the  defect  is  fatal;  my  duty  imperative. 


MlNOR    MlLLIKIN.  993 

"With  many  misgivings,  but  with  a  firm  faith  in  my  own  honesty  and  your  magnanimity,  I 
subscribe  myself,  very  faithfully  your  friend,  MINOR  MlLLIKIN." 

If  more  manly  and  touching  words  were  addressed  by  any  subordinate  to 
his  superior  during  the  war,  I  have  failed  to  see  them. 

After  a  time  the  Colonel  of  the  regiment  resigned.  Minor  Millikin,  the  junior 
Major  of  the  regiment,  was  promoted  to  the  vacant  Colonelcy.  The  promotion 
was  based  upon  his  acknowledged  merits,  but  it  wrought  him  great  harm.  One 
of  the  officers  over  whose  heads  he  was  thus  lifted  was  brother  to  the  Governor 
of  the  State,  another  had  such  influential  friends  as  presently  to  secure  a  Brig- 
adier-General's commission,  all  were  older  than  himself.  Dissatisfaction  of 
course  arose,  all  manner  of  complaints  wTere  made,  officers  threatened  to  resign 
by  wholesale,  and  finally  the  charge  was  made  that  Colonel  Millikin  was  too 
young  and  too  ignorant  of  cavalry  tactics  to  lead  Ohio's  first  cavaly  regiment. 
The  result  was  that  he  was  ordered  before  a  board  of  regular  officers  for  exam- 
ination. Some  delays  ensued,  but  when  at  last  the  examination  was  held,  he 
passed  it  triumphantly,  and  received  the  warmest  compliments  of  the  examiners. 

While  the  matter  was  pending,  Colonel  Millikin  served  on  the  staff  of  Gen- 
eral George  H.  Thomas,  who  was,  throughout,  his  warm  personal  friend. 
When  at  last  his  regiment  was  returned  to  him  he  found  it  much  demoralized 
by  bickerings  among  the  officers,  and  the  general  uncertainty  as  to  its  control. 
What  he  did  with  it  may  be  elsewhere  read. 

But  he  was  not  long  to  lead  the  disciplined  organization  he  had  created. 
In  the  battle  of  Stone  Kiver  he  was  sent  to  repel  attacks  of  Eebel  cavalry  on  the 
rear  of  the  army.  Seeking  to  protect  a  valuable  train  he  ordered  a  charge,  and 
himself  lead  it.  The  force  of  the  enemy  at  that  point  was  superior,  and  he 
presently  found  himself,  writh  a  small  part  of  his  regiment,  cut  off.  He  refused 
to  surrender,  and  encouraged  his  men  to  cut  their  way  out.  A  hand-to-hand 
encounter  followed.  Colonel  Millikin's  fine  swordsmanship  enabled  him  to  pro- 
tect himself  with  his  saber.  After  a  contest  for  some  minutes  with  several 
assailants,  one  of  them,  enraged  at  his  obstinate  resistance,  shot  him  with  a 
revolver,  while  he  was  engaged  in  parrying  the  strokes  of  another.  The  regi- 
ment charged  again  a  few  minutes  later  and  recovered  the  body,  but  not  before 
it  had  been  stripped  of  sword,  watch,  and  purse. 

Let  me  show  something  more  of  the  character  of  the  young  hero  thus 
cruelly  cut  off,  by  this  sad  fragment  that  was  found  among  his  papers.  Some 
of  its  phrases  would  seem  to  indicate  that  he  intended  it  for  circulation  among 
the  men  of  his  command: 

THE  SOLDIER'S  CREED. 

"  I  have  enlisted  in  the  service  of  my  country  for  the  term  of  three  years,  and  have  sworn 
faithfully  to  discharge  my  duty,  uphold  the  Constitution,  and  obey  the  officers  over  me. 

"Let  me  see  what  motives  I  must  have  had  when  I  did  this  thing.  It  was  not  pleasant  to 
leave  my  friends  and  my  home,  and,  relinquishing  my  liberty  and  pleasures,  bind  myself  to  hard- 
ships and  obedience  for  three  years  by  a  solemn  oath.     Why  did  I  do  it? 

"1.  I  did  it  because  I  loved  my  country.  I  thought  she  was  surrounded  by  traitors  and 
struck  by  cowardly  plunderers.     I  thought  that,  having  been  a  good  Government  to  me  and  my 

Yol.  J.— 63. 


m 


Ohio  in  the  Wak. 


m  before  me,  I  owed  it  to  her  to  defend  her  from  all  harm;  so  when  I  heard  of  the  insults 
,  d  her,  I  rose  up  as  if  some  one  had  struck  my  mother,  and  as  a  lover  of  my  country  agreed 

^K  %xZ,h  I  MB  no  great  reader  I  have  heard  the  taunts  and  insults  sent  us  working-men 
the  proud  aristocrats  of  the  South.  My  blood  has  grown  hot  when  I  heard  them  say  labor 
wu  ,!,..  \mtsxm  of  slaves  and  'mudsills;'  that  they  were  a  noble-blooded  and  we  a  mean-spirited 
people-  tint  they  had  ruled  the  country  by  their  better  pluck,  and  if  we  did  not  submit  they  would 
whipu.br  their  hetter  courage So  I  thought  the  time  had  come  to  show  these  inso- 
lent fellows  that  Northern  institutions  had  the  best  men,  and  I  enlisted  to  flog  them  into  good 
manners  and  obedience  to  their  betters. 

!  laid,  too,  that  this  war  would  disturb  the  whole  country  and  all  its  business.     The 
South  meant  'rule  or  ruin.'    It  has  Jeff.  Davis  and  the  Southern  notion  of  Government;  we  our 
old  Constitution  and  our  old  liberties.    I  couldn't  see  any  peace  or  quiet  until  we  had  whipped 
ml  m  I  enlisted  to  bring  back  peace  in  the  quickest  way. 
••  I  bad  other  reasons  but  these  were  the  main  ones.     I  enlisted  and  gave  up  home  and  com- 
fort and  took  to  the  tent  and  its  hardships.     I  have  suffered  a  great  deal— been  abused  some- 
had  niv  patience  tried  severely— been  blamed  wrongly  by  my  officers — stood  the  carelessness 
nd  dishonesty  of  some  of  my  comrades,  and  had  all  the  trials  of  a  volunteer  soldier;  but  I 
never  gave  up,  nor  rebelled,  nor  grumbled,  nor  lost  my  temper,  and  I'll  tell  you  why: 

"  1.  I  considered  I  had  enlisted  in  a  holy  cause  with  good  motives,  and  that  I  was  doing  my 
duty.    I  believe  men  who  are  doing  their  duty  in  the  face  of  difficulties  are  watched  over  by 

"2.  I  felt  that  I  was  a  servant  of  the  Government,  and  that  as  such  I  was  too  proud  to  quar- 
rel and  complain. 

"3.  I  know  if  with  such  motives  and  such  a  cause  I  could  not  be  faithful,  that  I  could  never 
think  of  myself  as  much  of  a  man  afterward. 

"And  so  I  drew  up  a  set  of  resolutions  like  this: 

"1.  As  my  health  and  strength  had  been  devoted  to  the  Government,  I  would  take  as  good 
care  of  them  as  possible — that  I  would  be  cleanly  in  my  person  and  temperate  in  all  my  habits. 
I  felt  that  to  enlist  for  the  Government  and  then  by  carelessness  or  drunkenness  make  myself 
unfit  for  service,  would  be  too  mean  an  act  for  me. 

"J.  As  the  character  I  have  assumed  is  a  noble  one,  I  will  not  disgrace  it  by  childish  quar- 
reling, by  loud  and  foolish  talking,  by  profane  swearing,  and  indecent  language.  It  struck  me 
that  these  were  the  accomplishments  of  the  ignorant  and  depraved  on  the  oilwr  side,  and  I,  for 
one,  did  not  think  them  becoming  a  Union  soldier. 

"3.  As  my  usefulness  in  a  great  measure  depends  on  my  discipline,  I  am  determined  to  keep 
my  arms  in  good  order — to  keep  my  clothing  mended  and  brushed,  to  attend  all  the  drills,  and 
do  my  best  to  master  all  my  duties  as  a  soldier,  and  make  myself  perfectly  acquainted  with  all 
the  evolutions  and  exercises,  and  thus  feel  always  ready  to  fight — it  seems  to  me  stupid  for  a 
man  to  apprentice  himself  to  as  serious  a  trade  as  war,  and  then  try  by  lying  and  deception  to 
avoid  learning  anything." 

This  was  his  own  creed.  How  well  he  lived  up  to  it  let  that  best  type  of 
an  American  soldier,  George  H.  Thomas,  tell.  After  Colonel  Millikin's  death 
(Plural  Thomas  addressed  a  letter  to  the  bereaved  father,  in  which  are  these 
words:  "It  affords  me  the  most  sincere  pleasure  to  express  to  you  and  to  Mrs. 
Millikin  my  utmost  confidence  in  him,  both  as  a  friend,  and  as  a  brave,  accom- 
plished, and  loyal  officer— one  on  whose  judgment  and  discretion  I  placed  the 

ktest  reliance.  By  his  judicious,  forbearing,  and  yet  firm  course  of  conduct, 
lie  was  enabled  to  overcome  all  prejudice  against  him  in  his  regiment,  and  his 
death  is  sincerely  regretted  by  all.  While  mourning  his  loss,  you  have  the  con- 
eolation  of  knowing  that  he  fell  a  Christian  and  patriot,  gallantlv  defending  the 
honor  of  his  country." 


Lorin  Andrews.  995 

I  must  not  prolong  this  sketch.  And  yet  I  can  not  feel  that  I  have  done 
justice  to  the  memory  of  my  dead  friend,  without  adding  the  conviction  that 
by  no  single  blow  during  the  war  did  the  Country  lose,  among  her  younger 
officers,  one  braver,  more  devoted,  more  unselfish,  more  cultured,  purer  in  char- 
acter, or  loftier  in  honorable  ambition.  No  one  on  the  sad  lists  of  the  Nation's 
slain  seems  more  nearly  to  resemble  him  than  Theodore  Winthrop.  Like  that 
lamented  officer  he  was  in  some  respects  of  too  sensitive  and  peculiar  an  organ- 
ization for  the  rough  ways  of  common  life.  But  in  the  fire  of  our  great  strug- 
gle his  true  character  shone  out;  and  in  the  halo  from  Stone  Eiver  that  now 
surrounds  the  name,  none,  even  of  his  enemies,  fail  to  do  tender  justice  to  his 
worth,  or  to  cherish  as  a  sacred  possession  the  memory  of  Minor  Millikin. 


COLONEL  LORIN  ANDREWS. 


LORIN"  ANDREWS  was  one  of  the  earliest  and  costliest  offerings  of 
Ohio  to  the  war.  He  was  not  permitted  to  develop  fully  his  military 
ability,  but  there  was  no  reason  to  doubt,  from  his  known  character, 
and  his  zeal  in  the  distinguished  positions  he  had  filled,  that  as  a  soldier  he 
would  have  reached  as  high  a  rank  as  he  had  already  won  in  civil  life. 

He  was  born  in  Ashland  County,  Ohio,  April  1,  1819.  His  early  life  was 
passed  on  his  father's  farm,  and  in  obtaining  a  good  common  school  education. 
He  afterward  took  a  collegiate  course,  and  spent  some  time  in  common  school 
teaching.  He  became  an  efficient  and  intelligent  laborer  in  the  cause  of  common 
schools  in  Ohio,  and  was  prominent  as  a  leader  of  the  movement  for  inaugu- 
rating many  of  the  present  excellent  features  of  our  common  school  system.  He 
was  the  agent  and  "missionary"  of  the  Ohio  Teachers'  Association  in  1851-52. 
In  1853  he  was  its  choice  for  State  School  Commissioner,  and  in  1854  he  was  its 
President. 

At  the  height  of  his  reputation  and  influence  in  the  cause  of  general  edu- 
cation, he  was  chosen  to  the  Presidency  of  Kenyon  College.  Bishop  Mcllvaine, 
in  his  funeral  sermon,  said  of  this  appointment:  "The  condition  of  the  college 
demanded  just  the  qualities  for  which  he  was  so  distinguished — the  talent  for 
administration,  a  very  sound  judgment,  a  prompt  and  firm  decision,  united  with 
a  special  drawing  of  heart  toward  young  men  in  the  course  of  their  education. 
All  the  highest  expectations  of  his  administration  were  more  than 
fulfilled." 

Of  his  entrance  into  the  military  service,  the  Bishop  says:  "When  the  first 


BQ0  Ohio  in  the  War. 

call  of  the  President  of  the  United  States  for  quotas  of  volunteer  troops  from 
tin-  several  States  was  made,  he  was  the  first  man  in  Ohio,  whose  name  Gover- 
nor Dennison  received.  He  did  it  for  an  example.  .  .  .  He  sought  no  mili- 
tary distinction.  He  led  to  the  camp  a  company  of  his  neighbors,  expecting 
only  to  be  allowed  to  lead  them  in  the  war.  But  his  talents  and  character  were 
appreciated,  and  he  was  placed  in  command  of  the  regiment — the  order  and 
discipline  of  which  soon  became  conspicuous,  as  also  did  his  devotedness  to  the 
interests  and  comfort  of  his  men." 

He  was  commissioned  Colonel  of  the  three  months'  organization  of  the 
Fourth  Ohio  Infantry.  When,  in  June,  the  organization  was  changed  to  a  three 
years'  regiment,  he  was  retained  in  the  same  command. 

Hiti  faithfulness  in  whatever  position  he  was  placed,  united  with  his  ability 
to  master  whatever  he  chose  to  learn,  made  him  very  soon  an  able  and  efficient 
commander  and  disciplinarian.  He  went  with  his  command  to  Western  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  soon  fell  a  victim  to  the  exposure  incident  to  camp  life.  In  the 
beginning  of  his  sickness  he  could  not  be  prevailed  on  to  leave  the  camp,  say- 
ing, "My  place  is  with  my  men;"  but  as  he  grew  worse,  he  was  at  last  removed 
to  Gambier,  Ohio,  where,  amid  the  scenes  of  his  labors  in  the  best  years  of  his 
life  and  among  his  weeping  friends,  he  breathed  his  last,  September  18,  1861. 


Feed   C.  Jones.  997 


COLONEL  FRED  C.  JONES. 


FRED  C.  JONES  was  born  at  Parrott's  Grove,  Green  County,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  16,  1834.  He  was  of  Welch  and  German  descent,  and 
his  maternal  grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution.  In  1846  his 
father  removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  the  6on  entered  the  public  schools.  In  1848 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Central  High  School,  and  in  1851  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Woodward.  Fred  Jones  was  always  an  acknowledged  leader  among  the 
boys  in  the  debating  club,  in  the  school-room,  and  on  the  play-ground.  During 
his  school  days  a  military  epidemic  seized  Old  Woodward.  All  other  games 
were  neglected,  and  the  entire  grounds  were  covered  with  incipient  soldiers, 
marching  and  counter-marching.  Fred  Jones  was  elected  Captain  of  a  com- 
pany. The  one  company  increased  to  four,  and  Captain  Jones  was  chosen  Colo- 
nel of  the  battalion.  Ten  years  later,  and  the  play -ground  was  exchanged  for 
the  battle-field,  and  the  boy-battalion  furnished  three  Colonels,  eight  Captains, 
and  twelve  Lieutenants  to  the  National  army. 

After  graduating,  Fred  Jones  went  to  Illinois,  whither  his  father  had  re- 
moved some  time  previous.  During  the  summer  he  was  occupied  on  the  farm, 
and  during  the  winter  in  teaching  school.  In  1855  he  returned  to  Cincinnati, 
and  was  employed  by  Thomas  Spooner,  Esq.,  in  the  county  clerk's  office.  Here 
his  duties  familiarized  him  with  law  forms,  and  brought  him  into  contact  with 
some  of  the  most  prominent  lawyers  of  the  city  and  State.  His  evenings  were 
spent  in  select  reading,  and  he  attended  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  law  school. 
After  performing  faithfully  the  duties  of  an  office  clerk  for  several  years,  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  Messrs.  King  &  Thompson,  where  he  continued  his 
studies  until  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  was  soon  elected  by  a  large  majority  to 
the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  police  court. 

At  the  opening  of  the  war  nothing  but  the  fairest  prospects  in  civil  life  lay 
before  Fred  Jones;  but  "the  call  of  the  country  was  to  him  as  the  voice  of 
God."  In  a  letter  to  his  parents  dated  April  28th,  1861,  he  said,  "I  feel  a  great 
desire  to  go  to  this  fight,  because  I  think  it  the  duty  of  every  man,  without  the 
cares  of  a  family,  to  serve  his  country  wherever  and  whenever  she  may  need 
his  services."  The  only  struggle  seemed  to  be  between  patriotism  and  filial  af- 
fection, for  a  few  weeks  later  he  writes,  "  I  am  gratified  that  my  proceedings  so 
far  have  met  with  the  approval  of  yourself  and  mother.  I  am  willing  to  leave 
the  enjoyments  of  this  place  for  the  service  of  my  country,  when  assured  that 
I  go  with  the  permission  of  my  father  and  mother.  I  have  learned  from  your 
early  instruction  that  be  is  wholly  unworthy  of  home   and  friends  who  would 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

not  defend  and  protect  them.  My  country  is  my  home,  and  her  people  are  my 
friends."  He  was  appointed  Aid  to  General  Bates,  with  the  rank  of  Captain, 
und  was  very  serviceable  in  the  organization  of  raw  troops  at  Camp  Dennison. 
After  several  months  General  Bates  resigned  and  Captain  Jones  resumed  the 
practice  of  law.  A  few  days  after,  while  he  was  busy  at  court,  he  received  a 
dispatch  containing  his  appointment  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  Thirty-First 
Ohio  Infantry,  with  orders  to  report  immediately  to  Colonel  Walker,  and  one 
hour  later  he  was  leading  his  new  regiment  toward  the  enemy. 

In  March,  1862,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jones  was  transferred  to  the  Twenty- 
Fourth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  such  was  the  attachment  of  the  officers  of  the  old 
brigade  and  division  for  him  that  they,  headed  by  Generals  Schcepf  and 
Thomas,  united  in  a  petition  to  have  him  returned  to  his  former  regiment,  but 
the  exigencies  of  the  service  compelled  him  to  remain  with  the  Twenty-Fourth. 
He  was  frequently  engaged  in  skirmishes,  but  his  first  great  battle  was  Pittsburg 
Landing.  The  regiment  was  in  the  advance  brigade  of  General  Buell's  army, 
and  was  about  ten  miles  from  the  field  when  the  battle  began.  It  hastened  for- 
ward, and  arrived  in  time  to  assist  in  checking  the  enemy  on  the  first  day.  On 
the  next  day  the  Twenty-Fourth,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jones,  re- 
ceived the  attack  of  an  entire  brigade,  and  finally  drove  it  back.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Jones  was  commended  for  coolness  and  bravery,  and  soon  after  he  was 
promoted  to  Colonel  for  gallantry  on  the  field  of  battle. 

In  October,  1862,  while  at  Wild  Cat,  Kentucky,  the  command  of  the  Tenth 
brigade  devolved  upon  Colonel  Jones.  The  march  from  Wild  Cat  to  Nashville 
was  almost  one  continuous  skirmish,  and  for  his  able  leadership  Colonel  Jones 
received  the  thanks  of  his  superior  officer,  and  of  every  field-officer  in  the  bri- 
gade. On  the  first  day  of  the  battle  of  Stone  Eiver  the  Twenty-Fourth  was  on 
the  front  and  left  of  the  line.  In  the  afternoon,  when  the  enemy  assaulted  the 
left  fiercely,  Colonel  Jones  ordered  the  regiment  to  lie  down  and  hold  fire. 
When  the  enemy  was  within  point-blank  range  the  regiment  raised  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  Colouel,  poured  in  a  deadly  voile}-,  and  rushed  forward  in  a  charge. 
In  this  charge,  almost  an  entire  Kebel  regiment  was  captured,  and  Colonel 
Jones  was  killed.     The  fatal  ball  struck  him  in  the  right  side,  and  passed   en- 

y  through  the  body.  He  was  borne  to  the  rear,  two  of  the  bearers  being 
shot  while  in  discharge  of  the  task,  and  some  of  the  best  surgeons  in  the  divis- 
ion were  soon  in  attendance.  He  received  the  intelligence  that  his  wound  was 
mortal  with  apparently  no  surprise,  replying,  "I  know  it;  I  am  dying  now. 
Pay  no  attention  to  me,  but  look  after  my  wounded  men."  Ten  hours  after  re- 
ceiving his  wound  he  died.  His  body  was  brought  to  Cincinnati,  and  was 
buried  at  Spring  Grove  with  military  and  civic  honors.  Thousands  of  sad 
hearu  joined  ,n  the  mournful  pageant,  and  his  deeds  and  virtues  were  embalmed 
in  the  memory  of  a  host  of  friends. 


William  G.  Jones.  999 


COLONEL  WILLIAM  G.  JONES. 


WILLIAM  G.  JONES  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  February  23,  1837. 
He  was  the  son  of  John  D.  Jones,  and  the  maternal  grandson  of  Col- 
onel John  Johnston,  who  was  widely  known  as  an  Indian  Agent  and 
an  enthusiastic  pioneer. 

In  1855  he  entered  West  Point,  and  upon  graduating  he  was  appointed 
Brevet  Second-Lieutenant  in  the  Eighth  United  States  Infantry.  He  was  at 
once  ordered  to  Arizona,  where  he  arrived  in  December,  1860.  In  February, 
1861,  General  Twiggs  surrendered  the  troops  under  his  command  to  the  State 
authorities  in  Texas.  Lieutenant  Jones  was  stationed  at  Fort  Bliss,  Texas,  and 
he  moved  with  the  troops  to  the  coast,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  embarking 
for  the  North;  but  upon  arriving  at  Adam's  Hill,  near  San  Antonio,  they  were 
compelled  to  surrender  to  Earl  Van  Dorn. 

During  his  prison-life  Lieutenant  Jones  received  many  favors  from  Charles 
Anderson,  late  Acting  Governor  of  Ohio,  but  at  that  time  a  resident  of  San 
Antonio.  He  was  exchanged  in  February,  1862,  and  he  immediately  hastened 
to  Washington,  and  declining  a  leave,  joined  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  in  the 
first  advance  upon  Eichmond.  He  served  on  the  staff  of  Brigadier-General  An- 
drew Porter,  Provost-Marshal  General  of  the  Army,  and  shared  in  all  the  excite- 
ments and  privations  of  the  Peninsular  campaign.  On  the  24th  of  June,  1862, 
he  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  of  the  First  California,  or  Seventy-First 
Pennsylvania  Infantry;  and  with  his  regiment  he  participated  in  the  battles  of 
Fair  Oaks,  Peach  Orchard,  Savage  Station,  White  Oak  Swamp,  and  Malvern 
Hills.  After  this  he  resigned  and  accepted  the  position  of  Aid-de-Camp  on  the 
staff  of  Major-General  Sumner;  and  in  that  capacity  he  served  through  the 
battles  of  Antietam  and  Fredericksburg.  "Upon  the  death  of  the  General  he 
was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  Thirty-Sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  and  was  thus  trans- 
ferred to  Tennessee.  His  ambition  now  seemed  satisfied;  for  he  had  always 
expressed  a  desire  to  command  a  regiment  from  his  native  State. 

In  June,  1863,  he  moved  upon  the  campaign  which  closed  with  the  battle 
of  Chickamauga.  The  Thirty-Sixth  Ohio  formed  part  of  Turchin's  brigade  of 
the  Fourteenth  Corps,  commanded  by  General  Thomas.  At  twelve  o'clock, 
September  19th,  Colonel  Jones  wrote  in  his  pocket-diary:  "Off  to  the  left; 
merciful  Father  have  mercy  on  me  and  my  regiment,  and  protect  us  from  in- 
jury and  death!"  At  five  P.  M.  he  received  the  fatal  wTound,  and  expired  at 
eleven  o'clock  that  night  on  the  battle-field.  His  remains  fell  into  the  hands  of 
the  Rebels,  but  in  December,  1863,  the  body  was  exhumed,  conveyed  to  Cincin- 


1000  Ohio   in   the  War. 

.  •    c     •  „  Pwwp  Ometerv.     The  officers  on  duty  in 

::i;:;;::rtnh:e!;;:!nefaneral.  .n.w^i-^j^-* 

':;,;,•,.  epitaph  to  mark  the  graves  of  such  self-sacr.ficng  patnots. 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  BARTON  S.  KYLE. 


BARTON  S.  KYLE  was  born  in  Miami  County,  Ohio,  April  7,  1825. 
Be  was  the  son  of  Elder  Samuel  Kyle,  who  was  favorably  known  for 
twtnty-nve  or  thirty  years   as   a   minister  of  the   Gospel   in    Ohio  and 

Indiana. 

Barton  S.  Kyle  obtained  a  good  English  education,  and  at  an  early  age 
studied  law.  Having  acquired  a  competent  knowledge  of  his  profession,  he 
was  appointed  chief  clerk  in  the  auditor's  office,  where  he  remained  some  six 
years;  and  in  1848,  under  the  Taylor-Fillmore  administration,  he  was  appointed 
Deputy  United  States  Marshal  for  Miami  County.  He  also  held  various  im- 
portant positions  in  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  and  in  1849  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  Ohio  to  visit  and  to  lecture  before  the  various  lodges  in  the 
State.  In  1856  he  was  a  member  of  the  National  Convention  which  met  at 
Philadelphia,  and  during  the  Presidential  campaign  he  was  untiring  in  his  sup- 
port of  John  C.  Fremont.  He  was  President  of  the  Union  School  Board  in 
Troy,  and  his  zeal  and  energy  made  that  school  one  of  the  best  in  the  State. 

The  Seventy-First  Ohio  Infantry  owes  its  existence  mainly  to  the  patriotic 
exertions  of  Barton  S.  Kyle.  He  organized  the  regiment  in  August,  1861,  but 
feeling  himself  inexperienced  in  military  affairs,  he  declined  the  Colonelcy  and 
was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  reported  with  the  regiment  at  Paducah 
in  February,  1862,  and  soon  after  he  moved  up  to  Pittsburg  Landing.  Here  he 
was  appointed  president  of  a  court  martial,  which  position  he  held  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  On  Sunday  morning,  April  6,  1862,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kyle 
accompanied  his  regiment  in  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing.  The  regiment 
made  an  obstinate  resistance,  but  was  forced  back  by  overwhelming  numbers 
from  one  position  to  another.  While  Lieutenant-Colonel  Kyle  was  at  the  post 
of  duty  encouraging  the  men,  he  received  a  bullet  in  his  right  breast,  and  fell 
mortally  wounded.  He  was  conveyed  to  a  hospital  boat,  where,  after  about  five 
hours,  he  died  as  calmly  as  though  falling  asleep.  A  writer  who  was  on  the 
field  ot  battle,  and  who  was  well  acquainted  with  the  man  and  the  circumstances 
of  his  death,  said:  "Ohio  lost  no  truer,  braver  man  that  day  than  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Kyle." 

V 


John  H.  Patrick.  1001 


COLONEL  JOHN  H.  PATRICK. 


JOHN  HALLIDAY  PATRICK  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland, 
March  11th,  1820.  He  learned  and  followed  the  trade  of  a  tailor,  and 
in  1848  emigrated  to  this  country,  arriving  in  Cincinnati  on  the  19th 
of  June.  Having  a  liking  for  military  tactics,  he  became  a  member  of  a  volun- 
teer organization  called  the  Highland  Guards. 

At  the  first  call  for  men  upon  the  ojjening  of  the  war,  the  Guards  reorgan- 
ized for  the  field.  John  IL  Patrick  was  chosen  Captain,  and  the  company  was 
the  first  to  occupy  Camp  Harrison.  The  Guards  were  attached  to  several  differ- 
ent regiments,  but  finally  was  ordered  to  Camp  Dennison,  and  incorporated 
with  the  Fifth  Ohio  Infantry.  The  regiment  went  to  the  field  in  West  Virginia, 
and  in  July,  1861,  Captain  Patrick  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1862,  Colonel.  He  led  the  regiment  at  Cedar  Mountain,  Chancellors- 
ville,  and  Gettysburg,  and  upon  being  transferred  to  the  West,  he  had  the  honor 
of  opening  the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain. 

In  the  Atlanta  campaign,  Colonel  Patrick,  with  his  regiment,  was  actively 
engaged  until  May  25,  1864,  when,  at  Dallas,  while  charging  a  masked  battery, 
he  was  struck  in  the  bowels  by  a  canister  shot,  and  a  half  an  hour  after  he 
expired. 

During  the  war  he  was  the  recipient  of  many  marks  of  regard,  both  from 
his  regiment  and  from  friends  at  home.  At  one  time,  while  on  a  visit  to  Cincin- 
nati,  he  was  tendered  a  banquet  at  the  Burnet  House,  which  he  accepted.  It 
was  largely  attended,  and  during  the  festivities  he  was  presented  with  a  beauti- 
ful gold  medal,  on  which  was  engraved,  among  other  things,  the  following  list 
of  battles  :  "  Winchester,  Port  Republic,  Cedar  Mountain,  Antietam,  Dumfries, 
Chancellorsville,  Gettysburg,  and  Lookout  Mountain."  Colonel  Patrick's  manly 
deeds  will  long  live  in  the  grateful  recollections  of  his  soldiers  and  his  fellow- 
citizens. 


Ohio   in  the  Wae. 


COLONEL  JOHN  T.  TOLAND. 


JOHN    T.   TOLAND  was    a   native   of    Ireland,   but    he    came   to   this 
cuntry  at   an    early  age.     He    struggled   for    a    time  with    poverty  and 
obscurity,  laboring  on  a  farm  for  clays'  wages.     By  the  aid  of  friends,  as 
well  as  by  the  force  of  his  own  character,  he  eventually  succeeded  in  establish- 
ing himself  in  the  business  of  selling  dental  goods  in   Cincinnati,  in  which  he 
engaged  when    the  war  broke  out.      In    connection   with  A.   S.  Piatt  he 
ted  in  organizing  and  equipping  the  Thirty  -Fourth  Ohio   regiment,   some- 
s  called  "Piatt  Zouaves."     He  was  appointed  Lieutenant-Colonel  August 
2,  1861,  and  Colonel,  May  14,  1862. 

His  regiment  went  into  Western  Virginia,  where  it  performed  a  series  of  raids 
and  marches.  In  September,  1862,  at  Fayetteville,  Virginia,  while  on  the  skir- 
mish line,  Colonel  Toland  had  three  horses  shot  under  him,  but  was  himself 
uninjured.  From  this  time  it  is  said  he  had  a  feeling  that  he  bore  a  charmed 
life  which  Rebel  bullets  could  not  reach.  After  the  retreat  from  the  KanawTha 
Valley  Colonel  Toland  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  a  brigade  in  General  Q. 
A.  Gillmore'fl  division,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  movements  which  resulted 
in  driving  the  Rebels  from  the  Valley,  leading  the,advance. 

But  the  spell  which  this  brave  man  fancied  would  protect  his  life  was  soon 
broken.  In  July,  1863,  he  was  placed  in  command  of  a  mounted  brigade,  in- 
cluding his  own  regiment,  and  was  directed  to  attempt  the  destruction  of  the 
Virginia  and  Tennessee  Railroad.  By  forced  marches  he  reached  the  railroad 
at  Wytheville,  Virginia,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  18th  of  July.  With  his  usual 
bravery  he  pushed  into  the  town  with  his  regiment,  determined  to  drive  the 
enemy  out.  Taking  advantage  of  shelter  in  houses,  the  Rebels  were  enabled  to 
pour  a  murderous  fire  into  the  National  troops.  Colonel  Toland  was  at  the 
bead  of  his  command  on  horseback,  as  he  always  was  on  such  occasions,  and 
ented  a  fair  mark  to  the  concealed  sharp-shooters.  One  of  these,  after 
ral  efforts,  succeeded  in  sending  a  bullet  with  fatal  certainty.  Colonel 
Toland  fell  forward  on  the  neck  of  his  horse,  but  was  caught  by  the  tender 
bandl  of  his  faithful  orderly.  As  he  was  lifted  to  the  ground  he  could  only 
gasp—  "My  horse  and  my  sword  to  my  mother!"  So,  with  the  word  on  hi*. 
Upi  which  is  the  synonym  of  all  gentleness,  fell  one,  who,  in  his  military  career, 
bad  shown  himself  to  be  a  man  without  fear.  "A  man  of  strong,  fierce  will," 
I  one  of  his  officers  about  him,  -he  did  the  best  he  knew  for  his  regiment, 
though  not  well  versed  in  much  pertaining  to  military  matters,  save  the  feature 
**rd  *gbling."  During  the  first  year  of  his  service  the  men  of  his  regiment 
hated  him.  Finally  they  almost  forgot  his  violent  temper  in  their  admiration  of 
his  bravery.    He  was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


George   P.  Webster.  1003 


COLONEL  GEORGE  P.  WEBSTER. 


GEORGE  PENNY  WEBSTER  was  born  near  Middletown,  Butler 
County,  Ohio,  December  24,  1824,  and  was  the  son  of  John  Webster,  Esq. 
His  early  education  was  such  as  the  common  schools  at  that  time  afforded. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  went  to  Hamilton,  and  for  two  years  was  deputy  clerk 
in  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  court.  At  that  time  he  commenced  the  study  of 
law  with  Thomas  Milliken,  Esq.  He  was  a  diligent  student,  and  in  the  early 
part  of  1846  he  was  admitted  to  the  Butler  County  bar. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Captain, 
recently  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  Ferd.  Van  Derveer's  company  of  the  First 
Ohio  Infantry.  Ho  was  promoted  to  Sergeant-Major,  and  served  with  credit 
throughout  the  war,  being  wounded  in  the  right  shoulder  at  the  storming  of 
Monterey  in  September,  1846. 

Upon  the  declaration  of  peace  he  returned  to  Ohio,  married  a  daughter  of 
John  McAdams,  of  Warren  ton,  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  and  a  year  later  re- 
moved to  Steubenville  and  commenced  the  practice  of  law.  Two  years  after  he 
was  elected  clerk  of  the  court.  He  held  the  office  for  six  years,  when  he  re- 
sumed the  practice  of  his  profession  in  partnership  with  Martin  Andrews,  and 
quickly  rose  to  rank  among  the  foremost  lawyers  of  the  cit}r.  Though  a  strong 
Democrat,  yet  when  the  rebellion  opened  he  was  the  first  man  in  the  city  to 
take  a  stand  for  the  Government,  and  when  the  call  for  seventy-five  thousand 
men  was  issued,  he  was  instrumental  in  raising  and  forwarding  two  companies. 
Under  the  three  years'  call  he  offered  his  services  to  Governor  Dennison,  and 
wTas  appointed  Major  of  the  Twenty-Fifth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  joined  the  regi- 
ment at  Camp  Chase,  and  shortly  afterward  was  sent  into  West  Virginia.  In 
May,  1862,  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel,  and  in  July  was  offered  the 
Colonelcy  of  the  Ninety-Eighth  Ohio.  He  accepted  it,  and  came  home  to  or- 
ganize the  regiment.  While  in  Virginia  he  commanded  four  expeditions,  all  of 
which  were  successful,  and  fought  in  five  battles,  gaining  the  name  of  "  the 
fighting  Major." 

The  Ninety-Eighth  left  Steubenville  for  Covington,  Kentucky,  August  23d. 
From  there  it  marched  to  Lexington,  and  thence  to  Louisville.  Here  Colonel 
Webster  was  placed  in  command  of  the  Thirty-Fourth  Brigade,  Jackson's 
division,  McCook's  corps.  In  the  battle  of  Perryville  he  fell  from  his  horse 
mortally  wounded,  and  died  on  the  field  of  battle.  A  man  of  high  social  posi- 
tion, and  of  rare  and  genial  qualities,  his  place  was  not  easily  filled. 

His  personal  appearance  was  imposing.  He  was  six  feet  two  inches  high, 
and  weighed  two  hundred  pounds. 


,,„,,  Ohio  is  the  Wab. 


COLONEL  LEANDER  STEM. 


LEANDER  STEM  was  born  in  Carroll  County,  Maryland,  in  August, 
1825.  He  emigrated  to  Tiffin,  Ohio,  with  his  father  in  1829,  and  con- 
tinued to  reside  there  until  his  decease.  At  an  early  age  he  was  sent 
to  a  University  in  Maryland,  and  after  completing  his  collegiate  course,  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  law  under  the  direction  of  an  elder  brother.  In  due  time 
ho  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  was  regarded  as  a  rising 
member  of  the  bar. 

At  the  opening  of  the  rebellion  he  accompanied  a  body  of  the  first  volun- 
teers to  Columbus,  intending  to  enter  the  service,  but  he  was  suddenly  sum- 
moned to  the  bedside  of  a  dying  daughter,  and  it  was  not  until  the  summer  of 
1862  that  he  entered  the  field.  He  was  appointed  Colonel  of  the  One  Hundred 
and  First  Ohio  Infantry,  and  the  regiment  was  mustered  into  the  service  August 
30,  1862.  On  the  1st  of  September  it  was  ordered  to  the  defense  of  Cincinnati 
against  Kirby  Smith.  When  the  Rebel  army  withdrew  the  regiment  went 
to  Louisville  and  was  assigned  to  the  Thirty-First  Brigade,  Ninth  Division, 
Twenty-First  Army  Corps. 

The  battle  of  Perryville  soon  followed,  in  which  Colonel  Stem,  by  courage 
and  coolness  under  fire,  won  for  himself  and  his  regiment  the  admiration  of  the 
division  commander,  General  Mitchel.  His  friends  entertained  the  highest 
anticipations  of  his  success;  but  he  seemed  to  have  premonitions  of  a  different 
sort;  and,  on  the  evening  before  the  advance  of  the  army  on  Murfreesboro',  in 
conversation  with  one  of  his  most  intimate  friends  he  said:  "I  am  a  doomed 
man  ;  and  will  not  survive  my  first  regular  engagement." 

On  the  afternoon  of  December  26th,  an  engagement  occurred  at  Knob  Gap, 
in  which  Colonel  Stem  with  his  regiment  charged  and  captured  a  Rebel  battery 
and  several  prisoners.  The  army  closed  around  Murfreesboro',  and  on  the 
evening  of  the  30th  the  One  Hundred  and  First  was  engaged  in  a  demonstra- 
tion against  the  enemy,  in  order  to  develop  his  position.  During  this  move- 
ment the  Colonel  took  out  his  pipe,  lighted  it,  and  commenced  to  smoke,  when 
a  shell  came  crashing  through  the  timber,  exploded  near  him,  and  covered  him 
ith  dirt.  He  never  moved  a  muscle,  but  smoked  on,  apparently  as  un- 
concerned as  if  sitting  in  his  office.  The  next  morning  the  battle  of  Stone 
Biver  began  in  earnest,  and  almost  immediately  it  was  evident  that  the  right 
of  the  Union  line  would  be  forced  back.  When  Colonel  Stem's  regiment  began 
to  waver  under  a  severe  cross-fire,  he  called  out,  "Stand  by  the  flag  now,  for 
the  good  old  State  of  Ohio!"  and  instantly  fell,  mortally  wounded. 


Jonas  D.  Elliott.  1005 

He  was  captured  and  conveyed  to  Murfrcesboro',  where  he  died  on  the 
morning  of  January  5th,  1863,  just  as  the  advance  of  the  Union  army  entered 
the  place.  The  intelligence  of  his  death  created  a  profound  regret  among  a 
wide  circle  of  friends.  He  was  buried  with  military  and  Masonic  honors,  and 
the  funeral  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  most  sorrowful  event  in  the  history 
of  that  community.  The  regiment,  upon  being  mustered  out  of  service  appro- 
priated a  handsome  sum  for  the  erection  of  a  monument,  which  now  stands  over 
the  Colonel's  grave,  bearing  touching  inscriptions  of  love  and  admiration. 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  JONAS  D.  ELLIOTT. 


JONAS  D.  ELLIOTT  was  born  in  Milton,  Wayne  County,  Ohio,  July 
2,  1840.  When  about  ten  years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  Canaan  Academy, 
where  he  remained  two  or  three  years,  and  then  went  to  Hayesville,  Ashland 
County,  Ohio,  and  fitted  himself  for  college.  He  was  engaged  for  some  time  in 
teaching  at  Memphis,  Missouri,  but  the  death  of  his  father  left  him  dependent 
upon  his  own  resources,  and  he  returned  to  Ohio  and  commenced  the  study 
of  law. 

On  the  23d  of  July,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  a  Captain  in  the  One  Hun- 
dred and  Second  Ohio  Infantry;  and  just  before  leaving  for  the  field  he  was 
married  to  a  daughter  of  Zenas  Crane.  He  went  into  camp  at  Mansfield,  Ohio, 
but  was  soon  ordered  into  Kentucky.  He  was  promoted  to  Major  in  May,  1863, 
and  a  year  later  was  made  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

In  the  summer  of  1864  he  commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  regiment  at 
Dodsonville,  Alabama,  while  the  right  wing  was  at  Bellefonte  under  Colonel 
Given.  In  September  the  entire  regiment  was  sent  in  pursuit  of  Wheeler;  but 
it  was  soon  ordered  into  camp  at  Decatur.  On  the  evening  of  the  23d  of  Sep- 
tember, all  the  available  men  at  that  place  were  ordered  to  re-enforce  the  garri- 
son at  Athens  against  an  anticipated  attack  by  General  Forrest.  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Elliott  was  placed  in  command  of  three  hundred  men — all  that  could  be 
spared — and  when  within  three  miles  of  Athens  he  was  met  by  General  Forrest 
with  a  greatly  superior  force.  His  little  band  fought  and  drove  back  many  times 
its  own  number,  and  would  have  entered  the  fort  had  it  not  been  surrendered 
before  their  arrival.  When  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  it  the  guns  were 
turned  upon  Colonel  Elliott,  and  he  was  met  by  a  fresh  brigade  of  Eebels  under 
General  Warren.  His  ammunition  was  gone  and  he  was  completely  surrounded. 
At  this  juncture  General  Warren  commanded  his  orderly  to  shoot  that  officer, 
pointing  to  Colonel  Elliott ;  and  a  moment  later  he  fell,  mortally  wounded  in 
the  head.  He  lingered  for  nineteen  days,  but  the  ball  could  not  be  extracted. 
Most  of  the  time  he  was  wildly  delirious,  talking  almost  constantly  of  wife  and 


](HM.  Ohio  in  the  War. 

h,„  .luriii"  bis  lucid  intervals  he  gave  good  evidence  that  he  was  con- 
;  ,;  Lching  death,  and  that  he  was  "sustained  and  soothed  by  an 
,  .,,„„  „•«     "     He  was  a  member  of  the  Presbytenan  Church,  having  made 

::,::;:„  of  his  «*  *.  ^,«  oo*..i  *****.-  *•  »* 

of  October,  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age.    He  was  bur.ed  in  the  cemetery 
at  Athens,  Alabama. 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  JAMES  W.  SHANE. 


JAMES  W.  SHANE  was  born  in  Jefferson  County,  Ohio,  January  18th, 
1830.  By  teaching  and  studying  at  the  same  time  he  became  a  thor- 
ough scholar,  and  when  twenty-four  years  old  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
lit-  was  diligent  in  his  profession,  was  a  safe  counsellor  and  an  able  advocate; 
and  for  several  years  was  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county. 

When  tho  war  first  opened,  he  was  prevented  by  private  reasons  from  en- 
tering the  army,  but  in  July,  1862,  he  recruited  a  company  and  was  assigned  to 
the  Ninety-Eighth  Ohio  Infantry.  He  first  saw  service  in  Kentucky,  being 
present  on  the  retreat  from  Lexington  to  Louisville,  and  in  the  battle  of  Perry - 
ville.  In  this  battle  he  was  conspicuous  for  his  intrepid  bravery,  and  was  soon 
after  promoted  to  Major,  and  in  June,  1863,  to  Lieutenant-Colonel ;  and  from 
that  time  until  his  death  he  was  almost  constantly  in  command  cf  the  regiment. 

While  on  a  brief  leave  of  absence  in  May,  1864,  he  heard  that  the  great 
campaign  under  Sherman  had  commenced,  and  at  once  hastened  to  the  field. 
The  campaign  was  almost  a  continuous  action;  and  in  every  danger  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Shane  bore  his  full  share.  On  the  27th  of  June  he  fell,  mortally  wounded, 
In  in  assault  on  the  enemy's  works  at  Kenesaw,  living  only  forty  minutes. 
When  told  that  death  was  inevitable,  he  exclaimed,  "My  poor  wife!  were  it  not 
for  her— but,  0  Lord,  thy  will,  not  mine,  be  done."  He  said  to  those  around 
him,  "Turn  my  face  to  the  foe,  boys;"  and  then  to  the  Surgeon,  "Doctor,  write 
to  her,  and  tell  her  I  die  happy  and  will  meet  her  in  heaven."  Thus  the  spirit 
ted,  bearing  aspirations  for  home  and  country  with  it  to  the  Throne  of  the 
Great  Infinite. 

Among  the  many  beautiful  traits  in  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shane's  character 

was  his  consistent  Christian  deportment.     He  united  with    the  Presbyterian 

arch  m  May,  1855,  and  from  that  day  until  the  hour  of  his  death,  religion 

MM  was  a  matter  of  earnest  duty.     There  are  many  who  can  testify  that 

roughout  his  entire  army  career,  he  wore  the  «  breastplate  of  righteousness" 

and  carried  the  "  shield  of  faith." 


Joseph  L.  Kirby  Smith.  1007 


COLONEL  JOSEPH  L.  KIRBY  SMITH. 


JOSEPH  L.  KIEBY  SMITH  was  of  New  England  origin.  His  grand- 
father, Joseph  L.  Smith,  was  a  lawyer  in  Litchfield,  Connecticut,  who 
was  a  Major  in  1812,  and  served  during  the  Canada  war,  being  promoted 
to  Colonel,  He  was  afterward  United  States  Judge  in  Florida  Territory,  where 
he  died.  His  son,  Ephraim  K.  Smith,  the  father  of  Joseph  L.  Kirby  Smith,  was 
a  Captain  in  the  United  States  army,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Molino  del 
Bay,  in  Mexico.  Another  son,  Edmund  K.  Smith,  was  the  Kirby  Smith  of  the 
Confederate  army. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  in  1836.  He  entered  the  military 
school  at  West  Point  by  appointment  from  New  York.  In  1857  he  graduated 
with  the  highest  honors,  and  was  appointed  Lieutenant  of  Topographical  Engi- 
neers. In  1860  he  accompanied  the  Utah  expedition  as  Aid-de-Camp  to  General 
Patterson.  Upon  the  organization  of  the  Forty-Third  Ohio  Eegiment,  applica- 
tion was  made  for  a  trained  commander,  and  he  was  appointed  its  Colonel. 

He  went  with  the  regiment  to  the  field.  At  Island  No.  10,  the  first  military 
operations  of  any  importance  in  which  his  regiment  was- engaged,  his  engineer- 
ing  abilities  proved  to  be  of  great  service.  He  was  afterward  with  Pope's  army 
during  the  advance  on  Corinth,  and  was  engaged  in  the  advance  through  Mis- 
sissippi, which  was  interrupted  by  the  surrender  at  Holly  Springs. 

In  October,  1862,  his  regiment  being  a  part  of  General  Stanley's  division 
under  Eosecrans,  he  participated  in  the  battle  of  Corinth.  During  the  first  day 
of  the  battle,  October  3d,  this  division  was  not  engaged,  but  on  the  second  day 
the  Ohio  Brigade  of  that  division  was  placed  in  support  of  Battery  Eobinett, 
the  point  where  one  of  the  most  determined  assaults  of  the  Eebels  was  made. 
The  Forty-Third  Ohio  was  in  the  hottest  of  this  attack,  and  in  its  height  the 
beloved  Smith  was  mortally  wounded.  He  died  eight  days  after,  October  12, 
1862. 

General  Stanley  in  his  report  of  the  battle  says  of  him :  "  Soon  in  the  battle  of 
the  4th  Colonel  J.  L.  K.  Smith  fell  with  a  mortal  wound.  I  have  not  words  to 
describe  the  qualities  of  this  model  soldier,  or  to  express  the  loss  we  have  sustained 
in  his  death.  The  best  testimony  I  can  give  to  his  memory  is— the  spectacle 
witnessed  by  myself  in  the  very  moment  of  battle,  of  stern,  brave  men  weeping 
as  children  as  the  word  passed :  '  Kirby  Smith  is  killed.'  By  his  side  fell  his 
constant  companion  and  Adjutant,  accomplished  young  Heyl." 

The  name  Kirby  which  seemed  to  be  prized  by  the  family,  came  from  the 
wife  of  the  grandfather,  whose  maiden  name  was  Kirby.  Her  father  was  the 
author  of  the  once  famous  Kirby  Eeports  of  Connecticut. 


inns 


Ohio  in  the  War. 


COLONEL  AUGUSTUS  H.  COLEMAN. 


THIS  officer  was  born  in  Troy,  Miami  County,  Ohio,  on  the  29th  of  October, 
1829.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Asa  Coleman,  an  early  settler  and  promi- 
nent citizen  of  that  county.  His  elementary  education  was  acquired  in 
Ifcetohoofeof  Troy.  In  June,  1847,  he  entered  the  Military  Academy  at  West 
Point  as  a  Cadet.  At  the  close  of  his  course  he  returned  to  Troy  and  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  he  enlisted  as  a  private  soldier,  and 

lited  a  company  (company  D,  Eleventh  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry)  of  over 
one  hundred  men  within  forty-eight  hours.  With  these  he  proceeded  to  Colum- 
bus on  Monday,  April  26,  1861.  He  was  unanimously  chosen  Captain  of  the 
company,  and  on  the  organization  of  the  Eleventh  regiment  was  chosen  Major 
of  it.  In  Januaiy,  1862,  he  was  commissioned  Lieutenant-Colonel,  vice  Frizell, 
ted,  and  on  the  arrest  of  Colonel  De  Yilliers,  was  made  Colonel  of  the  reg- 
iment. 

Colonel  Coleman  was  an  efficient  drill-master,  and  he  brought  his  regiment 
up  to  a  high  standard  of  drill  and  discipline.  Always  cool,  self-possessed,  and 
thoroughly  understanding  the  minutiae  of  battalion  drill,  he  maneuvered  bodies 
of  mon  with  great  ease.  It  was  frequently  remarked  of  him  that  he  could 
maneuver  a  regiment  in  less  space  than  most  officers  required  for  company  drill. 
He  was  sometimes  thought  too  rigid  in  discipline,  but  all  his  measures  proved 
of  benefit  to  the  men,  and  were  by  them  duly  appreciated.  In  times  of  danger 
Colonel  Coleman  was  especially  vigilant,  and  took  every  precaution  against  sur- 
prise, always  visiting  his  picket-lines  in  person,  and  remaining  near  the  most 
exposed  point 

At  South  Mountain  he  displayed  the  ability  of  a  successful  commander.  In 
actions  prior  to  this  he  had  acted  well  and  gallantly,  but  was  not  in  positions 
where  his  services  were  so  marked  as  in  that  of  South  Mountain. 

He  was  in  the  first  charge  on  the  bridge  across  Antietam  Creek,  and  while 
in  the  charging  column  fell,  pierced  by  a  Kebel  bullet,  which  passed  through 
his  arm  into  his  side.  Although  in  great  pain  he  was  in  possession  of  his 
mental  faculties  during  the  few  hours  he  lived.  His  last  words  were  inquiries 
as  to  the  fate  of  his  men. 

*  for  this  sketch  are  gleaned  from  a  History  of  the   Eleventh   Ohio  Volunteer 

infantry,  compiled  by  Horton  and  Tiverbaugh,  members  of  that  regiment. 


©v* 


HEROIC 


°«4fi 


John  W.  Lowe.  lOOl) 


COLONEL  JOHN  W.  LOWE. 


JOHN  WILLIAMSON  LOWE  WM  born  at  New  Brunswick,  New 
Jersey,  November  15,  1809.      He  removed  with    his  parents  to  Railway, 

New  Jersey,  in  1817,  and  there  he  began  to  earn  his  daily  bread  by  work- 
ing in  Cohen's  woolen  factory.  In  1820  he  removed  to  New  York,  where  he 
found  employment  in  the  Bible  House,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  printer.  In 
the  meantime  his  father  died,  and  upon  him  devolved  the  care  of  his  step- 
mother and  five  children.  With  patience  and  self-denial  this  trust  was  faithfully 
executed.  When  about  fourteen  years  old  he  joined  the  New  York  Cadets,  and 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life  military  tactics  became  one  of  his  chief  studios. 
In  1833  he  settled  at  Batavia,  Clermont  County,  Ohio.  •  Here  he  made  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Judge  Fishback,  and  under  his  tutelage  commenced  the  study  of 
law,  at  the  same  time  working  at  his  trade  in  order  to  sustain  himself.  In  duo 
time  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon  after  he  married  Judge  Fishback's 
daughter. 

In  politics  he  was  a  strong  Whig,  and  though  seldom  a  candidate  for  office, 
he  was  always  a  prominent  party  orator.  He  opposed  the  Mexican  war  until 
he  saw  that  opposition  was  useless  ;  and  then,  contrary  to  his  personal  feelings 
and  the  interests  of  his  family,  he  accepted  the  command  of  a  company,  joined 
the  Second  Ohio,  and  served  with  it  until  it  was  disbanded  in  1848.  Ho  re- 
turned from  Mexico  with  a  shattered  constitution.  Disease,  chronic  and  incur- 
able, had  taken  hold  of  his  system,  and  he  was  ever  after  unable  to  enduro  ex- 
treme bodily  fatigue.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  traits  of  his  character  was  his 
sympathy  with  suffering ;  and  there  are  many  who  will  remember  that  when 
the  Asiatic  cholera  first  appeared  in  Batavia,  in  1849,  John  Lowe  and  his  wife 
seemed  utterly  regardless  of  themselves.  Wherever  suffering  and  death  were 
most  terrific,  there  wore  they,  administering  to  the  dying,  burying  the  dead,  and 
consoling  the  bereaved. 

In  1854  he  removed  to  Dayton,  and  a  year  later  to  Xenia,  where  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  and  practice  his  profession  up  to  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebell- 
ion. He  was  chosen  Captain  of  the  first  company  raised  in  Greene  County,  and 
on  the  19th  of  April,  1861,  he  reported  with  it  at  Columbus.  The  company  was 
assigned  to  the  Twelfth  Ohio,  and  John  W.  Lowro  was  elected  Colonel  of  the 
regiment.  In  June  Colonel  Lowo  re-organized  his  regiment  for  the  three  years' 
service,  and  soon  after  he  joined  General  Cox's  brigade  on  the  Kanawha.  On 
the  17th  of  July  Colonel  Lowo  was  ordered  by  General  Cox  to  take  his  own 
regiment,  a  detachment  of  the  Twenty-First  Ohio,  two  pieces  of  artillery,  and 
a  few  cavalry,  and  to  explore  the  country  about  the  mouth  of  Scary  Creek,  to 
Yol.  I.— 64. 


lOio  Ohio  in  the  War. 

ascertain   the  enemy's  position,  and,  if  possible,  to  carry  it.     The  enemy  was 
found,  strongly  posted,  on  the  brow  of  a  precipitous  hill  on  the  opposite  bank 
.iivy  Creek.   Preparations  were  at  once  made  for  the  attack.     The  troops 
1   the  creek,  advanced  boldly,  and  without  doubt  would  soon  have  been 
within  the  enemy's  works,  but  at  the  critical  moment  the  Eebels  received  re  en- 
forcements, which  were  at  once  thrown  into  action.     Colonel  Lowe's  entire  com- 
mand was  now  engaged,  and    had  exhausted  its  ammunition.     The   prospect  of 
success  was  hopeless,  and  accordingly  he  withdrew  his  forces  in  good  order,  bring- 
ing off   all   the  wounded.     The  enemy's  force  was  originally  fifteen  hundred 
strong,  and  the  re-enforcements  raised  it  to  at  least  two  thousand.     He  was  at 
first  censured  for  the  withdrawal,  in  some  quarters ;  but  on   a  fuller  knowledge 
of  the  facts  his  course  was  justified. 

In  the  latter  part  of  August  the  Twelfth  Ohio  joined  General  Eosecrans, 
then  at  Clarksburg.  As  soon  as  a  sufficient  force  Was  collected  to  open  com- 
munications with  General  Cox,  by  way  of  Gauley  Bridge,  the  march  southward 
began.  The  Colonel's  health  was  delicate,  but  his  will  was  indomitable  ;  and 
though  cautioned  and  advised  to  retire  from  the  service,  the  hardships  of  which 
he  was  no  longer  able  to  endure,  he  still  felt  that  his  place  was  at  the  head  of 
his  regiment.  He  looked  forward  to  the  battle  in  which  lie  fell  as  the  probable 
end  of  his  military  career;  for,  in  a  letter  to  his  wife  only  four  days  before,  he 
say 8  :  .  "  I  find  myself  hoping,  and  it  is  now  about  my  only  hope,  that  I  will 
soon  be  at  home,  a  wounded  soldier,  to  receive  your  care  for  a  little  time,  and 
then  to  lay  me  down  to  my  long  rest.  Wait  a  little  longer,  dearest,  a  week,  a 
day  may  relievo  our  suspense  and  bring  my  fate  upon  me.  God  rules  over  all 
things,  and  disposes  of  us  as  He  thinks  best." 

On  the  18th  of  September  the  Twelfth  Ohio  was  ordered  up  to  the  support 
of  the  Tenth  in  the  battle  of  Carnifex  Cerry.  The  underbrush  was  thick,  and 
in  order  to  handle  his  men  satisfactorily,  Colonel  Lowe  dismounted  and  ad- 
vanced on  foot  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  Soon  he  was  in  front  of  a  Eebel 
battery  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight,  and  a  moment  later,  as  ho  cheered  his  men 
forward,  a  rifle  ball  pierced  his  forehead,  and  he  fell  dead,  the  first  field-officer 
from  Ohio  killed  in  battle  in  the  War  for  the  Union. 

His  corpse  was  tenderly  cared  for  by  the  Chaplain  of  his  regiment,  care- 
fully forwarded  to  his  late  home,  and  followed  to  its  final  resting-place  by  a 
great  and  tearful  congregation  of  stricken  mourners. 


Moses  F.  Woostee.  1011 


LIEUTENANT-COLONEL  MOSES  F.  WOOSTER. 


M 


OSES    FAIRCHILD    WOOSTER   was    born    in    Alfred,   Berkshire 
County,  Massachusetts,  September  3d,  1825.      He  removed  to  Ohio   in 
1832,  and  finally  settled  at  Norwalk,  Huron  County,  in  1848,  and  en- 
gaged in  the  drug  trade. 

Upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  he  was  one  of  two  Second-Lieutenants 
in  the  Norwalk  Light  Guards,  and  when  the  company  was  called  into  service  it 
was  decided  by  lot  who  should  be  retained.  Lieutenant  Wooster  lost;  but  he 
immediately  commenced  raising  another  company,  of  which  he  was  made  First- 
Lieutenant.  The  company  was  assigned  to  the  Twenty-Fourth  Ohio,  and  he 
become  Adjutant.  He  was  engaged  at  Cheat  Mountain,  Greenbrier,  Pittsburg 
Landing,  and  Corinth  ;  and  was  made  a  Captain  for  gallantry.  Upon  the  or- 
ganization of  the  One  Hundred  and  First  Ohio  Infantry  he  was  made  Major  of 
that  regiment,  and  soon  after  he  was  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel.  He  was 
engaged  at  Perryville,  and  was  conspicuous  for  his  bravery  and  the  ability  with 
which  he  handled  his  men.  He  fell,  mortally  wounded,  on  the  31st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1862,  while  actively  and  courageously  doing  all  in  his  power  to  stem  the 
tide  of  defeat  at  Stone  Eiver.     He  died  on  the  1st  of  January,  1863. 


1012 


Ohio  in  tiie  Wab. 


STAFF  OFFICERS,  ETC 


¥E  have  already  given  namos,  rank,  and  leading  features  in  the  his- 
tory of  officers  born  in  or  appointed  from  Ohio,  who  rose  to  the  grade 
of  Brevet  Brigadier  General,  or  above  it.  The  regimental  rosters,  in 
the  succeeding  volume,  give  the  official  history  of  Ohio  officers  below  that  grade. 
Thore  is  another  class,  however,  that  can  not  be  presented  in  either  of  these  con- 
nections—the class  employed  as  Aides,  Adjutant-Generals,  Paymasters,  Quarter- 
masters, etc.,  in  various  phases  of  the  work  loosely  known  as  Staff  duty.  Of 
these,  such  a  list  as  the  Eegular  and  Volunteer  Eegisters  of  the  army  exhibit, 
is  presented  below.  As  they  were  all  appointed  from  Ohio,  it  is  only  thought 
needful  to  give  the  State  of  their  birth: 

ASSISTANT    ADJUTANT-GENERALS. 


COM.  IS8UKI). 


Mii'or  Lucius  V.  Bierce 

41      John  A.  Campbell 

•*     C.  S.  Chariot 

**  Jain-s  W.  Forsyth  .... 

"     William  It.  Price , 

"     John  W.Steele 

44     Gates  P.  Thruston 

"  Alex.  Von  Schraeder  . 

Captain  Win.  1',  Anderson... 

"  Gustavo  M.  Bistom... 

'*      Marcus  P.  Bestow 

*'  James  L.  Bott.iford.... 

44     Henry  M.  Cist 

44      Win.  H.CIapp 

44  Ezra  W.  Clarke,  jr...., 

44     Calvert  W.  Cowan 

Theodore  Cox , 

44     Murray  Davis 

44      Edward  C.  Denig , 

44  Charles  W.  Dietrich.., 

44      John  C.  Douglass 

-      Archie  0.  Fisk 

'     John  Green 

44      Jaim-B  A.  U rover 

44     Jasper  K.  Herbert 

41      Daniel  H-bird 

44      Noel  L.  Jeffries 

1      Charles  U.  .Inline 

44  Andrew  C.  Kemper... 

44     John  M.  Kendrick 

1  Robert  P.  Kennedy ... 

44      Cordon  Lofland 

4'      Charles  Kingsbury 

44      Eddy  D.  Mason 

Leopold  Markbreit 

44     Oscar  Miner 

M     Beth  B.  Moe 

1  James  11.  Odlin , 

'  Charles  A.  Partridge 

"  Donn  Piatt ..... 

"  Win.  L.  Porter 

44       Klhott  S.  (jliuy  

Henry  C.  Ranney 

Win.  A.  Sutherland... 

44      David  U.  Swaim 

"      John  G,  Telford 

4      Henry  Thrall 

Win.  0.  Turner 

44     James  B.  Walker 

4      Dennis  H.  Williams... 
James  S.  Wilson 


01  ay 

Oct. 
Aug. 
July 
Aug. 
Oct. 
A  pril 
Feb. 
Sept. 
Aug. 
Dec. 
Oct. 

April     20,  1S64 

""     1863 

l.sr.i 


Connecticut 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Vermont 

Ohio.. 


l.StV5  Germany 


May 
Feb. 
June 
July 
Aug. 
Dec. 
Oct. 
June     23, 

23, 
March  II, 

II, 
Nov.  2S, 
Feb.  3, 
-March  2ti, 
April  14, 
Sept.  1, 
Feb.  19, 
Oct.  7, 
April  23, 
Sept.      19, 

30, 


Dec. 

a 

Aug. 

:6, 

June 

<♦, 

March 

II, 

June 

to 

March 

is, 

May 

n, 

Oct. 

in 

March  l.< 

May 

i«, 

Feb. 

H 

Aug. 

I'd, 

July 

13 

Sept. 

21 

Dec. 

IT, 

Juno 

1, 

I  sea 
1861 
1865 

is.;: 


Ohio. 
Ohio., 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Virginia 

New  York  .. 
Ohio 


Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Connecticut 

Pennsylvania.... 

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Massachusetts  . 

New  York  

Austria 

Pennsylvania  ... 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Massachusetts  . 

Ohio 

in  liana 

Pennsylvania.... 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Virginia 

Ohio 


K.;i 
ItttiS 

lS.il 

1*51 
1862 
1863 

1861 
1863  Ohio 


Mustered  out  November  11,  1865. 

Brevet  Colonel  and  Brigadier-General. 

Mustered  out  July  la,  1*66  ;  Brevet  Lt.  Colonel. 

Commis.ion  vacated  to  accept  Brigadier-General. 

Brevet  Colonel  and  Brigadier-General. 

Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Must'd  out  Dec.  19,  1865;  Bvt.Lt.  Col.  &  Brig.Gon. 

Lt.  Col.  Scventv-Fourth  Ohio;  Bvt.  Brig.  Gen. 

Resigned  March  Ifi,  1864.  [1866.     Bvt.  Col. 

Prom,  to  Ma.i.  July  10,  1862;  mustered  out  July  1. 

Promoted  to  Major  June  26,  1865  ;  Brevet  Colonel. 

Resigned  February  25,  1865. 

Mustered  out  January  4,  1866;  Bvt.  Brig.  General. 

Mustered  out  December  5,  1865;  Brevet  Major. 

Mustered  out  October  30,  1865;  Brevet  Major. 

Mustered  out  November  22,  1865;  Brevet  Colonel. 
Promoted  to  Major  February  15,  1865;  Bvt.  Coi. 
Resigned  December  12,  1864. 

Mustered  out  September  19,  1865;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 


Resigned  June  7,  1865  ;  Brevet  Major. 

Resigned  February  11.  1866. 

Died  at  New  York  City  August  7,  1862. 

App.  Col.  V.  R.  Corps.  Brevet  Brigadier-General. 

Resigned  November  6,  l,s62. 

Resigned  Julv  25,  1865. 

Resigned  September  3),  1862.  [Brig.  Gen. 

Prom.  Maj.  Nov.  11,  '65.     ResVl   April  8,  'o5;    Bvt. 

Mustered  out  Sept.  19,  1865  ;  Brevet  Major. 

lWd  March  2,  '6ft.    [esaw  Mt.  &  bat.  Peachtree  O'k. 

Bvt. Col."  for  special  gallantry  in  the  charge  on  Kou- 

•Statf  of  Gon.  Av.rill ;  Ion,'  a  prisoner  in  Libby. 

Promoted  Major  June  30,  1864. 

Resigned  November  23,  1864. 

Served  previously  in  Forty-Eighth  Ohio  Infantry. 

Promoted  Major  May  11,  1862.     Resigned  Jvly  2,  'ftl. 

Brevet  Major. 


Prom.  Mai.  Feb.  7,  1865;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col.  and  Col, 
Mustered  out  July  10,  ls66. 

Resigned  December  21,  1862. 
Honorably  discharged  April  14,  1865. 

Mustered  out  June  15, 18G5  ;  Brevet  Major. 


Staff   Officers.  Etc. 


1013 


ADDITIONAL    AIDS-DE-CAMP. 


s.'fonel  Henry  J.  Hunt 

"      Thomas  M.  Key 

"      James  B.  McPherson 

"      Christopher  A.  Morgan 

"      Win.  F.  Reynolds 

"      Anson  Stager 

lit.  Col.  John  B.  Frothingliam 
Major  Richard  M.  Corw  ine 

"      Thomas  T.  Eckert 

Captain  Flamen  Ball,  jr 

*'      Andrew  S.  Burt «... 

|      George  A.  Custer 

'      James  P.  Drouillard 

"      T.  K.  Greenwood 

44      John  E.  Jewett 

M      Isaac  H.  Marrow 

44      John  H.  Piatt 

44      Henry  S.  Spear 


COM.  I8SUKD. 


Sept. 
Aug. 


May  1, 
June  3u, 
March  31, 
Feb.  2i, 
July  16, 
March  31, 
April  7, 
June  9, 
April  3, 
June  5, 
May  23, 
lti, 
19, 
March  18, 
July  11, 
April     26, 


Ohio 

Kentucky. 


Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York 

Massachusetts 

Kentucky 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Connecticut 

Pennsylvania... 


Com    vacated  by  apn.  as  Brig.  Gen.  Sept.  14,  1862. 
McUellau's  staff.    Discharged  March  31,  1863,  under 

act  ot  August  5,  1861. 
£ouV  YHJFilt?d  b.y  aPP.-  to  B,i*  Gen.  Aug.  27.  1862. 
uicd  at  bt.  Louis,  Missouri,  January  20   1»66 
Mustered  out  May  31,  1866. 
Brevet  Brigadier-General. 
Brevet  Colonel. 
Kremont's  staff. 

Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Col.,  and  Brig.  Gen 
Resinned  July  2,  1865. 
Brevet  Major. 

discharged  March  31,  1863.    Since  Maj.  Gen.  Vota. 
Resigned  February  1, 1865. 


Brevet  Major. 
Resigned  August  4,  1862. 


AIDS-DE-CAMP    APPOINTED    UNDEB    ACT    OP    JULY    17,    1862. 


Major  Caleb  Bates , 

44      Wm.  M.  Este 

"      James  F.  Meliue 

Captain  Win.  L.  Avery 

Lewis  M.  Dayton 

"      Frank  J.  Jones 

**      Wells  W.  Leggett 

44      James  C.  McCoy 

44      Lester  L.  Taylor 

M      Roberts.  Thonis 

44  Dickinson  P.  Thrustou 

44      Lewis  Weitzel 

44     James  H.  Wright , 


COM.  ISSUED. 


March  11,  1863 

11, 

June  30,  1862 
Nov.  6,  1863 
March  11, 


March  11,1863 
Aug.  16,  1S61 
March  ll,  1863 

Aug.  10,  1861 
July  4,  " 
March  11,  1863 
Dec.  27,  1864 
Nov.      17,  1863 


Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio , 

Ohio , 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Canada 


A.  G.,Gen. 


Resigned  November  22,  1865. 

Resigned  April  1,  186ft. 

Served  on  staff  of  Major-General  Pope. 

Com.  vacated  by  app.  of  Maj.  and  A. 

Sherman's  staff,  Jan.  12,  1565;  Brevet  Lieut'.  Col. 

Stall  of  General  Sherman. 
Resigned  April  28, 180-j. 
Mustered  out  July  11,  1865. 

Mustered  out  January  12,  1866. 
Resigned  January  ft,  1^65. 
designed  May  1,  1869. 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Mustered  out  June  20,  18o5. 


HOSPITAL    CHAPLAINS. 


NAME. 

COM. 

ISSUED. 

BORN. 

REMAKES. 

S.  M.  Beatty 

April 

July 

Feb, 

Juue 

Dec. 

July 

June 

17,  1863 
14,  1862 
29,  1864 
23,  1862 

9,     '4 
29,     M 

6,     44 

Indiana 

.Mustered  out  July  12, 1865. 

Ohio 

Pennsylvania.... 

David  W.  Tolford 

Mustered  out  August  4,  1865* 
Mustered  out  August  4,  1865. 

John  F.  Wright 

North  Carolina. 

JUDGE  ADVOCATES. 


NAME. 


COM.  ISSUED. 


Major  John  A.  Bingham  . 
'*  Henry  L.  Burnett. 
44  Theophilus  Gaines. 
44  James  C.  McElroy. 
44      Ralston  Skinner...., 


Aug.      10,  1863  Ohio 

Nov.        1,  1862 

Sept.      26,  1864  Ohio 

Nov.  19,  1862  New  York. 


Mustered  out  August  3,  1864. 

Must'd  out  Dec.  1,  1865;  Bvt.  Col.  and  Brig.  Gen. 

Mustered  out  May  31,  1866. 

Mustered  out  March  1,  1866;  Bvt.  Lt.  Colonel. 

Resigned  March  20,  1865. 


1014 


Ohio  in  the  War 


KAMI. 


Sam II   1  l'-.i   hl'-ll 

H    Jo  m  1>.  Holopeter. 

I  mis 

.  I.  Brent 

Juli-ji  K    Fitch 

T.  B.  K.!:> 

J..lm  8.  Spear 

rlor 


SIGNAL    CORPS. 


COM.  ISSUED. 


March    3,  1863 
3,    '■ 
3, 
"  3, 

3, 
3, 
3, 
3, 


Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York 


Mustered  out  June  20,  1866  ;  Brevet  Major. 

Mustered  out  May  1,  1866;  Brevet  Captain. 

Mustered  out  September  ],  1865. 

Mustered  out  August  24,  181)5. 

Mastered  out  November  25,  1865;  Brevet  Captain. 

Mustered  out  Septemcer  1,  1865. 

Mustered  out  August  12,  1865. 

Mustered  out  May  1,  1666. 


ADDITIONAL    PAYMASTERS. 


COM.   ISSUED. 


Major  Richard  P.  L.  Babor.... 

<  bamben  Baird 

W.  Hal  lard 

l>v»iL.-tif  Bannister 

Aujioii  L.  Brewer 

Jacob  A.  Camn 

Thomni  L.  Carnaban . 
George  1'.  Carpenter... 

J'iin  L.  Cock" 

N  .  C'i<>k , 

Johu  Coon  

11.  Ku«li  Cuwen 

John  11.  Dolman 

Warren  C.  F.iumcrson.. 

Frank  I.  Foster 

George  B.  Qlenn 

Johu  P.  Gould 

Michael  s.  Gunckel 

W. Hank 

John  s.  Herrick , 

Mark  HoIIingsliead 

Calvin  Holmes 

Horace  A.  llutchins 

H.  Hatching 

W  in.  Ji.  Johnston 

\v  in.  Jonei 

WilHon  L.  Kennou 

John  W.  King 

Kinney 

Janus  P.  I.upton 

Howard  Matthews 

Bentuu  McConne.l 

Malconi  .McDowell  

Bogeue  H.  usbum 

Joseph  Poole 

J.  f.  I'rice 

Henry  B  Kee.se 

Dudley  W.  Khodes 

Andrew  D.  ttogen 

Albert  P.  Shreve 

Bdward  Spear,  ir 

^  .  »'.  Moms " 

David  Taylor 

Kduiund  A.  Truax.. 

Oliver  J.  Tnru.y „. 

Ueorge  R.  Way 

Kara  Webb .".. 

l.isjvmrd  8.  Webb...'.'." 

Harlan  P.  Wutcott 

Henry  L.  Williams 


Aug. 

Feb. 

Nov. 


Feb. 
Sept. 
July 
Feb. 
Nov. 
June 
Nov. 


at 


Sept. 
Aug. 
Nov. 
June 
Feb. 
June 
Feb. 


June     30, 

1, 

I, 

L 

11, 

28, 

K, 

-'I. 

24, 

28, 

19. 

25, 

28, 

2ft, 

1, 

26, 

5, 

88, 

l«, 

88, 

I, 

83, 

1, 

la, 

l, 

88, 

«. 
It, 

2l! 
88, 
88, 
21, 
11, 

1, 
88, 
14, 

1, 
8ft. 
87, 
IS, 
8ft, 


Juno 

Feb. 

June 

Feb. 

Juno 

Nov. 

Sept. 

Feb. 

June 

April 

Nov. 

Feb. 

Oct. 

March 

June 

Nov. 

Aug. 

June 

Feb. 

March 

June 


1864 
1863 

MM 

1862 
|<S6 

lSiil' 

1st;  1 

|S(i, 

18 

1864 

1861 

1864 

186 

li!.;; 

1661 

1862 

1864 

1863 

186] 

1663 

ISi-,2 

l.S.vl 


Virginia  ... 

Ohio 

New  York. 
Ohio 


New  York. 


Ohio 

New  York 

Ohio 

New  York 

New  Hampsliii 

Ohio"";;;";;!!"": 


Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York... 

Ohio 

New  lrork... 

Ohio 

Ohio , 

Ohio , 

Ohio 


Ohio 

New  York 

New  York 

Pennsylvania. 

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio!!!!!!!!!!::!!" 

Ohio 

Pennsylvania. 

Indiana 

Ohio 

Ohio'!::::::!!!:;:::: 

Canada 

Ohio 

.Mary  land 

New  York 


!8640hio. 


Honorably  mustered  out  Nov.  15, '65 ;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  1,  1866. 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  20,  1866. 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel.  [Feb.  2,  1866. 

Drowned  by  explosion  of  steamboat  W.  R.  Carter, 
Honorably  mustered  out  November  8,  1865. 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  2,  1866. 
Honorably  mustered  out  November  1,  1S65. 
Resigned  June  14,  1865. 

Resigned  March  29,  1865.  [General. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  18,  1865;  Brevet.  Brig. 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  20/66 "  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 


Honorably  mustered  out  December  1,  1865. 

Resigned  February  23.  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Nov.  15,  '65 ;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 

Honorably  mustered  out  April  30,  1866. 

Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel.* 

Honorably  mustered  out  Nov.  1,  '65;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  20 '66;  Brevet  Colonel, 

Honorably  mustered  out.  July  8ft,  68  ;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 

Honorably  mustered  out  December  1,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Dec.  19/65;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Nov.  15/65 ;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Gel. 

Honorably  mustered  out  April  30,  1866;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 

Discharged  December  17,  1862. 

Honorably  mustered  out  November  1,  1865. 

Resigned  February  25,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  April  30,  1866. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Dec.  15,  '65;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 

Honorably  must,  red  out  Nov.  15/65 ;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 

Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Honorably  mustered  out  November  15,  1865. 


Honorably  mustered  out  December  1,  1865. 
Honorably  mustered  out  Dec.  1, 1865 ;  Bvt.  Lieut.  Col. 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Honorably  mustered  out  November  1,  1865. 


Discharged  December  17,  1862. 


Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 

Honorably  mustered  out  November  15,  1S65. 


ASSISTANT    QUARTERMASTERS. 


t  intuit.  Beet*  s.  Atkinson., 

Jaiiu-x  H.  Ball 

/      C.  B.  Bene* 

U.  B.  Bliveu 

..      gj»"M>el    N.  Bonsall.!::: 

FbeodoreC.  Bowlta 

Edward  R.  Bov.i. 
M      Boealff  Brinkerhotf:":: 

Henry  L.  Brown 

Raymond  B.ur  . 


Aug. 


Oct. 
Nov. 
April 


8,  1864 

16,     " 

23,' ''1864 
86,  1^12 
14,     " 


Nov.  4,  |«1 
May  6,  1862 
July       H,    '• 


9h?° Resigned  March  25,  1865. 

UIU0 Resigned  January  V,  1865. 

New  York I  Honorably  mustered  out  May  31,  1866;  Brevet  Major. 

,n!° Died  at  Gallatin,  Tenn.,  Julv  19,  1865. 

A\\Y> Honorably  mustered  out  March  25,  66;  Bvt.  Major. 

unio  Honorably  mustered  out  June  5, 1866  ;  Brevet  Major. 

B«*York Brevet  Brigadier-General. 

VfV'-v"",- Appointment  cancelled  May  6,  1862. 

.New  York Brevet  Colonel  March  13,  1865. 


Staff*  Officers,  Etc. 


1015 


ASSISTANT    QUAKTERMASTERS-Continued. 


Captain  Hiram  S.  Chamberlain. 

"      Edward  D.  Chapman 

"      G.  II.  Clemens 

"      Joseph  C.  Clements 

44      Alden  H.  Comstock 

44      Alexander  Conn 

"      Robert  T.  Coverdale 

44      Thomas  J.  Cox 

"      John  It.  Craig 

"      David  H.  Dangler 

44      D.  W.  II.  Day 

"      John  P.  Drennau 

44      S.  H.  Dunan 

44      Thompson  T.  Eckert 

44      John  J.  Elwell 

"      Franklin  Ernst 

"      Tiiomas  1».  Fitch 

"      Win.  G.  Fuller 

"      Hubert  S».  Gardner 

44      A.  M.  Gtrouite 

44      Win.  Gaster 

"     Emanuel  Giesy 

"      Charted  Goodman 

44      C.  N.  Goulding 

"      Emanuel  Hode 

"      JesSe   Healy 

"      Grove  L.  lleaton 

44      George  B.  Hibbard 

"      L.  H.  Holab.rd 

"      Wm.  1-1  olden 

"      Win.  Hooper 

"      Woodbury  S.  How 

"      Wm.  A.  Hunter 

4i      Francis  W.  Hurtt 

44      George  W.  Johnes 

44      Henry  N.  Johnson 

44      Augustus  R.  Keller 

44      Thomas  J.  Kerr 

*•      Alouzo  King-bury 

44      Ezra  B.  Kirk.'. 

44      John  G.  Klinck 

44      Robert  S.  Lacy 

44      Henry  B.  Lacey 

44      John  V.  Lewis 

44      M.  D.  W.  Loomis 

44      Fielding  Dowry 

44      John  A.  Lynch 

44      Stafford  S.  Lynch 

44      David  W.  McClung 

44  Reuben  A.  McCormick... 

44      E.  W.  Miichel 

44      John  Morris 

44      Charles  W.  Moulton 

44      Lorenzo  D.  Myers 

44      Reese  31.  Newport 

44      Elias  Nigh 

44      Thomas  Painter.. 

44      Simou  Perkins,  jr , 

44      H.  \V.  Persiiig 

44      Abner  J.  Pheips 

44      ltalph  Plumb 

44      llansone  Kasin 

41      E.  C.  iteichenbach , 

44      Jami'8  M.  Iteno , 

44     Wurren  Russell 

44      A.  W.  Seniple 

44      Holly  Skinner 

44      Charles  K.  Smith,  jr 

44      Horatio  M.  Smith 

44      Bazil  L.  Span,ler 

44      Anson  Stager 

44      Joseph  B.  Siubbs 

44     D.  W.  Swigart 

44      Theodore  Voges 

44      Randall  P.  Wade 

44      Octavius  Waters 

44      Ralph  C.  Webster 

44      Henry  B.  Wh-tsel 

44      Leonard  Whitney 

44      Isaac  P.  Williams 

44      Charles  T.  Wing 

44      Joseph  K.  Wing 

44  George  W.  Woodbridge. 


COM.  ISSUED. 


May 
Aug. 
Feb. 
Nov. 
Sept. 
April 
Sept. 
I  une 
Nov. 

S.pril 

''eb. 

July 
\  ug. 
June 
March 
Oct. 
June 

April 

Dec. 

May 

Sept. 

Feb. 

Nov. 

Feb. 

Nov. 

Feb. 

June 

May 

Feb. 

Oct. 

July 

Aug. 

July 

Aug. 

April 

Dec. 

Aug. 

June 

Sept. 

Nov. 

Aug. 

Juno 

Nov. 

OCL. 

Feb. 

June 
May 
J  u  ne 

Nov! 

Aug. 

July 

Feb. 

July 

March 

Oct. 

June 

Jan. 

Sept. 

Nov. 

Feb. 

Dec. 

May 

Dec. 

July 

Nov. 


isr.i 

i-f.i.' 

ISO  I 
1802 

IMS 

istw 
1.-03 


is.",! 
l8o:s 

1*02 
1864 

1802 

i  si ,: ; 

IN, 2 

ISC) 
1803 
1801 
1802 
1864 

1863 
1864 

In,;; 

1861 

Iso-t 

is 

181 

IS;,  | 

\m 

1863 
186 

ISO! 
1802 
1863 
1801 
1862 

1861 

IS.  ,3 


Ohi 

Coiinecticnt. 

Connecticut. 

Ohio. 

Ohio. 

Pennsylvania.. 

England 

Ohio 

Indiana 

Pennsylvania.. 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Pennsylvania.. 


Honorably 
Honorably 
Honoiabiy 
Honorably 
Honorably 
Honorably 
Honorably 
Honorably 
Honorably 


Ohio  

Ohio 

Vermont 

Massachusetts. 
Ohio 


Pennsylvania. 
Ohio 

Connecticut ... 
New  York. 


Pennsylvania.. 

New  York 

New  York 

Pennsylvania.. 

New  York 

Ohio 


Main 
Ohio. 
Ohio. 
Ohio. 

Ohio. 

Ohio. 
Oh  ,,. 
Ohio. 

Ohio 

New  York. 

Ohio. 

Ohio. 

Ohio. 

Massachusetts. 

Ohio 


N.nv  York 

Ohio 

Ohi.) 


New  York 

Ohio 

Pennsylvania.. 
Pennsylvania.. 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

New  York 

New  York 

New  York 

Missouri 

Switzerland 

Pennsylvania.. 


Oct. 
May 


Pennsylvii 
wYork. 


ania. 
New" 
Ohio 

.Massachusetts. 

Ohio 

New  York 

Pennsylvania.. 
Pennsylvania.. 


mustered  out 
mustered  out 
mustered  out 
mustered  out 
mustered  out 
mustered  out 
in ust. -red  out 
mustered  out 
mustered  out 


October  26,  1865. 
March  30,  '66;  Bvt.  Major 
January  1,  Is  .,. 
Feb.  8,  1866;  Brevet  Major. 
.May  31,  1866;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 
July  13,  1866;  Brevet  Major. 
March  13, 

Aug.  1,  1800;  Bvt.  Colonel. 
Oct.  7,  1665;  Brevet  Major. 


Honorablv  mustered  out  Feb.  2,  1866;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 
Honorably  mustered  out  November  22,  1805. 
Resigned  February  20,  1865. 

[Bvt.  Brig.  Gen. 
Honorably  mustered  out  March  13,  I860;  Bvt.  Col., 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  19,  18'"«5. 
Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  23,  1*65;  Bvt.  Lt  Col. 
Honorably  mustered  out  Aug.  25,  1865;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 
Honorably  mustered  out  March  13,  1800;  Bvt.  Major. 

Dismissed  August  31,  1864. 

R  -signed  July  0,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  October  19,  1865. 

designed  September  16,  1864. 

Honorably  mustered  out  December  13,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  28,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  1806;  Bvt.  Major. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  8,  I860;  Brevet  Major. 

Resigned  March  13,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  April  20,  1866. 

Appointment  cancelled. 

Honorably  mustered  out  June  10,  1S66;  Bvt.  Major. 

Cashiered  May  I,  1805. 

Dismissed  June  17,  1804. 

Honorably  musteied  out  Sept.  20,  1865;  Bvt.  Major. 

Resigned  January  14,  i860. 

Honorably  mustered  out  August  4,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Feb.  8,  180.-.;  Brevet  Col. 

Honorably  mustered  out  June  20,  1805. 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.  August  19,  1805. 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  28,  1805. 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  I,  1866. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Dec.  0,  1805;  Bvt.  Major. 

Resigned  March  25,  1805. 

Died  at  Fairfax  C.  H.,  Virginia,  October  24,  1862. 

Resigned  June  30,  1805. 

Honoiabiy  mustered  out  September  20,  1805. 

Honorably  mustered  out  May  31,  1800;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 

Honoiabiy  mustered  out  Nov.  8,  1805;  Bvt.  Major. 

Honorably  mustered  out  March  13,  1805. 

Resigned  December  6,  1802. 

[M.,  U.  S.  A. 
Com.  vacated  March  13,  '03,  to  accept  app  t.  ol  A.  y. 
Resigned  December  2.  1804. 

Resigned  Feb.  7,  18.0;  Bvt.  Col  ,  Bvt.  Brig.  Gen. 
Com.  vacated  Maivh  13,'03,  app't.  A.  y.  M.,  U.  S.  A. 
Honorably  muster  ,d  out  April 30,  1800. 
Resigned  July  12,  1864. 
Honorably  mustered  out  March  13,  1806. 
Honorably  mustered  out  September  20,  1805. 
Honorably  mustered  out  Nov.  II,  1865;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 
Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  23,  1805;  Bvt.  Major. 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  13,  1806 ;  Bvt.  Major. 
Honorably  mustered  out  September  20,  1865. 
Discharged  March  12,  1804. 
Resigned  April  II,  1864. 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Brevet  M  .jor.  ,, 

Honorably  mustered  out  March  13, 1866;  Bvt.  Major 
Honoiabiy  mustered  out  June  28,  1805. 
App't.  Colonel  and  Aid-de-Camp;  Bvt.  Brig.  Gen. 
Brevet  Lieutenant-Colonel. 
Resigned  October  28,  1S64. 

Resigned  February  1,  1864. 

Brevet  Lieut.  Col.         [conduct  at  battle  of  Shiloh." 

Hon.  miist'd.  out  May  13, '00;  Bvt.  Maj.  4,l'or  gallauf 

Honorably  mustered  out  May  31,  1860. 

Honorably  mustered  out  June  6,  INi5. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  27,  1860;  Bvt.  Colon.  I. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Aug.  10,  1805;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 

Appointment  cancelled. 


1016 


Ohio   in  the  War. 


COMMISSARIES    OF    SUBSISTENCE. 


Baker 

•         J.UU     -     BOI  Mill'V 

Mtw  V.  Barrtnfer ... 

j;i  c.  Brand 

k  field 

Burma 

Thomas  A.  P.  Champlin  . 

-    I'onvers , 

John  W.  Cornyn 

ii  r 

William  Durst 

-  w.  Delay 

wllllam  II .  Douglas 

man 

n« 

Fitch 

UiirfleM 

S:iniii  •!  C.  Glover 

\\  in.  M.  OroM 

; 

U>ury  V.  Hawkes 

JllCob  Hi'HtlHI 

Snniii<»l  1).  Henderson 

0.  Hills 

Ill    f.   JellMIIlL'H   

(JbarlesC.  Kellogg 

Dannli  Keunei ,  }r 

.   I!,  lv'ilin , 

Matthew  H.  l.iiughlin 

ea  II .  L"ihy 

w7L.  lUllon 

Hugh  L.  llcKee 

W.  II.  McLrnian 

Rober(  M.Oinlkin 

Aaron  11.  M'-n-dith 

l*liii.-n«t  K.  Miner 

fa,  II.  Nash 

John  M.  Palmar 

S.imuH  s.  Patterson 

[■Ill  11.  Paul 

John  B.  Pearce 

J   <".  Kamaoy 

KcUunl  P.  Uunsoni 

•lowpfa  Rudolph 

William  D.  Suephord 

J.  M  M-I1I11 

L>iii:w  V.  Stewart 

Strickle 

Win.  II.  St -wart 

•  Sullivan 

riiornton 

Nfclmrtl  B.  Treat .'.'.'.' 

Vogliaon 

Archibald  (j.  Voris 

St.|li-n  11.  Webb 

Win.  D.  Wi'sxon 

AaionM.  Wilcox 

Joshua  O.  Willis 

(JillH-rt  E.  Winters 


COM.   ISSUED. 


Feb. 
Not. 

Aug. 
Sept. 

\pril 

•May- 
April 
July- 
April 
Aug. 
March 
Oct. 
Aug. 
Sept. 
June 
Nov. 
July 
I  ii  ue 
Aug. 
Feb. 
Nov. 
Aug. 
Keb. 
Oct. 
June 
Feb. 
Nov. 
April 
Nov. 
Feb. 
Sept. 
May 
Oct. 
May 
June 

Nov. 
Feb. 
M.ty 
Oct. 
June 
•Hay- 
Sept. 
May 


19,  1.863  Ohio 


Feb. 

Sept. 

May 

Nov. 

July 

March 

Aug. 

Oct. 

Inly 

Aug. 

Julv 

April 

May 


1S62 
26,    " 

ft.  1861 

7,  1864 
20,     " 

15,  " 
M,  1862 

16,  " 

23,  1863 
3,  1861 
6,  1862 

24,  186-1 

6,  1861 

25,  1862 
11,     " 

26,  " 
28,  1863 

7,  16*4 
17,  1861 
19,  1868 
21,  1862 
17,  1861 
19,  1*63 

3,  1864 
30, 

19,  IS63 
2i>,  18-2 

17,  1863 
21),  1862 
19,  1,'C.i 

9,  1861 

4,  1*63 
6,  1862 

28,  1864 

11,  1862 

30,  1864 

19,     " 

18,  1864 

31,  1861 
2,  lees 

12,  1862 
2-">,    "    Ohio 
2S,  1864  Ohio 

18,  "    New  Brunswick 

19,  1862  New  York 


Ohio 

Pennsylvania... 

New  York 

Kentucky 

New  York  

Louisiana 

Connecticut 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 


Ohio 

Ohio 

Pennsylvania.. 

Ohio 

New  York  

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Massachusetts. 

Illinois 

Ohio 

New  York 

Massachusetts. 

Ohio 

New  Y'ork 

Ohio 

Maryland 

Ohio 

Illinois 

Ohio 

New  York 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

New  Yoik 

New  York  

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 


Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  18,  1866;  Rvt.  Major 

Died  at  Salem,  Ohio,  March  4,  1864  " 

Resigned  May  19,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  June  26,  1865:  Bvt.  Major 

Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  9,  1865;  Brevet  Major* 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jau.  10,  1806;  Bvt   Maior 

Resigned  October  22,  1864. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  9,  1865;  Bvt.  Major 

Hon.  must'd  out  July  14,  '65 ;  Bvt.  Maj.     fBrig.  Gen. 

Prom.  Lt   Col   Jan.  1,'63;  resign'd.  July  3I,'64~;  Bvt. 

Discharged  February  14,  186.3. 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  1!,  1865;  Brevet  Major 

Honorably  mustered  out  June 24,  1865;  Brevet  Major' 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  15,  1865;  Brevet  Major" 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  15,  1865;  Brevet  Maior" 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  18,  1866;  Brevet  Major' 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  27, 1666;  Brevet  Major' 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  is,  1866;  Brevet  Major' 

Honorably  mustered  out  Nov.  27,  1865;  Brevet  Major' 

Brevet  Colonel  November  26,  1866. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Dec.  8,  1865;  Brevet  Major 

Resigned  May  2^,  1864.  ^     " 

Honorably  mustered  out  Aug.  22,  1865;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col. 

Resigned  April  II,  1865. 

Hesigned  April  11,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Aug.  10.  1865;  Bvt.  Lt   Col 

Honorably  mustered  out  July  n,  1865 ;  Brevet  Major. 


20,  18< 
23,  1862 
March  11,  1863 


Connecticut . 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

Ohio 

New  Yo;k.... 

Ohio 

5,  1861 1 New  York.... 
16,  1862  


Ohio 

New  York 
Vermont... 


...„„. ^. ,  ^  „„„  „ U1_T  ,  i    1,-M,,,     j>i ever  luaior 

Honorably  mustered  out  May  31.  1866;  Brevet  Major 
Honorably  mustered  out  May  31,  1866;  Brevet  Major 
Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  4,  1866;  Brevet  Major 
Resigned  Nov.  II,  1864. 
Resigned  June  29,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Aug.  22, 1865;  Brevet  Major. 
Resigned  June  3,  1>65.  J 

Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  9,  1865;  Brevet  Major 
Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  9.  1*65;  Brevet  Major' 
Af.pt.  Com   of  Subsistence  U.  S.  A.,  Nov.  17,  1865 
Discharged  March  2.-;,  1863.  *  '•**>*. 

Honorably  mustered  out  October  18,  1865 

r!'0^1;  &'  CoL  ;,an-]  ■•  l*&\  re«te&ed  Jan.  19,  1866. 
Honorably  mustered  out  July  14,  1865;  Brevet  Major 
Itesigued  November  15,  1864. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  31, 1866  ;  Brevet  Major 
Honorably  mustered  out  Jan.  18,  1866;  Brevet  Major' 
Honorably  mustered  out  Oct.  9,  1865;  Brevet  Major 
Honorab  y  mustered  out  July  7,  1866;  Brevet  Major' 
Honorably  mustered  out  June  16, 1865  ;  Bvt.  Major  ' 
Died  at  Cincinnati  Ju.y  9,  1863. 

Resigned  May  10,  1865. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Julys,  1865;  Brevet  Major 

Honorably  mustered  out  Sept.  23,  1865;  Brevet  Major 

Honorably  mustered  out  Feb.  21,  1866;  Bvt.  Lt.  Col 

H"ei%  V'  m5J  Prevet  l^ute./ant-CoIonel. 

Honorably  discharged  September  6,  1864. 

Itesigned  December  15,  1.S64. 

Honorably  must-red  out  Oct.  9,  1865;  Brevet  Major. 

Resinned  October  10.  1862. 

Honorably  mustered  out  Aug.  18, 1865 ;  Brevet  Major. 


>  •  # 


•  ••• 

•  ••• 


^^^^1^: 


fl* 


THE  WAR    GOVERNORS,  ETC. 


EX-GOVERNOR  WILLIAM  DEMISOK 


WILLIAM   DENNISON,    tho   first   of  the  War  Governors  of  Ohio, 
was    born    at    Cincinnati    on    the    23d    of  November,   1815.      On    his 
mother's  side  he  is  of  New  England  ancestry.     His  father,  a  native 
of  New  Jersey,  was  long  and  widely  known  in  the  Miami  Valley  as  a  success- 
ful business  man. 

In  the  year  1835  Mr.  Dennison  was  graduated  at  Miami  University.     At 
college  he  took  from  his  teachers  commendations  for  respectable  scholarship, 
and  for  special  excellence  in  political  science,  history,  and  belle-lcttres.     Ho 
pursued  the  study  of  the  law  at  Cincinnati,  in  the  office  of  one  of  the  gifted 
men  of  Ohio,  Nathaniel   G.  Pendleton,  father  of  George  H.  Pendleton.      In 
1840  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon  afterward  was  married,  his  bride 
being  the  eldest  daughter  of  William  Neil,  of  Columbus,  whose  name  is  indis- 
solubly  and  honorably  connected  with  mail  contracts  and  stage  transportation, 
when  railroads  were  unknown  in    the  Valleys  of  the   Ohio  and   Mississippi. 
About  the  time  of  his  marriage  Mr.  Dennison  removed  to  Columbus,  where  he 
practiced  his  profession  assiduously  until  1848,  when  the  Whigs  of  the  Senato- 
rial district  composed  of  the  counties  of  Franklin  and  Delaware  elected  him 
to  the  Ohio  Senate.     He  entered  public  life  at  a  hotly-contested  period  of  Ohio 
politics.     Between  the  Whigs  and  Democrats  the  lines  were  closely  drawn,  and 
a  third  party  (the  Free  Soil)  made  the  result  of  both  local  and  general  elections 
very  doubtful.     So  closely  were  the  Senators  and  Eepresentatives  divided  that 
the  General  Assembly,  which  met  in  December  of  that  year,  was  unorganized 
for  more  than  two  weeks,  during  which  period,  in  both  branches,  there  was  a 
struggle  for  mastery;    and  so  heated  was  the  contest  that  scenes  of  violence 
were  feared,  in  which  it  was  expected  that  excited  partisans,  who  thronged  the 
lobbies,  would  take  part.     In  the  contest  for  Speaker  of  the  Senate   Mr.  Den- 
nison was  made  the  representative  of  his  fellow  Whigs,  but  they  could  not  con- 
trol quite  votes  enough  to  elect  him.     This  mark  of  regard  gave  him  promi- 
nence, however,  as  a  member  of  the  Senate,  and  his  position  was  maintained 

1017 


1018  Ohio  in  the   War. 

with  skill  and  tact,  that  secured  for  him  personal  and  political  consideration, 
ami  contributed  largely,  in  after  years,  to  designate  him  as  a  man  worthy  of 
pgblio  trusts.  His  record  as  a  Senator  associates  him  with  the  repeal  of  the 
law  denying  black  or  mulatto  persons  the  privilege  of  residence,  and  forbidding 

them  to  testily  in  courts,  which,  from  1804  to  1849,  disgraced  Ohio  statute- 
book^  with  a  demand  for  the  application  of  the  Ordinance  of  1787  to  all  Tcrri- 
the  United  States,  and  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade  in  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia.  In  opposition  to  the  aggressive  demand  of  pro-slavery  poli- 
ticians, Mr.  Dennison  early  took  a  decided  stand.  His  first  public  speech 
delivered  in  the  year  1844,  was  against  the  slavery-extension  scheme  involved  in 
the  proposal  to  take  Texas  into  the  Union. 

At  the  close  of  his  Senatorial  term,  in  the  spring  of  1850,  he  resumed  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  declining  all  political  offices.  In  1852,  however,  he 
one  of  the  Senatorial  Electors  in  Ohio,  and  cast  his  vote  in  the  electoral 
college  for  General  Scott.  About  this  time  Mr.  Dennison  accepted  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Columbus,  and  began  to  turn  his  attention  to 
the  railroad  enterprises  then  attracting  capital  and  business  energy  Jn  ay  parts 
'!.!«».  He  was  chosen  President  of  the  Columbus  and  Xenia  Railroad,  and 
has  Btnee  been  actively  engaged  as  director  with  the  chief  railway  lines  center- 
ing at  Columbus. 

In  February,  185G,  Mr.  "Dennison  was  a  delegate  to  the  Pittsburg  conven- 
ftl  which  the  Republican  party  was  inaugurated;  was  a  member  of  the 
Committee  on  Resolutions,  which  prepared  the  platform  of  principles  •  and  in 
June  of  the  same  year,  was  the  acting  chairman  of  the  Ohio  delegation  at  the 
Philadelphia  Convention,  and  took  an  influential  part  in  the  committee  and 
-"t.on  proceedings  which  resulted  in  the  nomination  of  John  C.  Fremont 
for  the  Presidency. 

In  1859  Ifo  Dennison  was  nominated  by  acclamation  as  the  Republican 
caml„,a,e  for  Governor  of  Ohio.  His  opponent,  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
«*•  .-'  )•   Rufus  P.  Ranney,  was  a  man  of  high  character,  who  had   been  a 

'-  <■<  the  Constitutional   Convention  of  1852,  and  who  had  served  with 

i  :"0f8trie     Supreme judges °f the suue-  Ti'e ™*&* d<^^ 

«       ,,     of  the  campaign  at  a  series  of  mass  meeting,  held  in  different  parts 
•St    e.     Earnest  .nterest  was  manifested  on  both  sides  concerning  Lse 

•  :: y  to  tTVrr"7  COn8illered  tUat  ^  1>e""i-"'s  ~  -ntrib- 
" In    v  ('„  t        maJ°rity  by  Whi0h  he  ™  elect<*>-     I"  his  inaugural 

Ot  tin.,  Si  constructs  bear  him  witness  that  the  object 

»^SKLE  PC"manent  ""0-Sla-T  dominion   in  the  Government 

Mbl,,  J!  T  V  Pea°eably'  !f  C°n  Veni6nt '  if  "<*  fi-ibl3-,  if  pofc 

c    ab bsnnento,  a  slavcho.ding  confederacy.     The  first  even    of 

*mZ  I         1  a    ,^     '7    °?  ^^  °"   ***»-  *M  official  visit 

*  -  a  time'when  Z^Z^l^  W^  of  <*$    Happen- 

nouse  of  Representatives  was  unable  to  organ- 


William  Dennison.  1019 

ize,  and  when  discussions  of  danger  to  the  Union  were  upon  every  tongue,  the 
event  was  regarded  as  one  of  much  significance. 

Governor  Dennison's  first  message  was  delivered  to  the  Fifty-Fourth  Gen- 
eral Assembly  January  7,  1861.  It  reported  an  abstract  of  the  census  returns 
of  1860,  with  suggestions  respecting  legislation  required  by  developments  of 
mining,  manufacturing,  and  agricultural  resources;  gave  a  comprehensive 
review  of  the  State  finances,  recommended  a  continuance  of  the  State  banking 
system,  and  strongly  urged  an  effective  military  system.  Discussing  at  con- 
siderable length  questions  pertaining  to  a  dismemberment  of  the  Union  then 
agitated,  the  Governor  declared  the  judgment  of  Ohio  in  1860  to  be  precisely 
what  it  was  in  1832,  when  its  Legislature  resolved:  "That  the  Federal  Union 
exists  in  a  solemn  compact,  entered  into  by  the  voluntary  consent  of  the  people 
of  the  United  States,  and  of  each  and  every  State,  and  that,  therefore,  no  Stato 
can  claim  the  right  to  secede  from,  or  violate  that  compact;  and  however 
grievous  may  be  the  supposed  or  real  burdens  of  a  State,  the  only  legitimate 
remedy  is  in  the  wise  and  faithful  exercise  of  the  elective  franchise,  and  a  sol- 
emn responsibility  of  the  public  agents."  In  accordance  with  this  judgment 
he  concluded  his  message  with  an  emphatic  declaration  that,  loyal  as  Ohio  lias 
always  been  to  the  Constitution,  she  would  maintain  her  loyalty  come  what 
might.  These  are  the  common  sentiments  and  common  words  of  patriots,  but 
at  the  time,  and  under  the  circumstances  in  which  they  were  uttered  on  behalf 
of  the  State  of  Ohio,  they  possessed  peculiar  force  and  weight. 

Of  the  war  administration  of  Governor  Dennison  we  have  already  spoken 
at  length.  It  only  remains  to  say  that  he  continued  to  give  time  and  labor 
freely  to  the  Union  cause  through  the  war;  that  he  was  made  President  of  the 
great  anti-Yallandigham  State  Convention,  and  of  the  National  Convention  at 
Baltimore  that  re-nominated  Mr.  Lincoln;  that,  when  Mr.  Montgomery  Blair 
retired  from  the  Postmaster-Generalship  in  Mr.  Lincoln's  Cabinet,  Governor 
Dennison  was  chosen  to  succeed  him;  that  he  was  retained  by  Mr.  Johnson, 
and  that  he  resigned  his  portfolio  when  the  new  President  began  to  assail  the 
Union  party.  Since  then  Governor  Dennison  has  resumed  his  residence  at 
Columbus,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  private  business,  in  which  he  has  accu- 
mulated a  handsome  fortune. 


1020 


Ohio   in   the  War. 


EX-GOVERNOR  DAVID  TOD. 


HON.  DAVID  TOD,  the  second  of  the  War  Governors,  was.  born  at 
Youngstown,  Mahoning  County,  Ohio,  on  the  21st  of  February,  1805. 
His  father,  the  Hon.  George  Tod,  settled  in  Ohio  in  1800,  having  left  his 
native  State,  Connecticut,  with  many  other  of  the  early  pioneers  who  settled 
the  Western  Eeserve.  Ohio  was  then  a  Territory,  and  the  same  year  of  his 
coming  into  it  Mr.  Tod  was  called  upon  by  Governor  St.  Clair  to  act  as  Secretary 
of  the  Territory.  In  1802,  when  Ohio  was  admitted  into  the  Union,  he  was 
elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  holding  that  office  for  seven  years  in  suc- 
cession ;  he  was  afterward  re-elected  to  the  same  position,  but  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  second  war  with  Gieat  Britain,  resigned  his  seat  on  the  bench,  and 
tendering  his  services  to  the  Government,  w7as  commissioned  a  Major,  and  after- 
ward promoted  to  the  Colonelcy  of  the  Nineteenth  Regiment  of  the  army. 
During  the  struggle  Colonel  Tod  won  laurels  by  his  coolness,  bravery,  courage, 
and  heroism,  especially  at  Sackett's  Harbor  and  Fort  Meigs.  After  the  war, 
resigning  his  commission,  ho  returned  to  Trumbull  County,  where,  after  a  short 
time,  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  having  for  his  cir- 
cuit the  whole  northern  part  of  Ohio.  Judge  Tod  remained  upon  the  bench  for 
fourteen  years,  retiring  in  1829,  and  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  pursuing  his 
profession  of  the  law,  dying,  universally  regretted,  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven,  in 
1841.  At  the  death  of  his  father,  in  1841,  David  Tod  was  practicing  law,  hav- 
ing been  admitted  to  the  bar  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  in  1827,  and  having 
opened  an  office  at  Warren,  where  he  followed  his  profession  for  fifteen  years. 
As  a  lawyer  none  were  more  successful.  Commencing  life  without  a  penny, 
under  even  what  would  be  embarrassing  circumstances  to  a  majority  of  young 
men,  he  overcame  every  obstacle  and  won  fortune  by  the  talents  and  industry 
he  brought  to  the  practice  of  his  profession.  As  a  criminal  lawyer  he  won  rep- 
utation through  the  West. 

From  his  youth  he  had  a  strong  love  of  politics,  was  an  ardent  admirer  of 
Jackson,  and  in  consequence  of  the  Democratic  party,  for  whose  success  he  cast 
his  first  vote.  In  1838  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Senate  over  his  Whig  com- 
petitor. In  1840,  having  previously  become  personally  acquainted  with  Gen- 
eral Jackson  and  Martin  Van  Buren,  ho  took  the  stump  for  the  latter,  and  won 
a  reputation  as  a  speaker  which  at  once  gavo  him  prominence  among  the  ora- 
tors of  the  State. 


David  Tod.  1021 

Such  was  his  popularity  with  his  own  party  that  in  1844  ho  was  brought 
out  as  their  candidate  for  Governor,  receiving  a  unanimous  nomination,  and  in 
that  struggle  his  opponent's  (Barlley's)  majority  was  only  about  one  thousand, 
while  Clay's  the  following  month,  over  Polk,  was  six  thousand.  About  this 
time  he  retired  from  his  profession  to  his  farm  at  Brier  Hill,  and  for  the  noxt 
three  years  devoted  himself  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

In  1847  President  Polk,  unsolicited,  tendered  him  the  appointment  of  .Min- 
ister to  the  Court  of  Brazil.  Prom  1847  to  the  summer  of  1852,  a  period  of 
nearlj-  five  )'ears,  Mr.  Tod  represented  the  United  States  Government,  nego- 
tiating several  treaties  ;  among  the  rest,  Government  claims  of  over  thirty  years 
previous  standing.  On  his  return,  and  during  the  Presidential  canvass,  he  did 
effective  service  in  the  campaign  which  secured  the  election  of  Mr.  Pierce.  He 
also  participated  in  the  canvass  of  1856,  but  sought  no  office  from  either. 

In  1860,  being  a  delegate  to  the  Charleston  Convention,  and  a  strong  Doug- 
las man,  he  was  chosen  first  Vice-President  of  that  body,  and  when  atBaltimoro 
nearly  the  entire  Southern  wing  of  the  party  withdrew,  followed  by  Caleb 
Cushing,  of  Massachusetts,  the  President  of  the  Convention,  Mr.  Tod  became 
the  presiding  officer. 

The  executive  and  business  talents  of  Mr.  Tod  were  conspicuously  evidenced 
as  the  President  of  the  Cleveland  and  Mahoning  Railroad,  the  construction  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  advocate,  and  with  whose  success  he  became 
identified.  To  Mr.  Tod,  more  than  any  other  man,  belongs  the  honor  of  inau- 
gurating the  steps  which  led  to  the  development  of  the  vast  coal  mines  of  tho 
Mahoning  Valley. 

Before  and  after  the  meeting  of  the  Peace  Congress  at  Washington,  in  Feb- 
ruary, Mr.  Tod  warmty  advocated  the  peace  measures,  and  the  exhausting  of 
every  honorable  means,  rather  than  tho  Southern  Fire-eaters  should  inaugurate 
civil  war.  But  from  the  moment  the  flag  was  shot  down  at  Sumter,  he  threw 
off  all  party  trammels,  and  was  among  the  first  public  men  in  the  State  who 
took  the  stump  advocating  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war  till  eveiy  Pebel 
was  cut  off  or  surrendered.  From  that  moment,  with  voice  and  material  aid, 
he  contributed  his  support  to  the  National  Government.  Besides  subscribing 
immediately  one  thousand  dollars  to  the  war  fund  of  his  township,  he  furnished 
company  B,  Captain  Hollingsworth,  Nineteenth  Ecgiment,  Youngstown,  with 
their  first  uniforms. 

The  circumstances  of  the  Governor's  nomination  to  succeed  Governor  Den- 
nison,and  of  his  administration,  have  already  been  given*  Since  the  close  of  his 
term  of  service  he  has  devoted  himself  to  his  business  interests.  He  resides  on  his 
farm,  known  as  "Brier  Hill,"  in  Mahoning  County,  which  formerly  belonged 
to  his  father,  and  which  he  repurchased,  after  he  began  to  accumulate  property, 
from  those  who  had  come  into  possession  of  it.  With  a  brief  description  of 
this  place,  as  given  by  a  correspondent  of  tho  Ohio  State  Journal,  we  may  closo 
this  sketch  : 

*  Part  I. 


Ohio  in  the   War. 

„.  '  p,i»,  Hill  Farm,'  as  it  is  called— contains  about  six  hundred  acres 
"The  home  farm-or    Bnc rJMU  '         hi        bout  thc  farm  is  in  perfect  order.     The 

rf  we.l-improved,  "«'',--c"U"a,aendd1;n„dces  .« ". II  in  The  right  place,  and  indicate  the  clear  head 

•|:'W?  ""'I  "3  U^     r e Z   The  house  is  just  I  the  Governor  describes  it:  '  Ad- 

.„..  ,„.,.«!  good  sense       the  F°F'*  ure  |g  M  ,„  t0  be  seen.     In  the  midst  of 

:  3,"  K  whl:   Live  test'trces,  evergreens,  shrubbery  and  floors,  all  in  perfect 

JZTJnto  the  mansion,  which  ha,  grown  into  ample  dimensions,  as  t.me,  an  mcreasmg  family, 

.,     :s  and  the  demands  of  taste  and  comfort  required.     Between  the  house  and  the 

3  stand,  a  noble  old  forest,  covered  with  a  rich  foliage,  just  tinged  wtth  an  umnal  colors. 

!:„„„  have  been  cut  through,  to  give  a  view  of  three  of  the  Governor's  iron  foundry 

whom  .moke  and  flame,  indicate  at  a  glance  to  the  proprietor  their  working  condition. 


EX-GOVERNOR  JOHN  BROUGH. 


JOHN  BROUGH  was  born  at  Marietta  on  the  17th  of  September,  1811. 
His  father,  John  Brough,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  came  to  this  coun- 
try in  1806,  in  the  same  ship  with  Blennerhassett,  with  whom  he  after- 
ward remained  on  the  most  friendly  relations  until  his  unfortunate  connection 
with  the  Burr  conspiracy.  Mr.  Brough's  mother  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  was  a  woman  of  great  force  of  character,  and  it  was  from  her  that  John 
inherited  thc  strong  mental  characteristics  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable, 
lit-  was  the  oldest  of  three  sons,  but  second  in  a  family  of  five  children.  He 
received  a  good  common  school  education,  but  his  father  died  in  1822,  leaving 
him,  as  well  as  the  other  members  of  the  family,  to  depend  upon  their  own 
tOM  for  support.  John  went  into  the  printing  office  of  Royal  Prentiss,  of 
Mar'nita,  setting  type  a  few  months.  He  then  entered  thc  Ohio  University,  at 
Athens,  where  lie  pursued  a  scientific  course,  with  the  addition  of  Latin.  While 
h«ie  he  worked  nights  and  mornings  at  his  trade,  and  attended  to  his  studies 
during  the  day.  During  this  time  he  is  said  to  have  put  up  as  much  type  every 
week  as  ■  hand  constantly  employed,  and  kept  at  the  head  of  every  department 
of  study  in  the  college.  He  studied  law  in  the  same  manner.  Ho  was  fleet  of 
foot  and  the  best  ball  player  at  college. 

In  1832  he  went  to  Parkersburg,  Virginia,  where  for  several  months  he 
i  the  Gazette  of  that  place.  He  then  removed  to  Marietta,  where  he  pub- 
lished and  edited  the  Washington  County  Republican,  a  Democratic  paper.  In 
1833  he  removed  to  Lancaster,  and  purchased  thc  Ohio  Eagle,  which  he  con- 
turned  to  edit  with  marked  ability  until  1838,  spending  almost  every  winter  in 
Columbus,  during  which  time  he  acted  as  Clerk  to  the  Upper  House  of  the 
General  Assembly.  It  was  during  this  time  that  he  began  to  exhibit  capacity 
lor  nnane.al  affairs,  and  he  was  taken  into  the  confidence  of  the  old  leaders  of 
both  political  parties.     He  saw  through  the  corruption  of  the  Auditor's  office, 


John  Brough.  1023 

and  the  tendency  of  the  dominant  party  toward  repudiation,  securing  the 
information  which  enabled  him  to  denounce  the  whole  system  so  effectually 
when  a  member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  1838-39. 

This  bold  course  made  him  State  Auditor  in  1839,  although  fiercely.opposed 
and  threatened  by  Medary  and  Allen."  The  best  and  purest  members  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  Whig  party  voted  for  John  Brough,  and  he  was  elected.  Ever  after- 
ward Medaiy  and  Allen  were  his  bitter  and  uncompromising  enemies.  Brough 
continued  to  act  as  Auditor  for  six  years,  in  that  time  perfectly  revolutionizing 
the  manner  of  doing  business  in  that  office,  and  building  up  an  enviable  reputa- 
tion for  executive  ability  and  probity  of  character.  The  annual  reports  of  Au- 
ditor Brough  arc  among  the  most  interesting  historical  papers  of  the  State.  They 
disclose  the  confusion  and  irresponsibility  of  the  business  transactions  of  the 
departments,  and  the  mismanagement,  if  not  corruption,  of  the  finances.  Soon 
after  taking  possession  of  his  office,  Brough  set  to  work  to  correct  the  general 
system  of  plunder,  practiced  in  several  counties  of  the  State  by  dishonest  and 
inefficient  officials,  which  was  encouraged  by  the  system  of  special  legislation 
then  in  vogue.  He  soon  had  three  hundred  thousand  acres  of  canal  lands, 
which  had  been  dodging  taxation,  replaced  on  the  duplicate,  and  recommended 
to  the  Legislature  that  the  owners  be  required  to  pay  the  taxes  for  the  jears 
they  had  eluded  the  officers  of  the  law.  He  recommended  the  resurvey  of  the 
Yirginia  military  lands,  showing  that  in  a  single  instance  in  one  county,  that 
a  resurvey  of  a  warrant  of  five  thousand  acres  had  produced  nearly  fifteen 
thousand  acres.  He  showed  that  in  the  counties  of  Highland  and  Fayette 
alone,  not  less  than  fifty  thousand  acres  of  land  were  not  upon  the  duplicates, 
which  of  right  should  be  there.  He  denounced  the  loose  character  of  legisla- 
tion upon  the  subject  of  school  and  ministerial  leased  lands.  The  whole  body 
of  laws  relating  to  our  financial  operations  had  become  involved  in  such  con- 
fuson,  and  the  frequent  patching  of  the  system  had  given  it  so  many  forms, 
that  a  correct  administration  of  the  public  finances  was  a  matter  of  impossi- 
bility. There  were  no  less  than  three  financial  departments:  The  Canal  Fund 
Commissioners,  the  Board  of  Public  Works,  and  the  State  officers,  and  all  act- 
ing in  independence  of  each  other. 

From  all  the  information  and  records  of  the  Auditor's  office,  it  was  not  pos- 
sible to  arrive  with  accuracy  at  the  indebtedness  of  the  State,  and  the  disburse- 
ment of  the  most  important  and  extensive  portion  of  its  funds.  The  Fund 
Cammissioners  were  authorized  to  loan  money;  they  did  so,  and  reported  the 
fact  and  gross  amount  to  the  Auditor;  but  those  funds,  instead  of  passing 
through  the  Auditor's  office  into  the  public  treasury,  were  deposited  in  the 
banks  and  agencies;  and  in  place  of  being  disbursed  upon  the  drafts  of  the 
Auditor,  passing  through  his  books,  where  a  perfect  system  of  accountability 
could  be  kept  up,  they  were  paid  out  on  the  checks  of  the  Fund  Commissioners, 
and  no  trace  of  them,  save  the  fact  of  their  loan,  as  reported  by  the  Commis- 
sioners, was  to  be  found  upon  the  fiscal  records  of  the  State.  Again,  while  this 
branch  was  thus  independent  of  the  fiscal  officers  of  the  State,  the  Board  of 
Public  W^orks  was  independent  of  both.     Their  requisitions  for  public  funds 


J024  Ohio  in  the  War.   . 

we.c  made  upon  tho  Fund  Commissioners;  the  amounts  were  furnished  and 
placed  in  tho  banks,  subject  to  the  unrestricted  checks  of  tho  Acting  Commis- 
sioners. Tho  vouchers  for  their  expenditures  were  returned  to  themselves,  in 
tllt>1:  ,t0  capacity  of  a  Board;  and  the   accounts  of  one   member  were 

audited  and  settled  by  his  colleagues,  when  he  in  turn  became  a  judge  in  settling 
theirs*  the  Auditor  having  nothing  to  do  but  record  these  settlements  as  final! 

.  to  tho  citizens  of  Ohio  participating  in  political  affairs  twenty-eight  years 

is  nothing  new,  but  to  the  younger  class  it  will  show  how  slowly  a  safe 
system  of  finances  is  formed;  and  comparing  the  recommendations  of  the  Au- 
ditor then  with  the  admirable  financial  system  we  now  have,  they  will  under  - 

i  better  what  the  people  of  Ohio  owe  to  John  Brough. 

Ho  earnestly  devoted  his  energies  to  reform  ;  and,  by  unremittingly  press- 
ing his  theories,  from  year  to  year,  upon  the  General  Assembly,  and  laying 
thom  before  tho  people,  ho  effected  it.  The  management  of  the  finances  was 
changed;  a  system  of  accountability  between  the  departments  of  govern- 
ment was  adopted;  new  revenue  laws  were  passed  and  put  into  operation,  and 
tho  county  officers  held  to  a  rigid  accountability  for  their  execution,  so  that, 
oven  as  early  as  1841,  ono  million  and  twenty  thousand  acres  of  land  wero 
added  to  the  taxablo  list;  inefficiency  in  the  discharge  of  public  duties,  corrup- 
tion and  defalcation  on  tho  part  of  subordinates,  which  had  been  frequent 
before,  were  prevented  or  corrected  ;  economy  in  the  administration  of  govern- 
ment and  expenditures  for  public  improvements  was  observed;  those  political 
mountebanks,  whilom  freest  in  squandering  tho  public  revenue,  who  broached 
tho  policy  of  repudiating  the  public  debt,  were  defeated  and  politically  buried; 
the  Stato  was  relieved  from  financial  embarrassments  and  her  credit  gradually 
restored. 

Tho  heavy  amount  of  tho  public  debt,  and  its  rapidly-increasing  character, 

I  source  of  great  anxiety  to  Mr.  Brough,  and  he  addressed  himself  to  tho 
task  of  reducing  it  and  adopting  the  means  for  its  final  redemption.     He  dis- 

•1  in  public  the  financial  question  in  all  its  bearings.  He  referred  to  tho 
theory  of  an  English  statesman,  that  a  »  national  debt  was  a  national  blessing," 
(Of  tho  reason  that  the  interest  and  identity  which  it  created  between  its  citi- 

thc  wealthy  and  powerful,  and  the  government,  was  the  safest  guarantee 
again*  the  revolution  that  involved  encroachment  or  destruction.  Mr.  Brough 
held  that  "tho  remark  will  hold  directly  an  inverse  position  when  applied  to 
tho  form  of  government  which  we  enjoy,  and  is  enforced  in  that  position  bv  tho 

reversed  circumstances  that  surround  our  public  debt."  Subsequently,  in 
a  communication  to  the  General  Assembly,  he  reaffirmed  this  doctrine,  and 

stcd  against  any  resort,  on  the  part  of  the  State  of  Ohio,  to  -doubtful 

hents"  to  meet  her  increasing  indebtedness.  He  held  that  "the  faith  of 
the  State,  where  it  has  been  legally  and  honestly  pledged,  should  be  preserved 
inviolate;  but,  to  do  this  in  the  future,  ".the  sovereign  authority  should  set 
r»gnl  bounds  to  the  debt,  which,  under  the  pledge  of  that  faith,  is  so  rapidly 
accumulatmg.'  Taxation  and  retrenchment  was  his  theory.  There  was  great 
mequahty  m  the  taxation  of  lands,  town,  and  chattel  property,  which  led  to  a 


John  Brough.  1025 

misunderstanding,   confusion,   and  wrong-.     Mr.   Brough   urged  a  remedy — the 

appraisement  of  all  taxable  property  at  its  real  cash  value.  It  was  true  that 
this  would  swell  the  duplicate  to  a  very  large  amount,  hut  the  larger  the  aggro- 
gate  of  taxable  property  the  smaller  the  rate  of  taxation. 

While  Mr.  Brough  was  still  Auditor  of  State  he  bought  the  Phoenix,  in 
Cincinnati,  of  Moses  Dawson,  changed  its  name  to  the  Enquirer,  and  put  his 
brother  Charles  Brough  as  editor.  After  the  close  of  his  official  term  he  prac- 
ticed law  in  Cincinnati,  and  also  wrote  editorials  for  his  paper.  There  is  some 
evidence  that  Mr.  Brough  had  an  ambition  to  represont  the  State  in  the  United 
States  Senate,  for  which  position  his  broad  and  comprehensive  views  of  public 
policy  and  his  great  ability  as  a  speaker  admirably  fitted  him ;  but  in  1848,  be- 
coming disgusted  with  the  proslavery  inclinations  of  some  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Democratic  party,  he  resolved  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  politics,  save 
as  an  elector,  and  sold  one-half  of  the  Enquirer  to  II.  H.  Eobinson. 

President  Polk  had  offered  him  the  Secretaryship  of  the  Treasury,  with- 
out consultation  with  the  part  of  the  Democratic  leaders  to  whom  Mr.  Brough's 
course  as  Auditor  had  been  distasteful.  His  financial  turn  of  mind  made  the 
offer  peculiarly  grateful,  but  it  was  subsequently  withdrawn  without  explana- 
tion. Afterward  he  was  tendered,  in  succession,  several  important  diplomatic 
positions,  but  he  refused  all;  and,  abandoning  all.  political  aspirations,  em- 
barked in  railroad  business.  He  was  made  President  of  the  Madison  and  In- 
dianapolis Eailroad  Company,  making  Madison  his  place  of  residence.  He 
continued  as  President  of  this  road  until  1853,  and  was  remarkably  successful 
in  its  management;  so  much  so  that  it  may  be  said  that  he  thereby  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  present  railroad  system  which  centers  at  Indianapolis.  In 
July,  1853,  he  became  connected  with  the  Bellefontaine  line.  This  active  busi- 
ness life  suited  him,  and  it  was  with  apparent  reluctance  that,  after  fifteen 
years  of  retirement,  he  obeyed  the  call  of  the  people  of  his  native  State  to  be- 
come their  standard-bearer  against  treason,  in  1863. 

Of  his  ensuing  career,  and  of  his  death  in  the  midst  of  his  labors,  previous 
chapters  of  this  work  have  spoken  in  detail. 

Brough  was  a  statesman.  His  views  of  public  policy  were  broad  and  cath- 
olic, and  his  course  was  governed  by  what  seemed  to  be  the  best  interests  of 
the  people,  without  regard  to  party  expediency  or  personal  advancement.  He 
was  honest  and  incorruptible,  rigidly  just  and  plain,  even  to  bluntness.  He 
had  not  a  particle  of  dissimulation.  People  thought  him  ill-natured,  rude,  and 
hard-hearted.  He  was  not;  he  was  simply  a  plain,  honest,  straightforward 
man,  devoted  to  business.  He  had  not  the  suaviter  in  modo.  This  was,  perhaps, 
unfortunate  for  himself,  but  the  public  interests  suffered  nothing  thereby.  He 
was,  moreover,  a  kind-hearted  man,  easily  affected  by  the  sufferings  of  others, 
and  ready  to  relieve  suffering  when  he  found  the  genuine  article.  He,  perhaps, 
mistrusted  more  than  some  men,  but  when  he  was  convinced  he  did  not  measure 
his  gifts.  He  was  a  good  judge  of  character.  He  looked  a  man  through  and 
through  at  first  sight.  Hence  no  one  hated  a  rogue  more  than  he;  and,  on  the 
Vol.  1.— 65. 


Ohio  in  the  Wae. 

r  hand,  no  one  had  a  warmer  appreciation  of  a  man  of  good  principles. 

II,'  w9t  ■  devoted  friend, 

.,  public  speaker  Brough  has  had  few  superiors.  His  style  was  clear, 
fluent,  and  logical,  while  at  times  he  was  impassioned  and  eloquent.  When  the 
famous  joint  campaign  was  being  made  between  Cor  win  and  Shannon,  for  Gov- 
ernor, the  Democratic  leaders  found  it  expedient  to  withdraw  Shannon  and  sub- 
stitute Broogh,  in  order  that  they  might  not  utterly  fail  in  the  canvass.  Corwin 
and  Bro*gh  were  warm  friends,  and  none  of  Brough 's  partisans  ever  had  a 
higher  admiration  for  his  genius  than  had  Corwin. 

In  1832  Mr.  Brough  married  Miss  Achsah  P.  Pruden,  of  Athens,  Ohio. 
She  died  September  8,  1838,  in  the  twenty-fifth  3-ear  of  her  age.  In  1843  ho 
married,  at  Lewiston,  Pennsylvania,  Miss  Caroline  A.  Nelson,  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  by  whom  he  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters.  Both  of  the  sons  have 
died.  So  soon  as  Governor  Brough  became  aware  of  the  dangerous  nature  of 
his  disease  he  made  his  will,  and  talked  freely  to  his  wife,  children,  and  friends. 
He  sought  full  preparation  for  death.  Though  not  a  member  of  a  church,  nor 
during  the  last  ten  years  of  his  life,  an  active  attendant  at  an}^  place  of  worship, 
he  stated  very  calmly,  yet  with  deep  feeling,  that  he  was,  and'  always  had  been, 
a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity;  that  he  bad  full  faith  and  hope 
in  Jesus  Christ,  and  through  Him  hoped  for  eternal  life.  He  remarked  that 
he  had  never  been  a  demonstrative  man,  but  his  faith  had,  nevertheless,  been 
firmly  and  deeply  grounded. 


Edwin   Iff.  Stanton.  1027 


SECRETARY  EDWIN  M.  STANTON. 


ONE  of  the  most  distinguished  and  popular  of  war  ministers  was  William 
Pitt.  Yet  when  a  historian  of  England,  not  unfriendly  to  Mr.  Pitt's 
party  (Lord  Macaulay),  came  to  pass  judgment  upon  him,  he  pronounced 
him  superlatively  extravagant  and  incompetent.  It  is  possible  that  when  future 
historians  apply  their  microscopes  to  the  management  of  our  War  Department 
during  the  trying  years  of  the  long  struggle,  they  may  echo  the  first  part,  at 
least,  of  this  censure.  But  they  can  no  more  separate  the  name  of  Edwin  M. 
Stanton  from  the  great  triumphs  won  under  his  management  than  they  can 
obliterate  the  fame  of  the  younger  Pitt. 

To  give  a  satisfactory  life  of  Mr.  Stanton  would  be  to  write  with  great  full- 
ness of  detail  the  inner  history  of  the  conduct  of  the  war  by  our  Government, 
and  of  the  efforts  at  re -organization  that  followed  the  peace.  The  occasion  is 
not  convenient,  nor,  even  if  all  the  facts  could  properly  be  made  accessible,  has 
the  time  come  for  that.  We  must  rest  satisfied,  therefore,  with  a  few  bare  facts 
and  dates. 

Mr.  Stanton  is  of  Quaker  descent.  His  ancestors  migrated  from  Ehode 
Island  to  North  Carolina  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century.  His 
grandparents  were  Benjamin  and  Abigail  Stanton,  who  resided  near  Beaufort, 
in  North  Carolina.  The  maiden  name  of  the  latter  was  Abigail  Macy,  and  she 
was  a  descendant  of  that  Thomas  Macy,  who  was  perhaps  the  earliest  white 
settler  of  Nantucket,  and  whose  flight  thither,  upon  pursuit  for  giving  shelter 
to  a  hunted-down  Quaker,  is  the  subject  of  one  of  Whittier's  poems.  Benja- 
min Stanton,  the  Secretary's  grandfather,  in  his  will  expressed  the  "will  and 
desire  that  all  the  poor  black  people  that  ever  belonged  to  me  be  entirely  free 
whenever  the  laws  of  the  land  will  allow  it:  until  which  time  my  executors  I 
leave  as  guardians  to  protect  them  and  see  that  they  be  not  deprived  of  their 
right  or  any  way  misused."  In  the  year  1800  his  widow,  with  a  large  family 
of  children,  removed  to  Ohio.  One  of  her  children  was  Dr.  David  Stanton, 
who  married  Lucy  Norman,  a  native  of  Culpepper  County,  Virginia,  daughter 
of  Thomas  Norman,  Esq.  Her  father  was  a  Virginia  planter,  who  resided  near 
Stevensburg,  and  was  owner  of  the  farm  on  which  was  fought,  in  1862,  the  bat- 
tle of  Cedar  Mountain.  Dr.  David  Stanton  was  an  eminent  and  highly  respected 
physician  in  Steubenville,  Ohio. 

His  eldest  child  was  Edwin  M.  Stanton,  who  was  born  at  Steubenville,  Ohio, 
in  December,  1815.     At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  bookstore 


1028  Ohio  ih  the  War. 

of  James  Turnbull,  of  Steuben ville.  After  three  years  spent  here,  in  the  year 
1831.  Ii«-  became  a  student  of  Kenyon  College,  where  he  remained  until  some 
time  in  the  year  1833.  After  leaving  college  he  was  again  employed  as  a  clerk 
in  the  bookstore  of  James  Turnbull,  at  Columbus.  He  subsequently  studied 
l.-iw  in  the  office  of  his  guardian,  Daniel  L.  Collier,  Esq.,  at  Steubenville,  and  at 
f# twenty-one  (in  183fi)  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  immediately  com- 
-  to  practice   his  profession  at   Cadiz,  Harrison  County,  Ohio,  and    was 

•  I  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  county.  Shortly  afterward,' having  acquired 
S  Isrge  circuit  practice,  he  removed  to  his  native  town  of  SteubenviHe,  and  in 
ted  by  the  General  Assembly  of  Ohio  reporter  of  the  decisions  of 
tl.e  Supreme  Court.  He  prepared  and  published  volumes  eleven,  twelve  and 
thin,,.,  of  the  Ohio  State  Reports.  Though  Mr.  Stanton's  attention  was  chiefly 
give-.,  to  his  profession,  yet,  even  at  this  time,  he  took  a  somewhat  active  part 
•  a  the  politics  of  his  county  and  State  as  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party 

X  he  began  to  practice  law  in  Pittsburg,  as  a  partner  of  the  Hon 
*arles  shale,-,  and  though  still  retaining  an  office  at  Steubenville  his  attention 
J  bteflj  given  to  cases  before  the  courts  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  United 
States  D,etnet,  Circuit,  and  Supreme  Courts.  Among  the  important  causes-  in 
winch  he  was  engaged  were  those  known  as  the  "Erie  war"  cases,  in  which  he 
'  —1  for  the  railroad  company;  and  the  Wheeling  Bridge  case  which     e 

Conducted  as  counsel  tor  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  *  '  " 

t":::rr^L^  ■?  ~d  *  ?**i  <%  *  -tend  t0 & 


«'•■■  KeCormiok  reamn*  ,„,,i  •     7-  coni?ict,n£  interests  of  the  Manney 

on  the  same  side)   ho  was  1  •     .j  i     v  Lmcoiu,  who  was  of  counsel 

*»t  U+J,  w,  2   2  ~Ite    t0t|tl,e  °ffiCe  °f  A«— 7-Gene,,,  hy  P,es. 

*>»  —  that  of  do,,, 2e    1        ,     ma' "der  °f  Ml'-   JMWIMI-,  administra- 
'""  ■£»—-.      t     K.  tio    ,T     "  <0  f  trail°rS  "  tl]e  C"binet'  a»d  — 

* —,,,1  l,is  pit         '      t°dM       f '  t,"6  eXPirati°n  °f  ^  B«0h^ 

*  *•  &■  iO»al  cause  On'  Jg  *?  "0t  ^  h''8  *«*  *  ?*  offorto  in  behalf 
U»oll>  Secretary  of  War      I  January,  1862,  he  was  appointed  by  Mr. 

VJoyin«  the  most  cordial  fiiendln  "'U f  *  ^^  °f  ^  Li"Col"'e  ^biMt, 
«  *•  «-  of  his  first  te  ,n  Zrin     nC0nfidenC6  °f  *  ***»*  •»««»• 

Li-coin's  as,assi„ulion.  OnlL^^  "^  *»  ™  t0  "">  tirae  *  ** 
'7  -^nation,  up„n  the  MjJ^l  ^TV"67'  **  John8°»  posted 
C-aractc-towhiehSecretar    I,     f  °f  pnbUo  ""^rations  of  a  high 

Mtf  character,  *J?E**™«  W  ^  "^  ^ ^tions  of. 

induced  h.m  to  remaiu  at  the  head  of  this 


Edwin   M.  Stanton.  1029 

Department,  constrained  him  not  to  resign  before  the  next  meeting  of  Congress." 
On  the  12th  of  August  Mr.  Johnson  notified  him  of  his  suspension  from  the 
office  of  Secretary  of  War. 

During  his  service  as  Secretary  of  War  after  Mr.  Johnson's  accession,  Mr. 
Stanton  supported  the  following  measures  passed  by  Congress  against  the  Pres- 
ident's opposition  : 

1.  Freedmen's  Bureau  bill. 

2.  The  Civil  Eights  bill. 

3.  The  bill  giving  suffrage  without  regard  to  color  in  the  District  of  Columbia. 

4.  The  bill  admitting  Colorado  as  a  State. 

5.  The  several  acts  known  as  the  Reconstruction  Acts,  providing  for  the  establishment  of 
governments  in  the  Rebel  States. 

With  this  we  must  content  ourselves.  Mr.  Stanton's  relations  to  General 
McClellan  and  the  peninsular  campaign  ;  his  relations  to  the  Kebel  incursions 
in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  and  the  defense  of  the  Capital;  his  relations  to  the 
changes  of  armies  and  commanders,  the  building  up  and  pulling  down  of  mili- 
tary reputations,  the  plans  of  campaigns,  the  recruiting  of  the  arm}',  the  policy 
of  the  Government  on  the  question  of  slavery,  and  a  score  of  other  matters 
almost  equally  important,  would  furnish  the  material  for  volumes. 

He  was,  throughout  Mr.  Lincoln's  administration,  all-powerful.  It  was 
with  reference  to  some  strong-willed  action  of  Mr.  Stanton's,  in  opposition  to 
his  own  wishes,  that  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  reply  to  a  personal  appeal  for  aid,  made 
the  jocose  remark,  so  often  quoted,  that  he  (Lincoln)  had  very  little  influence 
with  this  Administration.  That  the  Secretary  always  used  his  power  wisely 
or  justly  can  not  be  affirmed.  His  expenditures  were  enormous,  and  occasfon- 
ally  ill-guarded.  He  was  quick,  decided,  impatient  of  opposition,  regardless  of 
personal  feelings,  relentless  in  his  purpose,  almost  vindictive,  sometimes,  in  his 
punishments.  His  manners  to  officers  of  the  army  were  often  utterly  indefens- 
ible. Yet  it  was  mostly  to  men  of  high  rank  that  he  was  rough  or  insulting; 
to  the  poor  and  defenseless  he  was  often  gentle  and  tender  as  a  woman. 

These  things  will  long  continue  to  exert  great  influence  on  the  contempo- 
raiy  judgment  of  the  displaced  Secretary.  But  they  can  not  greatly  affect  his 
permanent  place  in  the  history  of  the  war.  To  call  him  the  organizer  of  vic- 
tory is  to  use  a  phrase  that  has  become  cant,  and  to  award  a  compliment  which 
he  has  himself  expressly  and  conspicuously  disclaimed.  Yet  it  is  the  title  to 
which  his  service  and  his  success  fairly  point. 

Mr.  Stanton  was  credited  to  Pennsylvania  in  the  record  of  Cabinet  appoint- 
ments, by  reason  of  his  having  for  a  little  time  kept  a  law  office  at  Pittsburg; 
but  he  has  always  regarded  Steubenville,  Ohio,  as  his  home.  He  now  resides  in 
Washington.  Before  entering  the  Cabinet  he  had  amassed  a  considerable  for- 
tune in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  in  which  he  stood  among  the  foremost 
lawyers  at  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  He  has  for  a 
year  or  two  been  afflicted  with  an  asthma  which  seems  to  have  become  chronic, 
and  threatens  to  impair  his  future  activity. 


103o  Ohio  in  the  Wae. 


EX-SECRETARY  SALMON  P.  CHASE. 


THE  testimony  of  a  conspicuous  Bebel  leader  that  the  rebellion  was  con- 
quered by  our  Treasury  Department  rather  than  by  our  Generalship, 
has  already  been  quoted.  In  a  work  devoted  to  the  military  aspect  of 
the  great  struggle,  we  can  not  with  propriety  enter  at  any  satisfactory  length 
into  an  account  of  the  troubles  and  labors  with  which  the  financial  system,  that 
carried  the  Nation  through,  was  built  up.  Yet  Ohio  may  be  indulged,  even 
here,  in  the  pardonable  pride  of  an  allusion  to  the  fact  that  in  this  phase  of  the 

■  ■<[,  as  well  as  in  the  others,  she  "  led  throughout  the  war."  To  take  a 
bankrupt  treasury,  sustain  the  credit  of  the  Government,  feed,  equip,  arm,  pay, 
and  transport  an  army  of  a  million  men,  and  pay  all  the  expenses  of  a  war  on 
Mfifa  a  scale  for  four  years — this  was  the  work  accomplished  by  Salmon  P. 
Chase,  lie  has  many  and  high  titles  to  the  Nation's  gratitude;  he  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  its  most  illustrious  Statesmen  before  this  task  came  upon  him; 
be  has  been  called,  since  he  finished  it,  to  the  most  exalted  office  in  the  Govern^ 
inent;  but,  in  all  the  round  of  his  worthily-won  honors,  there  is  none  more  sub- 
stantial and  enduring. 

Unlike  many  of  those  of  whom,  in  these  later  pages,  we  have  spoken,  Mr. 
Chase's  career  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  the  Nation — known  and  read  of  all 
men.     It  may,  therefore,  be  here  the  more  briefly  dismissed. 

Re  was  horn  in  Cornish,  New  Hampshire,  on  the  13th  of  January,  1808. 
Ills  father,  Ithaman  Chase,  was  a  type  of  the  old-fashioned  New  Englanders, 
and  his  ancestors  were  from  Cornish,  England.     His  mother  was  of  Scotch  de- 

.  Ithaman  Chase  was  a  prosperous  farmer,  who,  during  the  operation  of 
the  "non-intercourse  act,"  had  invested  his  means  in  a  glass  factory,  which  for 
ft  time  proved  quite  lucrative.  The  close  of  the  war  with  Great. Britain,  how- 
ever, ruined  the  business  and  impoverished  him.  Not  long  afterward  he  died 
Suddenly  of  apoplexy,  and  the  family  were  left  in   straitened  circumstances. 

:ature  Cabinet  Minister  and  Chief  Justice  was  sent  to  school  for  a  little 
tune  at  Windsor,  Vermont;  then— an  opportunity  offering  for  him  to  go  West 
with  an  elder  brother  and  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft,  who  were  starting  to  join  Gen- 
eral Cass's  expedition  to  the  Upper  Mississippi-he  was  sent,  at  the  age  of 
twelve,  to  his  uncle,  the  venerable  Bishop  Chase,  of  the  diocese  of  Ohio  (Protest- 
ant Episcopal  Church),  to  be  educated.  He  remained  at  Cleveland  for  some 
week*,  awaiting  a  chance  to  be  sent  to  his  uncle  at  Worthington,  and  meantime 
earning  money  to  pay  his  board  bills  by  plying  an  improvised  ferryboat  in  the 
Bhape  of  a  canoe,  across  the  Cuyahoga.     At  Worthington  he  labored  on  the 


Salmon  P.  Chase.    f  1031 

Bishop's  farm,  and  attended  the  academy.  Then,  when  the  Bishop  removed  to 
Cincinnati  to  take  charge  of  the  college,  the  nephew  accompanied  him,  and  re- 
mained in  his  charge  until,  in  1823,  he  gave  up  the  presidency  of  the  Cincinnati 
College  and  started  to  Europe  to  secure  funds  for  the  establishment  of  Kenyon 
College.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  young  Salmon  was  returned  to  his  mother's  fam- 
ily in  'Now  Hampshire.  He  attempted  to  teach  school,  and  succeeded  well 
enough  till  he  was  forced  into  whipping  a  boy  bigger  than  himself,  who  was  the 
son  of  one  of  the  school  directors.  Then  his  engagement  as  a  teacher  was  sud- 
denly ended.  He  attended  the  academy  at  Eoyalton,  Vermont,  for  a  short  time, 
and  then,  in  1824,  entered  the  junior  class  at  Dartmouth  College.  He  was 
graduated,  two  years  later,  the  eighth  in  his  class. 

After  a  fewT  months'  stay  with  his  family  the  young. graduate,  with  little 
enough  money  in  his  pocket,  started  to  Washington  to  seek  an  opening  as  a 
teacher.  His  uncle,  Dudley  Chase,  then  a  member  of  the  United  States  Senate, 
from  Vermont,  helped  him  to  references,  but  they  brought  no  pupils,  though  he 
diligently  advertised  in  the  National  Intelligencer  his  intention  to  teach  a  "se- 
lect classical  school."  At  last,  in  despair,  he  applied  to  his  uncle,  the  Senator, 
to  procure  for  him  a  place  in  the  Treasury  Department.  The  plain-spoken,  wise 
old  New  Englander  replied  that  he  had  once  procured  an  appointment  for  a 
nephew,  and  it  had  ruined  him.  "If  you  want  haif  a  dollar  to  buy  a  spade  and 
go  out  and  dig  for  a  living,"  he  consolingly  added,  "I'll  give  it  to  you,  but  I 
will  not  help  you  to  a  place  under  the  Government."  Finally,  when  he  seemed 
to  have  an  excellent  prospect  for  either  starving  or  having  to  call  on  his  uncle 
for  the  half  dollar  to  buy  a  spade,  he  was  asked  suddenly  to  take  charge  of  the 
school  of  a  Mr.  Plumby,  who  wished  to  give  it  up.  Thenceforward  his  career 
was  less  difficult.  He  entered,  after  a  time,  the  office  of  William  Wirt,  and 
under  the  instruction  of  that  eminent  advocate,  studied  law.  In  1830  he  re- 
moved once  more  to  Cincinnati,  to  begin  the  practice  of  his  profession. 

Of  his  subsequent  career  as  the  opponent  of  the  fugitive-slave  law,  the 
counsel  of  negroes  in  the  courts  of  Cincinnati,  the  leader  of  the  great  anti-slav- 
ery movement  in  the  West,  and  finally  its  representative  as  United  States  Sen- 
ator and  Governor  of  the  State,  we  have  in  preceding  pages*  made  brief  men- 
tion. In  1861  he  resigned  his  place  in  the  United  States  Senate,  to  which  he  had 
just  received  a  second  election,  to  accept  the  place  of  Secretary  of  the  Treas- 
ury in  the  Cabinet  of  Mr.  Lincoln.  He  had  been  a  prominent  candidate  for  the 
presidency  before  the  convention  which  finally  nominated  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  in 
1864  he  was  again,  for  a  time,  a  candidate.  Bowing,  however,  to  the  over- 
whelming public  sentiment  in  favor  of  keeping  Mr.  Lincoln  in  office  till  the 
rebellion  should  be  suppressed,  he  wrote  a  graceful  letter  of  withdrawal  from 
the  contest. 

He  retired  from  the  Cabinet  in  consequence  of  interference  with  his 
appointments  of  important  fiscal  agents— but  not  until  he  had  successfully 
fought  the  financial  battle,  and  left  a  perfected  system  on  which  his  successors 
could  work.     Mr.  Lincoln  soon  afterward  appointed  him  Chief  Justice  of  the 

*  Part  I,  Chapter  II. 


Opiio  in  the  War. 

Unil,  ..to  fill   the  vacancy  occasioned  by  the    death  of  Chief  Justice 

Che  first  conspicuous  public  act  he  was  called  on  to  perform  in  this 

was  to  swear  Mr.  Lincoln  into  office,  on  the  occasion  of  his  second 

juration.     A  little  later  he  had  the  sad  task  of  swearing  in  Mr.  Lincoln's 

Mr.  Chase  has  long  displayed,  in  the  various  high  offices  he  has  held,  con- 
spicuous executive  ability,  and  it  is  well  known  that  it  is  in  this  direction  that 
his  inclinations  lead  him.     He  has  resided,  since  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  in 

tington,  though  his  legal  residence  is  still  in  Cincinnati.  Before  entering 
upon  the  duties  of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  he  was  worth  about  a  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars,  the  fruits  of  his  long  and  successful  professional  labors.  He  went, 
out  of  oflhf,  att.r  controlling  the  vast  pecuniary  business  of  the  Nation  for 
nearly  four  years,  poorer  than  when  he  went  in. 

In  person,  Mr.  Chase  presents  the  most  imposing  appearance  of  any  man 
in  public  life  in  the  country.     He  is  over  six  feet  high,  portly,  with  handsome 

res,  and  massive  head.  His  manners  are  digni tied  and  gracious,  but  not 
always  cordial ;  he  is  incapable  of  the  ordinary  arts  of  the  demagogue,  and  his 
great  reputation  is  due  entirely  to  his  abilities  and  service — not  at  all  to  per- 
sonal popularity. 


Benjamin  F.  Wade.  1033 


U.  S.  SENATOR  BENJAMIN  F.  WADE, 

ONE  of  the  Ohio  Senators,  stood  at  the  head  of  the  Committee  on  the 
.Conduct  of  the  War  throughout  its  duration.  In  many  ways  his  service* 
have  been  of  National  importance;  not  the  least  of  them  will  be  reckoned 
to  be  the  influence  thus  exerted  upon  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  the  war,  and 
the  unflinching  demand  for  its  continuance  to  the  end. 

Benjamin  F.  Wade  was  born  in  Feeding  Hills  Parish,  Massachusetts,  on  the 
27th  of  October,  1800.  His  parents  were  poor,  and  he  received  but  a  limited 
education;  he  had  enough,  however,  to  secure  a  district  school,  which  he  taught 
for  a  little.  Not  above  work,  he  next  supported  himself  as  a  farm  hand,  and 
afterward  as  a  laborer  on  the  excavations  for  the  Erie  Canal.  About  the  age 
of  twenty-one  he  removed  to  Ohio.  He  had  now  accumulated' a  little  money. 
The  first  use  he  made  of  it  was  to  review  his  old  studies,  and  then  to  enter  the 
office  of  a  lawyer  in  the  Reserve.  In  1828,  after  some  further  struggles  with 
poverty  and  the  hard  times  of  the  backwoods  settlements,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar. 

Mr.  Wade  soon  took  prominent  rank  among  the  lawyers  of  Ohio  as  a  hard- 
working, plain-spoken  practitioner,  remarkable  for  "horse-sense,"  as  the  phrase 
of  those  days  had  it,  and  for  a  good  deal  of  success  in  his  cases.  He  settled  in 
the  town  in  which  Joshua  E.  Giddings  resided,  and,  after  being  for  a  time  a 
fervid  Whig,  came  to  sympathize  to  a  great  extent  with  the  political  views  of 
that  champion  of  abolitionism.  Before  being  admitted  to  the  bar  the  people 
of  Ashtabula  County  had  made  him  a  justice  of  the  peace.  After  his  admission 
they  elected  him  prosecuting  attorney.  He  was  next  elected  to  the  State  Senate. 
Finally  he  was  made  President  of  a  Judicial  Circuit. 

His  reputation  now  extended  through  the  State;  and  his  standing  in  the 
dominant  party  was  high.  Through  the  hearty  support  mainly  of  the  Reserve, 
he  was  pressed  upon  the  Legislature  in  1851  for  election  to  the  United  States 
Senate  and  his  canvass  was  finally  successful.  Here  he  soon  became  known 
for  his  indomitable  pluck,  the  strength  of  his  anti-slavery  convictions,  and  his 
plain-spoken,  and  sometimes  vehement  defense  of  his  views  against  the  domi- 
nant Southern  party.  He  kept  up  with  the  advance  of  the  anti-slavery  move- 
ment, and  was  always  one  of  its  conspicuous  champions  on  the  floor  of  the 
Senate,  and  before  the  people  of  the  State.  He  has  been  successively  re-elected 
at  each  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  up  to  the  present.  His  term  now  expires 
in  1869,  and  as  his  party  has  lost  the  control  of  the  Legislature,  his  long  Sena- 
torial career  seems  likely  then  to  end. 


1034  Ohio  in  the  War,. 

Of  the  value  of  his  services  in  the  Committee  on  the  Conduct  of  the  War, 
in,„v  pa«*  of  this  work  hear  ample  evidence.  His  reports  are  the  best  reper- 
tory of  material  for  the  history  of  the  times  accessible,  the  best  crucible  in 
which  to  try  reputations,  the  best  mirror  of  the  curious,  changing  phases  of  the 
Struggle  as  they  presented  themselves  to  the  Administration.  But  they  can 
rfve  no  adequate  idea  of  the  energy  with  which  he  helped  to  inspire  the  Gov- 
ernment, of  the  zeal,  the  courage,  the  faith,  which  he  strove  to  infuse. 

Mr.  Wade  is  a  forcible,  direct  speaker,  little  given  to  polish,  and  much  given 
to  hard-hitting.  His  manners  are  plain  and  hearty,  his  tastes  are  simple  in 
spite  of  his  long  public  service,  and  his  industry  is  as  marked  as  in  the  days 
of  bin  digging  on  the  Erie  Canal.  He  is  far  from  wealthy,  but  he  has  saved 
enough  during  his  active  life  to  provide  for  old  age.  He  was  elected  President 
of  the  Senate,  and  consequently  became  acting  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States,  shortly  after  Mr.  Johnson's  accession  to  the  Presidency;  and  in  the  event 
of  the  impeachment  of  that  officer,  he  would  have  become  the  President.  He 
has  often  been  spoken  of  as  a  prohable  nominee  of  the  Eepublican  party  for  this 
office.  He  resides  at  Ashtabula,  where  a  correspondent  of  the  Cincinnati  Com- 
mereia)  lately  visited  him,  from  whose  letter  about  the  old  Eadical  chief  we  may 
extract  these  closing  sentences: 

"  Mr.  "Wade  lives  in  a  plain  white  frame  house,  hid  away  among  the  trees  and  surrounded  by 
ample  grounds.  Everything  about  him  is  like  the  man,  plain,  but  substantial.  In  the  lot  near 
the  house  stands  his  office  or  'den,'  as  the  family  familiarly  term  it,  and  here,  for  more  than 
thirty  years,  when  not  in  Congress,  Mr.  Wnde  has  passed  most  of  his  time.  Entering  it  with  the 
Senator,  we  found  two  rooms,  the  floors  lined  from  floor  to  ceiling  with  book-cases,  filled  with 
.  books.  This  library  contains  nothing  but  public  documents,  maps  and  charts,  and  is  the  most 
complete  in  the  country,  embracing  all  information  concerning  the  Government,  from  its  founda- 
tion to  the  present  day.  'Nile's  Register,'  'Madison's  Notes,'  'Knox's  Reports,'  and  many  other 
hooks  long  since  out  of  print,  can  be  found  there.  A  carpet,  lounge,  an  old-fashioned  arm  chair, 
a  few  common  chairs,  a  table,  and  some  maps  on  the  wall  completed  the  furniture  of  the  rooms, 
Which  seemed  dreary  and  lonely  enough  in  their  isolated  solitude.  He  is  a  self-made  man,  an 
original  thinker,  and  perhaps  the  best  informed  man  now  in  public  life  in  this  country.  His 
parents  were  among  the  poorest  people  in  Massachusetts,  and  he  never  had  but  seven  days' 
schooling;  yet,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  had  read  a  vast  number  of  books,  mastered  the 
Euclid,  and  was  well  versed  in  philosophy  and  science.  He  read  the  Bible  through  in  a  single 
winter  by  the  light  of  pine  torches  in  his  wood-chopping  cabin.  He  read  much  and  reflected  on 
all  he  read.  His  grandfather  on  his  mother's  side  was  a  minister,  and  had  a  small  but  well- 
selected  library,  and  to  this  he  was  indebted  in  his  early  youth  for  much  valuable  information.'' 


John  Sherman.  1035 


U.  S.  SENATOR  JOHN  SHERMAN. 


JO  HIS"  SHEEMAN,  a  leading  member  of  the  Finance  Committee  of  the 
Senate  through  the  whole  war,  and  for  some  time  its  Chairman,  the 
efficient  ally  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  shaping  the  financial 
policy  by  which,  rather  than  by  fighting,  the  Nation  at  last  triumphed,  was 
born  at  Lancaster,  Ohio,  on  the  10th  of  May,  1823.  He  was  the  eighth  child 
of  Judge  Sherman,  and  was  born  some  years  after  his  distinguished  brother, 
Lieutenant-Generai  William  Tecumseh  Sherman.* 

For  some  years  after  completing  his  education  Mr.  Sherman  was  engaged 
in  the  successful  practice  of  law.  He  was  elected  a  Eepresentative  to  the 
Thirty-Fourth  Congress  by  the  Whig  party  of  his  district,  and  was  assigned  to 
the  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs.  At  the  time  of  the  Kansas  excitement  he  was 
sent  out  to  the  disturbed  Territory  as  a  member  of  the  Congressional  Investi- 
gation Committee,  and  his  conduct  here  was  so  handsome  and  manly  as  to  bring 
him  at  once  into  prominence  as  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  House.  He 
thus  cariie  to  be  chosen  as  the  candidate  of  the  Eepublican  party  for  the  Speak- 
ership. A  recommendation  which  he  had  given  to,  the  "Helper  Book"  was 
made  the  pretext  by  Southern  members  for  a  violent  opposition  to  his  election, 
and  a  scene  of  turbulent  excitement  ensued,  which  lasted  for  some  weeks.  Mr. 
Sherman's  explanation  of  his  indorsement  of  the  obnoxious  book  was  not  quite 
.satisfactory  to  some  of  his  supporters;  but  his  bearing  through  the  trying  con- 
test aroused  general  admiration.  When  it  became  necessary  to  withdraw  him 
in  order  to  secure  an  organization,  he  was  at  once  indorsed  by  being  appointed 
to  the  most  important  position  in  the  House,  the  Chairmanship  of  the  Commit- 
tee of  Ways  and  Means.  Here  he  served  industriously,  and  with  credit,  until 
his  election,  in  the  winter  of  1860-61,  to  the  United  States  Senatorship,  made 
vacant  by  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Chase,  on  entering  Mr.  Lincoln's  Cabinet. 
This  Senatorial  contest  was  also  protracted  and  exciting.  Eobert  C.  Schenck 
and  Governor  William  Dennison  were  the  other  candidates,  and  for  a  long  time 
the  strength  of  the  three  seemed  about  equally  balanced.  The  scale  was  finally 
turned  by  some  members  from  the  Eeserve,  who  believed  the  contest  to  lie, 
finally,  between  Schenck  and  Sherman,  and  regarded  Sherman  as  the  more 
radical  of  the  two.  At  the  expiration  of  his  term  Mr.  Sherman  was  re-elected, 
having,  this  time,  a  considerable  majority  over  General  Schenck. 

*  In  the  life  of  that  officer  may  be  found  some  further  account  of  the  family  lineage. 


Ohio  in  the  War. 

Mr.  Sherman's  prominence  in  National  affairs  is  mainly  due  to  his  labors  on 
financial  questions.  He  was  soon  recognized  as  the  actual  leader  of  thefScnate  on 
all  this  class  of  subjects,  and  his  position  was  advanced  to  the  nominal,  as  well 
as  actual  leadership,  when  Mr.  Fessenden  left  the  Senate  to  enter  the  Treasury 
Department  as  Mr.  Chase's  successor. 

In  general  politics  Mr.  Sherman  has  followed  rather  than  led  in  the  Badi- 
cal  movement  His  habits  of  mind  are  cautious  and  conservative,  and  he  never 
Commits  himself  rashly.     He  has  generally,  however,  been   in   line  with  his 

v.  and  has  always  enjoyed  a  large  share  of  its  confidence. 

He  is  in  many  respects  almost  the  opposite  of  his  brother,  the  General. 
He  lias  much  talent  and  no  genius;  he  is  cautious,  correct,  unexcitable,  never 
likely  to  bo  carried  away  by  an  impulse,  never  liable  to  extravagancies  of 
expression  or  demeanor.  He  is  polite  to  all,  though  he  has  few  intimate  friends, 
in  political  management  he  has  proved  himself  exceptionably  skillful;  and 
lee  his  services  in  supporting  the  financial  policy  of  the  country  through  its 
darkest  hours,  ho  will  always  be  held  in  honor.  He  has  acquired  a  handsome 
fortune  by  his  own  exertions,  and  is  likely  to  devote  himself  for  many  years  to 
political  matters. 


Jay  Cookk.  1037 


JAY   COOKE 


JAY  COOKE,  who,  as  financial  agent  of  the  Government  furnished  the  money  with 
which  the  army  was  paid,  was  horn  at  Portland,  Huron  County,  Ohio  (now  Sandusky), 
August  10,  1821.  His  parents  were  Eleutheros  Cooke*  and  Martha  Cooke,  the  latter 
of  whom  is  still  living.  These  were  horn  in  Middle  Granville,  New  York.  Eleutheros  Cooke 
received  a  collegiate  education,  studied  law  and  practiced  for  a  few  years  in  the  region  surround- 
ing White  Hall,  and  Saratoga;  then  in  company  with  a  few  neighbors  removed  to  Ohio  in  1817. 
He  was  among  the  prominent  lawyers  of  his  day.  He  was  prominent  in  the  Masonic  brother- 
hood, and  was  the  first  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Ohio.  In  political  life,  in  which 
for  years  he  actively  participated  in  connection  with  the  Whig  party,  he  was  repeatedly  honored 
with  stations  of  trust,  elected  for  successive  terms  to  the  State  Legislature,  and  in  1831  to  Con- 
gress. There  he  assumed  prominence;  represented  the  House  as  prosecuting  counsel  in  the  ex- 
citing case  of  Stansberry  vs.  Samuel  Huston,  and  was  a  leader  in  a  great  Congressional  temperance 
movement. 

During  one  of  his  legislative  campaigns  he  found  his  beautiful  Greek  name  Eleutheros — 
signifying  peace — a  serious  disadvantage.  Its  orthography  puzzled  the  unlettered  Germans  of 
Seneca  County,  and  the  election  was  decided  by  judges  of  adverse  political  faith  against  Mr. 
Cooke,  by  the  rejection  of  a  thousand  ballots  which  were  deposited  for  him  in  good  faith,  but  in 
which  his  Christian  name  was  fearfully  contorted.  This  determined  him  never  to  entail  upon 
his  sons,  if  any  were  born  to  him,  any  other  than  the  simplest  names.  Accordingly  when  his 
first  son  was  born  in  1819,  he  called  him  Pitt,  after  the  Earl  of  Chatham,  whose  defense  of  the 
American  Colonies  was  still  green  in  the  memories  of  the  people  of  the  new  republic.  Two  years 
later  Jay  Cooke  was  born,  and  named  after  Chief-Justice  Jay  of  New  York.  Other  sons  were 
born,  one  of  whom,  Henry  D.  Cooke,  is  the  resident  partner  of  the  house  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co., 
Washington. 

Mr.  Cooke  trained  his  children  with  especial  care.  In  those  primitive  days  of  western  civil- 
ization, educational  privileges  were  few  and  obtainable  only  at  great  cost,  but  the  sons  of  the 
pioneer  were  afforded  every  accessible  advantage,  and  on  his  return  from  his  legal  excursions  he 
brought  with  him  plentiful  supplies  of  well-selected  books,  charts,  maps,  writing  materials,  and 
whatever  would  conduce  to  the  progress  of  the  lads.     He  died  December  28,  1864. 

Jay  Cooke's  inclinations  were  always  for  a  business  life.  At  an  early  age  he  was  engaged  in 
a  store  in  Sandusky,  and  next  in  a  leading  house  in  St.  Louis.  In  the  spring  of  1838  he  went  to 
Philadelphia,  and  after  some  minor  engagements  entered  the  banking  house  of  E.  W.  Clark  & 

*The  Cooke  family  are  lineally  descended  from  Francis  Cooke  who  landed  from  the  Mayflower.  He  built  the  third 
house  in  Plymouth.  One  branch  of  his  family  removed  to  Connecticut,  and  another  settled  in  Northern  Now  York. 
From  this  latter  branch  descended  Jay  Cooke. 


103s  Ohio  in  the  War. 

Co.     When  twenty-one  years  of  age  lie  became  a  partner,  after  having  been  previously  entrusted 

with  full  pOwW  Of  attorney  to  use  the  name  of  the  firm.     This  house,  which  had  its  branches  in 

k,  St.  Louis,  New  Orleans,  and  Burlington,  Iowa,  was  the  largest  domestic  ex- 

chanp  n  in  the  country.     During  the  succeeding  twenty  years  the  management  of  the 

H  of  the  firm  devolved  almost  entirely  upon  Mr.  Cooke.     In  1840  he  wrote  the  first  money 

lied  in  Philadelphia,  and  for  a  year  continued  to  edit  the  financial  column  of 

Ily  Chronicle.    The  after  life  of  the  banker  attests  how  valuable  was  the  training  of  this 

financial  and  editorial  labor.    At  that  time  the  importance  of  money  articles  was  recognized  by 

but  three  journals  in  the  country,  the  New  York  Herald,  Philadelphia  Chronicle,  and  Nashville 

Whig.     WUh  James  Gordon  Bennett  of  the  New  York  Herald  the  column  originated. 

During  Mr.  Cooke's  connection  with  the  house  of  E.  W.  Clark  &  Co.,  several  loans  were 

1  by  the  Government,  in  the  subscription  to  which  this  firm  largely  participated.     In  1858 

he  retired  from  the  partnership,  carrying  into  effect  a  resolution  previously  announced,  but  de- 

for  two  years  by  the  illness  and  ultimate  death  of  the  senior  partner.     The  firm  had  been 

prosperous,  and  a  moderate  but  satisfactory  fortune  was  the  result  of  the  long  years  of  labor  then 

performed  by  Mr.  Cooke. 

Until  the  commencement  of  1S61  Mr.  Cooke  was  engaged  in  private  business,  and  in  nego- 
|  large  loans  for  railroads  and  other  corporations.  Then,  for  the  purpose  of  providing 
business  openings  for  their  sons,  he  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother-in-law,  IVm.  G. 
Moorhead,  and  commenced  banking  again,  under  the  title  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  Mr.  Moorhead 
was  one  of  the  railroad  pioneers  of  Pennsylvania,  whose  foresight  provided  for  the  extension  of 
transportation  from  the  Delaware  to  the  prairies  of  the  West.  He  was  one  of  the  earliest  presi- 
dents of  the  Philadelphia  and  Erie  Railroad  Company. 

In  the  spring  of  1861  the  Government,  in  need  of  means,  called  for  subscription  loans,  and 
the  firm  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  at  once  organized  and  carried  into  operation  the  machinery  to  obtain 
and  forward  to  Washington  large  lists  of  subscribers.  This  was  done  without  compensation. 
The  State  of  Pennsylvania  then  required  a  war  loan  of  several  millions."  Its  negotiation,  in  a 
large  measure,  fell  into  the  hands  of  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  and  they  disposed  of  it  at  par  during  that 
ptriod  of  universal  business  depression  and  distrust. 

Through  these  successful  negotiations  Mr.  Cooke  was  first  made  acquainted  with  the  Secre- 
tary of  the  Treasury.  Shortly  afterward,  and  after  Mr.  Cnase  had  failed  to  obtain  further  satis- 
factory aid  from  the  associated  banks,  he  determined  to  try  the  experiment  of  a  popular  loan, 
and  to  this  end  appointed  four  hundred  especial  agents,  selecting  generally  the  presidents  and 
cashiers  of  the  most  prominent  banking  institutions  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  In  Phila- 
delphia preference  was  given  to  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.,  and  they  immediately  inaugurated  a  system 
which  resulted  in  the  effectual  popularization  of  the  loan,  and  secured  the  co-operation  of  the 
masses  in  the  subscription  to  the  loan.  Of  the  entire  sum  secured  by  the  four  hundred  agents, 
amounting  to  but  twenty-five  or  thirty  millions,  Jay  Cooke  &  Co.  returned  about  one-third. 

This  plan  not  filling  the  treasury  rapidly  enough,  Mr.  Chase,  after  full  consultation  with 
prominent  financiers,  decided  to  place  the  negotiation  of  the  five  hundred  million  five-twenty 
loan  of  1862  in  the  hands  of  an  especial  agent.  Congress  had  just  authorized  the  loan  and  the 
employment  of  an  agent,  and  having  found  the  most  efficient  aid  and  greatest  results  from  the 
Jay  Cooke,  Mr.  Chase  appointed  him.  In  connection  with  his  partners  and  assistants 
Mr.  Cooke  organized  his  plan  of  proceedure,  the  result  of  which  is  now  history. 


Jay   Cooke.  1039 

In  this  great  transaction  between  Mr.  Cooke  and  the  Government  the  Government  assumed 
no  risk.  The  risks  of  the  undertaking  were  all  assumed  by  the  agent.  If  sales  were  made,  the 
treasury  agreed  to  pay  a  commission  amounting  to  three-eighths  of  one  per  cent,  to  cover  the 
immense  expenditures  connected  with  an  enterprise  which  at  best  was  but  an  experiment.  W  the 
loan  failed,  the  agent  was  to  receive  nothing,  and  with  the  full  success  of  the  negotiations  there 
could  accrue  but  a  meager  remuneration,  not  one-twentieth  of  the  amount  which  Ear 
bankers  are  accustomed  to  receive  from  a  foreign  power,  in  addition  to  absolute  security  from 
loss.  The  public  do  not  know  how  closely  Mr.  Chase  managed  the  expenditures  of  the  Depart- 
ment, and  how  meager  were  his  disbursements  compared  to  the  sums  paid  for  similar  service  in 
other  countries.  Neither  are  they  aware  that  the  enormous  negotiations  of  the  great  war  loans 
of  the  United  States  were  taken  by  the  subscription  agent,  with  the  possible  prospect  of  receiving 
no  benefit  therefrom,  and  the  chance  of  ruining  his  own  fortune  and  those  of  his  partners. 

This  immense  experiment  was  handsomely  carried  out.  The  loan  was  sold,  but  even  its 
remarkable  success  did  not  save  Mr.  Chase  and  Mr.  Cooke  from  the  detractions  and  accusations 
of  the  political  enemies  of  the  Secretary,  who  sought  to  damage  his  Presidential  aspirations  by 
charges  of  favoritism.  So  closely,  however,  did  Mr.  Chase  guard  the  expenses  of  his  Depart- 
ment that  commission  on  the  five-twenty  loan  was  paid  to  Mr.  Cooke  on  only  three  hundred  and 
sixty-three  millions  of  dollars.  A  part  of  the  agent's  plan  for  the  sale  of  the  loan  was  to  have 
the  notes  distributed  from  the  sub-treasuries,  and  all  his  advertisements  and  sub-agents  so  instructed 
the  people.  One  hundred  and  fifty-one  millions  of  dollars  of  the  loan  was  sold  at  these  desig- 
nated offices,  and  on  these  Mr.  Cooke  received  no  commission.  He  performed  the  labor  and 
induced  the  purchase  of  the  bonds,  but  received  no  compensation  for  the  sale  of  this  portion  of 
the  loan.  The  clamor  of  the  opponents  of  Mr.  Chase  increased,  and  finally  succeeded.  The  treasury 
attempted  to  negotiate  its  own  loans  and  it  failed.  The  consequence  was  that  the  rebellion,  which 
might  have  been  suppressed  in  the  latter  part  of  1864,  was  defiant  when  the  first  of  January, 
1865  came.  The  force  of  financial  success  would  have  defeated  the  Richmond  conspirators,  but 
familiar  with  the  condition  of  National  finances,  the  Rebels  waited  confidently  for  the  relapse 
of  the  Union  effort  to  subdue  them.  The  prospect  was  dark  and  dreary.  The  treasury  was  in 
debt  for  vouchers  for  the  quartermaster's  department,  the  armies  were  unpaid  and  heavy  arrearages 
due  and  a  debt  of  three  hundred  millions  of  dollars  stared  the  new  Secretary  in  the  face,  while 
the  financial  burden  steadily  accumulated  at  the  rate  of  four  millions  of  dollars  a  day. 

This  was  the  condition  of  affairs  when  Mr.  Fessenden  was  at  the  head  of  the  Treasury 
Bureau.  The  Government  could  only  pay  in  vouchers,  and  these  were  selling  in  every  part  of 
the  country  at  a  discount  of  twenty-five  to  thirty  per  cent.,  and  gravitating  rapidly  downward. 
This  was  known  to  the  Confederate  authorities  and  excited  the  hopes  of  the  Rebel  armies  at 
home  and  their  sympathizers  abroad.  Had  this  condition  continued,  gold  would  have  reached  a 
much  higher  premium,  the  vouchers  of  the  Government  become  unsaleable,  and  ruin  resulted. 
The  Government  then  tried  to  obtain  money  without  the  aid  of  a  special  agent.  The  endeavor 
was  made  backed  by  the  powerful  assistance  of  the  National  banks,  but  proved  entirely  abortive. 
With  all  this  powerful  machinery  the  receipts  to  the  treasury  averaged  but  seven  hundred  thou- 
sand per  day,  one-sixth  of  the  regular  expenditure.  Mr.  Chase  and  the  leading  friends  of  the 
Government  earnestly  advised  Mr.  Fessenden  to  employ  Mr.  Cooke  as  the  special  agent  of  the 
Treasury  Department,  and  the  Secretary  sent  for  the  banker. 


1040  Ohio   in   the  Wae. 

The  interview  was  successful.     Mr.  Cooke  asked  the  amount  of  daily  sales  which  would 
demand*  upon  the  Treasury.     The  reply  was,  "Two  million  live  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars ;  cm  you  raise  the  money ? "     "I  can,"  was  the  ready  reply.     "  When  will  you  com- 
mence?"    "  On  the  first  of  February !"  and  the  conference  ended.     This  was  on  the  24th  of  Jan- 
•u  was  sent  to  Mr.  Cooke;  he  organized  his  staff  of  agents,  and  by  the  first 
,  i.rnaiy  was  in  full  operation.     Innumerable  assistants  were  appointed.     Special  and   trav- 
eling agents  were  set  at  work  ;  advertising  was  ordered  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars,  and 
in  a  few  days  money  began  to  flow  into  the  depleted  treasury,  and  cash  instead  of  vouchers  paid 
Um  pun-liases  for  the  maintenance  of  the  Government  and  the  subsistence  of  the  army. 

I    the  first  organization   of   Mr.  Cooke's  machinery  for    popularizing   the   loan,    the 
sales  averaged  from  two  to  three  millions  of  dollars,  and  steadily  increased,  until  at  the 
close  of  the  loan  the  receipts  avaraged  five  millions  of    dollars  per  day.     In  five  months  the 
last  note  was  sold,  fifteen  or  sixteen  millions  of  dollars  being  sold  occasionally  in  one  day 
and  once  forty-two  millions.    The  result  of  these  grand  successes  was  the  speedy  collapse  of  the 
hopes  of  the  Rebels.    The  vouchers  of  the  Government  were  paid  off,  and  new  purchases  were 
paid  for  promptly  at  a  saving  of  from  thirty  to  fifty  per  cent,  on  former  prices.     Since  the  close 
of  the  war  Mr.  Cooke  has  continued  to  act  for  the  Government,  in  connection  with  other  parties 
in  many  important  matters.     He  was  also  the  most  efficient  assistant  in  the  establishment  of  the 
nal  banking  system. 
It  should  be  added  that  Mr.  Cooke's  profits  from  the  percentage  allowed  by  the  Government 
were  far  less  than  has  been  generally  supposed.    There  are  on  file  in  the  Treasury  Department 
-  from  him  making  repeated  offers  to  give  up  the  percentage  and  do  the  work  for  nothing, 
if  the  Government  would  release  him  from  his  liabilities  for  loss  through  any  of  his  thousands 
of  agents-a  risk  which  constantly  threatened  him  with  ruin.     The  Department  always  refused 
this  offer. 


THE  END. 
i 


INDEX. 


Adams,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  R.  N.,  Pa- 
rentage, summary  of  service,  9.')4. 

Aids-de-Camp  from  Ohio,  1013. 

Aid  Societies,  251;  General  work  of,  264. 

American  Knights,  Order  of,  202,  345. 

Ammen,  Brigadier-General  Jacob,  Early  life,  is 
appointed  Colonel  of  Twenty-Fourth  Ohio,  serves  in 
West  Virginia,  801  ;  conduct  of  at  Pittsburg  Landing, 
902  ;  character,  903. 

Andrews,  Colonel  Lorin,  Early  life,  educational 
labors,  995;  President  K'euyon  College,  enlists  iu  the 
ranks,  25,  his  service  in  the  army,  996. 

Andrews,  Geo.  VV\,  Action  of  in  the  Legisla- 
ture on  the  appropriation  bill,  22,  23. 

Andrews,   G.   W.  D.,  Superintendent  of  Sol- 
diers' Home,  255. 
Antietam,  Battle  of,  305;  Map  of,  669. 
Arkansas  Post,  Battle  of,  437. 
Armed  Resistance  to  the  Authorities, 

125. 

Askew,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Frank,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  9">7. 

Assistant   Adjutant-Generals  from  Ohio, 

1012. 

Atlanta,  Battle  of,  457,  585,  826;  Campaign 

of,  449;  map  of,  451. 

Averysboro',  Battle  <ift  477. 

B 

Bacon  Creek  Bridge,  Burning  of,  83,  note. 
Baird,  General,  Commends   Colonel  Van  Der- 

veer,  89t,  892  ;  commends  Colonel  Este,  896. 

Baldwin,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Wm.  H., 

Early  life,  enters  the  army,  gallantry  at  Mobile,  957. 

Ball,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  W.  H.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  958. 
Banning,  Brevet  Major-General  Henry  B.,  Pa- 
rentage, early  life,  enters  army,  conduct  in  West  Vir- 
finia,  is  appointed  Colonel  One  Hundred  and  Twenty- 
"irst  Ohio,  bis  conduct  at  Perry vi lie  and  Chicknmauga, 
8l'9;  bis  conduct  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  summary  of 
character,  830. 

Barber,    Brevet    Brigadier-General   Gershom 

M.,  Summary  of  service,  958. 

Barnard,  General,  Renders  Washington  City 

defensible,  284. 

Barnett,    Brevet    Brigadier -General   James, 

Summary  of  servh  e,  958. 

Barr,  R.  N.,  Surgeon-General  of  Ohio,  247. 

Barry,  General,  Forms  an  artillery  establish- 
ment, 283:  his  disappointment  at  Yorktown,  291. 

Bates,  J.  H.,  Appointed  Brigadier-General  of 

Ohio  troops,  34. 

Bates,  Samuel  D.,  Persuades  Jas.  A.  Garfield 

to  attend  Geauga  Seminary,  739. 

Beatty,  Brigadier-GeneralJohn,  Early  life,  en- 
ters armv,  serves  in  West  Virginia  and  in  Mitchel's  Ala- 
bama campaign,  conduct  at  Perry ville,  924  ;  his  conduct 
at  Stone  River  (Murfrecsboro'),  in  the  Tullahoma  cam- 
paign, and  at  Chickamauga,  925  ;  participates  in  Kiiox- 
ville  campaign,  resigns,  summary  of  character,  926. 

Beatty,  Brevet  Major-General  Samuel,  Is  made 

Colonel  Nineteenth  Ohio,  is  engaged  at  Rich  Mountain, 
Pittsburg  Landing,  Stone  Kiver.  Chickamausra,  in  At- 
lanta campaign,  and  with  Army  of  Cumberland  against 
Hood,  856. 

Belmont,  Battle  and  map  of,  360. 
Vol.  I.— G6. 


Bennett,  James  Gordon,  Originates  a  financial 

column  in  newspap-rs,  1038. 

Bentley,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Robert  H., 

Summary  of  scrvic,  959. 

Bentonville,  Battle  of,  477. 

Big  Black,  Battle  of,  389. 

Biggs,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  J.,  Summary 

of  service,  959.  J 

Blackburn's  Ford,  Skirmish  at,  666. 
Bond,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  John  R.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  959. 
Bond,  Colonel  J.  R.,  Refuses  to  muster  Sergeant 

Woodruff  on  commission  issued  by  Governor  Brougii   TH 

Booneville,  Battle  of,  502. 

Boynton,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  H.  V.  N.t 

Summary  of  service  and  character.  959. 

Bragg,  General,  Force  of  at  Chickamauga,  340. 
Brannan,    General,  Commends  Colonel    Van 

Derveer,  891. 
Brayton,  Miss  Mary  Clark,  Extract  from  her 
history  of  the  Cleveland  Branch  Sanitary  Commission. 
258,  264.  ' 

Brelsford,  Dr.,  Services  of,  250. 

Brice,    Brevet    Major-General,    Summary    of 

service,  874. 

Brinkerhoff,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Ros- 

litf.  Parentage,  early  life,  summary  of  services,  960. 

Broadhead,  Colonel  Thornton  F.,  First  Mich- 
igan cav..  accuses  General  McDowell  of  treason,  090. 

Brooks,  Brigadier-General  Wm.  T.  H.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  922. 

Brough,  Governor  John,  Is  nominated  for  Gov- 
ernor, 166;  he  accepts  the  nomination,  168;  he  is  el-cted, 
169  ;  opening  of  his  administration,  his  care  for  the  sol- 
diers and  the  strifes  to  which  it  led,  182:  he  urges  a 
heavy  tax  for  the  aid  of  soldiers'  families,  183;  he  urges 
the  people  of  Ohio  not  to  resist  the  draft,  202:  writes  to 
the  Secretary  of  War,  urging  a  draft,  L05;  wiites  to  Hon. 
R.  C.  Schenck  against  the  bounty  system,  205:  thanks 
the  National  Guard,  212;  seeks  to  have  the  National 
Guard  exempted  from  draft,  215;  makes  an  appeal  for 
the  families  of  the  National  Guard,  217;  his  Double  with 
officers,  his  failure  to  be  renominated,  221  ;  issues  Gen- 
eral Order  No.  5,  222;  defends  Major  Skiles,  224  ;  delendi 
Order  No.  5,  226:  addresses  letter  to  the  military  agent  at 
Chattanooga  on  the  Bond  case,  228  ;  issues  an  address  to 
the  people  of  Ohio  in  regard  to  his  re-election,  230;  close 
of  his  administration,  231  ;  strives  to  soften  asperities* 
between  Lincoln  and  Chase,  231  ;  writes  to  Theodore  Til- 
ton,  protests  against  the  appointment  of  an  officer  from 
New  Hampshire  as  Provost-Marshal  of  Ohio,  23.".;  writes 
to  General  John  E.Hunt  refusing  his  infiu  nee  foi  the 
parole  of  a  Rebel  General,  writes  to  lawyers  in  regard  to 
soldiers'  claims,  writes  to  Samuel  Pike  in  regard  to  a 
special  exchange  for  his  son,  234  ;  his  message  to  the  Leg- 
islature, bis  services  at  the  close  of  the  war,  235.  bis 
death  and  causes  of  it,  236 ;  his  character  and  the  char- 
acter of  his  administration,  237;  parentage,  early  life, 
edits  a  Democratic  paper,  1022:  is  State  Auditor,  his 
work,  1023:  becomes  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  En- 
quirer, business  operations,  summary  of  character,  ln2-r>. 

Brown,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Charles  E., 
Summary  of  service,  961. 

Brumback,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Jeffer- 
son, Summary  of  service,  961. 

Buckingham,  Brigadier -General  C.  P.,  Pa- 
rentage, enters  West  Point,  standing  and  classmates, 
earlv  military  life,  s87  ;  is  Professor  in  Keny.n  College, 
becomes  Adjutant-General  of  Ohio,  is  made  Briuudier- 
General,  and  serveB  in  the  War  Department,  888;  re- 
signs s89, 

Buckland,  Brigadier-General  Ralph  P.,  Early 

life,  enters  armv,  conduct  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  9o7 : 
his  conduct  in  the  Vicksbur/  campaign,  commands  at 
Memphis,  is  elected  to  Congress,  summary  of  character, 
908. 

1041 


1042 


Index. 


Buckner,  Inspector-General  ***££££? 
;     .r-General  Don  Carlos  Drives  the 

.   .„,.,    Vlab.ma,  13;  his  operations  in  Krataeky, 


TOO,  .-..  l-iivor*  to  ■••-.»(>  ;r..t-  wiMi  IIiill-  <k,  fn/,     .7     ail 

radar  nomuand  of  Hall«ck.  W ;  advances ^t«'*ard  8a- 
v»nnah.7W;  hUconlut  at  PttUbnnc  LmuI-hv,  872,  37ft, 
710 "  hlacondu.  I  In  th  il  «•  of  Coring,  undertake*  the 
•  „.„..! Eaai  Tenn«*see,7i3;  difficulties,  M4;  !o*es 
,:„,., „-,.„.  the  OoTernment,7lVand  note ;  i»com- 
Hledtofall  beek,  7I«;  denies  Andrew  John-on  ■■*»£■ 
Meal  in  recard  to  the  abandonni.nl  of  Nashville.  717, 
noi-;  loses  Uiaeonfl  lance  of  the  array,  7U  :  iwhes  Lon- 

i-x  ill.-.  ,-..n  lltii.n  of  his  army.  7is  ;  hi<  c !uct  at  Perry - 

«U>.7I9;  Mk»t.ib«  relieved,  721  and  note;  he  protest* 
tu-niiiRt  entering  Baal  'IVnn  ■«*<••  and  is  relieved,  ,22  and 
■Ota;  Miinman  of  character,  723 

BUFfUGTOH    Ih. and,  Battle  of,  146. 

>-K,  Judge,  States  tlie  position  of  Ken- 
Iwfbre  thf  citizens  i>f  Cincinnati,  -iO. 

Bill  Kin,  Battle  of,  667;  map  of,  669;  effect 

of  dlsesWaJ  <>ii  tliH  rouutrv, 67*j  second  l>:>t!l    <>'',  f**. 

Bikkk,  Brevet   B.-itradiei-General  Joseph  W., 
i  Ice,  «»;•.'. 
ETT,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Henry  L., 
ftaintnan  of  service,  Ml. 

s,  Brigadier-General  Win.  W.,  Early  mil- 
ltar\  lit'-,  arrrea  under  HcClelbui,  resigns  as  Brigadier, 
an  I  returns  to  hi*  rank  In  the  re  ular  arm\ ,  9:;7. 

ii»k,  General  A.  E.,  Issues  General  Or- 
.  m, 
l;>  1 1  i it,  General,  Operates   against  Richmond 

along  the  .lam  a.  MB:  gainn  position  at  Cliapin  'a  Farm. 

Litnculth-s  between  hint  ami  (ill  more,  iVte;  his  ron- 

ilm  t  at  I » t  »i i%  'a  Il.uit,  r>;,(i;  Lis  expedition  against   New 

Orlmns,  79". 

Bpttles,  Lucien,  Aid  to  Commissary-General 

Of  Ohio.  28. 

C 

Cadwell,  Mrs.,  Matron  of  Sanitary  Commis- 

i  ll<  np:tnl,  M  and  not*-. 

Campbell,    Brevet     Brigadier-General    John 

A  lit- n.  Miinmarv  of  s  rvice,  9.>2. 

Camps  ix  Ohio,  59. 

QajIDT,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Charles,  Sum- 
in  .rv  ..f  n.:\. 

Carxikkx    Kerry,  Battle  of,  General   Rose- 

-  part  in.  :i\*. 
Carolina*,  ("iimpaiirn  of,  471;  map  of,  473. 
Cajuukotov,  BriKadier-General  Henry  B.,  Sug- 

gNU  a  plan  for  tl.e.l,|e..s,.  nfObio  against  hostile  action 

irslnia.  M;  orders  Ohio  troop*  to  the  Ohio  frou- 

•:   .aily   llf-    is    appoiiiti>d   Adjutant-General  i,f 

i.t  d  Br.gadiVr-Gencriil,  a  rves  in  In. liana 

blseftortsa  sines  the  Kniehtsof  th.-  (Jul  |,„  Urcle  «T 

(  OtBOLL,    Brigadier-General  8.  S„  Sttmmarv 

Brevet  Brigadier-General  John  S 
•oasaaan  af  sarvtee,  %2  ' 

I  reneral,  Is  assigned  to  duty  of  brijrad- 

Iiik  ii-w  trim;  a.  •>.•?.  '  ° 

Cedar  Crerk,  Battle  of,  529,  803 
pHAMWOK  Hills,  Battle  of,  389,575. 

<  hailins'  Hospital,  From  Ohio,  1013 

<  ii  IBLSaTOH,  operations  against,  631 

^JBtStwe-^VjKa^^"* 

ClIATTAKOOOA    AND    VlCINtTV, '  Man    of    341- 
(  HI.  KAMATGA,  Batlle  of,  340,  507 
mi.  kasaw  lUvon,  Baltle  of,  435 

^1,™'^  L,^esLE'  VliMta«l  Mendal, 


Cincinnati  Gazette,  Editorial  from,  170. 

Cist,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Henry  M.,  Sum- 
mary of  service  y<^2. 

Clendenin,  Dr.  Wm.,  Services  of,  249. 

Cleveland  Plain  Dealer,  Denounces  the 
appointment  of  Schl  icli  a.s  Br.gaher-Geuetat.  34. 

Cloyd  Mountain,  Battle  of,  800. 

Coates,    Brevet    Brigadier-General    Benjamin 

¥.,  Summary  of  service,  9»;J. 
Cockerill,  Brevet    Brigadier-General  J.    R., 
Siinnnaiy  ot  seivit'e,  SW*. 

Cold  Harbor,  Battle  of,  403. 

Coleman,   Colonel  Augustus    IT.,   Early   life, 

summary  of  service.  IOCS. 

Colonels   or  Ohio  Regiments,  Promotions 

among,  ;>s,  /W. 

Colored  Troops  raised  in  Ohio,  176. 

Columbia,  Burning  of.  475. 

Comlv,   Brevet  Brigadier  General    James    M., 

Summary  of  service,  93. 
Commager,   Brevet   Brigadier-General   Henry 

S..  Sumiuiiry  of  ^eivice,  yr,.-}. 

Commissary  General  of  Ohio,  His  labors  in 

Dcniiison  s  adiiiiiii^li  utioii,  t><). 

Commissaries  of  Subsistence  from  Ohio, 

low. 
Connell,  Colonel  John  M.,  Introduces  bill  in 

Leuislature  chanting   u;  me    of   Volunteer    Ohio    Stato 

Militia  to  National  Guaid,  242 

Cooke,  Jay,  Parentage,  early  life,  1037;    his 

banking  operations,  his  connetiion  with  fcecretary 
Chase.  10.'W ;  with  Secretary  Kessendcn,  KJ.'it 

Corbin,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  H.  C,  Sum- 
mary of  s. -rvice,  9Kt. 

Corinth,  Battle  of,  324,  825. 

Cowen,  Brevet  Brigadier  General  B.  R.,  Adju- 
tant-Ceneial  of  Ohio,  210;  paientase,  yi.3;  <arl.\  life.  -  n- 
lists  as  private,  is  appointed  A'l.infant-Geiieral  of  the 
State,  services  in  that  capacity,  his  politics,  964. 

Cox,  Major-General  Jacob  D.,  Is  appointed 
Brigadier-General  of  Ohio  troops,  34;  calls  on  Governor 
Dc  unison  lor  aid  in  holding  Weft  Virginia,  r>3;  pa  rentage, 
early  life,  politics,  enters  the  army,  77ii;  his  s.  rv.cea  in 
West  Virginia,  771  ;  is  transf  rred  to  the  Army  el  Vir- 
ginia, his  conduct  at  Wonooacir  Bridge  and  South  Mount- 
ain, 773;  his  conduct  at  Anil  tarn,  is  transferred  to  \\  e»t 
Virg.nia,  is  placed  in  command  of  ihe  District  uf  (  hio, 
is  ordered  to  the  held  in  East  Xenu<asee,  particip;  tea  in 
the  Atlanta  campaign,  774  ;  his  conduct  at  Fn  nkl  n  and 
Naahv  lie,  is  appointed  Major-Genei'al,  is  ordered  ifi as t, 
his  conduct  at  tvingston,  joins  Sin  rnian'sarn  y  at  Golds- 
horo  ,  77o;  commands  District  of  Ohio,  is  elected  Gover- 
nor, summary  ot  character,  77t>. 

Crittenden,  General.  At  the  battle  of  Stone 

River,  3.9. 

Crittenden,  Thomas  L.,  asks  Governor  Den- 
nisou's  influence  to  secure  u  truce  between  the  General 
Governni  nt  and  the  seceded  States,  38,  note. 

Crook,  Major-General  Geo.,  Early  military  life, 

is  made  Colon.  1  of  the  Thirty-Sixth  Ohio,  serves  in  West 
Virgin  a,  is  appointed  a  Brigadier,  is  transit  rred  to  the 
Army  of  the  Cumberland,  defeats  \\  heeler,  7.9;  is  tians- 
forred  to  West  Virginia,  his  conduct  at  Cloyd  Mountain, 
New  River,  and  on  ihe  Lynchburg  raid,  Mmi  ;  commands 
District  ot  Kanawha,  his  conduct  at  Miicker  s  Ftirv, 
commands  Department  of  West  Virginia,  sol :  his  con- 
duct at  Open,  nan  aud  Fishers  Hill,  !*t;  his  conduct  at 
Cedar  Creek,  :>_'9  and  note,  .-02;  is  captured  at  Cumber- 
land, ,sui ;  is  assigned  to  a  cavalry  coniniaud  in  the  Army 
ot  the  Potomac,  o04. 

Cumberland,    Army   of,    Soldiers   of  address 

Inion  Convention,  b>7:  condition  of  under  Buell,  700. 
Curtin,  Governor,  Otters  McClellan  the  com- 
mand of  the  Pennsylvania  troops,  33. 

Custer,  Major-General  George  A.,  Early  life, 

attends  miliary  academy,  his  conduct  at  Bull  Run, 
serves  on  General  Ream  y's  stall,  his  conduct  in  the 
Peninsula  campaign,  77.s;  his  conduct  at  Williamsbuig 
and  at  the  ClncUahominy,  serves  on  McClellaif s  stair, 
his  condu  t  at  Chancellorsville,  serves  on  PI.  asanton's 
stall,  is  made  a  Brigadier,  his  conduct  at  Gettysburg, 
and  in  the  sul.seiimni  pursuit  <d'  the  Rebels,  at  the  hat- 
Mo  Ol  the  Wilderness,  and  on  Sheridan's  raid  toward 
Richmond,  779;  his  conduct  at  Trevil.ian  Station,  at 
Winchester,  at  Fisher's  Hill,  at  Cedar  Creek,  at  an 
engagement  with  Kosser,  and  at  W  a\  nesboro  ,  Tso;  his 
conduct  at  Diuwiddie,  at  Five  Forks,"  at  Bailor's  Creek, 


Index. 


1043 


and  at  Appomattox,  7M  an  1  note ;  receives  the  white 
tlag  sent  in  by  General  Lee,  is  Appointed  Major-General, 
goes  to  Texas,  summary  of  character,  762. 


D 


Daiilgren,    Admiral,   Operations   of    against 

Charleston,  H4B. 
DARK,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Francis,  Sum- 

m  try  of  Service,  !«>."). 

Dawson,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Andrew  K. 

Z.,  summary  of  service,  y ;."). 
Dayton  Empire,  Article  from  on  the  arrest 

of  YaUan  lighaiu,  101. 
Dayton  Journal,  Office  destroyed  by  mob,  103. 
De  Haas,  Colonel,  Absent  from  his  command, 

22a. 

Democrats  of  Ohio  present  an  address  to  Mr. 

Lincoln  asktng  the  return  of  Vallau  lighain,  |.m,  ir»3 
Dexnison,  Governor,  His  war  administration, 
open  ng  ac:s,  «:  his  character,  2i> ;  asks  the  iletail  of 
l.i  U  tenants  Poe  an  I  blazon.  31;  reorganizes  his  itaff, 
96;  recommends  the  seizure  or  prominent  points  in  K  n- 
tncky,  3>;  promises  protection  to  the  Unionists  of  Weal 
Virginia,  3t>;  states  his  position  in  regard  to  Kentucky 
neutrality,  39,  40;  forbids  the  shipment  of  contrabanl 
arti  Is  to  the  seceded  State;,  an  I  the  passage  of  any 
news  by  tel  'graph  of  the  movements  of  troops.  41  ;  offers 
to  fill  Kentucky's  Qttota  with  Ohio  troop*,  »:>;  urges 
McCJellau  to  i  ccupy  Parkersburg.  17  ;  progress  and  clo-e 
of  his  administiat.on,  .r>2 ;  lesponds  to  Gen-rate  Itose- 
crmis  and  (J...\  calling  for  aid  in  West  Virginia,  A3; 
members  of  his  staff  transferred  to  the  regular  army, 
54;  final  organization  of  his  staff,  54.  note;  summary 
of  his  administration,  62;  appoints  hoard  of  Meuical 
Exaniinrs,  245;  i  an  mag",  eai  ly  lit"-,  his  polities,  1017; 
his  busings  operations,  is  elected  Governor,  101s;  hid 
policy  as  Governor,  subsequent  li  e,  lUlit. 

Devol,    Brevet  Brigadier-General,  Early  life, 

summary  of  service,  942. 
Devore,  Mr.,  Action  of  in  the  Legislature  on 

the  Appropriation  Bill,  22. 
Dewey,  Brigadier-General  Joel  A.,  Summary 

of  service,  ,-n7. 
Dinwiddie  C.  II.,  Battle  of,  540. 
Doane,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Azariah  N., 

Summary  of  Service,  965. 
Dodge,  General,  Conduct  of  at  Resaca,  581. 
Donelson,  Fort,  Siege  of,  365. 
Drury's  Bluff,  Battle  of,  G50. 
Duke,  Basil  \V.,  Defeated  by  Home  Guards  at 

Augusta,  97. 


E 


Early,  General,  Force  of  in  Shenandoah  Val- 
ley, 621,  note. 

Eaton,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Charles  G., 
Summary  of  s  rvic,  96\ 

Eaton,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  John,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  9i>.">. 

Eggleston,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  B.   B., 

Summary  of  service,  963. 

Elliott,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Jonas  D.,  Early 

life,  summary  of  character,  K,'0">. 

Elwell,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  J.  J.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  9C6. 

Este,  Brigadier-General  George  P.,  Early  life, 
enters  the  army,  8!M  ;  his  influence  in  re-enlistment*. 
89.3 ;  his  conduct  in  the  Atlanta  c.iinpaign,  )85;  personal 
appearance.  ,-9:. 

Evening  Times,  Cincinnati,  Suppression  of,  93. 

Ewell,  General,  Captured  by  Sberidan,  548 
and  note. 

Ewing,  Brevet  Major-General  Hugh,  Parent- 
age, enters  the  army,  duties  in  the  tliree  months'  service, 
is  appointed  Colonel  Thirtieth  Ohio,  s:>3 ;  his  conduct  at 
South  Mountain,  Antietam,  and  in  the  Vicksbury  cam- 
paign, 864;  his  conduct  at  Jackson,  moves  to  the  relief  of 
Knoxville,  $~>i  ;  is  appointed  minister  at  The  Hague,  865. 

Ewing,  Brevet  Major-Gefneral  Tbos.  H..  Pa- 
rentage, political  life,  enters  thearmy,  his  services  in  the 
West,  834  ;  his  conduct  at  Pilot  Knob.  836. 

Ewing,  Hon.  Thos.,  Adopts  W.  T.  Sherman, 

418. 


FARMERS,  Number  of  in  Ohio  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  war,  16. 

Fakuagut,  Admiral,  Bombards  forts  below 
New  Orleans,  Am. 

Fearing,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  B.  I)..  rV 
rentage,  early  lift. enlists  ni  privates  i-  promoted,  940 1 
li.s  conduct  .it  Fittsbura  Lauding,  <  nkkaiuauza.  in  the 
Atlanta  campaign,  and  at  Averj  sboro',  941, 

Fessenden,  Secretary.  His  connection  with  Jay 

Cooke  A  <'<•..  lov.t.  ,  ' 

First  Onro  Infantry,  Organized,  27. 
Fisher's  Hill,  Battle  of,  526. 
Five  Forks,  Battle  of,  411,  542. 
Flagg,  Win.  J.,   Action  of,    in    Legislature  on 

the  Appropriation  R  [1. 2»;  Introdnces  till  In  Legislature 

aufhorlsinga  contrlbuton  from  the  contingent  mud  for 

Sanitary  Commission,  399. 
Fletcher,  Dr.  Robert,  Services  of,  249. 
Floyd,  General,  at  Fort  Donelson,  807,  369. 
Foote,  Admiral,  At  Fort  Henry,  364;  at  Fort 

Donelson.  ."/>  i 

Force,    Brevet    Major-General    Manning   F., 

fiarlv  li'e,  enters  th'-anny,  S27;  his  conduct  at  Pittsburg 
Landing,  in    the  Vii  ksburg  campaign,  in   the   Atlanta 
Campaign,  on  th  •  march   10  Savannah,  and   in  the  cam- 
paign of  the  Carolinaa,  S2s. 
Forsyth,  Brigadier-General  J.  W.,  Summary 

of  service,  9,n>. 

Frizell,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  J.  M.,  Sum- 
mary of  servic  •.  'M't'i. 
Fuller,  Brevet  Major-General  Jobn  W.,  Piv 

rentage,  .-arlv  life,  enter*  the  arniv.  S23 ;  is  appointed 
Colon*!  Twenty-S.  vcntli  Ohio,  his  con d net  at  New  Mad- 
fid  and  Island  No.  10.  s:-4  ;  bis  conduct  at  luka  and  COr- 
inth,  s2"«;  his  conduct  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  <>n  the 
march  to  the  sea,  and  in  the  campaign  of  the  Carolinaa, 

S.f). 

Fullerton,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Jos.  S., 

Summary  of  service,  9>i>. 
Fyffe,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Edward  P., 

Summary  of  service,  96t>. 


G 

0 

Garfield,  Major-General  James  A.,  Supports 

a  bill  defining  and  providing  punishment  for  treason 
against  the  State  of  Ohio,  23;  prcurs  arms  from  Illi- 
nois lor  Ohio  Troops, 35:  parentage,  buy hood,  T.v.i ;  enters 
Geauga  Acad  my,  740 ;  his  religion,  gars  to  culJeue,  741: 
becomes  a  teach,  r  in  the  II  rain  I  n - 1  i .  u  te,  ":.  ;  is  elected 
t<>  the  State  S-eate,  his  political  coui  s  ,  7-H ;  is  appointed 
Lieutenant-Colonel.  74*;  hi- camp  ign  against  Ma  I  shall, 
7U.',  746;  pilots  •  boat  up  the  Study,  747;  bis  expedition 
a  ainst  Point  I  Gap,  74>;  participates  in  I  tittle  of  Pitts- 
burg Landing,  74!»;  serves  on  court  martial,  "Mi;  is  made 
chief  of  staff  to  Ro-ecrans,  7">l  ;  lecom mends  the  remo- 
val of  McCcok  an  I  Critteud<  n,  urges  an  advance  of  the 
army,  7">2;  his  part  in  the  I  u  lalioma  eampal&n  mid  b.it- 
tl-  of  Chi  kimauza,  T-Vi;  goes  to  Congress.  ?.">; ;  his 
speech  against  Alex.  Long,  7;">S;  extracts  from  other 
speeches,  /.^y;  "iimmary  of  char»»vter.  7.3. 

Garrard,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Israel, 
Bhi  ly  life,  summary  of  servic,  \>r.\. 

Garrard,  Brevet  Major-General  Kenner,  Pa- 
rentage, life  in  regular  army,  -erves  in  the  Army  of  ihe 
Potomac,  conduct  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  in  the 
Mobile  campaign,  S.'y>. 

Gay,  Dr.  Norman,  Services  of,  249. 
Gettysburg,  Map  of,  669. 

Gibson,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Horatio  G., 
Summary  of  s  -rvice,  Ufi*. 

Gibson,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Win.  II., 
Summary  01'  s  rvice.  yfj. 

Giesy,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Henry,  Sum- 
mary <d'  service,  !"'i7. 

Gilbert,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Samuel  A., 
Summary  of  s  rvic,  %7. 

Gillmore,  Major-General  Q.  A.,  Revolution- 
ises grinuery,  13:'parentag  ■,  <)I7  ;  biyhood,  S18;  is  ap- 
poin ted  cadet  at  \\ .  st  Poiuii  his  slassmates,  fi|«i;  early 
military  Ufa,  820;  his  services  at  the  commencement  of 
the  rebellion,  his  operations  against  Fort  Pulaski.  liSM  j 
is  made  a  Brigadier  and  ordered  West,  fi29;  bis  conduct 
ar  Somerset,  i'3i;  his  plans  and  operations  against 
(  hail  s  on,  fSt]  Irs  Florida  campaign.  M7;  go  Bto  b'<rt- 
ress  Monroe  ami  moves  up  the  James,  M* ;  h  s  <  unfiiets 
with  Butler,  f.4.s.  t>~>l  ;  his  conduct  at  Drary's  Blnif.  Had; 
is  president  of  board  for  testing  anilleiy,  retail*  to 
Charleston,  '353,  summary  cf  tiiaracter,  -"i 


1044 


Index. 


v.-t  Brigadier-General  Josiah,  Sum- 

:  ...  rvi..-.  <J.7. 

.,   Brevet  Brigadier-General   Win.,  Sum- 

m.ir.  .T  i».-rvir.-.  9i'.r. 

n,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  James  H., 

•  nice,  9*7. 
i.k  HOUSB,  Soldiers  quartered  in,  28. 
:.  General  IJ.  EL,  In  command  of  United 

army  at  close  of  wur,  1.1;  is  accused  of  drunken- 

•  Pittsburg  Landing.  6\   n..t-:  parentage.  3.M  and 

Incident*  of  early  life,  3.">2;  enters  Wert  Point,  liis 

11;  curly  army  lif\  3V» ;  his  conduct  at  hV- 

!a  Palnia.  Palo  Alto,  Monterey,  Molino  d  1  Rev, 

;v> ;  rc.«ign«,  :w>5  ami  noie ;  his  civil  life,  ,T>ti; 

■  t>  tin- army,  .V.7 ;  is  plac  d  in  Command  at  Cairo, 

J*;  bUeoudncl  at  Belmont,  .16 1;  his  eperatinnfl  In  h>n- 

tnckv.  M;  I.  s  ;art  at  F..rt    Henry,    v.i ;  at  Fort  Don  I- 

unrlict  *»ith  Halleck,  .170;   hi<  ondnct  at 

Hiding.  371;  is  humiliated  by  Hall  ck.  37s; 

c»  ab)i»li<-s  head-quarters  at   Memphis,   his  conduct  at 

fuka.  37<» ;  at  Corinth  and  in  the  Tallahatchie  campaign, 

the  Vicksbure  campaign,  SH|  ;  injured  by  accid  nt 

Orleans,  M;  go-s  to  Chattanooga,  393;  is  made 

I  i  ut-n  i Bt •General  and  goes  to  Washington,  .I'.i'J;  in  the 

Wilderness,  SOT;  at  .Spot  tsv  I  van  in  C.    II..  40l';   at  Cold 

.4  3;  moves  to   the  south   of  f h  •  James.  401;  at 

nrfT.  «o.'>;  at  the  surrender  of  Lee,  412,  Ml,  note; 

stimman  of  character.  41.1;   his  esimate  of  McPherson, 

i77 :  a tires  to  Lydia  Slocum,  grandmother  of  General 

■<  I'll   t  ..in.  .VsS. 

wood,  Mile*,  Furnishes   the  Greenwood 

rifle.  It, 

Griffin,  Brevet  Major-General  Chas.,  Early 
army  life,  first  servic-  a  ;ainst  the  rebell'on,  nail  mtrv  at 
M^'hnnii'Mvilleaml  Malv  in  Hill,  S7I ;  summary  of  l>ar- 
tl'-e  an  I  commands,  dies  of  yellow  fsrer,s72;  summary 
of  service  and  character,  872,  s;3. 

Gbosvknor,   Brevet  Brigadier-General  C.  H., 

Parntag  ,  summary  of  s-rvice.  9.2. 

Gunckle,  Senator,   Introduces    bill    enabling 

soldiers  to  vote,  23s;  introduces  bill  for  the  relief  of  sol- 
diers' families,  241. 


H 

Halleck,   General,    Congratulates   Rosecrans 

ftfl  r  Mm..  Riv.r,  333;  his  operations  in  K-nMicky.  363: 
liis  roi.ii.Ttion  »ith  battle  of  P-tt-l-urg  Landing.  .172 
Wt  toward  Grant  aft-r  l>itt»biirg  Landing,  3/8 
Itm   nt  of  General  Hiiell.  70',  7(1},  707. 

Hamer,  Hon.  Thos.  L.,  Secures  appointment 

as  cadet  for  P.  8.  Grant,  |£.  r 

Hamilton,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Wm  D 

Kniiiin  ,r>  of  service,  967.  ' 

Hamlin,   K.  S,  Appoints  Q.  A.  Gillmore  ca- 

■M  at  W.-ht  Point,  rtl.s. 

Harker,  Brigadier-General   Chas.   GM   Early 
n'V;;*',,y  ,"'  ih,UV  "f •  ,on•,",  *  »«  8,0"«  Ki>er,  Mission 

Harris,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Andrew  L 
nummary  of  servb  e,  ajg,  '» 

Hart,   Brevet  Brigadier-General    James    PI 

Hit.iman  ol  service,  Mft,  ***> 

tf*Tr?eM&°J[  °rTCin«'i'1»ati,  Receives  delega- 

li -ii  of  citizens  from  Louisville,  39  ° 

-    Brevet  Major-General  Rutherford  B., 
Hazkx, Major-General    Wm.    B     Parentis 

nimuj  ,5r ,  hlr ,",,,  ,c,5,n  M,g°  "f  "'"  <-»'«l.uas.  jus; 
4;^:.';!fe,t^r;g'''ier-General  Thorn,  ft, 

1  •  1  ort,  Siege  of,  3G4. 
feV^^**11"^.-.!   Walter 

"  McnUiwisME*  it?  f1!tt«!»»r?  Landing 
'  UUU18  army,  service  in  West  Vir- 


ginia. Kll  ;  is  appointed  Adjutant-Genoral  of  Ohio,  M4  ; 
organizes  the  National  Guard,  131,  M4  ;  is  appointed  Co- 
lonel One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Eighth  Ohio,  is  mus- 
tered out,  815. 

Hitchcock,  Mr.,  Introduces  bill  in  Senate  au- 
thorising pay  agents,  239. 
Hoge,    Brevet  Brigadier-General   George  \\\, 

Summary  of  service,  908, 

Hollow  ay,  Brevet   Brigadier-General   E.   S., 

Summary  of  service,  'X<9. 

Holly  Springs,  Surrender  of,  380. 
Holmes  County,  Resistance  to  draft  in,  127. 
Holmes,  Dr.  W.  W.,  Services  of,  249. 
Holton, Brevet  Brigadier-General  Marcellus  J. 

\V.,  Summary  of  service,  %9. 

Hooker,    General,   At   Williamsburg,  291;  at 

Antietam,  30.r>;  at  Lookout  Mountain,  397. 

Howard,  General,  Pays  a  tribute  to  General 

Marker,  9I.S. 

IIowbert,  Rev.  R.  A.,  Employed  by  Governor 

Tod  to  visit  wounded  Ohio  soldiers,  178. 

Howe,  Orion  P.,  Gallantry  of,  at  Vicksburg, 
Rowland,  Brevet  Brigadier-General   Horace 

N.,  Summary  of  servic,  SW. 

Hundred  Days'    Men,    208;    offered   to    the 

President  by  the  Governors,  209;  called  out,  211. 
Hunt,    Brevet   Brigadier-General    Lewis    C., 

Summary  of  serviee,  9(59. 

Hunt,  Brevet  Major-General  Henry  J.,  Sum- 
mary of  s  rvice,  874. 
Hurst,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Samuel  H., 

Summary  of  service,  969. 

Hutchison,  Mr.,  Action  of,  in  Legislature  on 

the  Appropriation  Bill,  22. 

Hutchings,   Brevet  Brigadier-General  R.  P. 

Summary  of  service,  969- 


Initial  War  Legislation,  20. 

Irvine,    Colonel     Sixteenth    Ohio,    Occupies 

Wheeling  an  1  skirmish  at  Phiiippi,  43. 

Iuka,  Battle  of,  General  Rosecrans's  part  in,  322. 


Jackson,  Battle  of,  440,  574. 

Jackson,  Stonewall,  Comparison  between  and 

Sheridan.  S». 

James,  Dr.,  Services  of,  250. 

Jessup,  Mr.,  Action   of,  in  Legislature  on  the 

appropriation  bill,  T2. 

Johnson,  Governor  Andrew,    Asserts  that  he 

prevented  the  abandonment  of  Nashville,  717 and  note 

Johnston,   General   Jos.    E.,  Strength    of  his 

army  in  October,  1S6I,  2  5;  his  conduct  in  Vicksburg 
campaign,  387,  %■< ;  surrender  to  Sherman,  480. 

Jonesboro',  Battle  of,  458. 

Jones,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  J.  S.,   Early 

life,  enlists  as  private,  summary  of  servic,  Ma,  9C9. 

Jones,    Brevet     Brigadier-General    Theodore, 

Summary  of  service,  970. 

Jones, Brevet  Brigadier-General  Wells  S.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  970. 
Jones,  Colonel  Fred.  C,  Parentage,  early  life, 

motives  for  entering  the  army,  997  ,  his  conduct  at  Pitts- 
I'Uig  Landing,  at  S'one  River,  his  death,  998. 

Jones,  Colonel  W.  G.,  Parentage,  enters  regu- 

nlar  army,  serves  against  the  rebellion.  999. 
Judah,  General,  fails  to  check  Morgan  at  the 
Cumberland,  13/>. 

Judge  Advocates  from  Ohio,  1013. 

K 

Kautz,  Brevet  Major-General  August  V.,  Pa- 

rentage,  early  life,  services  in  Mexico,  enters  West  Point, 
se  \ices  In  regular  army,  844  ;  joins  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
WmVm  •  Pem,,s,lliV  carnpaign,  is  appointed  Colonel 
em,? U  \?\U°  Ci,Yr  M&j  P'oticipates  in  siege  of  Knoxville, 
'°™?»»*  ^$1  .(,f  %  A,m>  of  the  James,  846;  com! 
SSrv   J-1Mt  Dlvl8,on.  Twenty-Fifth  Corps,  847    sum- 


Index 


1045 


Keifer,   Brevet    Major-General    Joseph    W., 

Studies  law,  enters  the  army,  conduct  in  West  Virginia 
and  on  the  Huntsville  campaign.  K&;  his  conduct  at 
■\\  imhester,  joins  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  WJO;  liis 
conduct  at  battle  of  the  W 'ilderncss,  Opequau,  Fisher's 
Hill,  Cedar  Creek,  and  Sailor's  Creek,  8H0. 

Kelly,   Brevet    Brigadier-General    John   H., 

Summary  of  service,  970. 

Kenesaw  Mountain,  Battle  of,  454. 
Kennedy,    Brevet    Brigadier-General   R.   P., 

Summary  of  service,  970. 

Key,  Judge  Thomas  M.,  votes  for  appropri- 
ation hill  in  Ohio  Senate,  21;  visits  Governor  Magof- 
fin, of  Kentucky,  as  agent  from  Governor  Denuison,  and 
makes  report,  37,  38. 

Kimberly,   Brevet  Brigadier-General   Robert 

L.,  Summary  of  s  Tvice,  970. 

King,  Colonel  First  Ohio  militia,  19. 
King,  Rufus,  States  position  of  Ohio  with  ref- 
erence to  Kentucky  to  Louisville  del-Ration,  39. 
Kingsbury,   Brevet  Brigadier-General  Henry 

D.,  Summary  of  service,  970.  . 

Krum,  Mr.,  introduces  bill   in  Legislature  to 

provide  for  the  payment  of  bounties,  240. 

Kyle,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Barton  S.,  Parent- 
age, early  life,  enters  the  army,  is  killed  at  Pittsburg 
Lauding,  1000. 


Ladies'  Aid  Societies,  Organized,  253. 
Lancaster  Guards,   First  company  to  report 

for  duty  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  27. 

Lane,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  John  Q.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  971. 
Langdon,    Brevet   Brigadier-General    E.  Bas- 

sett,  Early  life,  summary  of  service  and  character,  971. 

Lang,  Mr.,  Moves  to  amend  title  of  bill  estab- 
lishing National  Guard,  242. 

Leavitt,  Judge,  Gives  his  opinion  on  the  ha- 
beas corpns  in  the  case  of  Vallandigham,  118. 

Lee,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  John  C,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  972. 

Lee,  General  Robert  E.,  Assumes  command  of 

the  Rebel  army  at  Richmond,  297;  sends  Early  against 
Washington,  406:  surrenders  to  Grant,  412. 

Leggett,  Major-General  M.  D.,  Early  life,  en- 
ters the  army,  his  conduct  at  Pittsburg  Landing  and 
Corinth,  809 ;  his  conduct  at  Bolivar,  Champion  Hills, 
Vicksburg,  and  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  summary, 
810. 

Lincoln,    President,    Replies    to    Democratic 

committee  from  Ohio  asking  release  of  Vallandigham, 
161;  acknowledges  the  services  of  the  Ohio  National 
Guard,  219;  his  ideas  of  McClellan,  2.-7,  291;  congratu- 
lates Rosecrans  after  Stone  River, 334  :  his  friendship  tor 
Grant,  3*5:  congratulates  Grant  after  fall  of  Vieksburg, 
391;  his  confidence  in  McDowell,  674;  is  first  suggested 
for  the  Presidency  by  Robert  C.  Schenck,  727;  compli- 
ments General  Tyler.  .^32. 

Lister,    Brevet   Brigadier-General   Fred.  W., 

Summary  of  service,  973. 

Long,  Alexander,  Speech  against  by  Garfield, 

Long,  Brevet  Major-General  Eli,  Early  serv- 
ice, conduct  at  Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  McMinnville, 
and  Farmington,  861  :  moves  with  Sherman  to  Knox- 
ville,  his  conduct  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  and  at  Selma, 

862. 

Lookout  Mountain,  Battle  of,  397. 
Louisville  Journal,  Charges  Mitchel  with 

cruelty,  613. 

Lowe,  Colonel  John  W.,  Early  life,  politics, 

conduct  at  Scary  Creek,  1009;  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  1010.^ 
Lucy,  Colonel   J.  A.,  One  Hundred  and  Fif- 
teeenth  Ohio  holds  indignation  meeting  in  his  regiment 
about  promotions,  225. 

Ludlow,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  B.C.,  Early 

life,  enteis  the  armv,  serves  in  Missouri,  934  ;  serves  with 
the  Army  of  the  I'otomac,  his  work  on  the  Dutch  Gap 

canal,  93">;  summary  of    character,  936. 

Lytle,  Brigadier-General  Wm.  IT.,  Parentage, 
early  life,  is  appointed  Colonel  Tenth  Ohio,  conduct  at 
Carnifex  Ferry,  880;  is  on  Mitchel's  Alabama  campaign, 
conduct  at  Perryville,  881 ;  his  conduct  at  Chickamauga, 
882;  funeral  honor*,  summary  of  character,  883. 


M 

Magoffin,   Governor  of  Kentucky,  Issues  a 

neutrality  proclamation,  37. 

M Anderson,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Chan. 

F.,  summary  of  service,  973. 

Mansfield,  Hon.  E.  D.,  Commissioner  of  Sta- 
tistics, Isl. 
Manufacturers  in  Ohio  at  the  outbreak  of 

the  war,  16. 

March  to  the  Sea,  465;  map  of,  468. 
Martin,    Brevet    Brigadier-General  Wm.  II., 

Summary  of  service,  973. 

Mason,  Brigadier- General  John  S.,  Parentage, 

standiug  and  classmates  at  West  Point,  serves  in  Mexico 
and  in  the  West,  9*28;  summary  of  service  against  tho 
rebellion,  929. 

Mason,   Brevet  Brigadier-General   Edwin   C, 

Summary  of  service,  973. 

Maxwell,   Brevet    Brigadier-General  O.   C, 

Summary  of  service,  973. 

Mayer,    Captain,  His  commission  as  Colonel 

withheld  by  Governor  Plough,  225. 

McAllister,  Fort,  Capture  of,  468,  768. 
McCleary,   Brevet  Brigadier-General  James, 

Summary  of  service,  973. 

McClellan,  Major-General  Geo.  B.,  Assumes 

command  of  United  States  forces  after  battle  of  Bull 
Pun,  13;  is  recommended  by  Cincinnatians  for  the  rank 
of  General  of  Ohio  troops  32 ;  declines  the  command  of 
Pennsylvania  troops,  83;  his  ingratitude  toward  Gover- 
nor Deunison,  43;  his  reply  to  Governor  Dennison's  let- 
ter uraiug  him  to  occupy  Parkersl.urg,  his  plan  for  tak- 
ing Richmond,  4,s ;  his  part  in  the  baitle  of  Laurel  Hill, 
50;  his  classmates  at  West  Point,  276 ;  his  conduct  at 
Vera  Cruz,  Cerio  Gordo,  Puebla,  Mexicalcineo,  Contre- 
ras,  City  of  Mexico,  277 ;  is  directed  to  visit  Europe  dur- 
ing the  Crimean  War,  resigns  his  commission  and  goes 
to  railroading,  marries  Miss  Ellen  Alarcy,  278;  is  ap- 
pointed Major-Genera  I,  33,  279;  commands  at  Camp 
Denuison,  279;  negotiates  with  General  Buckner  on 
the  subject  of  Kentucky  neutrality,  279,  280,  note;  his 
insti notions  to  General  Morris,  and  proclamation  to 
West  Virginians,  takes  the  field,  strength  of  his  army, 
his  plans,  2M  ;  he  fails  in  execution,  282;  assumes  com- 
mand of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  and  reorganizes  it, 
2.-3:  his  plans  for  other  departments,  his  responsibility 
for  the  Ball's  Bluff  affair,  2S/>;  his  reasons  for  inaction, 
28(1;  his  plans  for  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  2<>7;  temper 
of  the  Administration  towatd  him,  288;  his  conduct  at 
Yorktown,  289;  he  is  hampered  by  the  Government,  290; 
his  conduct  on  the  pursuit  of  the  Rebels  from  Yorktown, 
291;  his  exaggeration  of  the  enemy's  strength,  293;  his 
dispositions  on  the  Chickahomiuy,  294;  his  part  in  the 
battle  of  Seven  Pines,  297;  he  procrastinates,  2V8 ;  his 
strength  compared  with  Lee's  in  front  of  Richmond,  299; 
his  conduct  at  Gaines's  Mill,  300;  he  falls  back  on  the 
James,  301  ;  his  conduct  at  New  Market  Cross  Roads  and 
Malvern  Hill,  302;  he  is  ordered  to  withdraw  to  W  a.-h- 
iugton,  303;  his  ability  as  an  organizer,  his  conduct  at 
South  Mountain,  304  ;  his  conduct  at  Antietam,  305 ;  his 
force  compared  with  Lee's  at  Antietam,  SOB ;  summary 
of  character.  307  ;  his  idea  of  an  expedition  against  New 
Orleans,  790. 

McConnell,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Henry 

K..  Bum  maty  of  service,  974  ;  as  Colonel  Seventy -First 
Ohio,  corresponds  with  Governor  Brough,  223. 

McCook,  Brigadier-General  Daniel,  While  Col- 
onel of  the  Fifty-Second  Ohio  corresponds  with  Governor 
Biough,  223  ;  parentage,  early  life,  enters  the  army,  904; 
his  conduct  at  Perryville,  Stone  River,  Chickamauga, 
Mission  Ridge,  and  in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  his  death, 
9i>.r>. 

McCook,  Brigadier-General  Robert  L.,  Family 

connections,  early  life,  studies  law,  87.r>;  becomes  Colonel 
Ninth  Ohio,  his  services  in  West  Virginia,  676;  is  ap- 
pointed Brigadier,  and  joins  Buell's  army,  is  taken  sick, 
;-77 ;  is  murdered,  878  and  note ;  summary  of  character, 

879. 

McCook,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Anson  G., 

Summary  of  service,  974. 

McCook  Family,  Services  of,  875  and  note. 
McCook,  George  W.,  Is  placed  in  command  of 

the  First  and  Second  Ohio,  30. 

McCook,  Major-General  Alexander  M.,  Early 

military  life,  is  appointed  Colonel  First  Ohio,  his  conduct 
at  Bull  Bun,  is  made  a  Brigadier.  80ti ;  his  conduct  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  807;  at  Perryville  719,  807  ;  at  Stone 
River,  329,  ."07;  at  Chickamauga,  343,  807;  demands  a 
Court  of  Inquiry,  findings,  807  ;  is  assigned  to  unimport- 
ant duties,  his  brevet  commissions,  his  polit.cal  Mews, 
808  and  note. 

McCook,  Major  Daniel,  Killed  at  Butfington 

Island,  H7  and  note. 


1046 


Index. 


McCoy  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Daniel,  Early 

Vi.7.Mpri™ie?c.,nd»<-t  at  Stone  River,   Clucka- 
,„d  franklin.  0*4  j  summary,  945 

;Morr,  Dr.  Clarke,  Services  of,  249. 
V|,  I .     ,.:i.'.s  Corps,    Dispute   concerning   its 

.   -"'3.  ^  ,      -r         •  T»  i 

.    Major-General  Irvin,  Parentage, 

nun  Wert  Point,  056;  Us  cl**sinate«,  early 

:  la  Mexico  657;  hw^itionatt^ 

•   made  a  Hruadi.-r,  w-0,  his 
dlflcalii  ■  with  General  Scott,  MO,  Ml,  MS;  Uordered 

1  ;  his  standingamong  volunteers, 
Zu  mo-  nakes  an  advance,  665  ;  liis  conduct  at  Bull  Hun, 
•  ■  i  ward,  674 ;  has  an  interview  with 
ud  to  operations  with  the  Army  of 
..;:.;  his  opinion  on  tin-  protection  of  Wash- 
is  much  abused  by  papers  and  otherwise 
2  M»;  his  campaign  against  Jackson, 682;  is  aligned 
toa  command  in  the  Army  of  Virginia,  8*4 ;  his  conduct 
»i  th.  »< <  ond  t.  Utle  of  Bull  Run,  686 ;  demands  a  Court 
0f  ii„,  mlt  of,  691;  subsequent  services,  692; 

■uniinary  of  character,  60S.  »  '_, 

van.   Brevet  Brigadier-General  J.   h., 

m»ry  of  service,  974.  _ 

•  ■arty,  Brevet   Brigadier-General   bte- 

i.,  Summary  of  service,  U74. 

McIlvaine,  Bishop,  Expresses  himself  in  re- 
gard to  sustaining  the  Government,  270;  extract  from 
sermon  on  Colonel  Andrews,  9iO. 

M    I.ivN,  Brigadier-General  N.  C,  Early  life, 

enters  the  army,  serves  in  Virginia, 921 ;  serves  with  the 
Army  of  the  1'otomac,  and  in  the  Atlanta  campaign, 
commands  district  in  Kentucky,  is  ordered  to  North 
Carolina,  resigns,  922. 
IfoMlLLUT,  William  L.,  Surgeon-General  of 
146. 

il,  Guerrilla,  Captures  General  Crook, 
MS, 
McPherson,  Major-General  James  B.,  Parent- 
age Ml  |  ^aooaat  a  clerk,  OfiOj  goat  to  West  Point,  his 
associate*,  563;  becomes  a  Professor  in  the  Academy, 
early  military  .life,  5M ;  his  social  life,  965 ;  liis  politics,  566 ; 
is  assigned  to  duty  on  Halleck's  stall,  S6ti ;  liis  conduct  at 
Fort  Dou  Ison,  Pittsburg  Lauding,  569;  around  Cor- 
inth, M9,  570;  his  conflict  with  Rosecrans,  570 ;  is  made  a 
Major-Co  nerul.  has  a  light  near  Old  Lamar,  571 ;  his  con- 
duct in  the  Vicksbuig campaign,  572:  at  Port  Gibson  ami 
ond,  :.7;;  at  Jackson,  574:  at  Champion  Hills,  575; 
undermines  Rebel  works  at  Vicksburg,  576 ;  his  coin- 
auuid  in  the  Meridian  expedition,  580:  enters  on  the  At- 
Matft campaigu..V><>;  his  conduct  at  Resaca  581,  5*2;  at 
t;  at  Atlanta,  .'>S5;  is  killed, 
fc«;  summary  of  character,  589;  recommends  Captain 
link- nloop,  r,  03S. 

ii.  Mr.,  Introduces  bill  in   Senate  to 

provide  for  the  defense  of  the  State,  239,  240. 

Quartermaster-Gmeral,  Opinion  of,  on 

'.!!••  of  Mission  Ridge,  80K. 

Mkjia.    Major-General    Thomas,   Corresponds 

n-Tal  Weitzel  in  regard   to  alleged  outrages  in 

ft,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Edward  S., 

Suinin.iry  of  servi.-.  .  ' 

MBJSA  i  ks  of  Ohio,  186. 

Military  Committees,  172. 
Military  Lkcislation  of  the  State,  238. 
Military  Peace  Establishment  of  Ohio  at 

th  ■  outbreak  of  the  war.  Hi. 

Militia  of  Ohio  tender  their  services  to  the 

omen!  at  the  outbreak  of'the  war,  25. 

viN,   Colonel    Minor,    Parentage    earlv 

C&«^:  SSSSi&'lSM  I  i8'JPr»ted  Major  Kirst 
-£n  ~l£  ll,.,n,t«"«t.-"  with  Colonel  hansom  for  drunk- 

t".</*\.  '  Wdkw'  Creed,"  393;  Oharac- 

Mischler    Captain  Wendell,  Co.  B,  Fortieth 

£'™1£««J.  his  company  i,  dlsho^S 

Battle  o$  396,  397,  444,  509 
MmiiKLL,  Brigtidier-General  John  G.,   Earlv 

SSJTCHEL,  Major-General    O.'m.    In  the  Dp 

Mid  civil  life,^';  tCs  to  Kn?:nU,"";/9'i;   "SlV  mUltary 

■  -HI  Obser  vau»V  W  •  i H&£?  If***"*****  the 

W7and  note;  publis [,  .*  Vv,  ,\ w  vK  «S  d,e'.l"'ometer, 

and  r,ligioU8  opinions,  £?ffi  ftS&Jli  %L^Lntfflc 

command,  cafl.  on  ^^^^"Kfe^ 


onsv  of  other  officers  toward  him,  604  ;  his  advance  on 
Huntsville,  605  J  his  treatment  of  Rebels,  608 ;  his  con- 
duct at  Bridgeport,  610;  demonstrates  against  Chatta- 
nooga, 611  ;  is  ordered  to  Washington  City,  612;  is  charged 
with  cruelty,  613;  is  assigned  to  the  Department  of  South 
Carolina,  is  seized  by  yellow  fever  and  dies,  614 ;  sum- 
mary of  character,  615. 

Moody,  Brevet    Brigadier-General   Granville, 

Summary  of  service,  97">. 

Moor,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  August,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  975. 

Moore,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  F.  W.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  9o0. 

Moore,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  John  C,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  97;>. 

Moore,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Marshall  F., 

Summary  of  service,  975. 

Moore,  Colonel,  Defends  the  crossing  of  Green 

River  against  Morgan,  136. 

Moore,  Senator,  Votes  for  appropriation  bill  in 

the  Ohio  Senate,  21. 

Morgan,  Brigadier-General  Geo.  W.,  Parent- 
age, services  in  Texas  and  Mexico,  civil  life,  re-enters 
the  army,  conduct  at  Cumberland  Gap,  923. 

Morgan,  John,   Sketch  of,  84;   surrender  of, 

149  ;  death  of,  150. 

Morgan  K aid  through  Ohio,  134;  plundering 

and  excitement,  144  ;  expenses  of  the  raid,  151  ;  abstract 
of  claims  for  property  destroyed,  152. 

Morgan's  Kentucky  Cavalry,  Exploits  of, 

83,  86. 

Morris,  General  Thos.  A.,  Conduct  of  at  Lau- 
rel Hill,  50;  his  conduct  in  McClellan's  West  Virginia 
campaign.  2S1. 

Morris  Island,  Descent  on,  633. 

Mott,    Brevet   Brigadier-General   Samuel   K., 

Summary  of  service,  975. 

Murdoch,  Tragedian,  Suggests  the  writing  of 

Sheridan's  Ride,  532,  note. 

Murphy,  Colonel,   Surrenders  Hollv  Springs, 

380. 

Muscroft,  Dr.  C.  S.,  services  of,  250. 
Mussey,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Reuben  D., 

Parentage,  early  life,  975  ;  enters  the  army,  assists  in  or- 
ganizing colored  troops,  his  letter  to  the  Mayor  of  Nash- 
ville in  regard  to  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration,  976;  is 
secretary  to  President  Johnson,  resigns,  977. 

Mussey,  Dr.  Wm.  H.,  Member  of   Board  of 

Medical  Inspectors,  248 ;  services  of,  249. 


N 


National  Guard,  Organization  of,  130 ;  serv- 
ices of,  219. 
Neff,    Brevet   Brigadier-General   George  W., 

Summary  of  service,  977. 

Negley,  General,  Demonstrates  against  Chat- 
tanooga, 611. 
Neilson,  Major  W.  G.,  Twenty-Seventh  U.  S. 

Colored  Troops,  corresponds  with  Governor  B rough.  224. 

Nelson,  General,  Is  jealous  of  General  Mitchel, 

604. 

Nettleton,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  A.  B., 

Sum  ma  ry  of  service,  97s. 

Newhall,  Colonel,  Describes  Sheridan's  last 
interview  with  Gr.ant  before  Lee's  surrender,  5:>s,  note; 
describes  fight  at  Dinwiddle  C.  H.,  5m,  note  ;  subsequent 
uncertainty  in  regard  to  position  of  Rebel  army.  Ml, 
note  ;  describes  General  Ewell  after  his  capture  at  Sail- 
or's Creek,  518,  note;  relates  incident  between  Sheridan 
and  citizen,  MO,  note;  describes  Lee's  surrender,  550, 
note;  describes  Sheridan's  personal  appearance,  558, 
note;  describes  Cnster's  personal  appearance,  783. 

New  Hope  Church,  Battle  of,  453. 
Newman,  Senator,  Votes  against  appropriation 

bill  in  Ohio  Senate  and  afterward  changes  his  vote,  23 
and  note  ;  his  constituents  denounce  his  first  vote,  22. 

New  Orleans,  Defenses  of,  map  of,  790. 
Newspapers  in  Ohio  at  the  outbreak  of  the 

war,  125 

Noble  County,  Speck  of  war  in,  125. 

Noyes,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Edward  F., 

Summary  of  service,  978. 

O 

Odlin,  Peter,  Introduces  bill  in  Legislature  ena- 
bling soldiers  to  vote,  238,  241  ;•  introduces  bill  for  defense 
oi  the  btate  against  invasion,  241. 


Index. 


1047 


O'Dowd,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  John,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  979. 
O'Dowd,  Captain,  Attempts  to   raise  an  Irish 

Catholic  regiment,  "3. 
Ohio  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  16. 
Ohio  Churches  and  Clergy  in  the  war,  269. 
Ohio  Legislature,  Thanks  General  Thomas, 

Colonels  Garfield  and  McCook,  General  Grant,  ami  Flag 
Officer  Footc,  General  Burnside  and  Commander  Gold->- 
boro',  Generals  Curtis  and  Sigcl.  and  Colonels  A  Booth, 
Davis,  and  Carr,  239;  thanks  General  Shields  and  officers 
and  men  of  his  command,  General  Rosecrana  and  officers 
and  men  of  his  command,  General  Benj.  F.  Butler, 
Eighty-Third,  Ninety-Sixth,  and  Seventy-Sixth  Ohio 
.Regiments,  and  Seventeenth  Ohio  Battery,  the  Squirrel 
Hunters,  General  Lew.  Wallace  and  Captain  Aimer  Reed. 
authorizes  lithographic  discharges  for  the  Squirrel 
Hunters,  240;  authorizes  the  Governor  to  contribute 
money  for  tliH  burial  of  soldiers  in  Green  Lawn  Ceme- 
tery, 241  ;  authorizes  a  commission  to  examine  claims 
growing  out  of  the  Morgan  raid,  a  bureau  of  military 
statistics,  the  relief  of  debtors  in  the  military  service,  a 
bureau  of  soldiers'  claims,  242;  authorizes  a  Soldiers 
Home,  213;  authorizes  the  appropriation  of  money  for 
monument  to  General  McPherson,  244. 

Ohio  Militia  rescues  West  Virginia,  45. 
Ohio  Regiments  in  Kentucky  in  the  fall  of 

1861,  52  ;  in  Virginia  in  the  fall  of  1861,  63. 

Ohio    Belief    Association   at   Washington, 

262;  organization  of,  2f>3. 

Ohio's  Place  in  the  war  for  the  Union,  13. 
Olds,  Dr.  Edson  B.,  Opposes  enlistments  and 
is  arrested,  80.  81 ;  he  arrests  Governor  Tod,  |£0, 

Opdycke,  Brevet  Major-General  Emerson,  En- 
lists as  private,  his  conduct  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  is 
appointed  Colonel  One  Hundred  and  Twenty-Fifth  Ohio, 
his  conduct  at  Chickamauga,  at  Mission  Kidge,  and  in 
the  Atlanta,  campaign,  837  ;  his  conduct  at  Franklin,  838; 
personal  habits,  839. 

Orchard  Knob,  Capture  of,  396. 

Orr,  Senator,  Votes  for  appropriation  bill  in 

Ohio  Senate,  21. 


Pardee,   Brevet   Brigadier-General    Don   A., 

Summary  of  service,  9sl. 
Parrott,   Edward  A.,  Commandant  of  First 

Ohio,  27. 

Parry,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Augustus  C, 

Summary  of  service,  979. 

Patrick,  Colonel  John  H.,   Early  life,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  1001. 

Paymasters  from  Ohio  1014. 

Peachtree  Creek,  Battle  of,  456. 

Pearce,    Brevet    Brigadier-General   John  S., 

Summary  of  service,  981. 
Pemberton,  General,  Conduct  of,  in  the  Vicks- 

burg  campaign.  388. 
Pendleton,  lion.  Geo.  PL,  Acts  as  counsel  for 

Vallandingham.  104. 

Perrin,  Dr.  Glover,  Services  of,  249. 

Perry,  Aaron  F.,  Replies  to  Pugh's  argument 

for  a  Itabeas  corpus  in  the  ease  of  Yallandighaiu,  112. 

Perryville,  Battle  of,  503,  719. 

Petersburg,  Siege  of,  405. 

Phelps,  Dr.  A.  J.,  Services  of,  249. 

Piatt,    Brigadier-General   A.  Sanders,   Early 

life,  enters  the  army,  serves  in  West  Virginia,  918;  his 
conduct  at  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  914  ;  his  con- 
duct at  Fredericksburg,  resigns,  915. 

Pierson,    Brevet   Brigadier-General    Win.   S., 

Summary  of  service,  981. 
Pillow,  General,  At  Fort  Donelson,  367,  368. 
Pittsburg   Landing,   Effect  of  battle  at  in 

Ohio,  A6  ;  battle  of.  374,  431  ;  map  of,  378. 
Plympton,  Editor  of  Cincinnati   Commercial, 

Has  an  interview  with  Sherman,  428,  note. 
Poe,    Brevet    Brigadier-General    Orlando  M., 

Summary  of  service,  981;  as  Lieutenant,  sent  to  examine 

exposed  points  on  the  Ohio  River,  4*. 

Political  Parties  in  Ohio  at  the  outbreak  of 

the  war,  17. 

Pope,    Captain  (now   Major-General ),   Recom- 
mends the  fortifying  of  Walnut  Hills,  near  Cincinnati,  32. 
Porter,  General,  Conduct  of  at  Gaines's  Mill, 

301. 


Port  Gibson,  Battle  of,  387,  573. 

Potts,  Brigadier-General  B.  F.,  Early  life,  en- 
ters the  armv,  serves  in  West  Virgin!  ond»ct 
in  the  Vicksburg  campaign  and  on  tin-  Meridian  expedi- 
tion, v.i'.> ;  his  conduct  at  Atlanta,  personal  appearance, 
•MX). 

Powell,   Brigadier-General   Wm.    II.,    Early 

life,  enters  the  army,  serve!  in  Wc.-t  Virginia,  is  cap- 
tured, Wiy  ;  summary  of  bia  engagements,  be  resist 

Powell,  Brevet  Brigadier -General  Eugene, 
Summary  of  service,  pat, 

Powell,  Colonel,  His  ability  as  a  commander, 

802. 

Prentice,  George  D.,  Pays  a  tribute  to  Daniel 

McCook,  9(i"). 

Prentiss,  General,   Conduct  of   at   Pittsburg 

Landing   878. 

Price,  Rebel  General,  Conduct  of  at  Corinth, 

325  ;  invades  Missouri,  34."). 
Pugh,  Hon.  Geo.  E.,  Acts  as  counsel  for  Val- 

laudigham,  104 J  makes  application  for  a  writ  of  habeas 
corpus  in  the  case  of  Vallandingham,  1(17  ;  his  argument 
for  it,  109  ;  mak<  s  a  speech  hefore  the  Democratic  nom- 
inating convention,  154. 

Pulaski,  Fort,  Operations  against,  621. 
Purcell,  Archbishop,  Raises  the  flag  over  the 

Cincinnati  Cath-dral,  270. 

Q 

Quartermasters  from  Ohio,  1014. 

R 

Rappahannock,  map  of,  669. 

Ratliff,    Brevet    Brigadier-General    R.    W., 

Summary  of  service,  981. 

Raymond,  Battle  of,  573. 

Raynor,    Brevet    Brigadier-General    W.    II., 

Summary  of  service,  981. 

Read,  Thomas  Buchanan,  Writes  "Sheridan's 
Bide,"  532,  note. 

Recruiting,  The  last,  its  progress  and  perils, 

200. 

Reedy,  Mr.,  Introduces  bill  in  Ohio  Legisla- 
ture for  the  relief  of  soldiers'  families,  218. 

Re-enlistments  among  Ohio  troops,  175. 
Reilly,  Brigadier-General  J.  WT.,   Early  life, 

enters  the  army,  participates  in  siege  of  Knoxville,  918; 

participates  in  the  battle  of  Franklin,  resigns,  919. 

Relief  Work,  251. 

Resaca,  Battle  of,  450,  582. 

Reynolds,  Private  Geo.,  Fifteenth  Iowa,  at- 
tends on  McPherson  at  his  death,  587. 

Rice,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Americus  V., 
Summary  of  servic  •,  982. 

Richardson,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  W.  P., 

Early  life,  en  ten  the  army,  conduct  at  Chaucellorsvillt:, 
945;  summary  of  character,  946. 
Richardson,  Private  Wm.  R.,  Second    Ohio 

Cavalry,  gallantry  of  at  Sailor's  Creek,  518. 

Richmond,  Map  of  routes  to,  and  battle-fields 

around,  29.">. 

Rich    Mountain,  Battle  of,  Rosecrans's  part 

in,  315. 
Risdon,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Orlando  C, 
Summary  of  service,  '.'--' 

Ritchie,  General  Thos.,  Secures  appointment 

for  Sheridan  at  West  Point,  499. 

Robinson,  Brevet  Major-General  Jas.  S.,  Is  en- 

gajpd  in  the  Uich  Mountain  campaign,  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  campaign,  in  the  second  hit  tile  o'  Bull  Run,  in 
the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  in  the  Gettysburg  cam- 
paign, in  the  Atlanta  campaign,  in  the  Georgia  campaign, 

and  in  the  campaign  of  iho  Carolina^,  summary  of  pro- 
motions, S57. 

Rosecrans,  .  Major-General  Wm.  S.,    Assumes 

command  in  the  mountains.  13:  calls  on  Governor  Den- 
nison  for  aid  in  holding  West  Virginia,  52:  his  conduct  in 
McClellan's  West  Virginia  campaign,  2S2:  parentage, 
311  ;  enters  West  Point,  early  military  life,  312;  his  civil 
life,  313;  re-eaters  the  service.  314;  his  Work  in  West 
Virginia,  315;  his  conduct  at  Rich  Mountain,  50,  315;  his 
conduct  at  Carnifex  Ferry,  318;  his  conduct  at  and 
around  Corinth,  321,  323,  390J  fl-hts  the  battle  of  luka, 
322,379;  his  conflicts  with  Grant,  323,  328,  33tf,  345  and 
note ;  he  relieves  Buell,  327 ;  his  conflict  with  Halleck, 


1048 


Index. 


.3.5;  is  relieved  of  a  command  and 

VStZ   -,  ,    '     r    Of  service  and  character,**;  his  plant 

„   Ki  l,..  campaign.  391,  393  and  note;  h ,  s 

r..nli.t  witli  McPherson.  570:  compliments  Fullei  s  hn- 

«""  hi  Coi ,-ii.th.  KO;  compliments  General  Ihomas  II. 

r « oii.lnct  ut  Pilot  Knob,  83--,  SM. 

ral,  Is  sent  by  Kosecrans  to 
i-xton  to  obtain  cavalry,  33«.  „    r     , 

[revet  Major-General  Ben.  F.,  Jvarly 

...  army,  conduct  at  Pittsburg  V,n:h"*' **1'J 

Mmman  i o  BlliVla  in  the  Morgan  rail,  .sd.scharged 

un  account  of  wound-.,  is  appoint- d  Lie.itenant-t  ohm el 
vot'crpn.  is  assi  metl  to  duty  in  the  *ieed- 

n.-„'«  Bur  an,  line luct  in  the  Memphis  "riots,  is  ap- 

■miuMd  Major  Kurtv-Kitth  United  States  Inlantry  8to. 

I  s,   George  W.,  Commissary-General   ot 

Ohio,  2A. 

S 

8altsbury,  Prof.  J.  II.,  Visits  hospitals  and 

report*  <>n  army  epidemic*.  247. 

:\s  CbSKX,  Battle  of,  548. 
nut  Battle  of,  148. 
BALTSB,  Dr.  Francis,  Services  of,  249.   • 

MOV,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Thomas 

W..  siiiiimaiy  of  service,  982. 

\i:v  I  'i'MM issroN, Cincinnati  Branch,  252; 
iu  •rsjaniiat  on,  253;  its  services  at  Fort  Donelson,  254; 
.«•... I. Ii-hes  a  Soldiers'   Home,  purchase  lots  in   Spring 

I  tii'iery.  255;  stab  ment  of  its  receipts,  disburse- 
ments, and  «upplics,  25i;  Cleveland  Branch,  257;  estab- 
li«li.t  a  S  l.liem'  Home,  holds  a  fair,  26:  Columbus 
Branch.  2.V,  n->te. 

sNAii,  Siege  of,  469. 
Sa\vyi:r,  Brevet   Brigadier-General  Franklin, 

ffrnmnrj  of  ■trvlet,  9-2. 
BlTLEB,  Milton,  of  Hamilton  County,  Intro- 

b  II  in  Legislature  enabling  soldiers  to  vote,  238. 

.  >.v,  Brigadier-General  Eliakim  P.,  Pa- 

.  -t  indiug  nud  classmates  at  West  Point,  early 
military  life,  915;   his  civil  life,  serves  against  the  re- 
n,9M. 
<  k,  Major-General  Robert  C,  Early  life, 

I  d  to  the  Lejrislatu-e,  725;  is  elided  to  Congress 
U  appoint..  I  inini.tr  to  Brazil,  72»"» ;  suggests  Mr.  Lin- 
coln for  the  Presidency,  is  appointed  Brigadier-General, 
his  conduct  at  Vienna,  727;  his  conduct  at  Bull  Kun, 
uinands  a  brigade  in  West  Virginia,  729  ;  his  con- 
tact ut  McDowell,  ut  Cross  Keys,  mid  ut  second  Bull 
Kiiii  ran;  ,„  niadea  Major-Oener.il,  commands  the  Mid- 
ileDepaitment,  his  treatment  of  Rebels,  731;    issues 

i  ■  ( >rd.r  a  In  regard  to  elections.  732 ;  resumes  his 
•■•at  in  Congress,  is  made  Chairman  of  th  •  Committee  on 
M.'Harv  aitnirs.  II,  733;  his  speech  against  Fernando 
.    .11  ;  summary  ot  character,  7:;7. 

1CH,    Newton,   is   appointed    Brigadier- 
ilof  Ohio  troops,  34.  e 

Scott   Dr.,  of  Warren  Conntv,  introduces  bill 

In  the  L*  Ulatnn  for  relief  of  soldiers'  families   23d 

bcOTT    General   replies  to  McClellan's  propo- 
sal for  WsflHamd,  48;    difficulties  between  film 

th:iBin?e&^r;hbmp^^^fo'tt:: 

Ohio  Infantry,  Organized,  27. 

utenant- Colonel  James  W.,  Earlv 

h.e.M,,..,,.,,  ,.,  s..,vio.  and  character,  10.,;.      '  * 

a,  Mr.,  Describes  Sheridan,  557,  note. 
^B^J^^****^  Lionel  A., 


the  war.  5»;  is  <*„   ,     r/,^  * M  ' x 'c,"  a.f,  »*«  Owning  of 


buttle 
I- 


r»»+*~xisFJua?*3?s2£a 


521  and  note;  assumes  the  defensive,  523;  his  conduct 
at  Winchester,  524  ;  at  Fisher  s  Hill,  526  ;  at  Cedar  Creek, 
5:50 •  "Sheridan's  Ride,"  poem,  circumstances  under 
which  it  was  written,  332;  moves  southward,  535;  amount 
of  property  destroyed  on  the  march,  53ti,  note  ;  resumes 
command  "of  cavalry,  army  of  the  Potomac,  537  ;  bis  last 
interview  with  Grant  before  the  surrender,  538  and  note; 
bis  conduct  at  Dinwiddie  C.  H.,  540;  at  Five  Forks,  411, 
542;  his  Dual  operations  against  Lee,  545;  his  conduct  at 
Lee's  surrender,  550,  note;  goes  to  the  South-west,  his 
administration  of  affairs,  553 ,  is  ordered  to  the  frontier, 
summary  of  character,  554  ;  his  conduct  at  Sailor's  Creek, 
7M  ;  presents  the  table  on  which  the  terms  of  Lees  sur- 
render were  signed  to  Mrs.  General  Custer,  782. 

Sherman,  Major-General  W.  T.,  Defends  Grant 
for  locating  the  army  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  371,  note; 
his  criticism  on  Grant's  Vicksburg  campaign,  3,>2,  note, 
and  38ti  and  note;  parentage,  417  ;  is  adopted  by  Hon.  T. 
Ewing,  enters  West  Point,  418;  his  classmates  and  life 
at  the  academy,  4i9;  enters  the  army,  his  life  in  Florida, 
421 ;  is  married,  resigns,  enters  on  the  practice  of  law, 
423;  accepts  professorship  in  the  Louisiana  Military 
Academy,  424;  resigns,  attempts  to  re-enter  the  army, 
425;  is  appointed  Colonel,  his  conduct  at  Bull  Run,  42ti; 
is  appointed  Brigadier-General,  goes  to  Kentucky,  127 ; 
is  reported  insane,  14,  429,  430  and  note;  his  conduct  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  375,  431;  advance  to  Corin.h,  433; 
goes  to  Memphis,  434;  attempts  to  reduce  Vicksburg, 
&>0,  434;  his  conduct  at  Chickasaw  Bayou,  435;  at  Ar- 
kansas Post,  437 ;  his  conduct  in  an  expedition  against 
Haines's  Bluff,  437;  his  plan  for  taking  "Vick-burg,  his 
part  in  the  Vicksburg-  campaign,  438;  his  couduct  at 
Jackson,  440;  recommends  Orion  P.  Howe  for  gallantry 
at  Vicksburg,  is  made  a  Brigadier  in  the  regular  army, 
441;  Ins  relations  towards  Grant,  441,  44ii;  is  ordered  to 
co-operate  witli  Rosecrans,  442;  his  conduct  at  Mission 
Ridge,  3%,  444;  moves  to  relief  of  Buruside  at  Knoxville, 
445;  his  Meridian  expedition,  446;  his  plans  for  the  At- 
lanta campaign,  447;  enters  on  the  campaign,  449;  his 
care  of  his  troops,  4t>l  ;  orders  the  inhabitants  out  of  At- 
lanta, 403;  commences  his  march  to  the  sea,  4t>5;  invests 
Savannah,  469;  gives  his  views  on  reconstruction,  470; 
moves  on  th  •  Carolina  campaign,  471 ;  his  responsibility 
for  the  burning  of  Columbia,  475;  his  laxity  of  discipline 
on  the  march,  478;  forces  Johnston  to  surrender,  4.-0; 
terms  agreed  on,  482 1  Government  refuses  to  sanction 
terms,  483;  his  mortification  and  anger,  485;  refuses  to 
shake  hands  with  Secretary  Stanton  on  review  day,  48*5; 
summary  of  his  ability,  4-7;  his  conduct  on  hearing  of 
the  death  of  McPherson,  587;  his  estimate  of  General 
Charles  R.  Woods,  843;  of  General  Walcutt,  850. 

Sherman,  Senator  John,  Parentage,  early  life, 

public  life,  103">;  summary  of  character,  1036. 

Sherwood,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Isaac  R., 

Summary  of  service,  953. 

Shumard,    George    H.,   Surgeon-General    of 

Ohio,  246. 

Shurtliff,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  G.  W., 

Summary  of  service,  982. 
Sigel,   General,   conduct    of,   at  second    Bull 

Kun,  687. 

Signal  Officers  from  Ohio,  1014. 

Sill,  Brigadier-General  Joshua  W.,  conduct 
of  at  Stone  River,  504  ;  early  military  life,  919  ;  civil  life, 
serves  against  the  rebellion,  920. 

Sinnet,  Mr.,  Introduces  bill  in  Legislature  ap- 
pointing militaiy  clam  agents.  240;  introduces  bill  to 
organize  and  discipline  the  militia,  241. 

Sixty-Sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  The  first  regi- 
ment to  return  to  the  State  after  re-enlistment,  174. 

Slevin,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Patrick, 
Summary  of  service,  982. 

Slocum,  Brevet  Brigadier  General  Willard, 
Summary  of  service,  983. 

Slocum,  Lydia,  Grandmother  of  General  Mc- 
pherson, w  i itt 8  to  General  Giant  5SX. 

Slough,  Brigadier-General  John  P.,  Early  life, 

summary  of  service,  933. 

Smith,  Brigadier-General  William  Sooy,  Pa- 
rentage, early  life,  enteis  \\  est  Point,  his  classmates  and 
standing,  resigns,  civil  life,  re-enters  the  army,  and 
serves  in  West  Virginia,  N>4 :  his  conduct  at  Pittsburg 
Landing  and  in  the  pursuit  alter  battle  of  Perrvville, 
885;  makes  a  raid  against  the  Mobile  and  Ohio  Railroad, 
8s6;  is  attacked  by  rheumatism  and  resigns,  887. 

Smith,  Brigadier-General  Thomas  Kilby,  Pa- 
rentage, summary  of  service,  939. 
Smith,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Benjamin  F.> 

Summary  of  service,  982. 

Smith,    Brevet     Brigadier-General     Orlando, 

Summary  of  service,  9-3. 

Smith,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Orlow,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  983. 

Smith,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  T.  C.  II., 
Summary  of  service,  982. 

Smith,  Colonel  Joseph  L.   Kirby,  Parentage, 

Summary  of  service,  10U7. 


Index. 


1049 


Smith,  Dr.  Samuel  M.,  Visits  the  battle-fields 
of  Pittslmrg  Landing  aud  Antietam,  67,  is  Surgeon-Uen- 
erai  of  Ohio,  247. 

Smith,    General   Charles   F.,    Character,   359; 

his  operations  in  Kentucky,  303;  his  conduct  at  Fort 
Donclson,  368. 

Smith,   General  Giles  IL,  Commends  Colonel 

Potts,  900.  , 

Smith,  General  W.  F.,  At  Petersburg,  404. 
Smith,  Kirby,  Advances  into  Kentucky,  88. 
Smith,  Robert,  Engages  James  B.  McPherson 

as  clerk.  562. 

Snicker's  Ferry,  Battle  of,  801. 
Soldiers'  Home  Established,  235. 
Somerset,  Battle  of,  630. 

Sowers,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Edgar,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  984. 

Spottsylvania  C.  II.,  Battle  of,  402. 

Sprague,  Brevet  Major-General  John  W.,  En- 
ters the  army,  is  captured,  864;  is  appointed  Colonel 
Sixty-Third  Ohio,  his  conduct  at  Corinth  and  In  the 
Atlanta  lampalgii,  865;  is  appointed  Commissioner  for 
Freedmen  in  Missouri,  summary  of  character,  866. 

Squirrel-Hunters  in  Cincinnati,  94;  number 

of  discharges  triven,  180. 

Staff-Officers  from  Ohio,  1012. 
Stafford,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Joab  A., 

Summary  of  service,  9-3. 

Stager,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Anson,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  983. 
Stanley,  Brevet   Brigadier-General   Timothy 

R.,  Summary  of  service,  9<$ 

Stanley,  Major-General  David  S.,  Early  mili- 
tary life,  his  services  in  the  West  at  the  opening  of  the 
war,  is  appointed  Brigadier,  796;  his  services  under 
Pope,  his  conduct  at  luka,  Corinth,  Stone  River,  and  in 
the  Atlanta  campaign,  797  ;  at  Franklin,  798. 

Stanton,  Hon.  E.  M.,  Secretary  of  War.,  14; 

Dispatches  to  Governor  Brough  in  regard  to  the  National 
Guard,  214;  presents  objections  to  Sherman's  basis  of 
peace,  4t3;  his  parentage,  1027;  early  life,  his  law  prac- 
tice, enters  Buchanan's  Cabinet,  is  Secretary  of  War  to 
Mr.  Lincoln,  his  difficulty  with  President  Johnson,  1028  ; 
summary  of  character,  1029. 

State  Agencies  for  the  assistance  of  soldiers 

established,  67. 

Steadman,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  William, 

summary  of  service,  983. 

Steedman,  Major-General  James  B.,  As  Col- 
onel of  Fourteenth  Ohio,  occupies  Parkersburg,  49: 
action  of  his  command  at  Carrick's  Ford,  50;  early- 
life,  becomes  a  printer  and  a  Democrat,  removes  to  Ohio 
and  engages  in  canal  and  railroad  contracts,  784;, his 
public  life,  enters  the  army,  conduct  at  Perryville,  785 ; 
is  complimented  by  General  Thomas,  his  conduct  at 
Chiekaniausia  and  iu  the  Atlanta  campaign,  736;  has  a 
flslit  with  Wheeler,  his  conduct  at  Nashville,  resigns, 
summary  of  character,  787. 

Stem,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Leander,  Early  life, 

conduct  at  Perryville  and  Stone  River,  1004. 

Stevenson,  Mr.,  Introduces  bill  in  Legislature 

authorizing  tax  for  the  payment  of  bounties,  241. 

Stiver,  Mr.,  introduces  bill  in  Legislature  for- 
bidding traffic  with  Rebels,  239. 

Stone  River,  Battle  of,  329,  504 ;  map  of  bat- 
tle at,  331. 
Storer,  Judge,  States   position  of  Ohio  with 

reference  to  Kentucky  to  Louisville  delegation,  40. 

Stough,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  William, 
Summary  of  service,  984. 

Strickland,  Brevet    Brigadier-General    Silas 

A.,  Summary  of  service,  981. 

Struggle  and  Surrender  of  Party  in  Ohio, 

20. 

Stuart,   General  J.   E.  B.,  Killed  at  Yellow 

Tavern,  518. 

Sullivan,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Peter  J., 

Summ  iry  of  service,  984. 

Sumner,  General,  Conduct  at  Antietam,  305. 

Sumter,  Fort,  Reduction  of,  636. 

Surgeons  from  Ohio  in  the  war,  245 ;  sum- 
mary of  appointed,  resigned,  promoted,  and  deceased 
during  the  rebellion,  246,  note;  deaths  anions,  2M. 

Surgeons  of  volunteers  from  Ohio,  248. 
Swayne,  Hon.   Noah    H.,  and  other  citizens, 

render  important  aid  to  the  State,  36,  note. 

Swayne,  Major-General  Wager,  Early  life,  en- 


ters the  army,  is  proyost -marshal  at  Memphis,  R04  ;  his 
conduct  on  the  Atlanta  campaign,  on   the    march  to  to* 
sea,  ami    on  th-   campaign  of  the  Carolinas.  is  ap] 
assi.-tant  commissioner  of  freedmen  In  Alabama, 

Sweeney,  General,  conduct  of  at  K 
Swinton's   Army   of   the    Potomac,    Extracts 

from,  670. 

T 

Tabular   Statement  of  enrolled  militia  in 

each  county  in  Ohio,  133. 

Tabular  Statement  of  militia  in  the  Mor- 
gan raid,  150. 

Tabular   Statement  of  number  of  recruits 

furnished  to  old  regiments  in  1.S62,  79. 

Tabular    Statement   of   number   of   troops 

raised  iu  each  county  under  the  first  two  callH,  5$,  note. 

Tabular'  Statement  of  number   of   trooim 

raised  in  each  county  up  to  October  I,  1*12.  77 

Talbot,   Mr.,   Hires   Philip   II.   Sheridan    an 

clerk,  498. 

Taylor,  Brevet     Brigadier-General  Jacob  E., 

Nummary  of  service,  9*4. 

Taylor,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Thomas  T., 

summary  of  service,  9*4. 

Thirty -Ninth    Ohio    Infantry    furnishes 

largest  number  of  veterans,  17a. 

Thomas,  General  Geo.   H.,  His  part   in    the 

battle  of  Stone  River,  329 ;  his  part  in  the  battle  of  Chick- 
amauga,  340;  captures  Orchard  Knob,  396:  refuses  to  ac- 
cept present  of  a  house,  486,  note  ;  defeats  Zollicoffcr,  702  ; 
compliments  Steedman,  786;  compliments  colored  troops 
at  Nashville,  7*7;  recommends  Stanley  for  promotion, 
79* ;  recommends  Opdycke,  t>38 ;  pays  a  tribute  to  Colonel 
Minor  Millikin,  994. 

Thompson,  Brevet    Brigadier-General    David, 

Summary  of  service,  984. 
Tidball,  Major-General  J.  C,  Early  military 
l;fc,  his  conduct  in  the  p-ninsula  campaign,  816;  his  con- 
duct at  Gaines's  Mill,  Malvern  Hill,  and  Antit  tarn,  sit  ; 
his  conduct  on  the  Stoneinau  raid  and  in  the  Gettysburg 
campaign,  is  appointed  Colonel  Fourth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery,  his  conduct  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness, 
SIS;  his  conduct  at  Spottsylvania  C.  H.,  at  the  North 
Anna,  is  appointed  commandant  of  cadets  s;t  West  Point, 
his  difficulty  with  the  Secretary  of  War,  is  brevetted 
Brigadier-General,  819j  his  conduct  at  Fort  Stecdmau, 
his  final  operations,  820. 

Tilghman,  General,  Conduct  of  at  Fort  Henry, 

364. 

Tod,  Governor  David,  General  features  of  the 

first  year  of  his  admin  stration,  early  political  life,  64 ; 
organization  of  hi*  staff,  64,  note  ;  summary  of  events  in 
the  first  year  of  his  administration.  65 ;  his  care  for  Ohio 
soldiers,  68 ;  hi*  efforts  at  recruiting,  69;  his  policy  in  the 
appointment  of  officers,  80;  his  conduct  in  the  siege  of 
Cincinnati,  92;  issues  proclamation  to  insurgents  in 
Holmes  County,  12s;  calls  out  the  militia  to  repd  .Mor- 
gan. 139  ;  closing  features  of  his  administration,  172;  his 
care  for  the  wounded,  177;  his  system  of  promotions  179; 
parentage,  early  life,  his  pol.tics,  1020 ;  his  public  life,  10J1  ; 
his  home,  1022. 

Toland,    Colonel  John  T.,  Early  life,    Sum- 
mary of  service, 1002. 
Tripler,   Surgeon  C,  S.  Medical  Director  at 

at  Cincinnati,  corresponds  with  Governor  Brough,  194. 
TULLAHOMA    CAMPAIGN,  337. 

Turchin,  Colonel,  Dismissed  from  service  and 

re-instated.  715;  charges  against  him,  750,  not*». 
Turley,  Brevet  Brigadier-General   John   A., 

Summary  of  service,  984. 

Twenty-Third  Ohio   Infantry,  First  regi- 
ment In  which  re-enlistment!  began.  175. 
Tyler,  Brevet  Major-General  Erastus  B.,  Early 

life,  enters  the  armv,  serves  in  West  Virginia,  831  :  his 
conduct  in  the  Kanawha  Valley,  at  Winchester.  Pott 
Republic,  and  Antietam,  assumes  command  ill  and  near 
Baltimore,  his  part  In  the  Mouocacy  battle,  (St;  sum- 
marv  of  character,  8:!3. 

Tyler,  General  Daniel,  Conduct  of  at  Black- 
burn's Ford,  666. 

U 

Union  Convention  at  Columbus,  167/ 


Vallandigham,   Hon.    C    L.,   Remonstrates 

with  Democrats  for  sanctioning  the  war,  23;  his  arrest 


Index. 


.,_-„  for  Governor,  1>3,  «  c- 
for  Governor,  164;  ipe«ck  against 


er,   BriRadier-General  Ferdinand 

,,lu,t  at   Monterey    is  appointed 

l)1,i,>' C0,^:,CkV'^5  %S»Tuidge 

painii,  tf»  ;  summary  of  chaiac- 

I  reneral,  Conduct  of  at  Corinth,  325. 

Campaign,  381,  438. 

:it,  727. 

S  r  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Thomas  M., 

cls«amat*s  al  We«t  Point,  early  military 

I  ugaiust  the  rebellion,  summary  of  promotions, 

BCCBOTOK.    Brevet    Brigadier -General 

Uwi».  Su. unary  of  service,  9*4.  , 

LBDBB,    Brevet    Brigadier -General 
Al  ixsndar,  Summary  of  service,  983. 


w 


Pa- 


Wade,  Brigadier-General  Melanctlion  S 

,-••.  •  ■imiiiai  v  of  service,  932. 

WADE.  H<»n.  Benjamin  P.,  Chairman  of  Com 

niit: n  Conduct  ol  tlio  War,  14;  early  life,  public  life, 

b  traol  ■;.  Hi-  al  hbma,  MSI. 

BR  Fori-,  Siege  of,  035,  642. 
W.w.rurr,  Brevet   Major-General  Charles  C, 

:  b.  enter*  in*  army,  conduct  at  Pittsburg  Land- 
In  ;  mi  I  .Mission  Ridge  -:>n;  conduct  in  the  Atlanta  cam- 
paign ami  on  tin-  iiianh  to  the  mm,  >.'•!. 

WALKER,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Moses  B., 

Rnrty  life,  summary  of  s  Trice,  9j.">. 
\V  u.i.ace,  General  Lewis,  Assumes  command 

in  <  in  i'ninti  diirina  Biege,  90;  his  statf,  98 ;  his  conduct 

at  tmri  i»  'Hi-is ML 

Ward,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Durbin,  Poli- 
-uiiiinary  of  s  'iv  c  •.  HA. 

i  it,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Darius  B., 

Summary  of  service,  9st>. 

BR,  Brevet  Major-General  Willard,  Early 

i  ■  army,  is  engaged  at  Donelson,  Pittsburg 

LtniUnif,  Corinth,  Vicksburg,  Lookout  Mountain,  Mis- 

•  <>n  Iti  lge.au  I  Ring»Old,«»;  his  conduct  in  the  Atlanta 

i«u,  li.s  services  in  the  K.ist,  MO. 

WABKEV,  General,  Conduct  of  at  Five  Forks, 

>.    Rer.   D.  A.,  Gives  account  of  Mc- 

<1  II .in'«  promotion  In  B  itton  Commonwealth,  34,  note. 

WaUR,  G.  C.  E.,  Surgeon-General  of  Ohio, 

I  ::r,  Colonel  George  P.,  Early  life,  serves 

tiro,  politics,  summary  of  service  against  the  re- 

l,   Major-General  Godfrey,  Early  life 

.•i.i.Ts  W.nt  Point,  early  military  life,  .-eports  to  Gcn- 
-!..  Bnter«  ''V  n>Ui<'«  "»  "ttack  on  Fort  St.  Philip 
he  tn.ops _  to  the  Quarantine  Station,  is 
and  acting 
•r  and  operates 
Hud-.  '  .c;«ndnct  at   Port 


tf^.""1";1   ''-"-''".t    military    commaiide 
:  N««Orean«,  hm.idf.aBriga.lie 

ly  tin.  U  rn.uv Uttriet,  791 :   his  en 

Jltlon  to  Sabine  Pass,  and  on  the 
Wwl  Lyui-nuii  oampalttll,  is  or.leiv,!  to  report  to  Ge  - 
'  ;l  linibT ...  \  InrinU,  7«;  is  madechierengineerof  the 
T^J-ntlhZ^t  Kllil't'-'.»<1'  Corp.    cnmmaSS 

*,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Georo-e  E 

Siiiiiiinrv  of  m-rvic  ■  ec    *•! 

Brevet    Brigadier-General  Henrv  R 

bum.uaryofK.rvUe,9titi.  "tnry    j*,., 


West  Virginia  rescued  by  Ohio  militia  under 

State  P4W,  4'>. 

Wiiitbeck,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Horatio 

N.,  Summary  of  service,  9si>. 

White,    Brevet    Brigadier-General    Carr    B., 

Suinmary  of  service,  987. 

Wickfield,  Lieutenant,  Ordered  by  Grant  to 
eat  a  pie,  338,  note. 

Wilcox,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  James  A., 

Summary  of  service,  987. 

Wilderness,  Battle  of,  400. 

Wildes,  Brevet   Brigadier-General    Thos.   F., 

Parentage,  early  life,  summary  of  service,  boh 

Wiles,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  G.  F.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  940. 

Wiley,  Brevet  Brigadier -General  Aquila, 
Summary  of  service,  987. 

Willich,  Brevet    Major-General  August,  Pa? 

rentage,  early  life,  removes  to  the  United  Stales,  enters 
the  armv,  8hs;  is  engaged  at  Munfordsvillo,  his  conduct 
at  Pittsburg  Landing,  Stone  River,  Liberty  Gap,  and 
Chickainauga,  868  :  his  conduct  at  Mission  Ridge,  in  tlio 
Atlanta  Campaign,  commands  the  District  of  Cincin- 
nati, is  elected  auditor  of  Hamilton  County,  870. 

Wilson,   Brevet    Brigadier-General    Win.   T., 

Summary  of  service,  987. 

Wilson,  Lewis,  Commandant  Second  Ohio  In- 
fantry, 28. 
Winchester,  Battle  of,  524. 
Wolcott,  Judge   Advocate-General,   Acts    as 

Governor  Donnisou's  agent  in  New  York  for  the  pur- 
chase of  arms,  3&. 

Woman's  Central  Association  of  New  York, 

?57, 

Wood,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Oliver,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  987. 
Wood,  Fernando,   Replied  to  in  Congress    by 

Robert  C.  Schenck,  734. 

Wood,  General  Tlios.  J.,  Conduct  of  at  Chick- 

a manga,  343. 

Woodruff,  Sergeant  John    M.,  Promoted  by 

Governor  Prough,  promotion  not  recognized  by  Colonel 
Kind,  2*. 

Woods,  Brevet  Major-General  Chas.  R.,  Eariy 

services,  his  conduct  at  Fort  Donelson  and  Pittsburg 
Landing,  841  ;  at  Arkansas  Post,  in  Vicksburg  cam- 
paign, and  at  Lookout  Mountain,  842  ,  his  services  in  the 
Atlanta  and  Georgia  campaigns,  and  in  the  campaign  of 
the  Carol i lias,  his  battles,  summary  of  character.  843. 

Woods,  Brevet  Major-General  Win.  B.,  His  ac- 
tion in  the  Legislature  on  tb-;  appropriation  bill,  22, 
23;  supports  a  bill  ex'-mpting  property  of  volunteers 
from  execution  for  debt,  23;  political  life,  enters  the 
army,  £63;  his  battles  and  promotion*,  8(54. 

Wooster,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Moses  F.,  Sum- 
mary of  service,  1011. 


Yellow  Tavern,  Battle  of,  518. 

Yeoman,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Stephen  B., 

Parentage,  early  life,  enlists  as  private,  conduct  at 
Pittsburg  Landing,  Russell  H  mse.  and  Arkansas  Post, 
serves  around  Richmond,  summary  of  engagements,  949. 
Young.  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Tlios,  L., 
Early  life,  serves  in  regular  army,  civil  life,  volunteers 
against  the  rebellion,  988. 


Zaiin,  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Lewis,   Sum- 
mary of  service.  989. 
Zeigler,  Brevet  Brigadier-General   Geo.  M., 

Summary  of  service,  989. 


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